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 Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 2. A secret that I'm desperately hiding

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 3. The Mind That Noticed

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 4. Bare claws

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 5. It’s a trap

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 6. A stupid choice

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 7. A desperate wish

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 8. The end and the beginning

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 9. It's happening again

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 10. An inevitable choice

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 11. Bellea’s heart

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 12. The morning of the journey

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 13. Time passes and as fate would have it, it happens again

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 14. An encounter that wasn’t planned

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 15. The first impression

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 16. One sword and two hands

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 17. An unusual encounter

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 18. The Gaze of a Fierce Beast

***

Sponsored by Chiqi 💖(5/5)

***

 

As Ellea left Chaylen’s room, the Duke’s mansion was still quiet and she was glad that she wasn’t discovered.

 

As she hurried back to the banquet hall, she felt pain in her foot.

 

“Oh.”

 

She hurriedly checked the soles of her feet and saw that it looked like she had stepped on a piece of the broken vase earlier, unseen because it was dark. She was so busy that she felt the pain only now.

 

Fortunately, the wound was shallow, and once she was sure the bleeding had stopped, Ellea slipped out of the main building.

 

As she was walking, wondering who she should tell about this, she saw someone walking towards the main building and hurried up to him.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Your Highness? What are you doing here……..?”

 

Arun had some business to attend to and was on his way to the main building, and was surprised to see Ellea. Then he was even more surprised when he saw her up close.

 

“What happened?”

 

At Arun’s question, Ellea looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled and her dress was in disarray, as if she had been hit by a strong wind.

 

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

 

Hastily adjusting her hair and dress, she realized that now was not the time for this, and decided to tell Arun what had happened.

 

“Listen calmly, Arun. Someone broke into the main building.” 

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Seeing that Arun was very surprised, Ellea hurriedly calmed him down.

 

“You don’t have to worry about it, I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“The Princess?”

 

Arun was by far the most surprised by this fact.

 

It made him wonder if Ellea was the same person he had seen in the banquet hall when she said she had dealt with the intruder with a casual look.

 

“I’ve tied him up in Chaylen’s bedroom, so he can tell you more. He talks easily when threatened.”

 

“One moment, please. I’m not sure I understand …………..”

 

“Tell Chaylen I’ve solved it and he’ll understand. And since there are still many people in the banquet hall, it would be good to let him know when the banquet is over.”

 

At Ellea’s thorough explanation, he nodded as if possessed by something.

 

“Then please take care of the mess. If anything happens, tell Chaylen to send a letter to the Imperial Palace.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.”

 

After finishing, Ellea greeted Arun and leisurely walked away. He felt that he could understand why Chaylen and Ellea were close to each other.

 

‘It’s clear that you’re not normal like Master Chaylen.’

 

Arun watched Ellea walking away blankly for a moment then hurried to the main building.

 

***

 

Outside the banquet hall, Ellea looked for her shoes and immediately tried to return to the Imperial Palace.

 

Seeing Arun’s surprise at seeing her earlier, she realized for sure that she should not return to the banquet hall in this state.

 

Fortunately, her shoes were still among the bushes where she had hidden them, and she picked them up and looked around.

 

‘Let’s catch my breath first.’

 

Her feet were sore and she needed to clear her thoughts, so she found a place in the garden where she could rest and headed there.

 

There was a garden bench underneath the arched space, and Ellea sat down as if collapsed.

 

She tossed her shoes to the ground and looked up at the night sky.

 

‘Duke Raymir is in motion. And so is that woman, Shanil.’

 

Today was a sure thing.

 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she knew that Raymir’s target was Chaylen, and that Shanil was also after him. 

 

‘Is it from the tea party?’

 

‘No, maybe since that first time she met Ellea.’

 

There was only one reason why Shanil was targeting Ellea. It was just like in the past when she killed El.

 

It meant that he was just as bad to look at as he once was to kill himself.

 

‘You haven’t changed.’

 

‘It probably won’t end.’

 

Ellea knew better than anyone. It was only a matter of time before Shanil’s sword headed for her neck.

 

It was her (Ellea) goal to stay here quietly and leave, but the wind was blowing dangerously without her even realizing it.

 

‘Do you really think I want things to be that difficult?’

 

Now that she knew this, there was only one option left. To stand up to Shanil, just as she had chosen to live Ellea’s life.

 

She knew that Shanil’s sword would go beyond her to Zevenica if she wanted to.

 

‘So that’s the only way after all?’

 

It wasn’t enough that she had stigmatized El, it was her (Shanil) who had sent El to her death. And, she (Shanil) was once again threatening her (Ellea)with a new life.

 

‘Is that so? One death at your hands is enough.’

 

Ellea’s eyes shone with determination as she looked at the night sky. But even at this moment.

 

‘Why am I worried about His Majesty?’

 

Why was she worried about someone who pushed her away?

 

At that moment, Ellea laughed bitterly. Then she leaned back comfortably against the bench, closed her eyes, and felt the wind graze her.

 

How much time had passed? Perhaps it was because her eyes were closed, or perhaps it was because it was so quiet around her, but Ellea could feel someone’s footsteps approaching her.

 

‘I’m sure of this sound…’

 

Maybe it was because she had been thinking about it for a while, but she realized at once who it was that was approaching her just by the sound of their footsteps.

 

Ellea knew that the footsteps had stopped in front of her, but she didn’t open her eyes. She thought the opponent would talk to her first, but it was just silence. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

 

However, something that she saw in front of her startled her in a way that was incomparable to what she had seen earlier.

 

Without warning, blue eyes were staring directly at her.

 

Ellea reflexively tried to back away, but the bench blocked her and there was no place to avoid it.

 

Without avoiding Terban, the two pairs of eyes were looking at each other.

 

***

 

Terban was on his way back to the banquet hall after sorting through his complicated mind when he happened to spot someone sitting on a bench.

 

And he realized that this person was Ellea, who had been running through his head all along.

 

As soon as he knew it, he stopped and began to ponder. Should he just pretend that he didn’t know and walk on by?

 

But he quickly made up his mind and walked over and stopped in front of her.

 

But even at that moment, Ellea just kept her eyes closed.

 

‘Is she sleeping?’

 

Terban spontaneously moved closer to her to check. Thanks to it, he was able to see Ellea’s face in detail.

 

As soon as his gaze went past her hair, forehead, and her eyes, Ellea woke up and unexpectedly met his gaze.

 

It was as if he was under a spell, Terban couldn’t take his eyes off Ellea. He himself didn’t know why.

 

That eye contact only ended with Ellea saying in surprise.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Your Majesty startled me.”

 

Taken aback by her reaction, Terban stepped back. However, he did not take his eyes off Ellea. 

 

“I thought you were asleep because you were so still.”

 

“That can’t be. This is not the Imperial Palace, and I was just thinking for a while.”

 

 “The Princess must have had a lot on your mind. Seeing that you even took off your shoes.”

 

When she saw the shoes laying randomly on the ground, Ellea felt embarrassed and tried to leave.

 

“Hmm, well, I’m about to leave.”

 

But it was much faster for Terban to take the seat next to her than it was for Ellea to get up. And he cut to the chase.

 

“I have something to say to the Princess.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At these words, Ellea stopped getting up and sat down on the bench again.

 

She couldn’t look at Terban for some reason, so she looked at the front and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

 

‘What the hell is going on?’

 

She waited nervously, wondering if it was because of the last incident, but what she heard from Terban was unexpected.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What? What are you saying……”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m apologizing.”

 

At first she thought she had misheard, because Terban, no one else, had apologized to her.

 

When he saw that Ellea was more surprised than when she had just found him, Terban laughed strangely, even though he was in a serious mood.

 

“That’s the look that said I couldn’t have said what I said.”

 

“Of course. Because Your Majesty apologized to me. I wonder if the person in front of me is actually Your Majesty.”

 

At her words, Terban was now laughing aloud, and she, watching him, was just as perplexed as ever.

 

When Terban finally stopped laughing, he seriously pieced together what he had said earlier.

 

“To be honest, as the princess said, it was awkward. It’s the first time I’ve ever apologized to anyone.”

 

“Then why did you suddenly say it to me?”

 

“You said you chose to be misunderstood by me.”

 

When Terban brought up what Ellea said that day, Ellea’s expression stiffened a little more than before.

 

“Then why are you apologizing?”

 

“I knew what the Princess had heard that day. I was astonished to hear it, and I understood how you must have felt when you heard it.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“It’s only natural for you to be angry, since I blamed the Princess for a situation I didn’t even know well. It was an obvious mistake on my part and I thought it was right to apologize. Even the mark caused by my strong grip at the time.” 

 

Ellea was momentarily at a loss for words at Terban’s heartfelt apology. Even though he explained it, she still couldn’t believe he actually apologized to her personally.

 

 Honestly, he could have just pretended not to know. Ellea had already told him that she wouldn’t report it to Zevenica.

 

‘Still, he apologized to me directly?’

 

Terban waited with a certain amount of nervousness to see what Ellea would say, but instead of a reply, she asked him another question.

 

“But it could be true, couldn’t it? I may have gone out of my way to get close to you, but how can you be sure that I didn’t?” 

 

Ellea asked with a trembling heart, but Terban’s voice was surprisingly firm.

 

 “I’m sure.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because I’ve heard it from the Order, and most importantly, I’ve felt that the Princess I’ve seen is not that kind of person.”

 

Terban said as he looked at her, and for some reason Ellea couldn’t look at him for long, so she turned away. Her behavior was strange, so Terban called her.

 

“Princess Ellea?”

 

“Yes. I understand what you have told me, so I will leave now……….”

 

Ellea got up without thinking of the wound on her feet, because she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but immediately felt the pain.

 

“Ah…”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My feet….”

 

Terban immediately stood up at her words and hurriedly sat Ellea down on the bench.

 

Ellea was bewildered by the behavior he showed. Terban was kneeling on one knee and looking at her feet.

 

Chapter 19. Three people in one place