章 256: Lizbeth's Past and Wish
"What do you think about being my attendant?"
Riezel looked directly into Lizbeth's eyes as he asked.
"Don't think about the royal family, nor the person who instructed you to do this."
"I want to know your own thoughts."
"Do you really want to be my attendant?"
"..."
"I…"
After being silent for a moment, Lizbeth opened her mouth but only managed to utter a single word.
At this moment, her face was full of confusion, like she had reached a fork in the road of life and was a lost child without anyone to guide her. She had no idea which way to go, and she didn't know if she would get lost if she kept walking.
Riezel, on the other hand, wasn't surprised at all by her reaction.
Anyone could see that this little princess was an inexperienced, sheltered young lady. Added to her young age of only fifteen, how could she possibly make such an important decision that would shape her future?
Moreover, she clearly wasn't good with words.
Riezel's direct question, aimed at uncovering her true thoughts, left her unable to come up with an answer.
"Alright, let me put it this way... Do you still want to go back and continue being a princess?" Riezel asked straightforwardly.
As soon as she heard the question, Lizbeth immediately reacted.
"I-I don't want to!"
Lizbeth responded in a very soft voice, but her face was full of fear and resistance.
"I don't want to be a princess at all!"
Indeed, she truly didn't want to be a princess.
Ever since she was taken into the royal palace at the age of seven, her life had been completely changed.
She wasn't allowed to interact with or talk to others.
She couldn't go outside and make public appearances.
She couldn't disobey her father or the orders of certain important figures.
She couldn't say whatever she wanted to say or do whatever she wanted to do and had to follow countless rules and learn all sorts of etiquette. Except for practicing swordsmanship, every other activity made her feel extremely tired and exhausted.
Compared to that, her life before the age of seven was tough and full of hardships, having to avoid all sorts of dangerous creatures just to survive. Still, at least back then, she had someone by her side and wasn't locked in a cold, empty room where she couldn't do anything.
In a way, the life and environment in the royal palace were probably ninety percent responsible for shaping Lizbeth into the person she was now.
She didn't understand too many complicated things; she only knew that since she was seven years old, the thing she had been thinking about was that she didn't want to be this so-called princess.
Being a princess was just too hard for her, much harder than practicing swordsmanship.
"...I see."
Seeing Lizbeth like this, Riezel finally fully understood what Marilyn meant.
Indeed, almost every girl dreamed of becoming royalty, a princess, but the real princess might not have actually wanted to be one.
"I think I get what you mean..."
Riezel nodded calmly to Lizbeth.
"However, I have to tell you upfront that if you become my attendant, no one will take care of you anymore."
"You know, I'm also living under someone else's roof right now. If I leave the Frenzel residence, I probably won't settle down and might end up living a nomadic life."
"I'm not the type to stay idle, since what I love most is seeking thrills. Once my business in the royal capital is done, I might set off on a journey."
"When that time comes, you'll have to wander around with me. In other words, not only will you need to take care of yourself, but you'll need to take care of me too."
"Knowing this, are you really okay with that?"
Riezel explained his situation as clearly as possible so Lizbeth could understand his point.
Lizbeth was, after all, still a princess who had lived a life of luxury and privilege. It was hard to imagine her being able to endure a life of constant travel and instability.
Not to mention that Riezel also had a restless nature.
He knew exactly what kind of person he was—once he got out there, he would definitely seek out the most thrilling and dangerous places to explore.
In his previous life, he had been like that.
Even though he couldn't break free from his family's constraints, he still went to extreme lengths, trying wilderness survival, overseas adventures, and even extreme sports—each time, he scared the people around him half to death.
In this life, since he was determined to break free from all constraints and live freely, it would only make him even more extreme.
In truth, he was really looking forward to it, looking forward to what kind of excitement and adventure awaited him on this Akasha Continent.
Surely, it would be more interesting than those so-called extreme sports from his previous life, right?
However, precisely because of this, he had to admit that the possibility of encountering danger would greatly increase. Considering this, finding an attendant to look out for each other seemed like a necessary thing to do.
Of course, whether this attendant would be Lizbeth was still up for discussion.
Even though Marilyn's persuasion had made him consider it more carefully, he still wanted to respect Lizbeth's wishes.
Becoming an attendant might be something this princess would look forward to, but whether he was someone worthy of her trust and loyalty was something she herself had to decide.
In short, everything depended on what she chose, and only then would he respond accordingly. Otherwise, he wouldn't easily go along with something that was forced by someone else's interference.
As Riezel thought about this, he was surprised to find that Lizbeth, instead of backing off at his words, actually had her eyes light up more and more.
"I-I'm fine with it!"
Lizbeth leaned forward slightly, her rare excitement showing.
"I used to wander around a lot! Grandma Mia taught me how to take care of myself and survive in the wilderness!"
"What?" Riezel was instantly surprised, his face full of astonishment. "You used to wander around a lot?"
"Um..." Lizbeth nodded, then made an embarrassed expression. "I was brought into the royal palace when I was seven. Before that, I was always running around outside with Grandma Mia."
Riezel didn't know this, and perhaps even Marilyn didn't know either.
However, he had already learned from Yuri that Lizbeth was the illegitimate daughter of the current king, Hendrick, born outside the royal palace. Because of this, she had lived outside and hadn't grown up in the royal palace before she was seven.
As for what kind of life Lizbeth had before entering the royal palace, probably only Hendrick and his close confidants knew.
It was only now that Riezel was learning a bit about Lizbeth's past life from Lizbeth herself.
"Grandma Mia, huh...?" Riezel murmured thoughtfully. "So, she was the one who raised you?"
"...Yes." Lizbeth showed a somewhat nostalgic expression. "From the moment I became aware, Grandma Mia and Moslow were the only ones by my side. Every day, I would wander around with Grandma Mia."
Upon hearing this, Riezel glanced at the golden sword in Lizbeth's arms.
It turned out this sword, which felt incredibly unusual to him, wasn't something given to her by the royal family, but rather a personal item she had carried with her since childhood.
"And? What about Grandma Mia?" Riezel asked again. "She's no longer with you?"
"Um..." Lizbeth's expression turned a bit sad. "When I was seven, Grandma Mia, who was already eighty-eight, finally couldn't continue the journey and passed away..."
'Passed away from old age, huh?' Riezel sighed.
Although it was unfortunate, at least it wasn't due to some kind of accident. Otherwise, this princess would probably be more than just sad.
"What about your mother?" Riezel continued to ask.
Weirdly, Lizbeth looked confused when she heard this question.
"I've never seen my mother..." Lizbeth shook her head. "Grandma Mia told me that my mother passed away after giving birth to me. She took care of me because of my mother's dying wish, and when I was seven, Grandma Mia somehow managed to contact Father and had him take me away."
Apparently, this was her complete life story as she remembered it.
When she was born, she not only lost her mother, but her father wasn't around either. She only had a grandmother and a sword to accompany her as they wandered everywhere.
A grandmother and a little girl not even ten years old, wandering around like that—it was easy to imagine how tough and difficult their life must have been.
However, when Lizbeth brought up the matter, there was surprisingly no hint of resentment in her eyes. Instead, she looked nostalgic and even happy.
It seemed the hardships of those days had now become cherished memories in her mind. At the very least, compared to being confined within the royal palace, she preferred that kind of life.
Even if it was tough, even if it was difficult, she didn't think it was something unbearable. In fact, when Riezel mentioned that they might live like that again in the future, she looked both eager and delighted.
He could easily imagine that there were many things this little princess held dear before she turned seven.
Needless to say, that journey wasn't just filled with hardships but also had beautiful moments.
Lizbeth knew of that beauty, and naturally, Riezel did as well.
Understanding this, Riezel let out a genuine smile and spoke up.
"Well, since you put it that way, I won't say more."
Upon hearing this, Lizbeth's expression became one of anticipation.
"Then...?"
Lizbeth's face was filled with nervousness and anxiety.
Before this, she had only tried to become Riezel's attendant because of the royal family's command, or rather, because of her father's command. However, after hearing Riezel talk about his future plans, she was already leaning toward doing it willingly.
In her life so far, she had experienced only two phases.
One was the time before she turned seven, while the other was the time after she turned seven.
The time before she was seven was full of hardships, but it also filled her with happiness.
The time after she turned seven was more comfortable, but it was filled with suffocation.
If becoming Riezel's attendant meant leaving the royal palace and wandering as she had before, then for her, it would be like regaining her previous freedom.
However, the person beside her this time wouldn't be Grandma Mia, who had raised her from childhood, but instead a handsome, kind, and powerful young man.
With such belief, Lizbeth couldn't help but want to be Riezel's attendant with all her heart.
However, Riezel didn't agree immediately because he knew very well that what he needed to do wasn't finished yet.
"Why don't you go back for now and wait for my news, okay?" Riezel said with a smile.
"O-Okay..."
Lizbeth felt a bit disappointed, but she quickly stood up, gave Riezel a deep, respectful bow, and left the Frenzel residence.
Riezel watched the princess's back as she left, his eyes flickering before his figure disappeared from sight a moment later.
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