Bibliophile Princess: Volume 6 (eBook)

Yui (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023
250 Seiten
J-Novel Club (Verlag)
978-1-7183-0864-0 (ISBN)

Infos

Elianna Bernstein, the Bibliophile Princess, is far from the safety of the royal capital in search of a cure for the Ashen Nightmare. After being betrayed by her trusted manservant who destroyed her only hope, Eli is left with nothing but despair until she unexpectedly encounters a familiar ally-Irvin Orlanza, a prince of Maldura. With renewed determination, she and her companions just might be able to discover the cure after all. If she can outrun the assassins relentlessly targeting her, that is.
Meanwhile, in the royal capital, rumors of the prince's new fiancée are flourishing, and Prince Christopher is cornered by forces trying to get rid of Elianna and take the kingdom for their own. Will the two lovers reunite and wake the kingdom from the Ashen Nightmare? Or will villainous schemes volumes in the making finally best the Bibliophile Princess?

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Elianna Bernstein, the Bibliophile Princess, is far from the safety of the royal capital in search of a cure for the Ashen Nightmare. After being betrayed by her trusted manservant who destroyed her only hope, Eli is left with nothing but despair until she unexpectedly encounters a familiar ally-Irvin Orlanza, a prince of Maldura. With renewed determination, she and her companions just might be able to discover the cure after all. If she can outrun the assassins relentlessly targeting her, that is.Meanwhile, in the royal capital, rumors of the prince's new fiancee are flourishing, and Prince Christopher is cornered by forces trying to get rid of Elianna and take the kingdom for their own. Will the two lovers reunite and wake the kingdom from the Ashen Nightmare? Or will villainous schemes volumes in the making finally best the Bibliophile Princess?

Textauszug

Chapter 1: Foreign Temptation

Twilight enveloped the land as the sun began to sink over the horizon. Coughs could be heard from all directions. Some were softer and lighter, while others were more noticeable and pronounced, seeming to echo. The vast space of the assembly hall was dominated by anguished breathing and a melancholy atmosphere. Even the air was musty. Everyone knew that anyone who entered here would never leave—not alive, anyway.

This was the Ralshen Region of Sauslind Kingdom, where the Urma Mines were the main source of people’s livelihood. A town rested at the foot of the mountain, where the miners and their families lived. It was a place that saw all sorts of people and merchants going to and fro. Although the town was called Modzth, few referred to it by that name. The Urma Mines were what this area was famous for, so for most, this was merely “the town at the foot of the mountain.”

As a major town, it had a respectably large town hall. The mining industry here was also of crucial importance to the realm, so both the regional lord and the top brass at the capital had dispatched officials to oversee things. Those same officials now found themselves secluded in a cramped space after the citizens of the town had taken up arms.

The coughing remained incessant even after night fell. Sadly, there were too few people present trying to alleviate or otherwise offer aid to those suffering from these symptoms. The only ones present even making an attempt were a single individual who’d taken on the role of doctor and a select few who’d chosen to follow that ambition. Their numbers thinned as the days pressed on.

The doctor who’d been looking after the patients fell ill with the Ashen Nightmare, and those who’d acted as the doctor’s assistants began to exhibit symptoms themselves. No one could be blamed for wondering if it would be their turn next. Naturally, many escaped under the cover of night. Not a soul left behind could blame them for it either.

The assembly hall began to be known as “the Final Stop.” As the name implied, it was the final place people went before they left this world for the next.

In places where Ryzanity had taken root, it was taught that people shouldn’t resist whatever trials God set before them, so some people genuinely believed they were supposed to accept whatever happened as God’s will. This led some to view the dead as pious believers for having obeyed God. Still, it was also a natural part of human nature to want to help those whose lives could be saved.

Outside, the snow was unrelenting. Talks continued with those who’d risen up. Day by day, the number of infected increased. People who were still in good health made a run for it, while the ones who remained behind saw no happy ending in sight or any reports that would signify impactful change was on its way. As the seriousness of the situation mounted, people understandably began to criticize the person serving as representative—me.

“Raqqa, I’m really starting to think chasing off the regional lord’s envoy wasn’t the best idea,” said one person.

Another chimed in with more depressing news. “We’ve been holed up in here for over seven days now. We’re going to start running low on food soon.”

“Doesn’t help that the road is blocked by snow drifts,” mumbled another, implicitly suggesting that perhaps all their efforts were going to be for naught.

“It’s a bit late for that now,” snapped a stern voice. “The regional lord’s envoy was just a hollow mouthpiece sent to smooth things over and shut us up. It’s not like they brought medicine and doctors along with them. They just want to stop the people from rebelling and pretend none of it ever happened.”

“Exactly,” someone agreed. “Everyone knows the upper crust always abandons Ralshen when it suits them. If no one had risen up, they’d have turned a blind eye like usual. This place is forsaken land, as far as they’re concerned.”

The people who spoke loudest grew increasingly impatient and indignant because they were the ones whose families had been infected. This prompted everyone else who’d given their negative opinions on the situation to keep their mouths shut; they didn’t know if they and their loved ones might be next.

Even before the New Year came, many at the foot of the mountain had caught colds. There were always years like that, so people had remained optimistic at the start. It was only once they realized that this was a life-threatening plague—the Ashen Nightmare—that things took a sudden turn.

Those of a certain age could still remember how horrific it had been when it had last visited sixteen years ago. The spread had been rampant, claiming one life after another. People had begun to disappear from each other’s lives—a neighborhood acquaintance, the local shop owner, and even close family. One day a child might play with another only for both of them to be gone the next. As the community’s population dwindled, leaving few alive, the pungent odor of death had hung like a thick curtain over the city.

I never want to see that happen again. That was a sentiment shared by every member of the town.

Perhaps an uprising was inevitable in this situation. Even if the townspeople summoned doctors and herbalists from the surrounding areas to provide assistance, everyone already knew the path they were headed down. Their town was far from the capital and well removed from any major highways, nestled in the heart of the kingdom. No matter how immediate any help was, things would still be like they were before. This would once again become a land of the dead.

Word had spread all the way to Mt. Urma that the capital had the pomelo fruit, which was effective against the plague. We weren’t asking for all of it to be handed over, but if we didn’t receive some supply of it, then the afflicted would have no hope of survival. We knew our methods were violent, but last time we’d reacted too late and lost too many lives in the process. There wasn’t time to make polite requests.

I, Raqqa Arkto, acting as a representative of the town’s miners, rose up alongside my comrades and encouraged those gripped with fear to take up arms with us. We resorted to unsavory means to accomplish our goal—storming the town hall and arresting the officials stationed there. It was an anticlimactic act of rebellion, considering how easily we were able to gain control. Part of that was because the officials were so caught off guard that they had no idea how to react. Maybe some even sympathized with us for having to resort to such violent means.

Those who’d weakly resolved themselves to our cause clenched their fists and tried to talk themselves up about the decision we’d made. My fellow miners were more committed, perhaps because most were naturally short-tempered with a propensity for letting their fists do all the talking.

“Raqqa. It’s no use talkin’ to those envoys. We oughta send someone directly to the capital, dontcha think?”

“Yeah, but the capital’s busy preparin’ for war, right? Doubt those guys’d be worried ’bout a town like ours, here in the middle of nowhere. It’s no skin off their backs what happens to us. I say we send someone to the regional lord’s manor instead.”

I could understand where they were coming from as they argued back and forth. His Majesty in the capital city of Saoura had fallen ill as well, and word had spread far and wide that this was Maldura’s doing. We were on the cusp of open war. Even the men here with me, as ignorant as they were of national politics, could tell that sending someone to petition for aid wasn’t likely to produce any results.

The former earl’s predecessor was still alive and living at the regional lord’s mansion, however. Even if the current lord had proved undependable, the people still had great trust in his grandfather, who’d fought alongside us to protect our lands during the last great conflict. That was why many proposed going there to demand assistance directly. Moreover, two people close to the royal family were stationed there currently: a young man in line for the throne, who was the son of a duke and the king’s elder sister, and the current crown prince’s betrothed. Maybe people thought we might have some luck if we pleaded with them.

That plan had some issues, though; it had been over a week since we had commenced our uprising. We lacked doctors and medical assistants as well as medicine and provisions. The royal family was making no move to alleviate our situation. That was the reality we were faced with.

A profound but not entirely unexpected disappointment fell over all of us. We all knew it would probably be futile to hope for anything from our kingdom’s royalty. That was precisely why I resolved myself and opened my mouth to speak, drawing everyone’s attention in the process.

“We waited until now in the hopes that aid had been delayed because of the snow, but our sick are only increasing by the day, and the envoys that came offered nothing but empty words. If it wasn’t clear before, it is now. The regional lord and the royal family have no intention whatsoever of saving any of us.”

A ripple of bitter, angry agreement rose from the gathered group. I surveyed their faces before continuing.

“The reason the regional lord and his people are so flippant is because they don’t understand yet that we’re serious. As soon as this blizzard lets up,...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 6.4.2023
• Reihe/Serie: Bibliophile Princess
• Reihe/Serie: Bibliophile Princess
• Illustrationen: Satsuki Sheena
• Übersetzer: Alyssa Niioka, Andria McKnight
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• Schlagworte: cute • Light Novel • Medieval • Politics • Princess • Romance • strong female lead
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-0864-7 / 1718308647
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-0864-0 / 9781718308640