Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 92
92. Beggar Siblings - Escort Knight
“I need to find out more about Cardinal Verke. Something feels ominous.”
As Leo finished his thought, he realized he had been pounding the table with enough force to break it. He withdrew his aching index finger and thanked the female knight who had provided him with crucial information.
“Thank you. You've been a great help.”
“I'm honored to have been of assistance.”
Jenia Zachary smiled and started to rise from her seat, but Leo called her back.
“I have one more favor to ask of you.”
“Whatever you command, I will gladly follow.”
“I want you to escort my younger sister. Will that be alright?”
“If possible, I’d like you to stay with her at all times...”
Jenia Zachary, sensing the prince’s hesitation, nodded in understanding.
“I understand. I will resign from the knights by today.”
“Thank you for understanding. I promise a great reward once I am restored to my position.”
“Thank you. I will protect the princess with my life.”
“No. You must not give your life.”
“...Pardon?”
Jenia was startled by the prince's unexpected reply and looked up at him.
‘Does the prince not want his vassals to die?’ she thought, feeling touched for a moment. But the prince spoke firmly.
“You must not give your life under any circumstances. You must stay by my sister's side no matter what.”
“What do you mean by that...?”
“Exactly what I said. If any crisis arises, instead of fighting, take Lena and run. Do you understand?”
“You mean to prioritize the princess’s safety above all else? I understand.”
As she nodded again in understanding, the prince continued with his strange instructions.
“And if you successfully escape, do not return.”
“???”
“You must hide in the safest place you can think of. Don’t contact anyone. Hide thoroughly until I come for you.”
“Wh-what do you mean by that? If I don’t contact you after escaping...”
“Don’t worry about that. Just focus on Lena’s safety. If you want, you can think of me as dead. Just leave. Forget about being a princess or anything else. Live as if you are starting a new life, like a common woman raising a common daughter. Can you do that?”
Jenia was dumbfounded.
She couldn’t understand what the prince was saying.
‘Does he expect me to think he’s dead if something happens? Is the situation that bad? It doesn’t seem like it...’
Of course, if they were caught by Prince Eric and attacked first, their situation would become difficult. But it didn’t seem like something that would make them abandon their status and run away.
Currently, over a hundred knights had sworn allegiance to Prince Leo. It was an immense force, and the number was rapidly increasing through introductions.
If this continued, most of the kingdom’s actual power would soon be in the prince’s hands.
The prince must be aware of this, yet he issued an order as if he would be satisfied as long as the princess could live a normal life.
Jenia was surprised by the low standards underlying this command and unconsciously touched her wrist.
“If it is your command, I will do so.”
“Good. Thank you. Follow me.”
Following the prince, Jenia encountered an even more bewildering situation.
The prince introduced her to Princess Lena de Yeriel, who was breathtakingly beautiful.
A lady who had just shed her girlishness.
Her neck was gracefully lined along her jawline, shining with radiance. Her golden eyes, framed by long lashes, sparkled irresistibly.
Jenia was momentarily entranced.
‘To make such a person live an ordinary life?’
She realized how difficult the prince's request was. And she understood why he issued such an absurd command.
As someone who had lived as a mercenary, Jenia knew how harsh the world could be to beautiful women. She herself had suffered troubles due to her relatively attractive face.
The prince, who had been expelled from the palace at a young age, must have fought desperately to protect this lady. He was surely entrusting the princess to her in preparation for the worst.
If the major event failed, the princess’s future would likely plummet. Even if they managed to escape.
Lost in thought, the princess’s petal-like hand was extended to her.
“Are you going to be my escort from now on? I’m Lena. Nice to meet you.”
“de Yeriel. You should say your full name.”
“Oh, stop it. I know, brother.”
“It’s an honor to meet you. I pledge my loyalty.”
Jenia knelt and pressed her forehead to the extended hand. The soft, warm back of the princess’s hand heated her forehead.
“What is your name? How should I address you?”
“My name is Jenia Zachary. Please call me Jenia.”
“Oh! Are you a noble?”
“I am not...”
“Wait, Lena. I have something to discuss with the knight, can we talk a bit later?”
“What is it?”
“It will only take a moment.”
The prince gestured to the pouting princess to leave the room.
Following the prince out, Jenia received further emphatic instructions.
“Do not forget my words. Never leave Lena’s side. If anything happens, just run. Run and live happily. If I am alive, I will find you somehow.”
He then handed her ten gold coins.
Jenia could tell how much the prince was worried about the princess’s future. What he wanted from her was not mere escorting but a role close to motherhood.
“I understand. I will follow your command.”
Jenia responded with determination, feeling the weight of her responsibility, and Leo patted her shoulder as if to entrust her with the task.
"Why are you taking so long when you said it would be brief?"
The princess's disgruntled voice came from the room.
A few days later, after leaving the knights, Jenia stayed by the princess's side every day. Freed from her long-standing routine of daily training, she did not find herself idle.
She had to fulfill the roles of both an escort knight and a teacher, a lady-in-waiting, and a companion. Surprisingly, the prince had been managing all these roles, even doing the laundry himself.
In fact, laundry was something Cassia used to do, but after she left, Leo had taken over.
‘Well, he couldn’t very well entrust the princess’s undergarments to the knights...’
Thinking, ‘It’s like raising a daughter,’ Jenia finished hand-washing and entered the princess’s room. The princess was asleep with her face buried in a book, her cheek puffed up like bread stuck to the page.
Jenia was tempted to poke it, but she resisted and gently patted the princess's back.
“Are you tired, Princess?”
“Um... mm... huh!”
Princess Lena woke up with a start and hastily rubbed her face, worried she might have drooled. Her wide-eyed, rabbit-like expression was so adorable that Jenia couldn’t help but smile.
“Would you like to take a nap in your bed if you’re tired?”
“No, it's alright. I just dozed off for a bit.”
You seemed to be sleeping quite well...
“I got stuck here. I can’t read this part. The handwriting is so strange that I can't even look it up in a dictionary.”
“Would you like me to read it and explain it to you?”
Jenia took the book from the princess and frowned.
The History of the Kingdom of Conrad... no wonder she fell asleep.
The book was written in an old-fashioned, illegible script, something Jenia had also struggled with before.
“The writing is hard to decipher, isn't it? This word means ‘schism.’ After the northern kingdom separated from the Arcaea Empire, something similar happened in the south. Originally, the Kingdom of Orun and our Kingdom of Conrad were one. It’s a very old story.”
“Oh... But why is the book written like this? The content is interesting, but it’s hard to read and hurts my eyes.”
“It’s written this way so commoners can’t easily read it.”
Lena blinked quickly.
“Do you mean it’s written like this on purpose to prevent commoners from reading it?”
“Yes, except for theological texts and some technical books, most are written in this style.”
“Why?”
“Commoners usually don’t need to learn these things. They can't afford to study, and if they spend time on it, they can't focus on productive activities. If everyone did that, it would be a huge waste.”
“Oh... so they deliberately made it hard to read from the start?”
“Yes. It’s a way to prevent wasting time. Commoners only need to know what the church teaches them.”
“Does the church teach commoners?”
“...Yes. Priests read such history books to the congregation every week. Even if education isn’t necessary, loyalty to the kingdom is.”
“I see. Thank you. I’ve learned a lot.”
“You’re welcome. Would you like to have some of this while studying?”
When Jenia pulled out some sweet cookies, Lena smiled brightly.
“Wow! These look delicious. Thank you. Did you make them yourself?”
“No, I’m not good at cooking. I bought these from a bakery. They were baked today.”
“Oh, do bakeries make these too?”
“Have you never been to a bakery?”
“No. I’ve smelled them from outside, but I’ve never been inside.”
Jenia sighed bitterly.
She could guess how the princess had lived after being expelled from the palace, but such situations were frequent.
The princess lacked basic experiences. Unlike other princesses who lived caged in the palace, she was unaware of the world in a different way.
Feeling pity, Jenia asked,
“Princess, don’t you want to go outside?”
“I do, but my brother said no.”
The princess listened to her brother well... Jenia felt it was similar to her childhood.
Even though she was discriminated against as an illegitimate child, she didn’t know it and went around smiling.
If she didn’t have her sword...
Feeling uneasy, Jenia bent her left wrist back and forth.
Seeing the princess focus back on her book, Jenia went outside to find the prince.
The prince was sorting through documents related to Cardinal Verke.
“What is it?”
“Prince, I have something to discuss.”
Preparing to be scolded, she spoke.
“The princess has been confined to her room for too long. May we go on an outing?”
The prince’s eyebrows twitched upward as he sifted through the papers.
Expecting an immediate rejection, Jenia was surprised by his calm voice.
“Did Lena say she wanted to go out?”
“No.”
“Then why suggest it?”
“The princess doesn’t know that cookies are baked and sold at bakeries. She doesn’t know that a certified gold coin exchanges for 144 certified silver coins, nor that commoners receive basic education at the churChapter She even asked what a well was when she saw a picture in a book.”
“...”
Encouraged by the prince’s silence, Jenia continued.
“I believe it’s better for her to spend even a day outside than to be cooped up reading. Especially since she lacks background knowledge. It’s also bad for her health. She doesn’t like exercising either...”
Surprisingly, the prince did not question whether it was necessary for the princess to know such things. He seriously considered her words. He nodded slightly, indicating he understood.
“Even just a two-day outing would be beneficial. Visiting a bakery, drawing water from a well, and buying things directly would teach her a lot. It would create good memories for her. Once the major event succeeds and she returns to the palace, she won’t have the chance to do such things.”
Finishing her speech, Jenia waited for a response, and Leo’s mood turned somber.
Everything she said was true.
His sister had never truly seen the outside world.
During their journey from the Kingdom of Bellita to here, she had only seen passing scenery from the carriage. In crowded places, she had to keep her hood up, and in towns, she had to stay in her quarters. Because she was too beautiful for her own good, it was harsh for a curious young girl.
Probably, the time they spent disguised as beggar siblings was the freest she had ever been.
Back then, trusting in the family’s tattoos and his rudimentary sword skills, he had taken her out to see the prince’s procession.
It was a reckless act born of ignorance.
This time, despite having over a hundred knights, he hadn’t thought of letting her see the outside world.
Seeing her boredom in the room, he thought just playing with her was enough.
Fear of repeated failures had made him a coward.
Sighing deeply, Leo spoke.
“You know why I don’t let Lena go outside, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Alright. I’ll allow the outing. But you don’t intend to guard her alone, do you?”
“No. I’ll take two more knights I trust. If we say it’s a celebration for leaving the knights, there won’t be any issues even if we meet acquaintances.”
“Understood. I’ll give you three days. You must return at night and stay within the capital. Let me know if you need money.”
“Understood. We’ll be fine without extra funds.”
Jenia returned to deliver the good news to the princess. Leo murmured while stroking his chin.
“It seems I chose my escort knight well...”
From a distance, he heard his sister’s excited voice (“Really? Is it true?”) and the sound of running footsteps.