The Empire’s Only Princess - Chapter 43

Chapter 43

 

 

“A belief that can quell fear. For example, imagine an assassin coming while Your Highness is sleeping. Would you be afraid?”

 

“No. I won’t be afraid.”

 

“May I ask why?”

 

“That’s because… there’s a person who will protect me?”

 

For a moment, I felt speechless. The answer came out as a question.

 

‘So I trusted them to this extent’, It was a new feeling.

 

“That’s right. Don’t you have faith that Your Highness will be safe? Beating fear is simple. You just need to put on a bigger faith than the fear.”

 

[tn— cover up the fear w a bigger belief/having greater faith than the fear]

 

It’s very simple if you put it into words but…

 

“Let’s say something like a ghost pops out of the darkness.”

 

At that moment, I flinched and looked at Timofey.

 

“But in the end, the ghost is an illusion. Rather, there is a stronger faith next to Your Highness. The strong faith that you can feel the warmth of life.”

 

“Somehow Timofey, I think being a religious leader would have suited you as well.”

 

[tn— im not sure if Rosiane was referring to a cult leader but I think she is bc of the next sentence.]

 

Should I say that it feels like ‘Trust me and pay just ten million won each! If you have faith, you can achieve everything you want!’ this.

 

“Ho ho ho, I’ll take it as a compliment.”

 

“It is a compliment. Thank you, I feel more at ease.”

 

While we were talking, it was time for the class to end.

 

After Timofey left the room, I prepared my heart for a moment, and then lightly opened the door and stepped out.

 

The rain that hit the hallway window made a violent sound and flowed down. Lora quickly prepared an umbrella and came up to my side, but I firmly told her.

 

“I’ll go alone.”

 

“However, it’s dangerous to move alone in this kind of weather.”

 

I may not be able to see it, because as Timofey said, the ghost is only a ghost after all.

 

I realized for sure that there was no reason to be scared and avoid it.

 

All that resentment is not something I should receive. No, that strange resentment can’t reach anyone other than me.

 

Of course, this determination may break when I see my grandmother sticking out in front of me with a terrible look, but I had to resolve the misunderstanding as soon as possible.

 

“I have to go alone. Don’t ever think about following me. This is an order.”

 

Perhaps realizing that my warning was sincere, Lora took a step back and I was able to leave the palace alone.

 

Of course, if it’s her, she would follow me even from afar, but there’s nothing I can do about that.

 

There was a splashing sound whenever my steps touched the immensely wet soil. I ran towards Leav’s palace.

 

About halfway through, a flash of light appeared from the air as if it was *taking a shot. Subsequently, a violent thunder shook the heavens and the earth.

 

[tn— as in taking a picture]

 

My body trembled and the sound of my heart beating strongly resonated in my ears.

 

I tried hard to think about my family as I breathed as if panting *because it was hard to breathe. It was like a bright signpost even in the dark.

 

[tn— this could either be because of her trauma or because she’s been running. And the last part seems to refer to her family as a light in the dark]

But the ghost came to me again.

 

“If only you, If it weren’t for you!”

 

I’m not that kid.

 

“You b*st@rd ate my son! I told you to abort things like daughters, in the end the result that came out was!!”

 

Even if it wasn’t me, that was just an accident. At the sound of thunder, my grandmother’s thin face suddenly came up before my eyes.

 

“Ah—!”

 

At that moment, my body lost its balance and fell to the ground. My grandmother slowly approached me, covered with mud water.

 

I was trembling but even so, without averting my gaze, I faced those sharp eyes.

 

Gasp, gasp. I grabbed my chest and gripped the ground as I couldn’t breathe properly. A muddy chunk of soil was caught in my grip.

 

As expected, I guess I pushed myself. Trauma is not something that can be cured at once.

 

I closed my eyes tightly, resenting myself for being hasty even though I knew that.

 

“Did you think you could run away if you closed your eyes?!”

 

The past suddenly came to mind like a  spark.

 

On a rainy day around the age of ten, my grandmother screamed then grabbed my hair and dragged me around.

 

It was no use struggling with how strong she was. You won’t know how afraid I was of the lightning flashing one after another over the window and the thunder that followed it.

 

“Oh my, Sister……!”

 

At that moment, warmth descended on my shoulders. When I opened my eyes, my grandmother had already disappeared.

 

Instead, I saw Leav, who had a surprised expression, and an umbrella thrown far away as he ran.

 

“Leav.”

 

Leav’s face distorted at my smile.

 

“Let’s hurry up and go indoors. From here, the Arke Palace is…..”

 

“Let’s go to your palace.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“I came because I have something to say.”

 

At my words, Leav closed his mouth and lifted me up. Thunder and lightning struck again, but I was only surprised, and the ghost did not come out.

 

“Sister….. As expected, I can’t do it. You caught a cold because of me, and even if you like brother Eryte more, I…..!

 

I’m not sure if it’s tears or rainwater because rainwater was mixing in, but from what I can see, it seems that Leav is crying.

 

“Silly.”

 

I carefully hugged Leav so that the dirt-stained clothes would not touch.

 

“What I was going to say back then was, ‘I like Eryte too, but my other family members are equally precious.’ You didn’t listen to the latter part and ran out.”

 

“…. Pardon?”

 

Leav looked at me, covering his mouth as he started to hiccup. The round, wide eyes were completely looking at me.

 

“That, that kind of…….. Is that true?”

 

“Yes, really. I probably don’t have anyone by my side who isn’t precious.”

 

When I raised my head and showed a light smile, Leav hugged me strongly. I said, trying to push Leav away.

 

“Wait, your clothes are getting dirty.”

 

“It’s already wet, so it’s okay.”

 

The rain harshly pressed down on us, but it was light at heart.

 

After that, there was a small incident where I had to lie down for another full day, and Leav apologizing to an angry dad for that, but fortunately, the matter ended well.

 

* * *

 

Eryte, who came around lunchtime, looked out at the endlessly sunny outside due to magic and expressed his admiration.

 

I leaned against the head of the bed, and with a jump like a foal, went around the room, and looked at Eryte lying on the sofa.

 

[tn— kr word used here literally means ‘jumping cutely’]

 

“What are you thinking about?”

 

At my question, Eryte flinched and averted his gaze. Look at this guy?

 

“Eryte?”

 

When I matched his gaze and asked again, Eryte smiled and said.

 

“I mean, Rosiane, you’re feeling better now, right? Right?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

As I ate bitter medicine every day, and was exposed to nutritional foods which were prepared so that it can *break the table legs every day, my physical condition was excellent.

 

[tn— meaning, a lot of food was prepared that the table couldn’t take it’s weight.]

 

“Then, do you want to go to the gladiatorial arena with me tomorrow?”

 

“No.”

 

“Aren’t you rejecting it too fast?! I told you last time that this brother got a ticket for the gladiator, right?”

 

I nodded my head. I know that the date has passed while I was sick.

 

“And that a newbie appeared like a comet?!”

 

“Ohh, really?”

 

“Ah, Rosiane! Listen a bit more carefully! And he looked younger than me? But was dam— But he was really strong! Maybe as much as me!”

 

That’s a bit unique. A boy as strong as Eryte, who inherited the power of Estheria.

 

“So the bloody battles became very fun, is what I’m saying!”

 

“I see.”

 

I answered half-heartedly and drank the ginger tea that was good for a cold.

 

“Black hair and yellow eyes, it was obviously a foreigner…..”

 

As much as I wanted to ask, “Why are you coming out of there?”, Shuiesha’s face suddenly came to mind at that moment.

 

If he’s Eryte’s age, black-haired, golden-eyed foreigner, and even strong, what is the percentage of the probability that it’s not Shuiesha?

 

“Pfft—! Cough, cough!”

 

The ginger tea that gushed out made Eryte’s face moist.

 

“Oh, sorry.”

 

Melissa rushed in and he wiped his face with the towel she held out and Eryte said.

 

“—Anyway, the next gladiator (fight) is tomorrow, and although all tickets are sold out, this cool older brother got that ticket!!”

 

Ah, what should I do? I don’t want to go to the gladiatorial arena, but I feel like I have to go because Shuiesha, who disappeared without being compensated, is there.

 

“What do you think? Isn’t it a bit interesting? Hm? Hm?!”

 

“Ah, I know right….. Let’s go, to the gladiatorial arena.”

 

In the end, I decided to follow Eryte’s will.

 

* * *

 

Numerous people were already lining up in front of the gladiatorial arena, where we arrived 30 minutes early.

 

“There are a lot of people?”

 

“Yeah, much more than usual. I think the news about the newbie has spread.”

 

Tickets sold in advance were sold out, and it seemed that all the tickets sold on the same day were already sold out.

 

I was looking at it with a serious expression, wondering if we should mix with that crowd, and Eryte smiled and led my hand past the entrance of the gladiator’s field and headed to the back.

 

An immensely large man stood in front of the small door located there.

 

As I was wondering about the quiet side door unlike the entrance, Eryte took the ticket out of his *chest pocket and showed it to the man.

 

[tn— raws just said ‘chest’]

 

The man with a long, vertical scar on his left eye said with a broad smile on his face as if he had ever looked at us threateningly.

 

“So you were a VVIP customer. Welcome.”

 

“Hurry up and guide me! Because it looks like my company’s legs are hurting!”

 

“Of course.”

 

The man who answered slyly opened the side door. As we stepped inside, another staff member who had been waiting in the red carpeted hallway guided us.

 

“Welcome, this way please.”

 

I followed the man up the stairs at the end of the hallway. As soon as I climbed all the stairs, what I saw was a wide corridor decorated with expensive ornaments.

 

Halfway through, he guided us to a white door.

 

“I hope you have a good time.”

 

As soon as I entered the interior, what I saw was a wide-open window to view the gladiatorial arena, a sofa covered with red covers, and a maroon table with refreshments and drinks on top of it.

There were cakes and cookies from Bella, the number one dessert shop in the capital, prepared for refreshments, and there was a button for an unknown purpose in the middle of the table.

 

I went straight to the large window.

 

“I can see the gladiatorial arena at a glance.”

 

“It’s huge isn’t it? You can’t even see the inside from the outside.”

 

“By the way, Eryte, how did you get the ticket? You’re a minor.”

 

I stared at the audience slowly entering and asked.

 

The gladiatorial field is violent, so the age for admission is strictly limited, how did he come? Eryte proudly answered my question.

 

“VVIP tickets are not based on age.”

 

“So in short, you poured in a lot of money.”

 

I thought for a moment whether this was worth it, and then concluded that if it was Eryte, it was possible.

 

I stopped watching the outside and sat back on the rather soft sofa and put a cake in my mouth.

 

Apart from the taste of the cake that sweetly lingered in my mouth, I started to get a little nervous. What if it’s really Shuiesha?

 

If you think about it, it’s against the law to have a young teenage boy as a gladiator here. Perhaps, I can properly take him out?

 

“Thank you for your support for those who came to the gladiatorial arena today as well, the first match of the day…”

 

While I was in deep thought, a man who seemed to be the host stood on the stage and started guiding. Perhaps he used a magical tool, the sound could be heard even from quite a distance.

 

Eryte was looking out the window with a face full of excitement, whether he was looking forward to the upcoming game.

 

“Okay, then let’s get started—!”

 

Eryte’s exclamations, screams, and laughter during the gladiatorial fight made me feel desperate to go home.

“Rosiane, isn’t that one pretty good too?”

 

Without taking his eyes off the arena, Eryte asked. As I slightly turned my eyes, the scene of a bloody gladiator came into view.

 

[tn— gladiator is the fighter]

 

Two huge men with swords were rushing to kill each other. The crashing sounds of the blades could be vividly heard from the inside.

 

It was not so pleasant to see blood for fun, so I frowned and drank the juice with my head turned.

 

It was after so much time had passed that the cake was refilled three times.

 

“Now, focus please! Today’s highlight that everyone has been looking forward to will be starting from now on—!!!”

 

At the host’s words, a huge roar resounded inside the gladiatorial arena. The sound was so loud that it felt like the seat where I was sitting was vibrating.

 

Only then did I look at the arena properly. The iron door on the left went up, and a small boy appeared from it.