Chapter 16
February 19, 761 (Friday).
It had already been two weeks since Solinor started attending history lessons with Bianca.
Bianca wasn’t as attentive as Solinor had expected. Sometimes, she would look at Muriela instead of Anton, or even stare at the ceiling. Bianca’s participation grade: zero!
“Then why was she so eager to join the class? Or did she realize it’s not as interesting as she thought? I find it fascinating, though.”
Even so, after class:
“Bianca, is the lesson boring? Are you listening just because of me?”
She had waved her hands, denying it.
“No, not at all! It’s really interesting. You don’t need to worry, Princess.”
Solinor found it difficult to read Bianca’s intentions. He had always been poor at understanding people’s hearts, even in his past life.
“Well, she’s an adult, so she can make her own decisions.”
After all, it wasn’t as if she needed to take any exams.
***
After the Friday lesson, Muriela lay on her bed, eyes closed, resting her tired body. She had practiced swordsmanship with Kaelen today, so she was exhausted both physically and mentally. Solinor took the opportunity to review what he had learned that day.
Finally, he had achieved the goal of asking about Aiorin. It was a triumph that took several weeks to accomplish. He might not have remembered if Anton hadn’t mentioned the story of the kingdom’s founding again.
Solinor’s forgetful nature at this point could almost be considered a curse. Still, he had asked, so it was a success. Clap, clap, clap!
However, the answer he received was not very satisfying. Anton knew little about Aiorin. All he knew was that she was the wife of the first king and the mother of the current king, Eldric. After the beloved first king died, she had vanished without telling anyone where she was going.
The interpretation was simple: if even the history teacher knew so little about her, Aiorin’s influence must have been minimal.
“It sounds repetitive, but this is exactly the kind of analysis a politician would use: fun and cool.”
Solinor genuinely believed it was a sound analysis.
Indeed, he was full of the will to strengthen the kingdom. But if he were actually tasked with running the state alone, he might have done even worse than Eldric.
He could understand the reports but couldn’t identify the underlying causes. His knowledge and creativity were at a level that couldn’t come up with effective solutions. Thus, competent advisors and ministers were essential.
Solinor understood this very well. This meant Eldric would remain on the throne for quite some time. There were numerous conditions that had to be met before Muriela could succeed him.
First, he needed to find capable experts to manage areas like the economy, military, society, culture, and foreign affairs. Additionally, he needed to prepare safeguards against potential enemies who might take advantage of the sudden political shift to target Silbrenoa.
“Should I go out this weekend to scout for talent? Maybe I’ll even meet some old friends. How many of them might still be alive? What would their descendants be like?”
Solinor was excited for tomorrow. But without a plan.
***
February 20, 761 (Saturday).
“Bianca, I’m going out today.”
“Are you going to Queen Elodia? I’ll get you ready immediately.”
“No, not there. I mean, I’m going out. I’m leaving the palace.”
“I understand. I’ll inform Queen Elodia’s attendant… Wait, what?”
Bianca nearly fainted that morning.
“P-Princess, did I hear you correctly?”
“What’s wrong? Are your ears not working already?”
It might have sounded sarcastic, but Muriela looked genuinely concerned. Was her young friend already hard of hearing?
Solinor’s heart ached. She must have worked so hard taking care of me that she’s gone deaf.
“No, my hearing is fine, Princess. I was just a bit surprised. Are you serious about leaving the palace?”
“I’m relieved she can hear well. Of course, a girl just over twenty wouldn’t be hard of hearing. I overreacted. But why was she so surprised?”
“Yes! I’m going out!”
“To go outside the palace, we need to submit an outing request, Princess. We should have applied for it in advance, but I’ll contact the royal protocol officer right away. Is there a specific reason for your outing?”
Naturally, it was to find clever people to help govern the country and to meet old friends. However, saying she wanted to meet old friends while in Muriela’s body would be incomprehensible to Bianca. Even if Solinor wasn’t particularly smart, he had enough common sense to realize that.
“Alright, I can leave out the unnecessary details.”
“I’m going out to find interesting people!”
“Pardon? Interesting people?”
Bianca’s eyes widened. She was convinced the princess must have become fascinated by clowns or minstrels from a storybook. Bianca continued,
“If it’s people like that, they can be invited here. There’s no need for you to go through the trouble of going out, Princess.”
“No! I want to go out and find unexpected people. People I don’t even know yet.”
“People you don’t know yet…”
Bianca worried internally.
“There’s no scheduled festival today, and no market being held. What if the princess goes out and gets disappointed? I know! I’ll ask the royal protocol officer to arrange an event quickly! That way, I can bring clowns and minstrels naturally.”
She wasn’t an amateur, after all; she managed to stay calm and collected. Bianca was satisfied with the brilliant plan she came up with! Thus, the content of Princess Muriela’s outing request form that the royal protocol officer would receive was decided.
“Outing personnel: Princess Muriela of Silbrenoa
Outing purpose: Performance/arts viewing
P.S.: As there is no scheduled event, please organize one quickly. The princess is eagerly looking forward to it. – Princess Muriela’s maid, Bianca.”
The royal protocol officer sighed so heavily it felt as if the ground would sink beneath him.
“An event today, not tomorrow? But if the princess commands, it must be done. What choice do I have?”
Although King Eldric was indifferent toward his children, and Princess Muriela was particularly lacking in influence, a princess was still a princess. Ignoring her request would leave an uncomfortable feeling. What if it came back to haunt him later, like a boomerang?
Excessive loyalty was always the safe choice. It had secured his position as the royal protocol officer so far. Long live job security!
“A small event in the city square should do. It won’t cost much.”
It was no big deal to call a few clowns and minstrels, except for the tight timeline.
“If double the pay won’t cut it, triple it.”
After all, the protocol budget was overflowing. And so, the taxes paid with the people’s sweat and toil were once again wasted meaninglessly.
***
“Princess! Would it be alright if you left after lunch? That way, you can have a more enjoyable outing.”
Bianca’s pleading led Solinor, who had planned to leave early in the morning, to change the outing time.
“Why would the afternoon be better than the morning? Isn’t the sun hotter in the afternoon? Well, it’s been decades, so maybe things have changed.”
Taking advantage of the delay, Muriela decided to do more morning exercises. While she was stretching after her basic routine, Bianca rushed over, looking frantic.
“P-Princess. Prince Kasper and Princess Adeline have suddenly come to visit.”
“Huh? What’s going on? We didn’t have any plans today. Let them in.”
The sound of confident footsteps echoed as the two young royals ran in.
“Big sis Mue! We came to play!”
“Muriela! Hello! I was so bored today, so I just came by! I want to have lunch with you too.”
“Adeline, why were you so bored?”
“Well, all the picture books I picked today were boring. I’ll have to ask for some new ones.”
“Ah, getting some fresh air is the best way to deal with boredom.”
“Really? I’m going out of the palace after lunch. Do you want to come, Kasper? Adeline?”
At the mention of an outing, their eyes sparkled.
“An outing? Big sis Mue is going out?”
“Muriela is going out?”
“Yeah. Why, is it strange? Haven’t you ever gone out before?”
“Of course we have. But isn’t this the first time for you? Did you submit a request?”
“Well, not me, but thanks to my capable maid…”
“Bianca said she submitted it earlier.”
“Today? She submitted it today? And that’s allowed?”
“Big sis Mue! Then we’ll go with you. We’re worried about you.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Anyway, make sure we’re added to the outing request too. You’re listening, right?”
One of Queen Elodia’s attendants almost screamed.
“Your Highnesses! Outings must be approved by the queen first.”
But fate can be cruel. The trusted attendants were betrayed by their belief, as Queen Elodia herself decided to join the rare outing. This shattered the worlds of Bianca and the attendants serving Queen Elodia.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment