Vol. 1 Chapter 2 - The Princess
This kingdom is visibly declining.
Even as a young princess who hasn’t reached adulthood, I’m being sent out for diplomatic missions due to the lack of manpower.
For several years now, there have been poor harvests, and on top of that, the highly capable former prime minister passed away due to illness. Furthermore, this winter, even my mother, the queen, succumbed to the same illness.
When the former prime minister began to show symptoms, it was thought to be a minor ailment and wasn’t treated as a serious issue. He was even working during the initial stages. However, when my mother showed the same symptoms, the royal palace was thrown into chaos due to the only precedent being a death.
As soon as winter ended and the Garm season turned, my older brother, the crown prince, and I, the first princess, were dispatched as envoys to request aid from neighboring countries for food supplies and my mother’s treatment. My brother was sent to the southern neighboring country, and I to the western one.
The siblings have another older brother, the second prince, who remains at the eastern border. The country to the east was at war with us until a few years ago, and even though we are in a ceasefire now, vigilance is still necessary.
The Energia Kingdom to the west, where I was sent, is renowned as a magic powerhouse, boasting highly skilled magicians. I had hoped that the queen’s ailment could be cured by that person, but negotiations never even got off the ground. We were denied a diagnosis, and our request for food supplies was ignored entirely.
When a country begins to falter, a series of unfortunate events seems to follow suit. During the return journey while still feeling disheartened, I was attacked by bandits.
“Team 1, guard the right! Team 2, the left! Team 3, protect the carriage! Injured members, join Team 3 if you can move!”
“Damn it! Who are these guys? They’re unexpectedly skilled!”
The shouts of the escort knights could be heard. Initially, the bandits seemed like no significant issue, but not only were their numbers substantial, but their skills were also considerable. The knights were being wounded, and I was terrified by the fact that we were being pushed back.
“Your Highness, please don’t worry.”
The lady-in-waiting who had initially said that was now pale.
In the past, it was inconceivable for royals with escorts to be attacked by bandits. Although we had heard that banditry had increased due to the annual poor harvests, we never expected it to escalate to this extent. I closed my eyes and considered that I might need to brace myself for the worst.
However, that sense of despair was abruptly dispelled by a gentle light. It seemed like nobody comprehended what was happening at that moment. Both the escort and the bandits were stunned, and within the carriage, the lady-in-waiting and I were left dumbfounded.
“The wounds… they’re healing…?”
A fallen escort rose, and upon witnessing it, the head of the escort issued immediate orders.
“Teams 1 and 2, fall back! Team 3, hold your ground! Crush them all at once!”
Then, that gentle light descended once more, and what followed was overwhelming. In an instant, we had cornered and subdued the opponents who had previously put up such a struggle.
“Heh, heh, heh, whew, whew… Your Highness, you’re safe now.”
The lady-in-waiting, who had been pale, seemed to have regained her composure.
“Yes, thank you. I’ll step out for a moment.”
“No, you mustn’t! It’s dangerous!”
Ignoring the lady-in-waiting’s immediate objection, I stepped outside the carriage. The head of the escort hurriedly approached me.
“Your Highness Tilles! Are you alright!?”
“Yes, thank you for your assistance.”
“No! Your kind words are unnecessary!”
A large man seemed quite pleased to be dealing with someone as young as me. I appreciated his sentiment.
“Now, about that light that descended during the attack… do you know what it was?”
As I posed the question, I shifted my gaze toward the forest. There was light. I couldn’t discern when it began emitting light, but by the time I noticed, it was already glowing during the attack. The head of the escort also directed his gaze in that direction.
That… could it be a spirit? No, perhaps a fairy?
It appeared just like the fairies from the old storybooks. A beautifully adorned girl, no bigger than the palm of a hand, floated while emitting particles of light and adorned with wings. She had pretty green hair and was clad in a tiny peach-colored dress.
Usually, when describing a woman’s appearance, hair length isn’t the focus of discussion. This is because women, from royalty to commoners, all keep their hair long. Yet, that fairy’s hair only extended to about her shoulders. Perhaps it would be obstructed by her wings.
She seemed to think she was hiding, but the moment our eyes met, she appeared profoundly startled. Despite her intentions, it was virtually impossible to conceal herself while radiating particles of light like that.
“Waah…!”
Both the head of the escort and the lady-in-waiting displayed expressions of astonishment. The surrounding escort knights began to take notice as well, and it seemed everyone was taken aback. Understandably so. After all, fairies, beings one only encounters in fairy tales or mythologies from religious texts, were physically present before our eyes.
“This… what should we do?”
I inadvertently murmured.
“Well, there’s likely nothing we can do.”
Though not exactly a question, the head of the escort responded earnestly.
“I agree… I doubt we can capture her.”
Under normal circumstances, capturing might have been an option, but in a forest teeming with bandits and monsters, chasing a fairy around was probably not feasible. Moreover, the more pressing concern was returning to the capital as soon as possible.
“We should leave it be and continue our journey.”
“Yes! Hey, all of you! Let’s depart! Regroup and rest only after we’ve exited the forest!”
I returned to the carriage, and soon after, the procession set off. And then, I noticed that particles of light were descending from the carriage’s ceiling.
