Chapter 52 Malice in the Dark She fluttered about like a little bird...
Roses and wisteria sway in the breeze as a tall, handsome young man walks on a high-hanging covered bridge.
Her gaze occasionally swept over the flowers and bushes below, as if searching for some lost treasure.
Andra, of course, wouldn't be so forgetful. Every now and then, she would secretly glance into the darkness, wary of being followed.
There's no one here... there shouldn't be anyone, right?
She withdrew her gaze and walked steadily down the long bridge, but doubts arose in her heart.
"That's strange..." she murmured, her lips moving silently.
Today was so strange. From early morning, she felt like someone was watching her, like there was a pair of malicious eyes behind her.
Andra took two steps and suddenly stopped, pretending to look at the scenery in the garden, but his attention wandered, trying to find the source of the malice hidden in the darkness.
No, still no.
Either the stalker is far too powerful, exceeding her capabilities, or it's simply paranoia.
Andra took another step.
She was on high alert whether choosing clothes, visiting the palace, or eating, waiting for the servants to suddenly turn hostile and draw their swords, or to pour some poison from their sleeves into her cup.
But no, nothing happened. She couldn't see a single flaw, and even thinking about it made her feel ridiculous.
The princess's personal attendants are mostly children from noble families, so it's really ridiculous to have these children go to such lengths to deal with a foreign princess who is a hostage.
You should know that her mother, Aguno, is in very good health. Even if there were investments, they wouldn't invest in her, let alone have any unfounded murderous intent.
Andra walked silently through the corridor, his mind racing.
The only suspect she could think of was Myrcella.
Perhaps this Crown Prince of Norlana is even more lawless than she imagines, a simple-minded little madman who likes to bully others?
Myrcella could probably instruct her younger sister to have Eleanor bring her to her side, making it easier for her to find an opportunity to teach her a lesson.
The motive was somewhat plausible, but Andra still had a gut feeling that something was off.
Is Myrcella really that clever? And what about Princess Eleanor...?
"Eleanor." Her name rolled silently on the tongue, like a legendary incantation that plunged one into a hazy, dreamlike state of mind.
The little princess walked timidly to her and shyly looked up at her.
Those amber eyes were crystal clear, reflecting only her figure.
Andra touched the flowers in her arms, a fleeting thought of "it doesn't matter if I'm being deceived" crossing her mind.
No, how could I think that?
She immediately regained consciousness.
Although Andra's brain becomes a bit sluggish when she's around Eleanor, her intelligence has regained its dominance now that the little princess isn't here.
If only one line of thought is feasible, then continue thinking along that line.
Assuming Myrcella is the mastermind and Eleanor is an accomplice, how would they deal with me now?
Two of her attendants had just met her: Coral and Heidi.
The girl named Heidi wasn't very clever; she could easily find a few excuses to get away, and didn't seem to be acting under the princess's orders.
On the contrary, if Her Highness were to deal with me, Coral, as her personal attendant, would certainly be aware of it.
She circled Coral's name in her mind and then locked onto several guards: although she didn't know who would make the next move, as long as the princess was involved, Manzhu, the head of the guards, would not be able to stay out of it.
While Andra was still sorting out his thoughts, he had already arrived at the princess's palace.
She was about to stand outside the door waiting for an announcement when she suddenly saw a figure rushing towards the door in a daze—it was Mysella.
Just as Andra slipped into the corner, he heard a dull thud!
She quickly peeked out to check: Misela had bumped into the door with a thud and was now clutching her head, groaning and crying.
"Pfft." Andra covered her mouth, her face slightly flushed: she had actually mistaken this person for some kind of mastermind; she was being incredibly neurotic.
She hid outside the window, both amused and exasperated, listening to what was happening inside.
The palace walls were very thick, and it was difficult to hear people inside if they lowered their voices even slightly, but Misella's voice was incredibly penetrating.
"Awoo awoo awoo awoo".
The noise she made sounded like a wolf or a braying donkey, followed by a series of crackling sounds, as if several old women were violently beating a quilt with wooden sticks.
"No, no, no! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"
Who is she calling a nuisance?
Andra chuckled to herself, her unease lessening considerably: this guy couldn't have set up any dangerous traps, so her and the little princess's suspicions could basically be ruled out.
"Stop howling!"
Oh, Princess, she can't hold back anymore? Will she teach her sister a lesson?
Mysella's gurgling sounds suddenly disappeared—it seems she did, and her ears were probably all pulled.
Just when Andra thought the unfortunate boy would stay in the princess's palace and refuse to leave, the door opened.
Mysella scurried out like a little mouse, her cheeks flushed red, whether from anger or grievance, it was hard to tell.
"Waaah!" She wailed twice and ran off quickly, disappearing at the end of the long bridge. It seemed she had been sent back to sleep.
It turns out Eleanor has such a formidable side, able to discipline her sister like this.
Andra's eyes relaxed, and the little princess in her mind who would shyly lower her head when she saw her had another side, like a little teacher, lively and vivid.
She waited outside the door for a while before slowly walking in, deliberately bumping the door with her shoulder before going in.
Kerala...
The door opened slowly, and the little princess was sitting in front of the dressing table having her hair combed by a servant. She turned her head slowly when she heard her voice.
"Andra, you're back?"
She smiled, her eyes crinkling, and was just about to get up to greet him when a servant combing her hair pressed her shoulder down.
Coral slowly slid the comb along. "Don't run around, get up after you're done combing."
Okay~
The little princess dislikes incense, and even when she has a headache, she doesn't like to smell anything.
So when Andra entered the room, she only smelled the scent of sun-dried fruit and a slight clean scent of soapberry.
She noticed the copper basin in the corner, and the boxes placed next to it: those boxes probably contained cleaning supplies made by the princess, supposedly made from wood ash and with added fragrance, called "soap".
She wasn't surprised that the princess would use wood ash to make soap; after all, commoners also liked to use wood ash to wash clothes, and the principle was the same.
Eleanor's temperament was completely different from Myrcella's; her expression and movements were gentle and warm, showing no sign of foolishness or arrogance.
For such a clever person, whether her shyness and kindness were feigned or genuine, there was no reason for her to join forces with Myrcella against a troublesome and unprofitable enemy.
She relaxed and sat down on the bed naturally.
The moment Andra's bottom touched the bed, cold sweat poured down her backside: Oh no, how could she sit directly on the little princess's bed? How rude!
Splash!
She sprang up as if burned, crashing backward with a thud. Luckily, Coral pushed her away, or she would have bumped into the princess.
Without turning her head, Eleanor said, "It's okay, you can sleep with me from now on."
Huh?
As Andra watched the princess's retreating figure, about to say "okay," a vague unease suddenly welled up in his heart.
Trusting her intuition, she quickly changed the subject: "I'm very grateful for your help, but..."
Crack.
"Ouch!" Eleanor suddenly turned around, accidentally pulling her long hair and letting out a cute complaint.
"Oh dear, you are my guardian knight, how can you leave me?" The little princess pouted slightly, a strand of hair falling from her neatly combed long hair, making her almond-shaped eyes look even more adorable and pitiful.
Thump, thump thump.
Andra's heart pounded like a drum.
She thought she could decisively refuse any request, but after just one glance from those eyes, her intuition, courage, and energy were all sucked away from her body and flew off to who knows where.
"Okay." That was the only possible answer she gave.
"Hehe." The little princess covered her cheeks with her sleeve and chuckled twice, while Coral meticulously combed the last strand of hair onto her head.
Eleanor stood up from the mirror and twirled lightly on her tiptoes.
The moon-white long dress flowed loosely, spreading out like a flower.
As the sleeve brushed against his face, Andra instinctively slumped back onto the bed behind him, falling into a soft trap.
Her Highness did not ask, "Am I beautiful?"
She fluttered to the bed like a little bird and lay down beside her with a whoosh.
"Okay, let's go to sleep."
The little princess wrapped her arms around her waist like she was holding a doll, and whispered in her ear, "Goodnight, Andra."
The touch of skin caused Andra to tremble slightly.
Yesterday's princess is completely different from today's princess. One is shy, the other is outgoing; one is innocent and cute, the other is gentle and charming... The only thing that remains unchanged is the silent charm that surrounds them.
The images of a teenage girl and a young girl kept switching in her mind.
She sometimes suspected that Eleanor had an older sister, and at other times she suspected that Princess Norlana was a pair of twins who looked alike but had completely different personalities.
Unfortunately, there weren't many stories about real and fake heiresses or sisters marrying in place of each other at that time, and Andra couldn't figure it out even after thinking about it for a long time.
"Can't you sleep?" The little princess nestled against her chest, her voice soft and distant. "I often can't sleep either. I always dream about..."
What did you dream about?
Thump, thump, thump.
The boy's heart was beating steadily but rapidly, and she waited for a long time without receiving an answer.
"...Your Highness?"
It's still early, and Andra wants to go out and practice her sword for a while.
However, the girl in her arms seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. She smiled helplessly and covered the princess with a thin blanket.
Goodnight, Eleanor.
She leaned against the pillow the little princess had given her, and drifted into a dreamless slumber in the young girl's embrace.
......
"Ha ha ha ha."
Loud laughter echoed from the Princess Guard's quarters; as soon as the lights were turned off, they began chattering and gossiping.
"Have you heard? The princess chose a guardian knight today! Guess who she is?"
A girl was gesturing wildly in her dorm room, but none of her roommates paid any attention. Only Caroline slowly remarked, "Who else could it be? Isn't it Princess Andra of Hetuya? Sigh, what's wrong with Your Highness's eyes..."
Her words inadvertently offended the princess, so she quickly shut her mouth.
Fortunately, no one was criticizing her; everyone was enthusiastically discussing how to arrange a bet between Andra and the various "prince candidates."
They had already set up a bet on who the prince was.
The player with the lowest odds and the best chance right now is Manzhu. She comes from a good family, is good-looking, gentle and considerate, and has strong skills. She also has a twin sister to help her out. It's really hard to imagine how she could lose.
Although many people were egging her on, deep down everyone still felt that Manzhu was the strongest.
In contrast, Andra was just a surprise force that suddenly appeared. Some of those who cheered for her were somewhat resentful of Manju's absolute advantage and wanted to bring in more people to stir things up, hoping that they might also have a chance to become the princess's prince.
Clang.
The door to the next room opened, and only two people lived inside: Manzhu and Jingji.
The room fell silent until Manzhu opened her front door, at which point Batina asked with a smile, "Oh, Manzhu, you've come to call us for morning exercises again?"
"Running exercises" is an interesting meme in the Princess Guard.
Her Highness is a very kind person, but she always acts on a whim.
After replacing the lead water pipes, she insisted that everyone warm up before practicing swordsmanship in the morning, and also made the slaves in the palace remember to run exercises outside the training ground. Any slave who was willing to go was given an extra meal of starch and meat soup.
The temptation of eating meat was immense for the slaves, so they would gather every morning and run around the training ground every day unless they had other tasks.
The noble boys in the princess's guard had some objections to this; they didn't like being surrounded by slaves—but since it was the princess's order, they had no choice but to accept it.
Of course, we still have to make a few jokes in private.
In the past, Manju would have loudly reprimanded him upon hearing such ridicule, and might even have written it down to punish him later.
But Manju was very calm today. She looked around to make sure everyone was looking this way, and then announced in a low voice: "That newcomer Andra is annoying. We can teach her a lesson so she won't get too cocky. Consider it our newcomer gift to her."
...Hey?
Everyone was taken aback: they thought Manzhu would hold back for the princess's sake this time, but they didn't expect her to be planning to lead everyone in a fight? They never knew she had this side to her!
But children, once a leader takes the lead, the others immediately become bolder. Besides, they are all nobles, so they are not afraid of a little prank at all!
"How can we play?" Caroline rubbed her hands together eagerly.
Manzhu gave her a meaningful look.
She didn't expect to kill Andra through her companions' pranks; they didn't have the guts. But if things went wrong, she wouldn't mind delivering the final blow herself.
"It hurts so much, she left such a deep wound on me...it hurts so much!"
Manzhu raised her head, her eyes unfathomable: "You can do whatever you want during the first week."
"Yay!"
-----------------------
Author's note: In the Moonlit Continent, a prince is a title that can be a princess after her sister ascends the throne, a princess's wife, or even, in a very small chance, a meritorious official (usually at the level of a regent).
Most countries in this world have different attitudes toward princes, but there are not many restrictions on princes. Most of the time, as long as the king is willing, a prince can hold any official position and can also become an independent lord or city lord.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
