Chapter 2 - PRINCESS MERIELDA

As Meriel continued to act like a fool, her father, the Emperor, called her into the palace hall.

“How long do you think I’m going to take care of you when you’re still acting like this?” the Emperor roared coldly to his daughter while sitting on his throne.

But as he thought that people might hear what he said, he returned to his senses and immediately calmed himself down. He threatened her in a low voice, “If you can’t straighten up yourself, I’ll marry you off with the Monster Grand Duke.”

However, the Emperor’s foolish slip of the tongue was a great inspiration for Meriel.

‘Marrying the Monster Grand Duke? Hmm… yeah. If I marry him, I’ll be free from this emperor’s grasp.’

It’s evident that life will be more difficult when she has reached adulthood.

In order to survive and have complete control of her life, she should find a way out.

For Meriel, who was agonizing over finding a way out, the Emperor’s marriage threat was like a drought shower and an oasis in the desert.

***

“Hua! Your Highness, the Princess, are you back to your senses?”

“Well, do you recognize me?”

When Meriel returned back to her palace, the maids exclaimed to her with anxiousness in their eyes.

Meriel knew very well why they were anxious.

Being the Princess’s maids was envied by all the maids in the whole empire. Even if they don’t work much, their salaries are still high, and no one will know even if they steal items from the Princess’s palace. It was an alluring job for the maids.

The maids who implored her had always been ignoring and insulting her behind her back, and many of the other maids had even seen them steal things openly.

And yet, Meriel laughed foolishly. With flowers in her head, she leaped around in lace-filled dresses and kept smiling foolishly at everyone.

“I know, Becky, and… is it Gienne?”

“Heeep!”

“Your Highness!”

They hurriedly bowed their heads and showed some respect. Looking at them, it was funny to see them bow down to her. Meriel wanted to get revenge on what happened before, but she still couldn’t take off the mask of a “foolish princess.” If that happens, her hard work and perseverance for a long time will be in vain.

“Let me give you some delicious candy.”

“Yes…?”

“I’m going far away, so you all should have one last gift. I’m going to marry the Monster Grand Duke.” she said proudly with a foolish smile.

They all breathed a sigh of relief and straightened their backs.

Then they left Meriel’s room, snickering to themselves while bringing some candy.

Becky and Gienne, the maids who appeared near Meriel’s room after a long time, came to the door. They giggled and whispered something.

“Are you sure we should take this much?”

“Pooh! We can’t even have a single knight, not even a single ant pup, let alone a royal carriage. Would you rather die out here? That money will lose its owner anyway. Actually, we could have it all!”

After their conspiracy, the maids entered Meriel’s room and handed her a small pouch of money.

“Princess, His Majesty ordered some knights to deliver you your travel expenses to Dustin Estate.”

“Wow! It’s Shiny!”

“This money is important, so you have to save it,” Becky said sternly as if she was concerned, though her hesitation was apparent.

Meriel smiled bashfully and nodded her head excitedly. However, as Becky said, the cost of going to the Dustin Estate was essential. But Meriel knew that the amount they gave to her was not enough to reach Dustin Estate.

‘Bitches.’

Meriel knew that they would intercept the travel expenses given by the Emperor. They were the ones who secretly stole money and valuables from her palace openly.

‘There is no way I can afford to pay my travel expenses with only this!’ 

“Becky, Gienne! Goodbye, then!”

Mariel, who only had a bare minimum of luggage, packed her bag and secured it. She then waved at them. Not long after, with a proposal in hand, she went to the Dustin Estate alone with no one attempting to stop her.

The Emperor was surprised to see that Meriel made an immediate decision, but he soon agreed on it and even paid the expenses a little while ago. She had no one holding her back and no one even volunteered to pack her bags or interfere with her as she leaves.

The troublesome Princess said she was going to leave her palace on her own.

‘There are those who are unhappy, those who will obviously lose their job, and they will have to watch their steps in the future.’

Meriel muttered scornfully while saying her goodbyes to the maids.

She felt scared and unsure because she might die on her way to Dustin Estate from unknown threats, especially hidden bandits or lurking creatures.

‘I guess I have to carry on with my plan. Dying like a dog outside is not going to be filthier than dying in the Imperial Palace.’

Meriel, the imperial princess, looked up at the tightly closed gate with cold eyes.

No one even saw her off until the end, and no one was worried. The palace stood cold, archaeological, and enormous—as if it had finally shed its great burden.

‘You could have, at least, put a knight with me, and then maybe I’ll make him die, but to think that knight’s life will be in vain with me. If I die, will you falsely announce that the knight, who was never officially there, died together to protect me?’

Meriel had no intention of going according to their wishes. She was no longer locked up in the imperial palace, and she, at least, had her own money, although there was little that she could do with the maids’ embezzlement. Meriel will survive once she reaches Dustin’s Estate safely.

‘This was the only conviction I could have. I have to get to the Dustin Estate somehow and safely! Klaus, he’s my only hope.’

Crown Prince Dustin of the East, who even the Emperor feared, belonged to the Empire—but was always an exception.

Everyone wondered why he, who had everything to declare himself an independent state and become a king, stayed in the Grand Duchy of the Empire.

For this reason, the Emperor was always afraid of him because he did not know when he would be greedy for anything. Because of that, the Emperor really treated him as a monster, and he said that he would marry him off as intimidation, and that’s why Meriel chose the Grand Duke. Because the person that the Emperor feared the most was the Monster Grand Duke.

Meriel left the palace in preparation for the marriage proposal. She was determined to do so, even if she lost her life in the process.

As long as she gets to the estate properly, she will no longer have to worry about her life being threatened.

She will no longer have to live as a foolish princess.

Meriel grabbed her luggage tightly and walked to the mercenary guild, for she could at least be safe against assassins and bandits and arrive at the Dustin Estate.

‘I need to hire someone to keep me safe.’

First of all, arriving safely was the biggest homework.

***

“Hmm… the Dustin Estate?”

“Yes.”

“Hehehe..”

The Mercenary Guild’s concierge, Gilbert, swept his eyes toward the woman in a knee-length robe. Flamboyant striped stockings and colorful boots caught his eye. The woman, carrying only a tiny bag, looked like a wandering clown.

“Mercenaries willing to go to the Dustin Estate are rare… do you have any money?”

“How much is it?”

“It’s very expensive…” Gilbert emphasized the word ‘expensive’ and opened his eyes to find out the woman’s reaction. But without a hint of surprise, the woman stood still without saying a word. Seeing that she didn’t flinch at the word ‘expensive’, he decided that she either had a considerable sum of money or was out of her mind.

She then throws a silver coin in his direction and then stares at him as if daring him.

“No way, and don’t give me that look. We’re not crazy enough to get you into the Dustin Estate.”

She’s a crazy woman. Gilbert quickly understood.

It’s a waste of time dealing with a crazy woman. He thought, putting the silver coin on the table as he tried to turn around and ignore it.

“I want to hire mercenaries to accompany me to the Dustin Estate.”

“Hmm… Why are you going there?” Gilbert glowered at her and asked the question while putting the silver coin into his pocket—as if he had never tried to ignore it.

“I said I wanted to hire mercenaries,” the woman said, raising another silver coin.

“If your next answer satisfies me, I’ll give you something shinier than this. But if you try to test me again, you’ll have to pay a bigger price.”

Gilbert stopped trying to reach for the silver coin. She was a merchant at best; otherwise, she was just a clown. However, the way she spoke and what she spewed out was not something that a clown could do.

Intuitively, Gilbert noticed that his opponent was not an ordinary person.

“… Wait.”

Gilbert gulped his saliva, and then, poof, he ran away.

Meriel, the woman in a robe, sighed as she looked to where Gilbert disappeared. Her hands were full of sweat.

She pretended to be confident and hid her nervousness, which seemed to be effective.

“Acting like a fool was so much easier,” she muttered.

Meriel straightened out her tense body and wiped her sweat off. She then put her hands on her robe.

As soon as she was about to rub it, she heard footsteps behind her.

“Madam, are you going to the Dustin Estate?”

“… ?”

Meriel turned to where the voice came from.

A well-built man, who might have been inside or outside the information booth, was strolling near her.

“You said you were looking for a mercenary, so why don’t you just join me to go back to Dustin Estate?”

“ … why would I join you?”

“I think you should know that… I am a mercenary. I can escort you to the Dustin Estate.”

The grin seemed faint, but his thin eyes were diligently staring at her. It was a look that asked for information. Mariel leans her head slightly at Kiyan. His pupils followed her actions.

“Oh, no, no… so unfamiliar,” she muttered to herself.

“Shall I escort you then? It’s a bit problematic. But why…”

She ignored his inquiry and just asked, “Do you truly offer to escort me to the Dustin Estate?”

“Do you trust me?”

“And what does this have to do with trust? As long as you can escort me to the Dustin Estate. That’s all I need to know. Can you really do it?”

Kiyan just stares at her, looking at the inquiring rabbit’s eyes, then he suddenly realized something while thinking about his reply.