Litania felt the touch of the metal railing against her back. There was nowhere left to escape.

From the distant direction of the cabin, faint sounds of music and laughter could be heard. As it was late and everyone was likely quite drunk, the chances of anyone noticing if Litania screamed were slim.

Even if someone heard and looked outside, Herna would stab Litania and wound her first.

“Wait a moment, let’s at least understand the reason.”

Litania raised both hands, trying not to provoke Herna any further.

Persuasion wouldn’t work anyway. She needed to buy time first.

“Your stalling tactics won’t work.”

Indeed, she seemed to have noticed quickly.

But such quick-wittedness meant that, despite her crazed eyes, Herna was still maintaining some rationality.

If so, there might be a way through.

“Aren’t you frustrated? Just let it all out.”

“What?”

“You must have so much anger built up inside to want to kill me. Do you think swinging that blade once will resolve it all?”

“……”

Herna’s gaze changed. Litania could see her grip tighten on the handle of the straight sword.

“That’s why I hate you. You’re so shameless for being a fake.”

“I’m not a fake, I told you. What you swallowed were my memories.”

“Shut up!”

Her eyes gleamed dangerously as she gritted her teeth.

“I am the princess of this empire. How dare you, a half-breed, covet my position?”

“I’ve never coveted your position.”

“The bride of Lord Orbis! If the imperial family and the divine dragon are to unite, rightfully that bride position should be mine, the legitimate princess. I should be the one receiving the people’s love! How dare someone like you eye my place?”

It wasn’t just because of the past life memories she had swallowed. Herna truly seemed to believe that all Litania had experienced so far was ‘stealing what was hers’.

“You even secretly stole away my guard knight.”

Originally, Orbis had approached Litania first, the marriage was by the emperor’s order, and Bain becoming Litania’s guard knight was of his own volition, so it wasn’t her fault, but telling Herna this likely wouldn’t get through to her.

“And what now? Divorce? Not content with stealing what’s mine, you act like you don’t even know what you have and show an attitude of having no regrets. The world shouldn’t run so unfairly. So I’ll take it back and cherish it properly in your place.”

“…The one who doesn’t know what they have is you, Herna.”

“What?”

“The late emperor… Father cared for you.”

In the end, it was Herna who was the mastermind behind leaking state secrets to a foreign country and nearly getting Litania, the princess and divine dragon’s bride, kidnapped and killed.

But the late emperor covered up the incident and settled the matter by merely placing Herna under house arrest.

Unlike Litania who could die without consequence, Herna was a cherished daughter.

“I’ve never had parents who cared for me that much.”

At that time, Litania thought the late emperor wasn’t her real father. But now she understands why she felt so hurt when she heard him apologize.

Because she realized that even Herna, who had violated national law and orchestrated murder, was fully receiving parental love that was not allowed for her alone.

“You have received such love, yet you’re beside yourself with envy for what others have.”

A damp night breeze blew strongly. Litania took a deep breath and raised the corners of her mouth towards Herna.

“How pitiful.”

“You!”

Herna’s eyes rolled back. Her hand, veins bulging on the back, gripped the sword tightly and raised it high.

Her movement became larger.

Litania lunged towards Herna’s body.

Clang!

The blade struck the railing with a dull, vibrating sound. Taking advantage of Herna’s loosened grip from the shock to her wrist, Litania dropped the staff over the railing.

“Stop your tricks!”

The staff disappeared, swept away by the dark waves. However, despite disarming her of the sword, Litania found herself cornered at the edge of the railing.

Perhaps to prevent her from screaming, Herna was tightly pressing both hands against Litania’s neck.

“Think I can’t kill you without a sword? I’ll throw you into the river and kill you like this!”

It hit home anew that the eyes of someone driven mad by jealousy and rage were no different from those of a beast.

Litania grasped Herna’s wrists. As if the saying that a person who has lost their reason becomes stronger than usual was true, despite the lack of significant difference in build between Herna and Litania, her arms didn’t budge an inch.

“I’m the princess. To participate in the annual hunting festival, I had to train my body too. Unlike you who was cooped up in the detached palace!”

“Right… How nice to have learned so much.”

As Litania retorted while gasping, the pressure on her neck intensified and her body tilted.

Some commotion was heard from the direction of the cabin, and the lights grew a bit brighter.

The door opened, and passengers who had attended the party could be seen coming out one by one and climbing the stairs.

The deck was far, and due to Herna wearing a black dress, the situation here likely wouldn’t be visible.

Litania thought desperately.

She was holding on with her body half-draped over the railing, and behind her tilted back, dark river water was splashing.

‘Right. The river.’

Beriberbium has no sea. Only rivers and lakes.

The sound of her heart pounding hammered at her ears. Litania gritted her teeth.

Instead of trying to pry off Herna’s arms, she reached behind her, feeling along the railing.

She felt the rope attached to a life preserver.

“Ah, Herna. But…”

Spitting out each word while being choked felt like sticking needles into her vocal cords.

As she untied the rope with her weakened hand, the knot of the white rope came undone and the sound of a large life preserver falling into the water was heard.

Just as Herna noticed the strange sound and tried to look down, Litania grabbed Herna’s wrist and pulled her towards herself.

“Did you… learn how to swim too?”

As she released the strength in her legs that were hanging on the railing, her body tipped backwards.

“Huh?”

For an instant, bewilderment flickered in those ash-gray eyes filled with madness. Along with it, dark waves enveloped her vision.

Splash!

The river water that swallowed the two women churned greatly.

Realizing that the hands choking her neck had let go from the shock of falling into the water, Litania immediately kicked her legs.

‘Don’t hold your breath, exhale while pushing your body backwards.’

Recalling the swimming tips Orbis had taught her, Litania parted the black water and moved forward, raising her head above the surface.

As the air, cold enough to sting, entered her lungs, she suddenly coughed, hacking.

Blinking her eyes and turning her head, she saw a ship with orange lights in the distance.

‘It’s okay, stay calm.’

She swam towards the life preserver.

The rivers of Beriberbium weren’t particularly fast-flowing, nor were they very wide.

If she could just cross to the riverbank, she could somehow find her way to a village after that.

“Hm?”

As Litania was about to swim towards the ship, she suddenly noticed that the distant ship was approaching her.

‘What’s going on?’

As the ship drew closer, the deck became more visible.

Several people were out on the deck, which had been empty when the party had just ended.

Perhaps thanks to the reduced noise after the party ended, they had heard the sound of Litania and Herna falling in. Or maybe one of the crew had noticed the missing life preserver.

Litania swam towards the ship while holding onto the life preserver. Despite it being late spring to early summer, the night river water was ice-cold.

The ship’s lights, bright enough to dazzle the eyes, illuminated the river surface where Litania had fallen.

“Litania!”

“Hey! Are you alright?”

Ferus and Vapor. She heard the voices of her brothers calling her.

Strangely, at that moment, tears welled up.

Not from the relief of being rescued, but from the indescribably warm feeling that washed over her at the fact that there was family who recognized her and called her name.

As Litania waved her left arm while hooking her right arm over the life preserver, a ladder was lowered from the nearby ship.

Just as she was about to swim towards it, a strong force grabbed her ankle and pulled her down.

Bubble bubble.

Along with a white froth, the pitch-black water once again enveloped her vision.