Some time had passed since I picked up the commoner and persuaded the Duke to let her stay in our estate. The girl's health was recovering quickly, and within two days she could walk on her own.
Despite the severe poisoning and stab wound, the girl was rapidly improving. This was a truly astonishing power of the body. I thought the day of our parting was not far off.
In a week, I would help her leave the de Walte estate and return to her former life. The only thing worrying me before our separation was that she still hadn't regained her memory. Perhaps she would have to live with this for the rest of her days. Imagining how difficult it would be for her in the outside world, lacking even basic knowledge about herself, I sincerely sympathized with her.
Nevertheless, I also wanted to encourage her and let her know that things weren't so bad.
Life can be started anew at any moment, and perhaps even better than before.
"Perhaps before, you didn't have the best life. But now, not only the good, but also the bad memories will disappear. You'll be able to free yourself from the shackles of past regrets!"
Kaena cast a disapproving glance at the duke's daughter.
"What nonsense is she spouting now?"
Today was the fourth day since they had started living with this strange woman.
Cohabitation hadn't caused as much discomfort as the princess had expected.
Nevertheless, she did experience some inconveniences. And they were all related to this woman.
Before Kaena left the duke's estate, no one should guess her true identity. Otherwise, they would surely report it to the Emperor and Empress, and all her plans for reclaiming the throne would be ruined.
For some reason, the daughter of Duke de Walte was indeed willing to help her and hadn't yet revealed her whereabouts to the authorities. The motives of this woman didn't particularly interest Kaena, because one way or another, she and her entire family were dead. The Crown Princess didn't need extra witnesses.
And yet...
Although Kaena had decided to temporarily curb her bloodlust, sometimes it was very difficult for her to restrain herself. No matter how you looked at it, this impudent girl allowed herself far too much in relation to her.
This stupid woman kept bothering her with talk about all sorts of nonsense.
"You know that a person can have more than one path in life? When one door closes before you, another one is sure to open."
Kaena's eye involuntarily twitched in irritation.
"Do you know that one of the great generals of our empire was once from a simple family?" the girl enthusiastically ranted, "But thanks to his efforts, he was able to elevate his position and become one of the country's respected warriors!"
"..."
"Or... If you don't have military abilities, you can go into business. Instead of working in the field for pennies, you could start your own grain farm! Perhaps one day you might even supply the imperial family."
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Kaena stared at this woman, trying to understand what nonsense she was talking.
Why would she, the most powerful person in the empire, become some kind of nobody to earn money? The girl saw no sense in it.
Why on earth would she trade her title of Crown Princess for the position of some peasant or insignificant general? Such a step down the career ladder didn't inspire any enthusiasm in Kaena.
"Maybe she's implying that I should pay attention to the development of agriculture and the military industry? There really might be problems with that in the empire. But why should I deal with such matters?"
Since the princess had never chased fame or people's approval, she never thought about the welfare of the populace. Only about her own. Therefore, this girl's words had no effect on her.
"And if farming isn't to your liking either, you could..."
"I don't need any of this," the Crown Princess rudely interrupted her, cutting her off midsentence.
"What?"
Camilla looked at her in amazement.
"What I have now is quite enough," the princess reluctantly repeated her words.
Although in a sense, this could be called deceit. Until Kaena took the throne, she couldn't be completely satisfied with her position. But she wasn't about to reveal her plans to some random woman, was she?
The duke's daughter blinked in surprise for a few seconds. And then...
"Oh, so that's it."
It seemed she was the type of person who preferred to be content with little. Well, there was nothing wrong with that. Not everyone is destined to be born as owners of business empires and other great people. Some just need something to eat and a roof over their heads. Although I didn't have such modest ambitions, I could understand her point of view.
"Okay. Then, when you leave here, you can arrange your life however you want," Camilla smiled at her.
"Leave here"? For some reason, deep down, Kaena didn't quite like her last words.
Even though the duke's daughter was the person who irritated her most in this life, still...
Kaena knew the reason for her inner hesitation. Probably because in recent years, she had never felt so at ease.
The political intrigues and battles that had been an integral part of her life all this time suddenly disappeared. For the first time, Kaena had gone so long without picking up a sword and shedding someone's blood.
From birth, all she had to do was survive in the palace, which was more like a snake pit. Therefore, such a quiet seclusion involuntarily appealed to her.
When Kaena thought about how soon she would have to return to her former life, where there was nothing but rivers of blood and endless battles, she for some reason felt disappointed.
"Alright..." Camilla yawned tiredly and rubbed her eyes with her palm, "It's quite late today. Let's go to sleep."
"..."
"Good night."
The duke's daughter collapsed onto the bed and quickly fell into sleep.
"She actually fell asleep."
Kaena still couldn't stop being amazed by this. She stared at the woman peacefully sleeping on her bed.
"Just think that a person like her exists in this world."
At their first meeting, and even now, this woman didn't look the least bit nervous. On the contrary, she was quite relaxed, and could even calmly fall asleep in front of her. No one had ever shown such carelessness before Kaena.
"Annoying."
The princess was annoyed that she was so naive and calm. She was annoyed that she had the audacity to talk to her so casually.
Her primary task was to get rid of this outrageous creature as soon as possible.
But...
Kaena de Ronan sighed tiredly. Every night, she felt the urge to strangle this annoying girl, especially since it would be so easy. But over time, this desire diminished.
After all, she was going to die soon anyway. So why rush?
Instead, the Crown Princess covered her with a blanket, as the exposed state of the duke's daughter only further embarrassed Kaena. Even if it sounded strange from the point of view of her moral convictions, one had to observe some standards of decency!
Looking at her sleeping face, Kaena herself felt tired. Ever since the princess began spending her life on the battlefield, witnessing endless deaths, she had never been able to fully relax, even in her own chambers. But in the last few days, her usual vigilance had weakened.
She lay down on the floor next to the bed, spreading out a blanket. Her eyelids were already closing when the monstrous Crown Princess once again decided to postpone the bloodshed for later.
"Alright... I'll let you live a little longer."