The Regressed Princess - Chapter 67

Chapter 67: Setting Out Again—A Status This Flexible Is Simply…

By the time Andra opened her eyes, the sky was already bright.

“Mmh…”

She turned her neck to look beside her, seeing the other half of the bed empty for the first time. Usually, Eleanor would be curled up in the blankets, murmuring softly, and wouldn’t wiggle out of bed in a daze until it was time for sword practice.

Did the little Princess actually wake up earlier than me today?

Andra leaned back against the pillow in silence. Eleanor was undoubtedly continuing what she hadn’t finished last night; was she still recruiting more scholars?

Why did Eleanor know so many people? Not all of them were scholars—some were clearly commoners. Even if the little Princess didn’t care about status, who had introduced them to her? In all the days she had known Eleanor, she hadn’t seen a single suspicious person approach her. It couldn’t be that the Princess knew them from her dreams, could it?

Andra found that she couldn’t think normally when facing the Princess. All her complex schemes evaporated into a simple “Okay” or “Yes” whenever Eleanor was involved; she simply couldn’t refuse her.

Andra couldn’t help but smile bitterly. She touched her chest. Last night, Eleanor had leaned against her and wept, saying—

“Help me. Without you… I don’t know who to trust.”

Actually, there’s Manzhu and Jīngjí (Bramble)?

The words had slipped out last night.

Eleanor hadn’t denied it. She had bitten her lip and whispered in Andra’s ear: “But you are different from them.”

Hoo.

Andra took a deep breath, letting that romantic sentiment sink to the bottom so it wouldn’t interfere with her thoughts.

Enlin. Actually, staying in Enlin was more beneficial for her. She never intended to fully refuse the Princess. Whether as a guardian knight or later as a Prince Consort, she needed Eleanor’s affection.

I want to marry Eleanor. I must marry her.

Both reason and emotion were lecturing her: marrying Eleanor was no longer just a means to an end, but the goal itself.

The benefits of staying in Enlin long-term were too many to count. Andra was supremely confident in her own abilities. Last night, Eleanor had pleaded with her to manage Enlin’s city guard, even granting her the right to command a portion of the personal guard in emergencies!

To an ordinary person, this meant the Princess’s favor the position of Prince Consort beckoning. But to someone with true ability like Andra, it was her first step into a formal military commission.

No, not just a formal Nolannan military post.

Andra sat up, feeling a surge of excitement. As long as the situation in Enlin wasn’t too dire, she could use it as a springboard to seize the surrounding cities. Both Nolanna and Hetuya had territories nearby!

She could be a loyal Prince Consort, diligently expanding Nolanna’s map. Or, she could be a loyal Princess of Hetuya, returning home with her wife and the territory!

A status this flexible was simply exhilarating; it made Andra’s heart race.

“A mere hostage! Sooner or later, I’ll kill you to consecrate my flag!”

Andra had just been reminiscing about Eleanor’s fleeting kiss from yesterday when Messara’s snarling face suddenly surged into her mind.

She couldn’t help but chuckle: Why did I think of the Third Princess at a time like this?

That little brat was no threat at all. Paired with her two sisters, their collective incompetence provided Hetuya with a profound sense of security.

“Aaaaah, don’t hold me back! It’s all because you’re a bad teacher!”

Andra’s laughter died down as she remembered Messara’s pathetic attempts at swordplay. Her smile vanished instantly.

No… that girl’s swordsmanship was actually dangerous—literally “disgusting” to the point of being a hazard. If she weren’t Eleanor’s sister and a Princess of Nolanna, Andra would have loved to find a river, slit Messara’s throat, and toss her in.

Andra flipped out of bed, washing her face while telling herself to think positive thoughts. For instance, according to Nolannan succession law, if all the royal daughters passed away, the first in line for the throne would be the Princess’s daughter. The conditions were that the child had to be over twelve and have consumed the Secret Potion; on the surface, there were no requirements for the other parent’s lineage.

Of course, the child of a Hetuyan Princess and a Nolannan Princess might have her succession rights stripped by the city lords for various reasons. That would be perfect!

Andra put the basin back, a bright smile on her face. She could personally seek justice for her daughter, forcing Nolanna to choose between “being ruled by an enemy King” and “being ruled by their own Princess’s daughter”!

At this thought, she felt a bit troubled: this development would be satisfying, but what if the Princess insisted on touring the world later? The development of Enlin and the army would surely stall. If they happened to miss a period of upheaval in Nolanna or Hetuya, the opportunity would vanish in an instant…!

“WAAAAAAAGH—”

A ghostly shriek nearly made Andra kick over the water basin. she looked up sharply, finally realizing why she had suddenly thought of Messara just now.

She saw a girl with hair like a bird’s nest being dragged by her “claws” one held by Manzhu and the other by Jīngjí all the way from the skybridge into the corridor, screaming at the top of her lungs.

“I won’t go to Enlin! I’m staying here!! Mother—Mother, save me! Lily’s going to kill me!”

Messara was crying so hard her face was covered in snot and tears, howling, “She’s telling Manzhu and Jīngjí to kill me! She even… even found a bunch of slaves! Waaaaaah!”

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound of hurried footsteps rang out. It wasn’t slaves or attendants; except for the high-status Manzhu and Jīngjí, everyone else stood awkwardly with their hands tucked in their sleeves, not daring to disturb the heir to the throne.

Even if the heir had turned into a screaming chicken.

The person rushing over was a young girl holding up her skirt. No a child.

She arrived with an overwhelming aura, charging toward her actual older sister like a stern matriarch. Messara let out a hiccup and stopped screaming in terror.

Just as Andra thought Eleanor would embrace Messara the way she had embraced her last night, stroking her head and explaining gently why she was doing this.

Snatch!

Eleanor grabbed Messara’s ear and gave it a violent twist, turning it a full half-circle in her grip!

“Shut up! If you don’t go to Enlin, I’ll stab you to death right now!!!”

“Waaaah…”

Andra watched, dumbfounded, as Eleanor grabbed her sister by the neck like a goose, stuffed her into the carriage, and slammed the door shut with a loud clatter. She even shouted to the guards on either side: “A whip! Give me a whip! If she’s not there when I get back, I’ll find her and whip her to death!”

The usually gentle little Princess finished her threat and turned to run, communicating rapidly with Coral as she went. Fragments of words like “tomorrow,” “immediately,” and “research” could be heard in the wind.

Only after Eleanor’s back disappeared completely across the skybridge did Andra raise her head from the window, still in shock. Wait… was that really the Princess?!

On the first day of departure, Eleanor directly grabbed Messara in front of everyone and stuffed her into the carriage—well, technically, two attendants held the Third Princess by her legs, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to lift her.

“Aaaah! I’m not going to Enlin!”

Messara thrashed for two or three days, but by the third day, she stayed in the carriage and stopped howling. Initially, when her sister tied her up, she struggled vigorously; the moment she was left unattended, she would try to roll under the horses’ legs, seemingly unafraid of being kicked to death.

What finally calmed Messara down wasn’t anything other than a single sentence from Eleanor.

After Messara had shouted “I am the heir!” and “Mother won’t let you do this!” for the nth time, Eleanor finally reached her limit.

“Give up. Mother is the one who told me to take you away.”

Messara snapped her head up. Her sister’s tone was flat: “I told Mother I wanted to travel the world, and Mother told me to take you with me.”

“Why?” Messara straightened her shoulders in disbelief, even the dagger hidden behind her back falling out with a clang.

Eleanor closed her eyes, directly copying the answer from her previous life. “Because the person Mother favors most is Ophilia.”

This time, Messara didn’t scream or break down. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.

She was likely faking it, but Eleanor didn’t have the energy to play out a scene of a warm, sisterly embrace with her. She still considered Messara her sister, but help her seize the throne again? Heavens, she’d rather marry Andra again and die together!

In this life, she couldn’t promise to help Messara take back the throne, so naturally, she couldn’t comfort her. Eleanor simply followed her sister’s lead, closing her eyes to rest inside the carriage.

Perhaps Messara really did tire herself out from the fuss; soon, the sound of rhythmic snoring hoo… hoo…echoed from beside her.

Silence filled the carriage.

Andra was helping to hold down the ropes on Messara’s limbs. Upon hearing the sisters’ conversation, she didn’t even cough; only her eyes moved slightly.

Oh? The person the King of Nolanna favors is actually Ophilia?

Andra bit her lip to stifle a laugh. Naturally, she disliked Messara more, but if she were Eva, she wouldn’t choose Ophilia either. One was a fool, the other was mediocre; even Ophilia’s talent with a sword was inferior to Eleanor’s…

The more she thought, the brighter her eyes became. All of the King of Nolanna’s next generation were of this caliber. Once Eva’s bones were softened by wine and debauchery, it would be the best opportunity for her… and Eleanor’s child.

“Andra.”

The little Princess moved around her sister’s sprawled body, approaching Andra from the side. She leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Sister is asleep. Go down and do a patrol. Don’t let anything go wrong with the Marigold Legion.”

The Marigold Legion was a reward Eleanor had received from her mother part of it was the Hyena Legion offered by Scar-Eye that had returned to her hands, and part was a mix of the Princess’s guards and the Praetorian guards. Eva hadn’t let her take the entire force; instead, she had selected a hundred men from the Praetorian guards to act as officers among the war slaves, then split them in two: half stayed in the capital for training, and half went with Eleanor to Enlin.

Eleanor no longer cared how many spies were planted around her. she simply handed the arduous task of managing the legion over to Andra.

Andra understood her meaning. She pressed her forehead against the back of the Princess’s hand, then leaped from the carriage with long, nearly silent strides.

As soon as she left, Jīngjí’s small head appeared outside the window.

Eleanor nodded to her. The two attendants immediately reached in and dragged Messara out of the carriage. A few minutes later, Manzhu, Jīngjí, and Coral had all gathered, crowding nervously around the Princess.

They had all received Eleanor’s signal to come over quickly and try not to alert others. They stared at the little Princess, guessing what major event needed to be arranged next. Was it collecting special herbs for the King? Recruiting more powerful scholars? Or perhaps training the army in secret at Enlin, away from the King’s eyes?

“Everyone, I called you here for only one request.”

Eleanor put a heavy emphasis on the word request.

“Please, you must never trust Andra. Never, ever.”

“Because I am going to kill her.”

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