Dataset Viewer
text
stringlengths 1
113k
|
|---|
“RISHE IRMGARD WEITZNER! You are a vile woman! A truly malicious creature unworthy of the crown prince! As of this instant, our engagement is off!”
“As you wish, Your Highness.”
“…Huh?” |
“Didn’t you hear what I just said?! I’m calling off our engagement! Doesn’t that trouble you?”
“Not really.” |
“Rishe, halt and hear me! I have spent the past week perfecting my recitation of your crimes!” |
“Wait! Rishe!” |
A thought occurred to Rishe, and she stopped. She then turned, her eyes gleaming beneath long lashes as she stared down her ex-fiancé. “Ah, Your Highness, I almost forgot.”
“Yes, tell me!” the prince fumed. “Let me guess, you are hurt beyond measure and yet love me still…correct?”
As if. Rishe was grateful to be granted her freedom. In fact, she was smiling as she said, “I hope you and Lady Mary are happy together.”
“What?!”
“May we both lead fulfilling lives. Farewell!” Rishe lifted the skirts of her evening gown and turned on her heel, departing as briskly as she could.
“How do you know about Mary? I haven’t told you I love her!” The prince was shouting something behind her, but she paid him no mind. She had things to do. |
This is my seventh “do-over.” I’ve led happy and carefree lives before, but this time—this time, I swear I’ll live a long happy and carefree life! |
“Rishe Irmgard Weitzner! You are a vile woman! A truly malicious creature unworthy of the crown prince! As of this instant, our engagement is off!” |
Speaking of this regret always prompted disbelief from her customers, including the king of the desert. “What? That’s what you’d want to do over?!” |
“Bwargh!” Rishe let out a very unladylike grunt, staggering a few steps. She looked up to see what she’d bounced off of. “Oh…” |
He laughed. “You barreled right into me. For a moment, I thought I’d been attacked by a wild boar.” |
“What are you even doing here?” the man went on. “The party is in the—”
Rishe interrupted him with a wordless shout of dismay. The man drew back, reflexively reaching for his sword. He composed himself with visible difficulty. “Who are you? You look like any noblewoman, but your manner is…”
“Emperor Arnold Hein!” |
The man eyed Rishe with rising curiosity. “You know me? This is my first time in Hermity.” |
Rishe curtsied slowly. “My name is Rishe Irmgard Weitzner. We’ve never been introduced, but I’ve heard of you.”
Arnold donned an amused smile. “You plant your weight like a trained swordswoman. Your center of gravity is perfect.”
“You exaggerate,” Rishe demurred. “That was simply a curtsy to an esteemed guest.”
“I must have misheard, but I swear you called me ‘emperor’ just now.” |
“My father yet lives,” Arnold said. “I am simply a crown prince. Why would you call me that?”
“Uh, um…” Rishe floundered for an answer. |
“My humblest apologies, Your Highness. I was in a rush. Such a rude slip of the tongue.” She raised her head. “My ex-fiancé just annulled our engagement, so I’ve got a lot on my mind. If you would excuse me.”
“He annulled your engagement?” |
Arnold, who up until now had been rendered speechless, shook himself out of his fugue as Rishe clambered over the railing. “Hey!” |
“There you are, Your Highness. What are you doing out here? I’m aware you don’t desire a wife, but beginning the search would be wise… Er, Your Highness?” The attendant’s eyes flew wide. His bored and scowling master was laughing. “Did something happen?”
“Oliver, ready my coach. Wait, no. That will take too much time. Bring me a horse.”
“At once, Your Highness. Might I ask why?” |
Once outside the palace gates, Rishe threw herself into the waiting coach, shouting for the driver to make haste. She stopped it a few hundred yards from the manor and bid him farewell. “I’m leaving! Thanks for always being such a safe driver, Daniel!” |
“Huff, huff.” Despite her last life’s physical conditioning, this body had no stamina. She’d need to try to get fitter faster this time around.
Rishe reached the end of the road, and her heart promptly sank all the way to her feet. “Oh no.” |
While she stood frozen in indecision, one of the knights doing crowd control shouted, “Your Highness! I have eyes on Lady Rishe!”
“Get out of my way!” A familiar voice started up a bellow. “Let me through! Rishe, how dare you make me wait so long?” |
“I know the thought of hearing your crimes enumerated by the man you love must pain you, but alas, as future king, it is my duty to bring down the hammer of justice upon a villainess such as yourself!”
“I see I’ve timed it badly,” Rishe muttered. “In fact, this is my worst loop yet. I’d rather be barred from the house than see you again.”
“Hmm? What are you grumbling about?” Dietrich looked Rishe up and down. “I knew it. You put on a brave face, but I can sense the sorrow in your heart.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Your heart!” the prince repeated. “Your heart! It must be absolutely crushed! Because I called off our engagement!” |
“I can tell you’ve been wandering aimlessly, distraught,” the prince went on. “Look at you. Your dress is caked in mud, your shoes are broken, and there are cuts marring your face and arms. What other possible cause could there be than heartbreak?”
Rishe narrowed her eyes. “Do you ever stop to think about the words coming out of your mouth?”
“What?”
His interpretation of events was fanciful to the point of absurdity. “I did not dirty my dress or snap my shoes out of heartbreak. Because I feel none. You’ve always been a little slow, so I’ll make this clear: I do not have a single shred of fondness for you, or for our broken engagement.”
“What?!” the prince said. “What are you saying?!” |
“Isn’t that the crown prince? Did Lady Rishe just dump him?”
“Wait, but wasn’t he trying to dump her?”
“Can’t be! Look at her! She doesn’t care at all!”
“How dare you nobodies make sport of me?” Dietrich screeched. “I am your prince!” |
“Your Highness, you exist to love and protect your people. It’s unbecoming to speak of them in this manner.”
“You’re the unbecoming one!” the prince snapped. “Beg me for forgiveness!”
“I won’t. Calling off our betrothal is the best course, and I applaud Your Highness for your good sense.” |
Dietrich was turning red. “D-don’t laugh at me!”
“Lady Rishe,” came a sweet voice. “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?” |
Out of the crowd stepped a charming, dainty girl. Her big eyes moist with tears, she took her place at Dietrich’s side. “I do not allow the people I care about to be treated so very ill!”
“Why, Lady Mary. You’re here.” Rishe sighed. “How nice.”
The young Mary scowled through her tears. Hidden behind her skirts, Dietrich continued to shout his disapproval. “Rishe! You’ve brought my beloved Mary to tears! She’s told me everything. How you bullied her, ridiculed her. How you find it amusing to lock her in the classroom overnight! Such a wicked woman could never be queen!” |
“More importantly,” Rishe said, “have you already brought your concerns to my parents, Your Highness?”
“More importantly?! I did, if you must know! Your parents are furious. They have vowed to disown you.”
“Ah. Then I’m too late.” Her parents held their reputation above all else. Rishe had little hope of retrieving any of her money or belongings now.
“Why are you acting so strangely?” Dietrich sniffed. “Ah, I understand. You’re in such shock from this turn of events that—”
“Listen, Dietrich.” In her exasperation, Rishe dropped his title. “I accept your decree. We are no longer engaged. I shall never darken your doorstep again. So…relax a little.”
“Huh? What are you saying?”
“Since I was a child, I believed that my only value was in our betrothal. Being engaged to the crown prince was my whole reason for living. I was wrong about that. Only I determine my value—no one else. That’s why I don’t care about this. I’m beyond it.” Rishe made sure to look him directly in the eye as she spoke. “You are an unnecessary element in my life.” |
“St-stop!” the prince wailed. “You are my subjects. This…this shows such flagrant disrespect!”
“Dietrich, don’t pay them any mind,” Lady Mary said. “Lady Rishe, is this cruelty necessary?”
“Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise.” Rishe’s attention moved to Mary, making the girl’s slender shoulders jump. She had no reason to worry; Rishe didn’t bite. “I’ve been wanting the opportunity to speak to you, Lady Mary. You’re strong. I admire you very much.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re a lovely girl who never fails to smile despite your troubles. You don’t put up walls around your heart, and you do your utmost to put others at ease. Even now, you bravely stand before me to protect the prince.”
Mary’s eyes were wide with confusion. Rishe picked her words carefully, attempting to diminish the girl’s guilty feelings, if only a little. “You need to marry the prince for your family’s sake, right?”
“How do you—?” |
She went on, “Remember this: you are the one in control of your life. Don’t sell it to anyone else. Can you trust a man who so easily discards the woman he’s been engaged to since childhood? Do you truly believe he cares for you?” |
“You must shape your future with your own hands—you mustn’t entrust your desires to others.”
“My…my desires? |
Mary was looking at her like she was speaking a foreign language. “But I’m their elder sister.” Her voice quivered. “I must endure, no matter what. Otherwise, my brothers will never be happy.”
“And you believe their happiness can only be achieved by sacrificing your own?” |
“You don’t need to throw away your own future to protect those you love,” Rishe told her. “No matter what path you choose, never forget that.”
“My future?” Mary’s voice went ragged, like she was barely suppressing a wail of pain.
“I wish you a life where both you and your family can be happy,” said Rishe. |
“Well.” Rishe suddenly broke into a smile, making Dietrich flinch. “I think it’s time for me to be on my way.” |
“Wait, Lady Rishe!” Mary’s voice rang out.
“That’s right. You’re not going anywhere, Rishe!” The prince joined her. “You won’t get away with treating me like trash to relieve your own injured heart.”
“Ugh, enough already!” Rishe’s patience was fraying. “I don’t have anything else to say to you. Goodbye!”
“Knights, stop her!” |
“My apologies, Lady Rishe. If you could please remain for just a—whoa!” |
“Well, what do you know.” The man smiling so sweetly while their swords locked was the very man who had ended her life. “You do have some skill.” |
“Who the hell are you?” demanded one of the knights.
“Stand down, good sirs,” Rishe said. “Your interference will only make this worse.” |
He regarded her unabashedly. “Rishe, was that your name? Where did you learn such swordsmanship?”
“I’m afraid I cannot say. Besides, you were clearly going easy on me.”
“Ha! You could tell?” |
“Excuse me, my lord!” Mary squeaked. “I-I-I don’t know who you are, but kindly step away from Lady Rishe!”
“Yes, do as she says! Who the hell are you, anyway?!” |
“That’s your ex-fiancé?” Arnold cocked a brow. “He’s even worse than I imagined. Pathetic.”
Dietrich flushed. “I’ll have your head!”
“Dietrich, I beg of you, contain yourself,” Rishe said, then rounded on Arnold. “As for you, Your Highness—you know who Dietrich is, and you know what speaking carelessly could mean. Are you trying to pick a fight?”
“Whatever do you mean?” Arnold’s brows lifted high, making him the picture of innocence. “Believe me, Lady Rishe, every word I speak is chosen with extreme care.”
Finally realizing who Arnold was, Dietrich visibly paled. “Arnold? He’s the crown prince of Galkhein?” |
“He’s the demon prince? The one who single-handedly destroyed a whole order of enemy knights?”
“Watch your tongue, fool! Do you want him to do the same to you?” |
Rishe heaved a frustrated sigh. “Prince Arnold, to what do we owe this honor? Surely a crown prince would not draw his sword for a mere jest.”
“I’m here on business,” Arnold said. “But first, I must beg forgiveness for my rudeness.” |
“Huh?” Is this actually happening? |
“What are you doing?” she hissed. “Get up!”
“I’m apologizing for my baseless impertinence. Also, I’m asking you…” He trailed off to take Rishe’s hand, tugging her forward so forcefully she staggered. He gazed up at her. |
“…to become my wife.”
She froze, unable to process the words. “What?” Rishe glanced around, desperately searching the faces of the crowd. They all seemed as stunned as she felt. She looked down at Arnold again. “Your wife?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You want me to become your wife?”
“Yes.” |
The onlookers were holding their breath as Rishe said flatly, “I reject your proposal.” |
“What’s the matter?” he asked. “You seem unhappy.”
“You could say that.” Even her voice was grumpy. Still, she couldn’t very well tell him it was because she bore a grudge from a previous life. After the first time her life rewound to that pivotal moment, she’d resolved to keep her loops a secret. “I had plans for my exile. A brand-new life. And now because of you, my parents are involved. Even the king has heard about it!”
After Rishe rejected Arnold, Dietrich had immediately cried out, “Th-the crown prince of Galkhein proposed to Rishe?!” |
When her parents came out, Rishe had protested, “I’m not going to marry him! I’m leaving the country just as Dietrich commanded.” |
He grabbed hold of his son’s collar, pushing him into a low bow. He then turned to Prince Arnold and said, rather loudly, “Your Highness! Allow me to apologize for my son’s foolishness! You are an esteemed guest all the way from Galkhein! It is unthinkable he would not offer you the courtesy you are due!”
“You’re hurting me, Father! My back!”
The king then turned to Rishe. “My lady, allow me to sincerely apologize as both a king and a father. My son’s behavior toward you has been utterly disgraceful. I beg you to please give Prince Arnold’s proposal due consideration. Not only for your own sake but for the sake of your country.” |
Arnold, who had been watching the proceedings with a detached amusement, sobered and stepped toward the king. “Your Majesty, please rise.” |
“Such a trifle won’t cause discord between our kingdoms,” he went on. “However, I would beg a little time to speak with Lady Rishe.”
Later, Rishe would learn that Arnold’s attendant had spoken to the king’s own gentleman, certain that his words would reach their target. “My master took such trouble to attend these festivities, and this is the welcome he is offered? I wonder, what will the emperor think when he learns of his son’s slighting at your nation’s hands?”
“If you would, Lady Rishe?” The plump king looked to be on the verge of tears. |
As her mind whirled, Arnold leaned in to whisper, “If you refuse to hear my suit, you won’t deter me. I’ll simply move on to Plan B.”
And that was how she found herself in one of the palace’s parlors, here to “just talk” to Prince Arnold. The ball guests were all gone. It was just the two of them.
“I want to know what you’re planning,” Rishe said flatly.
“Planning? Me?”
“By asking me to marry you. You don’t know me. A proposal like this wouldn’t come out of the blue.” |
Prince Arnold just smiled. “I have no plans. I’m simply enamored with you.”
“Enamored…?” |
“Why refuse me?” Arnold asked. “Your engagement is broken, you’re on the verge of exile, and you have no faction or supporters. At this rate, you’ll be dead within a fortnight. I’d call my offer a stroke of unbelievable fortune.”
“You’re not wrong,” Rishe admitted. “Once upon a time, I would have jumped at your offer.” |
Rishe let out a breath. “You claim you are enamored with me.”
“Yes. I am completely under your spell.” |
“Then will you grant me anything I desire?”
“So long as it is within my power,” Arnold said. “Anything you want will be yours.”
Rishe hesitated, gathering her thoughts. “I have some conditions.” Arnold silently motioned for her to go on. “I want full control over the wedding festivities. Everything must be procured through merchants of my choosing.”
“Fine.” Arnold nodded. “You’re free to do business with whomever you wish.”
“After we are married, I must be in a position to mingle with guests from abroad.”
“That sounds within the purview of the crown princess. Anything else?”
“I will be allowed to live in a separate residence from your mother and father.”
She meant this seriously, but it made Arnold laugh. “You don’t seem the type to worry about an overbearing mother-in-law.”
“You would be surprised. Combative relationships with one’s new family are the most difficult part of marriage, or so they say. It could be a ramshackle cottage for all I care—I just require a secondary residence.” |
“Anything else?” Arnold asked. “I’ll do whatever it takes to marry you.”
“Ideally, I’d like to know your endgame,” Rishe said with dignity. “But as I doubt there’s any chance of that, I have one final request.” She jabbed a finger into his face, regardless of how rude it was. “I will spend my time idling around the castle. No work, no study. I shall be utterly useless.” |
“YOU KNOW, it was only after I went into commerce that I truly had a dream for the future,” Rishe had once confided in a friend. “Up until then, I existed only as the crown prince’s fiancée or my father’s daughter. My every act was to become more worthy of that status. But now, for the first time, I actually have a goal of my own.”
“Oh, yeah?” her friend said. He was the ruler of the desert kingdom, and his smile was awfully charming. “What’s that?”
Rishe smiled back. “I want to travel to every single country in the world. I want to see everything in every town, peruse their markets, and meet the eyes of every person who lives there!” |
Inside the coach, her old enemy sat across from her, one hand outstretched. “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded. |
Arnold appeared unperturbed by her glare. “Don’t look at me like that. I was merely trying to recover what you took from me.” |
“Oh!” Rishe thrust the sword back at Arnold. “My apologies.”
Arnold chuckled. “You caught me off guard. You were nodding off, and then you suddenly snatched up my sword. You looked quite content snuggling up with it.” |
“I didn’t mean to disturb you, but I doubted sleeping with a weapon would be comfortable. I’m impressed you sensed my intent before I even touched you.” Arnold rested one elbow against the window frame, watching her with shameless fascination. “One only develops instincts like that from combat training. And you were also a member of the court? How in the world did you find the time?” |
“I assume there’s more to you than your devotion to the sword. You seem to like flowers.” |
“I didn’t pick these because they’re pretty.” Rishe brought the blooms to her face, spirits rising at their sweet scent. Spring wildflowers had a soft and gentle smell. Rishe looked out the window at the forest spreading toward Galkhein, thinking of the rare native flowers going into bloom. She wished she could pick those as well, but that would cause too much delay. She gazed on wistfully.
After watching her in silence for some time, Arnold said, “By the way, I sent one of my men ahead on a fast horse to deliver your order to the company you requested. They’ll be invited to Galkhein to discuss the wedding ceremony.”
“Thank you,” Rishe said. “I’m glad you kept your word.”
“The Aria Trading Company,” Arnold mused. “I’ve heard of them. They’re up-and-comers, aren’t they? Have you done business with them before?”
“No, but I heard from a friend that they hold a very high standard of quality.” |
Her fierce determination must have shown on her face because Arnold gave her a little bemused smile. “Yes?” |
“Sorry, I just—” |
“Stop! Hey, stop the coach!” |
“Who do you think you—graaargh!” |
“Hey!”
Arnold locked the door from the outside. “Stay hidden.” |
Roughly ten men—the bandits, she presumed—lay crumpled on the ground. In their midst stood Arnold, in the process of tripping another man into the dirt. He scowled, blade at the man’s throat. “Is that it, then?”
“Gwugh!”
Arnold kicked the bandit in the stomach, eyes blazing with cruelty. “That’s all the thrill you offer me after I went to the trouble of drawing my sword? Barely worth it. I’m bored already.” |
Arnold seemed to sense her gaze, turning around with a start. Genuine emotion bloomed on his face, worlds away from the blank mask he wore to face down the bandits. “How did you get out of the coach?”
Rishe shrugged. “If I tell you, you’ll be able to prevent me from doing it again.”
Arnold snickered. “You continue to amaze me.” |
Rishe fought down her disquiet as a man alighted from a coach and shouted, “Your Highness! Not again!” He was Oliver, one of the prince’s attendants. He had silver hair and was roughly as tall as Arnold.
“What do you think all these knights are for, decoration? Why do you insist on endangering yourself?” |
She feared the menace would return to Arnold’s expression, but he just looked annoyed. “I could tell they were prepared to kill. I’d prefer to take the burden on myself than risk multiple injuries so far afield. And we already have casualties.”
He was right. Several injured knights leaned listlessly among the trees. Arnold issued orders to those still able-bodied. “First squad, see to the wounded. Second squad, arrest these men.”
“Yes, sir!”
Oliver appeared unsatisfied. “Your Highness, that is a weak justification. I’m overjoyed you’re well, but you must consider Lady Rishe. Perhaps next time we run into a team of murderous brigands, you could allow your consort to remain in the coach.”
“I told her to remain in the coach!” |
“Excuse me, can I take a look?” Rishe approached the knight acting as a medic. He looked round, startled by her presence.
“Nonsense, my lady. Don’t trouble yourself, you must have had quite a scare.” |
Beside them, an injured knight groaned as another helped him up. “What’s wrong with you?” the second knight asked the first.
“I-I feel…numb.”
“What? Damn.” The knight grabbed up one of the fallen bandit’s swords, going pale as he inspected the blade. “Your Highness, look at this. Poison.”
Arnold clicked his tongue. “Locate every laceration and bind them close to the heart. Suck the poison from the wounds.” |
Oliver took a step after her. “Your Highness, Lady Rishe is—”
“Leave her. She may do as she pleases.”
“She’s well trained,” Oliver mused. “But a battlefield is no place for a young lady. She probably wasn’t prepared for such a dreadful spectacle.” |
“The poison must be a sleeping drug,” she overheard Arnold saying. “Hunters use such drugs to weaken larger prey. I doubt this dose is lethal.”
“But it certainly is annoying,” replied Oliver. “We’re still two days out from Galkhein. Lugging a company of sleeping men in armor won’t be pleasant.”
“We’ll have to stop somewhere nearby. A hunter’s settlement. Perhaps they will have an antidote—”
“Excuse me.” Rishe, who’d returned from the carriage, raised a hand. “I have an antidote.”
“What?” |
“A lethal dose for a grown man would fill a wine glass. They likely got less than a hundredth of that,” Rishe explained to Arnold, not looking up from her work. “Still, the numbness can block their airways with the roots of their tongues. It’s best to lay them on their sides.”
“Yes, I understand the theory and the solution.” Arnold gazed down at Rishe’s hands. “The part I’m struggling with is why you’re the one telling me this.”
“Well, I know how to make the antidote,” Rishe said patiently as she muddled the herbs together in the white soup bowl she’d borrowed for her flowers. She crushed them with the back of a spoon before adding another dried flower, crushing that as well, and combining them to form a paste. This process would be easier with a pestle, but she wasn’t about to complain. “This poison is common—it’s cheap and easy to make, which often means the antidote is simple as well.” |
Rishe stood up, brandishing the bowl of bright green medicine. “Boiling would make the antidote more potent, but this works in a pinch.” |
She needed to dispel their doubts. Rolling up her sleeve, Rishe approached Arnold and drew his sword from its scabbard. “I need to borrow this for a moment, Your Highness.”
“What are you—” |
Arnold did not share her nonchalance. “What do you think you’re doing?!” |
“Don’t worry. This isn’t poison,” Rishe said. She demonstrated as much by drizzling it with a spoon over her own fresh wound. It stung. That meant the ingredients were working.
“This is crushed liquori grass, luqua flowers, and carilya nuts. I’ll swallow some if that’s what it takes to prove it’s safe.” It was horribly bitter; she hoped it wouldn’t come to that. “The paralysis will last for days. Please make up your mind quickly.”
“Make up our mind?”
“Will you allow me to cure the poison? Or would you rather drag paralyzed soldiers all the way to Galkhein? I suppose you could waste His Highness’s time searching for a hunter’s settlement to use their antidote.” She smiled serenely. “It makes no difference to us. Right, Your Highness?” |
“I see your interest in flowers is mercenary, rather than ornamental,” he said, surveying the heaps of herbs gathered on the bank of the pond. He sat down beside her. |
Their eyes met. “Am I bothering you?” he asked.
Rishe shook her head slowly. “Not at all. I was just curious what caught your eye.”
“Nothing specific. I was just thinking how very unusual you are.” He was smiling again. “I’m looking forward to how you’ll surprise me next.” |
“I didn’t make that antidote for your amusement.”
“I realize that.” The instigating smile faded from his lips. “You know, those knights you coerced into taking your home-brewed medicine were all born in the slums.”
“Coerced? That’s hardly the word I’d use.”
“Galkhein claims to value merit above all else, but in the end, people are judged by where they came from. Despite this, those men fought their way up from nothing.” |
“The men with the worst cases of the paralysis were all newly assigned. They’ve spent weeks training to ensure this mission was a success. That older knight—the one who bowed to you—sustained an injury protecting the rookies. He cares deeply about his men.”
“You seem to care about them too,” Rishe commented.
“I handpicked them for my retinue.” Arnold clambered to his feet, only to fall into a bow. “And you kept them safe. You have my deepest gratitude.” |
“Don’t mention it,” Rishe said, uncomfortable. “I knew how to do it, so I did.”
Arnold laughed softly. “Be that as it may, I’d still count a noblewoman who can brew remedies from wildflowers by the side of the road a rare find.”
“Earlier, when you grabbed my wrist…” Rishe steered the subject away from her incongruous knowledge. “You broke your promise. You said you wouldn’t touch me.”
“That was reflex,” Arnold protested. “I thought you were going to hurt yourself.” |
“Why are your knights so wary around me?” she asked.
“Wary? Oh, they were all at the palace when you broke your first engagement. They’re most likely concerned I’m bringing home a villainous jilt who will lead to my ruin. Something silly like that.”
“I see.” Apparently, being dumped by a prince called into question one’s herbalist abilities.
“I’m glad you mentioned it,” Arnold went on, “because there may be people in Galkhein who will oppose our union. I will do everything in my power to protect you, but you must bring any insults or threats to me right away.”
“Are there likely to be many?”
“In theory, the crown prince may choose his own wife, but the done thing is, of course, to marry a princess. I assume a duke’s daughter would have at least some ties to the royal family?” |
“My father has ordered me to choose a bride from a different kingdom rather than a woman of my own land because—”
“One never knows when a hostage will come in handy,” Rishe finished for him. |
“I sent a message to my father telling him I happened upon a close relation of Hermity’s king—a duke’s daughter who had been recently tossed aside by her fiancée,” Arnold said. “I also may have implied I was the reason for your falling out—yours and the prince’s. Why, when I saw a woman so powerful and connected and beloved, I couldn’t help but plunder you.”
“Plunder me? That’s certainly one way to describe it.” Dietrich had kicked up an almighty fuss, despite being the one who broke the engagement.
“My father approves of you because he sees you as a bargaining chip. There will be others who aren’t prepared to accept you so willingly.”
“Is that so?” Rishe said steadily.
“Never fear,” Arnold responded. “They’ll eat their words, every one of them. They will receive you as their crown princess if they value their—”
“No, being a hostage is perfect.”
Arnold stared at her. “Hm?”
“As a hostage, I’ll have no official duties, will I? We can pretend I’m here only under great duress, and there will be no need for my comment on governmental or diplomatic affairs.”
Arnold hesitated. “I suppose not.”
“Excellent! Then I can live my dream of being utterly useless.” Rishe trembled with delight. The thought of acting as an ambassador had really been weighing on her mind. Being a princess was nonstop work. Having been groomed for the position from an early age, Rishe knew members of the royal family barely even had time to sleep. |
“This is such a weight off my mind,” Rishe admitted. “Thank you so much for keeping your promise, Your Highness.”
“Er, of course.”
“But don’t worry, I won’t shirk my duties as wedding planner.” Nearly ready to collapse with relief, Rishe returned to her herbs. |
“Oh my,” Rishe murmured as they passed through the gates. |
“The capital is the seat of power in Galkhein,” Arnold explained. “Several key trade routes converge here.” |
“Our long journey is at last at its end, Your Highness, Lady Rishe.” Oliver emerged from the ranks of the knights, bowing. He shot Arnold a curious glance. “How novel to see you taking the hand of your fiancée.” |
“Is something the matter?” Rishe asked.
“I sent orders ahead to have a detached wing of the palace prepared for us, but it seems the preparations are behind schedule. I’m sorry, but you’ll need to stay in a guest room in the main palace for a few days.”
“Oh, I don’t mind if the wing isn’t ready,” Rishe said. “We can head over there now.”
“It hasn’t been used in quite a while. It’ll be covered in dust.”
“I said that I didn’t mind if it was a mess, remember? But there’s no need for you to put yourself out. By all means, stay in the main palace for as long as you need.” Rishe had spent a life as a maid—dust didn’t scare her. “Besides, I’m a hostage, after all.”
“You could at least attempt to sound distressed,” Arnold said with the slightest trace of petulance. |
“You can do whatever you want with this place. I’ll be occupied over the next few days, but feel free to use the guest apartments in the main palace if you get tired of choking to death,” Arnold said before he left. |
“L-Lady Rishe, why are you going down here?”
“Cleaning supplies are usually kept in the basement. See?” |
“Lady Rishe, is there anything we can do to help?
Rishe was grateful for the knight’s offer, but she shook her head. “Your job is to guard me, not do my housekeeping.”
“This is quite the place to clean on your own, detached though it may be,” the knight said hesitantly. “It’s not too late to move into the guest chambers instead.”
“That’s all right. I like the place already.” |
“Besides, take a look.” She held out her arms wide, gesturing to her sparkling clean floor. The knights stared at the bright room in admiration. “Cleaning a place with your own hands makes living there that much more satisfying, you see.” |
“Aww, look at the new girl, trying so hard,” said one voice.
“All the enthusiasm in the world won’t make a difference,” said another. “We’re going to be the crown princess’s maids, not you.”
The first added, “Hey, are you even listening? Stop wasting your time!” |
End of preview. Expand
in Data Studio
No dataset card yet
- Downloads last month
- 9