Chapter 20 The Hunt She took the bow and arrows from Andra's hands and lightly kicked the horse...
A bet? Eleanor wanted to refuse.
She hated gambling, especially since her mother's expression was clearly off.
Those strong arms held the little princess firmly to the horse.
Eva did not mount the horse, but instead scrutinized her with a meaningful look, as if she were scrutinizing a rose, a cat, or... an unfamiliar enemy.
The way Eleanor scrutinized objects and looked at the dying sent chills down her spine.
Why is my mother looking at me like that?
I haven't done anything suspicious in my life, it's pretty much the same as in my last life... no, wait a minute.
Eleanor shuddered violently, but thankfully Eva held her shoulders firmly, preventing her from falling off the horse.
She realized with a chill that the key to the matter was not that Eva had changed first, but that she herself had.
In her previous life, Eleanor's love for Eva was wholehearted.
After all, the little princess lived in the palace all day long. Even when she occasionally went out, she would stroll around the bustling city with her guards, witnessing the "peaceful and beautiful life of ordinary people in ancient times".
She had hardly experienced human suffering before she turned 18.
Even if one feels deep down that slavery is wrong, one wouldn't be so naive as to blame the ancients who lived through it; if anyone wants to overthrow it, it's someone who grows up and pushes the world forward.
Therefore, in her past life, she didn't care at all about the opinions of the ministers or the gossip on the streets, and only felt that Eva, who doted on her, was the best mother in the world.
She would present any new gadgets she developed immediately, and her visits to Eva were entirely based on heartfelt admiration.
But this life is different.
She now possesses many fragmented memories, and is acutely aware of just how many cruel things the King of Norlana had done to his people.
Norlana's apparent prosperity is built on the extravagant spending of its nobles and royalty.
The leisure time of the urban class was derived from the exploitation of the slaves.
Ignored famines, suppressed rebellions, and all sorts of false injustices caused by official inaction or even deliberate actions... If judged by modern moral standards, even if Gatlin shot Eva, it would take quite a while to fire the gun.
Therefore, she will never consider Eva her real mother in this life; she is only now forced to submit to her circumstances.
A layer of mist was quietly peeled away, only to awaken even more mist.
Her controlled variable method did not take Eva into account, and now Eva is also a suspect in her murder.
Seeing the little princess sitting blankly on the horse without saying a word, Eva impatiently shook the reins and urged, "Say it now, do you want to bet with me?"
Who wants to bet with you!
Even if she wanted to refuse, Eleanor simply couldn't afford the risk of defying the king.
Holding the gold pendant, she said softly, "Okay, I'll bet."
This is a truly dangerous change.
Perhaps in a past life, I was just being a spoiled daughter, and my mother, who truly trusted me, would readily send me to the garden and to be with the scholar.
But the current King of Norlana will not tolerate a princess with impure motives; whatever he wants must be interesting or useful.
She no longer tells the lie that "as long as my mother is happy," and even her voice is no longer muffled.
"Oh~?" Unexpectedly, her appearance amused Eva.
Wang nodded approvingly: "That's more like it, as expected of my daughter. Listen carefully, what we're betting on is—"
She raised her finger and pointed to the back mountain, gliding along the winding path until it finally hovered over the forest.
"hunting."
Buzz!
The nobles watching from the hillside and the long bridge couldn't help but make a commotion.
This is too much! What kind of king in his prime competes with a little princess in hunting?
Eva smiled and placed her hand on the hilt of the sword, and the rustling noise immediately stopped.
"Very good~"
Wang seemed pleased with the awe shown by everyone, and once again casually drew a circle with his finger.
"Don't worry, who would dare to bully my dear little princess?"
This title... Eleanor shuddered and couldn't help but steal a glance at Andra.
"?" Andra nodded to meet her gaze, as if to say: Don't worry, trust me.
Haha, it's no use believing you anyway.
Eleanor suppressed a laugh and turned back to continue listening to her mother's explanation.
Eva has already mentioned the specific rules.
“My daughter can hunt any bird or beast, but as for me, pheasants, rabbits, and any prey smaller than a rabbit don’t count.”
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions relaxed considerably.
Oh, it seems the king wasn't deliberately messing with the little princess.
This back mountain has been raided countless times, and the prey that follows is mostly rabbits that are good at breeding, pheasants that are easy to transport, and a whole bunch of colorful little birds.
Wang Li's rules will definitely extend the hunting time to allow for a longer period of time in the deep mountains.
Eva knew what they would think, so she immediately added, "My youngest daughter is too young, so the competition only lasts three hours. She can start half an hour earlier."
"If she wins in the end, I will grant her a large estate on the outskirts of the city."
"And if I win, she only needs to prepare three fun little things before the birthday party."
Many people nodded in agreement: then it wouldn't be too much of a case of the strong bullying the weak. From the rules, both time and prey are heavily favored to the little princess, and the king has to waste time going deep into the mountains.
Besides, the little princess's loss in this bet is almost the same as punishing herself with three cups of wine.
They didn't dwell on the subjective definitions of "interesting" or "uninteresting," since the king had always doted on the little princess, why would he make things difficult for her over such trivial matters?
After the king explained the rules, his favored ministers immediately began to make a fuss, teasing and betting against each other in private.
However, a small number of people, like Andra, had somber expressions; they were all thinking of the same thing.
No matter how generous the rules are, the princess can't even ride a horse!
"His Majesty."
A voice broke the eerie atmosphere.
Andra emerged from the shadows, her hair gleaming in the sunlight.
Her expression was calm and humble, but her tone was very firm: "Your Highness, without a weapon, I'm afraid you cannot draw your bow."
It's more than just being unable to draw the bow.
The joyful atmosphere suddenly froze.
Everyone knows the little princess can't shoot arrows, but this little brat Hetuya is clearly being sarcastic, saying the king is bullying her.
Eva laughed nonchalantly: "Hetuya, what's it to you?"
"I am Her Highness's guardian."
"Mother, she is mine."
The two spoke at the same time, and Eleanor couldn't help but click her tongue: What kind of title is "Guardian" in the Princess Guard? You call yourself a Guardian Knight?
But she didn't refute it, because the situation had already subtly changed.
Perhaps Andra truly possesses some special charm.
No one questioned it, and even Eva wasn't provoked; she simply shrugged indifferently. "Fine, but—there's no such thing as absolute fairness anyway."
As Eva spoke, she suddenly turned around and casually patted the horse's rump: "Let's get going, my clever little daughter~ hahaha."
"Neigh—" the horse cried out in surprise and suddenly accelerated.
Eva had already loosened the reins, and the unmanned horse immediately bolted off.
The guards instinctively spurred their horses forward, intending to intercept the steed from the hillside, but stopped slowly upon hearing Eva's cheerful laughter, afraid of disturbing the king's "refined enjoyment."
Only one figure swiftly crossed the gap, leaped up the hillside in a few strides, and snatched the reins from the attendant leading the horse.
"Huff, huff..." Andra's heart was pounding.
Perhaps it was irrational of her to do so, but she did not hesitate to mount her horse and spur it forward.
No one tried to stop Andra; perhaps they were too busy watching the show, or perhaps they simply made way for her.
Andra's horse galloped away and soon saw King Nolana's snow-white steed—well, it didn't seem to be going crazy.
“Huihui…” The white horse, which had been running, suddenly slowed down.
The little princess, sitting atop the horse, held the reins with her right hand and gently stroked the horse's neck with her left, whispering softly in its ear.
She actually managed to stop the horse using such a gentle method?
Andra found it incredible; were the horses ridden by King Nolana really that docile?
“Andra?” Eleanor turned around and saw Andra’s figure, then suddenly chuckled, “Haha, it really is you.”
Unfortunately, the timeline has changed, and you didn't trigger the damsel-in-distress scene... The little princess's smile vanished in an instant, and she turned her head away with a touch of haughtiness.
Andra didn't understand why the little princess was laughing or not laughing.
She rode her horse to Eleanor's side, raising her right hand to keep the horse from galloping again.
A moment later, Eva rode slowly over on a chestnut horse, followed by her trembling retinue and ministers.
"Hey, Lily." Her mother found a delicate bow and arrow somewhere and threw it at her with force.
Eleanor patted the horse's neck, trying to urge it in that direction, but Andra quickly reached out and easily caught it.
Eva gave them a meaningful look, then turned to Eleanor and asked, "When did you learn to ride a horse?"
“I…I like ponies.” Eleanor feigned shyness, pressing her head against the back of the horse’s neck.
It must be from a previous life.
Before she came of age, she didn't need to ride a horse, and she was always surrounded by people whenever she went out.
Is the carriage bumpy? Add leather tires, soft cushions, and a balance shaft.
Still feeling unwell? Then let Manju and Andra carry you.
Too slow? It's simple, she can ride with Andra. As long as Andra holds the reins, no horse will startle the rider.
However, people eventually grow up.
When Andra was heading to the battlefield, how could his wife linger in the rear, riding in a carriage?
Eleanor learned to ride a horse and how to soothe it in just three days.
If time is of the essence, she will rush to the next location under the stars and moon, using her captivating voice and oratory skills to appease the public, or offering benefits and reputation to persuade important figures.
Eva made no attempt to hide her suspicion, but even with her sharpest eyes, she couldn't see through the possibility of rebirth.
Wang could only laugh awkwardly, brush a strand of hair aside and say, "Go on, don't waste the half hour I gave you."
"Thank you for your care," Eleanor bowed from her horse. She took the bow and arrows from Andra's hand, gave her horse a light kick, and galloped into the forest.
Andra urged her horse forward, volunteering before the king could speak: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will certainly protect Her Highness the Princess."
Her single word, "protect," effectively shut down any further conversation.
Eva choked for a moment, then laughed angrily at her retreating figure. She waved to the guards: "You, you, and you follow me. If the princess of Hetuya dares to cheat, chop off her left thumb."
"yes!"
A note from the author:
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