Chapter 36
I opened my eyes to a faint light and found myself standing in the dark back alleys of the Elysia Kingdom.
The red-haired man traveling with Willow was a spatial movement user. It must have been thanks to him that we were able to leave the Empire.
Thanks to his teleportation ability and Tita’s mental shielding, we also managed to slip past Elysia’s surveillance network safely. But Willow didn’t relax for even a moment.
“We need to move as fast as possible in case a pursuit team is after us. We teleported right behind the Artifact Market, so let’s go in immediately.”
“Mm, just a moment…”
After teleportation, I felt dizzy, as though the ground were swaying beneath me. When I staggered slightly, Tita reached out and supported my shoulder.
“Miss, are you alright?”
We had agreed to call me that in order to hide my identity in the kingdom. I pulled my hood down low and nodded.
“Mom, buy me that!”
“Should we go there too?”
“Hey, that’s too expensive!”
As soon as we stepped out of the back alley, the dazzling capital of Elysia greeted us. Crowded streets, grand shops, and the sounds of life filled the city. Unlike the orderly structure of the Empire, the city was alive with freedom and energy.
It had always been a lively city, but after the shadow of war had lifted, it felt even more vibrant. Because of its geographical location bordering the Empire and its strict refugee policies, Elysia enjoyed the highest standard of living on the continent.
No wonder it was called the “Golden City.”
We entered the Artifact Market right away. Inside the large, multi-story building, countless magical artifacts were on display. I’d been here several times before, so the sight was familiar, but today something was different.
Wanted posters and bounty notices with my face covered every wall.
“……!”
I pulled my hood even lower, chilled to the bone. Willow, too, quickened his pace.
Fortunately, we knew exactly where to find the artifacts we needed for the investigation, so shopping didn’t take long.
While Willow was paying, Tita approached me and whispered in my ear.
“There are Eshafae scouts hiding all over the streets. It seems the Imperial and Elysian armies are working together to search for the missing princess. If I drop my mental shield and send out a signal, they’ll come to rescue us right away. Should I try it?”
“Let’s wait and see for now.”
I spoke calmly, but sweat ran cold down my back. If we were discovered by soldiers now, I’d be dragged back to the imperial palace instead of reaching the research lab.
Maybe Tita sensed my inner turmoil because she looked at me with suspicion.
“What did you and Willow talk about last night?”
“I’ll explain properly when we leave.”
“…Well, I’m sure Your Highness has a reason.”
Thankfully, she didn’t press further.
We left the market in a hurry and slipped into a narrow alley. Willow’s two companions had gone to buy oil and food supplies.
As we waited for them to return, I handed Tita a bundle of jewelry.
“Tita, hold on to this.”
“This is…”
Tita’s eyes widened. It was everything I owned except the earrings I’d received from Minette. I spoke in a casual tone.
“Take care of it. I feel better having it with you rather than with me.”
“Leave it to me, Miss. I’ll protect it with my life.”
I shook my head and smiled at her earnest declaration.
“You don’t have to value it more than your life. Buy some snacks too, and use it as if it’s yours.”
“Miss…”
Tita looked at me with teary, emotional eyes. I smiled faintly and patted her head.
This jewelry was my farewell gift to Tita.
I had no intention of taking her to the northern research lab. Coming to the kingdom today was also to bring her back here.
The north was dangerous, and… I didn’t have the courage to tell Tita the truth—that I wasn’t really Ariadna.
If she realized she had been deceived, would Tita despise me?
In the end, this jewelry was nothing more than hush money, a small way to ease my shallow guilt.
As evening approached, more and more people crowded the streets. I pulled my hood even deeper to hide my face. The chatter of market vendors washed into my ears.
“Life’s so much better now that the war’s over. Business is good too.”
“Right? So this is what peace feels like.”
The cheerful conversations stopped abruptly at someone’s comment.
“It’s hard to be completely happy though, since the princess who ended the war has gone missing.”
“They still haven’t found her? Even though the prince himself is involved?”
“Do you think one of the criminals is a mental-type Eshafae?”
Tita and I flinched at the same time.
Well… there was one.
“I guess it’s true she lost her powers.”
“Yeah, if she were fine, who would dare…”
“She fought on the battlefield for everyone and got hurt, and now this happens… There’s no God, seriously…”
One gloomy sigh followed another until someone spoke with anger.
“Who would do something like this? Cambiata was wiped out—are there remnants left?”
“Whoever it is, once they’re caught, I’ll behead them myself.”
“Beheading’s too easy. We should feed them to the beasts.”
“No, we can’t let them die quickly. They need to be torn apart limb by limb…”
Even passing pedestrians began joining in, passionately discussing how the criminals should be punished. Tita and I instinctively turned to look at each other.
Willow’s Adam’s apple bobbed noticeably.
Just then, I saw Willow’s companions walking toward us in the distance. I leaned toward Tita and whispered softly.
“Tita, could you go buy some painkillers at that pharmacy over there?”
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“Yeah, my head hurts a bit…”
“I’ll be quick.”
As Tita hurried away, I grabbed her hand without thinking.
“Tita.”
“Yes?”
She looked at me curiously, wondering if I had more to ask.
I took in her green eyes, orange hair, and the cute freckles sprinkled across her face one last time.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, please. Don’t mention it.”
Tita smiled like it was nothing and went on her way. I couldn’t take my eyes off her until she completely disappeared from view.
We probably wouldn’t meet again.
If I could’ve given her something more meaningful than jewelry, perhaps we could’ve hoped for another meeting.
But unfortunately, I wasn’t the real Ariadna, so the only gift I could give Tita was our farewell.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
I nodded lightly at Willow’s careful question. I steadied myself and checked where his companions were. Though they were close, the dense crowd made it hard for them to reach us.
Leaning against the wall to catch my breath, I noticed the vendors had stopped talking about punishing the kidnappers and were now on a new topic.
“By the way, why is the Crown Prince suspicious of the prince?”
“What? Why would he suspect the prince?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he thought the prince kidnapped her after loving her for so long?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. How could you think that of our prince?”
“The Crown Prince must be out of his mind. He’s famous for loving his sister dearly.”
…He doesn’t actually care that much.
Padva sure managed his image well.
If only people would talk about something other than the princess’s disappearance. But I doubted they would.
After all, there was probably no topic more sensational than this right now.
A woman let out a sympathetic sigh.
“The one who must be suffering the most right now is the Duke of Bendrix. They were supposed to marry once the war was over. The princess had just woken up after a long coma, and now this…”
“Really, how devastated he must be.”
“They say he’s searching the entire continent day and night.”
Please. He wouldn’t go that far for a missing clone.
I laughed bitterly to myself.
She might be a valuable test subject to Padva, but to Nocturne, I was just a horrible “thing” mocking his dead lover.
Wouldn’t he feel relieved that I was gone? There was no way he’d be losing sleep trying to find a fake like me.
At that moment, a newspaper boy’s cheerful voice broke in.
“Yeah, that’s why the Empire’s soldiers have completely flooded the kingdom to find the princess.”
“Kid, they’ve been here since the first day she went missing.”
A vendor corrected him, but the boy just shrugged.
“There are way more now. I heard the soldiers talking—they said the Duke himself came.”
“What? The Duke of Bendrix is in the kingdom?”
Suddenly, the entire atmosphere shifted.
A primal sense of danger made me activate my empathic power. Borrowing people’s vision, I scanned the surroundings and soon found a familiar silhouette among the crowd.
Nocturne.
His jet-black hair and height, taller than most, made him stand out even in the dense throng.
Skin pale as moonlight, movements precise and flawless, and his black eyes glinting sharply as though searching for something.
In that instant, the bustling noise of the street faded like it had sunk underwater. It felt as if only the two of us were left in the world, his gaze piercing directly through me.
My heart dropped heavily.
Even though my face was buried deep in the hood, it felt like he had recognized me.
When he took a step forward, I instinctively stepped back.
Our eyes met.
It was impossible.
We were too far apart for him to distinguish my face with the naked eye, especially in such a crowd.
Yet my heart pounded furiously. I had an irrational certainty that he had recognized me and was coming straight toward me.
