Chapter 20. A New Yet Familiar Place
Ellea arrived at the palace where she would be staying, guided by Borens.
It wasn’t dazzlingly extravagant, but the clean white tones were impressive. The arched windows added character, preventing the building from feeling plain, and the beautifully carved columns added to the charm.
It felt as if someone had known exactly what she liked—she was pleased even just by the exterior.
Following Borens inside, she saw that the interior was just as well-maintained, spotless without even a speck of dust.
“It’s very well kept.”
“Yes, this palace is traditionally reserved for members of the imperial family from the Zebenica Empire, and it is thoroughly maintained at all times.”
“I see.”
“This will be Your Highness’s room from now on.”
The room, like the building, wasn’t gaudy but held a sense of elegance.
Once inside, Ellea glanced around before opening the doors to the terrace. Fixing her gaze on the wide-open view, she spoke.
“I really like it.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Do I have anything else scheduled for today?”
“You must be tired from the journey, so you can rest for the day. Also, a banquet in your honor is being prepared.”
“A banquet?”
She had thought all she had to do was greet a few people, but a full banquet? Already feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over her, Ellea stifled a sigh.
“All right. I’d like to rest until dinner.”
“Then I’ll call for a maid—”
“No, I want to be alone. I’ll call if I need anything.”
“Understood. Please rest well, Your Highness.”
After Borens left, Ellea finally relaxed. Sitting on the bed, she soon lay down completely. Half hoping this was all a dream, she pinched her cheek—only to feel the sharp pain.
‘Well, waking up as Ellea in the first place already didn’t make sense.’
She had thought the journey hadn’t been too exhausting, but perhaps the fatigue had caught up to her without her realizing. She closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.
As soon as Borens exited Ellea’s room, the maids who had been waiting eagerly approached. They were all curious about their new mistress.
When Ellea had arrived at the palace earlier, they’d only had the chance to greet her briefly from a distance.
“Head Maid, what is Her Highness like?”
“I’m dying to know. She looked absolutely beautiful from afar.”
“Quiet down, everyone. She’s the lady of this palace now.”
Borens calmed the excited maids and recalled Ellea’s demeanor from earlier.
She, too, had been slightly anxious about what kind of person the princess would be, but Ellea hadn’t seemed the type to mistreat others, which was a relief.
Still, after many years as head maid in the royal palace, Borens could tell—there was something different about Ellea.
‘She has dignity, but that’s not all.’
Setting aside her musings for now, Borens focused on more pressing tasks and drew the maids’ attention again.
“All right, get moving and prepare everything while Her Highness rests. And Jane—”
“Yes!”
Jane responded brightly to her name. With her short brown hair and neatly worn maid uniform, she radiated energy.
“You’ll be serving Her Highness from today. You remember everything I told you?”
“Yes, of course.”
With that, the maids and staff busied themselves with preparations for Ellea.
Terban had been buried in backlogged palace affairs since his return and was just now starting to catch his breath.
As expected, the freedom he’d felt outside the palace had already vanished.
‘If only El were here.’
The thought crept in before he realized it, and he shook his head, startled.
He had trusted El enough to entrust her with secrets—no matter how much he tried to deny it, he had to admit it. Her absence was a deep void.
“Is something wrong, Your Majesty?”
Vandel asked curiously when Terban’s hand paused mid-task. Instead of answering, Terban asked something else.
“How are you? You look better than when you left.”
“Do I?”
“You would know better than I would. Seems the time away helped.”
Terban had noticed the change in Vandel immediately. His expression was lighter than before, and that reassured Terban.
‘He does seem more at ease now.’
In fact, it was thanks to seeing Ellea act so gracefully in front of the knights that Vandel had been able to pull himself together. If El had seen him wallowing, she would’ve scolded him for sure.
Clearing his thoughts, Vandel bowed deeply.
“I apologize for causing you concern, Your Majesty.”
“That’s enough. You know this, but from now on, you’ll be leading the knights—not as vice-captain, but as captain.”
“Yes. I will do my utmost to serve you well.”
Seeing Vandel, who had been lost in grief after El’s death, find his resolve again gave Terban peace of mind. He had worried deeply about him.
“What do you think of her?”
“You mean the princess?”
“That’s right.”
Vandel recalled Ellea from the journey—how she had treated everyone kindly, yet carried herself with noble grace. She was completely different from what he had expected, but clearly a good person.
Still, one thought stood out.
“It felt like she was deliberately keeping a distance from us.”
“You sensed that too.”
Terban agreed. Ellea had been polite and smiled appropriately, but there was a subtle boundary—one that said, don’t come any closer, and I won’t either.
Especially when she was with him, he noticed a faint tension in her.
‘I thought it was just because she was with me… but maybe there’s more to it.’
In any case, she was not someone to be taken lightly. The fact remained—she was a princess of the Zebenica Empire, and there was no telling what she might be hiding.
‘I can’t let my guard down.’
After the day’s business was done, Terban was dining with Shenil. They talked about the recent journey.
“I see. It must not have been easy.”
“It was all right. Honestly, I kind of enjoyed it.”
“So things have been rough lately, huh?”
Seeing Shenil worry, Terban just shook his head. He didn’t want her to worry even more.
“I’m fine. You should worry about yourself. How’s your health?”
“I’m much better now. But…”
Shenil trailed off, and Terban looked up from his meal.
“The court physician says there’s nothing wrong, but sometimes my leg hurts. Ever since I collapsed from the poison.”
It was a lie—crafted just to gain his attention—but Terban had no way of knowing. The moment she mentioned pain, concern flared in his eyes.
“Where exactly does it hurt?”
Shenil quickly tried to calm him.
“It’s not that serious. It should pass with time—it’s just temporary.”
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
“You’ve been so busy lately… and with the princess arriving, I didn’t want to add more to your plate.”
She knew full well that saying things like this would make him feel even more guilty.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve checked in more.”
“No, just being here with me like this is enough.”
Getting the response she wanted, Shenil hurriedly drank some water, afraid her joy might show on her face.
Then, to avoid suspicion, she shifted the topic to Ellea.
“Anyway, I wish I’d had more time to talk to the princess. It’s a shame.”
“You want to get closer to her?”
“She came here alone. She must feel uneasy. And it would be good for Luvien too.”
Shenil emphasized that she was doing it for Terban’s sake.
He appreciated her words, but he didn’t want her to push herself. She had only recently regained her stability after so much.
“It’s okay. You don’t need to force it.”
“I really do want to get to know her. But what do you think of her?”
She recalled Ellea and Terban chatting earlier and asked with thinly veiled anticipation.
“Let’s see… she’s someone who completely defied my expectations.”
“Really?”
And someone I can’t stop looking at.
Unaware of his thoughts, Shenil decided not to dwell on the vague answer. She was confident Terban would never let anyone else close—not the way he had with her.
But there was something else she wanted to ask, though she hid it behind a mask of indifference.
“By the way, what’s happening with the position of Knight Commander?”
The mention of El made Terban pause, his hand frozen on his utensils. Feigning calm, he replied.
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s an important role—one that stays close to you. It shouldn’t stay vacant.”
“I’ve decided to give it to Vandel, the former vice-captain.”
“I see…”
Because Terban had his head slightly bowed, he didn’t notice the change in Shenil’s expression—the flash of dismay in her eyes.
“I’m surprised. I didn’t think you’d worry about something like that.”
It was strange to Terban that Shenil, who usually showed no interest in the knights, would bring it up. She sensed his doubt and gave the excuse she’d prepared.
“I thought if there was no suitable candidate, you might consider someone else. You’ve been working so late—I was worried.”
“It’s fine now that Vandel is taking the position.”
“That’s a relief.”
Shenil wanted to steer the situation differently, but couldn’t reveal her displeasure. Still, she wasn’t ready to give up and tried another angle, feigning concern.
“About Sir Vandel… he seemed really shaken after El died. Don’t you think he might need more time to recover?”
“I think the journey helped him sort things out.”
“That’s good. Then I can stop worrying. You should rest a little more too.”
“Please rest while you work, Your Majesty.”
Though Shenil had spoken the words, to Terban, they echoed in El’s voice instead—taunting him for thinking he had moved on.
‘I really don’t know what to do anymore.’
Later, after finishing their meal, Shenil returned to her own quarters. Her expression was tense—as if she were being chased by something.
