The Reincarnated Princess Engages in Idle Conversation

After Mia fell asleep, I left her to Bianca and stepped outside the cabin, whereupon I was swarmed by people. Misster and Klaus were, of course, among the crowd filling the narrow hall—they’d been joined by the sailor that’d led us here and even Paul.

“How’s she doing?” Misster asked.

Klaus had the same query. “Is she all right?”

“She’s sleeping at the moment, so shhh.” I placed my index finger against my lips to hush them.

Everyone simultaneously fell silent. The sight of a man as large as Paul covering his mouth with both hands was, I admit, a little cute.

We moved a short distance from the doorway, and I began explaining the situation to everyone gathered. I informed them that Mia had contracted a mild case of dehydration caused by the heat and poor sleep. I also told them that she’d regained consciousness for a while and had drunk some water, but that she’d need more rest since she still looked pale.

“So she’s not in critical condition?” Misster asked.

“I’m not a doctor so I can’t guarantee that, but I expect so. The only treatment left is for her to get plenty of sleep. If she does, I think she should recover.”

“Right,” Misster said, breathing a sigh of relief.

The sailors seemed less tense now as well. With nothing left to do, those gathered began to disperse, returning to their posts.

“Excuse me!” I called out to the sailor that’d shown us to the cabin, catching him before he left.

“Hmm? What’s up, miss?”

“I’d prefer not to move Mia around too much, so I was hoping that we could continue to borrow that cabin, if possible...”

“Oh, just that? Sure, it’s fine.”

“But there’s already someone who’s supposed to be staying in that room, isn’t there?” After all, there was a complete set of bedding in the cabin, the space was clean and tidy, and the air wasn’t stuffy. I wouldn’t expect to find all of that in a vacant room. “Or am I mistaken?” I asked.

The sailor shook his head. “You’re right. A passenger was allocated that room, but I’ve already asked his permission.”

“You have? Thank you very much.”

“Don’t sweat it. He didn’t need any convincing anyway.”

I should thank him as well, I decided, and I asked the sailor where I could find him.

“While you’re at it,” the sailor said, clapping a fist into the palm of one hand, “he says he has some luggage in that cabin. Could you do me a favor? Fetch it and drop it off to him.”

“I will.” Sure. It’s hardly a big ask.

I slipped back into the cabin and, taking care not to disturb Mia’s sleep, began to look for the man’s luggage. After picking up a cloth bag that’d been placed out of the way in the corner of the room, I returned to the sailor.

He led me back up above deck. Flora was nowhere to be seen.

Has she gone back to her cabin? Works for me, to be honest. No fights this way.

“Ah! Found him,” the sailor said. “Hey, mister!” he called with an easygoing tone of voice and a big wave of his hand.

The target of the sailor’s attention was situated at the stern of the ship. He wore a dark-gray cloak and had pulled the hood low, obscuring his face. If I were to believe the sailor’s description, he was actually a young man, but I couldn’t judge his gender let alone his age since every bit of his skin was hidden beneath the cloak.

“This girl here brought your things,” the sailor said, indicating me with his thumb.

I gave a slight nod in greeting and then looked up at the hooded person.

Now that I was standing close to him, I became more confident that he was indeed a man. His height probably surpassed one hundred and eighty centimeters. Tall women do exist, but I noticed that he also had the shoulders and frame of a man. However, even from my vantage point far below his eyeline, I still couldn’t see his face.

I thanked him as I handed over his luggage. “Thank you for changing cabins for us.”

The man shook his head as if to say, “Don’t mention it.” He didn’t utter a word out loud though.

Not very talkative, I see. But then, George’s letter sprang into my mind. On that note...I wonder if the Khuer—the tribe of medicine makers—have the same vibe. Hiding their bodies beneath cloaks and keeping conversation to a minimum... This man certainly checks those boxes.

At that point in my thinking, a bitter smile rose to my lips. I was astounded by my own overly simplistic thought process.

So what, a man from the Khuer tribe just so happens to have boarded the same ship as me? Yeah, right. What are the chances of something that miraculous happening? The chips aren’t all just gonna fall in my favor.

And, in and of itself, there’s nothing unusual at all about wearing a cloak as protection from the sun.

I concluded that he was just on the reticent side and said my farewells.

***

A sailor entered the kitchen to deliver some goods. When he saw me, he smiled broadly and patted my head. “Ah, miss. So this is where you were.”

“Hello,” I replied.

“Hello to you too. How’s your voyage going? Anything I can do for you?”

Starting with Paul, the kitchen staff sighed. The words “not this again” might as well have been written on their faces.

“Get out if you’re just here to loiter,” Paul groused, flapping his hands as though he were shooing away an insect. “We can’t move for people.”

He was right. At the moment, the kitchen housed the three members of the kitchen crew, as well as two volunteers—Misster and myself. I’d sent Klaus outside to free up space; I’d told Bianca not to come. She’d taken that news a little...no, very badly.

“All right then,” the sailor said. “Miss, this old man would like to ask you to join him on deck. Tell you what—just this once, I’ll let you climb the crow’s nest.”

Paul slammed the pot that he’d been holding down onto the counter. “Yeah, you and the two others that said the exact same thing! Get the hell out of here, now!!!” He charged over, put his hands on the sailor’s back, and shoved him out of the kitchen.

I could hear a voice complaining from the other side of the door, but Paul paid it no notice.

Misster, who was sitting opposite me and carrying on with his task, began to tease me. “Look who’s popular, Mary.” The corners of his lips arched upward into a smug smile.

I stopped stringing beans and glared at him. “You’re enjoying this.”

“You bet.” His behavior was entirely devoid of shame, and I knew that he’d won.

Not that I ever thought I could best him in an argument...

Misster saw me pout my lips in irritation and he blinked a few times. He brought his hands up and squeezed my cheeks with his fingers. “Now you’re ugly,” he chuckled.

Today was the day after Mia’s collapse. Misster and I had properly introduced ourselves to each other and had become friends. His name was Wolf Lucker. He’d told me that he was twenty-seven years old and single.

Turns out that he was extremely sociable, proving my initial impression of him as an unapproachable person to be unfounded. He was both a good listener and a good talker, and I loved our conversations because we shared a hobby in cooking. After no time at all, we were as thick as thieves.

“You should be happy,” Wolf said, narrowing his eyes. His handsomely wild features took on a more mellow appearance. “It means that you’re loved.”

I sensed a charm that was androgynous, neither male nor female, in his downturned eyes. It’s strange. The rest of his body looks so manly.

“I don’t recall doing anything to earn that love,” I countered.

“What are you saying? The whole ship knows that you helped the maid girl.”

“That’s between me and her, not them.”

Mia had made a complete recovery after three hours of restful sleep. She’d thanked us for nursing her, but I’d been driven crazy by the thought that Flora might inflict punishment on her. However, my fears didn’t come to pass—Flora didn’t punish Mia, nor did she quarrel with us. She hadn’t even stepped one foot out of her cabin.

I’d found Flora’s sudden docility peculiar, but Wolf had suggested that the icy looks she’d gotten from the crew and the other passengers had sapped her of the will to show her face.

Whatever the real reason, I’m glad I won’t have to get into any pointless squabbles.

“It’s not just the maid,” Wolf added. “You’re the ship doctor now.”

“Please don’t...” I muttered wearily, pressing my palm against my forehead.

After the incident, more and more people had started coming up to me and complaining about pains or asking about suggestions for medicines. Although I’d insisted each time that I wasn’t a doctor, I hadn’t managed to get anyone to take notice.

“I keep telling them that I’m not a doctor.”

“Who’d believe you when you have an encyclopedic knowledge of medicines and illnesses?”

I had no response.

If I felt like a person’s illness was potentially severe, I’d advise them to have a genuine examination by an actual doctor. But when it came to small cuts or bruises, I’d brought the right medicines on board the ship with me, so I’d just hand them over.

You reap what you sow, and I was most definitely reaping now.

I never thought that my custom medicine set and the knowledge that Miss Irene had drilled into my brain would work against me...

I was warming up to the idea of saying “screw it” and updating my cover story to include a doctor among my relatives.

“The Kingdom of Nevel really is an amazing place,” Wolf remarked.

What’s Nevel got to do with anything? I cocked my head, puzzled by the sudden change of topic.

My confusion must’ve shown on my face since Wolf stopped working and began to explain. “It’s amazing that little girls like you have access to education about medicine. Once you visit another country, you’ll realize how privileged your world is.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Most countries don’t see the point of giving women a scholastic education. Few parents would go to the trouble of teaching their daughters about medicine. They must believe that a wedding dress and a home to look after are the only things that make girls happy.”

That trend probably persisted in Nevel, as it had in Middle Ages Europe and the Japan of old. Hearing it mentioned, I realized that it might be a rarity for a princess like me to receive a broad education in subjects such as astronomy, medicine, linguistics, and history, rather than just the usual embroidery and arithmetic.

“Including Nevel,” Wolf continued, “there are only a handful of countries that have important posts filled by women. Even Flanmer’s matriarchal society is now a thing of the past.”

Wolf was correct. Flanmer retained the veneer of a matrilineal society, but it was a thin one now. The right of succession was inherited by women, but all practical power belonged to their husbands, the kings. Their social form resembled ancient Egypt’s; it was polygynous, meaning that the king could keep multiple wives. The current queen was beloved by her people and her rule was stable, but the standards for royalty and commoners were different. I’d heard that there were strong pressures against women entering the workforce.

From a foreigner’s perspective, it must be remarkable that Miss Irene holds the title of Head Sorceress, I thought. “Nevel is a privileged country,” I murmured.

Wolf gave a big nod of his head. “It is. In its climate and its natural resources. But most of all, in its leadership.”

“Its leadership?”

He means my father?

“Yeah. Many wise kings have sat atop Nevel’s throne, but it was only after the current one took power that women began to rise to positions of responsibility. He also enabled merit to become the determining factor in assigning posts, not class. The changes haven’t completely taken root, but people say that the first prince, who’ll be king next, is a sincere and talented boy, so the future’s bright.”

To be honest, it didn’t feel like we were actually discussing my own father and brother.

“Are they really so amazing?” I asked.

“Hmm, you say that like it’s none of your business.”

For a moment I failed to comprehend what he’d said, but after a short delay, my head bounced up. “What?” What did he just say? Like it’s none of my business? So he knows that it is my business? I fixed my eyes on Wolf. Cold sweat trickled down my spine and my nerves were at their limit.

However, Wolf only tilted his head a little, appearing not to have noticed my trepidation. “Well, you’re from Nevel, aren’t you? Everyone knows how popular the royal family is with Nevel’s subjects.”

“Huh? Ah! Aaah, that’s what you...” I almost slouched over as the tension drained from my body. My stiff muscles relaxed and I exhaled a sigh.

“Weirdo,” Wolf teased, bemused by my unusual antics.

“Nevel has more to boast about than just the king and the first prince,” Paul butted in. He must’ve been listening to my conversation with Wolf. Paul leaned toward us while stirring a pot. “The second prince, Johan, is studying in a neighboring country at the moment, and he’s a fine one too. I hear he’s friendly, and the people of Vint love him as much as his own subjects do.”

“Oh, really?” commented Wolf.

“Yep,” answered Paul. “And there’s Rosemary, the first princess.”

I was staring at the floor, but when I heard that, I froze.

I deserve praise for not squealing. Every part of me wants to run away screaming. I don’t want to hear what they think of me!

“Not many have seen her in person,” Paul continued, “but those that have say she’s inherited the queen’s beauty.”

“From the portraits I’ve seen of the king and queen, I’d be more surprised if that couple gave birth to an ugly child,” Wolf replied.

“Well, sure,” Paul conceded. “But that’s not all. She’s supposedly a kindhearted person too.”

“Be wary of rumors,” Wolf said.

Paul raised one eyebrow in a deft motion. “What?” he asked in an unhappy tone of voice.

Wolf sported a fearless smile, undeterred. “I bet that rich girls from wealthy families are all pampered brats with no common sense, brought up having their every selfish whim pandered to. At least, that’s the impression I get after seeing the noble girl who’s on this ship with us.”

“Ah.” Paul scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

Well, he’s right about my lack of common sense. I’ve had my share of selfish whims as well. And I do get pampered... Yep, there’s nothing I can contest.

I put on a half smile and thanked my lucky stars that Klaus wasn’t here.