Chapter 280: Reconnecting
Translator: Cinder Translations
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"Your Highness, what brings you to the Northwest Bay?"
When Mond Landon saw Eileen again, his face still carried an expression of disbelief. What had happened when he left the lord's mansion made him wonder if it was all a hallucination.
How could a princess of the Kingdom of Aldor end up in such a remote place and… working under the local lord?
Hearing Mond's words, Eileen pouted unhappily. "Why are you calling me 'Your Highness'? How many times have I told you, just call me by my name. But… here, you need to call me 'Betty.'"
"Uh… alright, Betty," Mond awkwardly called her by her current name.
Eileen explained why she was here. "I'm here because I was forced to be!"
"Forced?" Mond wondered what could force a princess to leave her home.
Eileen immediately became furious, placing her hands on her hips in a very unladylike manner. "That old man, Rodney XVII, wants to marry his youngest daughter to the Duke of the Eastern Territory!"
"Uh… His Majesty the King actually…"
So, it was a case of running away from home, and to resist an arranged marriage by the King.
Mond was deeply shocked. He hadn't heard about this when he was in the Gabella Empire, so it seemed that the news had been sealed off.
He looked at Eileen with a newfound sense of sympathy. Although their statuses were different, Mond had always regarded this lively and adorable princess as a little sister during their time studying together.
Alas! Girls born into royal families often have their marriages colored with political undertones.
His junior truly had great courage, Mond secretly admired her.
But then again, has the Aldor royal family been forced into such a situation? Thinking about this made Mond feel a pang of guilt, so he asked, "Can you tell me more about the situation?"
"Hmm, I was just looking for someone familiar to confide in!"
Eileen sat down and began to recount how she and her bodyguard, Lydia, escaped the capital, traveled north, and were eventually rescued by Paul Grayman after getting into trouble in the forest.
Perhaps feeling too embarrassed, Eileen didn't mention that her original plan was to go to the Gabella Empire but ended up in the Northwest Bay due to her poor sense of direction.
When Mond heard that the female bodyguard named Lydia was with Eileen, he let out a sigh of relief and asked, "Judging from what happened today at the lord's mansion, does Earl Grayman still not know your true identity?"
"Hmm, I've taken the alias Betty D'Arshi and settled here as a scholar."
"I see… So, you're working at the lord's mansion?"
"Yes, as you saw, when I arrived, the lord's mansion was recruiting talent, so I applied. At first, I was a consultant, and later, Earl Grayman appointed me as the head of education."
"Education? I didn't expect this young lord to value that so much?"
"Indeed! That's one of the things I admire about him. In the North, and even in all of Aldor, there aren't many lords who understand the importance of this."
"Heh, Ai… Ahem! Betty, it's not that they don't understand, but… letting commoners know too much isn't exactly a good thing."
"Alright! Enough!" Eileen pushed her hands forward, "I'm not interested in that so-called 'art of ruling.' Let me tell you, I've already established six schools here. They're still very basic, of course, but my ultimate goal is for everyone on this land to be literate."
Her face was full of pride as she said this.
"That's quite a daunting task!" Mond said, though he secretly shook his head. What is that lord thinking? Letting a princess play around like this? Has he been bewitched by Eileen's beauty?
"By the way, how is the teacher's health? And how did you end up here, Mond?"
"The teacher is in good health! I came here to pick up a child the teacher recognized a long time ago. Haha, you're about to have a new junior."
Eileen's face lit up with excitement. "The teacher has been here? What a lucky child! What's his name, and where is he from? I already know all the place names around here by heart."
Mond introduced Kevin to her and explained how he was nearly exiled to the Northern Forest to clear land.
"He truly is a lucky child," Eileen marveled. "If you had been a little later, you might have had to go find him in the Northern Forest."
Eileen then asked, "So… how is my cousin doing?"
"His Highness the Prince… well, how should I put it? Our Eastern neighbors have become restless again, and His Highness has led the army to deal with them."
Eileen was both surprised and concerned. She nervously asked, "Ah? Will my cousin be in danger?"
Mond laughed. "Haha, don't worry. Not to mention the fact that Gabella's army is invincible, but with His Highness's talents, there's no way anything will go wrong."
"Sigh…" Eileen was still a bit worried. "These damned wars… they're everywhere. The South is at war, the North is at war, and now the East too."
Suddenly, Mond thought of something and asked, "Are you safe here? I've heard that Earl Grayman and some other lords seem to be at war with the current Duke of the Northwest?"
"Very safe!" Eileen said confidently. As a high-ranking member of the Council of Affairs, she naturally knew the strength of Alden's army. In this land, self-preservation was more than sufficient.
Mond reminded her, "In any case, if necessary, reveal your true identity."
"I will."
"Eileen…" Mond softly called her real name, his face showing a trace of guilt.
Seeing him like this, Eileen was puzzled. "What's wrong, Mond?"
Mond hesitated a bit and said, "What do you think about using despicable means for a noble cause?"
Why would he suddenly bring this up?
But Eileen quickly replied, "From the perspective of an outsider, it would be seen as a heroic act."
Mond's eyes lit up. "Oh? So you agree?"
"Not entirely. If I were involved, especially as a victim of those so-called 'despicable means,' I'm afraid I'd be filled with hatred."
Mond's expression instantly darkened.
"Eileen, in the future, you might encounter some unavoidable situations where you'll have to choose the least bad option from a range of terrible ones."
He could only explain it like this, but Eileen grew more and more confused.
"Mond, what's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly talking about this?"
"I… Sigh~ Never mind."
Eileen's response left Mond unsure of how to explain, so he lightly dismissed it.
(End of the Chapter)
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