Chapter 27: The Princess Arrives

“What exactly does that woman want by bringing me to a place like this?”

After leaving the banquet hall, Andrea had no idea where to go.

The endless, branching corridors soon made her lose her way, and she couldn’t even find the way back.

Left with no other choice, Andrea simply opened a window and jumped down from the second floor, landing right on top of a pile of weeds gathered by the gardener.

Andrea, without wings, couldn’t change the direction of her fall and could only watch herself plunge into the filthy, tangled grass heap.

Once on the ground, she shook her body to get the grass off, but the stains on her elegant dress couldn’t be cleaned off so easily let alone the fact that she had broken the heel of her high-heeled shoe.

That was actually a good thing.

Finally rid of the uncomfortable shoes, Andrea hopped and skipped about on the ground, feeling much lighter.

She tried wetting her finger with saliva to wipe away the mud on her dress, but only succeeded in spreading the stain even further.

“If only I knew that Cleaning Magic.”

Andrea remembered that whenever Ailaira Green couldn’t be bothered to clean up, she’d simply cast Cleaning Magic and instantly tidy herself up, clothes and all.

But Andrea couldn’t learn any magic at all. According to the Elders in Dragon Valley, her bloodline was tainted, an existence abhorred by the Gods. The wise and noble magic would never show her any favor.

Stirred by the memories, Andrea threw herself onto the lawn in despair, gazing up at the star-filled sky.

Back when she escaped that bottomless Dungeon, the dazzling night sky she saw above was just like this. But at that time, Andrea didn’t have a moment to admire it.

The Royal Guards were in pursuit behind her, forcing her to flee desperately beneath the stars.

But now, why was she able to lie here, relaxing and enjoying the view?

Andrea suddenly realized:

“Someone’s willing to accept me now.”

That night by the lakeside, when Ailaira Green invited her, what Andrea felt first was a joy that welled up from deep inside. Whatever the reason, finally, someone was willing to reach out and take her home.

“Forget it, I should just go find Ailaira and have her fix my dress.”

Andrea rubbed her eyes, her former sadness retreating like the tide. She pumped her small fists, her eyes now bright with the happiness of wanting to trouble Ailaira Green.

Humming an out-of-tune tune, she bounced out from the grass into the cobblestone path, planning to circle back to the banquet hall through the main entrance.

As she walked along the path where fireflies danced, the fountain at the center of the courtyard caught Andrea’s attention. She jogged over to the pool, looked at her own dirty reflection in the water, and mumbled softly:

“At least I should clean my face.”

Andrea took a deep breath, held it, gripped the railing with both hands, and plunged her face into the water, splashing around wildly.

As Andrea was washing her face in her usual rough style, she suddenly heard muffled footsteps. The next thing she knew, a pair of hands hugged her waist and yanked her back hard:

“I’ll pull you out right now!”

The person behind her used all their strength to drag Andrea out of the pool, but their footing was unsteady, and they both tumbled to the ground together.

Alas for her dress, it was now so dirty it was beyond saving. Andrea angrily propped herself up on her arms, but when she saw the person beneath her, her anger suddenly melted away.

Beautiful golden hair was spread out on the ground, like a sunflower blooming in the night, and the girl’s exquisite face lay in the flowerbed, making the whole scene seem like mere background to her beauty.

Her emerald eyes were similar to Andrea’s, yet somehow even clearer.

Meeting her gaze was like standing by a mountain spring—ripples washing over the heart, carrying away all restlessness.

The girl lying on the ground wasn’t worried about her own safety. Instead, she gently stroked Andrea’s cheek and asked with genuine concern, “Are you all right?”

Andrea scrambled backward, pointing a trembling finger at the girl. “Where did you come from!”

The girl looked around, then pointed to herself with a bit of embarrassment. “At first, I thought you were one of the people chasing me, so I hid in the flowerbed nearby.”

“It wasn’t until you tried to jump into the pool to drown yourself that I couldn’t stand it and had to come out.”

The girl spread her arms, showing Andrea the hole in the bushes where she had hidden—just big enough for one person.

Now it was Andrea’s turn to be confused. The water still glistened on her face, making her look even more delicate and pitiable.

Combined with her dirty, rumpled dress, she truly resembled the bullied stepdaughter from a fairy tale.

“Who’s trying to drown themselves! I’m not done living yet, I just wanted to wash my face.”

Andrea stretched her dress, now nearly unrecognizable in color, and sighed helplessly. “I might’ve been able to explain this before, but now I’m definitely going to get scolded.”

The girl seemed to notice Andrea’s distress and quickly tried to make up for her mistake. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault your clothes got dirty. Let me take care of it for you.”

“Cleanse Spell.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a pure white warm light radiated from her hands, enveloping Andrea and instantly cleaning all the stains from her dress.

Andrea spun around, checking her now-pristine skirt, and breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to leave, she noticed the girl before her was wearing tattered clothes, looking more like a fugitive on the run.

She had been so distracted by the girl’s face that she hadn’t noticed how bad the rest of her looked—her outfit was nearly as shabby as what Andrea had worn when living in a cave, weaving clothes from leaves.

After all, the girl had meant well by pulling her out, so Andrea couldn’t just leave her behind. She stopped, scratched her cheek awkwardly, and asked:

“You look… like you’re in pretty bad shape? You’ve cleaned my clothes for me—if there’s anything I can do to help you, just say so!”

The girl smiled, placing her hands demurely in front of her. “There’s no need to worry about me. Actually, I’m here to find someone.”

“Besides, there are people chasing me. If you get involved, you’ll be dragged into this too.”

Hearing this, Andrea puffed up her chest, lifting her chin in disdain. “Don’t underestimate me! No one here dares take you away!”

“The people after me are the King’s Royal Guards~”

Andrea froze in her proud stance, staring in shock at the girl before her, and after a long moment managed to squeeze out a question: “Did you assassinate the human King? Did it really take Royal Guards to catch you?”

“And, I still don’t even know your name.”

By the moonlit pool, shimmering in the ripples, the girl lifted her tattered skirt and introduced herself with a gentle laugh:

“Second Princess of the Verlendel Kingdom—Trinis Verlendel. Pleased to meet you.”