Neril's eyes widened, but then he nodded resolutely.
"Let's see if she falls for my trick. No matter how they try to drag this out, they won't be able to target Your Highness."
***
"Here, Your Highness."
There was a small side door on the wall of the western gymnasium warehouse of the Valdina Royal Palace.
"This is the crypt that the crew used when they went on field trips. It's directly connected to the city."
It was said that even the royal family did not know of its existence, as it was a passage dug by the Royal Guards who were tired of the arduous training and confinement in the palace.
For a passage dug without proper equipment, it was quite organized, and Medea felt the madness of the old crew.
At the end of the crypt, an ordinary four-wheeled carriage was waiting for the two.
"Neril, you're finally here. I thought you were coming from a new hole, or something."
The young coachman, who was swinging his horsewhip tirelessly, joked at Neril.
The round eyes quickly took in Medea, who was standing behind Neril.
"Hello, Princess."
"Tom, be polite to Her Highness."
"Hmm, just take it in moderation. There's nothing we can do because lowly people can't learn."
As the freckled young man greeted her cheerfully, Neril gave a cold warning.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I warned him in advance."
"It's okay."
As Medea received his warm greeting, a young man named Tom paused for a moment and then nodded.
'He's an archer.'
She could tell from the sitting po sure or the shape of the fingers holding the whip.
He must have been a disciple of a former guard captain.
'He hates me.'
Medea read the clear antipathy hidden in the coachman's eyes.
Someone else might think he hid it well behind a smiling face, but his fleeting emotions had already been read by Medea.
Since the reputation of the stupid Princess spread throughout the world, the coachman must have been looking at her that way too.
'But this is good enough.'
Compared to the colorless criticism and contempt she experienced in her previous life, it was at the level of cuteness.
"Hey! Hey!"
The carriage departed, creating a clattering sound and creating a cloudy sandstorm.
Her prediction about the coachman was correct.
"Your Highness, please hold on from here."
The carriage seemed to be running smoothly, but the farther it got from the main street, the more difficult the road became.
The carriage that turned onto the unpaved road was shaking all the time, as if it couldn't move comfortably or because it 'didn't work'.
"Hey! Hey!"
A voice was heard excitedly urging the horse to speed up. The wheels of the carriage almost seemed to bounce off.
"That bastard..."
Neril bit his lip, made Medea sit upright, and clenched her fist.
"I will say something."
"Are you sure you're going to your teacher?"
"Yes. That said..."
"That's it then."
Medea leaned back with a bored expression on her face.
She didn't care about the coachman's silent grumbling or the trembling of the ground.
"They'll think I'm a Princess who has never stepped in the mud in her life."
However, in her past life, there were only a handful of times she felt comfortable going on an expedition with Jason.
It was not uncommon for demonic beasts to jump out of the collapsed ground, and as long as the surface was uneven, you could get a good night's sleep comfortably.
Medea pulled back the curtain.
"It must be messy with dirt coming in."
"It's okay."
Medea did not take her eyes off the window.
The carriage left the royal castle.
There is no smoke from cooking rice.
A barren, empty field. Shabby houses that look like they might collapse at any moment can be seen everywhere.
'This is reality. This is really Valdina.'
It was a truth that the Prince Regent wanted to blind Medea from.
It was different from the clean and splendid interior of the royal castle. This is the current reality of Valdina, which has endured ten years of war.
'It wasn't easy even after winning the war.'
While Peleus was away, the power of the Regent within the Kingdom grew too much. Uprisings broke out one after another.
In addition, the King's sister enjoyed luxury and pleasure but was eventually captured by the rebels and became a household servant of the royal family.
Nevertheless, my brother never once blamed me.
'Peleus, I won't let you do that this time.'
Around that time, Tom shouted from outside the carriage.
"Hey! We're almost there. See It over there? That is Lord Gilliforth's mansion."
A red brick mansion could be seen in the distance from the carriage window.
However, small dots the size of ants surrounded the mansion.
"What is that?"
It was only after the carriage crossed the hill and entered the road that the identity of the gathered group was finally revealed.
"These are retired soldiers and their families. As the war continues, the number continues to increase."
Tom explained loud enough for Medea to hear.
Most of them were said to be people who wandered around the capital city because their hometowns were burned or they were crippled and had no preparation to go to their hometowns.
"They were ruined while fighting for their country. Instead of being treated well, they were kicked out without even being able to set foot in the castle."
The end of the laughter was sharp.
"Master, who could not ignore the difficult situation, took them in, but now the interior of the mansion is overcrowded, so he cannot kick them out and is only providing them with meals outside."
"..."
"Hey~"
Whenever he had been running like crazy until now, he suddenly started riding leisurely.
The carriage was passing a group of retired soldiers.
The carriage tilted with a clattering sound.
"This. The wheel is missing! Oh my, is this place broken again?"
I thought I heard a lively voice, and then the grinning face of Tom appeared outside the window.
"What should I do? I need to fix some wheels here. It won't take long."
"You..."
Neril stood up with a stern expression. It was to get out of the carriage.
"Are you going to hit me? Oh well, I still can't fix the missing wheel right away. I'm not a wizard."
His frowning face disappeared.
"I'm sorry. Your Highness."
"It's okay."
Medea's face was calm.
Meanwhile, a carriage that suddenly stopped on the road attracted people's attention.
"Who is this? Who's riding it?"
"Are you here to visit the Marquis? For a while, it seemed like the traffic from the royal castle had completely stopped."
Someone responded bluntly.
"Who cares about us? Don't miss the meal you're holding. Do you think they care about our hunger?"
Cold and hunger made them sensitive.
As the war dragged on, the national treasury was empty.
On the contrary, corporal labor and taxes were increasing day by day, putting pressure on their shoulders.
Valdina, located in the barren north, was not a country with abundant supplies to begin with.
"We are like this, but there is a banquet held every day in the palace over there, right? At royal banquets, wine is drunk like water, and meat is spread all over the table."
"Wow. I think I could live for a week just by eating one piece of meat."
"How can there be only meat? That cursed Princess wears all kinds of jewelry on her body."
Although they did not know the detailed royal genealogy, they definitely knew about one Princess.
"That jewel, wasn't it bought by sucking our blood? Like a greedy bed bug. A royal parasite!"
Everyone raised their voices.
They ignored the King and the people who were crazy about war and criticized the King's sister who indulged in luxury and pleasure.
The retired soldiers pitched tents on the side of the road and settled down, not far from the carriage.
Their angry words could be heard very clearly.
Medea heard the harsh criticism directed at her coming from the window.
'Are you asking me to at least listen?'
I was able to read the intentions of Tom or the Marquis of Gilliforth.
"Your Highness..."
It was Neril who was fidgeting and not knowing what to do.
At that time, someone refuted.
"This guy, if you don't know, don't say anything. Why would a Princess wear so many jewels?"
"Huh?"
"Didn't you hear? What happened to the Princess in the palace? These people, the news is late!"
Comments
Post a Comment