“To make the Northern Crown move willingly for me, I must become a better person than I am now.”

The Princess of Dongryeong, loved by her family.

To achieve that, she must discard her attitude so far. It was evident that if she continued to display distance, even the kind members of the White family would turn away.

“But…”

Caradin didn’t expect her to like him this much.

Just because she called her grandmother “grandmother.” Just because she called her grandmother, as she said, a grandmother, seeing Caradin teary-eyed made Ariana feel guilty.

The old lady, holding Ariana’s hand tightly, had a hand so warm it could almost hurt. It shouldn’t cause burns with a person’s body temperature, but it felt so warm.

Ariana tightened her eyes, afraid that tears might come for no reason.

“Dear, did you ever learn from a private tutor when you were in the Western Capital? Do you want to study?”

“Yes, grandmother. I want to.”

Although she learned a lot by dealing with the Third Prince’s affairs, she hadn’t learned anything systematically.

She recalled the days when she envied Helena and Victoria learning from a private tutor. There were times when she secretly listened outside their room, and a maid caught her, leading to a scolding from Rachel.

“Then let this old lady find you a good private tutor. Do you have any subjects you want to learn in particular?”

“Can I learn things like horseback riding, swordsmanship, martial arts, spear fighting, and archery?”

“Of course. You should learn from physical training to basic skills first. Then, delve into the field you like the most.”

Since she was a girl, Ariana thought she would be told to learn things like dance, etiquette, embroidery, or musical instruments. Therefore, Caradin’s enthusiastic acceptance was surprising.

“Can women in Dongryeong learn martial arts?”

“As much as they can protect themselves.”

“I heard you are very strong, grandmother.”

“I can protect you.”

In her sincere, kind eyes, Ariana almost cried again. Ariana blinked her eyes and said, “Can I become strong too?”

“Well, of course. If you eat well and recover your strength, you will become stronger than me.”

+++

She was called this, that, or the other. Occasionally, some called her the golden-eyed one.

She had been confined in a small iron cage since birth. There was always an owner, but the owner changed before she turned three. From the third change of owner, she was sometimes called the ‘cursed woman.’

One day, a female slave trapped in the adjacent iron cage said, “You’re still lucky. Although you bring misfortune to others, at least no one dares to touch you. Your situation is better than mine.”

She didn’t understand the meaning of those words.

As time passed, and she developed thoughts, a male slave told her, “You’re really pretty. If I get a chance, I’ll get you out. Then, let’s run away together.”
That male slave died in front of her, beaten to death by the owner within a week. Throughout the beating, the male slave glared at her and shouted.

“You’re also a cursed woman! It would have been better if I hadn’t paid attention to someone like you.”

Only then did she realize that the term ‘cursed woman’ had a negative meaning. Similar to pain, hatred, resentment, or even death.

The encounter with the male slave taught her hope and despair. She hoped for the first time in her life to go outside the narrow iron bars, but she despaired when she realized it was impossible.

As despair deepened, hope also became stronger.

If someone could take me out of this iron cage, I could dedicate even my life.

On the night the ninth owner died, a plump slave trader came to take her.

“Seeing you again. I don’t know if I can sell you now. Everyone knows how many owners you’ve killed.”

Although she never killed an owner, being the ‘cursed woman,’ she thought she might have caused the owner’s death.

The slave trader loaded her onto the carriage through the iron bars and took her to the familiar slave shop.

Many slaves were there, but she didn’t recognize anyone. However, the slaves recognized her.

“I don’t want to be with her! Get me out of here! Please get me out!”

“Lock her in a cell far away from her. I don’t want to stay here.”

“They say you die if you make eye contact with her.”

“They say the owner changed twenty times.”

“I’ve never seen anything like her. How can eyes have that color?”

“Disgusting. Doesn’t Phaganus eat people? Does she eat people too?”

“What are the nobles who buy such things thinking?”

They were afraid of being cursed and couldn’t harm her directly. She recalled the words of a female slave she heard once.

“[Dash] Your situation is better than mine.”

Is that really true?

+++

To expedite the journey to Dongryeong, Caradin drove the carriage even at night by changing horses. When she arrived at the last city of the Empire near the border of the Empire and Dongryeong, it had been about a week since she left the Empire.