The Reincarnation Of The Poor Princess
Seventy Seven (77)

"Ah, I'm sure this way. Then follow this path. After that get here. But the door doesn't exist. Then my memory went wrong and I got lost. That so?"

Stella drew roughly on the snow-covered ground while muttering and thinking.

He had already wasted so much time in vain just to trace his memories of the path he had passed along with Lilith.

In fact, he did not need to search for that door or follow the path he had in his memory, as he only needed to scour these mountains to search for the Red Crystal Fruit. However, it could be that the reason behind the existence of the door was because the place was close to the location of the fruit he was looking for.

There's no way that door could be there for no reason, right?

Lilith tells him that the door is a link between the residence of Nidlock in Evergard and the family residence in Sora, which has existed since the 1st King of Evergard.

The Aros Mountains in Sora are heavily protected by both sides (Evergard and Sora), because there grows legendary fruit targeted by witches. The fruit grows only once in ten years and is always guarded by different giant animals.

Not all the fruits that grow there can be taken, sometimes the army of war witches can not fight the giant animal and ends tragically.

The rarest legendary fruit is the Red Crystal Fruit, which only appears once in a hundred years. Most fruits that appear in previous years are fruits with green, blue, yellow, purple, and pink colors. So when word circulated that the one growing was the Red Crystal Fruit, the Nidlock family, which was originally in the capital, was now in the territory of the Sora Kingdom.

The journey taken in a short time was of course because of the Rainbow Door, the name of the door that brought Stella to the Aros Mountains.

'And the reason the door was in that place must have been related to the location of the crystal fruit I was looking for.'

Thinking so while nodding small, Stella stood up from her seat and looked around. He had to find the whereabouts of that door.

'Hmm, do I have to go through here?'

While Stella was thinking doubtfully, the voice of a group of people shocked her.

'There's people!'

He looked towards the source of the voice, before finally hiding.

"We're splitting up here. Group 1 to the north, group 2 to the northeast, group 3 to the west, and group 4 to the northwest. The rest come with me to the south."

"Okay, Great Witch!"

"For the group of priests, you will be under the escort of knight Duke Ronnight."

"Yes, the Great Witch. Go, everybody! Prepare your holy power well!"

"Yes, Reverend Ilamor!"

Peering over the rocks where she was hiding, Stella looked at them with her eyes wide open. A few meters in front of him, there was a group of witches, priests, and elite knights from duke-ranked families!

'Doggone it. My competition to get that fruit is a lot.'

Stella's wide-open purple eyes became sharp. He scanned his surroundings, then changed his hiding place.

'Well, now I have to follow one of those groups.'

Stella silently grinned. Then he put on the hood of his robe.

The Red Crystal Fruit was his, and no one could snatch the fruit from him. Even though someone found the fruit first, Stella would not hesitate to stain her hands with blood for the sake of getting the fruit.

He has to get it!

―――

"Are you okay, Young Master? Wasn't walking on snowy ground very tiring? I don't understand the contents of Mr. Duke's mind."

Someone held back his master's staggered body. He looked at the small figure in his embrace sadly. Even though the life his master lived had changed, it was still a heavy burden that he carried on both shoulders alone.

"Well, you're sitting on this snow carriage. I'll take you with this" the knight said as he displayed the snow carriage he was carrying.

"I'm fine."

The master refused while shaking.

"But, Young Master...."

"This is my chance to prove to Uncle and Grandpa that I'm useful!" he said with determination, then he lowered his head, while his ears turned red. "Also ... also so that I become strong...."

'H-huh? I didn't see it wrong, did I?!'

Nicole was stunned with an expression of disbelief, after which she stared at her master's ears and face flushed in turn.

'No way. Is my quiet and timid master ... finally liking someone?!'

Yes, the knight is Nicole, and the master she refers to is Esther, who follows her uncle to prove her ability that she is the right person to be the next Duke Ronnight's heir.

"But, Princess .. disappeared...."

Esther's expression, which was initially blushing, was now dark.

Nicole, unaware of her master's expression, replied hesitantly, "Maybe ... The princess is going somewhere. Or maybe ... she went to her mother's family's house."

Contrary to what he said, Esther silently thought.

He was convinced that the disappearance of the princess must have been the cause.

It was unlikely that the princess, who had only recently been in the palace, had suddenly disappeared without being noticed by anyone. He even left only a trace of the hairy mantle found at the palace gates belonging to the king.

Before the princess disappeared, something must have happened.

'In addition, lately the attitude of His Highness and the Crown Prince is very strange.'

After ordering all the scout troops, who usually served during the war, to search for the existence of the princess, King Shavir's attitude suddenly changed.

He no longer gave them orders, as if implying that his previous orders were canceled.

'But he was the one who wanted to find the Princess the most, but suddenly closed his eyes and didn't care?'

Prince Dhemiel too, who always talked about how anxious he was at the princess's safety when he and the prince met, suddenly did not talk about the princess anymore, she said, but instead talk about unexpected people.

That person was Xylia.

'They are very strange.'

After Xylia came and inquired about the existence of the princess, the two influential people suddenly became very kind to the blond boy.

They took him to tea, play, take a walk around the capital, and other things, which were usually done by a pair of fathers and sons.

After that, Xylia went in and out of the palace like she entered her own room.

When Esther requests a meeting with King Shavir to find out the progress of the search for the princess, her request is always denied, and the reason is always the same.

It's because of Xylia.

At that moment, he finally realized that something was not right.

Princess Stella disappeared and the last place she visited was King Shavir's palace.

The king and prince's concern for the princess, suddenly disappeared in an instant after they met Xylia.

And finally, the influence of Xylia on King Shavir and Prince Dhemiel that seemed suspicious.

Everything is like an enigmatic puzzle piece. And to perfect the puzzle, Esther needed two more pieces of the puzzle, which became the key behind this strange incident.

'I wonder what the Princess saw in Her Majesty's palace that day, and why Xylia who ... liked the Princess so much took over her position without feeling the slightest guilt.'

However, Esther had not found the two pieces of the puzzle yet, her uncle, who was currently Duke Ronnight, called her to go somewhere.

Esther wanted to refuse, but she couldn't.

Because the time to demonstrate his abilities as the next duke's heir to his grandfather and uncle has arrived.

'Haa, if only I could help the Princess a little, but the time is not right.'

Esther took a breath.

In between her travels in search of rare and precious fruit, she prays in her heart for the princess's safety wherever she is.

――――――――――――――

Bonus - Holidays

Leonard: "Ah, it's convenient~ Sleep on the beach while looking at beautiful girls with handsome faces who look young despite being old is fun." (laughs to yourself)

Zayden: "Inget age, woi! Your beloved wife will come down from heaven to strangle you here." (laughing giggling, but her own eyes are moving everywhere)

Leonard: "Nyadar, dong. I'm old, I have kids, I have grandchildren, I'm a widower."

Zayden: "Eh, you did too!"

Leonard: "Candynes. Not horrified anything~ Mending eye wash first~"

Suddenly....

Beloved wife Leonard: "Okay, dear~ What are you doing here, hm~?" (smiles are pretty but her face is dark)

Leonard: "Tidaaaaaak." (genebatin, his face was pale)

Zayden: "Wahaha! With karma!"

Author: "Yes eh~ Eh, woi! Your granddaughter is fighting again are you enjoying a vacation on the beach?!" (he was also on a nulis holiday)

Wkwkwkwk😂

TBCS!