The Regressed Princess - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: No Way to Reach the End of the Year; It Was a Sword—A One-of-a-Kind…

Children?

Having slept too deeply the previous night, Eleanor didn’t blearily open her eyes until noon the next day, lying in bed and slowly reminiscing.

The person beside her had long since departed; the quilt where her arm brushed against was stone cold.

The Andra of this lifetime naturally wouldn’t give her a detailed account of where she was going or what she was doing.

Eleanor covered her face indifferently, her memory still lingering on scenes of affection from her past life.

Andra had liked sleeping close to her since they were young. At first, it was just shoulder to shoulder, head to head. Once they grew more familiar, Andra would pull her into her arms like a teddy bear, letting her fall into a deep sleep nestled against a sturdy body.

After they established their relationship, it was normal to wake up in any kind of posture. Nine times out of ten, she would open her eyes to see Andra’s bright gaze; the youth would smile, say “Morning,” and then deeply kiss her lips.

Even later, when her illness grew heavy and Andra was always rushing to the next battlefield, the King would still return home and rush to her bedchamber at the highest speed. Andra would circle her bed like a little bird, telling her fresh stories, sharing experiences of war or the aftermath, and tactfully proposing things she wanted Eleanor to help with.

Of course, Eleanor was only responsible for supervision; the specific implementation was left to the people below. Andra would wash up first, and at night, she would take her wife’s arm almost reverently, blending together in an exceptionally gentle manner.

In those decades, there were naturally unpleasant disputes.

There was a period when Andra was anxious to have children. She quite naturally stayed in a consort’s room for the first half of the night, yet actually came to find Eleanor in the second half. Eleanor was still young then how could she stand that? She coughed in anger, cursed her for being dirty, told her to get out, and cried uncontrollably.

Later… later, they naturally made up. How could the Emperor and Empress not be in harmony? They were so in love. Just for cursing her once at night, Eleanor felt so guilty she couldn’t sleep the whole night, her mind filled with Andra’s wounded gaze.

Perhaps the Andra of that time felt the same. She wasn’t provoked by her wife’s verbal abuse at all; she didn’t argue back a single word, nor did she take out her anger on the servants who heard the scolding. On the following morning, she changed into fresh, sun-dried clothes and rushed to Eleanor’s side, kneeling by the bed like a child who had done wrong to confess to her wife.

“I just missed you too much, I never want to be apart for a second…” The King, who always laughed heartily, actually shed tears. “I truly don’t like them at all; I only want to sleep holding you.”

Eleanor wept as she wiped the tears from the corner of Andra’s eyes. She had many, many things she wanted to communicate to her lover; she wanted to blame someone, but didn’t know who.

Blame Andra? Those tribal chiefs and noble lords were never soft-hearted when seeking benefits from Andra. Without a strong enough bond, their private rebellions and exploitation would only become more frenzied. Andra could kill them once, twice, three times… countless times, but what about the ordinary people dragged into the chaos?

Blame those consorts? What could they do? Naturally, they wanted to give birth to healthy, powerful Royal Daughters with the handsome King. What else? Could they rebel against the families that raised them?

But what about me? What did I do wrong?

Eleanor could only choose to forgive. They never discussed the topic again. Andra began to bathe before every meeting with her and forbade the consorts from using incense or balms before attending the King… Eleanor only smiled upon hearing such news; it was nothing more than burying one’s head in the sand.

Seeing that others had children, Eleanor began to feel lonely.

“Andra, I also want a child.”

Her King, her knight, who was obedient in everything else, showed a look of difficulty only on this point.

“But we will both live for a hundred years in the future,” Andra said, holding her hand sincerely. “That child will surely be excellent; she will inherit your wisdom and my strength.”

“Then…” Eleanor’s eyes lit up.

Andra shook her head bitterly against the back of her hand. “A child of seven or eight is very cute, no one can bear to scold her. But what about at thirty? She will view my existence as a total obstacle, and I will view her existence as a massive threat… You know how I deal with enemies, Eleanor.”

Eleanor fell silent. She knew the historical precedent of “How can there be a Crown Prince for forty years?” If someone being a Crown Prince for forty years results in a mental breakdown, if their child were born now, forty years would only be the starting price. Forty years? Seventy years would be more like it!

Andra struck while the iron was hot in her ear. “Think about it, we can have a child when we are sixty or seventy. That way, when she is thirty, you and I—along with a bunch of strong, unburdened old folks—will leave Hetuya together. We’ll take a great ship to the other side of the ocean and explore the unknown distance.”

A yearning future unfolded before her. Eleanor was persuaded; she knew Andra never lied to her. They leaned against each other for a moment of tenderness.

Eleanor suddenly remembered something and took some bound notebooks from the nightstand to hand to Andra.

“Hmm? Is there a problem with taxes somewhere?” Andra took them and flipped through, then tossed them back with a laugh once she saw clearly. “What is this, the kids’ schoolwork? Just have the teachers push them harder.”

Eleanor was stunned. “Wait, didn’t you say we should train them well so they can be sent to various places as lords?”

Isn’t the point of managing the provinces that they all listen to me? Andra didn’t care in her heart, but she knew Eleanor cared deeply about the “quality” of officials, so she smiled and said, “They are all children you raised; I am at ease.”

“It’s not a question of being at ease or not!” Eleanor huffed, throwing back the quilt and slapping the kids’ workbooks onto Andra’s stomach. “They are your children too, act like a human!”

A small flame ignited in his wife’s eyes. Andra hurriedly picked up the books, flipped through them haphazardly, and nodded pretentiously. “Not bad, not bad, very excellent. My, their brains are quite good.”

Eleanor slapped her in anger. “You just said you were worried about the mother-daughter relationship. These children have been born; if they aren’t raised well, you’ll be the one with the headache!”

“Hahahaha!” Andra tossed the books aside, clutching her stomach and laughing until she shook. “Don’t worry, Eleanor.”

Her smile made the warm bedchamber turn cold in an instant. That day, Andra’s words lingered in her ears; Eleanor remembered them for a very, very long time… until this lifetime.

“They are not our children; there’s no need to consider any relationship. I will always suppress them. No one can overturn things in front of us or our child.”

“Eleanor, I hope our child can come a bit later, to inherit a complete, peaceful kingdom.” “Eleanor, let’s have a child.”

“Hahaha…”

Even though her spirit and body were numb to the extreme, Eleanor was still amused by the difference between the Andra of her past and present lives, laughing until her bones ached.

So you were actually being sincere.

“Phew…” Eleanor let out a long breath, lying in bed and continuing to think about another matter. The Andra of this life wanted her to have a child as soon as possible; there must be an arrangement for this child. Andra was impatient; perhaps she believed her genius daughter could rule a country at twelve or thirteen, so her arrangement for the child was to manage Nolanna for her?

Although Eleanor had no desire whatsoever to have a child for Andra in this life, she couldn’t help but feel a slight spark in her heart at the thought of such a possibility. Miscella was not suited to rule Nolanna, and Ophelia was no better. It was truly too difficult to find a ruler in this world who possessed a modern worldview while being upright and powerful.

If I could have a highly talented child, raise her carefully, and teach her with all my heart, perhaps she would grow into a Saint-King even stronger than Andra, possessing true compassion.

“Andra, I don’t like this attitude of yours toward children.” “Don’t treat people as tools!”

Boom!

Her own voice thundered like a sudden bolt of lightning. Eleanor jerked awake from her thoughts. What was I just thinking!

She couldn’t help but raise her hand to touch her lower abdomen, secretly swearing she would never let a child come into the world for such a reason. Every person’s life is irreplaceable; every soul is free. No matter how much karma and entanglement there was between her and Andra, or what terrifying conflicts occurred, an innocent child should not be dragged in.

Eleanor stopped her wandering thoughts. She endured the faint, dull pain, got up to change her clothes, and slowly walked out of the tent. She looked around; Andra was standing on a high platform not far away, sparring with swords against an adjutant. There were quite a few familiar faces around.

Eleanor watched for a while, then turned to go back.

She originally thought such scenes would repeat for a long time in the future… many, many times. After all, she could easily live until old age under Andra’s wing. Eleanor didn’t intend to continue living once her illness struck, but that still meant living for another dozen years; living until forty offered the best value.

She wanted to use the remaining time in this life to get a clear picture of Hetuya’s personnel configuration, famous scholars, and useful resources. She could also use Andra’s money to recruit scholars and continue researching technologies from her past life, climbing the tech tree.

Eleanor pulled herself together. As soon as she reached the Hetuya border, she began contacting people from the Goldenseal Chamber of Commerce, acting as a bridge between them and the Hetuya nobility. A month later, the group successfully arrived at the capital of Hetuya.

The capital of Hetuya could, in a sense, be called the King’s Camp. Ancient Hetuya consisted of nomadic people on the grasslands. Although a large portion of Hetuyans had fixed settlements due to territorial expansion and the changing times, the royalty and chiefs still retained the tradition of migration.

The King of Hetuya would establish fixed palaces in pastures and places she favored, but she usually lived with her Queen and consorts in heavy, magnificent tents. Those tents were mostly white, gold, and red, decorated with patterns of suns and clouds, and were also called “Sun King Tents” or “Golden King Tents.”

In her past life, Eleanor rarely lived in a tent. Because she was a delicate Princess, she had told Andra clearly from a young age: she liked neither bugs nor damp places. So later, regardless of how Andra arranged herself and those consorts, Eleanor always managed to live in a dry brick house.

The Eleanor of this life naturally had no such treatment. She should have had a heavy great tent like Andra, but Andra, in the name of their new marriage, had her stay with her temporarily. Whenever Eleanor brought up the topic of private space, Andra would smile ambiguously: “I’m looking forward to our child.”

Is she using freedom to threaten me?

Eleanor didn’t care much. She continued her collaborative actions among the Hetuya nobility, successfully obtaining a lot of useful information. Not only was Andra surprised by this, but the nobles who had contact with Eleanor were also curious. This new Queen exuded a powerful affinity, making people feel a sense of “meeting late” from the depths of their souls.

The Queen’s gaze appeared somewhat distant, but once she spoke, she made people feel like a spring breeze. No matter what a noble’s stance was, after a bit of contact with her, they had to admit: this was a kind, wise person, very suitable for developing a friendship. Eleanor was happy to listen and would give practical, useful advice after hearing one’s troubles. She had the temperament and status of a superior, yet absolutely no airs; as long as your words had substance, she never stinted on heartfelt praise.

If it were just this, many nobles wouldn’t have held Eleanor in such high regard. It so happened that this Queen also knew medicine well. Everyone quickly discovered that the veterinarians she contacted could surpass the most skilled old herdsmen on the grasslands. She knew not only how to treat cattle and sheep but was even better at treating people.

Even in the homes of warriors, there were many ordinary people. Eleanor’s medical team could not only alleviate many troublesome illnesses, but those who adopted her preventive suggestions saw the children in their homes become healthier.

Eleanor had only been Queen for half a year, and people began to whisper in private that she was a wise one who had received divine inspiration. Eleanor was happy to let them think so; some of the rumors were actively promoted by her. She cheered herself up amidst her hardships: Just keep living like this. With the two sisters in Nolanna coordinating, holding out for another ten years shouldn’t be a big problem. This life is for working hard for the next; in the next life, I must deal with Andra personally.

It was another early morning, and Eleanor walked out of the tent. She mounted her white horse and skillfully inspected Andra’s territory on her behalf. The King’s Camp would stay in one place for a relatively long period, and it was currently stopped by a pasture with lush water and grass. The situation on the grasslands was normal; the guards and distant nobles showed no unusual movements.

After inspecting the plain, which was clear at a glance, Eleanor stopped her horse in front of a tent serving as the royal private treasury. As soon as the Queen dismounted, the treasury manager’s skin tightened.

Eh, why is she checking the private treasury too? She desperately wanted to refuse this “kind and gentle” superior who was also skilled at auditing accounts. Unfortunately, after seeing the accounts organized by the Queen, the King not only didn’t forbid her from meddling but told everyone: “From now on, let Eleanor see whatever she wants to see, otherwise don’t blame me for hanging you up and beating you.”

Being “hung up and beaten” by the King was no joke; one might end up with half their body beaten off and only a head left hanging. The manager led Eleanor inside with a face full of bitterness, thinking: This is the King’s treasure house; surely no subordinate would be desperate enough to steal what they are guarding? …But the Hetuya royalty have always been forgetful and disorganized. It’s been so long since an audit; there will surely be things that don’t match up.

She stared blankly at Eleanor’s back as she searched. Sigh, I hope the King will listen to my excuses before seeing the accounts the Queen reports…

“What is this?” The Queen suddenly straightened her body, lifting a long object from a pile of items. Eleanor’s voice was a bit shaky, and the manager trembled in fear as well. She hurriedly craned her neck when she saw clearly what it was, cold sweat poured down in an instant.

It was a sword a one-of-a-kind fine steel sword.

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