Chapter 27

The young girl had, of course, thought about resisting, but to her astonishment, the hand pinching her ear seemed to possess an immense strength. Let alone breaking free, she could not even tilt her head to see who was being so abrupt!

It was only upon hearing Xiarette’s familiar voice that the girl finally grasped her lifeline and began to plead for help.

However…

Xiarette actually remained silent for a few seconds at this critical moment.

It was as if she had deliberately allowed Sheffy Harl to discipline the girl, waiting a while before finally speaking slowly to persuade her.

This nearly moved the girl to tears!

“Shaya, let her go. This is Her Highness, the Princess of our Kingdom of Aurus.”

“Eh?”

“Ah ah!!”

Oh, sorry… Hearing that you’re a princess was a bit unexpected, so I might have used a bit too much force when pinching your ear.

Who would have thought? It was clear this girl must be someone important, but to think she was such a top-tier figure?

Well then, this could count as avenging all those doughnuts scattered on the ground.

Sheffy gave a little hum and released her grip on the girl’s ear, swiftly picking up the doughnut that had landed on the princess’s head and promptly stuffed it into her mouth!

At least this one hadn’t fallen to the ground. More importantly, it didn’t cost her or Xiarette anything—how could she not eat it?

The black-haired girl cautiously looked up, clutching her ear that had been twisted red.

At first glance, she saw before her a black-haired little girl with puffed cheeks, looking like a tiny hamster secretly munching on something.

At the same time, from the corner of her eye, Sheffy noticed the royal emblem of “Sword and Shield,” symbolizing the kingdom’s royal authority, embroidered on the shoulder of the black-haired girl’s dark gown.

No wonder the townsfolk had been keeping their distance from her… so this was the reason.

The black-haired girl’s first reaction upon seeing the little girl before her was surprise.

She simply could not imagine that the reason she had been unable to move was because of such a small girl.

And her second reaction… needed no further explanation.

Because in her crystal-green eyes, dazzling ripples of light had already burst forth!

“Wow…! So cute!! Ouch… my ear still hurts! But still! So cute!!”

Well, it seemed that this kingdom not only produced beautiful girls, but also airheads.

Was this princess perhaps a bit absent-minded?

After sighing to herself, the black-haired girl noticed Xiarette standing nearby. Startled, she suddenly came to her senses and frantically bowed to Xiarette in thanks, almost as if she would kneel to the ground to express her gratitude for saving her ear.

Sheffy had a feeling that if it weren’t for the dignity of the royal family preventing her from groveling, this princess might very well have earnestly knelt down to thank Xiarette.

Xiarette had already lost count of how many times today she had pressed her palm to her forehead and shaken her head…

Her gently swaying golden hair seemed to be lamenting that the princess standing before her was simply a child who refused to grow up.

At least her words helped explain the situation to Sheffy.

“Sigh… Her Highness the Princess sneaks out of the palace every so often… claiming she wants to uphold justice… even His Majesty the King can’t control her. May I ask, Your Highness, does His Majesty the King know that you’ve left the palace this time?”

“Father…! Ahaha… Hero, what are you saying? Of course Father knows!”

Understood.

It seemed the King was, as always, urgently mobilizing the Royal Guard to search for her again.

Setting that aside, the black-haired girl glanced at the trapped thug, who no longer had the strength to flee, then looked at Xiarette. Clenching her left fist and giving her right palm a light smack, she voiced her guess.

“Oh…! Lady Xiarette, I was wondering why that thief suddenly couldn’t run anymore. It was you who acted, right? As expected of you!”

Yes, yes, yes~ it was Xiarette who helped.

While wolfing down the doughnut, Sheffy thought to herself. Though it had been her who cast the *Binding Magic* that created the air wall just now, she certainly did not want to admit it—otherwise, things would surely become troublesome~

Come on, Xiarette, I believe in your wisdom.

Just go ahead and claim that this magic was yours, and steer this troublesome topic away.

Xiarette indeed wore a look of wisdom.

But to Sheffy’s surprise…

She actually spread her little hands.

And pointed right at Sheffy, who was grinning confidently.

Sheffy’s smile gradually vanished…

“It wasn’t me. The magic just now was cast by Miss Shaya here. It was her who helped you catch the thief. If you want to thank someone, thank Miss Shaya properly.”

“What…!!”

“?!”

Xiarette, *this* is your damned wisdom?!

Sheffy sharply looked up, meeting Xiarette’s gaze.

Who would have thought that Xiarette’s eyes showed not the slightest hint of guilt—on the contrary, they even seemed a little proud.

*Hmm hmm~ How about that, Sheffy? This time I didn’t forget to call you ‘Miss Shaya,’ and I didn’t slip up at all!*

*The problem has nothing to do with that, you foolish Hero!*

Feeling the lingering phantom pain in her ear and having just heard Xiarette’s words, the black-haired girl now looked at Miss Shaya’s small figure with immense curiosity. She had completely transformed into a curious little kitten!

“Amazing, amazing…! May I ask, Miss Shaya, whose child are you? You look so young… What’s the secret to your strength? C-could you teach me?!”

“This isn’t the time to be talking about that… you people…” Sheffy sighed, using one hand to push the overturned stall upright again, checking if there were any salvageable doughnuts.

At the same time, she gestured backward with her thumb, pointing toward the thug who had been trapped and had already given up struggling.

“That guy over there—you all sure you don’t need to deal with him?”

“R-right, the thief is the key!”

The black-haired girl finally snapped out of it, realizing something that no normal person should have forgotten.

Her curiosity, however, had not yet subsided. She kept glancing back with every few steps, as if silently begging the Hero and Miss Shaya not to leave yet—she wanted to come chat with them again soon.

Sheffy had no intention of leaving even if she hadn’t asked.

Heh… a princess, is she?

Then she must be rich!

Look at how you crashed into this poor doughnut stall. Shouldn’t you at least pay some compensation and help the owner open a few more branches?

Yes, yes! That way it’d be much easier to buy doughnuts in the future!

Sheffy and Xiarette followed behind the black-haired girl, approaching the thug who was now slumped on the ground, having given up inside the *Air Wall* barrier.

It was now time to handle official business.

Suddenly—

The black-haired girl’s expression and demeanor suddenly changed.

The silly, innocent air from earlier vanished completely.

Her emerald-like eyes brimmed with seriousness, and in her words, the royal authority was displayed in full.

At this moment, royal power seemed like a tangible blade, piercing straight into the thug’s guilt.

“I am Livra Aurus, the Third Princess of the Kingdom of Aurus. You have committed the crime of robbery. Now that you have calmed down, do you feel any remorse? Or is there anything you wish to say in your defense before being sent to the Royal Capital’s Court of Judgement?”

**27. Struck it rich!**

Hearing that this was a princess of the Kingdom of Aurus, the thug trapped within the *Binding Magic* looked up in surprise.

Upon clearly seeing the emblem of the royal family, the man instinctively felt fear, his whole body trembling.

Even the straw hat on his head fell to the ground, revealing a bearded, weathered face that looked to be over fifty years old.

Covered in dust and dirt, he appeared more like someone who had traveled a long distance than a local resident of the Royal Capital.

But the panic only lasted for an instant.

Suddenly, the man’s dull face broke into a smile.

The more he smiled, the more brazen it became.

And the more he smiled, the more a tearful tone surfaced.

Princess Livra remained silent, neither urging nor scolding him. Rather than merely punishing evil, she was more intent on understanding the root cause of this crime.

After a moment, the man suddenly shook his head wildly. As if breaking down, he flung the stolen handbag heavily onto the ground.

“Ah…! I’m done for today, I admit it! And to think I even ran into the royal family—just my bad luck! Fine, fine, there’s no point in living anymore. Do whatever you want, kill me if you must!”

“Your crime is robbery. You won’t be sentenced to death.”

“Living like this! What’s the difference between living and being dead?!”

The man’s emotions were highly unstable. He shouted, his eyes bloodshot, clearly prepared to be killed.

Sheffy stood quietly beside Xiarette.

She was rather curious to see how this human princess would handle such a situation.

She had looked so silly earlier, yet now she seemed quite reliable?

And she wasn’t just *seeming* reliable.

Livra let out a soft sigh and turned to point toward the crowd of citizens.

“You had a knife earlier, but you didn’t harm any of the citizens. When you were swinging the knife, you deliberately avoided hitting them.”

The man’s agitated expression faltered slightly.

He hadn’t expected that someone of royal status… would notice such a minor detail.

Not giving him time to relapse into madness, Livra continued with her conclusion.

“And when I overturned the stall, your first reaction wasn’t to seize the chance to flee. Instead, you stopped and hesitated, looking back.”

Stopping and looking back was most likely to check if anyone was injured or to assess the damage to the stall.

That was not something a completely irredeemable, vicious criminal would do.

“And throughout your escape, you didn’t knock over a single stall.”

Having finished, Livra absentmindedly patted the remnants of a doughnut off her black hair.

Well then—Sheffy had just thought this princess looked a tiny bit cool, but now that impression was completely gone.

*You wicked princess, you’ve reminded me once more of your heinous crime!*

The thug stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

And at this moment, Livra finally spoke the words she truly intended to say.

“That’s why I’m very curious about your reason for committing robbery in broad daylight. It’s also why I asked you to explain yourself. Otherwise, there would be no need for me to question a criminal beyond redemption, would there?”

“……”

Xiarette quietly led Sheffy a bit further away and whispered in her ear.

“Princess Livra is the King’s most beloved daughter, because she’s noticeably different from the other princesses.”

“She certainly crashes about wildly. Quite… unique.”

“No, that’s not it… Sheffy, look. Even though she always sneaks out of the palace, when it’s time to act, she remains very composed. The King often worries about her, but everyone in the palace knows—he’s already grooming Princess Livra as the heir to the throne.”

“Oh ho, so she’s not just a wild one.”

*Sheffy, your way of looking at things really is quite… unique, isn’t it?*

At this moment, the thug had fallen completely silent.

Whatever thought had crossed his mind, a trace of tears suddenly appeared at the corner of his eyes.

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