CHAPTER 19………………………………………
Thwack. As Kardia roughly set down her teacup, the sound of the table breaking echoed.
The table, which had been perfectly fine just moments ago, immediately lost balance and collapsed. The teacup, having struck it head-on, fell straight down with it.
Ellexena dusted off her hands. Powder that had once been part of the teacup drifted down softly.
The crown prince, who had been laughing, froze in place. His face quickly turned as pale as drained meat.
He must have been quite shocked.
“Why is it that everyone who meets ‘Kardia’ needs to show off their strength before they’ll listen?”
“There won’t be a second chance. Choose. Will you follow the fate of this teacup, or will you break off the engagement?”
As she spoke, irritation surged up again. Ellexena didn’t hold back her anger and stomped on the fallen teacup. The shattered pieces turned into dust and scattered.
For a noble lady—or even a well-trained knight—that level of strength was terrifying. Who could turn a teacup into powder with a single stomp?
Arhan’s face had now turned blue.
Was that really Kardia? Even her sharp words and the way she looked down on others felt too cruel to belong to the Kardia he knew.
‘So the rumors are true… that the villainess Kardia is backed by Panake.’
Arhan unconsciously bit his lip. Kardia was supposed to remain the disgrace of Wincedius, the foolish princess.
But now…
His expression twisted sharply, though he forced a gentle smile—one he always wore before nobles like a well-trained mask.
“Name the time for the engagement break. Your will is mine.”
It was a clear act of submission. Beneath the kind smile, his clenched fist trembled.
“I’m glad you made a wise decision.”
Kardia smiled, baring her teeth.
The conversation was over. There was nothing more to say.
Ellexena immediately stood up. Thud—the chair toppled backward with a heavy sound.
At her abrupt movement, the crown prince widened his eyes. He reached out to stop Kardia as she turned to leave.
Her wrist was caught. Kardia raised one eyebrow. She didn’t speak, but her meaning was obvious: Why are you stopping me? That unspoken question seemed carried on the air itself.
Arhan looked at her with red, tear-swollen eyes, as if he might cry.
“Is that all you have to say to me?”
This couldn’t be the end. Kardia would never end things like this.
Arhan, age 12. Kardia, age 10. They had been engaged since childhood—over ten years now. Whether they liked it or not, they had remained bound by that engagement.
A belief formed over ten years—illogical, irrational, and habitual.
‘Kardia will marry Arhan.’
That belief was why he grabbed her now.
He had thought that once Kardia regained her senses, she would be angry—demand apologies for the past. But instead…
From a certain point on, the Kardia he remembered always had tear-stained eyes.
‘The last time I saw her face… her eyes were swollen from crying.’
Kardia had curled up like dust in a corner, crying endlessly.
—Arhan… D-do you h-hate me too?
There was desperation in her voice.
At that time, Arhan had just come out of a meaningless noble meeting, feeling irritated.
—Yes. I’m ashamed that you’re my fiancée.
It was a habitual outburst. But Kardia had looked far more shocked than usual.
—I… I understand.
She had left, slumped over, looking unbearably pitiful. That was the first time it bothered him.
Annoyed by his own thoughts, Arhan kicked the ground.
‘Don’t pay attention. She’ll be laughing or crying like an idiot again in a few days anyway.’
But those days never came. The next day, Kardia fell from a tree and lost consciousness.
Afraid it might be his fault, Arhan never visited her even after she woke up.
‘And now she just shows up on her own, demands a breakup, and walks away?’
That made no sense.
Maybe she was doing this to force an apology from him. Maybe the breakup was just an excuse.
Arhan despised Kardia. Yet at the same time, he couldn’t imagine a world where his fiancée wasn’t her.
Kardia, who had been silently watching him, sneered.
“Ah, that’s not the main point.”
Her gentle tone carried a hidden edge. She looked up at him as if mocking him.
Then she violently shook off his hand.
“I will not forget the humiliation you gave me. Look forward to what comes next.”
Step by step, she walked away without looking back.
Arhan clenched the warmth that remained in his hand. It faded quickly.
The empire’s Arhan, weighed down by noble blood, was used to bowing his head to aristocrats. Feigning humility to avoid blades aimed at him was second nature. He feared nobles stronger than himself.
And Kardia had just thrown him the one thing he feared most—and left.
But right now, what lingered in his mind wasn’t her sharp words or what would come next.
It was simply the fact that Kardia was gone.
The capital of Demeteum now stood where ancient Palachium once existed. Where the imperial palace once stood was now a marketplace.
After leaving the crown prince, Ellexena wandered near the imperial grounds.
She had intended to leave right away after finishing her business. But with every step, memories of Palachium surfaced.
Here, musicians once played lyres, and children sang nearby. When musicians met Ellexena’s eyes, they would change songs to tales of her heroism. Market women would press apples into her hands.
—“Lady Ellexena!”
They all loved her. And she loved them too. Not with burning devotion, but like the generosity of autumn wheat fields.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t properly looked around since arriving.’
If not today, she might never get another chance. This was the imperial palace, after all.
So Ellexena decided to tour it.
Fortunately—or perhaps not—no one stopped her as she wandered. Most still believed Kardia was the crown prince’s fiancée.
‘Ah. This garden… there used to be my statue here.’
That statue had been built after she won a continental tournament of athletic competitions, a great honor for the nation.
Children used the statue as an excuse to approach her, clinging to her and laughing. She would end up sitting on the ground, helpless, hugging them.
—“What do you kids want from me?”
—“Tell us adventure stories!”
—“Ask the musician over there.”
She pointed to a lyre player. The children pouted.
A girl whispered into her ear:
—“That old man can’t sing.”
Such bold words for a child.
“Haha!”
Ellexena threw her head back and laughed.
—“Fine. Just one story.”
‘Those days were like that too.’
What happened to those statues? Were they destroyed? Dumped somewhere? Thrown into the sea?
But what did it matter?
A thousand years had passed, and even the name Palachium had faded into meaninglessness.
Palachium—the strongest and richest nation of its time. Her homeland. The place she loved. The land of her people.
Many believed it would last forever. But its glory had faded, leaving only dust.
If it would end like this, why had they fought so fiercely for the throne?
There was nothing left.
Ellexena frowned at the futility of time.
Then she heard rustling behind her.
“Tch.”
She clicked her tongue at herself for being so careless—lost in nostalgia while someone was nearby.
“Who’s there?”
She quickly grabbed the hidden figure.
It was a woman, dressed similarly to Arhan’s family—though of poorer quality.
‘A member of the royal family? There are two children in the current imperial line.’
One was Arhan. The other must be this princess.
“Please forgive my rudeness.”
Ellexena bowed slightly, but the princess seemed excited rather than offended.
Instead, she grabbed Ellexena’s arm.
“Kardia Wincedius—you said you’re breaking off your engagement with Arhan, right?”
At the word breakup, the princess looked delighted. She nodded.
“Do you want revenge on him?”
“Yes.”
At that answer, the princess cheered.
She looked less like a noble princess and more like a puppy that had found a bone.
The princess clasped Ellexena’s hands tightly.
“Then help me. That’s what he fears most.”
She smiled brightly.
‘Ah.’
Ellexena suddenly understood—and burst into laughter.
As always, luck was on Ellexena’s side again.
