“Go …to… sleep.”

  STAB

  I open my eyes with a jolt. Scanning the room and pointing my eyes to my arms that are covered with bandages.

  “Damn it. I’m still her.”

  My body doesn’t hurt anymore, but the bandages are a bit over-the-top.

  I remove the bandages one by one.

  “Probably the work of those priests.”

  But I wonder how many days it has been, or is it only a few hours?

  Knock knock

  “Lady Amethyst, this is Alice. I hope you’re awake by now. The Duke and the Duchess are happy about your achievement, but they’re very worried that you might never wake up. I have visited the church daily since the day you collapsed and prayed that you would wake up and come back as our true Lady Amethyst."

  “My Lady, I will be back again later with the duchess because she insists on washing your body instead of the maids. Well then.”

  The voice now disappears.

  Alice was very concerned. Sorry, kid, your lady will never return. Because my body, she went to, is dead. I probably died after my fight with Benjamin. So, her soul is probably there, trapped and feeling unfairness.

  Sorry, Amethyst, wherever you are.

  I walked towards the terrace and looked over the view that could be seen from here.

  The Versailles Estate stretched endlessly beyond the marble railing like a kingdom within a kingdom. Vast emerald fields rolled across the land in disciplined symmetry, divided by gravel paths that curved like pale ribbons through the greenery. Carefully pruned hedges formed intricate labyrinths below, their sharp angles and floral arches revealing the obsessive perfection expected from noble territory. The estate gardens bloomed with layered colors—royal violets, deep crimson roses, and pale ivory lilies swaying gently under the afternoon wind, their fragrance faintly drifting upward even at this height.

  Beyond the ornamental gardens stood the soldiers’ training grounds, a stark contrast to the delicate scenery. Wooden dummies lined the yard like silent sentinels while the rhythmic clang of steel striking steel echoed faintly into the distance. Lines of knights drilled in formation, their polished armor catching sunlight and flashing like scattered mirrors across the courtyard. Watching them from above felt strangely surreal, like observing a life that should have belonged to someone else.

  Further past the disciplined order of the estate, the land sloped downward into untamed wilderness. The forest surrounding Versailles loomed like a dark emerald ocean, dense and ancient, its towering canopies swallowing sunlight whole. The southern horizon, where the forest thickened into jagged cliffs and shadowed caverns, carried a heavier presence. Even from here, the air seemed colder in that direction—as if the land itself was warning intruders to stay away. That was where the aetherglass cave is rumored to lie. That was where the monsters crawled from.

  Above everything, the sky stretched endlessly, painted in soft streaks of gold and pale blue as clouds drifted lazily overhead. It was beautiful. Peaceful.

  Deceptively so.

  Because beneath that breathtaking view lay a territory constantly preparing for war.

  And somehow… it was now mine to protect.

  For curiosity, I want to jump down from the terrace to the ground right below me to escape the worried Alice and the Duchess.

  Tsk.

  It's too bothersome to deal with them. I want to go to the training grounds without being seen by those two.

  Hmm, if you’re wondering what I’m doing right now, I am currently calculating how high the terrace is above the ground.

  Man, I just want to train today since I think Roland is all healed now.

  I raise my right leg and set it on top of the terrace’s handrail while looking below, probably doubting if this is the right decision.

  But then a knock came, and Alice burst in.

  “My Lady, I’m coming in. The gardener told me she saw you through the terrace.” Alice looks at me while I’m still on the railing, escaping midway.

  “What are you doing, My Lady?”

  “Ah, umm. Exercising.”

  Alice looks at Amethyst with doubtful eyes, but then shakes her head and disregards the idea that she thinks Amethyst will jump from the terrace.

  She’s actually right.

  I think it's just the side effects that the duchess mentioned.

  Alice thought.

  Amethyst removes her leg from the railing, dusts her dress, and stands properly.

  “My Lady, I’m glad you have finally woken up. I have a message to relay: the crown prince visited you while you collapsed from the fight. Would you like to visit the palace?”

  Is this what I think it is?

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Alice, help me prepare for the departure from the palace at once. I must see his highness.”

  “Understood, My Lady.”

  ——-

  “Did you hear me the first time, Lady Amethyst?”

  “What? Forgive me, your highness.”

  “You meant to tell me, you summoned me here because you want to ask me how I killed the basilisk?”

  What is this? I thought he was gonna let me come to one of his expeditions or something.

  This is kinda disappointing.

  Nevertheless, I needed to train with the head soldier anyway, so this is good.

  “Forgive me for my impertinence, your highness, but you didn’t have to summon me here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You've been keeping tabs on me ever since I went back home since our last meeting about our deal.”

  I can see that this guy on his side is flustered.

  How did she know? Did she sense my mana? But I have been very careful about it. She must be bluffing.

  Thought Philip.

  “I know you want to ask me about something else, do you?”

  “Interesting. Alright, I admit I do have a different thing to ask you.”

  “What is it?”

  “Were you the one who assembled this?”

  He placed the rifle on top of the table in front of me.

  “Yes, because I was a soldier in a different world, you see.”

  And why would I tell him that?

  “Yes, I was the one who assembled it.”

  “I knew it. No one entered my office aside from you. Philip here wouldn’t know how to assemble this thing, nor me.”

  Ah, so his name’s Philip.

  “But I want to know if you really did it.”

  He nods at Philip in hopes that Philip would disassemble the rifle so I could reassemble it.

  Before Philip even reached the table, I disassembled it in seconds and reassembled it, leaving them shocked, amazed, and wary of me.

  “I can’t say I’m not amazed, but how did you know that?”

  “Trade secret, your highness.”

  “Now, are we done here? I still have business back home. If there’s none to discuss, I would like to go back.”

  “Sit.”

  Not a request. An order.

  I click my tongue internally, but sat anyway. No point picking a fight when I’m still standing inside his territory, surrounded by his soldiers, and technically still wearing heels that could snap like dry twigs if I kicked someone wrong.

  The Crown Prince leaned back slightly in his chair, fingers tapping once… twice… against the armrest. His eyes didn’t leave me. Not even for a blink.

  “You speak as if you already know what I intend to ask,” he said flatly.

  “I do.”

  Philip shifted beside him. Subtle. But I saw it. His hand moved closer to the hilt of his sword. Good reflexes. Loyal dog.

  The Crown Prince tilted his head just slightly.

  “Then answer before I even ask. How does a noble lady who fainted from an engagement suddenly learn military assembly of foreign weaponry, knife combat, and morning endurance drills that would cripple half my knights?”

  Ah.

  Straight to the throat.

  I shrug.

  “I got bored.”

  Philip choked on air.

  The Crown Prince’s eye twitched. Just barely. If I wasn’t trained to read micro-expressions, I would’ve missed it.

  “Bored,” he repeated slowly, like he was tasting poison.

  “Yes.”

  “You expect me to believe that.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  Silence stretched between us like a drawn bowstring.

  The Crown Prince leaned forward now, elbows resting on the desk, black eyes narrowing like he was dissecting me piece by piece.

  “You have changed,” he said.

  Not accusing.

  Observing.

  “You used to stare at me like I was some divine blessing sent from the heavens. Now you stare like you’re calculating how hard you need to hit me to see if I bleed.”

  “…Your Highness, I would never,” I said smoothly.

  He scoffed.

  “You absolutely would.”

  Philip cleared his throat awkwardly.

  “My Prince, perhaps Lady Amethyst has simply matured after—”

  “No.”

  He cut him off instantly.

  “She is not maturing. She is replacing herself.”

  …Damn.

  Sharp bastard.

  I lean back against the chair, crossing my arms.

  “Let’s say people change after almost dying. That happens, doesn’t it?”

  “Not into soldiers.”

  “Maybe I’m talented.”

  “Maybe you are lying.”

  We stared at each other again.

  Honestly?

  I was enjoying this.

  Most nobles I’ve met since waking up either cry, bow, or faint. This one argues back. Refreshing.

  He suddenly gestured toward the rifle.

  “Explain its function.”

  “Long-range projectile weapon. High lethality. Designed for distance elimination. Requires stability, breath control, and precision.”

  Philip frowned. “Distance… elimination?”

  “Killing someone from far away,” I translated casually.

  Philip looked disturbed.

  The Crown Prince looked thoughtful.

  “And if such a weapon existed in this world,” he said slowly, “how would it change warfare?”

  I grin faintly.

  “No more honorable duels. No more heroic charges. Kings die before their armies even reach the battlefield.”

  Philip stiffened.

  The Crown Prince’s expression darkened… but not with anger.

  Interest.

  Dangerous interest.

  “You speak like someone who has witnessed such wars.”

  “I speak like someone who thinks ahead.”

  He studied me longer this time. Quiet. Calculating. Measuring whether I was bluffing or revealing.

  Finally, he leaned back again.

  “You are either extremely valuable… or extremely dangerous.”

  “Both sounds good to me.”

  Philip coughed again, louder this time.

  The Crown Prince ignored him.

  “Your training,” he continued.

  “You are progressing faster than anticipated.”

  “I’m motivated.”

  “By what?”

  I meet his gaze directly.

  “Instinct.”

  Silence again.

  Then he asked quietly,

  “Or identity?”

  …There it is.

  I don’t answer.

  He watches me carefully, then exhales through his nose like he confirmed something only he understands.

  “You wish to be useful on the battlefield,” he said.

  “Yes.”

  “You are aware you could die.”

  “I already did once.”

  Philip visibly flinched at that.

  The Crown Prince’s gaze sharpened.

  “…You speak strangely.”

  “I get that a lot.”

  Another pause.

  Then he stood.

  Tall. Commanding. The room shifted with him like gravity just adjusted itself.

  “You may return to Versailles.”

  Finally.

  “But,” he added, raising a finger slightly, “you will report your training progress through Roland Greaves. I will be monitoring it.”

  “Figures.”

  “And Lady Amethyst,” he said, voice dropping slightly lower, more dangerous, “if I discover that you are hiding something that threatens this kingdom… or me…”

  Philip’s hand tightened on his sword again.

  “I will personally end you.”

  I smile politely.

  “Duly noted, Your Highness.”

  I stand, fixing the wrinkles of the dress that still feels like a tactical disadvantage disguised as fashion terrorism.

  I turn toward the door—

  “Lady Amethyst.”

  I stop and glance back.

  He was watching me with that same sharp, predator-like focus.

  “…You assembled that weapon in under ten seconds.”

  “Yes.”

  “That was not luck.”

  “No.”

  Another pause.

  “…Next time,” he said, tone neutral but eyes burning with curiosity, “assemble it blindfolded.”

  I grin.

  “Only if Your Highness duels me one day.”

  Philip made a strangled noise that sounded like his soul leaving his body.

  The Crown Prince stared at me.

  Long.

  Then he scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.

  “Leave before I reconsider allowing you to walk out alive.”

  I bowed lightly.

  “Always a pleasure, Your Highness.”

  The carriage wheels rattled against the stone road as I left the palace grounds, Versailles waiting in the distance like a golden cage pretending to be a sanctuary.

  Inside the office, silence lingered long after the door closed.

  Philip was the first to speak.

  “…My Prince.”

  The Crown Prince remained standing, eyes still fixed on the closed door.

  “…Yes.”

  “…You are not seriously considering trusting her, are you?”

  He didn’t answer immediately.

  Philip frowned.

  “She is unpredictable. Suspicious. And frankly, alarming.”

  “…Indeed.”

  Philip crossed his arms.

  “Then why do you allow her this freedom? Why continue entertaining her requests?”

  A faint smirk appeared on the Crown Prince’s lips. Small. Rare.

  “…Because she is alarming.”

  Philip blinked.

  “…I fail to see how that is a reason.”

  The Crown Prince finally turned, walking slowly toward the window overlooking the capital.

  “Most nobles are transparent,” he said calmly. “Their greed, fear, ambition… they are easy to read. Easy to control.”

  “And Lady Amethyst?”

  He watched the horizon quietly.

  “…She is none of those things.”

  Philip frowned deeper.

  “She may be dangerous.”

  “Yes.”

  “She may be hiding something enormous.”

  “Yes.”

  “…She might even betray you.”

  The Crown Prince rested his hand behind his back, posture straight, regal, unshaken.

  “…Perhaps.”

  Philip stared at him, baffled.

  “Then why?”

  The Crown Prince’s voice lowered slightly.

  “…Because the unknown is often where the greatest weapons are forged.”

  Philip’s brows shot upward.

  “My Prince… that sounds dangerously close to admiration.”

  The Crown Prince remained silent for a moment.

  Then he spoke, almost thoughtfully.

  “…Her mystery is…”

  He paused briefly.

  “…alluring.”

  Philip nearly choked.

  “I beg your pardon?!”

  The Crown Prince glanced at him coldly.

  “Do not misunderstand. I am intrigued by her unpredictability, not charmed by her existence.”

  Philip stared like his entire worldview just cracked.

  “…You just used the word alluring.”

  “I did.”

  “…About your fiancée.”

  “I did.”

  Philip rubbed his temples.

  “…The kingdom is doomed.”

  The Crown Prince allowed himself the faintest, almost invisible smile.

  “…Or it is about to become far more interesting.”