Chapter 8. The End and the Beginning
“I heard the news. Sir El took her own life.”
“Yes.”
“Then that blood…”
“It was El’s. She coughed up blood right in front of me. It was truly…”
As if to comfort him, Shenil wrapped her arms around Terban.
“I understand, Terban. How you feel. It must be tearing you up inside.”
But contrary to her words, a smile crept across Shenil’s lips—one Terban could never see.
So that’s why she walked out so boldly that day—she was planning to kill herself.
Shenil couldn’t hide her joy. With El’s death, her perfect crime was complete.
No one would ever discover that she had framed El. Yet, deep down, a small part of her felt regret.
I wanted to see her head roll with my own eyes.
Drunk on her triumph over El, Shenil didn’t notice the look in Terban’s eyes as he remembered El.
“That’s…”
El immediately recognized the situation playing out before her—it was far too familiar.
A large man intimidating two frightened children who were backing away. Judging by their tattered clothes, they were likely abandoned by their parents, just as she had been.
El looked down at her small hands. She knew this was an opponent she couldn’t handle. But without hesitation, she walked toward them.
On the way, she picked up a sharp rock lying on the ground. From a distance, a pair of eyes watched her intently.
“Hey! You’ve got a lot of nerve, standing up to me!”
As the man threatened the children, El stepped in front of him. He looked down at her, confused by the small girl who dared to intervene.
“What the hell? Who are you?”
“Run. Now.”
Ignoring the man, El spoke to the children. They hesitated, then turned and ran.
Infuriated, the man shouted at El. Anyone else would have been scared, but she didn’t back down.
“You little brat! Get out of the way!”
“I can’t. What did they do to deserve this?”
As the man reached out to shove her aside, El struck his foot with all her strength using the rock.
His shoes weren’t thick enough to protect him—blood trickled as the sharp stone dug into his foot.
“Agh! You little—!”
Even as he threatened her, El didn’t flinch. It was as if she wasn’t afraid of him at all.
And just before the man’s angry hand could strike her—another hand caught it.
“What the—? Who are you?”
“How disgraceful. A grown man picking on a child.”
“Let go of me, now!”
When the man continued to resist, the robed figure twisted his arm sharply. The man cried out in pain.
Though the stranger was smaller in build, the man must have realized he was no match. He quickly surrendered.
“Fine! Fine! Let me go!”
The man’s arm was released roughly, and he fled the scene.
El stared after him for a moment before turning to the stranger who had saved her.
She was about to move on when, for some reason, the mysterious man spoke.
“That was reckless. You couldn’t possibly win.”
“You never know. Maybe just this once, the goddess of victory would choose me.”
Surprised by her answer, the man let out a short laugh. His face was hidden, but his low voice suggested he was male.
“Seems the goddess of victory chose me, not you.”
“Do you have something you want to say to me?”
“I liked the look in your eyes.”
My eyes?
The man crouched down before El and pulled back his hood.
Black hair she’d never seen before. Striking blue eyes that met hers up close.
He was, without a doubt, the most beautiful person El had ever seen in her life.
Who is this person?
“I’m Terban. Would you like to come with me?”
“Come with you?”
“Yes. You seem to be alone.”
He was right. El was alone in this empire, with no one to trust but herself.
But she wasn’t naive enough to follow a stranger without caution.
“I doubt I’d be of any help to you.”
“I told you—I liked your eyes. I’m sure you’ll be useful to me.”
When El still hesitated, Terban echoed her own earlier words.
“Trust the one the goddess of victory chose.”
He held out his hand to her. El looked at that hand, then at his face, and after a moment’s hesitation, placed her small hand in his.
Terban grasped her hand gently and smiled.
Huh?
Something about his smile kept El’s eyes fixed on him. Without realizing it, her wariness faded, and she smiled back.
That might have been when it all began—when El started following this man with her eyes through every moment.
[‘If I’m granted another life… I hope I never see Your Majesty again. I hope we never meet. And if by chance we do, I pray we pass by as strangers. I hope you… won’t recognize me.’]
Whose voice is that?
As the familiar voice echoed, everything around her vanished. Darkness fell.
In the void, El finally remembered what had happened.
“That’s right. I died. Then what is all this?”
As that realization struck, a brilliant light enveloped her, forcing her eyes shut.
“Gasp!”
With a gasp, someone’s tightly shut eyes flew open, revealing silver pupils.
The woman immediately sat up, coughed a few times, and looked around—her gaze filled with confusion.
“What is this place? This isn’t a prison… Wait, don’t tell me—I’m alive?”
I was sure I died…
As she sighed and lowered her head, her long hair fell over her shoulders, and in the sunlight filtering through the curtains, she saw it—pink.
“What the hell…?”
Before she could even begin to process the situation, the door burst open, and someone stepped inside.
The woman and the visitor locked eyes, and silence fell between them.
The person who entered looked like a maid—but her uniform was nothing like the ones El remembered.
As if in a standoff, they stared at each other. Finally, the woman on the bed spoke.
“Excuse me—”
“Your Highness!”
The maid’s sudden cry made El freeze. Did she just… call me Your Highness?
No way… she couldn’t have meant me, right?
She glanced around just to be sure. But no matter how she looked at it, she was the only one in the room.
So then, this ‘princess’ the maid was referring to…
“You called me that?”
“This is no time to waste! I must inform them Her Highness has awakened!”
Before El could stop her, the maid rushed out.
Left behind, El couldn’t make sense of anything. She eventually climbed down from the bed.
But as soon as her feet hit the floor, her legs gave out, and she collapsed.
“What the…? Did I lie in bed too long?”
Her body didn’t feel like the one she’d trained with for years, and that was unsettling.
She pulled herself up using nearby furniture and managed to stand.
Only then did she notice her outfit—a frilly nightgown, completely different from anything she owned.
Especially this fluttery, awkward material—it was nothing like what she was used to wearing.
What is going on? I don’t even own anything like this…
She finally stumbled to a mirror in the corner and looked at her reflection.
The moment she saw it, her eyes widened in shock.
“What… that’s me?”
No matter how many times she blinked or rubbed her eyes, the face in the mirror wasn’t her own.
Not coarse, ordinary brown hair—but long, glossy pink hair. And silver eyes staring straight back at her.
Her skin was ghostly pale, lips lacking color. It was nothing like the sun-browned body she’d trained into.
And her hands—soft, unblemished, free of the calluses she’d built up wielding a sword.
Putting it all together…
“Who… is this person?”
She slapped her cheek hard—maybe it was a dream. But all she felt was pain.
Loud and clear, the sting confirmed it: this was no dream.
“It hurts. So it’s real… but what the hell is going on?”
“El.”
El?
She turned toward the voice—and saw people standing in the doorway.
A middle-aged man with the same silver eyes. A woman with pink hair. And a young man who looked a bit like her.
They must be the family of this body.
Before El could fully grasp the situation, the man—presumably her father—embraced her tightly.
From within his arms, she saw tears in the eyes of the other two.
This felt like a touching reunion. But to El, it was nothing of the sort.
Because these people—embracing her, crying over her—were complete strangers.
