This Princess is an Extra-Chapter 38: Kidnapped

Eli stopped eating to turn to look at Mira, dismissing what the baroness had just said. With a confused yet sweet smile on her face, she asked, "People who are neither capable nor willing to lift a finger somehow develop the boldest ambitions... even dreaming of titles like ’Lady of Benevolence’. Isn’t that right, Mira?"

Hearing that, Baroness Kelly’s anger seethed as it was no hidden secret that she desperately coveted a place in that very column.

"Good morning, Princess," Florence greeted Eli whom she was familiar with since childhood, smiling through her thin lips sweetly.

"Oh! Hello, ladies," Eli replied brightly, turning toward them. "Were you speaking to us? The crowd this season must be louder than usual, your voices barely reached us. How is the fair treating you?" she asked as she tilted her head innocently.

"Quite agreeable," Florence remarked, her gaze briefly lingering on the skewer in Princess Eli’s hand before turning to the maids at the back with their hand full of acquisitions "Pray, do try not to indulge too much, Princess....one must always keep in mind what weight a hand....or body....can carry. But, of course, you are quite experienced in managing load yourself."

"She is not sore to look anymore. HeHe" Eli heard few whispers from the back.

How rude. These girls never stop.

"Is that so? Lady Florence, who even sees to check the proportions of the girl right next to her, must be quite the companion. You must be positively thrilled to have her as your friend, isn’t that right, Lady Hana?" At that, Lady Hana’s haughty grin faded.

The gathered ladies suddenly became serious when Eli and Florence spoke to each other. Eli stood as she passed her skewer to the maid behind, now turned to look at the duke’s daughter who had spoken to her. She still had a pleasant smile on her face that irritated not just Florence right now but also her friend, or more so, her minion Hana, she being slightly on the plumper side was the very girl Eli had just alluded to. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Eli had been overweight throughout her childhood and most of her teen years, and women like these had never missed a single chance to remind her of her weight—calling her cow-like, bulky, pig of royalty and whatnot. Before she took over this body, Eli had pushed herself for months, grinding through diets and training until the weight finally came off.

And yet, even now, even after all that effort, they still weren’t satisfied. If it wasn’t her body, they simply found something else to claw at.

Florence chuckled softly, her delicate body taking a few slow steps towards Eli and loose the mask of her sweet thin smile, "Hana will surely take your words to heart, but, Princess... I have recently heard few whispers in the air."

Her emphasis on the world whispers didn’t sit well with Eli. Florence stared down at the royal as she crossed her arms.

"Apparently, someone said " continued Florence with a small smirk on her face, "you were seen going down into the hold... and that too at night, no less."

Eli gave another perplexed expression, "What does that have to do with you?" it was a simple question that had caught Florence and her companions off guard.

"It has little to do with Lady Florence, Your Highness..." Baroness Kelly interjected smoothly, seizing the chance to flatter Florence. "It is sad that you do not understand such implications. If such nuances escape you, Your Highness, perhaps a gentle refresher of your social lessons with the governess might prove useful. We merely don’t like the fact that you’re being interpreted in different light, Your Highness." she was the one to talk, thought Eli to herself, "If the princess is seen thus, what influence it has on Mir-"

Eli interrupted the middle-aged noble, "I am happy that as a loyal subject you are concerned about a royal’s education status, Baroness, but I must ask you to keep your nose out of matters that concerns the elites. I, after all, am not the one entertaining strangers each and every night." Widowed Baroness Kelly was known for her nightly "companions", hearing that she glowered at Eli "I trust that clarifies things, right Baroness?"

"Wh–who are you speaking of, Your Highness?" the Baroness asked with gritted teeth.

"I was speaking in general. Do you know someone like that, Baroness?" Eli asked suddenly her demeanor shifting to innocent curiosity, "You should always stay away from people like that, Mira. Shameless as they are, they have no values." she whispered softly towards Mira as if not wanting others who have gathered around to hear what she said but everyone present heard it.

"Ah... how lively your words are today, Princess," Florence who have been observing Eli said, "Though speaking of liveliness, it seems Lady Charlotte is not with you. Is she perhaps in some difficulty? Or..." she raised her thin lips up, "...have things between you two ended on unpleasant terms?"

Eli sighed, running her hand through her hair which was tied in a braid that now rested on one side of her shoulder, "Oh, how pleasant of you to worry about us, but I’m afraid it is you who may soon find things... unpleasant." she replied as her gaze flickered past Florence, where the duke’s butler was pushing through the crowd looking for their young lady.

Following Eli’s eyes, Florence and the other ladies exchanged confused glances before turning towards the butler. He whispered something discreet into Florence’s ear, upon hearing which, she snapped and glared furiously at Eli.

Knowing the duke’s house would surely have received an official complaint from both Lady Charlotte’s family and the palace by now, Eli’s sweet smile returned, "A return gift for you. Now then, later ladies." With that, she took Mira’s hand and walked away leaving the others behind.

By mid-afternoon, Eli was wandering through the fair alone, having already sent her maids back to the carriage with the items she had purchased so they could store them properly. Mira had excused herself earlier because she was responsible for overseeing the medals and awards that would be distributed to the citizens later that evening.

The fair was lively, colorful, and pleasantly distracting for her. She strolled leisurely, admiring the stalls and the cheerful chatter around her, when she noticed a small figure on a shaded bench near the path. He was a little boy no more than ten with his elbows propped on his knees, his small hands cupping his face as he stared at the ground. His tiny shoulders were drooping low.

Why is he sitting all alone and..... looking so down? Eli wondered to herself before she decided to approach him.

"Hey, kid," Eli said gently as she sat on the bench beside him. "What’s the matter?"

The blue-eyes boy, who was clearly a noble lad judging by his clothes, puffed out his red cheeks and exhaled a long, miserable sigh. "It’s nothing," he muttered without lifting his head to look at Eli.

Eli unconvinced, raised her hand and offered him a candy-pop that she was holding. "Are you sure? Because if you tell me, I might just play the role of a fairy god-sister for you today. I could fulfill a wish or two."

Very slowly, the boy lifted his head just enough to peer at her from beneath his fringes. "A fairy god-sister?" he echoed. "But you don’t look like one."

He paused, squinting at her as if trying to solve a puzzle. "Actually," he said with sudden realization, "you look like a total swindler."

"What...a swindler?"

"Yes," he nodded seriously. "Are you here to kidnap me, miss?"

"What!?....No, I am not."

"My mother says," he stated in an obvious tone of matter-of-factly, "that I must never trust strangers who offer candy. Especially the pretty ones—that’s how they trick you."

He pointed accusingly at the candy in her hand. "So if you’re trying to lure me away," he warned through his blue-eyes, "I’ll have you know I am a young gentleman in training to become a knight."

He was small. And his legs dangled off the bench, swinging back and forth without reaching the ground as he talked to Eli.

Awww,..... this little chipmunk is cute. Too cute.

Eli resisted the urge to pinch his cheeks, aware that he will not like it. Instead, she held up the candy again and wiggled it lightly between her fingers. "Well, if you don’t want it," she said casually, "I’ll just eat it myself."

The boy’s eyes flicked toward the candy with lightning speed, betraying his earlier rigidity instantly.

"I didn’t say I don’t want it," he corrected stiffly. "I simply said I wouldn’t be fooled by a stranger."

Then the boy straightened his back with knightly dignity and extended his small hand towards Eli. "Give me the candy. I will take it home and then eat it. That way I won’t be kidnapped."