Chapter 32 of 66
Chapter 32
3 min read762 words
Just thirty minutes by carriage from the town of Beimar, in the opposite direction of the ruins, lies the rural village of Eppica, a quaint village surrounded by low mountains.
As the real estate agent Gasparna had said, all one could see were fields stretching out to the horizon. The houses were sparsely scattered, and it would take more than ten minutes of walking just to visit a neighbor. It was a place that looked inconvenient for daily life.
On the other hand, it could also be said to be an ideal place to live out of sight of others.
"Is Princess Florenzia really in a place like this?"
It was only natural for Alan to be skeptical. It was far too unsuitable for a princess to live in, and it was hard to imagine that Princess Florenzia, who had lived in a glittering castle, could endure such a place.
The reply from King Jules had not yet arrived, but they couldn't afford to wait idly for instructions. Olivia, Cyrius, and Alan, along with some guards and soldiers from the Earl of Zachville's territory, were heading to Eppica to secure the safety of Princess Florenzia and Legion.
The road was unpaved right after leaving the town, so the carriage jolted violently, and Alan had been in a bad mood ever since. He glared at Cyrius, who was holding Olivia tightly, saying, "If it's dangerous, you should have left Olivia behind!"
"Still, to buy a house in such a rural area... Olivia, you really figured it out."
Ignoring Alan's complaints, Cyrius asked Olivia, who was in his arms. Olivia, feeling embarrassed and wondering if it was necessary to be held so tightly, raised her head and nodded.
"I thought about what I would do. If we moved to our destination immediately, we would stand out, and the search would be strict, right? So, I thought they might be hiding in a place where they wouldn't be noticed until the fuss died down, and where the investigation wouldn't likely reach. As you said, Alan, no one would think a princess would be in a place like this."
"That's true, I suppose."
"Normally, if a maid or guard was found unconscious in a room, people would suspect theft or kidnapping. No one would think a kidnapper would be relaxing in a nearby rural area."
"…Well, even in Armwall, I wouldn't have noticed if you weren't there. If it were just us, we would have simply concluded that Princess Florenzia was kidnapped or involved in some incident and searched the town of Beimar thoroughly. …But more importantly, the carriage's jolting has calmed down a bit, so how long do you plan to keep cuddling?"
"C-cuddling…"
Olivia blushed.
The road was still unpaved, but the carriage's jolting had calmed down compared to before. The speed had also slowed, indicating they were nearing their destination. Since the area looked similar everywhere, they had to rely on the map and check each house one by one.
Cyrius reluctantly let Olivia go and looked out the carriage window. A few soldiers had already gone ahead to the house where Princess Florenzia was likely to be. They had been instructed not to enter until Olivia and the others arrived, but if they noticed Olivia and the others approaching, they were told it was acceptable to secure the two individuals, especially since Legion, who was with the princess, was said to be quite skilled. They wanted to join up as quickly as possible.
"It looks like we've arrived."
About ten seconds after Cyrius said this, the carriage slowly came to a stop. The road for carriages ended here. A small house was visible on a gentle slope, with a narrow, zigzagging path leading up to it, just wide enough for people to pass each other.
"Olivia, wait in the carriage."
Cyrius and Alan got out of the carriage and instructed Colin to stay with Olivia. The two then followed the soldiers up the slope.
After a while, one of the soldiers ran down the slope. It seemed they had successfully secured Princess Florenzia and Legion.
Olivia sighed in relief and waited for Cyrius and the others to return.
Thank you for reading!
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【The Reincarnated Culinary Researcher Continues to Cook at Her Own Pace: I Have No Interest in You】
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