Leena POV

I wake up feeling a light headache. I still have not gotten used to the hard, cheap beds used in this orphanage. My father used to say the luxuries a noble is accustomed to will make people weaker, it ‘dulls their sharpness’ he used to say. Because of that I am used to living a simple life with minimum necessities. But living a true ‘simple life’ has shown me I still lived what could be called luxurious to commoners.

My parents and brothers were worried after I was banished from the noble society due to the incident. They pulled some strings in the church and got me accepted as a sister in this orphanage. While I have still been relegated to a village, it is safer than most other villages; it is close to the town, has no presence of monsters or disturbance from bandits and is located along the trade route connecting to the dwarven kingdom. 

There is even a hot spring to use for commoners. Though I’m still a bit too shy to reveal my naked body in front of strangers. It’s too embarrassing when they stare!

I follow my usual routine do the chores assigned to me. While it has been a few days since I have started my new lifestyle, I don’t talk to anyone other than the head sister. It is for the better, thinking about what my ‘friends’ did to me after everything I sacrificed for them.

Those traitors!  Claiming I threatened them using my title as a Duke’s daughter and forced them to harm that bitch Mary.

Thinking about that woman has ruined my day again. It really is like my brother said isn’t it. I truly am blind to the schemes and plots right in front of me.

I was on my way to buy groceries from the market when suddenly that girl approached me again.

Silver hair, blue eyes and a bright smile on her face, making it seems like the sun shines brighter around her. She approached me on the day I joined the orphanage too.  Quite a famous figure in this village, I had heard enough of her from people’s talk; the head sister’s adopted daughter, currently training to be healer and  a 12 year old prodigy with 3 traits and substituting as the village’s healer. Some villagers even approach her for treating small cuts on fingers or slight headaches just to talk to her.

Everyone in this village loves her.

But I know, two of her traits are Enhanced Intelligence and Enhance Charisma; same as that woman. Behind that innocent smile must be a manipulating bitch.

She tagged along, no longer confident in my social skills, I doubted I could convince her to stay away I could only give up and head on with my work.

There was a surprise waiting for me in the market, certainly not a pleasant one.

Standing in front of me in the market of a village near the border is my former fiancé and his highness the crown prince.

Of course I didn’t think he came because he was worried about me since he was the one who kicked me out. The whore standing behind him looking triumphantly at me further pushes in the realization that these people still hadn’t planned to let me go.

Will they only be satisfied when I am completely destroyed?

What have I ever done to make them hate me this much?

Why are they doing this?

“Leena, we came to check up on you. Mary was worried about you after you got banished. Be grateful for her kindness towards you despite everything you have done to her.”  He said.

Worried for me? Was that a joke?

“Honestly coming to this shit hole of a village just to check up on her. Wasting my precious time for a bitch like her.” Jean who was standing beside Mary said. I didn’t notice before, it seems the ‘kind’ Mary brought along all her lovers to see me. These four people have important stations in the academy as well as the kingdom.  Are they fine being in this remote village? What about their responsibilities?

“Don’t be so grumpy Jean, I heard there is a hot spring resort in this village, we can enjoy some commoner’s fun time with Mary.” Brad said.

Fun time? Surely their parents would never approve of this?

“You say that Brad, but aren’t you just aiming for mixed bath? Your perverted intentions are written all over your face.” Claude said as he pulled Mary into his embrace.

I don’t even know how to react. I can’t seem to comprehend what is even going on. How should I even reply to them?

“I humbly thank Lady Mary, his highness and his companions for their concern. But my life here has been without difficulties. Please don’t concern yourselves with this humble subject.” I bowed my head to them, is this enough for you? Will you leave me alone with this?

Please just let me go.

“Please don’t talk like that Lady Leena, I still consider you as my equal. This wouldn’t have happened I hadn’t talked to Julian without knowing that he was betrothed to you.” Mary said her usual white-lotus like lines, with tears brimming in her eyes.

What are you crying for? Aren’t you the winner? Didn’t you get to be with your four wonderful husbands while you pushed me out of the noble circle? Aren’t you going to be engaged to the prince and become the Queen? A position I spent half of my life training for? Why do you still come after me!?

WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT!?

There is going too far! Do you think that I won’t do anything back? I still have Keizer blood in my veins, do you consider me incapable of striking back!?

Before I could do anything to her a cup of fruit juice struck her face, covering her face and staining the front of her dress. There was shock written on her face over what happened and before anyone could react, Lilith who was forgotten standing beside me and having watched our exchange shouted.

“STOP BULLYING SISTER LEENA! LEAVE HER ALONE!!!”

Bullying me…?

Am I weak that I need to be protected by a child?!

The prince seeing the assailant who harmed his beloved reached out to catch Lilith.

But before his hand touched her, Lilith pulled on a amulet she kept tied on her hips.

“EEeeeOOoooEEeeeOOoooEEeeeOOoooEEeeeOOooo”

A loud siren rang out and all the villagers turned to see what was going on.

“…”

There was an eerie silence before everyone went literally berserk!

It was like everyone suddenly saw their parent’s murderer. The closest standing man already sent the prince stumbling back with a punch to the face while the people standing further, including the housewives started throwing things at him…

This was a prince for goddess sake! What is happening?!

There was a security alarm introduced a few months back in the Capital. It was made by the young prodigy who got accepted as a tower mage at the age of 20. He made it as a safety device for children, a popular product for parents who couldn’t stop worrying about their children.

But still as a new magic tool it is still expensive. It isn’t something an orphanage could give it to their children? Where did she get that from?

While they were surprised by the sudden hostility from the villagers, they regained their senses quickly. Brad pulled out his sword and covered the prince from the second punch. Seeing that he pulled the sword out, the people stopped approaching while the surrounding guards and adventurers started unsheathing their own.

While as guards they should only act subdue law breakers right…? Why do I feel Killing intent from them?!

SERIOUSLY! WHAT’S HAPPENING?!

Seeing the matters escalated, the disguised royal guards scattered among the crowd jumped in between to diffuse the situation.

“YOU ARE STANDING IN PRESENCE OF THE CROWN PRINCE, HIS HIGHNESS JULIAN VON ZEIGESAR! ANY HOSTILE ACTIONS WILL NOT GO UNPUNISHED!”

Nobody believed him though.

“Yea? I’m your papa, the king!”

“That’s the worst lie, even for kidnappers.”

“Die lowlifes!”

Things even took a turn for the worst when Jean broke under the pressure of being held at arrow point by an adventurer and released a fireball at him, as a season adventurer he knew to take out the mage and healers first when in combat, released his arrow enchanted with spell break. It passed through the fireball, scattering it before going on to pierce Jean on his shoulder and knocking him out.

“This is the Guard Captain. You are under arrest for attempted kidnapping, intentional attack against adventurers or civilians inside the village and impersonating a member of royal family. Surrender yourselves now!”

Seeing his friend attacked and put under arrest by a puny village’s guard captain finally broke something inside the prince.

“OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!!! YOU DARE PUT THIS ME UNDER ARREST!!? ATTACK US AND THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT!? GUARDS WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?”

The village guards and adventurers were lower level than the royal guards, so it won’t even be called a fight if everyone started going all out. It was a delicate situation and the crown prince ordering the massacre of an entire village will cause problems, Big problems. Does his Highness not even think about the consequences of his actions?

Is this really the man I once admired?

The captain of the royal guards made complex face hearing the command from his liege. They couldn’t agree with his decision, but alas he could not disobey his orders.

While he was still conflicted a golden dome suddenly enveloped his entire group. A high level barrier, both to keep people out and occasionally used to lock people inside.

Why is a high level Archmage in this place? Who is it?

While everyone was still confused, a calm voice reverberated across the market, like a ripple across the calm surface of water in a lake, it turned everyone’s focus to the speaker.

“I suppose there must be a reason for the prince to suddenly be present in a border village and also to order the massacre of its inhabitants, right? Please be kind to enlighten me.”

A handsome man with black mage robes and large spectacles came to the front. While his face could attract any woman and his bearing as a scholar could earn respect from anyone; what stood out most was the gold and mithril badge above his left chest pocket.

The badge of a respected tower mage.

What the fuck is a tower mage doing here!?

…Am I still dreaming?