Who Could Have Loved the Monster Princess? - Chapter 59

I went into the city with Rose. Daisy had wanted to come along too, but she made too many slip-ups when she spoke, which made things difficult.

When I wore a breastplate and a long robe, I looked like a large bodyguard. But walking around like that alone attracted all sorts of trouble, so I had to go with Rose, posing as my employer.

Apparently, even to others, an unarmed employer didn’t seem dangerous, so when I was with Rose, we were stopped less often for inspections or random trouble. I also didn’t get as many unsolicited offers to join mercenary bands.

‘Though occasionally, some idiot would try to hit on Rose.’

The delinquents thought that big bodyguards were just for show and weren’t actually good fighters. So they always wanted to have a fight with me first and then go on a date with Rose.

‘Anyway, once I throw them down once, they run away.’

After going through that several times, rumors quietly spread around the neighborhood about the young lady out for a stroll with a big bodyguard, and the number of people picking fights with me dropped a lot.

My aunt and cousin lived in the refugee residential area. It wasn’t a place you could call nice, even as a polite exaggeration.

This area was set up so the residents could barely cover their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. The drainage was blocked, so if they needed water, they had to go all the way to the city outskirts to the laundry spot. The refugee area had been partially destroyed once by a monster attack, so it looked like shacks had been built on top of ruins.

“I didn’t know it was this bad…”

“Me neither. It’s worse than I expected.”

Rose frowned, stepping carefully to avoid the filth on the ground. I should buy her new shoes and a dress.

“My uncle must have known what kind of place this was, so why didn’t he support Aunt Alyssa even after my parents got married?”

I thought my mother might have known too, but I had never heard her talk about Amortan until now.

It felt strange. The path was complicated, and only after wandering a bit did I finally find where my aunt lived. I knocked on a wooden door full of holes, and a wary feminine voice responded:

“Who is it?”

Behind the door hung a curtain to block the wind, so I couldn’t see inside.

“I come in the name of Lady Belienne, daughter of Arina Amortan-Staedt.”

The curtain was slightly lifted, and through a gap in the door appeared eyes similar in color to my mother’s. The shape of the eyes looked alike too.

‘Could this be my cousin?’

The face I glimpsed when the curtain was raised looked about my age. Rose spoke quietly to break the tense atmosphere.

“I am Rosalyn April, the eldest daughter of the April family, vassals of the Staedt duchy, and Lady Staedt’s aide.”

Rose bowed politely according to imperial etiquette to the royal family. There was a clinking sound as a simple lock, fastened with nails, was undone and the door opened. But that wasn’t all.

‘There’s a protective magic seal here.’

It seemed my cousin, like my aunt, could use magic. Elena, who opened the door, smiled gently at Rose. The smile was very much like my mother’s, which made me feel a little strange.

“You came quickly.”

Rose seemed a bit caught off guard by the sudden words without introduction but soon answered calmly.

“I apologize for coming at an early hour. I am only here to convey Lady Belienne’s wishes and will not take much of your time.”

“No, I want to meet my younger sister in person, so I will come to Staedt.”

Rose quickly stepped aside to avoid Elena as she came out the door. Elena looked up at me from behind, narrowing her pretty brows. My face was hidden, and under the hood was shadowed, so she shouldn’t have seen me clearly.

Yet she stared intently into the hood as if determined to see inside. In her large eyes, I was reflected — the yellow irises and long pupils lurking in the shadows.

At that moment, Elena screamed.

“Eek!”

She stepped back and reached out toward me. At the same time, a spell shot from her hand aimed at my forehead.

Bang!

With a small explosive sound, my hood was suddenly ripped off.