Chapter 55 The Kite So this is what a kite is!
The sunlight painted the sky with vibrant colors, making it as blue as an oil painting.
The season with its mild temperatures is perfect for spring outings, with lawns dotted with blue and green wildflowers and a gentle breeze that soothes the soul.
In those days, ordinary people naturally didn't have much of a mood for spring outings.
The fields, mountains, and forests belonged to various noble families. Without the lord's permission, even going into the mountains to collect firewood was considered a crime, punishable by whipping or even enslavement.
The Norlana royal family was relatively better off than the other city-states.
They have always claimed to be descendants of divine blood, originating from the mountains, so they have always turned a blind eye to the people's behavior of going to the forest to collect firewood.
Eva was a lazy monarch; as long as you didn't run into her while she was hunting, who cared whether you were gathering firewood or fruit?
So, aside from the days when the king would definitely organize hunting during festivals, there would always be some commoners who made a living off the mountains.
However, the situation has changed today.
The experienced hunter noticed a large number of guards surrounding a hillside. She was always skilled in digging and setting traps, and she could tell at a glance that there were many fresh marks on the hillside, as if someone had placed many sharp stones there.
The hunter turned and left without hesitation. As she descended the mountain, a group of handsome young men were walking along the mountain path, chatting and laughing.
"Hahaha~" The little princess on the sedan chair was amused by Andra's joke and burst into laughter.
She reached out and flicked Andra's nose with her finger, laughing through her tears, "Little bunnies can't talk, you're lying~"
"I'm not lying to you. Myths and legends certainly take place in the realm of gods, where everything can speak!"
Andra joked with a straight face, but her eyes darted around, searching for the guards or Myrcella. Who knew if they were about to play another prank?
Today, the people surrounding the princess are mostly slaves and servants, probably because climbing mountains is a tiring activity for the princess, and she doesn't want the nobles to suffer.
Andra was somewhat disapproving of this behavior.
Compared to submissive slaves, she would sometimes deliberately find small tasks for her noble attendants to do, so as not to spoil them and make them arrogant.
However, she quickly came to terms with it: perhaps that's just the princess's nature; she's kind to everyone.
Andra had only been living with the little princess for a few days when he heard that Eleanor not only never skimped on anyone's food, clothing, or daily necessities, but also distributed bonuses during holidays and invited famous doctors from the common people to the palace to provide medical care for everyone, including the slaves.
As for the guards... perhaps Her Highness didn't call them over today because she was afraid of another conflict?
Andra walked up to the sedan chair and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, you brought fewer guards today. Aren't your personal guards coming?"
The little princess tilted her head, as if asking if it was very little.
She said in surprise, "There are quite a few. Manju and Thorn are both here, and—you're here too, Andra. You're the strongest."
The girl's use of the word "you" was quite meaningful.
Her heartfelt praise made Andra smile involuntarily: that's only natural.
The troubles from a while ago were nothing but fleeting clouds; she never took those good-for-nothings seriously.
Now it seems that although their actions were annoying, they also showed the princess her strength.
They continued along the mountain path, the steeper the slope became as they went higher.
The mountain path below was built over many years by the artisans of the capital specifically for King Norlana to run his horses.
The road ahead led deep into the forest, making it difficult for horses to travel, so no one was willing to pay the craftsmen to pave it further—no matter what, laborers still had to pay for food, and Eva wasn't a devil after all.
Fortunately, the place they were going to was a hillside on a side road, where the terrain jutted outwards, and people could stand on the cliff and enjoy the beautiful scenery in the distance.
Strong servants carried the sedan chair, taking a leisurely stroll to lift the princess up the hillside. Andra and her entourage moved even more nimbly, and in no time they had all emerged from the forest and climbed the high hillside.
The slave servants spread a luxurious carpet on the ground and then placed food containers on it. There were earthenware bowls, wooden boxes, and iron containers.
Each container was filled with exquisite pastries, and it was said that there were even dishes that Her Highness the Princess had created for the King in the kitchen.
The little princess nestled in Coral's arms and took out a silver wine pot from the layers of food boxes.
She took out several cups and poured the wine into them with a splash, then waved her little hand to invite Manzhu, Jingji, and Andra to sit down.
"I don't usually let you drink alcohol."
Her Highness looked annoyed, but she quickly smiled again. "But today is different. Everyone says that you have to drink to apologize, and you have to drink to apologize. So if you drink this in front of me, you can't quarrel anymore, right?"
Andra glanced at the small wine glasses on the blanket: Ah, the princess must have been telling the truth when she said that drinking was not allowed. These wine glasses were tiny, barely bigger than a thumb.
After a hunting contest on the grassland, she would always down a large bowl of grain wine, which wasn't even enough to moisten her teeth.
Andra's head throbbed slightly, but she didn't think of anything dangerous at all, just that it was the wind.
Because she watched the princess pour these three cups of wine from the wine jug herself, and Manzhu and Jingji wanted to drink them too.
She stared at Manju and Jingji's faces. The two guards were indeed helpless. They seemed to feel somewhat humiliated by the princess's grand gesture of "seeking justice" for Andra.
But they couldn't possibly defy the princess, so they could only pick up their wine glasses and drink them down in one go.
"I'm sorry!" Manzhu looked into her eyes, her tone very sincere.
Thorn just muttered something under his breath, seemingly unconvinced.
Andra smiled and waved his hand dismissively: "Don't worry, I never took your... offenses to heart."
Even Mysella isn't enough to make her worry, let alone two ordinary Nolana people.
She raised her hand and drank the wine in her glass in one gulp. The wine immediately produced a peculiar spiciness in her throat as soon as it entered her mouth.
"Hmm."
Andra frowned: The Hertuyas love to make wine from a plant with seeds, which produces a lot of bubbles, hence the name "grain wine".
The Nolana people like to make wine with fruit and another type of leaf, which makes the wine richer, but it's still nowhere near as good as the sip she just tasted.
Perhaps the little princess used King Nolana's treasures specifically to make them "reconcile"?
Andra put down his glass and licked his lips with a hint of lingering satisfaction.
Seeing her longing for the wine, the little princess smiled. "I got this wine from my mother, and I won't be able to drink it again. Would you like a few more cups?"
Manzhu shook her head, while Jingji decisively placed the cup next to the wine pot and filled it with another cup.
Seeing Thorn's provocative actions, Andra naturally wouldn't back down.
She drank three glasses in a row before stopping, much to the little princess's slight surprise.
This wine is quite potent.
Andra touched his forehead; his fingers seemed to be trembling slightly... If he drank any more, it would affect his kite-flying later... What is a kite?
Seeing Andra dazedly put the blanket back, Eleanor smiled with relief.
Of course, nothing was added to the wine.
She put a plant inside that she named Datura, whose leaves and flowers release a neurotoxin when ground into powder.
This is what she gained in her first life.
In her first life, Eleanor, as Angelina, could gather anything with the resources of her entire nation, including natural anesthetics.
Anesthesia is of paramount importance in surgical procedures. Since they are currently unable to produce synthetic drugs, they are pinning their hopes on finding a plant with similar effects.
Datura, one of the herbs, grows in the deep mountains of Norland, and doctors accidentally discovered that when it is ground into powder, it has an excellent anesthetic effect.
Unfortunately, the side effects of Datura are severe: after waking up, the patient needs to rest for more than half a year before she can live a normal life. During this period, her limbs will be numb and her movements will be slow.
Therefore, this powder was later used only for major surgeries such as amputation.
Datura powder has a distinctive spicy flavor, but thankfully it's not very noticeable when mixed with alcohol.
Eleanor put the flask back, delaying her actions for a few days in order to gather the datura and modify the flask.
Its internal mechanism is inspired by an ancient poison flask from Earth. By simply holding a finger, liquid can be poured out from another part inside, allowing Thorn and Andra to drink different wines.
To ensure Andra wouldn't immediately notice anything amiss, she deliberately controlled the dosage...it seemed to be enough.
Eleanor smiled slightly as she looked at Andra's flushed cheeks.
Andra felt as if his breath carried the smell of strong liquor.
Her vision blurred, and she was slightly surprised when she saw Manzhu and Jingji: "Huh, that's strange, why don't these two seem to be feeling unwell? Hmm, I only drank a little bit too much..."
Clap clap. "Alright, alright, let's start flying kites~" Her Highness clapped her hands twice, drawing everyone's attention.
Coral took a kite from the side and handed it to Eleanor.
A kite... what was it again?
Andra recalled the question; she remembered Eleanor mentioning it to her while she was sleeping.
At the time, she only knew that kites were thin toys that could fly into the sky, but today she sees them and thinks they are quite cute with their colorful appearance.
"I'll demonstrate for you first, so pay close attention."
In Andra's eyes, the princess's figure appeared as six or seven overlapping images. So, the six or seven little princesses simultaneously took a running start, tossing their kites into the air with a clattering sound.
As the kite, made of wood chips and linen, soared into the sky, the string attached to it rattled loudly.
It leaped high like a bird, fluttered twice, and then plummeted downwards.
Oh, Andra understands now.
This kite imitates the wings of a bird, requiring the force of a throw to keep it afloat and a string to guide its direction. However, the kite is still too heavy compared to a bird, and it won't fly for long before crashing to the ground.
"Hey~" The little princess threw it again, and this time the kite fell even faster. She pouted and threw the kite to Manzhu.
Andra staggered forward, drunk. Manju... that guy doesn't know how to use his skills.
Her thoughts wandered, and sure enough, Manzhu in front of her solemnly tossed the kite in a straight line, just as she had deduced.
Manzhu was much stronger than the princess, and the kite soared high into the sky. Unfortunately, she didn't find the right angle, and it plummeted even faster, crashing to the ground with a thud.
"Oh dear, don't break it!"
The little princess clapped her hands with heartache, and Thorn, like a well-trained hunting dog, darted out and retrieved the kite for her.
"Let me do it." Andra swayed his shoulders as he walked towards them and reached out to take the kite.
Her consciousness was a little hazy, but it was precisely this haziness that made her feel lightheaded, completely oblivious to the fact that she was drunk.
She thought she was as clear-headed as usual and could throw the kite with perfect technique, winning the little princess's happy cheers.
Andra subconsciously adjusted the angle.
Her body was well-adapted to any kind of exercise, but now every joint was trembling, so the kite only flew up a little bit before crashing to the ground.
Snap.
Andra was quite embarrassed the moment the kite touched the ground.
how so?
She picked up the kite in a daze and promised the little princess, "Don't worry, I'll definitely fly farther than her."
Andra took a deep breath in the air.
This is her habit; whenever she feels she isn't performing well, she forces her body to calm down first.
This time the effect was also good. After taking a few breaths, the double vision in front of her eyes changed from seven or eight to three or four, and her constantly trembling joints stabilized again.
Andra didn't care about any of that; she just felt a little more awake.
She adjusted her hand position in mid-air, allowing the power to be transmitted from her waist to her arms.
Whoosh—the kite was tossed high into the air and flew forward with the wind.
"So high!" the little princess exclaimed happily, and started running after the kite.
She chased and chased, and the kite flew a long way before plummeting down with a whoosh, tip pointing downwards.
Eleanor caught up, picked up the kite, and tossed it into the air just like she had done before. *Splash!* The kite flew like a clumsy, fat bird.
"Haha." Andra's laughter faded as she laughed.
The princess chased after him again and threw him with all her might. She didn't even realize that she had run close to the cliff, and just let out a joyful laugh.
"Hahahaha." Eleanor laughed and ran to the edge of the cliff, reaching out to grab the kite's string.
"—" Manzhu and Jingji moved, shouting that Your Highness was in danger!
Andra couldn't hear the shouts; all she could hear was a buzzing noise.
The moment she saw Eleanor heading towards the cliff, her feet had already pushed off the ground.
Closer, very close, she saw the little princess's overlapping silhouette and reached out her hand forcefully—
Softly, softly.
The double images quickly dissipated as her fingers passed through them, leaving only the most vivid figure in the middle.
No—please don't fall—Eleanor!
Snap.
It seemed as if she had grasped the princess's wrist, or perhaps... the hem of the princess's dress?
Andra squinted in the blinding light and struggled to say, "Your Highness, come back quickly. It's too dangerous for you."
*Slap*
A gentle touch came from my chest, and then I felt dizzy.
Why am I feeling dizzy?
Andra suffocated in the air, and as she fell, she saw a pair of slender little hands leave her chest, leaving behind a resolute push.
What... is going on?
Andra's body fell backward.
Every joint in her body screamed at her to twist and flip over, "You can do it! You absolutely can! You can definitely grab the protrusions on the edge of the cliff and flip back up!"
However, a numbing sensation stronger than an electric current caused her to continue falling, falling... like a heavy kite.
So this is what a kite is. The princess... let go of... her hand?
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Author's note: Regarding toxins: Most toxins are not very effective for people who have undergone a third growth spurt or those with precious blood, and their effects are doubled when combined.
Therefore, people like Andra and Eva are not actually very afraid of poison in the conventional sense—which is why Eleanor II did not develop an antidote. She did not obtain the original poison and could only have scholars study it by working backwards through Eva's corpse, which naturally did not work in the end.
The effects of the datura on Andra's body were weakened by her physical condition. Eleanor knew that to poison Andra, she would have to develop a poison even more potent than the one used on Eva (Eva: I was alive and kicking for over a decade after being poisoned). With that kind of energy, she could succeed at anything.
This isn't a spoiler: Eleanor was poisoned so quickly the first time because the poison was administered by someone who actually knew how to poison.
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