The Princess Away from Home
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
After a brief moment of astonishment, the two beauties quickly regained their composure.
The blonde girl tilted her head back, "Hmph, the northwest bay is the northwest bay. As long as they can't find it, that's fine."
Her demeanor, her tone... how should I put it? Paul suddenly felt a familiar sensation. After pondering for a while, he suddenly realized—tsundere. Isn't this tsundere? He used to think it only existed in anime before crossing over, but unexpectedly encountlered it in reality now, which oddly excited him a bit.
"Where are you two from?" he inquired again, his tone extremely polite. Because of the decorations on the clothing under the cloak of the blonde girl, one glance was enough to tell that these weren't things an ordinary person could wear, not even something an ordinary noble could afford.
At least in Paul's memory, he hadn't seen nobles from the northwest wearing such things. But to say he had no impression at all was not entirely true. Oh! Right, he vaguely remembered seeing similar decorations in a portrait he had seen as a child, a portrait depicting a figure of importance in another Country. This little girl's identity wasn't simple.
Dealing with these two... it's better to be polite.
"We come from the Gabella Empire. My name is Betty D'Arshi, and I am a wandering scholar. This is my guardian, Mary."
"A scholar again? Another scholar?" Paul muttered sarcastically. Are there scholars dressed like this? It's too suspicious. Miss Ladia's dress was more normal, wasn't it?
But he didn't intend to meddle more. Whether the other party was a noble girl who ran away from home or an exile from a foreign royal family, their comings and goings were their own business. If family members or enemies came looking for them, they could handle it themselves.
As long as they didn't break the law, he wouldn't interfere. But if something serious like kidnapping or murder occurred on his land, he would definitely take action—provided the other party wasn't bigger than him.
Speaking of which, should a public safety department be established to manage security matters in his territory?
"These few are?" Just as Paul was lost in thought, the blonde girl spoke up.
"Oh, sorry. The ones on horseback are my subordinates, and the others are from the Lichman Adventurers from the south. By the way, it was Miss Ladia with green hair who shot and killed the black-spotted tiger with an arrow. She's also a scholar like you."
Paul felt a pang of guilt for forgetting to introduce the person who had made the greatest contribution.
The two beauties bowed to the scholar, perfect in their etiquette, further confirming to Paul that they were indeed from noble families.
The scholar returned the gesture, briefly pausing her gaze on the blonde girl who claimed to be a scholar.
The tall beauty asked, "Do you know of any nearby place we could stay?"
Paul raised his whip and pointed in the direction of Alden Town, "Head east for another half day's journey, and you'll reach Alden Town. It's where my mansion is located. If you don't mind, you can travel with us."
"In that case, Earl, we'll trouble you."
...
Back at the resting place, Quill, who had been waiting there, widened his eyes: Did this guy bring back two beauties with him after a trip? Could it be a cliché hero-rescues-damsel scenario?
Paul had the two beauties and the members of the Lichman Adventurers ride together in a carriage, ordering the entire army to assemble and continue towards Alden Town without much conversation along the way.
...
As evening approached, the procession reached Alden Town. The soldiers were disbanded and given two hours of free time to rest in their barracks. Quill Foster and the adventurers were accommodated by Paul in the lord's castle. The two girls who had joined them halfway asked Paul about the location of the inn, bid farewell, and went there to stay.
"Really, couldn't they just stay in my castle? It would be much safer," Paul shook his head with a hint of regret.
Entering through the gates of the lord's mansion, Paul was greeted by the steward Philip and the chamberlain Ford.
"I've missed you two during this time. We've won a great victory," Paul enthusiastically addressed them.
The two quickly complimented, "Congratulations, my lord," "My lord's military skills are godlike."
"Has everything been normal in Alden Town while I was away?" Paul inquired.
Chamberlain Ford replied, "Everything has been normal, my lord. However, the royal commissioner who left some time ago has returned?"
"The royal commissioner?" Paul was puzzled, then realized, "Oh! You mean Baron Hansel Abbott. I thought he was scared off to the capital by pirates. Hahaha! What does he want this time?"
"Baron Abbott serves as a permanent representative of the royal court here. His return seems to be for an important consultation with you."
"Thinking about his last appearance still makes me angry. Well, I'll overlook past grievances. We'll meet him tomorrow," Paul sighed.
The chamberlain briefed Paul on the sales of new types of paper and the expansion of paper mills, all of which were promising. Even in the culturally and educationally backward northwest region, such sales were remarkable. If they could be transported to wealthier areas, it would be even better.
Afterwards, they discussed matters related to Port Frand, including public trials, establishing a navy, building ocean-sailing ships, and opening up trade routes. They also mentioned rescuing Lord Foster Quill from the hands of pirates.
The chamberlain's eyes lit up, strongly recommending that Paul develop a good relationship with young Master Foster. If they could connect with the Foster family, Alden's territory could sell goods to the commercially developed south.
"In that case, tonight let's invite young Master Foster to dinner and have Chamberlain Ford stay as well, to enhance the friendship between our two families," Paul decided.
...
In a deluxe room at the only inn in Alden Town, the two princesses saved by Ladia were staying.
"Your Highness, shall we set off eastward tomorrow?"
"Why don't we stay here for a while first? What do you think, Lydia?"
That's right, these two were Princess Eileen, the second princess of the Aldor Kingdom, and her lady-in-waiting Lydia, who had run away from the capital.
Upon learning that her father intended to marry her off to Duke Vibern in the east, Princess Eileen took decisive action, bringing her loyal lady-in-waiting along on their escape from home.
Originally planning to detour through the northeast region to seek refuge with her mother's family in the Gabella Empire, their lack of navigation skills somehow led them to the northwest bay.
Fortunately, before leaving, the princess had taken her private funds and jewelry, ensuring they lacked neither clothing nor food along the way. Their noble attire and Lydia's swordsmanship deterred many ill-intentioned individuals.
Despite this, for Princess Eileen, who had grown up in the confines of the palace with all its luxuries, this journey of over half a month had tested her endurance to its limit.
This morning, suspecting they were being followed, they had ridden wildly into the forest. When they dismounted to rest, they unfortunately encountered a black-spotted tiger. Their mounts fled, leaving them to face the beast alone until Paul and his group happened to rescue them.
Although her upbringing in the palace environment enabled the young princess to maintain a minimum of composure, her exhausted heart was finally on the verge of breaking down.
This tiger encounter had left a significant psychological shadow. If not for their rescue, she and Lydia might well have become the beast's prey.
Continuing on this journey, who knew how many dangers still lay ahead? Yet returning to the capital and submitting to her father's arrangement was something Princess Eileen absolutely refused to consider.
"Let's stay in Alden Town for now. The lord here doesn't seem like a bad person, and it's remote with limited information flow. As long as we keep a low profile, those people from the capital will probably have a hard time finding us here," Lydia suggested after a moment of thought.
"Alright! Thank you for everything, Lydia."
In truth, another reason the princess decided to temporarily stay in Alden Town was their lack of directional sense. Continuing onward might take them ages to reach the Gabella Empire...
(End of Chapter)