“Aaaah!!”
A desperate scream rang through the Imperial Palace training yard.
“First Prince.”
Thud!
“Urgh!”
“What happens when you let your guard down while watching your opponent?”
“Y-Yes, ma’am….”
“Louder.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Good.”
I smiled brightly and nodded.
At that, the Second Prince began inching away beside me.
Ssswish.
“…Where are you going?”
“…The bathroom.”
“You went before training.”
“…Again.”
“Liar.”
I tapped the floor with my wooden sword.
“Come here.”
“If you run, you get one hit.”
“If you walk, you get three.”
“…What if I crawl?”
“Five.”
In the end, the Second Prince came walking over with a miserable look on his face.
“Third Prince.”
“…Yes.”
“Candy.”
“Spit it out.”
“…I don’t want to.”
“One.”
“Two.”
“Three.”
The youngest prince, fighting back tears, placed the candy in my palm.
I looked down at it, then put it back in his hand.
“You can eat it after training.”
“…Really?”
“If you train hard, you get two.”
The youngest prince’s eyes lit up.
After that day,
the youngest prince became the first of the three to show up at the training yard.
Seeing him work so hard for a single treat,
he was still nothing but a little boy.
Time flew by.
One month.
Two months.
Three months.
“First.”
“Yes!”
“What about the reports?”
“I memorized every single one.”
“Good.”
“Second.”
“Yes!”
“And today?”
“I won’t run away!”
“Excellent.”
“Third.”
“…I’ll eat the candy after training.”
“Perfect.”
I smiled with satisfaction.
The boys who had run away every day at first
were now picking up their swords before anyone else.
Even the Imperial Palace knights looked astonished.
“Lady Felicia.”
“What kind of education did you give them?”
“…It’s a secret.”
The truth was, it hadn’t been anything special.
If they ran, I caught them.
If they lied, I made them train even harder.
If they did well, I praised them louder than anyone.
That was all.
“Ella.”
The First Prince called to me cautiously.
“…What is it?”
“…Thank you.”
I was speechless for a moment.
I never expected to hear those words from him.
The Second Prince also turned his head away and muttered,
“…You weren’t a bad teacher.”
The youngest prince threw his arms around my waist.
“You’re the best teacher ever!”
I smiled and patted the boys on the head.
*'Thank goodness.'*
The princes I had seen in the future,
the ones who hated the Imperial Palace, were gone now.
At least,
the future of these children was changing.
A few days later.
“Miss Ella!”
A palace attendant came running toward me, gasping for breath.
“His Majesty is looking for you!”
*'Don’t tell me.'*
*'They haven’t caused another incident, have they?'*
I headed to the Imperial Palace.
“Lady Felicia is entering.”
The doors opened.
“…You’ve come!”
The Emperor shot up from his seat.
No.
He practically ran toward me.
*'Why does he look so happy to see me?'*
For some reason, I had a bad feeling about this.
“I pay my respects to the Radiant Sun, His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Forget the formalities.”
The Emperor pulled out a chair for me himself.
“…Sit.”
*'Suspicious.'*
Normally, he would have gotten straight to the point.
Today, he even poured me tea.
I cautiously took a sip of the black tea.
It smelled lovely.
And then.
The Emperor smiled and opened his mouth.
“I have a favor to ask.”
*'Here it comes.'*
I sighed inwardly.
“I have one younger brother.”
“…Are you referring to the Northern Grand Duke?”
“Yes.”
The Emperor’s expression grew serious.
“I’m worried about him.”
“Has something happened?”
“He pushes people away.”
“His retainers.”
“His knights.”
“His servants.”
“He won’t let anyone stay by his side.”
A cold sweat broke out for no reason.
*'Don’t tell me.'*
“…Ella.”
“…Yes?”
The Emperor suddenly clasped both my hands.
“You go.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I’m entrusting my brother to you.”
*'I don’t want to.'*
*'I really don’t want to.'*
I resisted to the very end.
“Your Majesty, I don’t have that kind of ability.”
“You do.”
“I don’t.”
“You do.”
“The North is too cold.”
“I’ll provide you with warm clothes.”
“It’s too far.”
“I’ll provide a private carriage.”
“I’m busy too.”
“Think of it as a vacation.”
I had no counterargument.
And then.
The Emperor delivered his final word.
“…It’s an imperial decree.”
It was over.
Before an imperial decree,
neither a noble
nor a duke’s daughter
could refuse.
“…I shall obey your command.”
The Emperor beamed.
“I knew you’d agree!”
*'No.'*
*'I refused.'*
*'You blocked every single one of my objections.'*
Three days later.
A carriage bound for the North moved slowly along the snowy road.
Whoooosh—
The landscape outside the window gradually turned completely white.
There were few signs of human travelers, either.
“…It’s cold.”
I pulled the blanket tighter around myself and gazed outside.
It was the same road I had traveled in my past life.
But.
It was different from back then.
This time.
It wasn’t too late yet.
*'This time.'*
*'I will.'*
*'I will change my fate.'*
The carriage traveled for another day.
And then.
Creeeak—
A massive iron gate slowly opened.
Amid the blizzard,
black castle walls emerged into view.
The Blackwood Grand Duchy.
Blackwood Castle.
The coachman spoke quietly.
“Lady Felicia.”
“We’ve arrived.”
I drew in a deep breath.
The cold air seeped deep into my lungs.
*'Good.'*
*'It starts now.'*
The carriage door opened,
and I slowly stepped out onto the snowfields.
At that moment,
heavy footsteps echoed from beyond the hallway.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The knights’ expressions hardened all at once.
The servants naturally stepped aside.
I slowly raised my head.
Jet-black hair.
Violet eyes.
And an icy aura no one could easily approach.
Dante Blackwood.
The man who had defended the North to the very end in my past life.
And.
The man I absolutely had to save.
For the first time, his gaze met mine.
The blizzard swept between us.
For that moment,
it felt as though the world had fallen silent.