The Crown Prince Thinks I'm a Guy

Trip to Mond Empire

The Kingdom of Saule covered a great expanse of land, its territory reaching the North-most parts of the Aerim Continent. On the far West, beyond the civil woods, lie the land of shamans inside the Mystical Forest. The central part of the continent is a vast plain, where nomads start out their journey, and where all men are free. Countless small territories and tinier castle keeps, formed by ambitious commoners or exiled nobility, are scattered on the wide central plains. The East shows the ruins of the once great Lost Kingdom, while even its glorious name has been buried underneath the ink-like sand. And finally, on the far South, facing the treacherous seas where the largest magical beasts lurk, is the greatest nation, the Mond Empire.

That's where we must go...

I sighed, my tiny sound clearly heard inside the small, yet comfortable carriage. My nanny, Miss Hestia, turned to look at me with concern and a bit of curiosity.

"What has gotten you sighing for the whole duration of our travel, my lady?" she asked, leaning in towards me with her head rested on a propped hand. Her face was full of bright curiosity, and she spoke with me as though I wasn't a very young child.

"... Perhaps I am only concerned to see my nanny glove-less and not wearing nearly enough skirts," I told her in a pompous tone, looking away with my tall nose pointed upwards.

"Pft!" She quickly covered her mouth as she snorted a laugh. "My young lady has turned from my liege and into my tutor! I must say I am ill-prepared for such rapid growth!"

She started fanning her face with her bare hands. I only rolled my eyes, sporting an amused smile.

Miss Hestia has always been eccentric. She was a daughter of one of the greatest houses, if not the greatest one aside from the royal house, in all of the Saule Kingdom. Yet, she carried herself quite differently from what one would expect from a proper, well-bred lady.

She often left her manor with no gloves, hardly any accessories, and wearing the thinnest of skirts. She was already 28, yet she was unwed while still quite charming. She never did quite care for the rules.

So, I perfectly adored her.

I can only mentally chide my past self for being silly enough that I ended up losing what could've been a great companion. But now, I still had her, and I plan to keep it that way.

"Miss Hestia, how long until we get there?" I asked my nanny, staring through the glass window, watching the sunset on the trees and the farmlands we passed by.

"Hmm... We've already been travelling for three days, so I suppose we still have two more at most, one day and a morning if we're lucky," she answered me, her face in a look of contemplation.

She seems to have a lot of knowledge about the roads. In fact, she was well-known by the owners and workers of the various inns we had stayed at, long beyond the territory of Saule. It makes me wonder if my nanny was an adventurer once. That may explain why she was so confident as a woman.

"Once we pass through these couple of occupied territories, we'll be travelling through the central plains. Our journey will be much faster there, especially with our magic-enhanced speed. After that, we'll be right at the doors of the Mond Empire," she continued, even when I hadn't asked for more.

"You seem to know an awful lot about the Aerim Continent, Miss Hestia," I told her frankly.

She smiled softly, her almond shaped eyes narrowing into thin crescents. "Oh, that I do."

Leaning in and taking the bait in her tone, I whispered, "Were you perhaps an adventurer, Miss Hestia?"

When she heard my question, she suddenly froze in shock. Then, as though she couldn't contain a barreling beast from inside her, she let out a loud string of guffaws, quite enough to be heard by the mercenaries on horseback beside our royal carriage.