The Reincarnated Princess on a Voyage

While I was sorting through my luggage in the room allocated to us, a voice called out to me from behind. “You seem to be in high spirits.”

Only then did I realize that I’d been humming to myself. He has a point. I am in quite the good mood. “Something good happened,” I said proudly.

His voice deepened. “Hmmm...”

I set down the luggage that I’d been holding and looked over my shoulder. Klaus was leaning against the wall and scowling, visibly annoyed and grumbling away to himself. His mutters sounded something like, “Next time I will knock him down to his knees, I swear.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I felt that my safest course of action was to refrain from finding out.

“Also, Big Brother, watch your tone,” I warned. “I shouldn’t have to keep reminding you.”

For the moment, Klaus had trouble finding a reply. “Can’t I at least speak freely when we’re alone in this room?” He pouted like a child after a scolding and explained that addressing me with anything less than proper deference was quite stressful for him. “I care for you and respect you, so being required to speak discourteously is an almost unbearable ordeal for me.” Klaus’s protest carried the utmost passion. “It makes me feel like my loyalty to you is being tested.”

“You’re overthinking it,” I bluntly denied. I don’t know what you expected from me, spewing that nonsense with a straight face.

However, my attempt at getting him to back off wasn’t met with success.

“Please... I’m begging you,” he pleaded, his lips quivering in a look of anguish.

Neither of us said a word for over ten seconds until I finally broke the silence. “As long as I have your word that you won’t slip up when we’re not in this room...”

I’ll just have to live with it, I thought.

Our cabin was small, but it belonged to us; nobody else was staying in here. The thin walls did give me pause, but the next room over was just cargo storage. As long as he made sure to switch personas when we left the cabin, we probably wouldn’t face any problems.

In truth, I would’ve preferred him to spend more time using his disguised manner of speech so that it would become second nature to him. I wasn’t willing to insist further though, because doing so might push him toward a mental breakdown.

“Thank you very much!” Klaus bowed his head ecstatically.

When I saw the innocent, childlike grin on his face, I thought better of treating him as coldly as I usually would. I returned an awkward smile, heaved a sigh, and then returned to sorting out my baggage.

As I was carefully removing each individual item from our cases, my hands stopped. “Oh, I nearly forgot,” I said, retrieving a rolled-up piece of paper and offering it to Klaus.

“What is it?” Klaus asked as he took the paper from me.

“It arrived from Flanmer,” I said without further elaboration.

Klaus wasn’t dumb, and that was all the hint he needed to understand what this was. His expression stiffened and he began to read in silence.

This was a letter from George—his latest report—which had arrived shortly before our departure. George and Michael had asked some questions to townsfolk in the ports, villagers in the mountains, and travelers on the road; this had apparently furnished them with valuable information.

The report stated that a certain tribe resided in a village somewhere among the mountains in the southwest of Flanmer. They lived deep in the mountains, growing medicinal herbs and making potent remedies. Collectively, the tribespeople were known as the Khuer.

“A family of medicine makers,” Klaus remarked as he scanned the letter. “This could be an important lead.”

“Yes. Although it seems that they’re having trouble locating the village.”

It was probable that the Khuer tribe knew about the medicine that I was searching for. George had thought so as well and had narrowed his investigation to focus on them. So far though, they’d had little luck making further progress.

The Khuer were solitary people who maintained little contact with outsiders. They would regularly descend from their mountain to sell medicine, but they’d hide their faces and converse as little as possible. Wealthy merchants and nobles had offered to employ them before, in recognition of their profound medicinal knowledge and the quality of their creations, but every offer had been declined. The reclusive Khuer disdained outside interference. Thanks to that, few even knew the location of their home village.

“I hope that they make some progress before we reach them, but that doesn’t seem likely,” Klaus said, his brows furrowed.

I nodded. “Well, whatever the case, we can’t do anything about it from this cabin. Let’s focus on our immediate concerns.”

Now that I’d finished sorting all of my luggage, I stood up.

“Where are you going?” Klaus asked.

“I want to take a look around the ship, above and below deck, and get to know what’s where. And of course, I’d like to find out whom we’re traveling with.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

I grasped the doorknob, but then stopped and looked back over my shoulder.

“Pull yourself together, Big Brother.”

“Switch personalities,” was the message I sent with my eyes.

With a single blink, my loyal knight took on the persona of a kind older brother. “Yeah. Off we go,” he urged, quite tenderly.

I opened the door and stepped outside.

***

“Everything is in quite good order,” Klaus said as we headed to the deck.

We’d made the rounds, exploring everywhere that we had access to, and true to what Klaus had said, the cleanliness below deck was immaculate. It might sound rude to say that I’d expected otherwise, but I’d honestly imagined more mess and disrepair.

“The ship isn’t new, so they must be looking after it well,” I remarked. I stamped the sole of my shoe onto the floor. The floorboards had clearly been around for years, but meticulous polishing gave them a sheen. We hadn’t spotted any obvious dirt or stains and hadn’t smelled any foul odors when we’d passed by the kitchens. It was nice when a ship was well maintained.

All the cargo was stacked neatly and tied down to prevent a collapse, and although the passageways were narrow, they were free of obstructions from luggage and equipment. We wouldn’t have to worry about our escape routes being blocked in an emergency, just so long as the crew remained calm.

“And the sailors are kind and friendly,” I said. “I like this ship.” I can see why Lord Julius recommended it, I thought as I climbed the stairs to the upper deck.

The moment that we stepped foot onto the deck from the stairs, we heard a shout. “This is too hot!”

Surprised, I cast my eyes around, but nobody was looking at me. I surmised that the complaint had been directed at someone else. Following the gazes of the sailors and passengers, I spotted a group of people.

“I can’t drink this if it’s not cold!” The voice came from a beautiful girl who was yelling with unveiled irritation. “Hurry up and bring me a cold one!”

I recognized her as the girl that the sailor had called “goddess.” She was seated on a deck chair beneath a parasol held by her chamberlain, and she was currently glaring at a young maid.

“B-But Lady Flora, there’s no ice room here, so, um, how should I—?”

“I don’t care!” screamed the girl called Flora. “Figure it out for yourself and get it done!”

“A-As you wish.” The maid bowed her head with tears in her eyes.

Flora wrinkled her nose in aggravation as she watched the maid walk away. “That girl is useless,” Flora hissed while she cooled herself down by waving a gorgeous lace fan. “She doesn’t think about my needs.”

“Please forgive her, My Lady,” her chamberlain urged, soothing. “I will have a word with her later.”

I watched on in stupefaction and a sort of groan escaped my lips. “Yikes...”

“She’s a piece of work,” Klaus commented from beside me, voice filled with open disgust. “I wouldn’t call that a ‘goddess.’”

Perhaps I should’ve reined him in and warned him about being rude, or told him to watch what he said, but a small part of me agreed that the girl was being unreasonable. After all, it was obvious that we needed to preserve fresh water on a sea voyage.

“Now!” bellowed the oppressive voice of the girl who shared a name with the goddess of spring and flowers.

I’m looking at a cliché, I thought with a strange mix of revulsion and amazement. She is the stereotype of a spoiled noble girl.

The maid passed by my side as she returned. “I’ve brought you lemon water, Lady Flora!” She hurried toward Flora carrying a pitcher and a glass.

Slices of lemon floated in the water that filled the pitcher, and the sailors standing near me furrowed their brows at the sight. It’s been said once already, but on sea voyages, fresh water is precious. The same is true for fruit, of course.

We weren’t embarking on a grand expedition across the ocean, but that didn’t excuse supply waste. After all, one can never be too prepared; the unforeseen could strike at any moment, so it paid to be economical.

However, though the sailors wore sour expressions, they didn’t complain out loud. A bead of sweat ran down my spine when I heard one of them mutter, “If she’d been anyone but the goddess...”

Could it be that their misunderstanding is causing them to hold back criticism? Are they putting up with her because they’ve benefited from the Dew of the Sea?

I blanched. What should I do? What can I do?

Maybe I should stick up my hand and say, “Hey guys, I’m actually the goddess that came up with the Dew of the Sea, LOL!!!”

Nope. I can’t, and I really don’t want to. I haven’t done anything to deserve that fate.

“You took all that time to make a little lemon water?” Flora griped. “You could’ve surprised me.”

“M-My apologies.”

Flora shut her fan with a click. “Fine, whatever, just pour me a glass already,” she ordered pompously.

The maid quickly handed the glass to her mistress and poured out some lemon water. Flora raised the glass to her lips without uttering a word of thanks and then her beautiful eyebrows arched upward. “What’s this supposed to be?! It’s warm!”

Mm-hmm, of course it is, I sniped in my mind. She told you there’s no ice room.

As I watched the exchange with bated breath, Flora shoved the glass back at the maid. “I don’t want it!”

Hold on, okay. Time-out. Why aren’t you bothered by doing this in front of the whole ship? I’m over here cringing on your behalf...

I gently rubbed my stomach, which was beginning to ache.

“Huh? B-But what should I do with this?” the maid asked.

“Throw it away!”

I sensed a wave of seething anger rippling through everyone watching. The sailors glared and tutted, and by my side, I saw all expression vanish from Klaus’s face. A male passenger standing some distance away from us heaved a sigh and scowled.

“But—”

“Throw it away, I said! Are you deaf?!”

Please, please, please stop! Don’t say anything else!!!

“Wait, please!” I interjected. I couldn’t hold my silence any longer. Stepping into the space between Flora and the maid, I disrupted the barrage of abuse. My error in judgment became clear when I noticed that everyone’s attention was now focused on me.

Shit. So much for not sticking out...

“And you are?” Flora asked.

“I’m... Uhhh...” I’d instinctively plunged myself into the situation, but I hadn’t given any thought about what specifically I was going to do.

Flora examined me from head to toe. Her gorgeous eyebrows knitted together in a look of displeasure. “The way you’re dressed... You must be a commoner. Are you aware of how insulting it is for you to address me directly?”

“F-Forgive me,” I said after a pause. “But water is precious. If it’s going to be thrown away anyway, could you give it to me instead?”

“My! How base. You ought to be ashamed, asking for other people’s waste.” Flora turned her face away, opened her fan, and used it to cover her mouth. She peered at me with disgust out of the corner of her eyes.

I felt my confidence waver. I’d been hoping to ride this out with a smile, but I had to struggle to keep my expression from looking fraught. Somebody pulled my hand and I felt something firm touch the back of my head.

“That’s enough. Come here, Mary.”

His voice was low as it rang against my eardrums, and it sounded like he was forcefully subduing strong emotion. I nervously raised my head and saw that Klaus was wearing a pretty smile. However, that smile did not reach his eyes.

Oh God, I wanna get out of here.

“Don’t be so reckless,” he said. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“S-Sorry... I think?”

He was still holding me close, and he started stroking my hair.

Isn’t this a bit too cozy?! I discreetly pushed at his stomach with my elbow so that nobody else would notice, and then gestured with my eyes for him to back away. However, Klaus maintained both his smile and his firm grip on my shoulders.

He’s punishing me, I know it. This is payback for my intervention.

“Excuse me, who might you be?” Flora asked.

Flora’s focus had now abandoned me, and she gazed over my shoulders at Klaus. Her cheeks were tinted red and her eyes sparkled. I almost couldn’t recognize her as the same person that’d been glaring at me a moment before. I was flummoxed by Flora’s dramatic change, but she paid no attention to me and instead stared passionately at Klaus.

“My name is Flora. Could you tell me yours?” she asked bashfully.

Klaus shot her a chilly look. “What good will learning my name do you?”

The difference in their attitudes was so chilling that I was worried I’d catch a cold.

“I thought that we could get to know each other,” she replied. “If it’s no inconvenience to you...” Flora’s persistence even after Klaus’s ice-cold glare was almost praiseworthy.

What’s making her so enthusiastic? Is it his appearance? Just his good looks? It was certainly true that, in the visual department, he was top quality. Klaus, with his attractive looks and easygoing demeanor, was the manifestation of a young girl’s ideal man. Although, that could be hard to remember when his personality was unseemly enough to offset his fabulous handsomeness.

“It is an inconvenience,” Klaus growled with a contradictory bright smile.

“Sorry?” Flora said, stunned. Judging by the look on her face, she couldn’t comprehend what he’d said.

“It’s quite fanciful for you to want to ‘get to know’ a commoner like me,” Klaus said, putting particular emphasis on the word “commoner.”

I was taken aback.

His hostility toward her was plainly evident, and Flora froze. After a few seconds, the meaning of his words appeared to register in her mind, and her pale, beautiful skin flushed bright red. However, this time the cause wasn’t bashfulness or attraction, but embarrassment and anger.

“Oh, right! You appeared to be well brought up, so I gave you a chance, but I was clearly wasting my time.”

“Yes, you were. I apologize for dragging this out.”

I gasped. Why are you goading her?! Klaus had surely noticed that I’d gone pale, but he didn’t do anything about his pugilant attitude. He must be pretty pissed off.

“I want you out of my sight, now!”

“No need to tell me,” Klaus responded with an aloof smile, entirely unfazed by the threatening tone in Flora’s voice. He flung his arm over my shoulder, swiveled us around, and started to walk away. However, he paused after only a few steps. “Oh, I nearly forgot. Could we have that water?” he asked, before adding, “Since you don’t want it.”

“Do what you want!” Flora fumed, her eyebrows arched in exasperation.

The maid’s eyes darted nervously between us and her mistress. After a moment of hesitation, she handed the pitcher and the glass to me.

Klaus waited until both were in my hands before pushing me forward and saying, “Thank you very much. Right, let’s go.” He put a lot of force into his bony hand where it pressed against my back, and this spoke volumes about his firm determination to get me away as soon as possible.

“I can’t believe him,” Flora grumbled. “He thinks he’s special just because he’s somewhat easy on the eyes... He couldn’t hold a candle to Lord George.”

I’d started to walk away at Klaus’s urging, but I had to whip my head back around after hearing Flora’s comment. However, Klaus wasn’t about to let me stop. He kept his hands on my shoulders and practically forced me to leave the scene.

“Wait, Big Brother! Did you hear the name she just—”

“Never mind that,” Klaus responded. “It has nothing to do with you.”

“Well, uh, sure, it doesn’t have anything to do with me directly, but—”

“It has nothing to do with you.”

“Did you need to say that twice?”

Regardless, Klaus stubbornly prevented me from returning to Flora. I glanced up at him and sighed. Beneath me, my legs took one step after another, propelled by Klaus’s momentum as he pushed and dragged my body forward.

On the way, I began to consider what I’d heard. Is George the purpose of Flora’s trip?

Already, more than a month had passed since George had left for Flanmer in search of the medicine, and his return to Nevel didn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon.

Is Flora chasing after him? Or planning to visit him? If so, then I have to hand it to her—that’s one hell of a mission to put yourself through for romance.

“Mary, stop thinking so much and watch where you’re walking,” Klaus instructed bitterly while I was deep in thought. “Drive that rich twerp of a boy from your mind.”

“Okaaay,” I replied, slightly miffed by Klaus’s choice of words. Uncovering Flora’s objective wouldn’t change what I could do at the present moment, so I decided to focus on my immediate concerns for now.

First of all, I’ve gotta find something to do with this water. I looked up at Klaus and said, “Big Brother, we should take this to the kitch—”

But then, someone spoke over me. “Hey, miss!”

I looked around and saw a man waving his hand at us as he walked down a flight of stairs.

Am I the “miss” he’s talking to?

We stopped moving as he ran up to us, and I recognized him as one of the sailors that’d been on deck. He appeared to be in his midthirties and had tanned skin and stiff brown hair. His eyes were the same shade of brown, and they had a piercing look to them. The weak of heart wouldn’t find it easy to make eye contact with this man.

He leaned over and brought his face close to mine. His frame was large and muscular, so it was incredibly intimidating to have him staring down at me. I froze.

He watched me for a second and then broke into a surprisingly friendly smile. “Thanks, miss.”

My eyes grew round upon hearing his unexpected gratitude. “Huh?” Why am I being thanked? I wondered and cocked my head.

The sailor’s smile grew remorseful. “You told that spoiled little lady not to waste water.” He scratched his cheek, seeming slightly ashamed. “We oughta be the ones telling her. Sorry for leaving it to you.”

“No, it’s fine!” I flung my head left and right. “I should’ve thought things through properly before intervening... I’m sure I made things worse.”

I knew that my reckless actions had put everyone on edge. He must’ve been worried about me, but I’d done nothing to deserve his thanks or an apology. My head started to droop, but the sailor’s words stopped me.

“Of course not. If you hadn’t said anything, the situation would’ve only gotten more tense.” His large hand patted my head. “You’re brave...and you’re kind.” He then turned to Klaus. “You must be proud of her.”

“I am... Although I have to keep my eyes on her, since she has a habit of acting rashly,” Klaus said with a frown.

So many relevant examples sprang to my mind that I didn’t even bother to argue. I began to frown as well. In stark contrast to our moods, the sailor beamed and roared with laughter.

“You two get along great.”

Klaus smiled and nodded. “We do.”

I neither smiled nor nodded. “We do?”

“Yep, you do.” He chuckled, watching Klaus’s and my polar opposite reactions. “I’m called Paul. Could you tell me your names?”

“Of course,” I agreed. Klaus and I introduced ourselves.

Paul the sailor told us that he worked on this ship and spent most of his time managing the kitchen.

Oh, that’s perfect, I thought. I tried to just give him the pitcher of water, but somehow, we ended up agreeing to a tour of the kitchen.

It was smaller than I’d imagined. The low height of the blackened ceiling made me feel claustrophobic. Stacks of crates and barrels, as well as large pots and other cooking implements, were littered around the floor space, adding to the room’s confined feeling. Although, I should note that the kitchen was kept as clean as everywhere else on the ship; the floorboards had a beautiful luster, which was the result of polishing rather than stray oil stains.

Two sailors were in the kitchen when we entered, and they looked at me with surprise. They turned to Paul, seeking an explanation.

“What’s all this, Paul? Bringing along quite the cute passenger with you.”

“So you were picking up girls instead of slogging it in here with us?” asked the smaller of the two.

“Yeah.” Paul puffed out his chest. “I’ve done well for myself, and don’t be afraid to tell me so!”

The smaller sailor hurled insults and an apron at Paul. “Shut your big gob! There’s tons of work to do, so get on with it!”

Paul caught the apron with ease and tucked it under his armpit. “Like I don’t know that. But first...” He began to rifle through a nearby barrel. “Huh? Where’d my apples go?”

“Oh, you mean the ones you told us you bought to present to that goddess?” asked the smaller sailor.

“I ate them,” admitted the larger one.

“Why?!” Paul asked. “I could see Jan doing that, but you, Kurt?!”

“What’d you say about me?” the smaller of the two said indignantly. He must’ve been Jan.

“There’s no chance in hell that girl’s the goddess,” the other—Kurt, a young man with blond hair—said venomously through a lovely smile. He gave Paul a thumbs-up sign. “It was in your apples’ best interests. I’m sure they were glad to be gobbled up by me since it saved them from her.”

Jan looked at Kurt with disillusionment. “The real deal’s never what the rumors make ’em out to be. Open your eyes, Kurt.”

“You’re wrong. She’s not the goddess, and the real one’s out there somewhere! A lady who’s humble and reserved and kindhearted... She exists, I know it.”

And there goes any chance of me fessing up to who I am, I realized, and my eyes glazed over. The “goddess” had acquired an existence all her own, and her reputation was morphing into someone entirely different from me. Kurt’s dreams had been crushed once already; I couldn’t do that to him again.

That aside, what exactly has Flora been playing at? She’s managed to damage her reputation even with the people in this kitchen, and they weren’t on deck for her outburst a few minutes ago.

Paul called out to Jan and Kurt to quell their argument. “Cut it out, you two. We’ve got a guest.” He scratched up and down his head. “Argh, that’s all the apples eaten... Just when I thought I was gonna give them to this girl,” Paul muttered.

Kurt grew pale. “Huh?”

“Sorry about that, miss,” Paul apologized sincerely. “I dragged you all the way to the kitchen for nothing.”

Behind him, Kurt began to squirm. He paced back and forth, pale faced. I knew that I shouldn’t find it funny, but I did. These three make a lovable team.

I smiled and shook my head. “Please don’t worry about it. I was looking for something to do anyway.”

Kurt seemed visibly relieved.

“That aside, I don’t mind helping in here if you’d like a hand,” I offered while glancing at a barrel’s worth of potatoes and carrots.

Paul politely declined. “I appreciate the offer, but we can’t ask that of you. Go up above deck with your brother and relax, maybe enjoy the scenery.”

I can’t imagine three people getting through all this work by themselves though. Even if I just peeled potatoes, I could be helpful.

From his position at my side, Klaus raised his head as though he’d had an idea. He started to speak for the first time since we’d entered the kitchen. “Do you mind if we stay here?”

I looked up at him with round eyes, surprised by his question.

“I’d like to keep my little sister as far away from that woman as I can,” he continued.

“What’s wrong with taking it easy in your cabin?” Paul asked.

“I would do that, if my sister could keep still.”

Paul clapped his hands together like the penny had dropped. “Ah, I get it!”

Oh, so that comment swayed you? I’m not sure how I feel about that. However, after reflecting on my own restless actions, I had no grounds to argue. Besides, I definitely didn’t want to be isolated in a cabin with Klaus—I’d be happier putting my hands to work than I would be just twiddling my thumbs.

“So you don’t mind helping out?” Paul asked.

“I’d love to!” I nodded, smiling.

“I’ll help as well,” Klaus added.

“No, you should sit this one out, Big Brother.” His participation was the last thing I wanted, and I glared at him to ward off his offer.

His eyes widened. From the look on his face, it seemed that he had no idea why I wasn’t eager to let him join in. The sight made me want to cradle my head in my hands.

He still has no understanding of how utterly hopeless he is when it comes to cooking...