The second female lead Dual Cultivates

“Are you done with your talk? I am being assigned to you to look after your health and well-being while you stay here. The princess has taken a shine to you and asked me to do that” the naked woman who had accompanied her to the royal palace found Maria as soon as she exited the compound.

Her voice sounded annoyed at being made to play babysitter but Maria was surprised to hear about a princess.

Why had this person never been mentioned before? Even the queen had not hinted about the existence of a princess before now?

“The princess? Do you have a whole royal family? But the queen-” Aurora started, only to stop herself short. These people had never seen their queen’s face, much less known about her condition.

Maria was not sure if the queen was even capable of reproducing in the state she had been. So unless she had been desperate for an heir, there was no way the queen was responsible for the existence of the princess.

“Oh no, you misunderstood. The queen and the princess are blessed by the magic in Jamaica. They are not related by blood or even familial ties. They just appear one day with the mark” the naked beauty explained.

This was weird but somehow it did seem to make sense. With the original queen in the condition she was in, there was no way she was going to provide an heir to this kingdom.

“So you groom the princess to take the queen’s mantle when they come of age?” Maria asked but it caused the guard to pause and level Maria with a harsh gaze.

It was so potent that it caused Maria to take a hesitant step back at its intensity.

“The queen would always be the queen. She’s connected to Jamaica in a way no one else is. The princess is just a figurehead we keep around. Do not mistake them as one and the same again” The guard’s tone left no room for back-talk.

Maria had a feeling that she would have been stabbed if she had tried to speak back. So she kept quiet as she was led around feeling quite foolish.

She had felt the queen’s power and knew it had been similar to Lady Karin’s and Lady Elma’s. Of course, the queen could not be replaced like that without the node’s input.

However, did Jamaica even need a princess when they had an eternal queen ruling over them? It felt like such a counter-productive thing to have. But Maria held this question in, not wanting to offend these people again. She had already caused one faux pause.

She needed to appease the guard so that the rest of this trip was uneventful and also cooperative.

“Of course. I felt your queen’s magic and it’s really strong” Maria praised and saw the guard straighten up a little. The praise had done its work and the guard no longer showed her hostility.

“That it is. But we should start heading back to your quarters now. The princess has called for an audience with you in the next few” The guard informed and Maria almost cursed. She had been thinking of leaving in the morning hours.

“Alright” the agreement was reluctant but Maria decided to take the chance and have this meeting. For all she knew, this princess might turn out to be a saving grace for Maria and her journey.

The canopy of the royal grounds finally faded and Maira saw night’s darkness in front of her. The sky looked just the same as it had been when she had entered the royal chambers.

Now, Maria had not expected the night to magically disappear while she had been inside, she had expected it to have changed a little bit. But it felt as if the time had not passed at all since she had entered the royal chambers.

The naked guard followed Maria’s amazed glance toward the sky and let out a sigh.

“The sky will stay the same till the ‘curse’ in the forest decided it to be so. Don’t worry about it so much as you’ll get used to it soon” The guard assured but Maria was not sure if that sure a good thing for her.

For someone to have this much control over this world, they had to be connected to the node in some way. And with the node gone, there was no telling what this would result into.

"Does this happen often?" Maria asked, trying to get more information out of the woman in front of her. This phenomenon was unheard of in her continent, but here it seemed like a common enough to not even warrant a second look.

The guard followed Maria's eyes toward the sky with a melancholic look, her eyes glazed over. She looked as if she wanted to say something but was unable to open her mouth.

And then the magic interfered. It was the gentlest of waves, the barest of moments but Maria felt it interfere with the guard. The glazed eyes blanked for a single second and Maria knew whatever she was about to tell her was gone from her mind.

"The sky has always been like this. That is why we need our princess. She's the only one who can combat the 'curse' and make the time change regularly. However, this only happens when she wants it to happen" the guard replied back, the glazed and blank look finally fading.

Maria knew she had missed her opportunity to ask questions so she quieted down. The root of her solution was obviously the princess here and Maria felt curious about her.

Maybe going to meet the princess before she left was not a bad idea. She could try to get a little assistance out of the royal or even some answers if she was lucky.

Besides, it's not like she had a better idea about this whole thing. She was still restricted with her magic and the curse made her unable to gain any advantage. She would need outside help and knowledge if she was to succeed.

And what better way to do that than to appease the princess. Even if she had nowhere the same influence as the queen, she was someone who could use magic as well. And

And so far, Maria had learned that princesses have resourceful people around them that could come in handy in various situations. She could totally take advantage of this and leave this place.

"I think I would like to meet your princess as well. She seemed like a delightful child" the guard gave her a look that did not seem pleased with Maria but she chose not to care.

As long as she got to meet the princess, it did not matter to her.

(I'll make a deal with you all. For every 100 privilege chapter unlocked, I will do a spicy extra R-18 scene as a side piece. It will not be canon but will be free to read)