His half-brother, who came from nowhere, took everything away from him.
The power that should have originally been his, and the woman he loved.
Ernest's hands holding the reins tightened.
And without a moment's hesitation, he rushed at Carsis.
Kakang.
The sound of sharp metal clashing cut through the air.
Before they knew it, the gazes of the two people facing each other with their swords between them became intertwined.
“Is it because you're a wild dog? Your reflexes aren’t bad.”
“Thank you for the compliment, but you put too much strength into your sword.”
Carsis, who had blocked Ernest's surprise attack, pushed his sword away.
Despite fighting on horseback, the two men moved as nimbly as if they were walking on the ground.
The confrontation went on for a long time.
Ernest, who had been holding the sword in one hand, swung his arm to stab Carsis in the neck.
However, Ernest failed to achieve his goal thanks to Carsis slightly twisting his shoulder after reading his movements.
But.
Gulp.
Instead, a red line appeared on Carsis' left cheek.
Red drops of blood formed between the thin lines and fell down to the chin.
For a moment, Ernest looked at it as if it was a waste.
As Carsis, who had stepped back, wiped his cheek with the back of his hand, the spot where the wound had been became clean as if nothing had happened.
Self-treatment.
It was an ability that anyone of the Clepius royal bloodline possessed.
Except for one person.
Ernest bit his lip as he looked at Carsis' cleansed cheek.
At the same time, he gripped the sword tightly again as the inferiority complex surged towards him.
Must be killed.
I must kill Carsis here and now.
Ernest, who had been repeating this to himself over and over again, swung his sword at Carsis once again.
But maybe it was because he gave it too much force.
As the blade aimed at Carsis' chest lost its direction, Ernest's body staggered.
Without missing the opportunity, Carsis took advantage of Ernest's weakness.
Sigh.
An unfamiliar cracking sound lingered in the air.
“Ugh.”
Carsis' sword pierced Ernest's shoulder.
Ernest groaned involuntarily at the unfamiliar sensation piercing his flesh.
“You’re being too harsh. A wound like that will heal quickly.”
Carsis pulled out the knife without hesitation and wiped the blood off the blade.
But soon as if an important fact had occurred to him, he let out a short exclamation.
“Oh, no. I forgot that you don’t have powers.”
With a more arrogant expression than ever before.
“A half-assed person like you is looking down on the successor of Jupiter....”
Carsis laughed in disbelief.
“Shouldn’t people of the same type hang out together, brother?”
"Shouldn't people of the same type hang out together?"
In the past, Ernest repaid him for what he had said to him.
Inside a warehouse filled with damp air.
Seeking out this place with its pungent smell became one of the villagers' new pastimes.
And what they did when they came here was to harass a woman hanging from the ceiling.
Ki-ki-ki-ki.
A creepy, repetitive grinding sound echoes.
It was a disgusting, grinding sound, like something you might hear in a butcher's shop with hanging chunks of meat.
The occasional sound of a field tells us that there is a person alive, with her breathing hanging down.
My eyes were unfocused as I hung from the ceiling, and my mouth gagged to keep my screams from escaping.
I, who was hanging just high enough to touch the tips of my toes, barely managed to support myself by standing on the tips of my toes to ease the pain that felt like my arms were being torn off.
But this was only for a moment, and whenever I lost consciousness or fell asleep, I couldn't help but regain consciousness due to the pain in my shoulder.
How many days have passed since I started living like this?
I barely managed to hold onto my mind, which was becoming hazy like fog on a lake.
‘Where am I...’
I couldn't even remember why I was there.
I just wanted to rest and sleep.
But despair washed over her again at the fact that even that easy wish could not be fulfilled.
'Why did I...'
Why do I have to go through this humiliation?
I was just having a blast.
'Possessed...'
Yeah, she was just having a blast.
I just met the wrong owner for the body I was possessed by.
The actual owner of the body suddenly disappeared, leaving me with countless karmas.
Before the possession, I was just...
Before I first opened my eyes as Elizabeth.
I was trying to recall ordinary memories from the past, stopped.
'I am...'
Who was it?
It was strange.
No matter how much I tried to think back, the past just wouldn't come to mind.
What did I originally do before I opened my eyes in this body, how old am I, what is ny name?
Where have I been, what have I been doing, how have I been living? How did I wake up here?
Nothing came to mind.
Like...
'As if we had never even discussed it in the first place.'
But that thought was short-lived, as I burst into laughter.
'Does that matter now?'
If I continue like this, I'll die soon.
I wish I could just die quickly.
Then at least I can escape this suffering.
When, in the terrible pain of suffocating, my greed and desire for life gradually disappeared.
The closed warehouse door opened with an eerie sound.
And through it all, a familiar voice was heard.
“I have good news.”
It was Valletta.
The woman who started this farce.
Where did her kindness to me go? Whenever she got the chance, she would come to the warehouse and beat me.
I was certain that if asked to name the person who came here the most, it would definitely be Valletta.
Even in my hazy memories, the name of the woman the townspeople called was engraved in my head.
'Good news...'
Whatever good news she brought, it was probably the worst news for me.
While whipping me, Valletta would often mention her dead sister's name.
And the owner of that name was someone I knew well.
Melanie.
A maid who disappeared without a trace while trying to save me.
At first, I felt pity and guilt towards her, but as the pain grew stronger, such shallow feelings quickly subsided.
I don't know if she knows my condition or not.
Valletta whispered to me in a voice brighter and clearer than ever.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered you to be burned at the stake.”
Then she took off the blindfold from my eyes and the gag from my mouth.
I, unaccustomed to the light, frowned.
Then, little by little, Valetta, who was smiling brightly, came into view.
'That face...'
I've seen that expression in Valletta before.
When was it?
'Yeah. That was when Leila strangled me.'
It had the same face as Leila, with half-mad eyes.
I laughed at the deja vu-like situation.
Valletta frowned at my laughter and slapped my cheek.
Ouch.
“You’re not even the Crown Princess anymore, so why are you acting so arrogant?”
I could taste the bitter taste of metal in my mouth because of how hard she had hit me.
But I turned my head again without changing my expression.
Valletta bit her lip, perhaps annoyed by my appearance.
But that was only for a moment. Valletta said, calming down.
“Well, you're going to scream so loud that your throat will bleed in a little while.”
She was spewing out horrible words, but I couldn't hear a single sound.
Because my gaze had been fixed on Valletta's nape for a moment.
'...Necklace.'
The red necklace immediately caught my attention.
I have seen that necklace...
Where have I seen it?
I stared intently at the necklace around Valletta's neck as if possessed by something.
And from the moment I saw the necklace, someone started whispering in my head.
'Take that necklace away.'
If only I had that necklace...
Somehow I began to have a strong feeling that this suffering would end.
The power that should have originally been his, and the woman he loved.
Ernest's hands holding the reins tightened.
And without a moment's hesitation, he rushed at Carsis.
Kakang.
The sound of sharp metal clashing cut through the air.
Before they knew it, the gazes of the two people facing each other with their swords between them became intertwined.
“Is it because you're a wild dog? Your reflexes aren’t bad.”
“Thank you for the compliment, but you put too much strength into your sword.”
Carsis, who had blocked Ernest's surprise attack, pushed his sword away.
Despite fighting on horseback, the two men moved as nimbly as if they were walking on the ground.
The confrontation went on for a long time.
Ernest, who had been holding the sword in one hand, swung his arm to stab Carsis in the neck.
However, Ernest failed to achieve his goal thanks to Carsis slightly twisting his shoulder after reading his movements.
But.
Gulp.
Instead, a red line appeared on Carsis' left cheek.
Red drops of blood formed between the thin lines and fell down to the chin.
For a moment, Ernest looked at it as if it was a waste.
As Carsis, who had stepped back, wiped his cheek with the back of his hand, the spot where the wound had been became clean as if nothing had happened.
Self-treatment.
It was an ability that anyone of the Clepius royal bloodline possessed.
Except for one person.
Ernest bit his lip as he looked at Carsis' cleansed cheek.
At the same time, he gripped the sword tightly again as the inferiority complex surged towards him.
Must be killed.
I must kill Carsis here and now.
Ernest, who had been repeating this to himself over and over again, swung his sword at Carsis once again.
But maybe it was because he gave it too much force.
As the blade aimed at Carsis' chest lost its direction, Ernest's body staggered.
Without missing the opportunity, Carsis took advantage of Ernest's weakness.
Sigh.
An unfamiliar cracking sound lingered in the air.
“Ugh.”
Carsis' sword pierced Ernest's shoulder.
Ernest groaned involuntarily at the unfamiliar sensation piercing his flesh.
“You’re being too harsh. A wound like that will heal quickly.”
Carsis pulled out the knife without hesitation and wiped the blood off the blade.
But soon as if an important fact had occurred to him, he let out a short exclamation.
“Oh, no. I forgot that you don’t have powers.”
With a more arrogant expression than ever before.
“A half-assed person like you is looking down on the successor of Jupiter....”
Carsis laughed in disbelief.
“Shouldn’t people of the same type hang out together, brother?”
"Shouldn't people of the same type hang out together?"
In the past, Ernest repaid him for what he had said to him.
***
Inside a warehouse filled with damp air.
Seeking out this place with its pungent smell became one of the villagers' new pastimes.
And what they did when they came here was to harass a woman hanging from the ceiling.
Ki-ki-ki-ki.
A creepy, repetitive grinding sound echoes.
It was a disgusting, grinding sound, like something you might hear in a butcher's shop with hanging chunks of meat.
The occasional sound of a field tells us that there is a person alive, with her breathing hanging down.
My eyes were unfocused as I hung from the ceiling, and my mouth gagged to keep my screams from escaping.
I, who was hanging just high enough to touch the tips of my toes, barely managed to support myself by standing on the tips of my toes to ease the pain that felt like my arms were being torn off.
But this was only for a moment, and whenever I lost consciousness or fell asleep, I couldn't help but regain consciousness due to the pain in my shoulder.
How many days have passed since I started living like this?
I barely managed to hold onto my mind, which was becoming hazy like fog on a lake.
‘Where am I...’
I couldn't even remember why I was there.
I just wanted to rest and sleep.
But despair washed over her again at the fact that even that easy wish could not be fulfilled.
'Why did I...'
Why do I have to go through this humiliation?
I was just having a blast.
'Possessed...'
Yeah, she was just having a blast.
I just met the wrong owner for the body I was possessed by.
The actual owner of the body suddenly disappeared, leaving me with countless karmas.
Before the possession, I was just...
Before I first opened my eyes as Elizabeth.
I was trying to recall ordinary memories from the past, stopped.
'I am...'
Who was it?
It was strange.
No matter how much I tried to think back, the past just wouldn't come to mind.
What did I originally do before I opened my eyes in this body, how old am I, what is ny name?
Where have I been, what have I been doing, how have I been living? How did I wake up here?
Nothing came to mind.
Like...
'As if we had never even discussed it in the first place.'
But that thought was short-lived, as I burst into laughter.
'Does that matter now?'
If I continue like this, I'll die soon.
I wish I could just die quickly.
Then at least I can escape this suffering.
When, in the terrible pain of suffocating, my greed and desire for life gradually disappeared.
The closed warehouse door opened with an eerie sound.
And through it all, a familiar voice was heard.
“I have good news.”
It was Valletta.
The woman who started this farce.
Where did her kindness to me go? Whenever she got the chance, she would come to the warehouse and beat me.
I was certain that if asked to name the person who came here the most, it would definitely be Valletta.
Even in my hazy memories, the name of the woman the townspeople called was engraved in my head.
'Good news...'
Whatever good news she brought, it was probably the worst news for me.
While whipping me, Valletta would often mention her dead sister's name.
And the owner of that name was someone I knew well.
Melanie.
A maid who disappeared without a trace while trying to save me.
At first, I felt pity and guilt towards her, but as the pain grew stronger, such shallow feelings quickly subsided.
I don't know if she knows my condition or not.
Valletta whispered to me in a voice brighter and clearer than ever.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered you to be burned at the stake.”
Then she took off the blindfold from my eyes and the gag from my mouth.
I, unaccustomed to the light, frowned.
Then, little by little, Valetta, who was smiling brightly, came into view.
'That face...'
I've seen that expression in Valletta before.
When was it?
'Yeah. That was when Leila strangled me.'
It had the same face as Leila, with half-mad eyes.
I laughed at the deja vu-like situation.
Valletta frowned at my laughter and slapped my cheek.
Ouch.
“You’re not even the Crown Princess anymore, so why are you acting so arrogant?”
I could taste the bitter taste of metal in my mouth because of how hard she had hit me.
But I turned my head again without changing my expression.
Valletta bit her lip, perhaps annoyed by my appearance.
But that was only for a moment. Valletta said, calming down.
“Well, you're going to scream so loud that your throat will bleed in a little while.”
She was spewing out horrible words, but I couldn't hear a single sound.
Because my gaze had been fixed on Valletta's nape for a moment.
'...Necklace.'
The red necklace immediately caught my attention.
I have seen that necklace...
Where have I seen it?
I stared intently at the necklace around Valletta's neck as if possessed by something.
And from the moment I saw the necklace, someone started whispering in my head.
'Take that necklace away.'
If only I had that necklace...
Somehow I began to have a strong feeling that this suffering would end.
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