Episode 8
‘D-disaster, crazy, what should I do?’
Elonia quickly racked her brain.
‘I can’t run away right now.’
Honestly, she wasn’t sure if she was completely caught before fainting from the magic usage, but given the circumstances, there was no way she wouldn’t be caught.
There was no way Sarah would use magic, and there was no way the slow-witted mages would run all the way to the Imperial Princess Palace to kill an enemy.
‘For now, I’ll hit Artius on the head and knock him out, ow ow ow.’
Elonia’s unrealistic and absurd plan was stopped by her internal injuries.
She was injured by a magic the size of a bean, so how could she knock out Artius?
For internal injuries, absolute rest is a must.
Elonia lay still, trying hard to soothe her aching insides.
Not long after, Sarah returned.
“Your Highness, I’ve brought the court physician.”
“Greetings, Your Highness. I am Court Physician Chloe.”
A middle-aged woman Elonia had never seen in the Imperial Princess Palace approached.
She laid out various instruments and medicines and began the examination.
“Now, Your Highness. Can you say ‘ah’? Ah- good, well done. Now, just show me your wrist. Oh my, yes. You’re doing well.”
Elonia obediently followed Chloe’s instructions.
Before long, Chloe finished her diagnosis.
“Fortunately, the internal injuries have improved a lot compared to before.”
“Ah…! What a relief, Your Highness…!”
“But Your Highness is still young, so Fortrun and the court ladies should pay special attention. You still have a slight fever and it may rise suddenly at night. I will prepare new medicine for internal injuries and a fever reducer, so have her take those. And….”
Chloe paused for a moment before speaking with difficulty.
“Refrain from using magic as much as possible. To be honest, it’s a miracle that you’re alive.”
‘The fact that I used magic has spread like wildfire….’
As expected, she was caught.
Elonia rolled her eyes to avoid the court physician’s gaze.
“If you use magic any more, it will be truly dangerous. It will be life-threatening.”
“…I understand. I will be careful.”
Sarah nodded.
Before Chloe packed up all her instruments and left the nursery, Sarah said to her,
“The fact that Her Highness has internal injuries and can use magic is still a secret for now. I have also told the other court ladies that Her Highness is suffering from a fever, so Chloe, please be especially careful as well.”
“Of course. It is His Majesty’s strict order.”
Chloe smiled reassuringly and left the nursery.
Elonia couldn’t help but be bewildered.
A secret? Why?
While Elonia was confused, the court ladies came in with medicine and bathwater.
“It’s a relief that you’re awake, Your Highness.”
“Last night, your fever was so severe that everyone was worried.”
Elonia’s worries were momentarily obscured by the court ladies’ words of concern.
Everyone must have had a hard time, as they had dark circles down to their chins, although not as much as Sarah.
After the court ladies carefully washed Elonia and even fed her milk powder, Sarah offered the medicine.
Elonia wrinkled her face at the sight of the nauseous green medicine.
She thought she wouldn’t see it again in this life, but she didn’t expect to meet it again so soon.
“Ugh.”
“No, Your Highness. If you don’t want to get sick, you have to drink it all.”
Sarah and the court ladies coaxed and soothed Elonia relentlessly to make her take the medicine.
‘Ugh, this is completely bitter.’
The internal injury medicine she took after a long time still boasted its bitter taste.
Still, she endured and took a sip, and the court ladies began spewing a barrage of praises for a good baby.
Encouraged by that support, she emptied the medicine bowl, and endless praise poured out for the reliable baby princess.
Afterwards, Sarah let the court ladies who had been working hard rest.
“Then we will take our leave.”
After all the court ladies left and only Sarah and Elonia remained in the quiet room.
As Elonia wriggled in the cradle to shake off the terrible taste left on her tongue, Sarah gently approached and softly bumped her forehead against Elonia’s.
“Our princess. Don’t get sick. You have to stay healthy.”
“Sawa.”
“It’s all my fault that you had to take matters into your own hands because I was lacking… It’s all because I’m incompetent.”
“….”
“Please forgive me and don’t do that again. If it means I can save you, I wouldn’t mind giving up my life. What’s important to me is your well-being.”
Elonia was not used to someone dying for her.
Unable to find a proper answer, she could only nod her head awkwardly, but Sarah smiled happily and kissed Elonia’s cheek with affection.
“You have to sleep well to get better quickly. Now, Your Highness. It’s bedtime.”
Sarah sang that lullaby again, patting Elonia’s stomach.
Her eyes naturally closed at the beautiful voice, but the lingering concerns in a corner of her heart would not disappear even if she died, and she could not fall asleep.
‘Artius… I have no idea what he’s thinking.’
As soon as Vermon Heilan figured out Cheron’s power, he went around blabbering that the Calamity God was on Heilan’s side.
But then why is Artius staying still?
‘Because I’m still a baby? Because he can’t start a war right now?’
Or because he can’t lose the only imperial heir to succeed the empire?
Still, the baby who can use the same magic as Cheron Heilan is no ordinary person.
As the emperor of a nation, there’s no way he wouldn’t use this.
The Emperor of Ravanta, Artius, and the princess of Ravanta, who is like the reincarnation of Heilan’s war demon.
It would be a terrifying combination even to imagine.
Just spreading rumors would be more than enough to completely subdue Heilan.
‘But why? Why keep it a secret?’
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand.
‘If it were the old days, I would have known exactly what he was thinking.’
Now, she couldn’t understand him who had changed so much in less than a year.
‘If I see his face, will I be able to understand him like before?’
Elonia shook her head at her own question.
He doesn’t even show his face to his daughter who has woken up.
No, he doesn’t even consider her his daughter.
‘Because he refused to acknowledge me as his daughter the first day he saw me.’
Artius will not come looking for her first unless she dies, even in the future.
It also meant that Elonia would not be able to understand him in the future either.
* * *
…Contrary to that thought, the opportunity to face Artius came unexpectedly soon.
“His Majesty the Emperor summons you.”
The day after Elonia had fully recovered, a sudden message came from the main palace.
The court ladies of the Imperial Princess Palace were delighted that the Emperor was finally seeking his daughter, but Elonia, the person in question, could not be happy at all.
She was certain that the reason he was summoning her was not to welcome the reunion with his daughter who had nearly died.
‘He’s obviously going to interrogate me about the magic.’
Fortunately, the current Elonia is a baby who can barely speak.
She can just pretend she can’t speak and throw a fit before coming back.
What can she do when the only word she can say is “Sawa”?
After somehow completing all the preparations, Elonia was carried in Sarah’s arms and entered the audience chamber.
“Her Highness Princess Elonia has arrived.”
“…!”
And Elonia was shocked.
In the middle of the audience chamber, people Elonia knew very well were kneeling down.
And not just anyone, but Vermon Heilan, the King of Heilan, and Felix Heilan, the Prince of Heilan.
Elonia’s family from her previous life.
‘W-why?’
There was no joy at all in meeting her old family.
Rather, the memories of being with them for nearly 20 years pressured Elonia.
Just seeing those two faces made her breathless.
Why are those two here?
Did they figure out that she is Cheron?
Is that why he summoned them like this to mock her?
“You’ve come, princess.”
‘Ah.’
At the sound of Artius’s voice, Elonia came to her senses with a start.
Turning her gaze to him, Artius was looking at her expressionlessly as if he had no thoughts at all.
On a normal day, it would have been an annoying face, but funnily enough, seeing his face now cleared her mind.
Right, there’s no way he could have figured out that she is Cheron.
‘I am Elonia now.’
Not Cheron Heilan.
Cheron Heilan is already dead.
Naturally, the two highest-ranking men of Heilan did not realize that Elonia was Cheron.
This might be the first time she was thankful to be Elonia now.
“Come closer, princess.”
Artius sat arrogantly on the golden throne and smiled crookedly.
Next to him was one more small golden throne.
Without interrogating her about magic, he seated Elonia on the baby-sized golden throne.
Elonia suddenly found herself sitting in the highest position in Ravanta, looking down at her former family.
Elonia carefully took in the Heilan royalty with her eyes.
And she realized.
‘…They’re not scary.’
Was it because her position looking at them had changed?
Or was it because she now thought of herself as Elonia, not Cheron?
Her fear of them had faded to a surprising degree even to herself.
Those she had feared so much were now looking up at the man sitting next to her in fear.
‘Right. Cheron is dead. I am Elonia.’
She lived in fear of them her whole life, those who mercilessly drove her to the battlefield even when she begged not to go.
No matter how strong she became, she always felt infinitely small in front of them due to the past abuse.
In the past, they seemed so big.
Now, much younger, somehow they looked smaller than her.
Artius, satisfied with Elonia sitting still in her place without crying, opened his mouth.
“Vermon Heilan, Felix Heilan.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
“While I was briefly away, you played quite a cute little game. But I have no interest in a war with you who have lost Princess Cheron.”
“…Your Majesty, as you know, all of Heilan is scattered now. That was all independently carried out by the envoys without the royal family’s knowledge—”
“I think I’ve been quite lenient. To not cut off the neck of a defeated king.”
“Your Majesty!”
“How dare a mere vassal raise his voice!”
When King Vermon sensed the danger and stood up shouting, the knights on either side of him yelled and forced King Vermon to his knees.
“Ugh…!”
As Vermon let out a pained groan, Artius laughed.
“Do you have any grievances against me? Your threats cannot harm a single hair on my head. However….”
Artius glanced at Elonia.
Elonia blinked her eyes in confusion.
She had a bad feeling.
And as always, it was spot on.
“Since the young princess nearly died, how about letting the princess decide your life and death?”
‘Are you crazy?’
The complicated feelings toward the Heilan royal family vanished into thin air due to Artius’s remark.
Perhaps she should take back thinking that Artius was pitiful in a way.
Elonia had no mercy to pity a madman.
She never dreamed that the reason Artius summoned her was to decide their execution.
‘If only I hadn’t used magic!’
Before using magic, he had sought out Elonia only once.
When he first met Elonia.
But just because she used a little magic out of old habit as Cheron, he brings her to this impromptu execution ground.
‘No. Thanks to magic, both Sarah and I survived.’
Whether it was Cheron’s magic or whatever, magic was not at fault.
Elonia glared at Artius with narrowed eyes.
Artius had a rare smile on his face, as if greatly excited about something. Although it was closer to a sneer, seeing him smile after only seeing him frowning felt strange.
It almost felt a little nice to see him.
“Now, princess. Let them hear your answer.”
‘No, I can’t even speak yet in the first place.’
…The words coming out of that mouth weren’t pleasant at all though.
That jerk didn’t seem to know that Elonia was still a baby who couldn’t even talk.
“Go on.”
No, I’m telling you I can’t speak.
Elonia looked at Artius with dumbfounded eyes.
That’s when Elonia noticed Sarah fidgeting.
She was clearly trying to tell Artius that Elonia couldn’t speak yet.
But Sarah already had a history of standing up to the tyrant.
If she thoughtlessly opened her mouth this time, Sarah would cross the river of no return.
‘No, Sarah…!’
Nevertheless, when Sarah tried to speak, Elonia cried out urgently.
“Dunno!”