Chapter 90

Chapter 90 – Princess Guinev (2)

Translator: Lunarise

Editor: Larkspur

Viola was taken aback. It wasn’t just a secret passage?! Is that what it was? A wall built with the breath of the Gods…

Ivan continued. “The person who meets the conditions of God’s Companion is Guinev. You may have other uses—”

“You’re saying the same thing as Lustian. Talking about the will of the Gods—”

“Because, in the first place, we move according to the will of the Gods. That’s our destiny.”

“That destiny… I will shatter it.”

Viola spread her shoulders wide. Where did this confidence come from… She wasn’t afraid. She was certain that there was no such thing as a determined destiny.

Ivan laughed out loud. Then he watched her from a distance. “Sure, try it. If you two are entwined by fate, I am willing to help you.”

As she left the grand duke behind, Viola felt cold sweat collect in her palms, but she walked forward nonetheless. As she took a step forward, suddenly the trees that were around her disappeared in the blink of an eye. The dark forest disappeared completely, and a wide field filled with light appeared instead.

Viola was so astonished that she looked behind her. But there was no one. Goosebumps riddled her flesh. In the place where she had walked, there were only trees from which flower petals were falling – even Ivan had disappeared. Now, she was on high alert.

In the dreamy field before her, butterflies fluttered hither and thither. But she realized that they were not actually butterflies for they had faces.

Like tiny humans… Could it be… Fairies? Forest of the Gods, God’s river. If so, then this is the Realm of the Gods…!

Suddenly her mind went blank. As she strode ahead, through wildflowers that were taller than herself, a beautiful castle appeared. It was not an old castle. Unlike what she had seen from the outside, it was a clean and pretty castle.

At that moment, the sound of water reached her ears. As if drawn by magic, Viola walked in that direction. She found a woman there, soaking her feet in the water and singing. As if she had felt her presence, the woman turned to look at Viola.

“Princess… Guinev—”

She could tell at first glance that she was Guinev. She resembled the Queen of Koronis quite a bit.

The woman glanced at her. “Who are you?”

“My name is Viola.”

“Viola… from the Kingdom of Koronis! That’s a name I remember hearing from my aunt! And you were the new candidate for the Crown Princess.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

It was the first time they were meeting, but she didn’t feel a wall between them like she had with other princesses.

“But, how did you get here… This is a place where no one else can enter.”

Guinev glanced behind Viola. Confirming that there was no one following her, she seemed a bit relieved, but she still looked somewhat anxious.

“The Queen sent me. Because they were suddenly unable to know whether you were alive or dead, everyone in your home country is worried about you.”

“Yes, I’m sure they are. Even though I wanted to contact them, I couldn’t. Still, I’m glad that you’re able to convey a message to them for me. Please tell my parents and my aunt that I’m doing fine.”

She had expected her to be unhappy because she was trapped, but that wasn’t the case. Rather, her bright face was suffused with smiles. This was a little strange. She had been trapped here for several months now, but there was no trace of loneliness or darkness about her. The scent of flowers flowed from her body. It must be because the scent of the Judith flowers, which bloomed all over the ground in the Realm of the Gods, had soaked her body, but she was as fragrant as if she had just taken a bath in those flowers.

For some reason, it reminded her of that time. When she had arrived at the final test and bathed in Judith flowers, preparing to spend her first night with him…

According to Anne, Guinev had escaped before going through the final test. So, had she not spent that first night with Lustian? No, what did it matter whether she had spent her first night with him or not? Either way, all the princesses who entered the palace would have spent their first nights with him… Her throat burned.

Viola stared at Guinev blankly. The other was looking over towards the river in the distance. It was as if she was longing for a loved one.

“He will come to save me. He said he would keep that promise. I’ve decided to wait until then.”

♛

She had thought only moments had passed, but when she came out of the forest, the sun was setting. She was surprised. She had really only met with Guinev for less than ten minutes, but several hours had passed. Ivan was waiting for Viola with an impatient look. And as soon as she stepped out, he grabbed her hand and ran.

“My brother is coming here. Hurry!”

“I was only in there for about ten minutes… how?”

“Because that is the Realm of the Gods, time passes slower than you feel. If Guinev was in there, she would have thought she had been in there for only 6 days, not 6 months. Run faster.”

She hurriedly ran. Her dress dragged on the ground as she was running, so she lifted the hem with both hands and kept running. In front of them, Rosha was waiting with the same expression that Ivan had.

Her breathing was rough. She had run so fast that her breath was caught in her throat, and because of that, she was able to arrive barely in time for Lustian to arrive.

At that moment, the sound of hooves rang loudly throughout the woods. Soon after, Lustian appeared in the forest with his knights. Ivan was even more surprised than Viola.

Viola’s eyes opened wide in astonishment. It was because of the flag that the knights were holding. It was the flag of the Blood Army.

Lustian glared coldly at Ivan. “From today, Grand Duke Ivan will be detained in the palace.”

“Detained?! We were just riding our horses! Brother! No, Your Highness the Crown Prince! This is unfair!”

Before Ivan could finish making his excuses, the Blood Army took him away on horseback. Viola dropped her hands to either side.

Because he had brought the Blood Army, not simply his Templars, it was clear that something was definitely wrong. Part of the Blood Army headed into the woods in the direction of the Forest of the Gods from which Viola had just exited.

“Were you that curious about it? Didn’t I tell you that it’s a place where no one can go in?” Lustian said.

“I only wanted to meet Guinev.”