Two-Faced Princess

by disasters, such as unbearable heat, freezing cold, blinding sandstorms and vicious monsters.
It was clear the land was cursed.
In one corner of the region, there might be a raging typhoon, and another, a cruel famine.

The residents of Lishan had been left alone and neglected for decades, and so they were extremely poor.
The feudal lord of the land lived in a mansion far from Lishan, and he would sometimes even sell the land at low prices, as if it were a joke.

“Take this instead of the money! It’s a large territory, after all.”

“I’m wasting my money away only to reap trouble…”

Emperor Pascal II had received an estate in Lishan instead of tax from the lord several decades ago.
Yet he, too, had left Lishan unattended.
It had only fallen deeper into ruin.

Now, almost all the people living in Lishan were gypsies – most of them Bellas.
Bellas were a species of witch skilled in medicine and magic.
They were witches, wanderers, robbers, and petty thieves.
What they were most known for was their striking beauty – slightly tanned, exotic skin, long eyelashes, and delicate violet eyes which attracted anyone, regardless of gender.
There were humans in Lishan too, but they were often halfbreeds made of the union between a human and a Bella.

Of course, those beautiful features didn’t stop them from becoming thieves.

“I mean, if they wanted to bring so many unskilled people, shouldn’t they at least be cunning?” Sid growled angrily to Apollonia.
The envoy had begun moving again, and they were sitting in her carriage.

“Exactly.
This was our third time meeting a bandit, so I was looking forward to it.
But they were truly helpless against Uriel’s blade.”

Before their departure for Lishan, Apollonia had thought of a plan to get rid of the emperor’s imperial knights accompanying them.
They belonged to the emperor, and were excellent knights who performed their duties faithfully.
In other words, they would report her every move to Gaius.

As long as they were there, Apollonia couldn’t explore Lishan like she wanted.
Even if she found something, it’d be a disaster if the emperor found out.

So she’d been glad to hear about the abundance of bandits in Lishan.
When the knights were attacked by the bandits, she’d use that chance to escape with Sid and Uriel.
Only then would they be free to wander around the territory.