Chapter 73: Chapter 23. For the benefit of the Crown Princess

When the suggestion was made to go out for a walk, I was a little hesitant because I felt strange. Nevertheless, since it was a rare chance to see at least something besides the same walls, I decided to try anyway.

Since Jacob Osman, a confidant of the Crown Princess, was with us, the guards at the main gate let us out without any questions. That’s how we ended up in the village. Directly adjacent to the Heilos residence was a small residential settlement where local residents lived.

As we walked along the main road, I noticed that life here was not much different from what it was in the villainess’ castle. Although at first glance, everything was not so deserted.

Along the roads and squares there were shacks, shops, inns and pubs, among the visitors of which one could also find the Knights of the Dark Host. Passersby on the streets weren’t that rare. However, given the specifics of this place, the contingent here was appropriate. In other words, they were all questionable individuals.

Cold sweat involuntarily broke out on my hooded forehead.

Some of these people looked at me with the eyes of a hyena.

Fortunately, I had a pretty impressive security detail, because otherwise the locals could have attacked me for the purpose of robbery or worse.

I wanted to go out for a walk, but the glares burning through me from top to bottom made that desire evaporate.

— Lady de Walt, how did you meet Her Highness? — Jacob Osman asked casually as we walked down the street.

— It’s a matter of chance...

I wish I could add "unhappy."

— But I’m wondering why she liked you.

— I do not know, — I shrugged, because I was also interested in this. I really didn’t know for sure, so I couldn’t give a reason.

The knight frowned, but did not press for an answer. Mag, who was walking on my other side, was more nonchalant and didn’t notice the tension between us. In one hand, he held a skewer with grilled meat that he had already bought somewhere.

— My Lady, are you hungry by any chance? Should we go get something to eat?

— No, that’s not necessary.

I was just afraid that if I ate anything here, I would definitely get poisoned.

Although it seemed like we had only recently left the castle, it had actually been several hours. I realized this when dusk was rapidly gathering in the sky. It was going to be completely dark very soon. I wanted to ask when we planned to come back, and turned around to do so.

But at this moment.

"Huh? Where did they go?"

Just as I was about to call out to one of them, the two knights who accompanied me on the walk suddenly disappeared. I looked around in confusion, but it was useless. All I could do was keep helplessly turning my head around and trying to find them.

Suddenly, I found myself in the middle of the street, all alone.

***

— Jacob... no... What are you doing?!

The knight was completely confused when his colleague suddenly grabbed him and forcibly dragged him around the corner. Now they stood behind the wall of the inn and watched as the duke’s daughter looked around in panic.

— No, really, why all this?

Mag was indignant and was about to turn back, but another knight suddenly restrained him.

— Stop it. Don’t go there.

— what? But why?! — Mag stared at him in disbelief. He couldn’t understand why his partner was suddenly preventing him from serving.

— Why would you do that?

— And...?

— If this girl leaves the castle, it will only make Her Highness feel better, — the knight replied seriously.

Mag hesitated and stared at him, dumbfounded.

— What are you talking about? It was the mistress who ordered us to take care of her! So how can we just leave her... — The knight’s voice gradually faded away under his partner’s gaze.

— I know what’s best for Her Highness, — the knight was adamant in his beliefs.

— But...

Jacob’s dark eyes flashed unkindly. This silenced the other one.

"For the sake of Her Highness, this girl must disappear," he concluded softly.

***

The eastern border, a place popularly known as "hell" on earth, has gained notoriety for a reason. Since the imperial government left these lands, the east has turned into a chaos of lawlessness and poverty.

Dozens of murders, assaults and thefts took place here during the day. In addition, due to poor hygiene of the population, diseases were rampant throughout the eastern region.

The place where Jacob Osman was born and lived all his life was the most squalid and poorly guarded slum in the city. And the little boy had to survive here alone ever since he could remember.

Like most of the children in his hometown, he was an orphan. Because the death rate in the eastern region was extremely high, children were often left to fend for themselves when they were very young. Jacob was one of those kids.

He didn’t remember anything about his parents. And from the moment he was born, his only goal was to survive.

The neighborhood where the boy lived was poor enough to make you wonder if you were on the edge of this world. The walls and houses were on the verge of collapse. There was an unbearable stench from the trash and dirt that was scattered everywhere.

The looks of the people sitting in different places where the trash was mixed would have given any normal person goosebumps. Their eyes stared blankly into space. And some of them looked at passersby with the eyes of a hyena.

But Jacob, who had grown up in such conditions since childhood and knew nothing else, took it all as something ordinary. This was his world, after all.

He walked quickly through the narrow and dirty street, hiding a piece of stale bread under the same dusty clothes. It was the bread that he had managed to steal from one of the shops today.

To survive in a place like this, stealing became a must. There was almost no work in the eastern region. And the one that was clearly not suitable for a child like him. Therefore, Jacob had to take risks every day, running away from the evil shopkeepers and sometimes falling under their distribution.

But today, fortunately, the "sortie" was quite successful.

The boy with shaggy dark hair, which was so long that it almost covered his eyes, intended to hide somewhere in a secluded place to eat his bread. Otherwise, he risked losing his prey if he just got it in a public place.

They had covered most of the way safely, but just when Jacob began to hope that he would be able to satisfy his hunger today, the atmosphere around him did not turn too good.

Before Jacob could enter the quiet doorway, he heard voices behind him.

— Hey, didn’t the mood get too good here?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read