[Vol. 1] Chapter 14: The Princess Who Doesn't Want to Be a Queen Is Not a Good Princess
"Your Highness, please step back. This person is very dangerous, extremely dangerous. She and another individual were spying on our battle from the sky earlier, and their intentions are unpredictable."
The woman, dressed in tight-fitting gray leather armor and with short hair that was only slightly longer than Xiao Guang's, appeared cold and alert. She cautiously pulled Lilya behind her, slightly bowing, and gripped the short bow in her hand. She seemed ready to launch an attack at any moment.
Wow, the hostility is so strong. It's a good thing I had Xiao Guang retreat to the pet space before coming, otherwise, with her quick temper, she probably would have swatted at it with a paw.
"The one who just shot an arrow at me is you, right? You have very keen perception. Although I didn't deliberately hide, being able to notice a creature directly above from hundreds of meters away, do you have some kind of detection-based passive skill?"
Although the woman in front of her appeared as if she were facing a formidable enemy, Violet didn't actually intend to blame the other person. That arrow seemed fast and urgent, but in her perception, it couldn't even break through the default shield of [Feather Robe Graria]. At most, it might have startled her.
In the words of her pet, would you get angry if an ant waved its antennae at you in a threatening manner? It might pique some interest.
"Wait a minute, was that arrow just shot at you? What about the lightning and the anomaly from earlier…?"
The clouds, split in half by the beam, still floated above their heads. Even Lilya, after thinking that the person in front of her might be the one who caused the earlier incident, couldn't help but swallow her saliva. The surrounding soldiers, including the female archer named Flora, also stiffened their expressions.
"Well, it wasn't me."
Violet folded her wings and denied it honestly.
Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
"Well, that's good. May I ask, why has the Miss angel come here? Flora said you were just spying on us in the sky, is that true?"
Violet couldn't help but smile and replied, "What, is Princess interrogating me? I'm not your prisoner. If we're exchanging information, it shouldn't be all take and no give, right?"
Violet wasn't deceived by the seemingly delicate and cute appearance of the Fifth Princess. She could devise such a brilliant counter-ambush plan, perfectly exploiting the changes in people's emotions and vulnerabilities. This showed that she was actually a very clever and even cunning individual, and Violet didn't want to get trapped into the topic.
Indeed, upon hearing these words, a slightly disappointed expression briefly crossed Lilya's delicate face, but it quickly transformed into a brighter smile, as she continued the conversation.
"In that case, how about an informal chat, dear Miss Angel? It's not very convenient to discuss matters outside, is it?"
"Your Highness, you mustn't!"
Before Violet could respond, the royal guards protecting Lilya had their expressions change dramatically. They immediately attempted to intervene, and even the woman named Flora tugged at the princess's sleeve, showing signs of concern.
At such a moment, Lilya displayed her undeniable status and authority as a princess. She smiled and shook her head, saying, "With the protection of the legendary adventurer called Flora, also known as 'Scarlet Flame,' there's no need to worry about my safety. The sister Angel likely means no harm. Let's all go deal with the aftermath of the battle."
Although the girl spoke softly, no one dared to object. The silver-armored soldiers, despite their apparent unease, reluctantly obeyed her orders, leaving only Lilya, Violet, and "Scarlet Flame" as her protectors. The three of them entered another carriage not far away.
While it was called a carriage, the interior was surprisingly spacious, somewhat resembling the motorhomes Violet had seen on her homeworld. It even had tea, pastries, and fruits laid out, making her wonder when they had been prepared. Was this truly a carriage fit for a princess? And this was just a substitute; she couldn't help but wonder how luxurious the original one must be.
"Please, Miss Angel, have a seat, make yourself at home. You can have whatever you'd like, no need to be polite."
Lilya took the central seat, lifting her gown as she sat down. Her hands were properly placed on her lap, knees together, in what appeared to be some royal etiquette. Violet didn't understand all these customs, but it was undeniably charming.
Violet casually chose a seat, picked up a freshly baked biscuit, and tasted it. She nodded with a pleasantly surprised expression and said, "Hmm! The taste is quite good! Also, I'm not an angel, I'm called Violet, just a regular traveler passing through."
"Hehe, Sister Violet, you don't seem ordinary at all," Lilya replied with a smile.
Lilya covered her mouth and chuckled, clearly not buying into the story at all. However, she didn't press the matter further and even intentionally ignored the mention of the "other person" that Flora had talked about earlier.
"I see."
The dark-haired girl shook her head, non-committal. She didn't particularly enjoy these meaningless rounds of mutual probing and decided to remain silent.
"Alright, then, Sister Violet, what brings you here, descending from the sky, to talk with me?"
Lilya was quite perceptive and, seeing Violet's impatience, promptly steered the conversation back on track.
"Well… there's not really anything particularly important. I just wanted to meet you, the intriguing Princess. By the way, is she your exclusive guard?"
Violet shifted her gaze to Flora, who stood behind the princess. She remembered Lilya mentioning earlier that this woman was a legendary-level expert.
"Hehe, Violet sister, you're joking. Flora is one of the youngest legends in the Adventurer's Guild. She's one of the Three Legendary-level people from the Courage City and just happened to be stationed in the capital. We're also friends. Since I felt there was a significant threat when I went out this time, I asked Flora to accompany me for added protection."
Lilya explained with a beaming smile. Flora didn't deny it and seemed uninterested in participating in the conversation, keeping a watchful eye on Violet, fearing a sudden confrontation.
"Legendary-level, huh…"
Violet was a bit puzzled. This Flora was undeniably strong, at least the strongest person she had encountered since arriving in this world. That one arrow alone, without her having any chance to prepare, was evidence enough. However, that seemed to be the extent of it.
From the effects of her few attacks, if she wasn't deliberately concealing her strength, Flora's level was likely in the low 40s. If someone like her was considered one of the top-tier legends…
Could it be that I'm already unmatched in this world?
After all, the gap between level 50 and level 100 was not just a simple 50-level difference. As levels increased, the difficulty of leveling up, attribute amplification, and skill power all experienced a significant jump. Violet had taken far longer to progress from level 100 to level 110 than she had to go from level 0 to level 100.
No, no, no, it's too early to make a judgment now. After all, Flora is still very young, and maybe being a legend is one of those classifications with a significant range between the lowest and highest levels, much like Lv5 in a certain city…
Only a fool would think they're absolutely invincible. It's essential to have enough reverence for the unknown when trying to survive in another world, and besides, Violet hadn't even figured out much about the Human United Kingdom herself yet.
She quickly pondered several possibilities, but her outward expression remained unchanged. In reality, she found this Princess Lilya quite interesting and had even considered staying by her side for a while to observe.
The princess's knowledge and insights were undoubtedly beyond what a seasoned master-level mercenary could offer. She could likely gather some valuable information.
However, Violet didn't actively bring this up. She was waiting for the other party to broach the subject first. As a princess, Lilya wouldn't simply invite her into her carriage for no reason, there had to be a purpose. Violet was just maintaining a calm facade.
It appeared Violet's speculation was on point. After a brief silence, the young princess took a deep breath and tentatively asked, "Miss Violet, I won't beat around the bush. Are you a legendary-level warrior? To be honest, I've never seen Flora so… nervous before."
She even changed her way of addressing Violet. Compared to the somewhat insincere "sister, sister" titles, the new address seemed to reflect the princess's sincerity better.
"Well, let's say I am."
"Really…!"
An uncontrollable delight appeared in Lilya's eyes, and she almost shouted in excitement,
"Then, can I ask you to temporarily join my service? You can name your own reward, whether it's gold, magical items, titles, or even land, as long as you're willing to help me!"
"Oh, a rebellion for a throne?"
"Uh…"
Seeing the enigmatic smile in the dark-haired girl's eyes, the princess only then realized her blunder and clenched her fist in frustration. In the end, she was still quite young. While she had the wisdom, she lacked the experience and subtlety in hiding her intentions. The first two rewards might have been acceptable, but titles and land were privileges that only the king could bestow in the Human United Kingdom. Lilya's willingness to propose such conditions made her intentions quite obvious.