Yandere Princesses Ch16 - My name is Shire

 One scrub was not enough to clean her, so Lin used his magic tools to change the water in the barrel and added some soap.

It was only after three changes of water that Lin was confident he had scrubbed her clean.

After a complete bath, Shire's dark red hair had regained its shine and even had a soft texture that could be described as silky smooth.

Her skin was very pale, the kind of pale lacking in nutrients. The flesh beneath it had merely a hint of softness.

Lifting her long hair behind her ears, Lin could see her lovely little face, and although it was not obvious, he could see that Shire was a woman in her own right and would reach the level of beauty in time.

She was a year older than Bella in terms of age, but her assets were vestigial compared to Bellas.

Bella sighed as she looked at them.

"wow~"

Lin pulled her out of the barrel and dried her off with another towel, inevitably sensing her skin and seeing the young girl's body in the process.

Perhaps because her body was so bony, Lin didn't feel even a hint of arousal.

He carefully dried Shire's hair and dressed her.

"I'd better give her an apology when she wakes up, after all, what I just did was a bit rude." Lin carried Shire back to bed and tucked her in under a few blankets.

Bella threw the dirty towels into the empty box and shook her head at Lin, "I don't think Lin did anything wrong, if we had left her in the woods, she might have been eaten by animals, you did her a favor."

Said Bella and clicked her fingers, "Counting the previous incident, Lin has saved her twice now; isn't it right for her to repay you by serving you?"

Clearly, Bella's way of reasoning was not that of a commoner.

Lin smiled and patted Bella's head in amusement, "Then, how do you think I should treat her?"

Bella pondered and gave her advice; "It depends on what Lin thinks, if you think that she has talent, you could train her to be your exclusive knight, Lin is weak, you need someone to protect you."

In their previous meeting, Shire showed the strength of a third rank knight, which was already quite good for her age.

The thing was that she didn't have any aid cultivating her skills, perhaps she had come this far just by virtue of her talent.

There are many professions in this world, the most noble of which is the wizard, followed by the knight, not only because of their great strength, but also because these two professions work under a system of inheritance.

At one time, there were also the clergy, but they have lost clout in recent years, and even their traditions are almost extinct.

The other professions are alchemists and swordsmen.

The Swordsman is the most inclusive of all jobs covering a diverse range of techniques and is the most common, as it is simple to learn and one can always switch to another class.

At present, people are divided into nine levels of strength, with the first three being the primary level, the middle three being the middle level and the last three being the high level, with most ordinary people stuck below the third level in their lifetime.

It is worth mentioning that some individuals, because of their special characteristics, are able to transcend their rank.

Wizards are exceptional among the professions mainly because they are able to communicate with heaven and earth and harness the power of nature, which allows them to have the greatest power and utility of any role.

Most of the remaining professions are cultivated mainly for their own sake, while their power is lesser than that of the wizard, their powers are easier to wield..

"Something to think about." After a short pause for thought, Lin came up with some ideas.

Knights were a popular profession among princes and nobles because they not only had both offensive and defensive skills but were also loyal to their masters on principle.

Only loyal individuals could follow the path of a knight, it was a requirement.

Because Lin possessed a special physique, he could quickly raise Shire's power..

"ahem..."

It was at this moment that Shire coughed as she woke up from her slumber.

Her mind gradually regained its clarity, her body gradually regained strength, and she could already feel the boost brought about by the Spiritual Power Potion.

Not only that, she also felt warm all over her body, like she had taken a long overdue hot bath; both comfortable and anxious.

"Hmm?"

Seeming to sense that something was wrong, Shire opened her eyes and the moment she saw the figures in front, she hugged the covers and hid in the corner of the bed in a defensive stance.

lin: ......

Bella: ......

The two people who were talking were started by Shire's actions and a brief silence fell over them - the only sound being the hum of vehicles running around.

It didn't take long for Shire to see exactly who the two people in front of her bed were, and she blinked her big eyes and cocked her head as she softly let out a "Huh?"

Her eyes met Lin's, and with just one glance she hung her head, "Where am I?"

She was still quiet, but this time Lin heard it.

"This is a caravan heading to the north, we are in the carriage now, don't worry, we mean you no harm.

We came across you when we were walking through the forest and saw you were injured, so we brought you here for treatment."

Lin spoke softly, telling a white lie to make it easier for Shire to accept.

Bella, hearing Lin's story, covered her mouth and snickered, which made Lin look quite awkward.

"Treatment?" Shire ran a hand around her waist, she didn't feel her coarse clothes, instead, grasping her silky nightgown.

The wound no longer itched, and there was no more blood stuck to her.

She whispered a question; "Where are my clothes?"

"It was Lin who changed you out of those. And not only that - he washed you head to toe three times over!" Bella replied before Lin could.

"What a snitch!" Lin hit Bella on the head with the butt of a knife.

"Oh!"

Bella covered her head and squatted down, looking at Lin with tears in her eyes, looking like a little animal that had been bullied.

(It didn't actually hurt, she was faking it.)

Hearing Bella's words, Shire buried her head directly under the covers, her face flushed all over - even her ears were tinged with red.

If she had been able to find sand anywhere in the ground, she might have put her head right in.

Why would they treat her ugly body like this?

The first thing that came to Shire's mind was this thought.

"I'm sorry, it was inconsiderate of me. You can scold and beat me if that makes you feel better." Lin's attitude was sincere as he admitted fault.

She shook her head, She didn't think of scolding Rin, or rather she didn't mind, she was more shy than anything else.

"Thanks..."

Shire carefully pulled the covers down a little, exposing a pair of teary eyes, and, as if afraid that Lin hadn't heard her, she repeated again; "Thank you..."

"I'm... My name is Shire."

Yandere Princesses Ch15 - The future has changed

 "Crunch!"

Crunching on the dry branches, Shire walked down the winding forest path.

The blood from the wound had stopped after a simple bandaging, and in a few days it might not even be there.

She glanced down at her clothes and trousers, uncomfortably soaked with blood which left a large stain.

Shire shook her head as she clutched her arms - doing her best to keep her thoughts focused.

Another glance back at the illuminated hill, where the villagers were still picking up the thieves' money and perhaps celebrating.

But that was no longer of any concern to her: she just wanted to get out of this place sooner rather than later.

She grasped at the gold coin she had squeezed tightly in her hand, her trembling heart settling down a little.

After another hour or so of walking, her strength had almost depleted, and her whole body was in a state of extreme fatigue because of blood loss.

Seeing that her body was about to reach its limit, she used her last strength to climb up a large tree and lie down on it.

"Pop!"

She opened the lid of the glass tube and smelled it carefully; she could tell by its colour and smell that it was a magic potion.

Homever, the magic potion in her hand was somewhat different from the ones commonly found: it had an unexpected hint of red in its ghastly blue.

Without overthinking, Shire chose to trust Lin.

The Magic Potion was special: it was not only useful for magicians, it also had a tremendous effect on common folk.

There was often only one problem with - it was too expensive.

She tilted her head and drank the liquid inside in one go, the sweet concoction flowed down her tongue, and her depleted spirit was immediately replenished.

Not only that, but she could clearly sense her body changing; her heart's beat becoming more powerful, her remaining injuries quickly closing, and even her strength was closer to how it was before.

When she took a deep breath, every cell in her body cried out in joy.

She remembered the figure again, this time so clearly as if he glowed, so distant and noble that she dared not look up.

"I need to repay him somehow ......"

With that thought, Shire fell into a deep sleep, the gold coins still clutched tight in her hands.

......

The night scene outside the window slowly disappeared as the luxurious carriage went back the same way.

Bella propped her chin up and said, "Big bro Lin, don't blame me for not reminding you, but turning back here will delay our escape and we might be caught by the king's lackeys."

"Then why didn't you stop me?" Lin quickly glanced over, wondering what she was thinking.

Bella smiled cheekily, "This carriage is very durable, the three of us made it, so as long as we don't get into any accidents, we will be able to reach our destination."

After this escort mission, some of them would also return to the palace, and these people were important warriors for the sisters.

"Lin, you’re thinking about that girl from earlier, right?" Bella continued to ask as she went over and clung to Lin’s arm.

"You figured it out?" Lin lowered his head, his eyes still lost in thought.

Bella took Lin's hand and held it, "Of course, Lin, you're so dreamy, I know what posture you assume when you’re thinking."

Lin flicked her on the forehead, "Don't say weird things or you'll get a spanking."

"Will I?" Bella asked excitedly.

Lin: "......."

He was no longer able to communicate with her in this state..

At least his mood improved after her interjection. That letter really did a number on him.

The content of those letters was always worrying, last time it was Louise trying to eat him, this time it was Shire dying because of him.

But how could he make her repay him with her life when he had only done a simple thing at most?

Now that he knew the terrible future, he would rather die trying to fix it than do nothing at all.

The only good news from the letter was thats he was still alive three years later, but that was all.

Lin's mind was in shock as her figure and the contents of the letter swirled in his head for a long time.

When he returned to the hill, Lin saw no sign of Shire; he only saw villagers carrying large bags, fighting over their fair share.

After casually looking for someone to ask, he realised that Shire already left.

Luckily, they had magicians in the caravan who were good at tracking, and it was almost three in the morning when they found Shire up on a tree by the side of a forest path.

She was in a deep sleep, and their arrival did not wake her up.

"She seems to have been injured and is now in a sort of semi-comatose state." Bella looked over at Lin, "Do you need me to have someone bring her down?"

Lin thought for a moment and shook his head, "I'll do it."

Not allowing for someone else to do it, Lin took it upon himself to climb the tree and bring her down, and as he did, he saw an empty vialin her hand.

Bella glanced at Shire carried by Lin's arms, seemingly slightly envious, and said, "Carry her back to the carriage, I can take care of her."

Sensing how important she was to Lin, she did not take her chances by leaving her to the others.

When he got back to the carriage, Bella had him put Shire on the bed, and she lifted her shirt to see the bandages stained red with blood.

Bella used her magic on Shire, and it only took a few minutes to heal her injuries, Having done so, she stepped to the side, leaving the spot to Lin.

"I'll leave the rest to you, she's not too badly injured, she's just overexerted herself and needs some rest, There's hot water in the room; you can clean her up."

Shire was dirty all over, in addition to blood she was caked in mud and dust, it would be no wonder if she felt very uncomfortable.

As a young princess who had grown up pampered and chaperoned by servants, Bella did not know how to take care of others, so she could only leave it to Lin.

"That's kind of bad." Lin was slightly hesitant.

"Who else do you want to do it?" Bella spread her small hands, "I'm the only one in the whole caravan whose room has a bath, and you wouldn't want to leave her in the hands of someone else, right?"

Bella walked over and patted Lin's shoulder, making a smug expression, "Don't dwell on it too much. Since you chose to pick her up, be prepared to take care of her, no pressure, go for it!"

Taking a glance at the sleeping Shire, and then at the caravan, Lin confirmed his thoughts.

Gritting his teeth, he set the hot water with the magic tool, then turned around and scrubbed her before setting her down in the barrel with a swift movement.

In the meantime, Bella found a new set of towels and set them down, as she smiled confidently at Lin and started handing them over.

She didn't know how to serve others, but changing the towels was no problem, and Bella went to work with her sleeves rolled up.

"waa~"

There was a constant splattering sound of water coming from the other side as Lin scrubbed down Shire's body..

As the clean water turned opaque, Rin couldn't help but stare.

He suddenly felt that what the letter had said about Shire being captivating could very well be true, and that she seemed to have that kind of potential.

Yandere Princesses Ch14 - I desperately want to tell you

 The kingdom had long since outlived its days of wealth and prosperity, and it now resembled an elderly man on his deathbed, with numerous internal conflicts that could not be ignored.

The nobility is divided, the common folk are poor, prices are skyrocketing, and thieves are taking over the mountains and robbing the merchants.

The King's City is the country's transportation hub, where most merchant routes converge, which is why many thieves and bandits target caravans along this route.

Blue Moon, a large bandit organization based in the Yucca Forest to the north of King's Castle, regularly plunders caravans and villages along nearby trade routes.

They had just ransacked a village outside the king's city this evening.

It was ten o'clock at night, and the thieves were counting the evening's harvest; however, the atmosphere was much quieter than usual.

The explosion from the King's City had cast a shadow over many people's hearts, with some believing that the throne was about to change hands and others believing that the kingdom was about to fall apart.

At ten minutes past ten, a scout reported seeing a luxurious caravan crossing the forest.

The assembled band of Blue Moon thieves proceeded to set up an ambush with the vast majority of their forces at ten-twenty.

"How come you haven't starved in such a large village with so little money and food?"

A balding thief with a scar on his face spat at the peasants who had been imprisoned on the mountain, calling them "worse than animals."

The purpose of transporting these peasants to the mountain was to exploit them, to use them as cannon fodder for robberies, and to use them as hostages during negotiations if there was a siege.

The peasants cowered in the corner, huddled, with their heads lowered, not daring to look directly at the vicious bandits.

Anyone who looked up and met the angry bandits' gaze would almost certainly be severely beaten.

Dozens of peasants cowered in one corner of the cage, while a lone little girl squatted in another.

None of the peasants dared to approach her for some reason, as if she were more dangerous than the thief in front of them.

Naturally, the scarred thief noticed the scene, and when he turned to face the girl, she returned his gaze.

The girl stood about five feet, five inches tall, and her frail frame appeared to be light enough to be blown away by a gust of wind.

Her dark red hair streaked across her body, covering her cheeks and sticking together as if she hadn't bathed in a long time.

Her exposed arms were ghastly white, with no visible blood vessels.

She looked worse than a beggar on the street in terms of outward appearance.

But she raised her head and stared straight at the thief, making him tremble.

Her hair covered parts of her eyes and cheeks, but the thief could see right into her eyes.

The thief took a step back subconsciously, but on second thought, why should he be afraid of a mere peasant?

"How dare you look at me like that, you got a death wish?"

The thief cursed as he drew the cleaver pinned to his waist and used the key to open the cage, entering it.

The villagers on one side of the cage became even more terrified as they squeezed towards the corner, pulling everyone to the periphery in desperation to shield themselves from the blade, and the dead silence was briefly broken.

The few remaining thieves laughed, as they had many times before, at the sight of civilians being abused.

They were all just tools and cannon fodder to them, and having one fewer might even reduce the food consumption slightly.

Within a few steps, the highwayman1 was in front of the young woman, mockingly gesturing with his palm in front of his grimy nose while saying:

"What a stench, you make me sick... "

The girl ignored the bandit as she glanced around the to make sure there were no dangerous individuals among the remaining bandits left behind.

"Like I said! Wanna die?" Angered by the girl's casual dismissal, the thief placed his cleaver directly on the girl's neck, holding the blade to it.

"Hmm?" The girl raised her head and looked directly at the thief who was much taller than she was.

The moment their eyes made contact, the tension suddenly took a violent turn.

With a chill girpping his heart, the bandit tried to raise his cleaver and swing it at the girl, but he was ultimately a step too late.

"Boom!"

With a loud sound, flesh and bone shattered, and the Highwayman's body flew out and crashed into the iron cage.

"Clang!"

The cleaver fell to the ground, and the bandit’s body showed no more signs of movement.

The villagers froze in place as they looked at the girl with even more horrified eyes.

The rest of the bandits froze as well, as a not-so-weak friend of theirs just collapsed.

"Whew~" the girl picked up the cleaver and swung it, slashing with a whooshing sound.

Glancing at her remaining targets, she dragged her cleaver across the ground with sparks and ran towards them like the wind.

......

"How rash of them, I didn't think we'd run into bandits." As Lin and Bella walked up the hill, Lin shook his head.

The two were followed by a swarm of knights and magicians; they had already dispatched all of the thieves on their way up the mountain, and the so-called encounter had lasted only a few moments.

"Why don't you let me fight?" Bella said, pouting her cute little mouth in displeasure.

"You can just be a cute little princess, fighting and killing is not for you," Lin replied casually.

Lin had a strange feeling about Bella right now, and he didn't want her to be exposed to too much bloody fighting.

"Rin is the worst; I don't want to talk to you." Bella averted her gaze and wore an angry expression.

Lin didn't say anything else, he just patted her head in amusement.

Rin heard a fierce fight as he approached the hideout at the top of the hill and ran up with the men.

When he entered the brightly lit hall, he noticed a delicate girl engaged in a fierce duel with a bandit, as well as a number of his decapitated friends on the floor.

To say she was frail would be a grave mistake, the cleaver in her hand shone brightly with each slash.

Her movements were so wide and full of inertia that it was as if she wasn't slashing with her blade, but rather having it swing her around, and with each swing she forcefully committed to the blow, like a berserker.

This was the kind of sight you could call “the beauty of violence”

"She's going to die if Lin doesn't help her." Bella, who was standing beside Lin, reminded him.

Lin jerked his gaze away from the girl and realized she was at a disadvantage, not an obvious one, but one slip up and she'd be dead on the spot.

"Ka-ching!"

By chance, the burly bandit parried the girl's knife, and she deftly fell back, but the bandit's large blade pursued her.

The girl was suddenly cornered and had no chance of escaping as the blow was about to land on her neck.

In the face of death she did not panic in the slightest, just stared straight into the eyes of her opponent with the utmost calm.

The sharp blade reflected a silvery glint.

Even so, she was surprised.

"Poof!"

She anticipated being struck in the neck, but what she saw was a small silver dagger impaled dead in the middle of the bandit's throat.

"Ugh..."

While covering his bleeding throat, the thief peered around the girl to see a young man standing with his hand poised to throw something at him.

"Pah!" He fell to his knees in despair, unable to stand up.

Bella gave Lin a nod of approval, "Well done, Lin, I didn't think you were hiding something."

She had always known that Lin had an ace in the hole, that he wasn't weak and powerless.

"It was just luck," Lin put the words aside and approached the girl.

Although she appeared to be Bella's age or younger—roughly fourteen or fifteen—her aura was ice cold.

Lin softly asked, "You did this?" as he cast a glance at the dead bodies lying on the ground and the villagers hiding in the corner.

The girl paused, moved back, and then turned to face Lin again while lowering her head and making a feeble nod.

She was like an ugly duckling hiding in a corner, a contrast to her well-dressed savior that could not be overlooked.

From her birth, everyone had told her that she was the lowest of the low, that she should stay in the dark and away from the rest.

Lin approached her without thinking, patted her on the head, and said, "Very good; you did well."

The girl's hair didn't give Lin a pleasant sensation, it was stiff to the touch.

Lin quickly pulled the blue glass tube from his pocket and slipped it into the girl's hand, "You have a great talent, it might help you."

Lin also took a few gold coins from his own money pouch and placed them in the girl's hands; he didn't want to give her too much because it would get her in trouble.

Lin turned around in style, turned his back on the girl, and waved his hand, saying, "We have to go, you guys should leave this place as well."

Lin simply wanted to take the girl with him because she was very talented, but he hesitated in the end.

There was not much he could do when he needed help himself.

"I... My name is..."

The girl opened her mouth to say something, but her voice was so low that Lin, let alone herself, couldn't hear it.

Clutching the object in her arms tightly, the girl knew for the first time what it felt like to cry and sob.

"My name is Shire..."

As the figure vanished, no one heard what she had said.

She lowered her head and noticed that her waist was gradually turning red.

......

"Is Lin just going to leave?"

"What am I supposed to do?"

"What a pity. She seemed to have a good impression of you."

"Not true. Drop the topic"

"Huh~ I’m telling the truth."

The caravan set off again, this time much faster, after leaving the hill with the hideout.

In the blink of an eye it was past twelve o'clock and Lin received a letter, it came in a pink envelope.

[My name is Lin Kleist, and I will be dead by the time you read this letter].

On my first day on the run, I met a very interesting little girl who had a great talent that even I had noticed.

[Unfortunately I hesitated, I didn't think I could take her with me.]

When I saw her again three years later, she had grown into a powerful being and had revealed her beauty, becoming the most beautiful Knight.

That day, she ran into battle for one man, cutting through the imperial capital and crushing a thousand soldiers with her own strength.

She was defeated by a hair's breadth and ended up dead at the age of eighteen.

[It was also that day that I learned her name ...... Shire.]

"Bella?" Lin hid the letter under the table and covered his face with one hand.

Bella: "What's wrong, Lin?"

"Let's go back."

"Back to where?"

"The forest!"