The Impression in Their Hearts

Ellie still remembered Falk back in the church.

But she would not go to see him every day.

Doing that would only make it seem as though she had ulterior motives.

The Falk from before had always been able to perceive other people’s emotions.

Although he was the type who couldn’t be bothered to care whether others had emotions or not, he was still capable of reading the room.

Ellie did not know how Falk in this world was now, but as an adult with independent thinking, there would always be people running to his side talking about bandits, hatred, and things like that.

If those words were repeated too often, they would surely backfire, making him dislike her nagging long before he even learned of the bandits’ whereabouts.

So Ellie was not in a hurry.

She had said everything she needed to say that day, leaving a deep impression on him.

As for the rest, it would be enough to leave it to his own heart.

If that still did not work, Ellie could choose Plan B.

A very simple Plan B.

That was to just switch to someone else.

If Falk did not work out, weren’t there plenty of other people.

A world never lacks people, nor does it lack people who can be used.

Although, because of the bonds from her previous life, Ellie preferred to work with people she was familiar with, if that proved impossible, she could simply switch to someone less familiar but sufficiently useful.

What people want is nothing more than a few things.

Money.

Power.

With those two, most other things could be controlled at will.

Of course, there were also some people who did not want those things.

But Ellie was certain she would never use such lofty, otherworldly people.

Using people like that would only bring trouble.

So for the next couple of days, Ellie did not plan to go to the church.

As for the bandit that Furs had captured, she had him kept properly locked in a cage.

And it was a special single cell, not allowing him to contact anyone, so he would not go out spreading nonsense.

“Mm…”

Thinking of this, Ellie’s steps in the garden paused slightly, and she turned to look at the maid beside her.

“The weather is nice today, and I feel like going out for a walk.

You all went to the trouble of preparing such a nice look for me.

It would be a shame not to go out.

Could you accompany me?”

Solor’s vigilance toward Ellie was still the same as ever.

It was not about guarding against her doing something bad to him, but guarding against her doing something bad to herself.

So the servants and guards around her still stayed close, afraid that even the slightest mishap might cause this Second Princess to get hurt again.

And recently, the Second Princess seemed different from before.

Everyone could see it.

Compared to the former princess who had been insecure and spoke in a very soft voice, she was slowly becoming more confident.

She was beginning to change that humble demeanor of the past.

When she used to go out, she would walk in small steps.

Now, her movements were open and confident.

Although sometimes her large strides made her look more like a young master than a young lady, as long as she was confident, that was what mattered.

The people around her genuinely loved her.

Seeing her improve made them happier than anyone else.

“You want to go out.

Then I’ll prepare a carriage for you.”

The maid beside her was overjoyed to hear that Ellie wanted to go out for a change of scenery.

What they worried about was never the princess going out.

They were afraid she might go out alone and disappear somewhere unknown.

So when they realized they could accompany her, they were even more happy for Ellie.

“No need for a carriage.

You, just find two more guards to follow us.

I want to take a walk.

Carriages are bumpy, and I’m not used to them.”

Seeing the maid turn around to call for the carriage, Ellie waved her hand to stop her.

She casually pointed to the maid who had responded to her, indicating that she should accompany her outside, and also glanced at the guards behind her.

“On foot?”

The maid blinked in surprise.

“Yes.

My health isn’t very good, so I want to train myself a little.

I’ll start with something simple like walking.

I’m a bit tired of the stone paths inside the palace and want to see outside.”

“Alright.

Alright.

I’ll prepare right away.

Please wait a few minutes in the flower hall.

We’ll be right back.”

The frail Second Princess wanting to go out and exercise was unprecedented.

This was a big deal.

As she said this, they happened to pass by a pavilion.

The maid led Ellie to sit there for a while, then after giving a bow, ran off quickly to prepare for the outing, taking two guards who would likely accompany them.

Just as the maid had said, it took no more than five minutes from the time she ran off to the time she ran back.

As a small test of “temporary outing preparation,” her performance was excellent.

But Ellie herself had no intention of testing her.

Even if the little maid had taken ten minutes, she would not have minded.

After all, this was not a moment where every second counted.

Sometimes, it was good to relax.

The maid prepared a great many things.

It looked like an adult taking a child out for a picnic.

She prepared a shawl.

She prepared food.

She prepared a mat.

She prepared a parasol and a hat.

She also prepared hair ties and similar items.

Some were placed in her small shoulder bag, while others were packed into a large bag carried by the knights behind them.

Ellie felt that she was only going out for a short walk and would not go far.

Preparing so many things seemed a little excessive.

But when she saw the maid run up to her, panting and drenched in sweat, saying, “Everything’s ready.

You can depart at any time,” Ellie smiled and handed her a handkerchief.

“Thank you for your hard work.

You prepared everything so thoroughly.

Having you by my side really puts me at ease.”

“Ah—ah… y-you flatter me.

We just hope that Your Highness keeps getting better.”

The little maid was quite young, only in her early teens, still a few years away from twenty.

After being praised by Ellie like this, she became shy and nervous, repeatedly fiddling with her long hair, tucking it behind her ears and then pulling it back out again.

She was clearly flustered.

“Mhm.

Thank you.”

Ellie maintained that smile that so easily won people over, then stood up and took a couple of steps out of the pavilion.

“Then shall we go out for a casual walk now?”

“Yes.”

The little maid hurried after her, while the two guards followed behind.

One carried the bags, and the other focused solely on protection.

In just this short span of time, Ellie had already left a very good impression on most people in the palace.

As time slowly accumulated, she believed her connections within the palace would gradually expand.

After all, relying on the church alone was not enough.

She needed her own people within the palace as well.

As for the knight order…

Well, she was going to the knight order today anyway.

Though it was said to be just a casual walk, the destination had already been decided.