Chapter 19. Princess of the East

After that brief encounter with the heroine, we made our way into the lady's supposed meeting place with Princess Odette. It was the greenhouse that the emperor built for the previous empress.

There, we found the princess seated on a table where tea was already served. Her resemblance with the emperor and the prince was uncanny, minus the crimson eyes. Even so, she was regal.

"Ruth," Princess Odette smiled. "You've arrived."

She had the same ebony black hair that cascaded freely past her shoulders. But unlike her father and sibling, the princess inherited her mother's amethyst pair of orbs. There's also a small mole right below the side of her mouth, which added a unique charm on her face. She was truly a beauty.

"This loyal subject greets the imperial princess." Lady Camellia greeted in an affectionate tone.

"Let us skip the formalities, my friend." Princess Odette eyed me. "May I request for the servant to leave, as I wish to discuss some private matters?"

"Oh," I gaped. "U-Understood, Your Highness."

She gave me a little smile. "You have my thanks."

Oh, my god. It's a sin to be that gorgeous. Not to mention that she's so polite towards a mere maid like me. Seriously, my heart went kyah just now!

The villainess seemed to have noticed that I was fangirling hard. "Calm your hormones, Isabelle."

I squealed in embarrassment. "M-My lady!"

She sneered before whispering to me. "Why don't you take this chance to meet with His Grace? The Princess and I have a lot of catching up to do."

I shook my head frantically. "I wouldn't dare!"

"Why not? You have my permission." The lady snickered. "It's the season of mating. Go wild."

I could only cover my face in shame as I left the greenhouse. Why am I only surrounded by people with dirty mouths? I swear the villainess and the second male lead would get along in that aspect!

Anyway, it was my first time seeing the imperial princess up close and she didn't disappoint at all. Despite being a supporting character, the author sure gave her an edge on beauty over the heroine.

"Seriously," I muttered, fanning myself. She was so hot! Even the female lead can't hold a candle to her! Ah, here we go again with my gender crisis...

While trying to convince myself that I'm hundred percent straight, I happened to pass by the garden. There was a wide variety of flowers, and the sweet smell of them wafted through the air.

But rather than the flowers, something else caught my attention, specifically the sound of crying.

"How could they do this to me?!" A shrill voice complained in between sobs. "I hate them all!"

I hid from a distance and charily peeked on the source of the wailing, only to find a young lady wearing a green, flower-printed kimono.

"I told them I didn't want to get married! How could they throw me here like some rubbish?!"

She had minimal accessories, with most of them being colorful and flashy clips on her head. Based on her attire, I'm guessing that she's from the east.

That aside, this girl smells like trouble. She kept hitting the ground with bare hands. Her slanted and tawny eyes were also swollen from crying.

"Nah," I scratched my head. "I'm outta here."

Since I didn't want to be the subject of her anger, I turned my heel and was about to leave when the girl noticed me. For a moment, we both flinched.

Darn, she saw me. Should I just play dumb?

I immediately turned around and pretended not to see her, but the girl got up then shouted. "Hey!"

I stopped, but I didn't look back at her.

"H-How could you just turn away from a crying lady?!" The easterner asked in an offended tone.

I took a deep breath before facing her again and bowing my head. "I sincerely apologise, my lady. They say that watching someone cry is rude."

"Is that so?" Her anger seemed to have dissipated. She kept fidgeting on her spot. "Very well. I shall forgive your transgression, but only if you keep me company!"

I made a mental sigh to myself. I knew it. This girl smells trouble, and she's the kind of trouble that I'm not good in handling -- the childish types.

"My lady, I'm afraid a mere servant like me is not worthy enough to keep you company." I told her.

"I don't care!" She stomped her feet, her voice rising to a crescendo. "I don't want to be alone right now, so you need to keep me company!"

Once again, the girl threw herself on the ground and began throwing tantrums. Ah, fuck this. Why did I have to be the one to meet this spoiled brat?

"Those slimy bastards... I will never forgive them!"

It didn't seem like she would calm down soon, so I decided to sit beside her and accompany the lady.

"They sold me off since I'm an illegitimate child!" Her voice cracked as she wailed. "They don't even care if I return to our homeland dead or alive!"

The young lady was such a mess. Her brown hair was all tangled and her face was covered in snot.

"If I fail to be the crown prince's bride, they will punish me!" She covered her face, dejected. "And if I become the crown princess, I'll be ripped apart in this place where I don't have anyone to trust!"

I see. So she was sent to be a candidate, too.

My jaw dropped when she lunged at me then hugged me like a kid. "Please, I wanna go home!"

My chest prickled at her plea. How pitiful. I guess I kinda felt an affinity with her. We're both in the middle of an ocean with no choice but to swim.

Still, compared to me, she was just a girl barely of age. Young, naive, and probably weak-willed. In this foreign land, she's alone without a single ally.

The young lady bawled in my arms for a good ten minutes. It felt like she was suffering from intense homesickness, so I lent her my shoulder to cry on.

Gosh, aren't I so manly? They should just make me the male lead of this novel. I'll be the perfect ML.

When she finally settled down, the girl pulled away from me. Her cheeks reddened in shame.

"What's your name?" she shyly asked.

I smiled. "It's Isabelle, my lady."

"So your name is Isabelle." She straightened her crumpled kimono with her hands. "M-My name is Himari. In case you don't know, I'm a princess from Izumo!"

My lips parted. I did think she's a foreigner from the east, but I never thought she'd be a princess!

She pouted. "Thank you for allowing me to cry on your shoulder. I'll make sure to repay this favor!"

"No need, Your Highness." This time, I addressed her properly. "My only wish is for you to survive the waves that you're braving to swim right now."

I gently held her hands. They were calloused and full of scratches. From that alone, I could tell that she must've had a difficult life even as a princess.

Princess Himari sniffed. "Of course I'll survive!"

I gave her a sympathetic look. This young girl was just like me. She's not the heroine or the villainess of this story. Who knows what future awaits her?

With that, I bade my farewell. The brown-haired princess seemed to have gotten over her sadness, judging by the way she childishly waved her hand to me when I gave her one last look.

During that time, I had no way of knowing that my fleeting encounter with the princess of the east will be the catalyst of my ultimate thirst for revenge.

---

Once we retreated to her chambers, I told Lady Camellia about my encounter with the eastern princess. I shared the recollection to her while giving her feet a massage, since they were aching.

"Hmm. Princess Himari, was it?" She murmured lazily. "Yes, I do remember her being introduced in the novel. Her scene was only brief, though."

"She's a pitiful girl." I said with subtle sympathy.

"This arc will end with Ingrid becoming the crown princess. What happened to the caged bird of the east after that was never mentioned in the novel."

"I see," My shoulder fell. "What a shame."

"It seems you've taken quite a liking to her." Lady Camellia commented with a grin. "Shall we help her? The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"Can we really help her?" I blinked in surprise.

"Well, I cannot show her favor in the public since I'm a candidate myself, otherwise I'd be regarded as an idiot who fools around with my rivals. The least I can do for that girl is to send her letters."

I tilted my head in confusion. "Letters?"

"Yes. I can be her pen pal." The villainess proposed with a confident smile. "You said so, that she's all alone in this foreign land. I am sure exchanging letters with someone will assuage her loneliness."

My face brightened. "Oh, like a secret friend!"

Lady Camellia ordered me to get her a pen and a paper. Her initiative made me happy, since it was a harmless idea that would comfort the young girl.

She let out a yawn. "Write it down for me."

"Shouldn't you write it yourself, my lady?"

"It matters not. I don't intend to reveal my identity to her, anyway." The lady stood up from the couch and threw herself in bed. "Also, my hands hurt."

I shook my head. Look at her making excuses. I've noticed this before, but Lady Camellia is such an indolent person. She's always too lazy to move!

Despite my complaints, I sat on the desk with the pen and paper. "What should I write, my lady?"

"Dear Princess Himari," The villainess closed her eyes while laid in bed. "Your outlandish beauty has drawn my interest to the east. If you would be so kind, would you be willing to tell me more about yourself and your homeland, Izumo?"

"It sounds like you're wooing her." I clicked my tongue. "My lady, tell me the truth. Are you gay?"

"Heh," She smirked. "I'll leave the answer to you."

"Kyah!" We both laughed when I squealed.

Anyway, it took us hours before we could finalize the contents of the letter. When we were satisfied by it, Lady Camellia ordered one of her servants to slip it in the princess' room without getting caught.

In truth, I was overjoyed by our deed, to the point that I was humming a tune. My lady noticed this.

"Does it make you that happy, Isabelle?"

"Sort of." I replied with a sheepish smile. "I may not look like it, but I'm actually a softie."

"You are too kind." A smile crossed her face. "It is not a bad quality to possess, but make sure not to overdo it. Kindness tends to be abused, after all."

I nodded. "I shall bear that it mind, my lady."

After that, I excused myself from Lady Camellia to prepare some snacks and tea. However, on my way to the kitchen, I bumped into a familiar face.

"Found you!" The ironclad knight whistled before locking my head in his arm. "Long time no see!"

"Sir Louie!" I grunted in frustration. "Long time no see, but can you please greet me like a normal person? I mean, without chocking me like this?"

"Come on, don't be like that! When can we ever play around like this?" He ignored my words and began jumping around while still holding me in a headlock. "His Grace treats you like a national treasure, I'm not even allowed to touch your feet!"

"Why would you even want to touch my feet?"

He grinned. "Would you rather I lick it?"

"No, that's even more gross, dude!"

When he got tired of dragging me around like a horse, Sir Louie finally let me go. It felt like I aged ten years older after just a few minutes of being with him. My hair and clothes were a big mess!

The grand duke's trusted knight ran an eye over me. He seemed satisfied with my post-apocalyptic appearance. He's the apocalypse, by the way.

"His Grace sent me here to pass you a message!" Sir Louie informed briskly. His brown hair and orange eyes reminded me Princess Himari.

"What did he say?" I asked impatiently.

"That you have to come with me tomorrow so that I can take you to him." he answered obediently.

"Huh? Where to?"

He winked. "That's a secret. Tee-hee!"

Oh, my god. He's just like his master. They're both irritating in their own way. I wanna smack them!

"Anyway, you better get dressed." The puerile knight advised before running off. "It's a date!"

My heart fluttered. A date with His Grace huh?

I secretly smiled. "Can't say no to that, I guess."

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