Chapter 4

The day after the wedding, my life as a princess began.

A relatively small and secluded palace, a bit away from the main palace where His Majesty the King and the others resided, was assigned to me. This would be my new residence. In a sense, it was a form of isolation from the main palace.

However, even though I had become a princess, there was nothing particular for me to do. My schedule was blank. Prince Alexis must have intended to discard me quickly, thinking that educating me as a princess would be a waste of time. It was a rather wise decision, and I felt so grateful that I almost shed tears.

"Princess, what would you like to do today?"

The newly assigned maids asked me this question, looking somewhat nervous. Hmm, what should I do? Even if they ask me, there really isn’t anything to do...

"Well, could you show me around this palace?"

Without any princess education or tea parties to attend, I was now a royal NEET! Even though I was eventually going to be divorced, it wouldn’t happen in just a week or two. To make the most of my time as a royal NEET, I needed to know what was around and what I could do to pass the time. While the nervous maids showed me around the palace, I looked for places that could be effectively utilized.

After a thorough tour and a short break, I quietly asked the maid:

"From this afternoon on... I want to go fishing."

"Huh?"

The maid blinked in surprise. Well... there was a nice river nearby.

Outside the palace, a beautifully maintained garden spread out, and beyond that, it connected to a forest and a meadow, with a natural river flowing through the forest. Could this be... the opportunity to live the slow life I’ve always dreamed of!?

I’ve always wanted to buy land in the countryside and live a peaceful life. By some twist of fate, it seemed that my dream was about to come true. Since no one would care about me or this land, using it a bit wouldn’t bring any punishment, right?

So, with nothing to do as a royal NEET, I decided to spend my days fishing, trying to grow vegetables in a garden, and creating a ranch on the vast empty land to live a peaceful life.

"Princess, the sheep you requested have arrived."

"Oh, how wonderful! I’ll go see them right away!"

Horses, cows, and now sheep had arrived, and my ranch was finally starting to look like a proper ranch! Excited, I headed to the new ranch, and the merchant who brought the sheep bowed repeatedly for some reason.

"I’m very sorry, Princess... It seems that one of the sheep is deformed..."

Looking at the sheep, I saw one with unusually long legs and neck, walking around and eating grass. As I approached, it looked at me with big, black eyes. It was quite cute. It was definitely different from the other sheep... Wait, could this be...

"Is this an alpaca?"

"An alpaca, ma’am...?"

"Yes, I’ve read that in the far south, they are raised like sheep for their wool and as pack animals."

I don’t know how it happened, but it must have been mistaken for a sheep and ended up in the merchant’s hands. When I looked at it, the alpaca seemed a bit anxious. It’s okay, everything is fine now.

"I understand. I’ll buy this one too."

"R-really!?"

What a kind princess!... The merchant, flattered, skipped away. It was good that the poorly identified product sold well. Considering the rarity of alpacas in this region, it could have been sold for a much higher price... but I’ll keep that to myself.

"Hehe, everyone... be nice to this one too."

As I called out to the sheep and gently stroked the alpaca’s fluffy fur, it felt just as soft as I imagined. Hehe, I’ll brush it later...

"Princess, you’re so knowledgeable... I’ve never even heard of an alpaca before."

"I just read about it in a book once. It says they have a gentle nature, so I think they can be raised without any problems."

"Um... may I pet the alpaca too...?"

The maids couldn’t resist the alpaca’s fluffiness. I smiled and gave them permission, and they eagerly petted the alpaca. Hehe, I completely understand how they feel...

Still, my ranch has become quite lively. Sigh... This is the life I’ve always dreamed of. When I unwillingly married the prince, I didn’t know what would happen, but I’m genuinely happy to have achieved my ideal life. Thank you, Ela. I’m worried about how you’re doing, so please write to me sometimes.

However, my leisurely life as a royal NEET is only temporary until I get divorced from the prince.

Will I get alimony when I divorce? I’d like to have some land in the countryside too. I’ll spend my life in the great outdoors, living a leisurely life. I need to have big dreams. To achieve this, I should try to win the prince’s favor to some extent so that the divorce negotiations go smoothly.