Princess Layla’s procession was small, consisting of a carriage drawn by four horses and accompanied by twelve knights. They had to pay their respects to Veldam.

For a royal procession, the princess’s belongings were surprisingly few. There were two large suitcases filled with clothes and a small box of miscellaneous items. Princess Layla personally looked after a small box containing a pair of gold earrings, a necklace set with blue gemstones and the golden tiara she always wore.

Among the horses tied to the carriage, Malyn quickly recognised one as the princess’s horse, Paradi. The tall mare, with her glossy brown coat and jet black mane, was, to put it mildly, far prettier than the princess herself. The horse exuded such elegance that Malyn couldn’t help but feel a pang of annoyance and flicked Paradi’s muzzle with her finger. Just lightly – enough to tickle.

But Paradi glared at her – as much as a horse could – and snorted violently. Whinny! A thick clump of mucus shot out of her nostrils, and as Malyn was shorter than the horse, she ended up with horse snot all over her face.

“Ew!”

With a small scream, Malyn fell backwards, causing two nearby knights to laugh before quickly regaining their composure. The bundle she was carrying also fell to the ground, spilling its contents. Wiping her face with the back of her hand, she barely managed to open her eyes when she saw a pair of feet in green silk shoes standing beside her pitiful belongings.

It was Princess Layla, bending down to pick up Malyn’s apron.

“Yuck.”

As the princess straightened up, the small beads that adorned her hair clinked softly together. Malyn, still sitting on the floor, looked up at her, dazed.

The princess was holding the apron, turning it in her hands, and it was difficult to call her beautiful, even out of politeness. She always had a habit of slouching her shoulders, and today was no different – her back remained slightly hunched. Although she wore make-up, it only served to enhance the paleness of her complexion.

It was only the charm of her refined demeanour that gave her the slightest resemblance to a princess.

The Princess wore a gown of warm, luxurious green velvet, designed to reveal her collarbones. Below, the gown had a structure supported by an old-fashioned crinoline, which, though out of fashion, still looked quite dignified. Although Malyn had always thought the Princess looked frail, the gown gave her an appearance of delicate grace, making her shoulders look slender and refined. It was almost breathtakingly beautiful.

The wide sleeves of her gown were decorated with gold leaf and set with white pearls, clearly indicating her status as someone accustomed to being served. Her long hair was braided to one side, with strings of pearls woven through it. The whole ensemble was extravagant – something someone like Malyn could only dream of in her wildest fantasies.

The beautifully dressed woman finally lifted her apron and spoke indifferently. Her voice, as always, was metallically deep and husky.

“Is this yours?”

“Uh… Ah, yes!”

“Take it.”

But Princess Layla’s hand moved instead to another person – the head lady-in-waiting, who bowed her head beside her. The lady-in-waiting silently took the apron and crumpled it up. Malyn jumped to her feet, nervous.

“P-Please, give it back.”

“It’s bad luck.”

When Princess Layla noticed Malyn extending her hand, she narrowed her eyes and stared at her intently. For a moment, Malyn didn’t understand what the princess meant, but she soon realised. Layla said that the blood-stained apron brought bad luck and should be thrown away. Malyn’s face turned red.

“Forgive me, but it’s my property…”

“Isn’t there blood on it?”

“It’s not my blood.”

Princess Layla’s brow furrowed slightly. The head lady-in-waiting’s expression was even more pronounced. She made a face and crumpled her apron in her hands. Despite her fear, Malyn took a step closer to the lady-in-waiting.

“It was my mother’s. Please, give it back.”

“Hmph.”

Princess Layla made a small sound as if she found this ridiculous, then turned and walked back to the carriage. It was clear that she had no further interest in the matter. The head lady-in-waiting whispered sharply but quietly.

“Didn’t you understand when we said it was bad luck?”

“I understand.”

Malyn steeled her eyes.

“But I need it.”

“A blood-stained item for someone about to embark on a long journey? It’s bad luck!”

Why? It was an item she had considered throwing away countless times, but now that everyone seemed determined to get rid of it, Malyn felt a rebellious urge rise within her. She stood, eyes fixed, and held out her right hand.

“It’s my mother’s keepsake. I can’t leave without it.”

“You mad girl.”

The head lady-in-waiting glared at her. But Malyn didn’t back down.

‘Do they really think there’s another girl besides me willing to go on this miserable journey?’

Malyn was confident. No one else wanted to go on this bridal journey. Under normal circumstances, the head lady-in-waiting would have beaten her to death over a mere apron. But now the princess was about to leave, and they couldn’t afford to send her off without a maid. The head lady-in-waiting was about to speak when –

“Enough. Stop arguing and pick up what’s on the ground.”

It was the voice of Princess Layla, now seated in the carriage with the help of an escorting knight. With a triumphant expression that seemed to say, “See, I told you,” Malyn extended her hand once again. The head lady-in-waiting, her face darkening, reluctantly handed over the crumpled apron.

Malyn turned and gathered her belongings – her underwear, bowls and other items that had fallen to the ground. There was even a small bundle of dried fish, secretly packed by a kitchen maid for the long journey.

Without even brushing the dirt from the cloth wrapping, Malyn gathered her belongings and hugged them tightly as she climbed into the carriage. She sat at the princess’s feet.

The princess sat upright, her posture stiff and rigid. When Malyn sat down on the floor and began to brush the dirt from her bundle, the princess gave her a displeased look. Malyn replied with a wide, carefree grin.

“Thank you, Princess.”

“You risk your life for such pitiful things.”

Although the princess’ words were cold, Malyn paid no attention to them. To be honest, even she knew that these things were worthless. Instead, she concentrated on brushing the dirt from her belongings, and then the princess spoke again.

“You risk your life for these worthless things – your life is just as meaningless.”

Malyn’s hand paused briefly before continuing. She didn’t respond to the princess; there wasn’t anything appropriate she could say. The head lady-in-waiting couldn’t kill her, nor could she leave the princess alone, but the princess could do all of that. So she had to hold herself back from slapping the princess in front of her.

“We’re leaving!”

The horses neighed and with a clatter the carriage began to move slowly. Malyn let out a panting “Oh my”. Unlike the princess’ seat, the floor where Malyn sat was bare, and her bottom immediately began to hurt.

Malyn gathered her round bundle and placed it under her as a cushion. She could feel the princess sneering at her, but she deliberately avoided looking up.

Instead, she curled up, staring at her navel, with her arms wrapped around her knees. It would take thirty days to reach Veldam—a long journey lay ahead.