The Regressed Princess - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: A Total Victory

Why do I like Andra?

Whenever the night was deep and silent, and Eleanor lay ill in bed, she would ask herself this question. No matter how she thought about it, it was truly incredible.

She was selfish, arrogant, disloyal, possessed a strange possessiveness, and constantly sent away the people by my side… she even deceived me. Loving her is truly… incomprehensible, isn’t it?

Incomprehensible? All reason was built upon the premise that “Andra is not around.” Because as soon as this passionate girl, this powerful youth, this shining ruler appeared by your side, everything became unquestionable.

Eleanor understood perfectly: this handsome girl was a raw ore that shone brilliantly even without polishing; once tempered, she would turn into a sharp sword that would captivate the world. She would become an emperor for the ages, with no one able to overshadow her glory.

History books would write page after page for her, and all future monarchs would take pride in possessing and inheriting her bloodline. All who helped her, opposed her, were intimate with her, followed her, or even shared a casual word with her could “rise to heaven” on her light, leaving their small names in the books.

Oh, so do I love “Andra the Great”? Yes, and no.

I love Andra; even stripped of those halos, I love her. Why? Because.

“I love you.” The golden-red girl opened her arms to her amidst a mountain of flowers.

“I will protect you with my life, my love.”

Eleanor detached herself from the distant memory, instinctively stepping in front of Andra, gazing up with her at her mother, whose expression flickered between light and shadow.

“Mother, the time is up.”

Eleanor put her hands on her hips, trying to make her small frame appear more prominent to remind her mother to keep her word. Eva shifted her gaze slightly; the hourglass in the attendant’s hand indeed held only a few remaining grains of sand. She snorted, looking at her daughter who was acting like a protective cub, then at the cunning hostage behind her who stood fearless and solemn while playing a trick—she could only shake her head.

Who wants your protection…

“You two…” Eva raised a finger, momentarily lost for words. After a few seconds, she said, “Fine, whoever strikes first gets the kill. Come, bring your prey over to me.”

Eleanor and Andra exchanged a glance. They obediently untied the bags from their horses and poured the prey out, spreading them across the grass.

Pfft, giggle.

Seeing the contents of the bags, the favored officials and attendants couldn’t help but snicker. Even Eva reflexively let out two “ha”s. She hurriedly tightened her expression, but seeing the small moles rolling in a clump and constantly squirming, her lips couldn’t help but twitch.

“Hehe~” Eleanor followed along with an embarrassed laugh.

“Don’t ‘hehe’ just yet.” Eva walked over and kicked a small mole on the ground. “Right now we are tied 12 to 12, so your reward.”

“Squeak!”

Before she could finish, the largest mole squeezed among the others suddenly let out a thin cry, and a hairless newborn slowly squirmed out.

Silence… a long silence.

Everyone turned their heads silently to look at the hourglass. The very last grain of sand had fallen exactly as the baby mole was born a perfect buzzer-beater.

“Mother Goddess above…” someone whispered, tracing a wave pattern over their chest. This is too coincidental, isn’t it? It’s like destiny.

“Ha, haha, hahahaha! What on earth is this?!” Eva finally couldn’t hold it back and laughed. She laughed heartily along with everyone for quite a while before managing to stop. She waved her hand dismissively at the little Princess and said weakly, “You win. The lakeside manor outside the city belongs to you from today. If you need craftsmen, go directly to Aina.”

As a King, she had to fulfill a public wager. The more interesting the situation, the more she couldn’t go back on her word. Moreover, after today’s turn of events, even she felt a bit suspicious in her heart. After the mole gave birth, the manor had to be given whether she wanted to or not.

Eva announced the result and immediately turned to jump onto her chestnut horse.

“Hah!” She spurred the horse and rode away with the speed of someone fleeing an embarrassing memory, as if she could leave the bizarre experience far behind.

“Mother.” Eleanor quickly shouted a reminder, “Your horse is still with me.”

This white horse was so white it glowed, without a single stray hair, and its body was perfectly proportioned clearly a one-in-a-million steed. She couldn’t afford to pay for it if it was lost.

“Keep it for yourself!” The King’s voice dissipated in the wind.

“Hahahaha.” The people around broke into good-natured laughter.

“Truly lucky, Your Highness.” “Congratulations, Princess.”

Friendly, flattering smiles were everywhere, yet aside from Aunt Kurdona coming over to chat for a bit, everyone else stayed far away, as if hiding from something.

The King had gone down the mountain, so the crowd naturally formed groups and left in twos and threes. Eleanor rode the tall white horse in the middle of the procession when a bay horse trotted up beside her.

“Princess Eleanor, why do you want a manor so badly?” Andra approached her from behind, her gaze focused. The guards and attendants were far off, and their words were soft enough to linger only between themselves.

Yes, why do I want a manor so badly? Eleanor looked down the mountain at the grass and flowers.

“I want to do something more meaningful.” The little Princess’s shoulders were narrow; she looked frail whenever she lowered her head. But now she sat tall in the saddle, hands gripping the reins, and even her frowning gaze held a great deal of spirit.

Andra nodded and said approvingly, “Mhm, managing a manor can strengthen your health, but—today’s behavior was a bit too dangerous.” She understood the little Princess’s need to prove herself after being ill for so long, and going to Enlin required a team and a springboard. But the King of Nolanna, whether by rumor or sight, was no benevolent soul. The Princess relied primarily on the King’s favor; favor and death were sometimes only a step apart. Why risk her life for a few years of freedom?

As Andra advised her, she also vaguely sensed a contradiction in Eleanor’s behavior, but she suppressed the strange feeling for the time being.

“Because of time. Time is too precious,” Eleanor answered instinctively, then laughed in surprise.

Dangerous? You have the nerve to call me dangerous! She pulled the reins to slow down slightly and leaned toward Andra’s ear with a light “Pah!”: “Pah! Your behavior today was what I’d call suicidal!”

Andra squinted and shook her head with a smile. “It only looked dangerous~”

“It only looked dangerous~” Eleanor mimicked her tone sarcastically, making Andra’s eyes curve with amusement. The little Princess stopped dwelling on the previous question and rode forward quickly.

They soon saw the pavilion at the foot of the mountain and the members of the Princess Guard waiting anxiously inside.

“Princess! We just.” Seeing the Princess, Manzhu ran over.

Eleanor leaned on Manzhu’s hand to dismount and handed the white horse to an attendant. She said softly, “I know. It was a competition; the guards definitely wouldn’t let you in. Come, let’s talk when we get back.”

“Yes!” Manzhu nodded gratefully and took the Princess’s hand to head home together, under Andra’s strange gaze.

The group returned, had dinner, and sat in the side hall of the bedchamber, with Jingji guarding the door. A round table was set in the room. Andra, Manzhu, and Shanhu sat around it, with many seats temporarily vacant. Eleanor looked around and signaled everyone to relax.

She first asked Manzhu, “Has the family sent people to keep a close eye on Manhani?”

“Yes,” Manzhu nodded seriously. “Manhani is indeed a bit too ‘social’ for a tutor and scribe. We will keep an eye on her in the shadows.”

That wasn’t surprising, as Manhani had climbed to the position of Prime Minister in her previous life through extreme corruption; she couldn’t have done that without great social skills. Currently, she was still an official without real power, mostly carrying out orders. It would likely take a long time of monitoring to find a clue.

Eleanor turned her gaze to Shanhu. “Has Heidi shown any strange movements?”

“No, she works very hard and hasn’t sought opportunities to communicate with outsiders.” Shanhu shook her head, then quickly showed a contemplative expression.

“Sister Shanhu, speak your mind.”

“I think… if someone wants to kill you, it could only be the Second Highness’s people, right?”

The room fell silent. Eleanor also agreed: through process of elimination, the Eldest Sister was clearly not long for this world; almost no one would bet on her. If Sister Dasha wanted to kill me, it would only be a personal grudge. As for the Third Sister if Misella were the type to kill her sister at a young age, she wouldn’t have died early in the previous life. Moreover, they were sisters of the same blood; subordinates wouldn’t dare act easily. If someone killed the Master’s sister, who knows if the Queen would one day weep and “avenge her sister” after ascending the throne?

However, knowing it was the people behind the Second Sister didn’t help; they might be acting on their own… Is it really useless?

A flash of insight crossed her mind. If I just kill the Second Sister first, those crises won’t happen.

The dead cannot oppose the living. Her mother and the Eldest Sister didn’t bring her any pressure precisely because they were destined to “die early.” By eliminating the Second Sister, her influence would vanish in an instant. She wasn’t a King now, nor a noble minister with deep roots; she was merely a Second Princess who was not the heir.

That’s not right. Eleanor shook her head inwardly. In her past life, she had truly been saddened when she heard Andra had killed the Second Sister. If she were to kill her sister now, wouldn’t it all become a joke? Ophelia was a mediocre ruler, and for a King, mediocrity was a fault.

She couldn’t help but clench her fist: Andra had started many wars in the previous life, but she was about to open a long prelude to peace… compared to a King who unified the world, what did Ophelia count for to the people? If I were to replace Ophelia, even protecting a few more citizens would be a righteous act… No, that isn’t justice.

Her fingers pressed tightly against the golden six-petaled flower; the blood-red lines felt like blood flowing in her palm. I still have six petals. I love Andra; I still love Andra. Ophelia is my sister; she seems to have no fault other than mediocrity. I am willing to leave a petal for them, but if this petal withers because of them…

Crack.

Eleanor made a silent vow amidst the pain in her palm: I will use their lives to bloom the second petal.

“Highness?” Shanhu looked worriedly at the little Princess’s furrowed brow.

Eleanor let go of the pendant and shook her head gently. “I’m fine. Oh, right first send people to inventory the manor Mother gave me, and go to the market tomorrow.”

“Yes!” Shanhu clapped and laughed. “Since you have such a big~ manor, you should buy more loyal slaves!”

Eleanor froze. When she mentioned the market, she was thinking of recruiting Hudora in advance; she hadn’t thought about slaves at all. The noble attendants in the palace treated her so equally that she had almost forgotten that slavery hadn’t been abolished by Andra yet.

“Mhm…” Eleanor’s eyes darted away.

The little Princess looks unhappy? Shanhu quickly gave Manzhu a look.

Manzhu understood and asked, “Highness, tomorrow we will surely be able to buy many, many beautiful clothes and gems, and cute, beautiful birds.”

The Princess did not smile at the mention of clothes and gems, but she didn’t remain silent. She said softly, “Tomorrow, Jingji will stay with me. Manzhu, Andra—you go to the instructors and practice hard.”

“Yes,” Manzhu agreed without hesitation, while Andra wore a confused expression.

Eleanor pretended not to see Andra’s intentionally wide-eyed look: I won’t give you another chance to build up favor, dummy.

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