Walking in the Forest
After leaving the Ansanse Kingdom and entering the neighboring Principality of Agreable, I immediately made my way to the forest on my own.
“N~! What a fine weather!”
I stretched out and filled my lungs with the natural air, which made me feel comfortable and refreshed.
My name is Elle.
My former name was Gabrielle de Olivier, but I already gave up on that name.
Or to be more precise, I was forced to give up on it.
Until a few days ago, I was a young lady from a Ducal family in the Ansanse Kingdom.
But for the crime of bullying a certain Viscount’s daughter, I was condemned by all of my friends and family, including my fiancé, the Crown Prince Cyril, and eventually, I was sentenced to exile by His Majesty the King.
I should mention this first, but I never bullied her.
There were no benefits in doing so, it sounds troublesome to do, and I feel like this kind of thing would quickly make me feel tired.
However, none of the people who condemned me took my side.
My fiancé, my close friends, and even my family didn’t believe in my innocence.
On the contrary, they only accused me and threw derogatory words at me.
I know why the people who loved me so much just a few years ago have been acting so strangely.
It was all because the Viscount’s daughter, who falsely claimed to have been bullied by me, was using a charm spell.
Charm is a magic that is forbidden all over the continent, it allows you to play with people’s minds and manipulate them to do your bidding.
It was near the end of the drama that I realized that she had used this magic on Cyril and others.
I could have broken Cyril and the others’ enchantment immediately with my powerful magic power. But I didn’t.
It would be troublesome if they suddenly started apologizing to me earnestly after the charm was broken, and there was no way I could forgive them after abusing me so much, no matter how much the fault lied on the charm.
However, if they stayed under the spell, the country would be destroyed.
I felt that it would be sad to see the historical Ansanse Kingdom disappear, so as a parting gift, I cast a spell to break the charm when I left the country.
“Hehe, I bet they are regretting it now.”
It’s been three days since I left the country.
It’s about time for the charm to dissipate.
It’s a pity that I can’t see their expressions of regret in person, but I don’t want to see their faces or even hear their voices now.
“Oh well. I will just enjoy traveling leisurely.”
When I was little, I once dreamed of becoming an adventurer.
However, the huge shackles of our dukedom prevented me from doing what I wanted.
But now I am free.
There is no one to scold me, no one to get angry at when I do as I please.
“Well then, I’m going to enjoy my new life from now on.”
Goh~ my stomach made a not-so-cute gurgling sound as I pumped my hand into the air.
Come to think of it, I haven’t had a meal since I left the country.
Before I was exiled, all I was able to bring with me from the mansion was a simple dress, a little money I earned myself, and a book I secretly bought when I was longing to be an adventurer. The book had a joke for a title, “With this one book, you’ll be fine even if you get lost in the forest!”
“Well, thanks to this book, I was able to find edible weeds.”
I haven’t bought anything yet.
However, I got tired of feeding myself on weeds after three days. It’s about time I get to eat something normal.
“I should be there soon, I think.”
I should come across a large village after walking for a bit longer.
When I was being educated as the Crown Princess, I was made to memorize every country, city, town, and village on this continent.
At the time, I wondered why I needed to memorize more than 500 of them, but now I want to say thank you to my teacher.
Well, I don’t want to meet them because they were one of the people who condemned me, though.
“Oh, there it is.”
I ran toward the village, which was finally in sight.