Chapter 34. Words of encouragement from the Princess of the North

Preparations for leaving the Imperial City were in full swing. The Lord of the North and her consort intended to make their return journey this evening. Therefore, Remesis was also busy with preliminary preparations at the moment.

Since that chance encounter with the elder princess, the girl had often been immersed in herself, as if some deep thought had kept her busy. Because of this, Remesis could seem somewhat confused in the past few days. Hannes and the others had asked her what was troubling the princess, but she had not given them any answers.

Remesis's behaviour today was also somewhat different from her usual one. There was a fuss about her impending departure.

At this time, while the girl was in a slight reverie, a maid quietly approached her.

— Your highness, ' she called out to her uncertainly.

— Mm? What is it? — Remesis came to her senses and turned to the maid.

The maid hesitated, but continued to report in a polite tone:

— A letter was delivered to the palace this morning. We don't know who it's from, but after conferring amongst ourselves, we still decided to let you know about it.

'Hm?'

Remesis' face reflected a slight look of surprise. She also couldn't guess who in the Imperial City could have sent her a letter, and it even puzzled her.

— Well... — She hesitated and said, 'Let me see it.

The maid readily handed her the most ordinary envelope, which contained a short note. As soon as Remesis opened the envelope and read the contents of the message, she guessed who it was from, even though no addressee was indicated on the envelope. The identity of the writer of the letter also put her in a stupor.

For several seconds, the Princess of the North hesitated, trying to figure out what decision she should make. Until, in the end, she took a deep breath. Either way, Remesis still had nothing to lose by agreeing.

So after making her decision, Remesis turned to the maid once again:

— I'm going to go out for a while. Could you please make the necessary arrangements?

— Your highness, I beg your pardon...?

The maid looked visibly surprised. Considering that the princess of the north and her consort would be travelling very soon, would it be appropriate to go out at such a time? The expected doubts on this matter started in the maid's mind, but Remesis, as if reading her thoughts at that moment, reassured her:

— It will be all right. I'm really only going to be out for a little while.

— But... — she hesitated, 'Everything is almost ready for your departure. Shall I report your decision to the Lord of the North?

The girl shook her head with certainty.

— There is no need for that. Isn't the lord also busy with preparations right now? Why the need to distract her?

Since the voice of the princess of the north sounded confident, the maid had to accept it and accept the will of the lady.

— Yes, I understand, my lady.

The maid helped the princess to change her clothes before the walk, after which Remesis quietly left her palace and headed for the imperial garden almost unnoticed by the others. The rest of the maids were busy packing her luggage, so Remesis actually managed to do it almost unnoticed.

After waiting for a while, a girl appeared in the garden.

She was definitely less dressed up today than the last time Remesis had seen her, as if she deliberately didn't want to draw attention to herself. Given her personality, however, that did seem hard to achieve. The princess of the north saw that before entering the garden, this girl handed the patrolling servant a gold coin and said something quietly to him. Seeing such a precious person, the servant was startled and immediately left his post.

After that, she walked towards Remesis.

Her red hair just below her shoulder blades rippled slightly due to the wind. Her brown eyes, like ripe nuts, were large and innocent. Overall, despite being somewhat clumsy from the outside, but this girl gave off a pleasant impression. Her cheeks seemed slightly pinkish as she approached her.

— Thank you for coming today, Princess Rania.

Although it wasn't the first time they had met face to face, but now, with the fact that they were aware of each other's personalities, then this meeting was definitely different from the previous one.

— I greet the hereditary princess of this Empire.

Remesis bowed her head slightly in response.

After exchanging greetings with her, a short pause hung at that moment. Noticing Aveline Nevita Asheloth looking at her worriedly, Remesis smiled politely and decided to be the first to start the dialogue:

— Why did you wish to see me, your highness?

'Would you mind stepping out into the garden for a moment this afternoon? ' That's what was written in the short note for her.

Aveline immediately smiled modestly, clearly giving off her impatient anticipation.

— Oh! I apologise in advance if I've disturbed you with my request... — she mumbled guiltily.

— No, that's all right. I still had time.

From Remesis's point of view, it was just a manifestation of the excitement inherent in dealing with someone unfamiliar. But still, for the status of a Crown Princess, such a reaction could be considered excessive. A person of such high status shouldn't have been able to apologise to someone so easily without the need to do so. Especially when it came to someone who was an unspoken enemy of her family.

In a way, it betrayed the girl's incompetence regarding her awareness of her own position in society. Remesis, however, chose to remain silent about it.

— So why did you want to see me?

— Oh, that's right!

The girl fidgeted and subsequently pulled something out of her pocket. It was a familiar handkerchief. The princess of the north let out a short exclamation, 'Ah.' She had completely forgotten about it.

The handkerchief that Remesis had impulsively given to the stranger on the day they had first met in the imperial garden. Of course, she had not yet suspected her true identity at the time.

She had done it unintentionally. After that, in fact, Remesis never once brought up that minor incident. However, the princess didn't show it, but gently took the handkerchief and said:

— Thank you for returning it to me,'' Remesis thanked the Crown Princess with an impassive face.

She was the mistress of the northern principality, by far the most powerful residence of the Empire. Remesis had at least several hundred handkerchiefs. So losing one of them meant nothing to her. Nevertheless, such a gesture from the Crown Princess came as a slight surprise to her. Did she really do it out of sincerity?

— I heard that you were leaving today, ' the princess spoke hurriedly, 'So, I thought I wouldn't get another chance to return it to you...

As soon as Aveline said those words and kept silent, Remesis looked at her carefully for a moment. Since she had always been good at reading other people's minds, she was somewhat surprised to find that there was indeed no falsity in the Crown Princess's words.

— Yes, I understand, ' Remesis nodded her head, 'However, you didn't have to come all the way out here by yourself. You could have simply handed the handkerchief to a servant.

Although that seemed like the most logical solution, Aveline at that moment quickly raised her head and shook it.

— No, actually, I wanted to return it personally because I also wanted to see you...! — she stated.

Remesis was somewhat puzzled by this sudden statement.

— Hm? And why was that? — The princess of the north enquired with genuine interest.

— I... — the girl stammered, - I wanted to thank you for the words you said to me that day... I was really thinking about it.

Remesis' blue eyes widened slightly.

— Well, that's good, ' she hesitated, nodding satisfactorily.

— And I was wondering... — Aveline looked up at her excitedly again, - When you now know who I am, do you...? Still think that? You don't hate me?

Asking that question, she was obviously nervous. Remesis just stared directly at her.

— No, ' the girl finally uttered, 'Why would I hate the princess?

— But... — Aveline hesitated before finishing her speech, but she was obviously trying to say that there would be justifiable reasons for the princess of the north to deliberately dislike her.

After all, it had once been Aveline who had displaced her elder sister in the position of Crown Princess. Because of this, the eldest daughter of Emperor Asil had to undergo many hardships and misfortunes. It would be expected to feel hatred for such a thing. And Remesis, who was the princess's consort, should have undoubtedly shared her position. However... What Remesis uttered in the following moments completely dumbfounded Aveline.

The princess of the north calmly opened her mouth:

— Weren't such circumstances in the first place precisely because of the emperor's decision? You directly had nothing to do with it.

Aveline faintly shuddered. It was a reaction and words she had not expected.

But Remesis herself was well aware of the situation and saw no point in shifting the responsibility for what had happened to someone who was initially unable to influence her in any way. At the time, Aveline Nevita Ashelot was herself an unreasonable little child, and who had become heir to the throne only because of the will of the Emperor. So blaming a child uninvolved in adult affairs in such a situation would clearly be the last thing to do.

Having softened, Remesis also uttered:

— Therefore... You also shouldn't blame yourself.

The Crown Princess looked at her with wide-open eyes. Remesis belatedly became uncomfortable when she saw those eyes in which tears seemed like they were about to flow at any moment. Was what she said now really too much...?

The princess, who was swallowing all the countless words that came to her mind, could barely utter only one word.

— T-thank you...

It was sincere. Looking at her pure and innocent nature, Remesis wanted to say one last thing to this girl.

— If I may, I would like to give you one more instruction, Your Highness.

— Yes? ' interjected Aveline.

Although it was a bit rude to say something like that to the heir to the throne, but Remesis still opened her lips:

— In the future, you should try to become more confident. Although I also don't know what will happen in the future, but only that will help you make it all the way to the end.

The Crown Princess widened her eyes slightly. After pausing for a moment, she tried to pronounce as firmly as possible:

— Alright... I will really try to become more confident.

Remesis smiled slightly.

— Then I will have faith in you, your highness.

Aveline smiled brightly back at her.

After all, this secret meeting in the imperial garden had left extremely positive emotions in both of them. Remesis thought that this girl really deserved to wish her good luck. It was amazing that a person of such a character could survive in the imperial palace until now. Perhaps the life of the heir to the throne was also not as smooth as it seemed at first glance.

At any rate, this matter was over for today.

Parting ways with the Crown Princess, Remesis intended to return to her palace, thinking about the fact that she had been away a little longer than she had originally planned. No one had accidentally lost her in that time, had they? Feeling slightly uneasy about this, Remesis at this moment bumped into a man in her path.

— Wife, where have you been?

Asil suddenly appeared in her path when there wasn't much left to walk to the Sun Grotto Palace. Remesis hesitated.

— I was walking in the garden, ' she finally replied, 'Did something happen?

— Walking in the garden? At this hour?

— Erm... — the girl hesitated. Even though nothing provocative had actually happened during their meeting with the Crown Princess, Remesis still hesitated before deciding to tell her. She couldn't know in advance how the princess would react to her.

— Yes. We will be on the road for the next few days, so I wanted to get some fresh air before that.

— Ah, that's the thing... But, wife, in that case you could take me with you.

— What's that for? Don't you have other things to do?

— My other affairs are of no consequence when it comes to you.

Remesis replied with a sigh and lightly elbowed the princess. Asil groaned loudly.

— Wife, don't do that. It hurts, ' the princess complained.

— I beg your pardon?

Remesis raised her eyebrows.

— Wife, could you be a little gentler with me? — Asil asked.

The princess of the north only rolled her eyes.

Was Asil in pain from a blow she had put very little strength into? Moreover, even if Remesis had put in all her strength, but it wouldn't have done exactly any damage to the northern devil. So she only concluded that the princess was once again just acting out a scene in front of her.

— I've been hearing too many complaints from you lately, ' she said.

— I don't know why that is. Perhaps it's because my wife doesn't pay me any attention at all...''

'Attention? What kind of attention can we talk about when all we've been doing the last few days is being together all the time...?'

In other words, right now Remezis was once again feeling annoyed by his wife's contradictory nature.

Remezis finally turned her head unhappily and looked at her spouse. Asil smiled, looking into her eyes as if she was just waiting for this.

— Anyway, weren't we supposed to set off tonight? We're already running late.

— Yes. Wife, you just reminded me of that.

As they headed towards the palace, Asil smiled and put one arm around her waist. This action was hidden from view because it was under the princess's cloak, and yet Remesis was discouraged by it. At first, she tried to twist away, but today she failed to do so as usual. All because the princess proved to be remarkably persistent.

— Wife, if you don't like it, I'll stop, ' Asil whispered next to her ear.

— ...

Remesis only sighed and answered nothing. In any case, she thought, the gesture could still be called harmless. After all, once upon a time in their childhood, they had held hands all the time anyway, hadn't they?

As if after receiving unspoken permission, the hand that held Remesis' waist faintly gained strength.

They continued walking in silence, and the princess of the north felt only a slight sense of embarrassment at the fact that outsiders could see them. She thought of nothing else at that moment.

Perhaps it was because Remesis hadn't really fully realised yet that the young woman who was embracing her was no longer a small cub, but a beast that was much larger than her.