Chapter 19
The road toward the west was quieter than I expected.
Only the sound of horse hooves crossing the dirt road echoed continuously.
We had been riding for more than half a day,
but my body didn’t really hurt or feel exhausted.
Maybe it was the result of training—
or maybe just tension.
…Probably tension.
I looked at the sun beginning to lean toward the west.
To reach the western region like this,
we had to pass a road leading toward the capital.
If the imperial pursuit had begun,
we would likely meet them near there.
“By the way.”
At that moment,
Damian, who was holding the reins behind me, suddenly spoke.
“Why are you going to the west?”
It was an unexpected question.
Now? All of a sudden?
Since he became my escort,
he had never even mentioned it.
I thought he simply wasn’t curious.
I glanced back at him slightly.
“Isn’t that question a bit late?”
“I wasn’t particularly curious.”
“Now I don’t feel like telling you.”
“Then don’t.”
Damian answered in an indifferent tone,
as if he had only asked casually.
He really never lost in an argument.
So annoying.
I glared at him from the corner of my eye,
then looked forward again and answered.
“I have someone to meet.”
Damian tilted his head.
“You have connections in the west?
If they live there, they must be a mage.”
“Why do you sound like that?
Did you think I wouldn’t?”
I replied sharply.
Damian did not deny it.
Silence meant yes.
Honestly, it stung a little.
Because at this point in time,
I had never actually met that person.
I was simply going there recklessly,
and he probably didn’t even know I existed.
Watching my strange expression,
Damian narrowed his eyes and asked:
“Does that person even know we are coming?”
“……”
Sharp, as always.
I thought for a moment about what to say.
“…Maybe not.”
I answered honestly in the end.
Naturally, Damian’s face twisted.
“Are you planning to show up without notice again?
Like when you came to the Grand Duchy?”
“Yes.”
“…I don’t know whether to call this bold
or simply reckless.”
“You want to say the second one, right?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
Now he didn’t even bother denying it.
“It can’t be helped.
There wasn’t time to send a letter.”
Damian looked at me,
as if he wanted to say something.
“…Why?”
After a short silence, he asked:
“Is it because of your father?”
“…What?”
My eyes widened at the sudden question.
Why was Carlos coming up here?
Well, it was accurate—but in what context?
“You mean the Grand Duke?”
“I heard you prepared his lunch every day.”
So Mia told him everything.
Well, it wasn’t really a secret.
“They said the food was good for detoxifying demonic energy.
You even left recipes behind.”
“…Yes, well.”
“What does that have to do with the west?”
I closed my mouth tightly.
It was a hard question to answer.
To escape the Emperor?
To save Carlos?
To deliver my purification stone?
I couldn’t say it.
Not yet.
“…I’ll tell you later.”
That was all I could answer.
“Not now.”
Damian looked at me
for a long time.
“…I see.”
He didn’t ask further and turned his gaze away.
After that,
a long silence followed.
Only the quiet sound of hooves echoed,
but it wasn’t uncomfortable.
In fact, it felt peaceful.
Ten days ago,
I could never have imagined feeling comfortable
riding alone with Damian Carter.
…Life is unpredictable.
That was when it happened.
Damian suddenly pulled the reins sharply
and blocked my horse with a gesture.
“Shh.”
His voice was cold.
I quickly closed my mouth.
“Lower your head.”
He gently but firmly pressed my shoulder down.
“What’s happening?”
“Quiet. Don’t speak.”
The moment we hid inside the bushes,
faint hoofbeats sounded in the distance.
The messy noise grew closer,
and soon a group of knights appeared not far away.
At the same time,
my heart dropped heavily.
White armor.
Golden cloaks.
The Second Imperial Guard.
My prediction was correct.
The Emperor was chasing me.
I clenched my fists so tightly
that blood almost stopped flowing.
They stopped their horses in the middle of the road
and looked around.
“Are you sure it’s this way?”
“Yes.
We were told she disappeared near here.”
“A witness?”
“The last one was a hired driver,
but it was a rainy dawn,
so he couldn’t see clearly…”
“Tch.”
The knight commander clicked his tongue in irritation.
Anyone could tell
they were talking about me.
Watching them,
Damian’s eyes narrowed.
“Why are the imperial guards…?”
Muttering,
he slowly turned his head to look at me.
“Was it true that you ran away?”
“…Did you think I was lying?”
“I wasn’t sure.”
Damian answered honestly.
Thank you for openly telling me
you trusted me not at all.
“I never imagined
the princess would truly abandon the imperial family.”
“I told you,
I didn’t abandon it.”
I cut him off.
“I ran away.
Because if I stay there, I will die.”
Damian looked at me.
He seemed to remember
what I had said in the infirmary.
“If I stay there,
I feel like I will die.”
Back then,
it might have sounded like a joke.
But not now.
There was proof in front of him.
“…It will be difficult to pass through that road.”
Damian said quietly
while checking the escape route behind us.
“We should slip out through the opposite side of the bushes.
I’ll handle the horse, so lower your body—”
He suddenly stopped speaking.
He looked at me
and tightened the reins.
“…Why are you looking like that?”
“Are you alright?”
“With what?”
At my question,
his straight brows narrowed slightly,
as if asking why I didn’t understand.
“Your face is pale.”
“My face is always pale.”
I answered lightly,
trying to sound unconcerned.
But my hands kept slipping on the reins.
My whole body pounded
like it had become a single heartbeat.
“Princess, that’s not it.
Right now, your complexion—”
Damian reached out his hand,
then suddenly stopped.
Before I could react,
he grabbed me roughly and pulled me down.
Whoosh—thud!
At the same time,
an arrow cut through the air,
brushed past my cheek,
and struck the tree beside us.
My body lost balance
and fell to the ground.
“Ugh!”
Sharp pain rushed in.
I must have hit my shoulder badly.
But that wasn’t the real problem.
Because from behind me,
I heard a familiar voice.
“So you were here…
you filthy bug.”
