20. The Reincarnated Lady Charges into the Slums
Inside the carriage, it was just the Crown Prince and me—a confined space, the two of us.
Unexpectedly, a rather awkward situation had formed.
“…There are dangerous places even in the capital,” the Crown Prince said, his voice carrying a faint edge of anger.
Was that… my fault?
“Due to jurisdiction, there are certain areas that the authorities simply cannot keep a close watch on. That’s the Southernlanda District. It’s off the main east-west roads, development was delayed, and as land values dropped, the area became a slum. It then drew impoverished citizens and, eventually, criminals. Over time, they built their own lawless community that even the royal family finds difficult to intervene in.”
“That’s… serious.”
“Answer me honestly. Why would a lady of the venerable Eldenvark family go to such a dangerous place?”
His tone was sharp, as if to say there was no room for evasion or lies.
“Let me give you my guess. You probably want to return to your domain, right? But you know you can’t easily leave the capital, so you’re trying to devise a plan.”
“You think it’s for the slums?”
The Crown Prince was right about one thing: it’s true that the authorities’ eyes don’t reach the slums easily.
Apparently, he believed that I planned to disappear into the slums, evade the royal guards, and secretly escape the capital.
“Traveling light, with no belongings, also suggests that you’ve set up a rendezvous somewhere in the Southernlanda District, where everything you need is already prepared. You’d shake off any pursuers in the dangerous, chaotic slums and then leisurely return to your domain. Am I wrong?”
“Absolutely not,” I said firmly.
I was offended. If I were planning to defy the royal order and flee, I wouldn’t have even set foot outside my domain in the first place.
“I came to the capital carrying the Eldenvark family name. Even if things don’t go exactly as planned, I won’t sulk and return. I must show that Eldenvark is a family of loyalty. I only leave the capital when I’ve been eliminated from the selection for Crown Princess.”
“Then all the more, what business do you have in the slums!? Do you even understand what that place is like!?”
Even denying the suspicion of fleeing, the severity in his voice didn’t lessen.
What exactly was he angry about?
“Listen, that district is genuinely dangerous. Thugs fight for control day and night, officials don’t dare enter, and now it’s even connected to foreign criminal organizations. Illegal goods flow in, and kidnappings are rampant.”
He explained it as if teaching me something.
“What do you think would happen if a beautiful woman like you wandered in there? You’d be kidnapped in no time, and they might demand ransom. Or worse, you could be sold to a slave trader and never set foot in this country again!”
“Um… Your Highness?”
He was painstakingly explaining the horrors of the Southernlanda District we were heading toward, as if to make sure I understood every detail.
“You’re worried about me?”
“Of course I am!”
So he had come specifically to stop me because he was anxious about me entering a dangerous district.
…Is the Crown Prince bored or something?
“If you wanted sightseeing for fun, there are plenty of other enjoyable places! I could even take you there myself! But this carriage is changing course!”
I hadn’t expected this turn of events. I still wasn’t fully accustomed to the situation in the capital.
“Thank you for your concern, but I can’t change my destination. I’m not here sightseeing, and my destination is only the Southernlanda District.”
“What business does a lady like you have in that slum…!?”
The Crown Prince stared at me as if he couldn’t believe it.
…Could you not gaze at me so intensely with that radiant face?
“If I must explain, I’m going there to acquire what I need to survive the Crown Princess selection process,” I said.
“The Crown Princess selection… what you need?”
The atmosphere suggested I could no longer hide the truth, so I let a bit slip. I had, at least, still kept it somewhat vague.
“Don’t worry, even if the area is dangerous, I have a plan to return safely. Your Highness, please return to the royal palace in peace. Surely, you have official duties to attend to.”
“True, but that doesn’t matter. If you insist on going to the Southernlanda District, I will accompany you.”
“Eh!?”
The Crown Prince himself… into the slums?
Even though I was confident, the danger remained the same.
“If it were a trivial reason, I’d stop you no matter what, but if it’s truly about your ambitions to become Crown Princess, I cannot refuse. You may be wise and capable, but there’s always a chance of the unexpected. I should stay close to protect you.”
Even if I said I was “forward-looking,” my goal wasn’t exactly to be the last one left standing to become Crown Princess.
“If things turn violent, I have the advantage with my magic. If I judge it dangerous, I’ll carry you out and use light magic to escape. If you can’t accept that, no matter what, I will forcibly bring you back to the palace.”
“Why the palace?”
Wasn’t this supposed to be the Eldenvark family estate?
…I suppose this was the Crown Prince’s maximum concession. If I refused, I could end up captured and imprisoned.
I could understand his concern, so I decided not to make things harder.
“Understood. But I request that, while I handle things, you refrain from intervening. No interference, whatsoever.”
“Fine. I’ll observe how the future Crown Princess handles that troubled district,” he said.
Well… it’s not like I’m handling it as a Crown Princess.
If I don’t correct this misconception, it could become an established fact before I realize it.
◆
Despite some trouble along the way, we finally reached the outskirts of the Southernlanda District.
“Stop here. Please come to pick me up at the agreed time,” I said.
“As you wish…”
I sent the driver back with the carriage. The Crown Prince and I watched him go side by side.
“Are you sure about sending him back here? The main area of Southernlanda is still far ahead,” he said.
“If we enter in such a luxurious carriage, it would be a target for thieves. The driver has served our family for a long time; I don’t want to put him in needless danger.”
I thought he might resist letting the driver return alone, but he agreed easily—likely because the Crown Prince was there. Having the kingdom’s top magician as a guard was reassuring.
“Then shouldn’t you have also considered your own attire? This…” he said.
I understood his concern. Though it’s fine for going outside, I wore a luxurious dress befitting a duke’s daughter. In this ruined slum, I stood out far too much.
It would attract the attention of anyone with ill intent.
“However, this cannot be helped. Sometimes standing out is good, sometimes bad. Even Your Highness wouldn’t take a common town girl seriously if she came to negotiate, would you?”
“Eh…?”
Accompanying the puzzled Crown Prince, I marched forward. The surroundings grew increasingly desolate.
Trash and filth littered the streets, buildings looked ready to collapse, and people sat on the roadside, almost indistinguishable from the garbage.
How familiar.
Before my reincarnation, I had seen this scene countless times.
To claim the title of Crown Princess, I had come to this city repeatedly, grimacing at the stench.
“My nose is going to twist…!? I can’t believe such a stench exists in the capital…!”
The Crown Prince pressed a hand to his mouth, clearly overwhelmed.
“Oh, such stench exists all over the capital, though in varying degrees,” I said.
“Eh?”
“Our sewage and waste systems aren’t fully in place. They just push filth out of sight, so the smell spreads. My maid, from my home territory with proper sewage, has been saying ‘it stinks, it stinks’ ever since arriving in the capital.”
Even among these, the Southernlanda District was extreme. Frankly, it reeked.
Without proper facilities, all the capital’s trash had probably been dumped here. It hasn’t overflowed yet, but if it ever does, the capital would be in serious trouble.
I knew someone once tried to fix it. His project ultimately failed, and I was partly the cause.
I really was a menace in my previous life.
I wonder if he’s doing well in this life.
The key figure of Southernlanda District, controlling the capital’s underworld thugs: Gatou.
In my previous life, I did anything to secure the Crown Princess title.
Unscrupulous and illegal methods were required, but they needed manpower. A respectable duke’s household could not be involved.
So I entrusted it to thugs who would do anything for money.
I had dealings with Gatou before—what a wicked connection.
He commanded hundreds of followers, and I had enough money to pay him. Our supply and demand aligned perfectly.
I used Gatou to run the city, uncover rivals’ dark secrets, and if none existed, exploit them through violence.
Gatou was probably captured with me when I was judged in my previous life. The law in this country is especially harsh on non-magical commoners, so he likely faced execution.
With time rewound, he should still be alive in this new world.
And now, I might need his power once more.
