The Regressed Tyrant Princess Rewrites Her Dark History - Chapter 2.14

The day after her secret meeting with the princess of the Theocracy of Avelia, Prince Arnold paid an unexpected visit.

It was an unannounced visit, suggesting that something urgent had come up.

Ariadne, sensing the importance of the matter, invited him into her chambers.

“Prince Arnold, are the preparations for the supply lines going well?”

“In fact, that is precisely what I came to discuss with you, Princess Ariadne.”

“A discussion? …Are you having trouble?”

Ariadne reflected on the events before her regression.

Though she recalled Granheim struggling against Avelia’s forces, she had no memory of any issues with the initial supply lines.

Had she overlooked something?

“We were refused by several merchant guilds that we had been counting on. They claim that the current situation makes it difficult to procure supplies.”

“The current situation?”

“They cited disruptions in trade due to monster attacks and the lingering effects of the plague.”

Ariadne immediately sensed something was off.

Even now, after her regression, monster activity and disease outbreaks were present, albeit at a manageable level.

But in her past life—when the situation had been far worse—there had been no issues with logistics.

So why now?

Her mind raced through the possibilities before landing on a likely explanation.

“This could be sabotage by the Second Prince’s faction.”

“…Sabotage?” Arnold frowned. “But the one who needs the supply lines is Siegbert. If the Second Prince’s faction interferes, wouldn’t they be harming their own forces?”

Arnold seemed doubtful, but Ariadne shook her head.

“It’s true that Prince Siegbert will suffer if the supplies don’t arrive. However, the one responsible for delivering them is you. As long as they understand that, they can manipulate the situation however they please.”

For example, if Arnold failed to secure the supplies, the Second Prince’s faction could swoop in with their own logistics network and deliver the goods themselves.

In such a scenario, the only one who would take the blame… was Arnold.

“I see… Then we’ll need to find alternative merchants to work with.”

“Rest assured, I will locate guilds that are willing to cooperate.”

Ariadne offered him a reassuring smile, and Arnold’s expression softened into a pleased one.

However, something about his look made her instincts tingle, prompting her to take a small step back.

She had a bad feeling about this.

“W-What is it?”

“Nothing. I was simply thinking that I was right to come to you for advice.”

“As your fiancée, it is only natural that I assist you in your duties.”

The moment those words left her lips, Arnold’s brows quirked slightly.

“Oh? But your duty as my fiancée is to make an effort to love me, is it not?”

“Ugh…!”

Ariadne flinched.

“I-I know that! But… as the future crown prince’s fiancée, proving my capabilities is also important, isn’t it?”

She attempted to deflect, only to have Arnold chuckle at her reaction.

“So, what you’re saying is that you’re working hard to become a suitable fiancée for me? How adorable and devoted of you.”

“A-Ah… Ugh…! D-Don’t tease me!”

Her face burned as she tried to cool her cheeks with the back of her hand.

Seeing Ariadne flustered, Arnold pressed on with his playful remarks.

“Tell me, which part of my words sounded like teasing? The part where I called you adorable? Or the part where I praised your abilities? I assure you, both are my genuine thoughts.”

“N-Nothing you say will sway me!”

“And yet, you give me such a charming, flustered expression.”

“Enough, enough, enough!”

In a desperate attempt to regain her composure, Ariadne raised her voice.

“I’ll handle the supply lines! You should focus on your other preparations!”

With that, she all but pushed Arnold out of the room.

Left alone, she let out a deep sigh before sinking into a chair.

“What… was that…?”

Unfamiliar emotions swirled inside her, leaving her completely at a loss.

Once she had regained her composure, Ariadne set out to resolve the supply chain issue.

She obtained a list of the merchant guilds Arnold had contacted.

As she reviewed the names of those who had refused to cooperate, she found exactly what she had expected—several of them had ties to her before the regression.

Or rather, they were linked to the Second Prince’s faction.

Even if not all the refusals were deliberate, it was safe to assume that at least some were the result of interference from the Second Prince’s faction.

With that in mind, Ariadne began recalling the names of merchant guilds that were free from their influence.

However, this was easier said than done.

Even Ariadne did not have every single merchant guild in the kingdom committed to memory.

The ones she remembered were either exceptionally competent or those that she had once deemed persuadable.

Yet hastily recruiting a guild that had just switched allegiances would be risky.

That left her with very few viable options.

As she carefully considered her alternatives, a name surfaced in her memory—one that had proven invaluable before her regression.

The Steel Merchant Guild, run by a man named Roland, who had once been the captain of a mercenary band.

After the war with the Restour Empire ended and mercenary work dwindled, Roland had transformed his band into a trading company to survive.

Because they retained their own escort forces, they could handle transportation to dangerous frontier regions—an invaluable asset.

In her past life, they had only begun gaining recognition a little later in the timeline.

By recruiting them early, Ariadne had secured them as her trusted subordinates.

(If my memory serves me correctly, they should still be unaffiliated with either faction. I should investigate further.)

Without delay, she summoned one of her maids and ordered an urgent inquiry into the Steel Merchant Guild.

She didn’t have to wait long.

Within a few hours, the gathered reports were delivered to her.

Flipping through the documents, Ariadne nodded in understanding.

“They’re struggling more than I expected.”

To put it simply, the guild was operating at a considerable loss.

The details varied, but the most obvious difference from her past life was the impact of Queen Carla’s tariffs.

This had placed a significant financial strain on them.

And their response to that hardship had also changed.

In an attempt to recover their losses, they had taken on a job that ultimately led to some of their members contracting an illness.

Though they had since recovered, the kingdom had restricted their entry into the capital as a precaution.

They were currently camping outside the city gates.

This was another ripple effect caused by Ariadne’s actions—one of the many people whose fate had been altered.

For Roland, it was an unfortunate string of misfortunes.

But for Ariadne, who had been prepared for the worst—that they might not even be near the capital—this was good news.

This was an opportunity she couldn’t afford to waste.

She immediately rose from her seat.

“Ashley, prepare for an outing.”

“As you wish, Your Highness. Will you be going as Princess Ariadne today? Or will you be wearing the usual robe and disguising yourself as the mysterious lady again?”

Ashley’s abrupt question made Ariadne pause and let out a small groan.

“Could you not make it sound like I’m some strange princess who sneaks around in disguise all the time?”

“So, you’ll be going out in your official attire today?”

“…Prepare a hooded robe.”

“As you command.”

Ashley’s victorious smirk was unmistakable.

Ariadne, avoiding eye contact, could do nothing but look away.