Episode 5
“Let’s see, is there anything I can use…”

Nothing. As expected, I’d have to test it myself.

I gulped.

Yeah. I already decided to escape. No reason to hesitate now.

“Hmph. What’s the worst that could happen? Die?”

I glanced around the cabin once, then gripped the potion bottle I always carried like a charm. It was empty and felt so light in my hand.

“No, I won’t die. I didn’t die last time either. It’ll just hurt a lot, that’s all. I can handle that.”

Let’s go!

I stretched my hand into the air, then carefully took a step forward.

My clenched fist had turned white from trying to hide the trembling.

One step. Then another. I was getting closer to the barrier.

“Stupid Violetta. If you were going to end it, you should’ve picked a better way. That won’t work.”

“I don’t care.”

“Let me give you advice, for old times’ sake. If you’re going to die, do it in one go. At least that way, people have something to say. Don’t half-die and make it a mess for others.”

I’m not going to die.

Soon, I reached the edge of the barrier. Just one step left.

I didn’t hesitate. I took a firm step forward and finally crossed the barrier.

The barrier that trapped me here for two years. A barrier that was supposed to last 498 more years.

“Haha…”

I really did it. I finally crossed over.

My skin prickled, the pressure was heavy, but I still let out a small laugh between my teeth.

My knees buckled for a second.

The pressure was still strong, but I straightened my legs and stood tall.

“See? Told you.”

I could endure it.

“Aaaagh!”

Anger came before relief. I thought it was just two years, but I had been holding in so much rage.

I was blamed for something I didn’t do. Locked in a prison without a guard. Missing people, missing the world—for two whole years.

It was a horribly long time.

“Aaaah! Haha… hahaha…”

What’s running down my face must be rain. I didn’t want to cry over this.

I laughed like crying until I could finally think clearly again.

I roughly wiped my face, soaked with rain.

Maybe it was my imagination, but the longer I stood, the weaker the barrier’s pressure felt. My body felt lighter.

“God, even if this wasn’t your gift, I’ll still use this chance well. Amen.”

I made the sign of the cross, not even sure if I did it right.

For the first time in two years, I felt like everything might go well.

I returned to the cabin feeling light as air.

There was so much to do from now on. But then…

“Where is he?! That guy—no, that patient!”

The moment I opened the door, I was met with an empty cabin.

The floor where the man had been lying was now empty.

“He walked out? In that condition? He could barely move!”

Was I dreaming? That couldn’t be.

I just crossed the barrier—that was real.

The tools I used to treat him were still there.

Which meant… he really left on his own.

“I just healed him! His body isn’t strong enough to be out in the rain…”

I sighed and looked around.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Thankfully, he had some conscience. He didn’t just run away after getting healed. A note was neatly placed on the desk.

“‘Wintergarten’? And… what’s the rest?”

It seemed he struggled to write clearly. The handwriting was a mess. The only word I could read was “Wintergarten.”

Wintergarten… a duchy in the northern empire, if I remember right.

My mind began spinning.

“I heard the duke was cursed and lost his title as crown prince.”

“Cursed?”

“Yeah. He went completely mad at sixteen. They say God cursed him.”

“God really has too much time on His hands.”

“Violetta! Stop blaspheming…”

A cursed duchy, huh? That’s…

“Actually sounds perfect.”

It seemed like the ideal place to hide.

I couldn’t return to the kingdom anyway.

I grinned wide. It looked like I just found the perfect place to start my second life.

Ludentio Kingdom

After the kingdom’s biggest crisis—defeating the mad dragon—the kingdom finally returned to peace.

With each calm, uneventful year, the people became more satisfied.

The five people who had defeated the dragon—now only four—were honored as heroes and stayed in the best part of the palace.

Suddenly, loud voices echoed from one of their rooms.

“Are you out of your mind?!”

“What, just grabbing someone by the collar is such a big deal now?!”

It was normal for the hot-tempered Calix to shout. But the surprising part was that he was yelling at Rigreto.

The calm, silver-haired, blue-eyed man was shouting, completely worked up.

“Calm down, Rigreto. Calix probably regrets it already.”

Vanetta tried to mediate between them. Nearby, Crown Prince Leonhardt sat with his hand on his forehead and eyes closed.

“But, Vanetta! Calix hit Violetta—”

“That’s enough, Rigreto.”

“Your Highness!”

Leonhardt’s mood was sharp like a blade. The childishness he once had was now replaced by powerful authority.

Though Calix and Rigreto had been close friends with him for years, they dared not speak carelessly in front of him now.

Only one person could do that.

“Leon. You calm down too.”

“Vanetta…”

“Calix, this time it was your fault. How could you do that? You of all people?”

Calix burst out again.

“Don’t you see, Vanetta?! She got me too! That wicked girl dumped a whole paralyzing potion on me! I still can’t feel my legs!”

“Because you provoked her. You brought up Rigreto’s engagement. You know how much Violetta liked Rigreto.”

At those words, Rigreto clenched his fists. He loosened his cravat, feeling choked.

That’s right. Violetta loved him. She was his fiancée. If not for that incident, they would’ve been married by now.

“But Violetta…”

He stopped himself from thinking further.

Her every expression haunted his mind.

Even her green eyes looking at him that day in court.

Back then, he didn’t hesitate. But now, the memory hurt so much. He wanted to go back in time.

“That engagement was cancelled.”

“You turned it down, didn’t you, Rigreto? She seemed like a good person.”

He didn’t answer, just clenched his jaw.

He missed Violetta. There was no more anger, only leftover love that couldn’t go anywhere, and it tormented him.

Every night, he was haunted by regret.

Only when morning came did the pain lessen, like dew disappearing at sunrise.

Rigreto bit his lip and looked out the window. The sky was cloudy, like it would snow.

“Did Violetta… look okay?”

“What?”

“You hit her!”

Calix looked annoyed. “Me? Really?” Then he sighed.

“I don’t know. She looked kind of pale, I guess?”

“Calix!”

“I passed out right after from the potion! You think I had time to check her complexion? I was the one who got hurt more!”

Rigreto suddenly stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to see Violetta.”

“Rigreto. We told you—it’s not a good idea.”

That’s right. For two years, Rigreto hadn’t gone to see her.

At first, he avoided her out of guilt. Then his friends stopped him. They said seeing her would just give her false hope.

Truthfully, he was scared. Scared of how she might react.

“It wasn’t me, really.”

“…”

“You don’t believe me?”

“I still love you.”

“You don’t trust me…”

He remembered pushing away Violetta’s hand when she tried to wipe his tears.

Now, he deeply regretted it.