Chapter 2: "Preparing for Escape"

Eleanor grabbed her head. She wanted to cry, but there were no tears. This situation was both funny and unfunny for her at the same time.

"It seems... I remembered. I was so busy that I agreed to all of this."

A moment later, Eleanor took a deep breath, and the grim expression disappeared from her face, replaced by a soft calm.

"What happened, happened. This day would have come sooner or later anyway. And I've been preparing for it for a long time," Eleanor thought.

"Eveline, go and fill the bathtub with hot water, and I'll be there in a minute," Eleanor said.

The small figure of Evelina quickly disappeared into the adjacent room.

Eleanor approached and stood in front of the large mirror on the wall of her room.

In the mirror, she saw a fourteen-year-old girl in a dark dress with pale, snow-like skin and long dark hair down to her waist. Disheveled hair and dark circles under her eyes couldn't hide or diminish her beauty. They just added a little bit of wildness to her beauty.

"The heir to the throne must establish a marital alliance with one of the main houses before turning eighteen. Although I am the heir to the throne, I cannot break this wretched rule established by the founder."

What irritated Eleanor the most was that she wouldn't break this rule, even if she could. After all, this rule had maintained peace and order in the kingdom for three generations.

"If there is no absolute power, one can only make small sacrifices," Eleanor thought, scrutinizing her reflection.

"I am indeed beautiful. It's a pity that this beauty is of no use. At least not for me."

"Okay, let's imagine that I agreed to this marriage. I married a son from a noble family and bore children with him. At twenty, I inherited the throne. At the same time, I would be taking care of the children and dealing with a mountain of documents. Twenty years later, I pass the throne to the eldest child and retire."

"What a predictable life. No, no, and no again, this life is not for me."

"Maybe if I were born the second child, I would be free? No, I would still be married off to some son from a noble family. The only difference from the first scenario is that I wouldn't be buried under a mountain of paperwork."

"Ah, the life of a daughter from a noble family is so dull and predictable. Fate is already determined at birth. No freedom."

Eleanor was a true lover of freedom. Many children from aristocratic families might say it would be better if they were born into a simple family, but when faced with a real choice, they will always choose to maintain their status. However, if Eleanor were given such a choice, she would choose to be a simple girl without any hesitation.

"Whatever happens, today the crown princess Eleanor Azurestorm will disappear from the kingdom," thought Eleanor, as she took the dagger hanging on the wall next to the mirror with her right hand, then gathered her hair with her left hand.

"I think shoulder-length will be enough," thought Eleanor, directing the dagger to her hair.

Eleanor mercilessly cut her beautiful hair, and her dark silky locks fell to the floor. The dagger also fell to the floor. Soon Eleanor's clothes began to fall off one by one. First, her dark dress fell, and then it was the turn of her underwear.

Soon Eleanor became completely naked, and her immature yet perfect and flawless body appeared, the beauty of which reached the level of disaster.

Eleanor turned and headed to the bathroom. In a moment, a scream from Evelina echoed from the bathroom.

Eleanor looked at Evelina and asked, "What happened? Please don't scream so suddenly."

"What did you do to your hair?" Evelina asked.

"I just trimmed it a bit. I heard short hair is in fashion now," Eleanor replied.

"And you call that 'trimmed a bit'? Anyway, that's not the point. Why didn't you ask for my help? You've cut it unevenly," Evelina complained. "Alright, take a bath, and I'll bring scissors to fix your mistake."

With these words, Evelina left the bathroom.

Eleanor approached the large wooden bathtub filled with water. She dipped her hand into the water to feel its temperature.

"Perfect," she thought as she jumped into the tub.

A minute later,

Eleanor lay on the edge of the wooden tub with her eyes closed and a relaxed expression on her face.

Evelina's small figure stood behind Eleanor, deeply focused on fixing her uneven haircut.

"The clothes and travel cloak are ready, the pouch of gold and the pouch of silver are ready, the duplicate key to the back door lock is also ready. I have everything to escape unnoticed," thought Eleanor, and she completely relaxed.

Suddenly Eleanor opened her eyes and frowned. An unexplained feeling of unease arose in her heart.

"Done, the misunderstanding has been corrected," came Evelina's joyful voice.

Hearing the voice of this little maid, Eleanor understood what had been bothering her. The source of her inexplicable unease was Evelina.

Half a year ago, Eleanor was walking in the black market of the capital in search of ways to become a magus. And there she noticed a girl standing in the corner, shouting that she was selling herself. Eleanor was stunned by what she saw. The girl was actually trying to sell herself as a slave. She approached the girl and asked her why she wanted to sell herself.

The girl said that her parents' business had gone bankrupt and that her younger siblings were starving. Unable to bear it, she decided to sell herself as a slave and bring some benefit to the family.

Eleanor felt sorry for the foolish girl. After all, aristocrats usually only buy adult slaves. Children, especially emaciated and weak ones, were considered inferior slaves, and usually no one bought them.

Eleanor offered to buy the girl, but with one condition. After that, she had to sever all ties with her family. Eleanor admired the courage and determination of the little girl, but she also felt deep disgust towards the girl's family for allowing her to sell herself. That's why she made this condition. The little girl agreed without any hesitation. Since then, Evelina became Eleanor's only personal maid, who usually followed her everywhere.

"Damn, if I leave this silly girl, there will only be three outcomes. And all of them, for some reason, end up abnormally."

"The first scenario: after my escape, she will be accused of neglecting her duty to watch over me, and she will be severely punished."

"The second scenario: she will be kicked out of the palace because I am no longer there, and she will be of no use to anyone. She will find herself on the streets again, starving. Her family has already left the capital, whereabouts unknown, so she has nowhere to go back to."

"The third scenario: somehow she will manage to stay in the palace and continue working as a maid. However, due to her considerable beauty, in a few years when she grows up, she will not only be a maid but will also become a plaything for some ministers or anyone with status."

Eleanor was a realist and not a naive girl. She knew that palace maids were not only involved in cooking, laundry, or cleaning. Palace maids were supposed to attend to all the needs of the upper-class people. Such was the fate of people without status.

Eleanor turned to Evelina, who stood behind her, and asked:

"Evelina, are you my maid or palace maid?"

Evelina was slightly embarrassed by this question. She was the maid of the princess, but at the same time, she lived in the palace and could be considered a palace maid. After a moment's thought, she replied:

"I am the maid of the princess and will always be."

Eleanor was pleased with her response and said, "Good answer. Now, take off your clothes and jump into the bath."

"Maidservants and masters cannot bathe together," Evelina said, her cheeks slightly reddening.

Evelina's blush amused Eleanor. She didn't think this bold but foolish girl would have such a side.

"This is an order, not a request," Eleanor said.

"Then this maidservant can only obey her highness's command," Evelina's lips curled, and she began to undress.

Twenty or thirty minutes later.

Evelina curiously examined the new clothes and shoes given to her by Eleanor. It was not maid's attire, but rather other clothing that was more comfortable and allowed for smooth and free movement. It consisted of mini shorts, stockings, a shirt, and leather boots.

Eleanor also dressed in the same attire. She was now rummaging through a large trunk.

"Found it," she exclaimed.

She pulled out two black cloaks from the trunk, one large and one small. Eleanor tossed the small cloak to Evelina and began to put on the large one. As she donned the cloak, Eleanor looked strangely at Evelina, who was also wearing a cloak.

"I can't believe I've been planning to run away since childhood. I really wanted to be free, or was I just preparing to escape from a possible betrothal meeting?"

The clothing Evelina wore wasn't specially purchased by Eleanor for her. It was her childhood clothing. Since the age of eight, she had bought special clothing almost every year.