The Reincarnated Princess Works Hard

The Reincarnated Princess Works Hard

In preparation for the arrival of the two apprentice sorcerers, I was steeling myself for introductions. However, since the pair had not yet learned to control their powers, would I really be allowed to interact with them? As it turned out, my doubts were unfounded—just a few weeks later, I managed to secure an audience, and met them with ease.

I was quite surprised to be around them so soon. I’d imagined that we’d only be allowed to meet after the sorcerers had spent some time learning from Miss Altman. But the reasoning was quickly apparent: the two boys in front of me had chokers fitted around their necks, and I was informed that the chokers were made of a special crystal which had a magic-dampening effect. While worn, the boys couldn’t summon more than around thirty percent of their power.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Highness,” said one of the young sorcerers. “My name is Teo Eilenberg, and I’ll be studying magic under Miss Irene von Altman.”

Teo Eilenberg’s most distinguishing features were his fiery-red hair and the mysterious half-red, half-black color of his eyes. His skin was a robust brown, and his stature was much larger than I would’ve expected for a thirteen-year-old boy. He also possessed a cheerful smile.

For clothes, he wore a white shirt, black pants, and black boots. The black robe he donned over his clothes had an embroidery of gold thread, which was inlaid along the sleeves, hem, and collar. His outfit looked exactly like a sorcerer’s should, but to be honest, I’d have sooner believed anyone who told me that he was a soldier.

“I’m Lutz Eilenberg,” the other boy muttered.

Lutz Eilenberg had alabaster skin and hair so silver that it was almost white. He was an attractive boy, slender, and with dull-indigo eyes. Unlike Teo, the robes suited him perfectly. Although he should’ve been the same age as Teo, he seemed to be Teo’s complete opposite in more than one way.

At the moment, Lutz was still uncorrupted. Due to being treated like a monster for his powers, he was on the verge of losing his faith in other people—right now though, this only manifested as a little bit of bitterness in his attitude.

All right, let’s somehow get this flag broken! I resolved to myself.

This was all well and good, except that Lutz proved to be quite the challenge. I couldn’t find a single starting point; there was no opening that I could use to get along with him.

“Hey, Princess! What’s this herb good for?”

Teo and I, on the other hand, became friends immediately. Not that I’d expected any less, as he’d been amicable from day one. He opened up to everyone.

At this time, we were in the middle of tending to the medicinal herbs of the palace’s greenhouse. While reviewing the various kinds of plants and their effects, Teo would often come over to me and chat. However large his body was, he looked like an excited child when he’d point to an herb and joyfully ask questions. Somehow, that childishness felt to me like it was all calculated; maybe it was like a personal philosophy designed to grease the wheels of his relationships with others.

He was a hard worker with a passion for knowledge. Looking at the way he placed value in communicating with those around him, I expected that he’d go far.

“That’s a fever cure for children,” I responded to Teo. “I think that you squeeze the juice out and drink it raw.”

“Yuck! I bet it’s bitter,” he replied.

“What can you do? It’s medicine.” I smiled at Teo as he scrunched up his face.

He turned to the next herb. “What’s this one good for?”

“That one stops bleeding. If you decoct the plant before drinking it, it acts on internal disorders. I think that it also works on stomachaches and chills.”

“Decoct, then drink,” recited Teo. “I’ll bet this one’s bitter too.”

“It’s tasty if you bake it into bread though,” I countered.

“Really? Even though it’s bitter?”

“The bitterness is softened by boiling the herb,” I explained. “If you grind it up and mix it into dough, it takes on a unique flavor. It’s delicious.” Truthfully, the plant with the jagged leaves was mugwort.

It’d be perfect if we had glutinous rice and red adzuki beans, but I haven’t yet found any in this world. I’m holding out hope that Julius will locate some one day.

“Wow, you know everything! I knew you would. I’d love for you to teach me all sorts of things.” Teo shouted over to Lutz, who was watering plants far away from us in the large greenhouse, “Hey, Lutz, get over here! We should have her teach the both of us!”

Lutz turned his eyes towards us once, then looked away. There was no response.

“Oh well,” Teo whispered with a chuckle, not looking particularly offended at having been ignored.

I really was relieved that Teo was here. If I’d been on my own, I doubt that my heart could’ve coped.

“Lutz, might I join you over there?” I asked.

To nobody’s surprise, my offer was met with silence. I shared a stumped look with Teo, shrugged my shoulders, and put on a forced smile.

Unfortunately, the delightful mood in the room was shattered in an instant. I broke out in goosebumps at the sudden murderous feeling emanating from behind us. I whipped around and glared at the source of the miasma, then called his name with a firm voice.

“Klaus!”

“Yes?” Klaus didn’t flinch at all under my glare. He wore an easygoing smile with no trace of guilt.

Why do I feel like this guy’s getting harder to deal with by the day?

“Stop it,” I commanded.

“Why? I can’t stand to watch the insolent way he acts towards you, Lady Rosemary,” Klaus responded.

If you can’t stand, then just sit down! I thought, but I swallowed back the words before they made it past my lips. I released a deep breath instead.

“Just stop it,” I told him in a low tone of voice, and Klaus quickly folded.

“Understood,” he responded, backing down.

I really never know where his buttons are. Could somebody please write and manufacture a user’s manual for Klaus with urgency, and then take him off my hands? I’m afraid that I won’t be accepting any refunds.

“You’re an odd one, Princess,” Teo whispered quietly from my side as I languidly returned to looking after the medicinal herbs.

When I looked at him, I saw that Teo was wearing a rather severe expression.

I’m an odd one? What exactly about me is odd? On the outside I might be a beautiful girl, cast in the mold of my mother, just like in the game—deep down though, I’m just normal with a hint of awkwardness.

“Am I? I think I’m normal, as far as I know,” I said with a tilt of my head. Teo narrowed his mysteriously colored eyes and smiled.

“I’m not sure what your definition of ‘normal’ is, but your guard’s reaction is the more ordinary one. Nobody can complain about being punished if they act rudely towards a princess. And we’re just two strangers who were raised in an orphanage—it’s peculiar that we’ve even been allowed to approach you. And yet, you don’t chastise our rudeness, and you’re acting friendly towards us. So, you’re an odd one.”

Teo repeated his sentiment once again, though his voice was softer than it’d been earlier.

Having someone compliment me to my face left me feeling awkward rather than embarrassed.

Stop it. Don’t look at me with such wonder in your eyes! I’ll end up thinking I’m a hopeless sleazebag!!!

“I’m not—” I started.

“Teo, she’s playing you.”

I’m not as virtuous a person as you seem to think, I was about to say, but Lutz interrupted me before I could finish.

I wasn’t sure when he had come over to us, but he stood behind Teo and shot an ice-cold glare at me.

“She’s just trying to win us over,” said Lutz. “She’ll act friendly on the surface, but in her head, she’s ridiculing us as monsters. You can bet that much.”

“Lutz!” Teo shouted.

“You’d be better off not forcing yourself, Princess,” continued Lutz. “Be honest—you’re scared of us, aren’t you?”

Despite Teo’s admonishment, Lutz refused to stop. He hurtled naked hostility at me. His honesty, though, actually improved my opinion of him. His anger came off as sort of cute, like a stray cat hissing.

“Hmm, I suppose that I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t scared,” I answered.

Despite being the one who chose to provoke me, Lutz screwed his face up, as if in pain at my sincere answer.

He really is an honest kid. Far more pure and straightforward than I am. That’s probably why he’s so aggressive; he’s desperate not to get hurt.

“Magic lies solely in the realm of the unknown to me,” I explained. “What I don’t understand makes me scared, but also makes me want to learn more. And I feel the same way about you two.”

I don’t understand, so I want to.

When I laid bare my inner thoughts without alteration, Lutz’s eyes flickered with uncertainty for a moment.

“I don’t want your pity!” He stifled his words into a caustic whisper, then showed his back to us and left, without waiting for my reply.

“Please forgive my friend’s terrible discourtesy.” Teo, left behind by Lutz, bowed his head to me with a meek expression on his face.

As I thought, Teo’s childishly innocent actions and speech are just decorations. His true nature is far more mature than his actual age.

“Don’t worry,” I assured Teo, “It’d be bad if he acted like that in public, but at the moment, we’re the only ones here.”

“You have my sincerest thanks, Your Highness,” replied Teo, still using a more respectful and formal standard of speech.

“And I’d rather that you stopped that too,” I said as I directed a strained smile his way.

“Gotcha, Princess.” He nodded, returning to his casual manner of speaking.

“Besides,” I said plainly, “it’s true. I do fear you, and I feel sorry for you.”

Teo’s eyes briefly widened in astonishment, and afterwards he burst into laughter, contorting his lips into a smile.

“T-Talk about laying your cards on the table! You don’t hold back, I’ll give you that.”

“You’re both sharp,” I countered, “so trying to hide it wouldn’t have stopped you from finding out.”

“You definitely are an odd one,” Teo said, struggling to contain his laughter. “You could’ve picked any number of less blunt ways to say the same thing.”

I couldn’t sense any animosity from him.

I was just as surprised at Teo, who was acting friendly towards me as though nothing had happened. While I wouldn’t have expected him to be as blatant about it as Lutz, I’d thought that he’d put more distance between us.

Noticing my bafflement, Teo put on a smile which was slightly different to the ones he had shown me before. Much more relaxed. “I find your directness comforting. It sounds way more trustworthy than the people who speak only in platitudes.”

“Teo...”

“I’m sure Lutz feels the same way too. But he can be a pain in the ass, so he won’t come around so easily. Give him a little more time and I think he’ll drop his guard,” Teo advised.

“Like you have?” I blurted out.

He winked lightly, but brazenly.

His expression and voice were now different from what they’d been not long before. His features were composed, and his tone was gentle. I guessed that this version of Teo was closer to his true nature.

He’s lowered his guard just a little. No more than a little though. He must’ve meant what he said when he called me trustworthy. Well, that’s plenty enough for me.

The two sorcerers had been forcibly brought to the castle against their wishes. On top of that, they’d been forced to wear magic-restricting chokers, so it was only reasonable that they wouldn’t be able to trust the royal family. That they’d despise and detest us.

When I thought of it like that, their attitude was, if anything, quite amicable for the circumstances.

“I’ll lend you a hand with Lutz, so let’s keep at it,” Teo said.

“Thank you.” I returned a half-hearted smile to Teo’s joyful one.

I’m not sure how much “keeping at it” I have in me, but I’ll give it my best shot. For the moment anyway, I have a plan.

“For starters, could you tell me Lutz’s favorite foods?”

Let’s aim for the stomach.