Chapter 13. Through Time, Like Fate Once More
Ellea spoke calmly to the group before her.
“Afraid? Of what? All you’re holding are those flimsy weapons. You lot target supply wagons that cross the border regularly, don’t you?”
The group looked flustered, as if she had hit the mark. Now was the time to act according to plan. Drawing their attention, she swiftly reached for the sword hidden beneath her dress.
It was the one the knight had tossed aside earlier. The moment Ellea gripped it, she shouted,
“Run!”
While everyone was caught off guard, the knight managed to bring down the man holding a weapon and rescued his comrade who had been taken hostage. Ellea brandished her sword threateningly, creating some distance between herself and the group.
Although they were initially thrown into disarray, the group quickly regrouped, gripping their weapons tightly and assuming defensive stances.
Once she confirmed the knight was helping the injured, Ellea allowed herself a moment of relief and focused on her enemies. With nothing left to worry about, she looked more composed than ever, sword in hand.
The sight of a noblewoman in a dress standing in front of armed knights reversed their expectations. The group felt an inexplicable pressure from her.
The ease with which she wielded her sword and the sudden sharpness in her eyes made her seem like a completely different person.
“Don’t be scared. We’ve got the numbers,” said one of the men, who had previously held a knight hostage and had now rejoined his group to reassure them.
Just from his leadership, Ellea immediately realized he was the one leading the group. But even knowing they were at a disadvantage, she showed no fear and leisurely rolled her shoulders.
“It’s dangerous,” a knight warned.
“Then go tend to the injured. You’ll just get in the way otherwise. Honestly, I’ve only trained until now—I’ve been curious to see how I’d fare in a real fight.”
The knights wanted to stop her as she approached the group, but before they could move, Ellea was already charging forward.
Though wearing a dress was a bit inconvenient, Ellea had no doubt that this ragtag bunch couldn’t hold a candle to her skills.
The attackers, on the other hand, clearly underestimated her and didn’t hesitate to strike.
That’s right. Just like that.
Each time she swung her sword at the approaching enemies, their rusty blades were knocked right from their hands.
She intentionally struck only at their legs, ensuring they couldn’t run. The knight’s well-forged sword easily sliced flesh with even the slightest touch, drawing blood that stained her blade red.
Those who resisted to the end were struck at vital points with the hilt of her sword, knocking them down instantly.
“As I thought… pathetic.”
Bodies writhed in pain along the path she had carved, leaving Ellea standing alone in the center.
The knights, who had considered helping, found themselves frozen in place, stunned by how swiftly she subdued them all. Their earlier worries now seemed laughable in the face of her overwhelming skill.
Ever since they injured the knight, Ellea had abandoned any intention of letting this slide.
“You bitch!”
“Behind you!” a knight cried.
At his warning, Ellea turned to see a man rushing toward her, blade raised threateningly.
Recognizing him as the one who had wounded the knight earlier, Ellea didn’t dodge—on purpose.
The moment he entered her striking range, she sidestepped the attack and swung her blade with a speed no one else could see.
The man suddenly froze, sensing something wrong.
When he looked down, he saw the deep wound across his abdomen, blood soaking his clothes.
Before he could react to the pain, Ellea grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against a tree.
He struggled desperately to escape her grip, but the harder he fought, the tighter her hand clamped around his throat. As the air left his lungs, he gasped and pleaded.
“P-please… spare me…”
“You don’t get to beg for your life this easily. Come at me with the same confidence you had earlier.”
“We… we had no choice!”
Ellea hated when people tried to justify their wrongdoings like this. There are some things in this world that are simply unforgivable—no matter the circumstances.
“You don’t get a pass just because it helped you survive.”
Her words must have struck a nerve. Unlike earlier, the man raised his voice, clearly aggrieved.
“Then what were we supposed to do?! This is the only way we could survive! You nobles took everything! I did this to save my family!”
From that, Ellea gleaned a rough picture of the situation. Just as he said, their families were likely hiding somewhere nearby.
Perhaps overwhelmed by emotion, the man said something he definitely shouldn’t have.
“So what if we took a little? You people have mountains of goods. A few injuries? Nothing a little healing can’t fix—”
He didn’t get to finish. A sharp blade came flying toward his face.
Eyes wide, he squeezed them shut, expecting pain—but none came. Slowly, he opened them again to find the sword embedded in the tree right beside his head.
Following the sound of the blade being pulled out, he turned and found Ellea glaring at him with a chilling expression that far surpassed anything from before.
“Do you even realize who you stabbed?! That was a knight! Do you know how much brutal training it takes to become one? Do you realize that your mindless attack could’ve ruined that person’s entire life?!”
Her voice rose to a shout by the end, her fury uncontrollable.
Since becoming Ellea, she had grown deeply fond of the knights of Zebenica. She remembered how hard they trained every day. That memory made it impossible to stay calm.
“And don’t delude yourself. Not everyone in your position turns to hurting others.”
By then, the knights had gathered the other assailants in one place and forced them to their knees. They watched Ellea in silence.
It wasn’t just that they were stunned by her unexpected actions—it was that her words, spoken on their behalf, moved them deeply.
And that’s exactly why Ellea couldn’t forgive what had happened.
“You stabbed a knight’s arm. If it had been me, I wouldn’t have hesitated to stab you straight through the chest.”
Perhaps because her emotions were still running high, her grip around the man’s throat only tightened. It was clear he was struggling even to breathe.
And there was still another possibility. What if this hadn’t just been random?
If they had known her identity as a princess from the start and had been deliberately targeting her?
If it was Rubane—surely they would have known Ellea was passing through this area. It was entirely possible they had hired these men.
“Was this Rubane’s doing? Promising you some grand reward to stop me from reaching the border?”
But the reply came not from the man—but from someone at her side.
“I really don’t think that’s the case.”
The moment the low, familiar voice reached her ears, Ellea’s grip slackened on its own.
It was a voice she knew all too well, and one she shouldn’t be hearing here.
No. It can’t be.
Though she tried to deny it, the voice came again, clearly not a hallucination.
“If it were me, I’d never entrust a job like that to such amateurs.”
Ellea’s body stiffened as she turned her head—she knew that voice.
Standing on the opposite road, she saw him.
The moment her eyes met his blue ones, she froze completely, her voice trembling.
“Your Majesty…”
It was none other than Terban who had appeared before her.
* * *
Terban had tried to focus, to clear his mind, but nothing seemed to help. The suffocating atmosphere of the imperial palace felt like it was strangling him.
He hadn’t really cared much about the princess from Zebenica, but seized the opportunity to join the journey to retrieve her—if only as an excuse to escape the palace for a while.
“You’re really going yourself, Your Majesty?”
“Yes. I just need a change of pace.”
“But… it’s a trip all the way to the border. You’ll be away from the palace for some time.”
Vandel had been caught off guard when he first heard of it. Up until now, Terban hadn’t shown the slightest interest in the matter.
“That’s fine. And you’ll be coming with me, Vandel.”
“Me, sire?”
Vandel didn’t understand why the emperor wanted him along. After all, retrieving a foreign princess wasn’t usually the job of the emperor’s personal guard.
But Terban had his reasons.
Ever since Elle’s death, Vandel had also been visibly shaken. Terban hoped a bit of fresh air and distance from the palace might help him regain his composure, so he issued the order.
“You need to clear your head too. I’m sure you know what I mean.”
“Yes, Your Majesty…”
But… how could I be okay after Elle died?
Others in the palace were smart enough not to speak of Elle out loud—but that didn’t stop the whispers behind closed doors.
Most of those whispers were cruel, slanderous. It was no wonder that Vandel had clashed with others over it.
Soon, the travel party was assembled. Shenil came to see Terban off, her face visibly worried over the sudden announcement.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”
“Be careful. I’ll be waiting.”
She didn’t like his decision, but smiled anyway, hiding her feelings.
With Shenil’s farewell, Terban departed. As he rode, his mind gradually eased from the constant motion.
Like his mind, the journey was smooth. They reached the destination on the appointed day, without incident.
The border was mostly forest—nothing unusual—and Zebenica’s party had yet to arrive.
“They’re not here yet?”
“They’ll arrive soon. We got word they departed.”
“I’ll look around a bit then.”
“Please return quickly, sire. The princess could arrive at any moment.”
Nodding, Terban steered his horse into the woods.
Galloping freely through the forest, he suddenly heard distant commotion. Slowing his horse, he approached cautiously, spotting a wagon and many people.
What’s going on over there…?
It was clear something was amiss. He even saw knights among them. And then—Terban’s gaze followed where everyone else was looking.
