Chapter 212: Cecilia The Actress
Chapter 212: Cecilia The Actress
Evelyn already knew that the leader of the initiates was behind some of the shady things going on in this place, and it wasn't much of a surprise that the city lord was involved, either.
Of course, with the arrival of the third princess, the previously restless people at the inn quickly calmed down and decided to stay low until the 'coast was clear'. Evelyn didn't really mind, since this would only make it easier for her to take care of them without causing a fuss.
The third princess didn't stay at the city lord's mansion for long, and used the excuse of touring the town to seek Evelyn out.
Naturally, it was impossible for the third princess to travel low key. With her personality being as it was, that kind of behavior would only make everyone suspicious if she was an imposter.
If not for Evelyn's orders, it was inconceivable for the callous princess to go through such a roundabout route to find her.
Evelyn remained calm as she waited in the inn with Cecilia, quietly observing the clamoring townsfolk rushed about in both excitement and terror. Some hoped to luck into being favored by the whimsical princess, while the others feared her poor reputation.
When Evelyn felt she was getting closer and closer, she knew it was time for her to go out. After all, if the third princess came directly to her room, even an idiot wouldn't believe it to be a coincidence, let alone the Deacon from the Temple of Shinra.
The old lady at the inn seemed to have had a complete personality change after learning that the third princess had come to her town, her attitude turning abruptly warm towards all the guests, though it was unlikely to last long.
She didn't even sneer at the two beautiful girls when they came out of their rooms, even though previously they had been the most hated existence in her eyes.
The old innkeeper thought that she was being cautious enough, and this 'malignant star' that had come into their territory would soon pass. But when the mighty princess walked into their inn, the old lady's soul almost flew right out of her body in terror.
"T-Th-Third P-Princess?!"
Even if someone could ignore the obviously 'outlandish' regal clothing of the beautiful purple-haired girl, and be idiotic enough to not notice the lightning streaks in her hair, there was no way they could ignore the armored guards following behind her.
Normally, the third princess preferred keeping just a single, competent guard around her, but it was impossible for her to meet Evelyn under the eyes of a royal guardian without risk. Of course, she couldn't go out without protection either, so she had casually taken a few royal guards to follow her instead.
Naturally, the aura and demeanor of the royal guards from the palace wasn't something that ordinary townsfolk could handle.
The old innkeeper hurriedly kneeled down in front of the princess, and the rest of the guests followed suit in a panic. Most of them hoped that the third princess would lose interest and move on quickly, but to their horror, the clicking of heels moved in their direction instead.
None of them dared to look up to see the expression on the face of the third princess, for fear of attracting her attention, and it was only when she moved past them all that a few dared to sneak a glance.
Only then did they realize that at a corner table, a pair of young girls seemed to have remained completely oblivious to the disaster they were about to face, and were happily chatting away with each other.
As expected, the third princess wasn't pleased with being ignored.
Emilia was wearing Aurora's cloak to avoid attracting attention, and the third princess tapped the 'dazzling' ash blonde's head with her fan, an 'amused' smile on her face. "What a bunch of cute girls. I didn't know this remote town could raise such 'well behaved' daughters."
The sarcasm in her voice was obvious, and the people hearing it couldn't help but shiver. 'These ignorant little ladies are doomed for sure! They really offended the princess this time!'
Cecilia hadn't known what to expect when Evelyn told her to 'play along' when the princess sought her out, but she decided to just go with her instincts.
With her identity as the heir to the Fullbright family, she didn't actually need to fear someone like the third princess too much. After all, unlike the other ancient families in the Lavinian Empire, their strength was still nothing to scoff at, thanks to her grandmother's existence.
However, no one here knew who she was, and even her appearance was slightly disguised using Evelyn's strange illusion technique.
In that case, she should react like an ordinary girl from a decent family, right?
Cecilia 'shivered in fright'. "A-A-Ahhh! S-Sorry, princess! W-We didn't notice your illustrious presence! Forgive us!"
Evelyn cooperated with her fully in pretending to be terrified and struck dumb, but only she knew in her heart how dumbfounded she really was. 'Cecilia's acting skills are really amazing. Is wiggling her butt like that supposed to be her 'shivering in fear'?!'
The ash blonde didn't even get up from her chair!
Naturally, the third princess wasn't here to criticize her acting skills, and just sneered disdainfully. "Where is your home? Let this princess see which house raised this little beauty."
At this point, anyone could tell that the princess intended to teach this girl a lesson. They had already noticed that the girl's looks stood out before, and seemed to have attracted the envy of the princess!
Some of the kneeling men couldn't help but lament her fate in their hearts. Maybe even if they hadn't failed to bow before, she would still have suffered.
If the third princess ruined her face, what a waste it would be!
Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do but keep silent and hope that they didn't attract the ire of the princess themselves.
There were no heroes here to save the beauty.