Chapter 49
The Princess and the Witch
By the time they arrived at Beckett City last night, the sun had already set.
The convoy drove straight into the garrison next to the Duke’s Castle along the central avenue, and thus Lucy missed her first impression of this important southern stronghold.
In fact, this was not Lucy's first visit to Beckett City.
Two years ago, after she had been tested for witch talent in a settlement on the frontier, she was sent here along with over two hundred children gathered from all directions.
But back then, she had been extremely timid. Even after being sent into the Tower of the Four Sages, she had not dared to take a single glance at the outside world.
Stepping out of the garrison, turning the corner, and walking onto the main street.
Lucy's little leather boot unexpectedly stepped into a drainage ditch filled with sewage.
She calmly withdrew her right foot.
The street before her was even more suffocating: piles of livestock dung, rotting garbage, and stinking wastewater accumulated into patches.
Such a scene, not to mention Lu Xi from her previous life’s memories, even Lucy, who grew up in the countryside, had never experienced.
Having seen Cariso, the city surrounding the Tower, she once believed that this world, which possessed supernatural powers, would be entirely different from the filth described in medieval novels.
However, it seemed she was wrong.
The world still followed the trajectory of history; the influence of witches was limited to the cities around the Towers.
Judy wiped her hands on her skirt and carefully suggested, "Shall I carry you over?"
"No need."
Being held in a woman's arms was something Miss Lucy still could not accept for the time being.
She took two steps back, lifted the hem of her skirt, made a running start, and successfully jumped over the sewage pit piled up by the roadside.
Fortunately, the center of the road was still relatively clean. But after walking through two streets in succession, the exotic charm she had hoped for did not appear. Instead, all she saw were ragged beggars and congested carriages.
Their gazes followed the well-dressed Lucy as she moved, yet there was no desire or greed in their eyes, only numbness toward the world, occasionally mixed with a few meaningful glances.
This left Lucy, who had come full of expectations, feeling rather disappointed.
"Isn’t Beckett City the most prosperous city in the Principality of Kolo?" She turned and asked Judy.
The female knight, her hand on her sword hilt, looked around cautiously.
"Lady Lucy, this is the slum district of Beckett City. If you want to experience the prosperity of the Principality of Kolo, I recommend you visit the upper city."
Lucy looked toward the direction of the Duke’s Castle. The buildings over there did appear far more splendid than those on this side.
She seemed to have forgotten something again: the world of witches was still a feudal society divided between nobles and commoners. In some crueler places, even slavery still existed.
A strange sense of disinterest welled up in her heart.
"Forget it, let’s return to the garrison," she said.
"Yes." Judy added, "My Lady, a convoy is approaching."
In the distance, a luxuriously decorated carriage, escorted by two groups of brightly dressed cavalry, sped along the center of the road, causing chaos among the pedestrians and vendors on both sides.
"Move aside, everyone move aside!"
"Royal procession! All step back... push the freight wagon to the roadside."
Several armed cavalrymen broke away from the formation, knocking their gun butts against the wheels and the rumps of the pack horses. However, the wagon wheels were deeply stuck in the mud, and no matter how hard the coachman and horses struggled, it wouldn’t budge.
Seeing the four-carriage convoy approaching, the leading knight gritted his teeth and turned his spear to stab directly at the horse’s leg!
Accompanied by the pained scream of the horse and the coachman’s wail.
The pack horse, along with the entire load of goods, rolled into the roadside ditch.
The knight spat on the ground, and just as he was about to return to his position after completing his task, a cold voice stopped him.
"Who gave you permission to damage a citizen’s property?"
The cavalryman froze, looking toward the source of the voice.
At some point, a carriage had also stopped at the corner of the intersection.
From the cornflower emblem on the carriage, symbolizing loyalty, it was evident that the person inside was also a member of the royal family of the Principality of Kolo.
The cavalryman stood frozen, his eyes shifting back and forth between the two carriages, not knowing whether he should dismount and salute.
His own master was none other than Prince Kaelde Beckett, the eldest son of the Grand Duke, and the first in line to inherit the title practically a man second only to the Grand Duke himself in the Principality of Kolo.
However, sitting inside the other carriage was Princess Orphievia Beckett, who was by no means a figure to be taken lightly.
Although she had just turned sixteen, she had already taken over much of the principality’s administration.
Especially during the past six months when the Grand Duke was bedridden due to a recurring old injury, Princess Orphievia had practically served as the actual sovereign of the principality.
Thinking of this, the cavalryman immediately dismounted without hesitation, placed a hand over his chest, and saluted.
"Your Highness, I was merely carrying out my duty to clear the way for His Highness Kaelde."
Although Grand Duke Phoenix was merely a duke under the kingdom.
But due to his performance in the War of National Defense, he was granted independent taxation and legislative privileges by the kingdom.
One could say that, except for foreign affairs, the Principality of Kolo was nearly no different from a sovereign kingdom, and thus the Beckett family also enjoyed royal titles.
Betrayed mercilessly by his subordinate, Kaelde Beckett could no longer sit still. He immediately flung open the carriage door, jumped out, and shouted furiously:
"You damned fools... who gave you permission to give me away?!"
Despite being the elder brother and crown prince, Kaelde was actually quite afraid of this younger sister who was five or six years younger than him.
"Kaelde, according to the laws of the principality, except for the express lanes of the central avenue, carriages drawn by more than two horses are prohibited on all other city roads."
The princess's cold voice came from within the carriage.
"To hell with that law! Once I inherit the title, the first thing I’ll do is abolish that damned rule!"
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, and he shouted with forced bravado: "And you, Orphievia, stop putting on that superior attitude! I am your elder brother, I am the heir to the principality, while you are nothing more than an outsider who will leave in a few days!"
Saying it aloud seemed to give Kaelde renewed confidence in front of his sister. His otherwise handsome face turned increasingly arrogant.
"Yes, you were tested and found to have witch talent, and now you're going to be sent to those damned Towers to become a damned witc... mmph mmph mmph..."
Before Kaelde could finish, several of his servants beside him quickly and fearfully covered his mouth, forcibly swallowing the word "witch."
The princess’s carriage fell into dead silence.
After a long pause, the wheels rolled forward again, passing by Kaelde’s carriage without a word.
Kaelde, however, raised his head like a victorious general, wearing a look of smug satisfaction.
Yet just as he turned to get back into the carriage, his foot suddenly slipped for some unknown reason, and his whole head plunged straight into the roadside sewage ditch.
When his servants finally pulled his wretched figure back into the carriage, the money pouch tied to his belt suddenly came loose.
Gold coins stamped with the kingdom’s "Iris" emblem scattered everywhere, and two coins even rolled as if guided, stopping right at the feet of the merchant whose wagon had been overturned.
"My Lady Lucy, was that you?"
Lucy shook her head. "Though he insulted witches and did deserve punishment, I hadn’t even made a move yet."
"Then this was..."
"It was that princess just now." Lucy rubbed her smooth chin. "She’s actually a witch."
Judy stared in astonishment at the distant carriage, unable to recover for a long while.