Chapter 21
The Prince Dies and Starts Over From the Beginning!
Count Lurupel would sometimes take me along to inspect the territory.
But every single time, he never left my side.
So I could never tell whether the townspeople already knew Hariela’s face beforehand, or if they simply realized who I was because I was accompanying the Count and his family.
‘How do they even know me?’
The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
Before I turned ten, the Count never took me out for inspections, saying it was too dangerous.
So I couldn’t have met the townsfolk during one of those trips.
The only chance a commoner might ever see Hariela would be during the annual year-end festival.
But even there, the nobles and commoners were seated far apart.
At that distance, Hariela would’ve looked no bigger than a cotton swab—no way they could recognize her face.
…Anyway, that wasn’t the important part right now.
The real problem was that once that man realized I was the lord’s daughter, he was never going to give up.
I needed to stop wasting time with pointless questions.
But something about the man’s words felt off.
“Hariela Lurupel! You insolent brat! I’ll make you pay for this!”
His tone sounded… personal—like he held some sort of grudge.
But what could a merchant from a mining background possibly have against a Count’s daughter?
As if consumed by his resentment, the man began hastening his steps.
“Your Highness! Quickly! Where was that cave from earlier?”
“I–I’m not sure. They all look the same…”
“Damn it, maybe this way?”
We wandered through the mountain paths again and again, but couldn’t find the cave that led to the secret passage.
My legs were starting to give out.
The distance between us and the man was still wide, but I had a bad feeling—if this went on, it might get dangerous.
I felt like a rabbit being herded into a trap by a hunting dog.
Fweeeet—
Suddenly, the man put two fingers to his lips and whistled.
Dark shapes began creeping out from all directions.
“Oh no…”
‘Why would there be clothes lying around in a place like this?’
I really should’ve answered that question earlier.
“Bandits…”
Apparently, this mountain had bandits living in it.
It seemed my fourth life had just run out of luck.
“Well now, what have we here? Looks like a couple of kids we could sell for a good price.”
“Hey little miss, how about you take off that hood? Let’s see that face.”
The bandits snickered wickedly, eyeing me and the Third Prince.
They approached us slowly, cornering us against a large boulder.
No way out.
So the feeling of being a trapped rabbit had been right after all.
“M-Miss Lurupel, hide behind me…”
The Third Prince, trembling all over, tried to shield me.
But I was a whole head taller than him—there was no way his tiny body could hide me.
Who’s protecting who here?
I sighed, grabbed a stick from the ground—grasping at straws, really.
It wasn’t much, but better than nothing.
“Oh? The pretty one’s gonna hit us with that little stick?”
“Oooh, scary~”
The bandits laughed mockingly.
Their eyes gleamed with a mad, greasy yellow tint—it was grotesque.
I instinctively took a step back.
“Let’s see what the little boy looks like too.”
Before I could react, one of the bandits grabbed the Third Prince by the collar and lifted him into the air.
His little legs dangled helplessly.
“Well now, this one’s cute too. Looks like we’re lucky today.”
“Let me go! Unhand me this instant!”
The prince flailed uselessly, muttering some sort of spell.
But, as expected, nothing came out of his fingertips.
I couldn’t just watch anymore.
“Hiya!”
I swung my stick with all my strength—
“Argh!”
The flimsy branch snapped clean in half, but the bandit screamed and collapsed.
The prince tumbled from his grip and rolled safely next to me.
‘…Huh?’
Something was off.
Could a hit from an eight-year-old girl’s stick really hurt that much?
Well, technically, I wasn’t just an eight-year-old.
My mom had forced me to take taekwondo for two years, then hapkido and kendo for a year each.
I’d learned them as a kid, so I barely remembered even the first Taeguk form now—but hey, I was still a proud product of early martial arts education in Korea.
Maybe my real parents’ obsession was finally paying off.
“Hey! What are you doing, losing to a little brat?”
Another bandit frowned and approached.
Before he could reach me, I snatched another stick from the ground and struck the back of his knees.
“AAAGH!”
He too collapsed instantly.
“M-Miss Lurupel! You… you’ve learned swordsmanship?”
“…No? I don’t think so?”
Since I possessed Hariela’s body, I’d never tried learning anything at all—aside from manners and dancing, both forced on me by the Count and Countess.
Swordsmanship? Not a chance.
Hariela had never even held a toy sword.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
But somehow, the bandits kept dropping like flies.
Were their bones made of marshmallows or something?
The whole thing felt… off.
Too forced. Too unrealistic.
Was this… maybe a scene from the original story?
“You little brat!”
Even the bandits, who’d been polite enough to attack one by one like proper minor villains, lost their patience and rushed me all at once.
“Miss Lurupel! Look out!”
Then—
A small flame suddenly burst from the Third Prince’s hand.
“…A m-mage! He’s a mage!”
The bandits hesitated, backing away.
They exchanged wary glances.
How ridiculous.
A girl knocking out ten bandits with a stick wasn’t scary, but a boy making a spark was?
“They say mages repay grudges twice over…”
“I’m out of here!”
A few bandits turned tail and fled.
I watched them go, dumbfounded.
Right. Of course this was weird.
This was that cliché moment—the male lead awakens to protect the heroine in danger.
And since this world was a third-rate romance novel, it made perfect sense.
My excitement drained instantly.
I tossed the stick aside.
The rest of the bandits were sure to run too—crushed by the terrifying majesty of the tiny prince’s awakening or whatever.
“…But isn’t that flame a little too small?”
“He doesn’t look very good at magic, does he?”
Huh. Maybe not.
A few brave bandits picked their weapons back up.
One swung a wooden club at the prince.
‘He’ll handle it. Probably.’
I waited, not wanting to interfere with his “growth moment.”
Sure enough, the prince flicked his fingers again—and another tiny flame appeared.
‘But… isn’t that too small…?’
The fire was barely bigger than a match flame.
So small it was almost pitiful.
The bandits ignored it completely and swung their clubs down.
The prince took a hit straight to the head and collapsed.
“Your Highness!”
At that moment, my vision started blurring too.
“No! Don’t die! You’re supposed to awaken properly, not—ugh!”
In a panic, I grabbed the club and took down the remaining bandits myself.
Maybe the better weapon helped—every swing sent two or three of them flying.
But my vision kept darkening.
I struggled to stay upright but stumbled and fell forward.
No! My fourth life!
I really was about to start my fifth life—
When suddenly, a stranger appeared out of nowhere.
Even through my dimming sight, I could tell he was a man with black hair.
“Well, well… To defeat so many bandits alone. Quite a talented child.”
With a single sweep of his sword, he felled the remaining bandits and strode toward me.
Then, with strong arms, he lifted me up.
“Fear not. I shall personally protect you and your companion.”
How reassuring.
…But, um, who are you?
I wanted to ask, but couldn’t.
My fading vision finally went completely dark.
Goodbye, my fourth life…
“AAAH!”
I screamed as I bolted upright in bed.
What a bizarre dream.
It felt like something straight out of a low-budget martial arts movie.
My stomach churned.
“You’re awake, my lady!”
Once again, my fifth life began with Anna’s voice.
