Chapter 35: Now that Eva is in our possession, let's see if she's the one sent to assassinate us...

It must be heartbreaking to have a scar.

She nominally does all kinds of business, but in reality, managing her legion is her foundation and true passion.

However, after so many years in business, she understands better than anyone what opportunity and risk are.

"Yes, Your Highness. I hope you will like it. Please also convey my respect to the King."

The moment Eleanor spoke, Donnie bowed his head in a very natural manner.

She showed no reluctance whatsoever in her expression or words, as if she truly believed it was her greatest honor.

“Very good, I will tell my mother.”

Eleanor walked over to her and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Don't worry, there are things we can help each other with."

This made Donnie's smile a little more genuine.

Today, after all, she truly saved her life. Her Highness could have seized upon this huge weakness to find a minister or a princess to take advantage of her.

Doni was all too used to the lords' ruthless and cruel ways.

Before she had a large army and was just an ordinary merchant, even if her carriage accidentally overturned on the road, the local lord could charge her a "touch-land tax" and she would lose everything.

Princess's generosity may be innate, but Scarface leans more towards another possibility: she needs something from her; the princess needs a wealthy merchant.

She might be after a trade route, an estate, a territory, or perhaps... helping her sister ascend to "that position."

The dragon-following merit hanging in the sky greatly comforted Donnie, and she was no longer hurt by the losses of the hyena legion.

Even if we take a step back and assume her head is still firmly pinned to her neck, how can you say she didn't make a killing?

Scarface quickly adjusted his mindset.

She retreated respectfully, almost impatiently preparing to pack all the precious gifts for the princess.

Hyena Legion? Here you go!

A servant with exceptional talent? Here you go!

Elsa, the youngest daughter? Give her too!

She was running around giving orders with great enthusiasm, while Eleanor led her servants ahead of her.

"Phew~"

She sat back in the carriage, comfortably leaning against the cushions, and began to sort out her thoughts from the day.

First, she had to see her mother before everyone else could react and completely calm things down.

What slave rebellion? That's completely untrue. My men were just playing a prank on me to curry favor with you.

This is the content of her deal with Scarface: she takes money to solve problems for others, and at least needs to prove that she has such ability in order to attract more people to work for her.

In this life, Eva and she have a distant relationship, so we still have to go through the process of equal exchange. Or should we customize a board game for her in a few days?

Ta-da.

Someone gently tapped on the car window with their finger. Eleanor stopped thinking and reached out to lift the curtain.

A small triangle was erected from the platinum curtain, and a handsome face peeked out from the edge of the triangle.

Andra rode alongside the carriage, her horse swaying left and right, her upturned lips giving her a slightly smug smile. She didn't speak, looking like a kitten banging on its food bowl.

"What's wrong?"

Eleanor was a little taken aback by her gaze, and it took her several seconds to react before she gave a gentle smile. "Yes, thank you for today."

Today's regression went very smoothly; her biggest fear—that "a violent conflict would occur, resulting in innocent casualties"—did not happen.

Andra's unauthorized actions were a cardinal sin in warfare, but they did indeed lead to a better outcome... wait, how did she do that?

Eleanor's smile vanished.

She had great confidence in Andra because she knew of his talent in his previous life, but what about the others? How long had they known her? Yet they were all willing to obey her commands.

Eleanor looked out the window at the smiling boy.

This time, she was not seduced by beauty, but instead thought of the iceberg beneath the surface.

Coral and Manju stood guard at the front, one following on the side, and Thorns brought up the rear.

The three women watched as Andra rode up to her and knocked on the carriage window without offering any resistance. Even the other guards wouldn't normally engage in such intimate behavior.

Swipe!

Ignoring Andra's surprised expression, Eleanor leaned out of the window and looked around.

All the servants remained in their original positions, and not one of them seemed to notice Andra. They took all her actions for granted.

Eleanor shivered, gently pushed away Andre's outstretched hand, and slumped back into her seat.

She had never considered these details in her previous life.

Because the little princess in her previous life had made things easy for Andra, everyone thought they were an inseparable pair, like a butterfly and a flower.

And now? Why is it still like this?

"Your Highness."

Andra keenly noticed that the little princess's expression was off, so she leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "I saved over a thousand people for you, you know?"

The handsome young woman pursed her lips, her tone slightly aggrieved. Her golden eyes narrowed like a cat's, gazing intently at you.

Eleanor nodded subconsciously, and then heard her say, "These people aren't very skilled, but they'd be suitable as toys for your sister."

One sentence completely ruined the atmosphere that had just been built up.

Why.

Eleanor helplessly held her forehead.

If anyone else had said that, she would have definitely lost her temper by now, but since it was Andra who said it... well, you could say she was just being herself.

After calming herself down for a while, she clung to the windowsill and said earnestly, "Don't treat people like toys in the future."

"Ah? But they are slaves."

Andra stopped mid-sentence, wiped her lips with a finger, and changed her words, saying, "Then, Your Highness, you must thank me properly for something else."

"What's up?"

Eleanor's alert look made Andra smile.

The young girl tilted her head, her youthful beauty revealing a touch of innocence.

"For you—my soft-hearted princess, I took a special risk this time—and only killed one person in total, okay?"

Murder?!

Eleanor asked urgently, "Who did you kill?"

He was just a slave.

Andra didn't take it seriously, but replied in a very serious tone, "Don't worry, she attacked me first, so I had no choice but to retaliate."

She stared into Eleanor's eyes and saw the little princess's eyebrows relax.

Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief. "I see. By the way, how did you manage to persuade an entire legion to retreat?"

She was very curious.

Although she had once achieved the feat of persuading three cities to surrender with a single letter in her previous life, that was entirely based on Andra's terrible military record and her own golden reputation.

Given Andra's personality, if you force her to communicate with people she doesn't respect, she'll probably just hack them down one by one with her sword.

Hmph~

Andra, seeing the little princess's curious eyes, was about to show off, but then changed her mind and said, "It's nothing, I controlled their captain."

She didn't mention any details and deliberately changed the subject, saying, "It's all thanks to your quick thinking just now, otherwise Scarface definitely wouldn't have admitted it."

Andra didn't mention the gold he lost or the threats he made; he just kept getting everything back.

After hearing this, Eleanor stopped giving casual answers and looked into Andra's eyes, asking, "What kind of thank-you gift would you like me to prepare?"

Da da, da da.

The horse was running too fast, so Andra used his hand to steady the reins and keep himself in sync with the carriage.

She looked back into Eleanor's eyes, a sentence about to slip out.

"Your Highness, I wish to—"

rustle.

The wind blew her black hair, revealing a pair of clear eyes.

Eleanor pursed her lips, the dynamic scene dispelling the illusion, making Andra realize: So the princess is so young?

She was startled and took two steps back, along with her horse.

Why is this happening?

Andra was bewildered; the little princess in her memory seemed to be a girl her age, or even more mature.

Love... It's so strange to express love to a child like this.

Even though he was a teenager, Andra shook his head, trying to dispel the illusion in his mind.

It must be an illusion, a complete illusion. How could I mistake her for a slender young woman? She's clearly still a child.

Andra looked at the little princess again, trying to dispel her illusion with the real and childlike Eleanor in front of her, but more and more images kept appearing.

"I can make you the king of Hetuya." The girl cupped her face in her hands.

"Rabbits are so cute." A tear fell from the girl's eye.

"I want to do something more meaningful." The girl gazed into the distance.

The girl before me, Eleanor, was just a young girl, yet every smile and gesture of hers was like bread spread with honey, exuding the aroma of fermented fruit.

Andra had never experienced anything like it before.

That was love—her heart earnestly told her.

Even though she was clearly the stronger and more mature one, it felt like Eleanor was the fisherman who was twirling the fishing line around his fingers, swaying in the middle of the vast ocean with an ambiguous meaning.

"Andra, Andra? Andra!"

Are you so distracted when you talk to me?

Crack!

Eleanor suddenly felt a surge of anger, slapped the curtain, reached out and grabbed her ear, shouting, "You better be serious!"

The two of them froze, and Andra's cheeks flushed red as if they were on fire.

Someone must have seen this, but no one made a sound. The thorns closest to them couldn't even hear them breathing.

Oh no, my bodily memory has returned too.

Eleanor quickly released her fingers and asked, pretending nothing was wrong, "Now you can tell me, what kind of reward do you want?"

The blush on Andra's face hadn't faded yet, but her expression turned serious.

With a stern face and a hint of gritted teeth, she said, "Your Highness's gratitude... is extremely precious. Please allow me a few more years to carefully consider it."

“Okay, I promise you.” Eleanor said and lowered the carriage curtain without hesitation.

Seeing the little princess's rude action of slamming down the carriage curtain, Andra was both amused and exasperated.

She rode her horse to the front of the carriage, a secret idea gradually brewing in her heart.

I want to marry Eleanor.

Not just because of her noble status, perhaps... she is more valuable than the entire Norlana.

"Oh."

What am I thinking?

Andra's expression, a mixture of amusement and exasperation, twisted even more: Who else could be more valuable than an entire nation besides me?

"Oh dear, people who fall in love are irrational."

"Grandma, you're lying. I wouldn't!"

"Huh? You can do that too, anyone can."

Grandma, maybe you're right.

Andra shook her head helplessly: "I have so many illusions because of this sudden feeling of love. Once the emotions subside, everything will return to normal."

No, that's not how it works.

An irrational voice clashed within her, but Andra couldn't hear it. She had already reached the only conclusion, and straightened her back to the front of the convoy.

She likes to stay at the forefront, forging ahead without looking back.

I want to marry Eleanor, simply because I want to, nothing more.

......

The carriage curtain separated Andra from her daydreams, while Eleanor leaned back in her seat and continued to ponder the question of the "army."

Andra's words were unpleasant to hear, but there was a grain of truth to them: handing the legion over to Myrcella.

Since she is preparing to go to Enlin and even considering going to sea, she may miss or even deliberately avoid the war between Norlana and Hetuya.

I don't want Norlana to perish.

Eleanor stroked the pendant on her chest; this feeling was perhaps a simple love for her motherland, a country she had belonged to the moment she first opened her eyes in this world.

If the lack of natural barriers in the landscape is destined to unify the scattered nations, then she hopes that Norlana will not be the one to be swallowed up.

After careful consideration, Mysella is the most suitable candidate to take over the Hyena Legion.

As the crown princess, she enjoys many privileges, and as long as she doesn't deploy her legions into the city, she's basically immune to interference.

In comparison, the eldest sister suffers from diabetes and will not live much longer; even if she does survive, she will not be able to ride a horse and fight.

Ophelia, the second sister, is a complete opportunist; she might be the first to surrender if Hetuya attacks.

Of the three sisters, only Myrcella, the older sister, was able to hold her own against Anne and Attila on the battlefield.

As her thoughts drifted over her three sisters, Eleanor thought of Ophelia once again.

Knock knock.

She raised her finger and gently tapped on the other side of the car window. Soon Coral came over and whispered through the curtain, "Your Highness, please speak."

"How is the assassin? Did you get anything out of him?"

Eleanor, inside the car, was ashen-faced. No matter how unbelievable it seemed, the assassin's employers were only Eva and Ophelia.

"...Your Highness, she bit through the poison sac in her mouth—and committed suicide."

Coral's tone was full of regret.

Eleanor wasn't surprised; it was perfectly normal for assassins kept by the royal family to have poison sacs. No wonder she screamed so horribly earlier; that was the excruciating pain of the poison taking effect.

Thinking of this, Eleanor shook her head helplessly: she could empathize with her very much.

"Coral, you and Manju should investigate the name Torna. I have some recollection of this assassin."

"Yes." Coral silently withdrew.

Eleanor took a deep breath.

Another tough battle is about to begin. Let's see if Eva is the one who sent the assassin!