Chapter 2: I got kissed!

I’VE BEEN TRICKED!!!

Miss Trenton, who had spent the entire afternoon in a daze, finally learned the truth from her father, who had just returned from the imperial palace.

As it turned out, in one month, it would be time for the Divine Tree, which the Elves had worshipped for generations, to bear fruit.

For the Elves, this was the most significant event in an entire century.

To stabilize the friendly relations between the Kingdom of Robert and the Elves, Emperor Viktor Robert had personally selected gifts from the national treasury and tasked Princess Isabella with choosing an entourage to travel to the Natural Forest to deliver congratulations.

Winnidith was the very first person the Princess had chosen.

“Goddammit…”

Having learned the full scope of the situation, Winnidith spoke the language of her past life for the first time in a long while.

‘I really should have just said no, regardless of what Isabella said!’

“Wendy, the Natural Forest is far to the east of the Empire. Moreover, aside from our Empire, several kingdoms from the west, various Orc tribes, and even the Demons will be attending. I intended to have your second brother go in your place. His strength is greater, and he can protect himself better if he encounters danger.”

Vidal Trenton, Winnidith’s father and the younger brother of the Duke of Trenton, did not know exactly what was on his precious daughter’s mind, but their years together allowed him to easily sense her internal reluctance.

The Trenton family was absolutely loyal to the imperial family, and an invitation from the Princess could not be refused, but they still had the right to swap which family member attended.

‘Dad, you’re making this sound way too simple!!!’

Winnidith looked up at her father, then lowered her head and let out a sigh.

Isabella was a woman who would never stop until she achieved her goal.

Even if her uncle personally went before the Emperor to request a change in personnel, Isabella would surely reject it using all sorts of excuses.

“Uncle Vidal, Sister Wendy is my only friend in the capital. It is a long journey, and I simply want her to keep me company. Could it be that she is unwilling?”

Without needing much thought, Winnidith immediately envisioned the girl acting all teary-eyed and manipulative.

When that time came, both her father and her uncle would certainly be thrown into a panic.

Isabella would only need to guarantee that the journey was perfectly safe, and the two of them would lose any reason to object.

***

Thus, on the following day, our female protagonist changed into a fresh blue-and-white formal dress.

With dead-fish eyes, she stood in the imperial palace to accept the Emperor’s commission.

“This journey to the Natural Forest serves three purposes. First, to congratulate the Elves and demonstrate the alliance between the Empire and the Natural Forest. Second, to showcase the Empire’s strength; the entourage must always remember the grace expected of imperial envoys. Third, to conduct trade, exchanging the Empire’s gold, silver, and jewels for the spiritual treasures of the Natural Forest. You must focus your efforts around Princess Isabella and ensure these three tasks are completed.”

“We obey your command!”

Winnidith bowed along with the rest of the departure team.

Although she constantly held onto the life philosophy of ‘life is hard, so why not just slack off,’ the social grace from her past life allowed her to master noble etiquette perfectly.

Only by pleasing these elders would her luxurious, lazy lifestyle be allowed to continue.

While bowing, she secretly observed who else was in the entourage—a vice-commander of the Royal Knights, a head guard from the Duke of Trenton’s household, the second son of the wealthy Pers Family and his guards…

Under the premise of the Non-Aggression Pact of the 9th-Tier, this was almost the strongest force the Empire could muster.

‘What do you know? With so many experts around, it’s impossible for anything to go wrong on this trip!’

Winnidith relaxed instantly.

Now, all she had to do was stay on guard against Isabella, and this trip would be just like a vacation!

“You seem to be in a very good mood, Wendy.”

The moment Winnidith stepped into the carriage, her face tensed up as she entered combat mode.

As the two girls with the highest status in the expedition, it was no surprise that Winnidith had to share a carriage with Isabella.

The Princess, now dressed in a lime-green gown, sat opposite the ill-tempered Winnidith.

Completely ignoring the girl’s resistance, Isabella grabbed her small hand—which was covered in a lace glove—and gave a brilliant smile.

“I’m very happy that you don’t hold a grudge over what happened yesterday.”

Thump!

A direct metaphorical hit landed.

The sudden display of sincerity left Winnidith flustered, and the warmth traveling from her fingers made her heart race.

“I… you… I…”

The silver-haired girl was incoherent for a moment before she steeled herself and jerked her hand away from the Princess’s soft grasp.

“You’re happy too soon! From now on, I won’t believe a single word you say! You big liar!”

“That’s such harsh wording, Wendy. Even I would cry hearing something like that~”

Winnidith shot a nervous glance at Isabella.

Seeing that the Princess only had a smug smile on her face, she turned away in anger, leaving Isabella with nothing but the sight of her slender, beautiful back.

Isabella didn’t mind.

She opened her arms and hugged Winnidith from behind.

Certain well-developed parts of her body pressed against the girl’s back, making Winnidith’s earlobes turn so red they looked ready to drip blood.

“Besides, I have never once lied to you.”

Isabella seemed not to notice the girl’s awkwardness.

Her hands rested naturally over Winnidith’s chest, and her warm, slightly humid, fragrant breath unintentionally stirred the girl’s heart.

“How… how is that possible? You clearly said yesterday…”

The girl, intending to argue, suddenly froze.

If she thought about it carefully, it seemed there really hadn’t been a single lie in the Princess’s words the day before.

She really was leaving, she really was going to the Natural Forest, and yesterday really was their last meeting at the Trenton estate.

Everything she had said was fine; the only problem was Winnidith’s own imagination.

‘Wait… doesn’t this just make me look like an idiot?!’

The blood-red flush spread from her earlobes to her entire face.

Her skin, which was somewhat pale from being a shut-in for so long, made the slightest bit of red look exceptionally prominent.

Mwah~

“You-you-you-you… what are you doing?!”

Winnidith jumped like a startled bird.

It was fortunate that the carriage ceiling was high enough; otherwise, she would have definitely hit her head.

But she was in no mood to worry about such trifles.

The eldest daughter of the Trenton family covered her cheek, feeling a slight dampness where her palm met her skin.

That was the mark Isabella had left on her face.

“Kissing you. Is something wrong?”

The blonde princess showed no self-awareness of being the culprit, casually twirling a lock of hair by her ear.

“You were so cute just now, Wendy. Anyone wouldn’t be able to resist giving you a kiss, right?”

“Besides, it’s perfectly normal for girls to kiss each other, isn’t it?”

Isabella’s smile was as dazzling as a cathedral mural.

Under that radiance, Winnidith even began to doubt if she was only embarrassed because she had a guilty conscience.

‘Is it really normal for girls to do these things?’ She didn’t know.

Her past life went without saying, and in this life, she had been a shut-in who only had Isabella as a friend since childhood.

Conversely, as a princess, Isabella got along very well with the daughters of several counts…

‘Do they do this in private too?’

A hint of bitterness rose in Winnidith’s heart.

She knew this was the male part of her soul acting up, but she still felt uncomfortable.

“I… I’m going out for some air.”

Thus, she chose the most shameful yet effective method—running away.

What she didn’t know was that shortly after she left, Isabella, who had maintained a confident smile, suddenly lowered her head.

A flush of crimson quietly climbed up her own exquisite earlobes.