I Hope You Don’t Recognize Me (hiatus)

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Ko - fi & Pateron

Table of Contents

  • 1. Chapter 1. The Beginning Of Everything
  • 2. Chapter 2. A Secret That I'm Desperately Hiding
  • 3. Chapter 3. The Mind That Noticed
  • 4. Chapter 4. Bare Claws
  • 5. Chapter 5. It’s A Trap
  • 6. Chapter 6. A Stupid Choice
  • 7. Chapter 7. A Desperate Wish
  • 8. Chapter 8. The End And The Beginning
  • 9. Chapter 9. It's Happening Again
  • 10. Chapter 10. An Inevitable Choice
  • 11. Chapter 11. Bellea’s Heart
  • 12. Chapter 12. The Morning Of The Journey
  • 13. Chapter 13. Time Passes And As Fate Would Have It, It Happens Again
  • 14. Chapter 14. An Encounter That Wasn’t Planned
  • 15. Chapter 15. The First Impression
  • 16. Chapter 16. One Sword And Two Hands
  • 17. Chapter 17. An Unusual Encounter
  • 18. Chapter 18. The Gaze Of A Fierce Beast
  • 19. Chapter 19. Three People In One Place
  • 20. Chapter 20. A New But Familiar Place
  • 21. Chapter 21. The Inside Story
  • 22. Chapter 22. There Are No Coincidences Without Reasons
  • 23. Chapter 23. The Opening Act Of The Banquet
  • 24. Chapter 24. The Situation Has Been Reversed
  • 25. Chapter 25. The First Dance In My Life
  • 26. Chapter 26. A Comrade And A Friend
  • 27. Chapter 27. Coincidence Created By Intention
  • 28. Chapter 28. The Second Deja Vu
  • 29. Chapter 29. Nice To See You After A Long Time
  • 30. Chapter 30. I Missed You So Much I Almost Cried
  • 31. Chapter 31. I Hope You Don't Have A Hard Time
  • 32. Chapter 32. Reason For Going Out
  • 33. Chapter 33. Following The Traces
  • 34. Chapter 34. Recurring Coincidence
  • 35. Chapter 35. Movement In The Veil
  • 36. Chapter 36. Still, That's Why I'm Here
  • 37. Chapter 37. A Promise Cannot Be Kept
  • 38. Chapter 38. A Surprise Visit
  • 39. Chapter 39. Peace On Thin Ice
  • 40. Chapter 40. A Misnomer Or Promise
  • 41. Chapter 41. The Reason Why She Shines
  • 42. Chapter 42. The Leaked Trail
  • 43. Chapter 43. Unexpected
  • 44. Chapter 44. It's Like Being Splashed With Cold Water
  • 45. Chapter 45. The Truth Behind The Smile, And The Sincerity
  • 46. Chapter 46. The Purpose Of The Invitation
  • 47. Chapter 47. I'd Rather Choose Misunderstanding
  • 48. Chapter 48. Sleepless Night
  • 49. Chapter 49. If We Meet Again, Then
  • 50. Chapter 50. The Last Participant
  • 51. Chapter 51. Someone Who Shouldn't Show Up
  • 52. Chapter 52. The Third Coincidence
  • 53. Chapter 53. A Wave That Shook The Quiet Water
  • 54. Chapter 54. What You're Hiding, Or What You Have To Hide
  • 55. Chapter 55. Each With A Different Purpose
  • 56. Chapter 56. The Banquet Has Only Just Begun
  • 57. Chapter 57. The Existence Of A Rat
  • 58. Chapter 58. The Truth Of The Misunderstanding
  • 59. Chapter 59. A Match With A Fixed Ending
  • 60. Chapter 60. First Apology To Someone
  • 61. Chapter 61. Handshake With A Resolution
  • 62. Chapter 62. It's Payback For Injuring Her
  • 63. Chapter 63. The Night Of The Incident Passed
  • 64. Chapter 64. The Place Of Memories
  • 65. Chapter 65. The Real Conflict
  • 66. Chapter 66. Doubt That Started
  • 67. Chapter 67. We'll Do Good Things Together
  • 68. Chapter 68. An Unexpected Encounter Of The Three People
  • 69. Chapter 69. With Alcohol
  • 70. Chapter 70. What Happened When I Was Drunk
  • 71. Chapter 71. Rumor
  • 72. Chapter 72. Cracks
  • 73. Chapter 73. The Truth Of That Day
  • 74. Chapter 74. Provocation
  • 75. Chapter 75. The Unexpected Protagonist
  • 76. Chapter 76. Even With Her Whole Body Flying
  • 77. Chapter 77. Uncontrollable Anger
  • 78. Chapter 78. In His Palace
  • 79. Chapter 79. A Consideration That Shakes The Heart
  • 80. Chapter 80. Why Are You Nice To Me?
  • 81. Chapter 81. Shiver
  • 82. Chapter 82. Finding The Truth
  • 83. Chapter 83. His Mysterious Feelings
  • 84. Chapter 84. Destruction Of Evidence
  • 85. Chapter 85. The End Of The Traitor
  • 86. Chapter 86. A Nice Reunion
  • 87. Chapter 87. The Warmth I Missed
  • 88. Chapter 88. Untold Stories
  • 89. Chapter 89. In The Name Of Family
  • 90. Chapter 90. Rubain And Zevenica

Chapter 1. The beginning of everything

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 2. A secret that I'm desperately hiding

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 3. The Mind That Noticed

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 4. Bare claws

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 5. It’s a trap

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 6. A stupid choice

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 7. A desperate wish

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 8. The end and the beginning

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 9. It's happening again

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 10. An inevitable choice

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 11. Bellea’s heart

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 12. The morning of the journey

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 13. Time passes and as fate would have it, it happens again

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 14. An encounter that wasn’t planned

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 15. The first impression

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 16. One sword and two hands

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 17. An unusual encounter

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s strong grip.

 

“Ask Lady Shanil for more details. I have nothing more to say.” (Ellea)

 

“This is Rubain, not  Zevenica. And Shanil is……………” (Terban)

 

Looking at him trying to say something about Shanil but couldn’t, Ellea eventually raised her voice without maintaining her calmness.

 

“Did you just call me rude?”

 

Unlike earlier, her sharp response made Terban stop speaking.

 

“Your Majesty was rude to me first. I think you should have asked what happened first, instead of making a definitive statement as if I was wrong in the situation earlier. If so, maybe….”

 

‘My answer may have been different back then.’

 

Seeing that she was feeling this way at this moment made her think that maybe she had wanted to.

 

If Shanil framed her, Terban would not doubt her..Because if that had been the case, she would have been willing to tell the truth.

 

Ellea decided to take this opportunity to speak up. 

 

‘Who am I in front of the Emperor?’

 

“I’ve been so quiet for so long, it seems Your Majesty has forgotten about me. I am the Imperial Princess of the Zevenica Empire, and I believe that any disrespect towards me is directed towards Zevenica, without exception.”

 

With those words, Terban’s hand became weak, and Ellea pulled out her caught wrist and walked away.

 

This time, Telvan did not follow.

 

No, he couldn’t follow. For a brief moment, he felt the resentment that she had so clearly shown him. 

 

“Why on earth………..?”

 

‘The way you look at me…’

 

Ellea confirmed that he was no longer chasing, and soon stopped walking and looked at the wrist that Terban had grabbed.

 

There were already red marks because of the strong grip.

 

She wrapped her other hand around the mark and stood there for a moment, and then walked again.

Chapter 18. The Gaze of a Fierce Beast

***

Sponsored by Lia. Thank you 💖 (2/2)

***

 

Ellea looked around at the ladies and smiled in return at their silence.

 

“Why can’t you all say anything? Was my question that difficult?” 

 

“It’s not rude at all. We were just asking out of curiosity….”

 

“If this situation is not rude, what is it? Then there is no problem if I tell His Majesty about today’s events directly, is there?”

 

Even the Lady, who refuted that comment, maintained her silence in the end. Naturally expecting this to come out, Ellea continued.

 

“I started physical training after I regained my health. Since then, I have been close to the knights and received a lot of help.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the knights during the time she was in Zevenica as well.

 

“I went to visit Lord Bandel, with whom I had developed a close friendship, to ask for his permission in advance. I wanted to meet the Knights. There wasn’t a different intention.”

 

Silence came again at Ellea’s calm voice. Then she looked at Shanil one and said, 

 

“I didn’t know that Lady Shanil would think about it this way. It looks like I’m making excuses and I don’t feel very good about it.”

 

When Ellea revealed her displeasure with the situation, the ladies also began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Then, as the arrow headed for her, Shanil waved her hand and said.

 

“No, I was also flustered by the story that the ladies brought up earlier, and I definitely didn’t mean it. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate it. We all do, don’t we?”

 

Shenil’s question was met with a quick nod from the others. It was not in their best interest for this to get too big. 

 

“Of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Ellea said in a firm voice to them, who forgot to mention the most important thing.

 

 “Then under the circumstances, don’t you think an apology is in order?”

 

 “I’m sorry. Princess.”

 

“I’ll be careful not to let this happen in the future.”

 

“I accept your apologies, and I trust these words will not come out again. I also don’t want Zevenica to find out and make things bigger than they already are. It depends on the situation, of course.”

 

Ellea used her position as an imperial Princess to warn them. As expected, the ladies quickly lowered their tails and nodded.

 

Shanil, however, had no intention of retreating easily.

 

“By the way, I didn’t know the Imperial Princess had such training Zevenica. It’s really amazing.”

 

“Since I’ve gotten healthier, every day is new and I just pay more attention to it.”

 

Like hyenas, Shanil did not miss what Ellea said, and immediately said ‘wow’.

 

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious about the Princess’ skills.”

 

Ellea’s hand faltered for a moment at her suggestion.

 

She looked at Shanil, but she just smiled at her as before. But the meaning of her words was obvious.

 

‘If you’re interested enough to visit the Order, shouldn’t you show them something?’

 

“It comes out like this, doesn’t it?”

 

Heris refuted Shanil’s words with a look of disbelief.

 

“Didn’t she make it clear just now? The Princess’ body just got better….”

 

Ellea shook Heris’ hand, who stood up for her.

 

At the touch, Heris stopped talking, and when their eyes met, Ellea smiled as if she was okay.

 

“Of course. Because I meant every word I said. I hope I get the chance to do that someday. We’ll never have to talk about this again.”

 

“I’m waiting for that day, too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

 

Shanil’s and Ellea’s eyes collided with the same but different expectations, and no one avoided each other’s gaze first.

 

Then they moved on to other topics, and fortunately the meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

 

Ellea parted from Heris with regret.

 

“It was really nice to meet you today, Ellea.”

 

“Me too. And thank you very much for today.”

 

“Of course. Isn’t it interesting? She’s cleverly putting you on the spot while pretending to be something she’s not. I really wanted to subvert the situation. Are you all right?”

 

Heris was still annoyed by what the ladies had said at the tea party. How could such an outrageous misunderstanding be possible?

 

“Of course. But don’t worry, I expected this much. I’ll invite you to the Imperial Palace next time. Let’s meet alone, just the two of us.”

 

After promising to meet next time, Heris left in her carriage. 

 

The rest of the ladies had left, and Ellea was about to leave as well, but Shanil called to her from behind.

 

“Princess.”

 

Shanil walked up to Ellea and carefully spoke up. 

 

“I can’t help but feel that I spoke out of turn. I was having so much fun earlier, and I just forgot about it.”

 

The laughter in her words was strongly felt by Ellea.

 

‘I know you said those words because of your pride, so I’ll put my tail down and tolerate it for now.’ (Shanil)

 

Actually, Shanil didn’t believe a word Ellea had said from the beginning. 

 

‘It’s not even funny. There’s no way you can do that. It must have been a lie anyway that you trained.’

 

Ellea became even more disheveled at the brazen condescension.

 

 “No, don’t forget all the things that Lady Shanil had said, because I won’t.”

 

 “Still…..”

 

“Oh, I had something I wanted to ask Shanil too, but it was a little hard to say when the others were around earlier. “

 

“What is it?”

 

What was it that scared you so much?” 

 

With those words, Ellea gave her a cold look, and Shanil stepped back without realizing it. 

 

 But Ellea asked again, taking another step closer to her as she did so. It was as if she was pressuring her.

 

“There’s no one here who doesn’t know Lady Shanil’s position, so what are you afraid of?” 

 

“I’m nothing as long as you’re by His Majesty’s side anyway, so what were you so afraid of?” (El)

 

As if her whole body was tied up, Shanil couldn’t move any further.

 

What the hell is this? What is this feeling?

 

And why did El come to her mind at this moment?

 

She hurriedly found a way to get out of this situation. At that moment, she dropped to the floor as if she was collapsing.

 

“What are you doing now…………”

 

Ellea was panic at the sudden turn of events.

 

She was about to reach out to Shanil when someone who had come before her and stood on front of Shanil. 

 

“Shanil.”

 

“Terban?”

 

Since when did he come? Before she knew it, Terban was taking care of Shanil and checking her condition.

 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

 

“The Princess misunderstood something, but I was so flustered.”

 

Terban turned his head and looked at Ellea. The look in his eyes was laden with a coldness that she had not been seen before.

 

Ellea was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained her composure.

 

She was used to that look from Terban, and most importantly, she could easily predict what he imagined about the situation.

 

Shnail collapsed as if she was surprised by something, and Ellea was standing in front of her.

 

It was obvious how it would look in the eyes of others.

 

Ellea could put everything on the fact that Shenil had fallen down for such a situation. In the meantime, Terban, who had made sure that Shanil was okay, asked Ellea.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

‘As expected, this is how it works.’ (Ellea)

 

When Terban reacted sharply, Shanil hurriedly stopped him.

 

 “No, Terban. I made a mistake to the Princess….”

 

“No matter how many mistakes you make. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hurt, because you’ve done that many times. You need to be careful.”

 

Terban said to Shanil and looked at Ellea again, but Ellea didn’t avoid his gaze. She didn’t do anything wrong so she just stood tall.

 

“Why isn’t the Princess talking? I think we need an explanation.”

 

With the look and the words that Terban gave her, Ellea decided to give up on trying to explain the situation. It was strange to make excuses here as if she was the one who had done something wrong, and more importantly.

 

“Will you believe me, Your Majesty?”

 

 

When Terban couldn’t say anything at her question, Ellea smiled in vain as if she had forgotten that the person in front of her was the Emperor. Then, not avoiding Terban’s gaze, she stated her thoughts firmly.

 

“That’s what I thought. I don’t see the point in me saying anything here.”

 

“Princess Ellea.”

 

Terban called Ellea in a low voice, but Ellea remained unshakable until the end.

 

“If Your Majesty comes out that way, I would rather choose to be misunderstood. I don’t care what you think of me. Then I will leave now. For further details, please ask Lady Shanil.”

 

With a rough greeting, Ellea walked away without hesitation. Shanil was also quite confused, as she had never expected her to act so brazenly this way in front of Terban.

 

It was Terban who moved first in this situation.

 

“Stay here for a moment.”

 

“Terban!”

 

Shanil called hurriedly, but Terban only went in the direction where Ellea had disappeared. He left Shanil behind.

 

***

 

Ellea walked with only her eyes forward, suddenly her body spontaneously turned by a strong force pulling her from behind.

 

Then she found Terban, who had followed her. He looked more intense in emotion than before.

 

She, on the other hand, looked at Terban’s hand grasping her wrist and asked casually.

 

“Do you have more to say to me?” (Ellea)

 

“What kind of disrespect is this?” (Terban)

 

Ellea was unconcerned and said the same thing as before, though her wrist was starting to hurt from Terban’s