The bedroom, which was once in chaos, was cleaned up with the help of the maids. I couldnât sleep there today because the window was broken.
âSleep in this room. I know youâre anxious, but I have somewhere to be.â
As if he was worried about me, the Grand Duke left the room with a small candle lit. So that the room left alone is not too dark.
âOld lady, come out now. Talk to me.â
[TingâŠ]
And as soon as the Grand Duke left the room, I pushed aside my exhaustion and called out the old lady with my eyes wide open.
To question her why I didnât know about this damn incident beforehand.
[This, you have to focus in order to foresee the future. What do you want to see when you donât even try?]
âI canât live with that kind of thing all day long. I called you to tell me another way, and I didnât call you to listen to such nagging.â
What would I do if I accepted the old lady I hated so much and used her power? My life was in danger a while ago.
As the old lady said, itâs impossible to live my life only worrying about what is going to happen. I should know how to use my power more reliably.
âLetâs just say itâs because itâs rare in reality to have this kind of danger. Tell me how to survive here.â
[Itâs frustrating⊠Your mother understands clearly even when I say things roughlyâŠâŠ.]
âWhy are you talking about my mom here?â
Besides, itâs all because of someone.
If you dropped someone who was living well in a place like this, shouldnât you take some responsibility at the very least?
I never wanted to be Flotty Bevenia. I just wanted to live alone away from people and die quietly.
[From the moment you accepted me, Iâm you, youâre me]
âWhat nonsense are you talking about?â
[Your trust is weak, so your energy is weak. Trust yourself, trust me.]
Frustrated, I thought of her words like catching clouds in the air. I didnât call this old lady to hear such nonsense.
âDonât say it like that and speak clearly. What are you talking about?â
[Iâm telling you to trust me. What are you saying? This is it!]
âWhy are you yelling so loud?â
Iâm already distraught, but she canât help but talk nonsense.
When I grabbed my throbbing head, I remembered that I almost died a while ago.
âDoes it mean that if I trust you, it will become like an automatic skill or whatâŠâ
What I need now is not something like that, but a sure way to survive.
I canât live like an oblivious idiot until this old lady warns me like today.
âDo you want me to die?â
[You have a terrible way of talking]
âOtherwise, you wouldnât let me go to a place like this.â
[âŠâŠ.]
She said I was the only vessel that could contain her. She seems determined to break such a vessel.
As I felt the need for alcohol, unfiltered thoughts were mixed in my head, which became so clear.
As soon as I realized that it was the work of the empress, I got angry and said I will move to the capital, but maybe days such as this one will continue from now on.
âCan I make it?â
All I can do is stay in the house and fiddle with my phone.
I gave up sleeping and moved to the window overlooking the estate. The pretty garden I saw during the day was only lit by street lamps.
[Youâll catch them. Your husband isnât easy.]
âI suppose so.â
He killed Flotty Bevenia and looked cool.
It was very noisy outside the castle, perhaps because of a sudden intruder. There were urgent footsteps and murmurs.
I decided to take advantage of the old ladyâs silence and use her powers.
âWhere could he be?â
The rat who tried to put an arrow in my head.
I could feel the chill in my eyes, which turned a dark gray color. The scene went back to when the arrow hit the wall.
And with great speed, I followed the man.
âDamn it, I failed!â
The apparent culprit made a quick move down a large tree. A black mask covered his face with a slender build and slight stature
The man runs away hiding himself through the dark grass to escape the streetlight.
He climbed the decorations on the outer walls of the castle.
Up?
Now?
Then he came in through an open window.
âKyaaaahhhh!â
The gray scene that followed the man turned into a colored reality. As soon as he put his hand on the window frame, I made eye contact with him.
***
ââŠPrincess Bevenia?â
He found me as his target. Outside the castle, knights were everywhere, so he seemed to have chosen to climb the wall.
My heart subsided when I saw an intruder trying to crawl into my room with his eyes shining.
I pulled out the decorative sword that was decorating the wall across the room.
âHa, I thought I had failed, but here you are.â
When I heard the assassinâs shady voice, I clasped the sword in my hands. Itâs not a wooden sword. Itâs a relief.
Thatâs the guy who tried to kill me.
Iâve never killed anyone, but I thought I should use this sword if I didnât want to lose my life to an assassin.
âDid the empress send you?â
âYou have a lot of questions for a woman who will die soon.â
âDonât change the subject and answer me.â
Damn it, damn it.
If I had not used my abilities, I would have been unable to survive and would have died immediately.
He didnât seem to have come here knowing I was here, but his reaction speed for someone who had found his target was surprisingly fast.
âIf I cut your throat and carry it with me, my master will be very pleased.â
The assassin took out the dagger hidden in his arms with a fishy laugh. Mine was much bigger, but I donât know how to handle a sword or anything like that.
âIâll be able to stand next to her officially.â
A look crossed the manâs face, which was obscured by the mask. Like a man whoâs excited to accomplish a mission.
âWell, itâs a waste to kill.â
Itâs a shame.
The intruder approached me little by little, muttering to himself. My vital point will be aimed at before I could swing my sword.
âWhatâs the point of knowing the future? I canât fight.â
The Grand Dukeâs voice, who said he would catch him, was still heard outside the castle. It will be too late even if I scream.
Do I have to survive alone?
âDo you think your master will keep you alive?â
If I canât win by fighting, I can draw his attention in another way. I continued, hiding my trembling heart as much as I could.
âYou know well that a person who does this kind of work is only treated like a hunting dog, right?â
The masked man paused for a moment. Itâs a word to provoke him, but itâs not a lie.
âI am certain that the empress who was praising you in front will order you to be killed as soon as you turn around.â
ââŠâŠWhat?â
âDo you think itâs a lie?â
I didnât shy away from the gaze of the intruder. I was looking at his future with my silver-grey eyes.
âYouâre talking about all sorts of things before your death. She will reward me. I will be selected as an official escort, not as an assassin like this.â
âYouâre a dreamer.â
Who gives the official position of knight to a wild dog who returns after handling something like this?
Listening to the sweet compliment from its owner can make a wild dog who does bad things live a different life.
âYour goal is admirable, but youâre too stupid.â
âShut up! Mine is better than your life. Youâre the disgrace of your family.â
âYes. You, who grew up in a lowly position without knowing your parentsâ faces, caught the eye of the empress and went up to that spot. Itâs great.â
âWhatâŠ?â
In order to catch the enemy, you must know the enemy.
Taking advantage of the prolonged conversation, I used the ability I received from the old lady. The cold energy around my eyes was very uncomfortable no matter how many times I experienced it.
âYou punk!â
âCanât you turn it off right away?â
âDirty murderer.â
âAs expected, the vulgar onesâŠâ
The manâs past passed before my eyes in a short moment, a flash.
You lived a poor life, too.
A man who was born in a slum without knowing his parentsâ faces and went begging. When he grew a bit taller, he killed people to live.
âDonât touch my sibling.â
âHey, you punk!â
âI told you not to touch me.â
The cooking knife in the manâs shining eyes headed toward the abdomen of the middle-aged man in front of him.
âDoes your sibling know youâre killing people?â
ââŠâŠwhat are you?â
âYou think youâre a good brother. Are you saying that you can kill other people to save your sibling?â
âHow do you know that?â
When the story of his younger sibling came out, the eyes of the assassin went blue. His step stopped and he looked back to me.
âIâm asking you how you know!â
Bang!
Not surprisingly, the assassin grabbed me by the collar and pushed me against the wall. The sharp end of the dagger was pointed at my neck.
âBe careful.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âThe sins you have committed will all come back to your sibling.â
âStop talking nonsense!â
Angered by my provocation, the assassin gave strength to his hand holding the dagger. My throat soon began to burn and sting.
âIâm not talking nonsense.â
With my right hand, which held the decorative sword, I pointed it at the manâs neck. It was made of lightweight material, so it wasnât much of a threat.
âSooner or later, your sibling will get a serious illness.â
âWonât you shut up?â
The man acted as if he was about to cut my throat at any moment, but he no longer gave strength to the hand holding the knife.
He must be curious.
The princess of Bevenia, whom he has never met, knows his past and even knows his siblingâs existence.
âArenât you curious? If my words are true? What kind of disease will it be? How to cure it?â
âHa, you seem to be completely mistaken. Youâd better not think about living off such a dirty joke. Doctors are widespread in the Olan Empire.â
The man pushed against me even harder.
âI received a lot of money from the empress.â
The man would not find a doctor to cure his siblingâs illness. It was a disease that had never before occurred in this empire.
âGo to hell with your lies!â
The frosty manâs eyes shone once, and he raised his dagger.
âYou. Donât regret it.â
Looking at the dagger, I foresaw death. I did not take my eyes off the man even in the shadows.
I thought of the man who would regret it deeply while thinking of my words one day.
âWhat she said⊠Itâs true.â
âBrotherâŠâ
âPlease, pleaseâŠ. Donât close your eyes, Izanne.â
Listening to a desperate howl, I almost closed my eyes to face death.
âGoodbye, princess.â
Die.
Iâm really about to die.
I thought I had survived the damn Grand Duke. There was a real ambush.
Will it be less painful if he cuts me with a single stroke of the knife? I hope it ends without pain.
What is the old lady thinking? If I die like this, as she said, her vessel will disappear forever.
Will she find someone like my mother and wander the world again?