The carriage quickly moved past those lined up to exit the city gate. The gate was right in front.

Beyond the open gate stood the imperial knights. Glicia’s soldiers remained vigilant, keeping a wary eye on the knights.

At that moment, raindrops fell on the window.

When departing the royal palace, the rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared. Even now the sky was clear, yet suddenly rain was falling.

‘Water ability! Duke Bersi!’

“Stop!”

“What’s that? Halt!”

The carriage came to an abrupt stop. There was a wall blocking the way ahead. The falling raindrops gradually diminished, then gathered to form a wall of water. An ability.

“Stop.”

A chilling voice full of confidence.

The people in the square in front of the gate knelt and crossed themselves towards the back of the carriage.

“It’s Duke Bersi!”

“The Water Guardian has come!”

“Wow! Duke Bersi!”

“What brings you here… To see an ability with my own eyes in my lifetime! Oh, Lord Lagras!”

As the cheering crowd made way, Duke Bersi rode his horse forward. A few knights of the duke’s household followed behind.

A greedy gaze was directed at me.

The water curtain blocking the carriage rippled like Duke Bersi’s excited inner thoughts.

My body stiffened at his snake-like gaze. Memories of my past life burst forth at the slightest stimulation, entangling me.

Liam rushed forward and slashed with his sword. The curtain was cut, and water poured down in front of the carriage with a splash.

Since it wasn’t cut with an ability, the water curtain blocked the way again.

Liam stepped forward, blocking my view.

“Don’t come out.”

He stood guard over the carriage, facing off against Duke Bersi.

Duke Bersi scrutinized Liam.

He realized Liam was no ordinary knight. Only those with abilities, royalty with blessings, or those who had reached the level of producing sword energy could cut through a water curtain.

Marx Benum confronted Duke Bersi.

“Duke Bersi, hasn’t the greeting ended? What is your intention in revealing your ability and stopping the delegation? If it’s not an important matter, we’ll consider this a show of force against the Empire.”

“I’d like to have a brief word with Princess Ormia.”

“You greeted her the longest among the dukes, wasn’t that enough? Regrettably, we have a long way to go and can’t delay any further. Please understand, the knights are waiting as well.”

“I have something to discuss, so please allow me to meet the princess in this time.”

He was cold, calm, and inscrutable, like a snake. Yet Duke Bersi’s voice was anxious and excited.

For a moment our eyes met, and I hid, but I felt Duke Bersi’s snake-like gaze reaching me inside the carriage.

Greedily.

‘He’s figured it out.’

It was as Liam had said.

I didn’t think he would realize so quickly. I made a mistake.

“Whenever you meet her, unfortunate things happen to the princess, so I cannot allow it. I’ll hear your business first and relay it to her.”

“Since you’re not showing the princess like this, I’m worried you might be detaining her. I need to confirm, so please show her.”

“What nonsense is this after even holding a farewell ceremony?”

“That’s why if you just let me see the princess, it will be fine. Why are you making things difficult?”

“I’m afraid of what you might do to the princess when you’re being so unreasonable. This is an order from the King of Glicia, are you saying you’ll disobey that order, Duke?”

“This is Princess Ormia. The royal family is the foundation of this country. Surely you don’t think I, a duke, would do anything to the princess?”

The tense conversation between Marx Benum, the Empire’s representative, and Duke Bersi continued.

I shuddered.

I recalled the image of the vicious Duke Bersi opening the cage door and entering in the middle of the night in my second life. Duke Bersi’s assault and cruel words tore me to pieces.

“You should be grateful that I’ve come to find the princess like this.”

“Ormia, I’m the only one who cares about you.”

As I hugged myself, remembering that time, that chilling voice addressed me.

“Princess Ormia, I’ve brought a gift from Her Majesty the Queen.”

My mind snapped to attention, like when a maid irritably threw dirty mop water on me in the tower in the dead of winter.

My hands trembled.

Though I’d said I would leave Glicia, I was the one trapped in the past.

I had to step up.

Shaking off the sticky memories clinging to me, I got out of the carriage.

Everyone’s eyes turned to me.

“I won’t accept it.”

“Princess, go back inside.”

I placed my hand on Liam’s arm to calm him as he tried to stop me, and faced Duke Bersi. A flash of ecstasy crossed his eyes full of greed.

I took a deep breath.

The past is the past. I was living my fourth life.

“We can’t keep the imperial party waiting any longer, so withdraw your ability, Duke Bersi.”

“Princess, I’ve brought a gift from Her Majesty the Queen. The imperial delegation is so heavily guarded that I can’t approach. Please come this way. I’ll hand it to you.”

At first he said he had something to say, now he mentions a gift.

He was someone who would lie as much as needed to achieve his goals.

“If you want to see the Queen, give me flowers weighing as much as her.”

In my second life, Duke Bersi brought me the Queen’s neck. He kept his promise to let me meet her, but it wasn’t ‘alive’.

My mother, who hadn’t even looked at me after I was branded as a divine negation, looked at me with bloodshot eyes.

At that time, I hadn’t yet abandoned my affection for family, so it was quite a shock.

“I’m leaving. Withdraw your ability.”

I turned my back on Duke Bersi. I approached the water curtain blocking the carriage.

The sharpness of the flowing water had cut a sword in half, and a soldier’s hand that had touched the curtain was severed.

‘I know your weakness.’

I took a step towards the water curtain.

“Princess!”

“Princess Ormia!”

One more step and my body would touch the curtain. Even being close, I could feel the sharp energy, but I didn’t back down.

As I took a step, I shouted.

“Withdraw your ability, Duke Bersi! That’s an order!”

The dukes with abilities had received blessings from the royal family for generations over a long time.

They willingly put on shackles and obeyed because they could only escape the pain by receiving blessings from the royal family.

For a long, long time.

It was enough time for it to be engraved in their blood and etched in their souls.

Those with abilities had no need to be at odds with the royal family. They enjoyed a comfortable life receiving blessings with sweet words and obedience. They didn’t think of breaking free.

Dukes with abilities cannot harm the royal family.

It wasn’t an absolute taboo, but there were many watching.

Before becoming accustomed to the instinctive aversion to harming royalty, it was effective now with so many people present.

As I took a step forward, the water curtain that had come right up to my face suddenly collapsed and disappeared. It poured down weakly, soaking the ground.

I didn’t stop.

‘I’m going to leave this place.’

I moved forward.

The soldiers at the gate, who had seen the duke step forward and use his ability to block me, were at a loss for what to do, then moved to block the way.

“Move aside.”

I took out the king’s decree that I had obtained while taking contraceptives.

It’s a decree with the temple’s certification and the king’s seal. An order to send me to the Empire.

“I’m going to the Empire with the king’s permission. Clear the way.”

“Princess, please wait a moment.”

“Gasp, His Majesty’s decree. Mo-move aside!”

“Captain, but Duke Bersi is here…”

The captain ran over to check, then hesitated like the soldiers. Then Liam bellowed.

“Are you prioritizing a duke’s order over the king’s command! Who do you serve! Are you planning to commit treason!”

“Eek, treason?”

The soldiers guarding the gate backed away.

“Open the way! Move aside!”

“Princess Ormia!”

Duke Bersi’s voice sounded desperate. Anger was mixed in as well.

“Are you abandoning Glicia?”

“Glicia is sending me away. Your Highness and the dukes, you all abandoned me first.”

There’s no need to hear the answer. I moved forward.

I stepped onto the drawbridge along the path the soldiers had cleared through the gate.

The heavy drawbridge didn’t shake or creak from just me stepping on it.

“Princess Ormia!”

“We are rightfully escorting the princess with the permission of the King of Glicia! Do not deceive the Empire, Duke Bersi!”

Hearing Marx’s shout, I crossed the drawbridge. The carriage and delegation party followed behind me.

In three lifetimes, I had never left the capital. Finally, I’m leaving this country by my own decision and effort.

“Princess!”

The Empire’s Black Lizard Knights were waiting for us in front of the drawbridge.

They dismounted and prostrated themselves towards me, no, towards their master Liam standing behind me. Their flawless, uniform movement was overwhelming.

“Princess Ormia!”

Looking back, I saw Duke Haiman had arrived belatedly. Duke Balman was with him.

Behind Duke Bersi standing at the gate, streams of water created by his ability surged as if about to shoot towards me at any moment.

Next to him, Duke Haiman’s hair and clothes fluttered in the wind as if he was about to manifest his ability as well.

“Stopping me would be treason.”

I warned them.

“Princess.”

“I’m on my way to the Empire by the king’s order. Duke Haiman, do you intend to block me and disobey His Majesty’s command to commit treason?”

I spoke loudly for those around to hear.

Many eyes were watching. Not only the people coming and going through the gate, but most of the onlookers were Glician citizens and believers.

Those who blindly praised the king and ducal houses out of devout faith.

The dukes who ruled over them and lived off their faith could not rashly step forward.

They were held back by their foundation.

“We’ll let you go for now. I’ll bring His Majesty’s order soon.”

Duke Haiman has no justification to detain me.

“Get in the carriage.”

“Yes, let’s depart.”

Ignoring the clinging gazes, I got into the carriage.

“Depart!”

We set out from the capital under the escort of the Black Lizard Knights.

Though it was my first journey leaving the capital, I was filled with anxiety rather than excitement. I haven’t left Glicia yet.

“Leave Glicia as quickly as possible.”

Liam, riding beside the carriage, gave orders to the knights.

That is my fervent wish.

* * *

On the way back to the royal palace, the dukes didn’t look at each other. They held their tongues.

A battle of wits.

It’s like discovering a gold vein – the less certain you are and the fewer people who know, the better. No harm in being cautious even if the other party has noticed.

Keeping quiet, they returned to the royal palace where the king was waiting for them.

“What have you done!”