Biggest loss

It was in the middle of the day but the sun was covered in black clouds. 

"Is your preparation over, princess Anastasia?" A voice which could be said to be pleasant in every sense of the word flowed out. 

A woman with violet hair and eyes looking to be in her mid 20s stood proudly. She wore a black gown with bright blue butterflies.

Her name was Anelete, the owner of the mendert merchant group.

"Yes." A cold voice with no emotions in it answered Anelete question.

A girl stood in front of Anelete who matched her beauty or even surpassed it in certain ways. The girl was 15 years old this year, she had wavy blonde hair tied back into a high ponytail reaching till her waist and blue glimmering eyes like jewels which shined brightly. She wore white gowns made of fine materials, paired with ornate accessories. 

Right now, both of them stood in front of a palace gate, a carriage stood behind Anelete with many demihumans guarding it. Serlece and Jerg were also present in the group protecting the carriage.

The most disgraceful moment for the royalty of the pheorous king was going to be carried out now. A princess was going to travel to the academic city using a merchant's carriage. 

Even knowing this fact, Anastasia's face did not change. It was emotionless the whole time, it was more like she had given up at something and was trying to just run away. 

Anastasia received the invitation from the academy for her talent in magic, she was currently a high rank made which was an unheard talent almost matching Zick's. 

This comparison was done by everyone not knowing Zick's battle strength. 

Anastasia wanted to get out of this palace, where she has been living for more than 2 years without being able to go out of it even for once. 

The king and nobles neither cared or heard her request, which led to Anastasia asking the most famous Mendert merchant group to be her escort. 

Anastasia had received a promise from the predecessor of the Merdert merchant group, who would be father of Anelete. He had promised her that he would help her once when she needed it. 

Anastasia received this promise at her 8th birthday, so she didn't know the value of it but now that she had matured and needed to somehow get to the academy, she was able to remember this promise and use it. 

Anelete had a calm smile on her face but internally she was anything but calm, she felt extremely helpless and dejected about the current situation but at the same time she felt resolution rising within her.

This was the biggest loss she ever experienced in her whole life, all the nobles and even the royalties pressured her to not escort princess Anastasia. They even made her influence drop to an all time low within the Pheorous kingdom. 

But still, Anelete decided to escort Anastasia, it was her father who made this promise so she will do it no matter the cost. 

Anelete loved and respected her father more than anyone. 

It was her father who taught her everything about how to be a merchant. Even the smallest thing about how to conduct Herself was told by her father. 

Anelete father did not just teach her about the ways of merchants but also loved her more than anyone. 

He took care of Anelete alone as her mother had passed by in an accident but he never let Anelete experience any loneliness her whole life. 

That was the kind of person Anelete's father was, he was the greatest merchant but at the same time he was also a great father. 

'I will honour his word even if it leads to my death.'

Even though Her father, jesterisk died, Anelete still put his words above her own life. 

This is also the reason she decided to stay in the academic city for a while. Pheorous kingdom was not an ideal place for her anymore, all her movement would be a lot restricted here now. 

So Anelete moved with all the assets she could gather along with the mercenary group and started moving towards the academic city albeit still a little unwillingly. 

"Let's go then, your highness."

Anelete still used honorifics when addressing Anastasia, though Anastasia may be considered as a thrown away child as the king put her in the Kelinwer palace.

But she was not disowned and still had the blood of the Royal Family flowing through her veins. 

The blue jewel-like eyes are proof of that, every heir of the pheorous Royal Family has those eyes. The blue jewel-like eyes have the ability to understand how magic works just by looking at it. 

This created a lot of tales about the Royal Family having the blood of a dragon but it was already proven wrong. 

The Royal family did not have the nature's characteristics in their mana at all. Those jewel-like eyes were just a unique ability belonging to that bloodline. 

"Yes." 

Anastasia started walking behind Anelete with still a cold expression on her face. Lifting her head up, she stared at the sky. 

The sky was covered in dark clouds, giving anyone a wrong impression that it was close to dusk when it was still daytime. The heart of winter had passed by but spring was still a long way off.

Anyone would feel gloomy looking at the sky, but Anastasia felt a sense of liberation looking at it. A small smile formed on her face for the first time in a long while. Looking at the smile on her beautiful face, anyone would be dazed for a second. 

But the smile vanished as soon as it appeared, Anastasia's looked at Anelete who entered the carriage.

There was only one carriage here so it was apparent that they would be sharing the same carriage.

"Please enter." Anelete said with still a smile one her face.

Not saying anything, Anastasia lifted the hem of her gown exposing her slim legs in white stockings. 

Getting upon the carriage, Anastasia sat on the opposite side of Anelete.

CLICK~

"Get moving everyone."

With the sound of the carriage door closing, Jerg started instructing everyone.

Anastasia started looking out of the carriage's window, she felt bad about doing this to The mendert merchant group but she still selfishly chose to use them.

'....Even still, I want to leave this place....'

Even though she knew that this decision was extremely selfish, she still chose to use it. She had already made up her resolve of using anything she can to get out of this place.....no the kingdom.