Chapter 28

Donna, Al, Gil, and I, the four of us, were walking through the farm.

Actually, I wanted to walk alone with Donna, but Al insisted, saying, "I can't leave my sister. Please understand."

"Wow, chickens!" "Ponka is full of fruit!" "The branches are bending with nectarines!" "Oh! So many mulberries!"

Donna started running and playing. Then, she stumbled on the soft soil at the base of a Ponka tree and fell forward with a loud thud.

"Your Highness!"

Gil shouted and ran over with Al, who picked her up.

"Hehe. I fell flat on my face," Donna laughed as she got up.

(Your Highness? Did she just say Your Highness?)

My heart was pounding, but I pretended not to hear and checked Donna's injuries. She had scrapes on her knees and palms. There was a little blood, but it wasn't serious, so I was relieved. I quickly took Donna home, washed her wounds with water, and wrapped them with the cleanest cloth I could find.

After looking around the farm again, we gave them a lot of fruit and homemade jam as souvenirs, and it was time for the three of them to leave.

"Thank you for taking such good care of us today."

"No, it's nothing."

"I'm sorry for the trouble Donna caused. Please let me apologize later."

When Al said this, I quickly replied in a low voice.

"No, that would be too much, Your Highness. Even though I didn't know, I have been very disrespectful. I cannot accept an apology."

I bowed deeply and looked up to see Al, no, Prince, looking down at me with a sad expression.

"Alesia, I lied about my identity. I'm sorry."

"I understand, Your Highness. Thank you for everything."

Hearing this, the Prince opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but closed it without saying anything, saying only "I'm sorry" and left.

......

When the servant who had been taking care of Princess Edna since she was a baby found the scrapes on her palms and knees, she reported it to the higher-ups. The servant who had falsely reported that "Princess Edna is taking a nap" was called to the head of the servants.

After that, Prince Markus was also called by the Queen.

"Markus, do you know why you were called?"

"Yes. I took Edna outside the palace. I'm sorry."

"That's not all. You also made a servant who couldn't refuse you lie."

"......Yes."

The servant who had been taking care of Edna since she was a baby was transferred to another department for a while due to this incident.

"You were swayed by emotion. If something had happened to Edna because of your judgment that 'this is fine,' you would not be able to take responsibility alone."

"......I'm sorry."

"You went to the farm, didn't you? Edna must have asked you, and you wanted to make her happy. But it is unacceptable for two members of the royal family to go out with only one attendant."

"Yes."

"If this happens again, I will have to assign someone to monitor your actions constantly. Gil will also be removed from his position as an attendant."

"......I will not do this again. I'm very sorry."

When Prince Markus returned to his room, he wrote a letter to Alesia, apologizing for lying about his identity. A letter that said, "The farm was very enjoyable. The food was delicious. Thank you for everything," was delivered to the farm by Gil.

Markus visited the farm many times but never ordered an investigation into the rain. He thought that if he revealed his identity and investigated the source of the water, they would abandon the farm and disappear again. He judged this as a "failure" as a member of the royal family.

There were ways to monitor and investigate them so they couldn't escape, but he didn't think that was the right way for a royal. They had not broken any laws. They were diligent, kind, and honest farmers, people the royal family should protect. Even if one of them was a magician, not reporting it was not a crime.

"As soon as Alesia found out I was a prince, she clearly avoided me. It wasn't out of politeness. It was as if she was saying, 'I'm bothered, don't come.' A royal family that is avoided by the people is not what it should be."

This thought was deeply etched into fifteen-year-old Markus's heart.

......

That night, I told my parents about the contents of the letter from Al, who is actually Prince Markus. My parents were speechless for a while.

"I'm surprised... I thought Al was just a rich kid. I never imagined he was a prince."

"I thought a soldier of that age wouldn't be given such a fine horse. But... this is unexpected..."

"Hey, Dad, do you think the Prince came to investigate our farm?"

"Hmm, maybe, but I didn't think his smile was fake. However, as someone in power..."

"Mom, I think if he was a prince, he could have made sure we couldn't escape and then asked about the rain. But he didn't. And to bring an important princess to a suspicious place... He might have suspected something at first, but he probably decided there was nothing suspicious."

After a moment of silence, my father, still looking at the table, said:

"Alesia, if anything happens, don't worry about your parents and run away on your own. We'll buy you time, and you can escape on horseback through the wasteland. Go to Isabelle's place, and from there, decide where to go and run far away. I'll give Isabelle the money for that."

"Our happiness is for you to live a healthy and happy life. Don't forget that."

I can't abandon such kind parents. I don't think I can escape on horseback and shake off the soldiers.

"Dad, Mom, maybe the current royal family isn't as scary as we think. The Prince seemed serious and kind. Let's not panic and observe for a while."

If they want to use me, they won't kill me. Rain won't fall if I don't sleep.

However, months passed, and the farm was never investigated. After this incident, I started considering the possibility of fleeing to another country as a precaution.

(The destination... Faril Kingdom is out of the question.)

The Faril Kingdom in the north is the country of the soldiers I washed away with a large amount of water in my previous life. Faril has become a military power in the last twenty years. If I were to flee, it would probably be to the neighboring country of Barwara in the east.

So I started learning the Barwara language at the library. Barwara gets more rain than the Raminb Kingdom, so unnatural rain might be less noticeable.

And there's one more thing. There are many people in this country I want to help. I started looking for a way to use my power without having to run away.