The Regressed Princess - Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Return to the Marketplace; She Lowered Her hand Clutching the Pendant, And in Andra…

How long could the little Princess persist? A day? A week?

Andra knew people were secretly placing bets, but she soon stopped caring.

Initially, she had been quite irritable. Her train of thought during sword practice was constantly interrupted; for example, Miscella would often shriek while scurrying around the training grounds, and once she even barked like a dog while rolling on the floor.

While Miscella was annoying when she caused trouble, she was… still very annoying when she practiced seriously. Every time Andra accidentally caught a glimpse of Miscella’s atrocious attack trajectories, she wanted to slap herself into unconsciousness ideally, to trade for a pair of eyes that had never seen “Miscella-style swordsmanship.”

Regarding Miscella, she had only two words to say: “Get lost.”

But regarding Eleanor, Andra was much more patient.

To be fair, the Princess’s talent for swordsmanship was actually similar to Miscella’s, perhaps even slightly worse. Andra didn’t pay much attention to Miscella during practice, but she frequently glanced at Eleanor.

To ensure safety, the little Princess would move to the innermost side during her individual practice, repeatedly striking a wooden dummy with a specially made small wooden sword. The wooden sword was light, and Eleanor was finally able to swing it in a normal trajectory.

Ignoring the Princess’s abysmal physical stamina, her talent for athletics was thoroughly mediocre.

Miscella’s failure in swordsmanship was largely due to her unstable temperament; she wasn’t focused at all during practice. Furthermore, that girl didn’t actually like the sword; she simply enjoyed moving.

Eleanor, however, practiced very seriously. Very seriously.

Every time Andra looked back, she was swinging the wooden sword methodically, striving to make every strike fall within the range previously taught. This was actually correct; except for geniuses like Andra, anyone learning swordsmanship had to spend a vast amount of time making their posture standard.

However, no matter how one looked at them, the little Princess’s movements were exceptionally stiff. At the current pace, it would take her years just to eliminate this “stiffness.”

How could the little Princess spend so much time on something fundamentally meaningless? If she truly loved the sword, it would be quite tragic.

Andra’s eyes reflected Eleanor’s slightly trembling figure and the beads of sweat on her face; for the first time, she felt respect and pity for a common person lacking talent in swordsmanship. She couldn’t help but go over to offer guidance whenever Eleanor was lost in thought or frustrated, hoping she wouldn’t stay stuck in the beginner’s rut for too long.

But Andra knew herself that this behavior was less about expecting any major future progress from the little Princess and more like a lingering attachment to intimate contact.

The days passed one by one… though not much time had actually gone by.

During a break, Eleanor suddenly set down her sword and said to her: “Tomorrow I—”

Is it finally coming?

Andra put down her sword as well. She thought she would hear something like “Tomorrow I won’t be coming, right?” but what she heard instead was…

“Tomorrow, let’s go to the marketplace together.”

The marketplace? Andra immediately recalled the bustling commercial district of the Nolanna capital. As the most prosperous city in Nolanna, Andra had visited various areas of the city several times when she first arrived, especially the thriving market.

She had hoped to take note of any clues and compare the subtle differences between the two nations. Later, these affairs were all handed over to her attendants. These attendants were supposed to stay in the palace with her, but from the beginning, they had been scattered across the capital by Andra, with some even starting small businesses.

“Alright. A walk would be beneficial for your health.”

Andra could roughly guess the reason the Princess wanted to go to the market. Eleanor was a very clever little Princess; she surely noticed that she had gained little from her practice during this time and that her progress was very slow.

Rather than continuing to practice hard for ten or twenty years only to become a sword enthusiast with decent technique but severe lack of strength who could be thrashed by any serious swordsman it would be better to go to the slave market and buy more combat slaves. Perhaps she could even buy someone with extraordinary talent.

To protect oneself with a hundred or a thousand swords was, after all, the prerogative of the nobility.

She waited for Eleanor to call Coral over to arrange the guards for tomorrow. However, the little Princess merely leaned close to her ear and whispered: “Tomorrow… let’s just the two of us go shopping alone, okay?”

The girl’s breath brushed against her ear; a tingling itch spread along the curve of her earlobe. At that moment, Andra wanted to embrace the little Princess tightly and let that fluffy long hair rest on her shoulder.

“Alright.” She suppressed the impulse and agreed, but quickly advised: “Highness, I will certainly guard you well by your side. But there are far too many random people at the market; we might get separated.”

In truth, she would definitely hold the Princess’s hand tightly and not let go.

Andra rarely felt fear toward anything, but for some reason, she was suddenly afraid that Eleanor might vanish in a place where she couldn’t see her, never to be seen again. She looked forward to being alone with the Princess, but was even more unwilling to risk losing Eleanor… even if only by a little.

Andra swore secretly in her heart: one day in the future, she would be strong enough to not fear any risk, allowing her Princess to walk upon stable land.

Eleanor gazed into her eyes for a long time, then suddenly leaned forward—she actually pressed her small, fluffy head against Andra’s neck and rubbed it.

The girl smiled submissively and said: “Alright. Then I’ll have the others stay back a bit and follow us from a distance. Mmh, bringing three… no, two guards will be enough.”

“Manju, Thorns!” The little Princess raised her voice to give orders: “Come to the market with us tomorrow. Follow behind and pay a bit of attention to safety.”

“Yes, Princess.” “Yes, Princess Eleanor.”

The two agreed immediately, but their gazes were a bit unnatural.

Andra sneered in her heart: Hah, it’s no wonder they are jealous. Ever since she became the Guardian Knight, the little Princess seemed to unconsciously forget their existence.

I have to work even harder.

Andra took the opportunity to embrace the Princess’s back, letting her lean more comfortably.

Morning arrived as scheduled, and Andra woke up slowly amidst a sweet fragrance. The warm quilts were filled with a reassuring scent; she saw the still-sleeping Princess as soon as she opened her eyes.

Andra’s eyes drifted to the side. Although the bed curtains were still down, she could discern the approximate time through the vague light and shadows. The attendants had opened the outermost doors and windows for ventilation, meaning it was at least after 7:00 AM.

Andra breathed a light sigh of relief. After a period of accompanying practice, she had grown used to waking up at this time. She reached out to tuck the corner of the quilt for the little Princess, praying silently that Her Highness would give up on swordsmanship sooner.

I will protect you. Her lips moved silently.

“Mmh…”

Andra hadn’t made a sound, but the little Princess’s eyelashes flickered anyway, and she slowly opened her eyes.

“What time is it?” Eleanor’s soft, delicate voice brushed against her ear like a small brush.

Coral said through the curtain: “Princess, it is already 7:00 sharp.”

It was indeed 7:00.

The little Princess yawned. She lowered her hand clutching the pendant and leisurely rolled over in Andra’s arms, turning a full circle until she was back in a face-to-face position.

“Two more hours… Coral, call me in… an hour.”

The Princess closed her eyes and held up two fingers, saying: “Let’s not go too early, and not too late. 9:00 is just right.”

She yawned, evidently about to fall asleep again.

Seeing her adorable appearance, Andra couldn’t help but tease: “Is that so? Is the Princess not going out to practice her sword today?”

“Mmh.” The little Princess nodded, and just as Andra thought she had fallen asleep again, she added leisurely: “Today will be very tiring. I need to conserve my energy…”

True. The little Princess practiced very hard every day; if she finished morning practice, she wouldn’t have the strength to go shopping. It was good to take a break occasionally.

Andra closed her eyes and fell into a solid sleep again while holding Eleanor. She thought the Princess’s claim about leaving at 9:00 was a vague estimate, like their usual training. They would step-by-step wash, dress, eat, rest a bit, and then head out as they always did.

However, to her surprise, Eleanor who was usually unhurried when going to the training grounds sprang out of bed the moment 8:00 arrived. She and Andra changed clothes together, brushed their teeth quickly with a bristle brush and special balm, and immediately sat at the table for a meal.

Though she had enjoyed it for a few days, Andra still felt a bit of admiration when she saw the lavish breakfast here. Hetuya could not produce such exquisite and varied delicacies. Hetuya was known as the Golden Kingdom, but in reality, it only had an abundance of gold, silver, and gems.

Andra keenly realized that there was a difference between types of assets. In her eyes, Nolanna was much wealthier than Hetuya; they possessed more practical things. Gold was easy to liquidate, but it couldn’t be eaten or worn. By rights, as a Royal Daughter of Hetuya, she should have lived a life of luxury since childhood… like hell she did!

She had actually fought her Royal Sisters for roasted lamb legs in the winter when she was little! This was naturally because Aguño believed in ancient customs like “he who does not work shall not eat” and “none but warriors shall eat.” As long as there wasn’t a famine, there was plenty of meat from various livestock on the grasslands.

But “roasting” as a cooking method was actually quite a luxury because it required sufficient fuel. The grasslands appeared to be covered in grass, but in reality, they were quite desolate; they even had to collect cow and sheep dung just to survive the winter.

Thus, most of the time, Hetuyans ate boiled meat… boiled meat lacking spices, with at most some salt added. Aside from boiled meat, roasted meat, and the various grass seeds people gathered, Hetuya only had unleavened flatbread so hard it could be used as a weapon, and various dried dairy products to offer. Every King of Hetuya loved drinking from large bowls and eating meat in big gulps because, truth be told, even if they liked eating vegetables or fruit, they simply couldn’t get them.

Looking at the tender beans, boiled bird eggs, mushroom skewers, and succulent sweet fruits on the table, Andra couldn’t help but feel her appetite surge.

“Here, eat more ahhh” The little Princess scooped a large spoonful of starchy bean mash and stuffed it into her mouth.

“Ah” Andra swallowed it happily: mmh, it contained quite a bit of salt and crushed grass seeds; it was truly delicious.

The two finished breakfast tenderly. The little Princess waited until exactly 9:00 sharp before clapping her hands to signal that they could depart. They changed into casual clothes today. Although the casual clothes of nobles were still decent enough, they weren’t so extravagant as to make those who didn’t know their value stop and stare in awe.

After changing, Andra was surprised to find that the clothes for her and the two guards were much more magnificent than the set the little Princess was wearing. Manju and Thorns likely brought casual wear from home; these clothes had fewer gold threads than their magnificent guard uniforms, and only their neckties were adorned with gems.

Andra’s outfit was slightly more splendid. The little Princess had the royal craftsmen embroider it with gold and silver and specifically had small gems inlaid in circles of golden-red around the heart, clearly imitating the sun’s halo auspicious and lucky.

Unlike them, the little Princess wore only a linen robe with a pair of trousers underneath, and she had even swapped her favorite gold-bead slippers for soft cloth shoes. Today, Eleanor had refused Coral’s shimmer powder; she wore no makeup, with only a golden pendant hanging from her neck.

“Alright, let’s go.” She stepped out first and beckoned to the dazed Andra.

Coral walked through the porch with her hands down, habitually intending to lead the way at the front.

“Coral, don’t go today.” The little Princess said gently: “My sister’s side still needs you to keep an eye on things.”

“Highness, matters in the palace can first be handed over to…” This personal attendant clearly believed that matters involving the Princess herself were the most important, and having stayed by Eleanor’s side for many years, she wasn’t intimidated by any situation.

However, Andra noticed that after meeting the Princess’s eyes, Coral suddenly changed her tune and agreed submissively. “Alright. Then I will go supervise the Third Highness. May you have a pleasant time today; please be sure to stay safe.”

“Okay” Eleanor appeared very pleased that the attendant had agreed to her request, and her pace became even more brisk.

Andra couldn’t help but steal a few glances, but nothing seemed suspicious. Eleanor wanted to have a great time at the market today; it was normal not to want an older-sister-like figure like Coral following along.

She actually felt a bit more fond of Coral: attendants like this were the most worry-free working hard when needed, and knowing when to retreat when the master said no…

“Andra, don’t daze off~” The little Princess, who had run ahead, jogged back reproachfully and took her hand again.

Andra replied casually: “It’s nothing. I was just thinking it might be good for Coral to follow; she must be very familiar with the capital, right? After all, she is your head manager here.”

Eleanor was silent for a moment, then nodded and said: “It’s fine. I’ll lead the way this time. I promise I won’t lead you into a ditch.”

“Hahahaha. The market doesn’t have hillsides; where would a ditch come from?”

Hand-in-hand, laughing and playing, the two ran toward the outside.

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