Chapter 25
‘If I get the Holy Sword first, this time Damian won’t have to lose an eye because of the emperor.’
I suddenly recalled my previous life.
When Damian had lost just one eye to obtain the sword, the emperor was furious. He had thrown the royal palace into chaos, claiming that Damian should have been crippled or blinded entirely, and for a time, a grim atmosphere had reigned.
Eventually, when the emperor exiled him from the continent, he took the remaining eye as well.
Honestly, it was still a mystery why Damian, the continent’s only Swordmaster, had allowed himself to be captured and exiled without a fight.
If he had truly resisted the imperial forces, even if he had lost, the royal family might have been annihilated.
It was truly strange.
When I last visited him in the underground prison, Damian, who had always acted like he would tear me apart if he saw me, was quiet as if he had nothing left.
He had uttered no curse, no resentment.
He looked like someone who had lost everything.
“Archduke, how pitiful you look. Want to say something? This is the princess you despised as a mere worm. How does it feel to see your family destroyed by my hand?”
“…Lorea.”
“Oh, now that your exile is imminent, you no longer speak with formalities?”
“…….”
“Well, such audacity, I’ll regard as the mercy of the victor.”
After that, I never knew what became of him.
Dead or alive, and if alive, where he had gone.
At the time, it didn’t seem important. My only purpose was to earn the emperor’s trust and prove my worth as his most capable child.
‘This time, I will never let it happen again.’
I owed far too many debts to these people.
Even repaying them one by one was exhausting.
Obtaining the Holy Sword of Prakachia was but a tiny matter in comparison.
“Hmph, starting with the Holy Sword… I guess you haven’t met him yet.”
Hella’s muttered voice brought me back to the present.
“What did you just say?”
“Nothing. Why so serious?”
“Is there really a fool who risks their life to find a single pendant out of curiosity?”
“Oh my, listen to her. She’s cute, isn’t she?”
“For me, it’s a serious matter.”
“Well… everyone has circumstances they can’t talk about.”
Hella didn’t press further.
In truth, she wasn’t particularly curious. She had been observing me with interest, but her thoughts were impossible to guess.
She shrugged.
“You may leave now. The sword will be delivered to wherever you are.”
Delivery? Was the market always this generous?
“Normally you’d have to return to pick it up, but since you’re impressive, consider this a service.”
“Next time, won’t you block the entrance so people like me can’t find it?”
“Ahaha, that’s true as well.”
Hella let her long, pale hand flutter as she laughed delicately.
As expected, the loophole works only once.
“I’ll be leaving the city soon. Will you be able to find me? If possible, I’d like to receive the sword secretly.”
“Don’t worry. That’s easy for me.”
Her pale eyes folded slightly, forming a cold, knowing smile.
“I’ve known everything. For a very long time.”
…Creepy.
Well, she was the woman called ‘Mother of Vagabonds’; finding me was hardly a challenge.
This woman had lived for hundreds of years—she could no longer be called human.
I averted my gaze and quietly jumped down from the sofa.
As I dusted myself off and made a slight bow to leave, a languid laugh came from behind.
“See you again, Princess.”
I froze.
‘She knew.’
Turning stiffly like someone caught off guard, I looked back.
Hella waved with her characteristic relaxed expression.
“Well then.”
“Goodbye.”
Thud.
The door closed.
The Moonlight Market guest room where Lorea had just left.
Hella stretched her long legs diagonally across the chair, tapping the armrest lightly.
“Hmph.”
She recalled the bold little face that demanded the sword earlier and chuckled, clearly amused.
“Our princess seems to be getting bolder with each passing day.”
A brown-haired princess, and barely ten years old.
A subtle emotion flickered across Hella’s face as she pondered.
“I hope this time I won’t be so tired.”
She slowly stood.
The Holy Sword.
She would gladly find it.
When I returned to the inn, all was quiet.
Darkness had deepened, and the moon hung brightly in the center of the night sky.
Checking my pocket watch, about three hours had passed.
It seemed Damian hadn’t noticed I had left the room.
‘Good. As long as I go upstairs quietly, it’s a perfect crime.’
I opened the inn door slightly, preparing to cross the darkened hall and climb the stairs.
Creak.
Startled.
The old wooden stairs groaned loudly throughout the inn.
I froze like a statue.
‘Why does every noise sound so loud at the worst possible moment?’
I had never encountered wooden stairs like this before.
The sound was unsettling.
“What now?”
Then I heard a voice from upstairs.
“…Archduke?”
Damian stood on the upper landing, sword in hand, hair unkempt.
Had he somehow appeared so quickly after hearing the sound?
He glanced at me with a slightly disapproving look, then sheathed his half-raised sword.
“Thought it was some mouse…”
Carlos had called me a mouse too. Damian said the same.
“Your Highness, the princess, roaming outside in that suspicious robe?”
He strode down and yanked off my hood.
His sharp green eyes flashed dangerously close.
Too close.
“When were you chanting protective spells? And now, at this late hour, where have you been going alone?”
His gaze was less worry than suspicion, a sharp interrogation.
‘…Hmm.’
Was it lucky or unlucky to be caught on the way back?
I couldn’t tell if the perfect crime had failed or if it was fortunate.
I shifted my eyes and murmured an excuse.
“…I was hungry.”
“Pardon? Speak properly.”
“I said I was hungry.”
…Rumble.
Just in time, my stomach growled loudly, reinforcing my excuse.
A silence fell.
Looking back, I hadn’t eaten since leaving at 5 a.m., and so many things happened that I didn’t think about food.
By midnight, I was naturally very hungry.
Bolstered by my stomach’s loud protest, I straightened my back and spoke confidently.
“I just went to see if I could find something to eat. Why, is it wrong for a princess to get hungry?”
“No, what….”
“I said I was hungry. If you’re on guard duty, then guard properly… umph.”
“Alright, alright, quiet.”
Damian sighed deeply as he looked up at the quiet upstairs of the inn.
He seemed worried about waking other guests.
“…Follow me for now.”
Damian turned and led the way.
