Chapter 02
In the short span of only three days, all preparations were completed.
There were eight carriages loaded with luggage, and the military force that would accompany Princess Ophelia was also gathered and waiting for departure.
The only thing that was not prepared was Evelyn herself.
“You’ll be leaving soon.”
Glena spoke in an excited voice as she watched Evelyn, who was being dressed by the maids.
Although Evelyn was about to face an unknown situation filled with danger, there was no concern or pity in Glena’s voice.
“It seems you’re relieved to finally get rid of the troublesome baggage, Mother.”
Evelyn noticed Glena’s smile reflected in the mirror and hardened her expression.
“Of course not. It pains me that my beloved daughter is going to Vite. But what can we do? This is all for the sake of the country.”
The sight of her casually saying such things without even a hint of shame was disgusting.
Evelyn had even thought that perhaps running away from the royal palace was better than living there anxiously, wondering when she would die.
But she could not put that thought into action.
Because of the guards standing in front of the room of a maid who only did menial chores.
Evelyn thought that Glena must have been the one who arranged for the guards.
“By the way, you actually look quite good after being dressed up.”
Glena crossed her arms and looked Evelyn up and down.
Evelyn did not feel the need to respond, so she simply left herself in the hands of the maids and turned her gaze away.
The reflection of Evelyn in the mirror truly looked as good as Glena had said.
Several strands of her platinum hair, the same color as Princess Ophelia’s, were braided and decorated, while her light makeup made her turquoise eyes stand out even more.
The luxurious dress she had never thought she would wear in her entire life, and which she believed would not suit her, actually fit her far better than expected.
Everything surrounding Evelyn had been prepared according to Princess Ophelia’s tastes.
If someone who knew Princess Ophelia saw Evelyn from a distance, they would mistake her for the princess because of how similar they looked.
The Emperor of Vite, who had never even met Princess Ophelia before, would not be able to immediately realize that Evelyn was not her just from her appearance.
However, if they spent enough time together, he would certainly notice.
The fact that Evelyn was a fake Princess Ophelia.
For someone who had lived her entire life as a maid, it was nearly impossible to imitate Princess Ophelia’s way of speaking and behavior.
And then Evelyn would lose her life on the spot.
Thinking that far, Evelyn let out a quiet sigh.
An unfamiliar fear was tightening its grip around her.
“Now, since everything is ready, let’s go.”
After finishing the final touches, the maids stepped away from Evelyn.
Evelyn watched the maids turn away and begin organizing without even looking at her, then turned around as well.
When Glena approached the door first, the maids politely opened it for her.
Evelyn slowly followed behind Glena.
At least one thing was fortunate: Evelyn was familiar with royal etiquette.
Outside the royal palace, soldiers stood in lines to escort Princess Ophelia.
However, none of them showed any respect toward Evelyn, the fake Princess Ophelia.
“Be careful on your long journey. I hope we never have to meet again.”
Glena saw Evelyn off with words that were impossible to tell whether they contained concern or not.
It was a departure that was not sad because she would be missed, but rather one that was slightly sorrowful.
The moment Evelyn stepped into the carriage, the procession began.
Inside the shaking carriage, Evelyn looked back on the life she had lived in the royal palace.
It had not been a happy life.
Her mother, Glena, had always been cold toward her, and the work in the royal palace had only been exhausting.
She had never been able to rely on anyone, and no one had ever acknowledged her.
The difficult days continued, just like the growing calluses on her hands.
Even so, Evelyn had never imagined she would be thrown into a situation where she was being sent to her death like this.
Only after traveling by carriage for an entire week did the carriage carrying the fake Princess Ophelia finally cross the border.
The road up until the border had been paved, so Evelyn had not experienced much discomfort.
However, the moment they crossed the border, the unpaved roads began.
As time passed, Evelyn gradually became thinner and more exhausted.
Having been born and raised only inside the royal palace, there was no way Evelyn could be accustomed to such a long carriage journey.
The constant shaking of the carriage also caused severe motion sickness.
Then it happened.
While opening the window to calm her dizzy stomach, Evelyn saw a flash of light reflected in her vision.
Evelyn wiped her face with her hand, narrowed her eyes, and looked outside.
The source of the light was sunlight reflecting off blades.
“An attack!”
Someone outside the carriage shouted, and cries erupted from all directions.
The sounds of weapons clashing tore through the air.
Ping!
At that moment, an arrow flew through the open window.
The arrow grazed Evelyn’s cheek and embedded itself into the carriage door, still trembling as it failed to lose its momentum.
Unable to understand the situation, Evelyn stared blankly at the arrow.
Only after the right side of her cheek, where the arrow had grazed, began to sting did she realize what was happening.
It was truly an attack.
Evelyn hurriedly closed the window and locked it.
At least if the window was closed, the arrows flying toward her would become less of a threat.
Without even having time to organize her thoughts, which had turned completely white, her heart began pounding violently.
Her hands trembled from shock and fear.
Bandits?
Since these were chaotic times due to the war, Evelyn knew there were many groups of bandits.
But she had never expected to suddenly be attacked like this.
Regardless, Evelyn hid inside the carriage, lowering her body and holding her breath.
Even though Evelyn was a fake Princess Ophelia, the ones guarding this carriage were royal soldiers.
As long as they were protecting her, she should be safe inside the carriage.
Even if she was fake, she was Princess Ophelia in name.
……But would bandits attack royal soldiers?
The thought came too late, and Evelyn covered her mouth.
Because she remembered that the faces of the attackers she had briefly seen looked familiar.
There was no way someone who had spent her entire life inside the royal palace would recognize the faces of bandits from beyond the border.
She had been too naive.
The carriage was not safe at all.
Because she was a fake princess.
If the Emperor of Vite discovered that she was fake, her homeland, Hesta, would also inevitably be placed in danger.
Then wouldn’t Hesta want to prevent that from happening beforehand?
Evelyn screamed silently.
A terrible feeling slowly crawled up her spine.
Even though she desperately told herself that it was impossible, that there was no way it could be true, the conclusion her chaotic thoughts reached was always a horrifying future.
Her rapidly beating pulse echoed clearly in her ears.
If she stayed here, she would be killed.
Carefully opening the carriage door where the arrow had struck, Evelyn looked outside.
The scene outside was a complete chaos.
Sharp blades tore through human flesh, and following their paths, red blood scattered through the air.
Those who fell never rose again, while those who survived searched for their next victim with vicious eyes.
It was a shocking sight she had never witnessed before.
For a moment, Evelyn thought that perhaps hiding inside the carriage would be better.
But she immediately imagined herself being killed inside the carriage and shook her head violently.
She was afraid.
Whether she was discovered as a fake by the Emperor of Vite and killed, whether she hid inside the carriage and died, or whether she ran away and died, the ending would be the same.
None of the choices offered Evelyn anything beneficial.
If she escaped, then what awaited her?
Being chased by Hesta’s soldiers, encountering bandits and dying miserably, or meeting someone from Vite and being torn apart alive?
Tears welled up from the hopeless future before her.
In the end, she would not be able to avoid death.
But she did not want to simply wait for death here.
Without thinking any further, Evelyn immediately opened the carriage door and stepped outside.
Knowing she could not run properly in heeled shoes, Evelyn removed them and climbed down from the carriage barefoot.
Then she began running toward the direction where there were fewer people.
“The fake princess is running away!”
One of the attackers wearing ragged clothing shouted.
That shout made Evelyn realize that if they had truly been bandits, she would have regretted walking out into danger herself.
They knew this procession was Princess Ophelia’s escort.
And they also knew that the person inside the carriage was not Ophelia, but Evelyn.
There was only one conclusion this fact revealed.
They were not bandits.
They were soldiers of Hesta.
