IWBQ 38

Chapter : 38. A New Beginning

“Are you really leaving?”

Deboir said, her voice tinged with regret.

“I’ve told you several times, Deboir.”

Elise held Deboir’s hand tightly and shook it.

“Sniff… if you go… when will you come back?”

Jasmine, who had started crying the moment she saw Elise, was now a tear-streaked mess.

“Well… it depends on the situation,” Elise replied.

She looked at Karan, who was inspecting the carriage that would carry her.

Karan’s gaze was careful. As he spoke, his subordinates moved in perfect coordination.

“Elise, is this all the crowd that came to see you off?”

Deboir asked, looking around the empty entrance of the Warton estate.

Her brow furrowed in displeasure at the poor treatment Elise was receiving.

“They’re terrible people! I don’t know their reasons, but they’re bad.”

Jasmine seemed outraged, as if she herself had been insulted.

“I’m fine,” Elise reassured both Deboir and Jasmine.

The reason the Warton Marquis and his wife, as well as Iris, hadn’t come out was due to a quarrel a week ago.

The Warton Marquis wanted Elise to remain in Bedroca until Iris’s engagement.

His reasoning was that it would make a proper picture if the younger sister, Elise, offered blessings at the engagement.

Elise had flatly refused.

She didn’t want to see Iris and Chase happy, nor did she want to delay establishing herself in Titriss.

In response, the Warton Marquis threatened not to provide a single penny of dowry.

Since Elise hadn’t expected anything anyway, she happily decided to leave—and as you can see, they didn’t even come to see her off.

Naturally, they didn’t send a single maid, let alone any money.

‘At least Regina accepted the resignation.’

Regina had quit working for the Warton family and became Elise’s personal employee.

Elise only packed the money she had secretly saved, the dress and shoes Karan gifted her, and the accessories Jasmine had given her into the carriage.

“We should have taken better care of her… Is this really enough?”

Jasmine pointed to five crates and a person sitting nearby.

These were farewell gifts prepared separately by Deboir and Jasmine for Elise.

“Enough? They’ll be incredibly useful to me.”

“You should have just asked for gold. What I prepared is just salt,” Jasmine pouted.

Thanks to Elise, Jasmine had achieved her dream, and her business was thriving.

Gold or treasures wouldn’t have been a waste to give Elise, but she only wanted salt—ordinary salt, not expensive or rare.

Though Elise could have bought it herself, she asked Jasmine for it because she needed to save every penny.

“I really need it. Thank you, Jasmine.”

Elise hugged Jasmine tightly, then turned to Deboir.

“I didn’t expect you to convince Reber. I asked, but I didn’t really expect it.”

The person sitting reluctantly on one of the crates was Reber.

He was Deboir’s childhood friend, and Elise had asked him to come to Titriss.

“He owes me a favor. I threatened him a little,” Deboir whispered, leaning closer.

Elise knew exactly what that debt was: illegal surgeries.

Reber often performed surgery on poor citizens without permission.

Surgery carried risks, and it violated Bedroca’s regulations; it required official approval.

But officials disliked Reber, a street-born doctor, and refused to grant permission.

Left with no choice, Reber performed surgeries secretly.

Though his intentions were good, it was still illegal.

Several reports were filed against Reber.

Deboir had said she threatened him, but in reality, she had effectively given him a chance to escape.

‘Thanks to tips sent to the Von Newspaper, Reber could be helped.’

“By the way, about Sir Richter you introduced… what should I be watching for?”

Elise had introduced Richter to Deboir. Richter would act as Iris’s aide, keeping an eye on her.

‘Iris seems cautious right now…’

It was Richter’s job to bypass that caution. If he failed, he’d be useless.

“If anything suspicious happens, tell me.”

Elise entrusted Richter to Deboir. Though Deboir didn’t fully understand Elise’s intentions, she nodded.

Deboir, Jasmine, and Elise talked a little longer.

It was frustrating to realize how close they were; Elise enjoyed the rare chance to chat.

“Elise.”

Karan approached. Deboir and Jasmine quickly straightened and showed respect.

Since drinking tea together at Elise’s request, Deboir and Jasmine had been favorable toward Karan.

Karan acknowledged them with a nod and draped a cardigan over Elise’s bare shoulders.

“It’s time to depart. Do you need more time?”

Elise shook her head after looking at Jasmine and Deboir.

She knew delaying would only make saying goodbye harder.

“Take care.”

The three hugged simultaneously.

Even Deboir, who had vowed not to cry, had tears welling in her eyes.

Elise looked up at the sky to avoid crying.

“Be sure to contact me!”

“I’ll wait!”

Elise climbed into the carriage and opened the window.

She watched Deboir and Jasmine wave energetically until they became as small as nail tips.

The carriage carrying Elise left Bedroca.

To carry out the king’s command, it headed for the Dex territory in Titriss, known for its harsh, barren lands.

Two days after leaving Bedroca, their carriage reached a guard post.

Knights guarded the wall erected to separate Ragnaros’ domain from human lands day and night.

“Wouldn’t it be better to turn back?”

A guard, verifying Karan’s identity, asked. Karan shook his head.

The guard reluctantly opened the post’s gate.

“We are not responsible for anything that happens inside. Even if you ask for help, we cannot assist.”

Hearing this, Karan stiffened.

The halted group slowly began to move again.

“Miss, the atmosphere is tense,” Regina said, leaning out of the window.

“It seems more Ragnaros’ territory than human land.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means a monster could appear anytime, anywhere.”

Regina gasped.

Elise gave her a faint smile to reassure her.

“You have Prince Karan with you.”

“But he’s human. No matter how strong, if a monster attacks… besides, we’re so few. Isn’t there another route?”

There was another route, a relatively safe, wide road used by merchants.

But it would take far too long to go back.

Karan had to reach the king’s designated location on time.

This was why he had opposed accompanying Elise—because they had to cross a dangerous path.

Yet Elise wanted to follow Karan. Not just to leave Bedroca quickly.

‘The date they leave Bedroca is the same as in the past.’

In this journey, Karan’s group was attacked by monsters.

The ambush was unexpected and the damage severe.

‘Half the warriors were lost.’

Elise had learned about this from the report at the previous guard post.

Karan had knocked on the Bedroca post doors for help treating the injured, but the guards refused.

‘They followed protocol, I suppose.’

Rules above human lives… Elise closed her eyes bitterly.

The report reached the palace nearly six months later, and no one questioned it.

Hearing the departure date reminded Elise of that memory.

And she vowed to prevent such losses.

But she told no one what might happen.

‘Maybe nothing will happen. Things could change, like when Deboir acquired the Von Newspaper.’

If Karan believed her and prepared but the attack never came, his trust might falter.

‘I’ll handle it myself.’

The sun was setting. Elise braced herself to stay alert.

“Elise, we’ll camp here tonight.”

Karan opened the carriage door and spoke, looking apologetic—and a little angry.

He blamed himself for making Elise sleep in the open plain.

“We hurried, but the road was muddy and we couldn’t gain speed. Seems like an excuse, but the weather warmed earlier than usual.”

It wasn’t an excuse; it was true.

This year, warmer than usual, the frozen roads had thawed and become muddy.

It made it hard for both horses and carriage to move quickly.

“I understand, Your Highness. I should prepare dinner. Is there anything I can do?”

“No. Everyone will manage fine on their own.”

Karan’s companions were different from palace knights.

They were accustomed to sleeping outside and cooking for themselves rather than eating prepared food.

“I still want to help.”

“Being here is helping.”

Elise gave up the thought. As Karan said, there wasn’t much she could do.

“Miss, I’ll go out.”

“Regina, you?”

“Yes. You seem too worried. And I need to check the food you’ll eat.”

Elise felt uneasy, as though Regina was taking on unnecessary work.

“Rest too. I’ll prepare Elise’s food.”

“You, Your Highness?”

Elise’s voice faltered in surprise.

“So you’ll do it yourself?”

“Yes. Is that unusual?”

Elise felt embarrassed at his calm reply. A prince cooking was surprising enough, let alone for her sake.

“If there’s nothing else, we’ll meet later. Rest well, Elise. Call me if you need anything.”

He didn’t even mind doing tasks usually reserved for servants.

Karan looked at the quietly seated Elise with curiosity before moving away from the carriage.

Regina carefully closed the door.

“Miss.”

“Yes, Regina.”

Elise still felt dazed, staring at the carriage floor as she replied.

“You’re really loved.”

Was she really?

Perhaps, as Hartvin said, people in Titriss were just kind.

Elise opened the window to watch Karan as he lit a fire and hung a large pot for cooking.

‘If I watch any longer, there’ll be no end.’

Suppressing her inexplicable regret, Elise opened the carriage door.

“Miss, where are you going?”

“Regina, shall we take a walk?”

“Yes, Miss.”

It would be more like exercise than a stroll, but Elise smiled and swallowed her words.