Chapter 2
“Shia Ermodian, I hereby lift your probation starting today. Conduct yourself properly going forward.”
At the sound of the familiar low-pitched voice, Shia’s eyes snapped open.
As light filled her vision, her hearing returned too. She bolted upright from where she had been sitting, startled.
The man looking at her with mild confusion narrowed his brows slightly.
“What are you doing?”
“Uh, wait… Instructor? You’re here?”
“You’ve really lost your mind, haven’t you? Don’t tell me you forgot your promise to submit a withdrawal form as soon as your probation ended.”
Shia quickly darted her eyes around, taking in her surroundings.
An old bed, a washbasin in the corner, a tiny window that not even a child could crawl out of, and dull-colored wallpaper.
It was unmistakably the solitary room where cadets at her academy were locked up whenever they were disciplined.
“Why am I here?”
She was sure she’d been killed — her heart pierced. And then…
Shia blinked, staring dumbfoundedly at the man before her.
Tall, black hair, sharply defined features, uniform buttoned neatly up to the neck.
No doubt about it — he was Gilead Ryglas, her guardian and instructor.
Only one thing was different from her memory: the scar she had left under his left eye… was gone.
“Instructor… how old am I right now?”
“…You don’t even remember your age? Were the 22 candles Cador prepared last month just for decoration?”
Twenty-two. And he even mentioned Cador…
Hearing the name of someone she had buried with her own hands in the past made her certain.
This was the military academy five years before her death.
For reasons unknown, Shia had returned to her cadet days.
And the fact that she was in this room again meant… she must’ve gotten into trouble. She couldn’t remember exactly what, but it wasn’t hard to guess.
“…I’m sorry for the strange question. But I never promised to submit a withdrawal letter, nor do I plan to.”
“Even if your mind’s gone, that stubbornness of yours remains unchanged. Fine.”
Gilliard acknowledged his own lie without protest and didn’t press the issue further.
Watching him click his tongue in annoyance, Shia’s thoughts drifted back to the moment just before her death.
It had been five years since she’d joined the knight order when she received a special mission.
“The Astollian Empire is preparing for war with us. Infiltrate their castle and retrieve any related documents.”
Following the prince’s command, Shia infiltrated the imperial castle and secured classified documents.
But what awaited her afterward was a devastating betrayal.
“The infiltration and theft were the rash actions of a young knight blinded by glory. As an apology, the Kingdom of Rivendell will personally apprehend and hand her over to the Empire.”
That was the kingdom’s official stance.
Shia was imprisoned in an underground cell.
The day before she was to be transported to the Empire as a prisoner—
This man burst into the scene, slaughtered all the guards, and dragged her out.
The prestigious title of duke, the glory of being a war hero — none of it lasted long.
He soon suffered a mortal wound, and as a result…
“He died right in front of me.”
Shia shook her head violently, pushing away the memory of her guardian’s broken, dying form.
She didn’t know how or why, but she had returned to the past.
The man whose actions had once confused and shocked her — he was now alive and well.
And the tragic fate that had once destroyed her… had not yet occurred.
She would never understand why he’d made such a reckless choice.
But one thing was certain:
She had been given another chance.
A chance to dream of revenge again. A chance to avenge the friends and family who had died so cruelly.
“…Instructor, what will you do if I refuse to quit and hold out until graduation?”
“You’re full of odd questions today. What are you trying to say?”
“I know what you’re thinking. You’ll keep handing out probation without explanation until graduation, and in the end, you won’t write me a letter of recommendation. You’ll say it’s because someone who was punished so many times is unfit to be a knight.”
The instructor fell silent and stared at her.
He didn’t show it, but Shia had known him long enough to see the surprise behind his gaze.
Especially since the fact that his recommendation was required to take the knight’s exam was classified information.
Shia raised her chin and continued firmly.
“No matter what obstacles you throw in my way, I won’t give up. I will become a knight and take revenge on the Emperor of the Empire. I’ll do whatever it takes to get that recommendation.”
She had failed to receive that letter and had no choice but to accept Prince Yurisis’’s order — which ultimately led her to die without ever even seeing the Emperor.
This time, she would take the exam properly, and join the 1st Prince’s knight order — not the 2nd’s.
To do that, she needed that recommendation.
After a pause, Gilliard leaned slightly forward.
Even as he approached, Shia stood her ground.
His hand landed on her shoulder. His golden eyes aligned with hers. Then he leaned in close, whispering in a low, chilly voice:
“Wherever you learned about the recommendation… I’m curious to see how exactly you plan to change my mind, Shia Ermodian.”
“…”
“Don’t disappoint me. Though I’m sure it’s nothing more than the whining of a foolish child.”
Leaving her with a scoff, Gilliard exited the room. Shia clenched her teeth and glared at his retreating back.
Even with time turned back, his arrogant attitude remained the same — which was to be expected.
“…This is my chance.”
Shia clenched her fists in determination.
She would not fail like last time.
With that vow, she opened the solitary room’s door.
* * *
The academy cafeteria was bustling with students.
Familiar sights. Familiar smells.
Shia picked one of her favorite meals from her cadet days and took a seat.
“I’ve really come back.”
It was still hard to believe, but everything around her confirmed it.
As she took a bite of the nostalgically fragrant pancake, a large shadow fell across her table.
“What, your probation’s already over?”
Shia paused mid-bite and looked up.
A male cadet leaned toward her from across the table.
Big build, close-cropped hair, and a smug smirk.
“You got no shame, do you? Then again, I guess a girl who comes to a place like this forgot all about stuff like that. Am I wrong?”
Two other cadets behind him burst into laughter at his words.
“Found him. The reason I got probation.”
Shia finally remembered what had happened.
Why her hair had looked so strange in the mirror.
This jerk was the ringleader of the group that had bullied her relentlessly since the entrance ceremony.
They couldn’t stand a girl entering a male-only military academy.
Shia had silently endured their harassment for the sake of graduation. But everything changed at the start of their third year — during the first sword sparring match.
“We’ve been granted permission to use real swords this time. A third-year tradition. You said you wanted to try sparring with one, didn’t you?”
Believing him, Shia took a sword from the armory and dueled krion.
But for some reason, her blade broke quickly. krion took the opportunity to throw dirt in her eyes.
In the moment her vision blurred, he slashed at the side of her head.
By the time she realized this had been the goal all along, a chunk of her hair had already fallen to the ground.
“You filthy…!”
So this was how he vented his petty jealousy over her thick, shiny hair.
The outrage made her shout without thinking.
krion and his lackeys burst into loud, mocking laughter.
“Looks good on you, Ermodian. That should save you trips to the salon! You should be thanking me!”
Even though she was clearly the victim, Shia was given three days of probation for using a real sword.
krion? He got out after just one day.
Rumor had it his father, Count Drake, had pulled some strings — but no one knew for sure.
Shia wanted to curse him out right then and there. But she held back.
She couldn’t risk getting in trouble again — not right after probation ended. Especially not when she desperately needed that recommendation.
But then krion spoke again, loudly.
“So don’t come around places like this. Just do what girls do best and go get married or something. Got it?”
Snap.
Something inside her broke.
Everything happened in an instant.
Without hesitation, Shia leapt onto the table and punched krion square in the face.
Caught off guard, he fell back onto the table with a loud thud, and gasps echoed throughout the cafeteria.
Shia then peeled off her gloves and flung them.
They landed squarely on his nearly bald head.
“Follow me to the training grounds. Now. You bald bastard.”
