ALL NOVEL Chapter 15
Chapter 15: A Transaction
Seeing Liliya’s cute face alternating between blue and white was quite amusing. Vilyric finally set aside her teasing intentions and chuckled, “Don’t worry, I can’t guarantee how tight-lipped I’ll be, but I don’t have a bad habit of spreading secrets. Besides, if Princess is facing an attack, it probably means that your little schemes have already been caught on to by some people, right?”
“…Sigh.”
Liliya exchanged glances with Hua behind her, pondering for a moment before finally sighing, “Miss Vilyric is very clever. To be honest, I do have thoughts of seizing the throne.”
“Right now, Father is seriously ill, and it’s uncertain how long he’ll last. My Sixth Sister is still young, and my brothers are only concerned with fighting for power and have no intention of ruling the kingdom.”
“The eldest brother originally had great talent and was admired for his character; I would have no objections to him becoming king. But two years ago, that incident occurred, and my eldest brother unexpectedly lost his life. Since then, Father has been bedridden, while my Second, Third, and Fourth brothers seem to have seen their chance and have formed factions, making the kingdom a chaotic mess…”
“Honestly, I can’t stand it anymore. I can only connect with a group of trusted friends and subordinates, secretly gather strength, and plan to quietly develop myself to take the throne and restore order. Otherwise, if I let my brothers fight among themselves, even if we eventually decide a king, the kingdom will likely end up splitting apart.”
Liliya spoke gloomily with her head down, her tone quite sincere; at least Vilyric couldn’t detect any feigned pity for sympathy.
“But did someone leak this secret?” the Priestess guessed.
The princess tilted her head down further, “Yes, I didn’t expect my brothers to be so suspicious, even planting spies around me, a woman…”
“Got it, so what do you want me to help with? It can’t be to go and assassinate those princes one by one, can it?”
Upon hearing Vilyric’s half-joking question, Liliya immediately shook her head, “Of course not! How could I ever let someone kill my own brothers? Actually, it’s like this…”
The princess explained the current situation of the kingdom and herself: The United Human Kingdom has been at war with the Beast Kingdom to the west for years, especially at this time of year, when the Beastmen launch large-scale invasions to plunder food and deplete excess population.
Liliya had displayed extraordinary talent at a young age and later became famous for her cleverness and military strategy, which unexpectedly led the three princes, who were usually in conflict with each other, to unite and manipulate the council, applying for Liliya to go to the Western front to coordinate the defense against the Beast Kingdom’s attack.
Due to the old king’s serious illness and the council’s operations being interfered with by the princes, this proposal actually passed.
As a princess, Liliya had the right to refuse to go, but if she did, her reputation would find an excuse for deliberate attacks, causing it to plummet, making it difficult for her to contend for the throne in the future.
On the other hand, if Liliya agreed to lead the army, the three princes could cause all kinds of trouble from behind and purposely ensure her defeat, thereby striking at the Fifth Princess’s influence.
Moreover, as Vilyric had seen earlier, they might even lay an ambush en route and kill Liliya outside the capital, then pin the blame on bandits or such.
The suddenly rebellious Imperial Guards were certainly orchestrated by several princes, although evidence had been destroyed in advance. Fortunately, Liliya had sensed the signs early on and had designed a counter-plan, narrowly turning the tide.
But this was just the beginning; along the way, especially once they reached the western border and started battling the Beastmen, many more crises awaited this young princess.
Her brothers would absolutely not allow Liliya to return to the capital with glorious military achievements, and relying solely on Hua, it would be tough to ensure her safety.
After all, though she is legendary, she is not invincible; both the United Kingdom and the Beast Kingdom have other legendary experts.
“So… your request for help, Princess, is to ensure your safety until you return to the capital, right?” Vilyric echoed the request she had just heard.
“Yes, as for the reward, you can ask for anything; as long as it’s something I can do and doesn’t violate principles, I will definitely make it happen. So, what does Miss Vilyric want?”
“Hold on, have you considered the possibility that I might be a spy sent by your brothers?”
“…To be honest, yes.”
Liliya smiled bitterly, “I indeed entertained that thought at first. But since Vilyric can even make Hua nervous, had you intervened in the previous fight, I would probably have been defeated and perished, so why would I need to add this worry?”
“Besides, I have no choice now; my foundation is insufficient; I desperately need the support of strong individuals…”
Noticing Princess Liliya unconsciously clutching her skirt with her pale little hand, Vilyric couldn’t help but chuckle and shake her head. “Then, one last question: can I know what the reward for protecting you is?”
Saying this, the black-haired girl pointed at the legendary expert silently guarding Liliya.
“Eh? It’s Hua?”
“…I came voluntarily. Liliya is my friend, and I believe she can make the kingdom better.”
Before Liliya could respond, the usually silent Hua surprisingly answered Vilyric’s question.
“Oh, I see~”
Vilyric smiled brightly as she looked back and forth between the two girls. Not saying too much, she happily crossed her arms and said, “In that case, I won’t ask for a reward. As a price, during the time I protect Liliya, you cannot hide any secrets from me. If you have any information or knowledge you want to share, you must tell me honestly, how about that?”
“Ahem… Of course, I won’t pry into personal matters; you can rest assured on that,” Vilyric quickly added to avoid being seen as too intrusive.
Fortunately, pure-hearted Princess Liliya didn’t seem to take it the wrong way and instead nodded approvingly. “Using information as a reward? As expected of Miss Vilyric, this is indeed a very good deal. Alright, I agree. Regarding strength, since Hua has already recognized you, I believe there’s no need for additional testing. I hope we cooperate joyfully.”
The blue-haired princess extended her slender jade finger, wrapped in semi-transparent white silk gloves, and showed a friendly smile to Vilyric, who also smiled back satisfactorily, shaking her hand.
“Joyful cooperation; I too look forward to the days ahead, dear employer~”