Chapter 3: "Escape from All Duties"

"Why are we dressed in this attire?" Evelina asked.

"Don't ask, it's better to prepare paper, pen, and ink," Eleanor replied, and approached the wall with swords.

On the wall hung dozens of swords of various kinds: large and small, long and short. Swordsmanship was Eleanor's second favorite activity after reading books. Any free time not spent reading, she devoted to fencing.

Engaging in swordsmanship with different swords, Eleanor also developed a hobby of collecting swords. And over time, she assembled this wall of swords. Eleanor was capable of using most of the swords on this wall.

Eleanor quickly surveyed the swords and stopped her gaze on a lightweight sword of medium length. She took the sword, lifted her cloak, and attached the sword to her belt on the left side. When she released the cloak, the sword disappeared from view.

Eleanor approached the writing desk, dipped the pen into the inkwell, and without much thought, began writing a letter.

"My dear parents, I apologize from the bottom of my heart, but the life of the kingdom's ruler is not for me. You may not look for me, by the time you read this letter, I will no longer be in the kingdom."

"You can announce to the kingdom that Princess Eleanor has died or been abducted. I leave the position of heir to the throne to my dear younger brother. In childhood, he loved to play king and always dreamed of the throne. He is better suited for the position of monarch."

When Evelina saw the letter Eleanor had written on the paper, her eyes widened, but the surprise quickly passed. The princess truly was not fit for the role of ruler. She either buried herself in books or waved a sword, showing no interest in the duties of a princess.

Eleanor left the letter and approached the door of the room. She opened it and quietly peeked into the corridor to check if anyone was there.

"No one's here," she whispered.

Eleanor called Evelina, and they quietly exited the room. After walking a little down the corridor, they reached the staircase landing.

"Good thing I planned everything and moved into the room next to the staircase," thought Eleanor.

The princess and her servants quietly descended the stairs to the underground floor. In the underground floor, there was no long corridor, only a small square room.

On opposite sides of the room, iron doors were installed. On the wall between them hung a large painting of a man surrounded by azure winds.

"Eleanor looked at the painting of the man and spoke inwardly.

"No, founder, I'm not running away. I just realized that the crown isn't for me. And I'm not suited for the role of queen."

Eleanor lifted the painting from below. Behind it was a third iron door.

"I didn't think this painting would be so heavy," thought Eleanor, and then she turned to Eveline and said:

"Evelina, get the key from the inner pocket of my coat and open this door."

Evelina slipped her hands under Eleanor's coat and began to search for the key.

"Not there, what you're holding," Eleanor quietly exclaimed, "Look in the other pocket."

"Sorry," Evelina apologized and continued searching.

"Found it... no, it's a flint," Evelina was about to put the flint back.

"Just keep looking for the key and don't put it back, we'll need it soon," Eleanor said.

"You're really starting to get on my nerves, girl," Eleanor said as Evelyn grabbed her breast again.

"Found it," Evelina said and pulled out the key.

Without daring to look at the angry Eleanor, she inserted the key into the keyhole and opened the iron door. Behind the door was a dark corridor.

"Use the flint and light two torches," Eleanor said.

Evelina entered the dark corridor and, using the flint, lit two torches that hung on the wall of the corridor.

Thirty minutes later.

The forest at the edge of the capital city. Among the bushes, the grass on the ground suddenly began to rustle, and the earth rose. It was a hatch cover, covered with soil and overgrown with grass.

Eleanor and Evelina emerged from the underground tunnel one after the other. They closed the hatch cover and covered it again with grass and soil.

Eleanor stretched her arms, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

"The air of freedom is so refreshing," she said.

Eleanor felt how her spirit, soul, and vitality rose to a whole new level, and even breathing became easier. The status of a princess and that of a common girl differed in her heart like night and day. Now she was not just a common girl; she was completely free and could do whatever she pleased or simply do nothing.

"Your Highness, where shall we go now?" asked Evelina.

"Wait a second, let me enjoy the fresh air of freedom a little longer," said Eleanor, still with her eyes closed.

Thirty seconds later, Eleanor opened her eyes.

"The first rule from now on is not to call me Your Highness or Princess, because I'm no longer a princess," she said.

"Well, how should I address you then?" asked Evelina.

"Let me think. 'Miss' doesn't suit. It's too attention-grabbing. Then... Just call me Big Sister," she replied.

"Are you serious?!" exclaimed Evelina.

"Absolutely. We are sisters from now on. However, your duties remain. Well, now it's time for us to go," she concluded.

Eleanor turned and walked towards the nearest main road leading to the capital. After reaching the road, they turned towards the capital.

"Why are we heading back again?" asked Evelina.

"To fetch a carriage, of course. We won't get far on foot," Eleanor replied.

In a few minutes, they arrived at the city gates. Next to the city gates, at the edge of the road, several carriages with horses were parked.

Eleanor quickly inspected the carriages and, not noticing much difference between them, chose the nearest one. She took Evelina by the hand and approached the carriage.

On the coachman's seat slept a bearded man wearing a straw hat.

"Old man, wake up, clients have arrived," Eleanor shouted not loudly.

The coachman startled, opened his eyes, and glanced around. Seeing Eleanor and Evelina, he flashed a smile.

"What do the young ladies wish?" he asked.

"To take a ride in your carriage, of course," Eleanor replied.

"Where are we heading?" the coachman asked.

"Hmm..." Eleanor pondered.

Eleanor hadn't yet decided where they should go. Primarily, she wanted to restore her magical bloodline. She knew where to obtain the materials that could help restore her bloodline.

She had two options: either go to a large kingdom where magicians existed, or head to the sea.

"Hmm, the sea is closer, and I know the location of the ingredients I need. In the large kingdom, I'd have to search for items in the markets, and there's no guarantee I'll find the necessary ingredients there," she thought.

"Decision made, I'm heading to the sea. And there, I'll take a ship bound for the misty island."

"To the seaport," Eleanor said.

"Which one exactly?" the coachman inquired.

"To the nearest one," Eleanor replied. She knew that their kingdom had only three ports, and the nearest one was the largest.

"Eight silver coins," the coachman said.

Eleanor took out a pouch of silver, pulled out ten coins from it, and gave them to the coachman.

"For the extra, go into the town and buy food and water for the journey," Eleanor said.

"No problem," the coachman said and hurried into the town. He was happy that Eleanor agreed immediately. He thought she would haggle until the price was halved.

Evelina approached the carriage door, opened it, and stepped aside, waiting for Eleanor.

Eleanor entered the carriage, followed by Evelina.

Inside the carriage, there were two sofas, one at the front and one at the back. Eleanor lay down on one of them, stretching out comfortably. Evelina sat on the other sofa.

"Sis... Big sister,'" Evelina felt a bit awkward addressing the princess as her elder sister, but inside she was very happy.

"Why did we run away and so secretly?"

"Because I don't want to meet Winter, or whatever his name is."

"But it's just a meeting; you could have canceled it if you didn't want to meet."

"Let me explain what will happen in a couple of months?"

Evelina thought for a moment and replied, "Big sister will turn fifteen."

"And what does that age mean for girls in our kingdom?"

"According to customs, parents will start looking for suitors for their daughters, so they can get married at sixteen."

"So, even if I cancel this meeting, in two months, my parents will arrange another one with another son from a noble family. Of course, I will refuse. However, my parents will arrange another meeting. And so on until all the young lords in our kingdom are exhausted. However, this is only temporary, and at eighteen, I will still have to marry one of these young lords to strengthen or maintain the influence of the royal family."

"But that was a joke, the main reason why we ran away was to save the kingdom"

"Really?" Evelina asked.

"Yes, if we don't leave the kingdom, it will be in great danger," said Eleanor, her tone was filled with righteous solemnity.

"What danger?"

Eleanor pointed to herself with her finger.

"You know what titles people in the palace have bestowed upon me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Evelina, looking away in embarrassment.

The princess continued, "You're lying straight to my face. Fine, I'll say it myself: they call me the 'bookworm princess' and the 'sword-maniac princess.' Just imagine what good can come from a princess with such titles ascending the throne."

"The first title is harmless and could simply lead to disorder within the kingdom because I will shirk my duties after ascending the throne."

"The second title is more dangerous. I'll start by killing my husband once I ascend the throne, and then I'll begin waging war with neighboring countries over trivial matters."

"Understood," said Evelina, but inwardly she thought, "You could have just said that you didn't want to get married, or that you were too lazy to take on the responsibilities of a queen."

Evelina knew that Eleanor valued her freedom above all else. Once a princess, she could do as she pleased, but when the time for responsibilities arrived, she fled as quickly as she could.