Raising the Princess to Overcome Death

Chapter 372

Lena - The Test

The fight escalated.

Uncle Ober barely had time to blow his whistle to summon his gang after Sir Niel’s first punch landed.

It seemed this city lacked any semblance of law enforcement. Thugs armed with crude weapons appeared without hesitation. I turned to Sir Barin, asking a question that was perhaps impolite given the circumstances.

“You can handle all of them, right?”

“Yes,” he replied curtly, never leaving my side.

Even Sir Wendy stood with his arms crossed, as if confident that Sir Niel could handle the dozens of thugs alone.

I raised the stakes.

“No killing.”

“As you wish, my lady.”“Kill them! Tear them apart!”

The brawl broke out in earnest.

I had a general idea of how strong knights were.

I’d seen them spar with each other countless times, but I’d only ever read about how they fared against commoners. The results exceeded my expectations.

Sir Niel didn’t even unsheathe his sword.

Using the sheathed blade as a club, he struck down thugs one after another. It was only after a few moments of chaos that the thugs seemed to realize what they were up against.

“A knight! He’s a knight!”

“Damn it, we’re screwed!”

Oddly enough, they didn’t flee despite losing morale—perhaps because no one had died yet. Sir Niel continued dispatching them like practice dummies.

“Brother Ober, what do we do?”

“…Damn it. Step aside!”

Uncle Ober stepped forward again, his expression grim. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sir Niel turned to me for confirmation. I nodded.

“Hey, Knight. What do you wa—ugh!”

Whack! Thud! Crack! Smack!

Sir Niel didn’t give him the chance to finish, beating him senseless.

For daring to call me a “crazy wench,” he deserved at least that much.

Such a remark against a princess was, by all rights, a crime deserving execution. Yet, I didn’t want to kill him.

“Urgh…” Uncle Ober groaned, candy spilling from his pockets as he collapsed.

“W-why…”

“Oh, excuse me. Ahem. My lady!”

I walked up and picked up one of the candies, popping it into my mouth.

The cheap, cloying sweetness made my tongue tingle.

But I didn’t hate it.

Uncle Ober blinked up at me with a mix of confusion and disbelief. His expression was so pitiful—and amusing—that I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.

“This is for calling me a crazy wench.”

“...”

“Not enough?”

He protested silently with his eyes, so I warned him. If he didn’t understand, worse things might have happened. Fortunately, he shook his head.

“No, I was wrong.”

“Good.”

“So, what brings you here, my lady?”

Groaning, he pulled himself upright and asked cautiously. I hadn’t planned on approaching them quite like this, but… oh well.

“You said this was Rauno Family territory? I need a place to stay tonight. Invite me to your estate. I’d like to meet your boss as well.”

Santian Rauno.

In truth, I wasn’t here to see the boss but his grandson.

I wanted to know if the boy who had loved me unconditionally in my dreams had truly cared for me.

Surely he hadn’t expected anything from a beggar like I was in those dreams. But I wanted to confirm it wasn’t just my appearance that charmed him.

Would this dream prove accurate as well?

Unlike the countless noblemen who’d made hollow declarations of love, would this boy be genuine?

Honestly, I didn’t have high hopes.

“Your Highness, from now on, Sir Wendy will stay by your side at all times. Sir Niel and I will guard the perimeter.”

On the way to the Rauno Family’s estate, Sir Barin whispered his report.

It seemed the circumstances warranted close personal protection, even at the expense of privacy.

I made a circle with my fingers, granting my permission.

The thugs surrounding us seemed nervous but made no move as we arrived.

At the estate’s entrance stood an old man who appeared to be the boss.

For the leader of a gang, he carried himself with surprising dignity.

His polite greeting was met with a slight nod from me.

Extending my hand for a formal gesture would have been inappropriate since I hadn’t revealed my identity as a princess.

“Thank you for inviting me.”

“It’s nothing. I heard my men behaved rudely toward you. I apologize for my failure to manage them properly.”

“I see.”

“Please, come inside. We’ve prepared a modest refreshment for you.”

We followed him inside.

On the way, Sir Barin occasionally stopped, looking around uneasily.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your Highness, the path is too complex. I’m afraid I won’t remember the way back.”

“Oh, it’s fine.”

“Come now, Barin. You’re too meticulous. Worst comes to worst, we can fight our way out,” Sir Niel remarked with a chuckle.

Barin’s thoroughness was why my brother had appointed him as my chief escort, but it was certainly excessive at times.

I reassured him, confident there wouldn’t be any need for a fight.

After all, I remembered this estate’s layout.

I even knew that the old man was deliberately taking a roundabout route. If he wanted to, he could have led us straight to the reception room—or wherever he intended to bring us—at least five turns ago.

How petty.

Still, this was their way of handling an unknown guest. Likely, they were buying time for the family to escape if necessary.

I vaguely recalled there being an underground passage in this estate. I’d used it once myself—led by Santian Rauno.

That dream had been… intense.

I also remembered how much the boy had struggled to protect me.

The final years of that dream blurred into a hazy memory. My eyesight had deteriorated, leaving me to navigate by touChapter Despite the hardships and constant fear of capture, he—now my husband—cared for me tenderly.

He’d always say, “Your brother will be safe. I’ll do my best. I’ll find him and bring you together again.”

He comforted me. Though he may not have succeeded in finding my brother, he showed a level of devotion that brought tears to my eyes, even as his wife was almost completely blind.

Even if it was just a dream.

Sigh.

I nearly teared up. This is why getting overly immersed in things is dangerous.

I tilted my head back to dry my eyes. By the time we reached the reception room, the Rauno Family’s core members had gathered.

“These are my family members,” the old man began. “This is my wife, and here are my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.”

Each member gave a small bow, but my gaze was fixed on the boy with the surly expression.

His curly hair inherited from his mother, his forehead resembling his father’s, and his round nose...

He wasn’t particularly handsome.

Perhaps he’d pass for decent among commoners.

“Of course, looks aren’t everything.”

I tore my eyes away from Tian, deciding to evaluate him further later, and addressed something that disappointed me.

“This is it?”

“Pardon?”

“I heard you’re the ‘Rauno Family.’ Surely this can’t be everyone. If you’re going to introduce them, do it properly.”

I remembered the Rauno Family. As an orphaned street rat in my dreams, I’d been so happy among them.

When my brother was adopted by the Tatian Marquisate, I had fallen ill from the shock and spent days saying tearful goodbyes to each family member to console myself.

I wanted to meet them. To understand why they had brought me so much joy in the dream.

But Santian muttered with irritation, “Why? Are you planning to round us up and kill us?”

“Hey! Watch your mouth!”

“No, seriously! This person beat up Uncle Ober and our guys! She’s an enemy! She hides her identity under a hood but demands introductions? By now, everyone else would’ve fled!”

“My apologies, my lady. My grandson doesn’t know what he’s saying…”

“No, he’s right.”

“...Pardon?”

I didn’t mean to agree about killing anyone, but the room’s mood instantly grew tense.

Lost in my dream, I’d failed to consider how anxious they must be. Chastising myself, I pulled back my hood.

My brother had warned me to keep it tightly on, but when had I ever listened to such nonsense?

“Oh…”

As expected, their reactions were familiar. Bewildered eyes darted about, silence falling awkwardly as they tried to suppress their surprise.

This always happened because of how I looked.

As usual, the inevitable followed: “We didn’t realize the young lady was so stunning.”

To which I replied with the rehearsed, “Thank you.”

Though I managed to soothe their nerves, I was left in a sour mood.

Why? Do I seem harmless just because I look like this?

I hadn’t even introduced myself, yet they were disarmed by my appearance. Their reaction was so pitifully amusing that I felt a fleeting impulse to order their execution.

Naturally, I restrained myself. Had I not, there wouldn’t be a single noble left alive in my country. I owed my restraint to my brothers, Lean and Eric.

As I wrestled with my peculiar resentment, I turned my gaze to the boy.

What about you? Will you judge me by my appearance, too? Will you claim to love me based on a lie? Or will you approach me with ulterior motives and spin deceitful words?

Everyone I’d met fell into one of those two categories.

And the boy before me seemed no different... except.

“Chapter So, who are you?” he asked, his tone curt despite the flush on his cheeks.

It was refreshing. His pride must have been wounded.

Intrigued, I decided to tell the truth, abandoning my earlier plan to conceal my identity.

“I am Leriana de Yeriel, little one. A royal of Conrad.”

The day I leave here, you will either forge a deep connection with me or meet your death.

As I delivered my introduction, Sir Barin silently counted heads in the room.

“Where is the princess?”

“She seems to have retired for the night.”

Sir Niel arrived to take over the watChapter Barin, who had been standing guard, remained seated for a moment before Niel joined him on the stairs.

“Phew. Orville’s cold, as always. Man, I wonder when we’ll finally get to go home.”

“Probably next year.”

“Next year again? You said the same thing last year. Back then, I could understand, since we had a clear mission. But this time, there’s no timeline.”

“True.”

Barin nodded, acknowledging Niel’s complaint.

Unlike their previous mission—escorting Prince Eric to the Kingdom of Aisel—this one was different.

The three knights, Barin, Niel, and Wendy, had been on their way back to Conrad when Prince Lean summoned them.

Without disclosing their destination, the prince instructed them to meet him at Baron Monarch’s estate. Upon arrival, they were handed an unusual mission:

Escort Princess Leriana as she illegally entered the Kingdom of Bellita.

“Why? Aren’t you going to Orville as well? Can’t you travel together?”

Niel had questioned the prince, finding the request odd. Lean explained calmly:

“I’m heading to meet Princess Chloe of the Tatalia royal family to discuss a marriage proposal. If Leriana accompanies me, it might raise suspicions. I have no intention of marrying her off to their prince, and I don’t want to create a diplomatic faux pas.”

“Isn’t the act of sneaking her in already a faux pas? Why does the princess want to go there anyway?”

“She says she has something important to do in Orville. You’ll have to ask her for details.”

And so, they found themselves here.

While the prince’s party had entered Bellita formally, they had escorted the princess across the border between Baron Monarch’s and Count Peter’s lands.

Their passage had been pre-arranged, and with the Tatian Marquis’s seal in hand, it was more of a farce than an actual border crossing.

Fine. Whatever.

As royal guards, it was their duty to follow orders without complaint.

What baffled Barin, however, was the princess’s behavior.

She refused to explain why she wanted to go to Orville. Even now, her actions made no sense.

Revealing her real name? That alone meant they now had at least five people to silence.

Barin voiced his frustrations aloud. Niel scratched his chin and said something odd.

“You’ve got two sons, right?”

“Three.”

“Aha. That explains it. I’ve got a daughter, so I think I understand.”

“Understand what?”

“When my daughter fought with her boyfriend, she had the exact same expression as the princess. She said men can’t be trusted and decided to test him. Hey, where are you going?”

“To bed. And stop talking nonsense. If you don’t want to be executed for treason when we get back, stay focused on your duty.”

Barin marched off.

Watching him leave, Niel muttered to himself, “So stiff.”