Chapter 20
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Even though I had expected this,
my body began to tremble uncontrollably.
It wasn’t only because of the pain from rolling on the ground.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
Damian hurried down from the horse and supported me.
I barely managed to push myself up with my shaking arms.
“I’m… ugh. Ha…”
Thankfully, nothing seemed broken.
I lifted my head and glared at the figure approaching us.
A threatening walk.
Messy, wavy silver hair.
Crooked golden eyes, wrinkled with arrogance.
A man who looked exactly like the Emperor in his youth.
During the eighteen years I lived in the imperial palace,
there was only one person I truly avoided.
…Vincent.
His disgusting name slipped through my clenched teeth.
The Emperor’s legitimate eldest son.
First in line for the throne.
The man who would become Crown Prince in exactly five years.
First Prince, Vincent Elbon Frize.
“I knew it would be that bastard.”
Just seeing his face made nausea rise in my throat.
For eighteen years in the palace,
Vincent had been desperate to destroy me.
Until he became Crown Prince,
only the Emperor and I knew about the purification stone.
Perhaps because of that,
Vincent hated how I regularly met the Emperor alone
to whisper secrets.
Whenever I got caught in trouble or was unexpectedly hurt,
Vincent was always behind it.
There was even a time
when I felt superiority watching him struggle—
thinking I was more valuable than the legitimate heir.
After all,
the Empire had been beneath my feet.
That illusion lasted
right until the moment the Emperor abandoned me
and dragged me to the underground prison.
“I was arrogant.”
Thinking back now,
that conversation was the cause of everything.
That day,
I had finished speaking with the Emperor about the purification stone
and was leaving as usual.
If Vincent hadn’t been waiting crookedly in front of the garden
to pick a fight,
I would have walked past quietly.
But perhaps I was too full of pride that day.
“Vincent, you must be very insecure
to feel threatened by someone who’s only half complete.”
“…What?”
“I understand you’re anxious about your incompetence and inferiority.
But if you truly believe you’re worthy of the throne,
shouldn’t you read one more book on kingship
instead of wasting time provoking me?”
“What did you just say?”
“It’s true, isn’t it?
A half-blood princess who doesn’t even know her real mother,
and the Emperor’s legitimate eldest son
who became Crown Prince only a year ago.
If you compare just the two of us,
anyone would say I’m not even your rival.”
“…You filthy little insect.”
“How vulgar.”
I had never wanted the Emperor’s throne.
So Vincent’s jealousy only looked pathetic to me.
I had only meant to irritate him a little.
How could I have known
that my provocation would push him
to uncover the source of the purification stone
and persuade the Emperor?
It was foolish.
“Who’s the real insect now…”
Unaware of my thoughts,
Vincent looked down at us arrogantly and sneered.
“So you ran away again
because of your rotten temper…?”
This time,
his gaze shifted to Damian, who was supporting me.
“This is more than I expected.”
A low, unpleasant laugh escaped him.
From Vincent’s point of view,
there could be no greater luck.
He would never miss a perfect chance
to eliminate a thorn in his side.
Damian stepped in front of me
and pointed his sword at Vincent.
“I’ll skip the greeting.
Why don’t you just pass by, Your Highness?”
“Oh my, has he gone mad?”
Vincent smirked.
“This is why I begged Father long ago
to wipe out this entire family.
Look how fearless you are.
Are you openly declaring rebellion?”
“I don’t remember ever being treated
as a citizen of the Empire.”
“How shameless.”
Vincent mocked him with his eyes.
I frowned.
“There are far more soldiers than expected…
This is bad.”
I never imagined
the Emperor would send the entire Second Imperial Guard
together with Vincent.
We had already lost one horse.
If we made a single mistake,
escape would fail.
Damian could not attack Vincent.
Fighting a prince head-on here
would give them an excuse
to destroy the Grand Duchy immediately.
Fortunately,
perhaps because of Damian’s fierce aura,
the knights hesitated
instead of fully surrounding us.
“Let’s see, young lord.
People say you’ll soon become a Sword Master.”
Vincent giggled
and pulled out another arrow.
The sharp royal arrow glinted coldly in the dawn.
“Let me see your skills.”
He even hummed to himself—
a smile from someone certain
Damian could never attack him here.
Damian clenched his teeth
and tightened his grip on the sword.
“No…”
The situation was too dangerous.
“Hahaha! This is fun!
It’s just like hunting rabbits when we were young!”
Vincent aimed his arrow at us.
We were in a forest.
The terrain was bad,
so the knights besides Vincent only held swords.
The distance was enough for Damian
to block Vincent’s arrow,
and our horse was still close enough to escape.
“If we stay calm, we can do this… it’s okay.”
I had already expected this.
Quietly,
I moved my hand to the dagger sheath at my waist
and gently pulled Damian’s sleeve with the other.
His green eyes glanced at me.
“Don’t answer him, young lord.
When I count to three,
get on the horse and run at full speed.
Toward the opposite side—
where the knights haven’t surrounded us.”
“…Pardon?”
“I know you don’t trust me.
But do as I say.
Even if you block one arrow,
it’ll be troublesome to fight the knights
while protecting me.”
Damian’s eyes widened.
Of course.
I was calling myself baggage.
But this wasn’t the time
to protect my pride.
“Do you understand?”
When I asked again,
he reluctantly nodded.
“Bring the princess to me!
I’ll spare her life and reward you greatly!”
Vincent laughed
and pulled the bowstring tight.
“One… two…”
Just before the arrow flew,
I pulled out the birch branch covered in pollen
from the dagger sheath
and threw it at Vincent.
Thud!
“Argh!”
“Three! Now!”
Vincent staggered,
and the arrow flew in the wrong direction.
Without missing the chance,
Damian lifted me onto the horse
and galloped at full speed.
“Hyah!”
Behind the frantic hoofbeats,
I heard painful coughing
and urgent shouting.
“Cough! Cough! H-help—!”
“Your Highness!”
“Save—cough—!”
“Take His Highness away! Now!”
Inside,
I cheered.
“It worked!”
Birch pollen.
Birch flowers that bloom in spring
are famous for causing allergies.
And Vincent’s allergy
was well known in the imperial palace.
I had learned it by chance before my regression.
I never imagined
it would be this useful.
The knights couldn’t even think of chasing us.
They only panicked around Vincent.
I faced forward again
and curled my body low.
“Don’t stop running!
Head southwest!”
