I stepped back to avoid the person approaching me.
But there was no room to escape in that narrow carriage, to begin with.
Someone quickly approached and removed my blindfold.
Because I was used to the darkness, the candlelight shoved in front of my face was so dazzling that I frowned.
“Hello, Ellie.”
But soon, I raised my head at the sound of a familiar voice piercing my ear.
'Ernest...'
The person who approached me was Ernest, wearing a robe.
He tilted his head, staring at my stiff expression.
“Why are you so scared? I’m your husband.”
“...”
He continued to speak with a small smile.
“If only you had told me back then that it was all a misunderstanding and that I would have believed you.”
Then he ran his fingers down my face.
As before the rebellion, with affectionate eyes and gentle hands.
But that was just my mistake.
“That’s stupid.”
In an instant, the man's attitude changed.
There was no trace of the affection he had previously shown in his gaze and his touch towards me.
All that remains is suppressed anger.
“Where we’re going is a place where people who lost precious things to rebellion gather. What would happen if we threw you there?”
He slowly ran his fingers down the pure white nape of my neck, revealed through the disheveled gown.
And at the sight of those cold eyes, the breath that had been suffocating in his grasp seemed to tighten again.
“I’m sure you won’t be able to die nicely.”
It was the first time I had seen a man so cold and cruel, and a chill ran down my spine.
Ernest was right.
I was just a powerless woman who couldn't use my powers. And on top of that, I was a woman whose memories weren't perfect.
Even without him having to go into detail, a terrible future seemed to be forming in my mind.
'Can I survive?'
I wonder if I can return home alive and safe.
It was when my body was trembling slightly.
“Ellie.”
He called my name softly again.
When I saw the dagger in Ernest's hand, I came to my senses as if I had been splashed with cold water.
I might die here before I even get there.
As if my guess was not wrong, Ernest brought the dagger he was holding to the nape of my neck.
The sharp tip of the knife moved across my white flesh, like painting with a brush.
“Do you want to live?”
Within seconds, the tip of the sword stopped at one point. To be exact, at the very spot where Carsis's traces remained.
“Ugh...”
As he exerted force on the handle, hot blood gushed out along with a burning sensation.
“But don’t worry. I have no intention of killing you. Instead...”
Ernest, who had been looking at me in pain, opened his lips.
“I need to use your power.”
Only when the thin gown was soaked with red blood did he withdraw?
“There’s a checkpoint just a little way from here. Use your powers to get us through there safely. Carsis is looking for you.”
Then he cut the cloth covering Emy mouth with a knife.
“If a dog barks, shouldn’t the owner take responsibility?”
With one corner of his mouth twisted cruelly.
Boom, bang.
“Get out of the carriage!”
Two people got out of the carriage at the sound of someone knocking on the carriage.
Ernest whispered, standing close to me, who was wearing a robe.
“If I see anything strange, I will kill you.”
I felt the sharp feel of a knife at my waist.
My hands were still tied, but the sentry glanced over the two of us, seemingly unaware of us because we were hidden by the large robe.
“A lockdown has been issued. Identify yourself.”
“...”
My head moved busily at the sentry's words.
'What should I do? Should I tell the sentries to attack Ernest?'
However, except for the one sentry in front of us, they were all spread out in different places, and it seemed like one of the sentries in front would be easily subdued by Ernest.
“Listen!”
As I bowed my head without answering, the sentry approached.
Then Ernest stood in front of him and answered.
“My wife is a bit shy.”
Then, without letting anyone know, Ernest whispered quietly in my ear.
The sharp blade felt cool against my waist.
“Come on, Ellie.”
“...”
I hesitated for a moment, then took off my robe and looked at the sentry standing in front of me.
The moment the man who naturally met my eyes was about to say something.
"...Please get out of the way.”
At my command, the sentry who had been standing in front of them took a step back.
Ernest, who was watching the scene, let out a low laugh.
“Good job, Ellie.”
Stroking my head.
Meanwhile, Cullen, who had passed the checkpoint first, started walking as the carriage approached the meeting point.
"Your Highness."
Cullen glanced at the wagon Ellie was riding in and asked Ernest.
“Are you really planning to go with the young lady like this?”
“Miss. That’s not a title befitting a rebel gentleman.”
Ernest answered Cullen's question with a serious expression.
"Ah."
Cullen, who habitually called Ellie "Miss," corrected his title.
As Ernest said, it was not a title befitting a traitor.
But the important thing now was not the title. Cullen asked again with a feigned seriousness.
“What are you going to do with that woman?”
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to use it as much as I can.”
Use it, Ha.
Cullen found that remark particularly uncomfortable.
“But wasn’t the reason that Jupiter was destroyed because of that ‘prophecy’?”
“....”
Ernest was silent at Cullen's words.
The prophecy was that on the first day of the month, a child born to the house of Jupiter would kill the Emperor.
That was the root cause of the current situation.
Ernest also nodded as if he knew what Cullen meant.
“...Yes, Father was afraid of that prophecy. The prophecies of the Oroz family were never wrong.”
So the father committed a crime that did not exist and destroyed the Jupiter family.
Nevertheless, in the end, it came true as prophesied.
A bitter smile appeared on Ernest's lips.
“Isn’t it dangerous? It is not any other power, but the power of obedience. Don’t you know how scary that power is?”
“There’s no danger as long as we don’t break the taboo. Rather, it will become a new force for us.”
His gaze was firm and unwavering.
“Then what are you going to do after that?”
“At that time...”
He stared out the window for a moment at Cullen's words before answering.
“I'm going to kill him.”
Just like she did to me.
He will also thoroughly exploit Ellie and then throw her away.
'What day is it today?'
Because my eyes were covered, I had lost all sense of time for a long time.
I just keep guessing the general date by watching Ernest come in with food just in time.
'Ernest...'
I leaned my back against the wooden wall and recalled the past.
Where did the man who had always been so affectionate go? Ernest's eyes towards me were filled with only hatred and contempt.
'You must feel a great sense of betrayal.'
Because he truly loved Bellona, who pretended to be Elizabeth.
He will be shivering from betrayal more than anyone else.
I smiled bitterly as I looked back on the past.
I was so relieved that I had survived that I didn't think about the others.
Ernest, who was betrayed by his beloved fiancée, and Duke Cretian, who considered me his own daughter until his death.
And somewhere, Duchess Cretian is missing her dead daughter.
They were all people that Bellona used for revenge and completely ignored.
But there was no room to escape in that narrow carriage, to begin with.
Someone quickly approached and removed my blindfold.
Because I was used to the darkness, the candlelight shoved in front of my face was so dazzling that I frowned.
“Hello, Ellie.”
But soon, I raised my head at the sound of a familiar voice piercing my ear.
'Ernest...'
The person who approached me was Ernest, wearing a robe.
He tilted his head, staring at my stiff expression.
“Why are you so scared? I’m your husband.”
“...”
He continued to speak with a small smile.
“If only you had told me back then that it was all a misunderstanding and that I would have believed you.”
Then he ran his fingers down my face.
As before the rebellion, with affectionate eyes and gentle hands.
But that was just my mistake.
“That’s stupid.”
In an instant, the man's attitude changed.
There was no trace of the affection he had previously shown in his gaze and his touch towards me.
All that remains is suppressed anger.
“Where we’re going is a place where people who lost precious things to rebellion gather. What would happen if we threw you there?”
He slowly ran his fingers down the pure white nape of my neck, revealed through the disheveled gown.
And at the sight of those cold eyes, the breath that had been suffocating in his grasp seemed to tighten again.
“I’m sure you won’t be able to die nicely.”
It was the first time I had seen a man so cold and cruel, and a chill ran down my spine.
Ernest was right.
I was just a powerless woman who couldn't use my powers. And on top of that, I was a woman whose memories weren't perfect.
Even without him having to go into detail, a terrible future seemed to be forming in my mind.
'Can I survive?'
I wonder if I can return home alive and safe.
It was when my body was trembling slightly.
“Ellie.”
He called my name softly again.
When I saw the dagger in Ernest's hand, I came to my senses as if I had been splashed with cold water.
I might die here before I even get there.
As if my guess was not wrong, Ernest brought the dagger he was holding to the nape of my neck.
The sharp tip of the knife moved across my white flesh, like painting with a brush.
“Do you want to live?”
Within seconds, the tip of the sword stopped at one point. To be exact, at the very spot where Carsis's traces remained.
“Ugh...”
As he exerted force on the handle, hot blood gushed out along with a burning sensation.
“But don’t worry. I have no intention of killing you. Instead...”
Ernest, who had been looking at me in pain, opened his lips.
“I need to use your power.”
Only when the thin gown was soaked with red blood did he withdraw?
“There’s a checkpoint just a little way from here. Use your powers to get us through there safely. Carsis is looking for you.”
Then he cut the cloth covering Emy mouth with a knife.
“If a dog barks, shouldn’t the owner take responsibility?”
With one corner of his mouth twisted cruelly.
***
Boom, bang.
“Get out of the carriage!”
Two people got out of the carriage at the sound of someone knocking on the carriage.
Ernest whispered, standing close to me, who was wearing a robe.
“If I see anything strange, I will kill you.”
I felt the sharp feel of a knife at my waist.
My hands were still tied, but the sentry glanced over the two of us, seemingly unaware of us because we were hidden by the large robe.
“A lockdown has been issued. Identify yourself.”
“...”
My head moved busily at the sentry's words.
'What should I do? Should I tell the sentries to attack Ernest?'
However, except for the one sentry in front of us, they were all spread out in different places, and it seemed like one of the sentries in front would be easily subdued by Ernest.
“Listen!”
As I bowed my head without answering, the sentry approached.
Then Ernest stood in front of him and answered.
“My wife is a bit shy.”
Then, without letting anyone know, Ernest whispered quietly in my ear.
The sharp blade felt cool against my waist.
“Come on, Ellie.”
“...”
I hesitated for a moment, then took off my robe and looked at the sentry standing in front of me.
The moment the man who naturally met my eyes was about to say something.
"...Please get out of the way.”
At my command, the sentry who had been standing in front of them took a step back.
Ernest, who was watching the scene, let out a low laugh.
“Good job, Ellie.”
Stroking my head.
***
Meanwhile, Cullen, who had passed the checkpoint first, started walking as the carriage approached the meeting point.
"Your Highness."
Cullen glanced at the wagon Ellie was riding in and asked Ernest.
“Are you really planning to go with the young lady like this?”
“Miss. That’s not a title befitting a rebel gentleman.”
Ernest answered Cullen's question with a serious expression.
"Ah."
Cullen, who habitually called Ellie "Miss," corrected his title.
As Ernest said, it was not a title befitting a traitor.
But the important thing now was not the title. Cullen asked again with a feigned seriousness.
“What are you going to do with that woman?”
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to use it as much as I can.”
Use it, Ha.
Cullen found that remark particularly uncomfortable.
“But wasn’t the reason that Jupiter was destroyed because of that ‘prophecy’?”
“....”
Ernest was silent at Cullen's words.
The prophecy was that on the first day of the month, a child born to the house of Jupiter would kill the Emperor.
That was the root cause of the current situation.
Ernest also nodded as if he knew what Cullen meant.
“...Yes, Father was afraid of that prophecy. The prophecies of the Oroz family were never wrong.”
So the father committed a crime that did not exist and destroyed the Jupiter family.
Nevertheless, in the end, it came true as prophesied.
A bitter smile appeared on Ernest's lips.
“Isn’t it dangerous? It is not any other power, but the power of obedience. Don’t you know how scary that power is?”
“There’s no danger as long as we don’t break the taboo. Rather, it will become a new force for us.”
His gaze was firm and unwavering.
“Then what are you going to do after that?”
“At that time...”
He stared out the window for a moment at Cullen's words before answering.
“I'm going to kill him.”
Just like she did to me.
He will also thoroughly exploit Ellie and then throw her away.
***
'What day is it today?'
Because my eyes were covered, I had lost all sense of time for a long time.
I just keep guessing the general date by watching Ernest come in with food just in time.
'Ernest...'
I leaned my back against the wooden wall and recalled the past.
Where did the man who had always been so affectionate go? Ernest's eyes towards me were filled with only hatred and contempt.
'You must feel a great sense of betrayal.'
Because he truly loved Bellona, who pretended to be Elizabeth.
He will be shivering from betrayal more than anyone else.
I smiled bitterly as I looked back on the past.
I was so relieved that I had survived that I didn't think about the others.
Ernest, who was betrayed by his beloved fiancée, and Duke Cretian, who considered me his own daughter until his death.
And somewhere, Duchess Cretian is missing her dead daughter.
They were all people that Bellona used for revenge and completely ignored.
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