The Regressed Princess - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: The Gentle Trap; From the Darkness Came the Small Princess’s Concerned Voice…

Mist swirled within the bathroom. Eleanor submerged her seaweed-like long hair into the bathing tub, listening to Manju’s report.

This loyal personal guard summarized all the “hunts” targeted at Andra over the past three days, reciting them in a steady voice.

The guard unit had initially grown more courageous with each setback. After being severely beaten by Andra, they learned their lesson and decided to use underhanded tricks to reclaim their dignity.

As in the past life, Miscella came up with a drowning tactic.

This time, they were better prepared. They first dug a pit several meters deep in the garden, filled it with water, and then covered it with wooden planks and a layer of loose soil. They invited Andra to a night duel away from the Princess.

Andra fell for it, walking into the garden openly as agreed. However, her alertness was exceptionally high; she refused to step forward without someone leading the way.

To lure her into the trap, Miscella had to lead. The elder sister did have a talent for pranks; she remembered where the edge of the pit was. Thus, walking in front, Miscella stepped on the edge of the planks and didn’t fall, but Andra stepped right into the middle. With a crack, the trap collapsed.

The wood snapped instantly, and half of Andra’s body plunged. The churned soil mixed with water created a marsh-like sludge, making it difficult to break free.

“Hahahaha!” Miscella stood by laughing, but before she could get two laughs out, Andra’s right hand firmly seized her ankle!

There was still a chance for a reversal at this point. Miscella could swim; as a child, she had practiced holding her breath for a long time specifically to scare people from underwater.

“Don’t save me! Push her down first!!” she yelled as Andra dragged her under what a spirit of sacrifice!

And then she was dragged down by Andra and stunned with two heavy punches to the face.

Andra had no intention of struggling with Miscella in the pool; she knew that once one sank, getting back up would be difficult. Thus, she decisively abandoned the “bottom line” of not harming the Nolanna Crown Princess and delivered a barrage of strikes to Miscella’s nose, making her face “bloom.”

Smack, smack!

Blood splattered from the Third Highness’s face, flying everywhere.

This terrified the guards who had come to help pin Andra down. They scrambled to pull Miscella out, but Andra followed, clutching her heel… it was a brutal beating.

Eleanor knew the gist of this because Andra returned very late that night. She had bathed before returning, and her body was permeated with a strong scent of soap; she had evidently used quite a lot of it in the bathhouse.

The little Princess had blinked her eyes and asked innocently, “What happened to you?”

Andra only smiled and said, “I accidentally fell into a pool.”

After this battle, the guards called a truce. Primarily, they were beaten so badly that many were groaning in their quarters and requesting leave.

Consequently, during the remaining day, most of the pranks were carried out by attendants bribed by Manju and Thorns, or by relatives from their clans. These people were of low status; even with Manju’s promise to back them up, they didn’t dare do much to the Hetuyan Princess.

As a result, Andra’s body suffered no real harm, though her expression grew a few shades darker.

“It doesn’t matter. We haven’t come away empty-handed,” Eleanor stood up, waiting for Coral to dry her long hair. The little Princess said gently, “At least we know that this level of brawling won’t catch Mother’s attention.”

“Yes.” Manju lowered her head in shame.

Amidst the silence, the usually quiet Thorns spoke up softly: “Highness, you seem to be in a better mood?”

Hearing her sister’s words, Manju quickly looked up to catch the little Princess’s expression.

Eleanor was slightly different from two days ago. Perhaps because she had just bathed and rested well, she had regained her original tranquil temperament, leaving only a faint trace of sorrow, like the lingering effect of a headache.

Eleanor nodded. “Yes, because the dream has long since passed.”

Others spoke of “feeling like a lifetime ago,” but she had truly crossed an entire life. The memories of her past life were finally beginning to fade slowly; if she hadn’t written down the minutiae, she would have forgotten much. Similarly, her pain and her deep hatred for Andra were finally losing their vividness, leaving only a streak of red on her chest.

She was glad she had been willful with the Mother Goddess one last time. Without that bit of willfulness, once the trauma of the soul was fully healed, she might have felt that this small revenge in this life was enough Andra is just a child now, she hasn’t done anything yet.

“Highness,” Manju asked tentatively, “should these actions stop?”

She respected the Princess. If the Princess was in pain because of this, she was willing to kill Andra at any cost to ensure the Princess’s safety. But looking into Eleanor’s clear eyes, Manju hoped the Princess could remain a carefree child forever and never let those white hands be stained with blood.

Eleanor nodded. “The actions from the guard unit can stop for now. They aren’t suited for this sort of thing.”

Hearing this, Manju’s heart skipped a beat: the implication was that the Princess did not intend to abandon the plan to kill Andra.

Sure enough, after a few breaths, Eleanor said softly, “The Kite Project proceeds as planned. Aside from you and Thorns… do not bring any other members of the guard.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust their future loyalty. She could name several reliable people—Batina, for instance, had stood by her in both lives. But Eleanor didn’t dare gamble on their current level of devotion. These guards were still children, well-protected by their families. They had only served the Princess for a few years; how could they be involved in murder?

Putting herself in their shoes, she wouldn’t have been able to do it at their age.

“Coral, we’ll take Amber, Komaki, and Rose with us.” Eleanor named several slave attendants.

They were different from noble attendants. If the Princess died, all slaves were to be buried with her. Because of this rule, Eleanor hadn’t casually transferred these slaves to others in her previous two lives.

In her first life, she had tried every possible way to arrange freeman status for these slave attendants and, together with Andra, abolished the system of human sacrifice. Some were settled in Enlin, others in the Hetuyan court. She tried to move them away from her side to start families; the particularly loyal and flexible ones became managers of her shops.

There were also slaves who believed they should serve the Princess with their whole lives. Eleanor didn’t understand but respected them, telling them she hated the idea of sacrificial burial and forbade anyone from secretly dying for her; human sacrifice was a shameful betrayal.

In her second life, Eleanor didn’t have as much time to arrange for them. The ones seeking freedom were sent to Enlin, and the more traditional ones were entrusted to partners in the chamber of commerce before her “marriage.”

As for this life…

A flash of guilt crossed Eleanor’s face. She was ultimately going to use their trait of never betraying the royal family to murder Andra. If this plan worked, these people would carry a life on their hands for her sake. Even if their understanding of life likely differed from Eleanor’s and wouldn’t cause long-term trauma, she was still saddened by it.

The little Princess fell into sorrow once more. Manju immediately knelt on the damp floor tiles, holding Eleanor’s arm and promising solemnly: “I will surely fulfill your wish!”

Eleanor put her arms around Manju’s neck to comfort her, but then heard the sound of thumping footsteps. Everyone in the bathroom looked helpless, and a second later, the door was slammed open!

Miscella raised her hands, shouting energetically: “I’m back!”

The child had hair like a pile of rotten straw. There were no bandages in this era, so her face was wrapped in strips of linen. Because Eleanor was a faithful advocate of herbalism, the strips were stuffed with herbal paste that looked like mud; she looked very abstract.

Coral covered her mouth and turned away, clearly remembering the wretched state of the Third Highness being smeared with mud two days ago.

Eleanor looked at Miscella dancing happily on the bathroom floor, caught between laughter and tears. She had just been worrying about the psychological issues of the youths, yet here was a “Husky” who seemed entirely incapable of developing psychological trauma.

A few days after her rebirth, Eleanor could finally recall her past experiences rationally. Setting aside others, regarding sister Miscella… perhaps if she had survived the battlefield in the past life, she would have said, “Andra and I were fifty-fifty, I just lost by a single sword stroke.”

“Lily!” Miscella brandished a bar of soap like a pom-pom. “Don’t worry, I’ve prepared everything. It took forever to carry it up; it’s all hidden in the bushes!”

Eleanor nodded, hurriedly reminding her not to roll anything strange on the stones, especially not “mud.”

“Ugh, I won’t…” It seemed even Miscella had some trauma. She pinched her cheeks and said painfully, “The stones are all washed clean. I had them wash them several times!”

They didn’t really need washing…

Eleanor sighed, choosing not to add more burden to her sister’s smooth cerebral cortex. She stroked Miscella’s small head and said softly, “Thanks. Stay away from the forest tomorrow and the day after. Don’t come over.”

“Eh, why?” Miscella widened her eyes, confused. How could she miss something as fun as hitting Andra with stones!

Because it’s not just about throwing stones…

Eleanor looked at Miscella with complex feelings. In a way, this action was an act of revenge. But firstly, her sister had said a person only has one life; she isn’t “her” right now, and Andra isn’t the Andra who committed those mistakes. Secondly, using violence is never a good thing. Manju, Thorns, and Coral were mentally stable and unlikely to be negatively affected, but Miscella had enjoyed bullying since childhood, and if she became King in this life…

Thinking of this, Eleanor paused. If Andra died early, everything would be fine; she could guide her sister from a young age and prevent her from acting recklessly. If it were early enough, she could simply drink the medicinal soup herself to become the Crown Princess and overcome whatever difficulties came her way.

In this life, Eleanor was determined that she would rather poison Ophelia than let such a mediocre and suspicious person become King. But if Andra lived to adulthood, it was impossible for Eleanor to hand the throne to Miscella… then who should it go to? With Andra alive, to keep dealing with her, Eleanor would likely have to maintain her identity as a Princess and wait for an opportunity, unable to become the King of Nolanna.

Eleanor frowned and tossed these thoughts aside. I haven’t even started the kill yet; why am I thinking such gloomy thoughts!

She pinched her sister’s cheeks and pulled them apart, making up a random excuse: “Because you were just beaten like this by Andra, you need to rest well~”

“Mmph…” Miscella was still unconvinced.

Eleanor increased the force of the pinch and said sternly, “Rest well! And if she sees you, the plan is ruined.”

“Oh”

This reason convinced Miscella well. In her eyes, she was the protagonist of the world, radiating an aura of taunting; naturally, Andra would be wary of her. “Fine but when you come back, you must tell me how badly Andra got hit!”

Miscella made a “sealed lips” gesture, meaning she would never leak the secret, and then ran out laughing.

Eleanor looked at her comical figure, wanting to laugh but unable to. Sister is so happy; if only she were a bit more useful… useful.

She felt a dull pain in her heart. When exactly did it start? Her view of those around her always focused on “useful” or “not useful.” How nice it would be if she could return to the mindset of the first life. Back then, everything in this world was fresh to her, almost like falling into a dating game… no, forget it. Perhaps it is better this way.

Eleanor took a light breath and let Coral lead her out of the bathtub. The attendants dried the last lock of her hair, then let her lie on a water-absorbent linen blanket to be dried and wrapped. The Princess closed her eyes, gradually sinking into sleep in the quiet room… until light footsteps woke her.

“Forgive me, Your Highness. I woke you.”

Andra’s voice was slightly raspy. She hadn’t cried, of course; someone had just sprinkled powder into her food that scratched her mouth, leaving her throat sore and itchy.

“Andra, what’s wrong with your voice?”

From the darkness came the small Princess’s concerned voice. Andra could see the silhouette of her sitting up suddenly and let out a sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart. Although the Princess had been checking on her for the past two days, it had felt a bit too distant. She could understand the Princess’s trust in Manju and her favoritism toward the guards, but she still felt a bit slighted.

You say you like me and had me come to your side, yet you turn a deaf ear to these humiliations?

She had felt some resentment before tonight, but now that the little Princess spoke so timidly, Andra felt a surge of deep affection once more. I’m overthinking. The Princess is so young; how many schemes could she have to deal with these people?

Andra shook her head and said, “It’s nothing. I might have caught a cold after falling into the water.” Anyway, such a small injury would heal in a few days. The lie seemed reasonable, though her body was as strong as an ox; it was purely a fabrication.

“Mm.” The little Princess nodded obediently, then her voice dropped. “Today… today Manju came to see me.”

What?

Andra frowned immediately, weighing in her mind how to file a complaint against Manju to the Princess. It was quite difficult. Manju had been by the Princess’s side longer; she knew their years of friendship couldn’t be shaken by a few words, and she might even be counter-accused of slander.

She thought for a moment and said, “Their initiation ceremony is perhaps a bit too malicious…”

Andra peeked at Eleanor. The little Princess carefully held her arm and comforted her softly: “Manju regrets it too. She said she was so jealous of you but was too embarrassed to apologize… she will talk to everyone tomorrow and tell them to get along with you from now on.”

Andra wanted to laugh. Nice one, Manju; laying a trap for me here too, are you? She didn’t think Manju’s “apology” would hold much sincerity. It was likely because she saw Andra was a tough nut and couldn’t actually kill the neighboring Princess, so she proactively lowered her stance to plot for the future. She actually wanted to say: even if the other knelt, she wouldn’t forgive her; they should just have a duel and settle it with strength.

But looking at the Princess’s pitiable little expression, her shoulders even shrinking into Andra’s embrace, Andra couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh. Forget it. Compared to venting her anger on those dogs, Eleanor was more important.

So Andra lowered her voice, coughed twice, and said, “It’s fine. I’m not angry with them.” As if!

“Really?” As soon as Eleanor’s smile bloomed, she added hurriedly, “I… I know you must feel a bit bad. How about this: I was going to fly kites with Manju and the others in the next few days. Why don’t you come too?”

The little Princess held her arm and said seriously, “I will tell them they must accept you. If Manju or the others aren’t sincere in their apologies, I will be watching… I will scold them!”

Eleanor truly looked like a little teacher. Taking a breath, she said methodically, “If they still dare to bully you after the scolding, I will convince Mother to let you study under the strongest swordsmanship master in our country.”

This comfort made Andra feel a sense of ease. If she were truly a child who couldn’t fight back, she would be moved to tears by now. Even if she wasn’t, this genuine tenderness was still touching. She didn’t refuse the Princess’s kindness. Smiling, she embraced Eleanor’s shoulders and said raspily, “Alright, I’ll wait for you to stand up for me then~”

Eleanor’s chin, resting on her shoulder, suddenly trembled, and her eyes widened slightly.

Andra.

She called out to the original phantom—the girl who would joke with her and promise to stay by her side forever to protect and support her.

“Your Highness?” Andra’s respectful address instantly distanced them from the phantom.

Eleanor nudged her, her voice sounding tearful. “Mm. Let’s sleep early today. I’m a bit tired…”

“Okay.” Andra lay down considerately, loosening her arms to let the little Princess lie back on the pillow in a more comfortable position.

However, after several minutes dozens of minutes Eleanor remained nestled in her embrace, motionless. Andra quietly turned her face to look at the girl in the crook of her arm. She was asleep, sleeping so deeply. The little Princess was curled up tightly with her fists clenched, like an infant clinging to a warmth that would soon depart.

No need to be so reluctant. I can stay with you forever, Your Highness.

Andra made a silent promise in her heart and closed her eyes in peace.

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