Chapter 9. A Story Begins Again
“Hey.”
“You’re finally awake, Ellea. We never gave up hope. We believed you’d wake up.”
‘Wait… Ellea?’
It was a name she had heard somewhere before. In fact, she had come across it in a report while helping Terban with his work. El frantically began to recall memories from the past.
‘Ellea… Ellea. I know I’ve heard that name. Come on, think faster.’
Then, she remembered something she had said while reporting to Terban recently.
[“Apparently, the imperial princess was born with a weak constitution and is currently in a coma.”]
‘That princess’s name was definitely…’
“Ellea Zevenica.”
El abruptly pushed the man holding her aside and asked urgently—she had to confirm if her guess was right.
“Am I Ellea Zevenica?”
“Yes. You’re my twin sister, Ellea. Why are you acting so strangely?”
The young man referred to her as his sister, but El pointed at the people in the room one by one with a trembling hand, silently praying she was wrong.
“Rean Zevenica, Bellea Zevenica, and Alexis Ter Zevenica.”
“Why are you calling our names all of a sudden?”
Ellea took a deep breath and turned to Alexis, the one who had been hugging her, and asked one final question.
“The Emperor of the Zevenica Empire?”
“Why are you asking something so obvious, El? Are you still feeling unwell?”
As they began approaching her again in concern, Ellea raised a hand to stop them.
Thankfully, they seemed worried about her condition and halted their steps. El had just confirmed that her wild assumption was correct.
Which meant the body she had awakened in… belonged to none other than the only imperial princess of the Zevenica Empire—Ellea Zevenica.
“This makes no sense.”
El—no, Ellea—staggered, and her family quickly supported her and helped her sit on the bed.
“Summon the court physician immediately!”
“How long have I been unconscious?”
“Today makes seven days.”
‘So… the very next day after I died.’
At that moment, the royal physician rushed in and began urgently examining Ellea’s body. Feeling overwhelmed by everything, she simply let him do as he pleased.
The court physician carefully examined her condition. Ellea herself didn’t feel any particular pain.
Of course, she was much weaker than when she had been a knight, but she wasn’t so feeble that normal life would be difficult.
Then the physician’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“Your Majesty, the princess is currently…”
The family waited nervously for him to finish his sentence.
“How is she? Don’t tell me she’s gotten worse.”
“No, not at all. In fact, she’s in far better condition than before. It’s almost… miraculous.”
“Is that true?”
Even as her new family rejoiced in disbelief, Ellea still couldn’t fully accept what was happening.
‘I really became a princess of the empire? How is this even possible?’
No matter how hard she tried to deny it, reality wouldn’t change. She, who had died in Luvane, had awakened in someone else’s body.
Feeling overwhelmed to the point of getting a headache, Ellea spoke in a low, subdued voice.
“I… I’d like to rest a little.”
“Of course. You must still be tired. Let us know right away if anything hurts.”
“Yes, I will.”
After her family filed out of the room, Ellea leaned back against the bed and tried to calm herself enough to make sense of the situation.
Based on what she knew as El, Princess Ellea had been born frail and was considered a source of concern for the empire.
And now, she had awoken as Ellea.
“…So I really died. Back there.”
She had anticipated the possibility, but now that it was reality, it left a bitter taste in her mouth. She hadn’t wanted to die in front of Terban like that.
‘I was hoping I could at least smile and say goodbye at the end.’
Now there was only one path left for her—to live as Ellea Zevenica. She couldn’t go back to her old body, now lifeless.
“I have to live in this body.”
But having lived so long as the knight El, she had no idea what might happen to her now that she was Ellea.
One month later.
At the center of a vast training ground stood a lone figure, gripping a wooden practice sword.
Soon, the sword began to move fluidly, as if it were an extension of her body.
Each swing sliced through the air with a sharp sound—sometimes soft and graceful, other times sharp and deadly.
The woman wielding the sword with such skill had her pink hair neatly tied back, now damp with sweat and sticking to her flushed face.
Yet she didn’t stop. Even though her slim figure looked like it might collapse at any moment, there was something hidden within her—strength.
Only when a voice called her name from a distance did she finally lower the sword and pause.
“El.”
“What are you doing here all of a sudden?”
“I heard you were here again, so I came to see for myself.”
The voice belonged to Bellea—Ellea’s twin brother and the crown prince of the Zevenica Empire.
As twins, they shared many features—except for Bellea’s vivid red hair.
“Isn’t this too much? I was honestly worried when you said you wanted to train.”
“I told you, didn’t I? I’m completely healthy now.”
As Ellea wiped her sweat with a towel, Bellea approached her. Even seeing it with his own eyes, it was still hard for him to believe.
Ellea, holding a sword and standing on a training ground. It was something that had once been unimaginable.
Unlike Bellea, Ellea had spent most of her life indoors due to her weak constitution. Even when she came to the training grounds, it was only to watch Bellea practice.
But now, she stood here with confidence.
Shortly after awakening, Ellea had shocked everyone by requesting to train her body to improve her health.
They had all tried to stop her out of concern, but she had persuaded them—and was allowed to proceed under the condition that she wouldn’t push herself too hard.
She also used the excuse that she wanted to learn everything she couldn’t when she was sick—studies, etiquette, and more—and had begun absorbing knowledge rapidly.
The frail princess from before was nowhere to be found.
But that wasn’t all. Bellea found himself occasionally questioning whether this was truly his sister.
She looked like Ellea, but something about her atmosphere had changed—like she had become someone else entirely.
Still, Bellea didn’t mind. As long as she was healthy, nothing else mattered.
Even so, seeing her with a sword still felt unnatural—especially when it came to her skill.
“Are you sure you’re just starting out? You’re improving incredibly fast.”
“I guess I have a knack for it. It’s more fun than I thought.”
Naturally, Ellea never showed her full ability when others were around. No need to invite suspicion.
“Aren’t you the crown prince? Don’t you have things to do? Seems like you’ve got too much free time.”
“That’s not true. And I am your older brother, El.”
Hearing the word older brother, Ellea had to stifle a laugh.
She had observed Bellea for a month now and occasionally wondered if he might actually be the younger sibling.
“If we’re being technical, you’re not really my older brother. We’re only seconds apart. Want to settle it once and for all with a match?”
Bellea took it as a joke. As far as he knew, Ellea was just a beginner. He had no idea what she was hiding.
“No thanks. If we fought, Father would only scold me.”
“See you at dinner. Stop worrying about me so much—I’m healthy enough now that you don’t have to keep checking on me.”
“Fine, fine.”
As their conversation ended, Ellea casually walked past Bellea.
Left alone on the training ground, Bellea felt quietly thankful that he could talk with his sister like this again.
Back in her room, Ellea washed up with her maid’s help and changed out of her sweat-soaked clothes.
At first, being cared for like this felt strange, but she had resolved to live as a princess—so she had to get used to it. The next thing she focused on was building stamina.
Even though her body was healthier than before, it was still far below her former standards.
To move and fight like she once had, building strength was her top priority—so she began with physical training and eventually started wielding a sword again.
‘It’s a bit annoying to pretend like I’m a beginner, though.’
She also began studying the Zevenica Empire. While she already knew some things as El, learning them from within the empire was different.
More urgently, she had to learn noble etiquette. Fortunately, her previously weak constitution meant no one found her behavior suspicious.
Even so, standing in front of a mirror in her royal attire still felt awkward.
And as if it were always meant to be, her family continued to call her “El”—their personal nickname for her. Each time they did, Ellea flinched involuntarily.
The biggest change, however, was this—El, who had grown up without a family, now had one.
Her fellow knights had once felt like family, but this was different. The unconditional love and trust from her new family warmed her deeply.
At the same time, it all felt unfamiliar. Sometimes, it was even burdensome.
She even felt guilty for inhabiting this body.
While Ellea was lost in thought, her maids finished their preparations and quietly stepped back.
