🔊 TTS Settings
I’m looking for the runaway princess – Chapter : 21
Len quickly bowed his waist.
“I had heard there was a large group of bandits nearby, but I never expected them to come this far! This is entirely my fault!”
“……”
Lakan frowned, but did not scold him.
After confirming the death of the last bandit, he simply stood up and threw his flashy jacket at Len.
Len received Lakan’s clothes with a flustered expression.
“Disguise yourself.”
“Pardon?”
“Didn’t you say there was a large bandit group nearby? They might come back for revenge for their comrades, so we will split into two groups and disperse.”
“Yes, understood.”
Len nodded and quickly changed into Lakan’s clothes. It was nothing difficult if it was for the protection of his lord.
Lakan looked around.
The wheels were broken and the horses were dead. The carriage could no longer be used, so they would have to walk.
He clicked his tongue.
He thought Elizia would endure it well since she had good stamina, but he still felt uneasy.
From the beginning, he should not have let things come to this. It was all his mistake.
Soon, Len—now fully changed—gestured respectfully toward Lakan.
“Then I will escort His Highness the Crown Prince, while the other three will accompany the lady.”
“No. Elizia and I. You four. We will split into two separate groups and scatter.”
“But…”
“As long as you are wearing my clothes, it’s better that several of you travel as if protecting you. I don’t like the idea of being separated from her.”
“But it’s dangerous for just the two of you!”
Len shouted urgently. Lakan, who was casually rolling up his sleeves, turned his head calmly.
“Right now, I don’t have the luxury to protect you as well.”
“……”
Lakan’s face even carried a twisted smile.
Len opened his mouth slightly, then closed it.
Whether his escorts were there or not, the Crown Prince could protect himself.
He had survived so far through wars arranged by Empress Aira, who used him as a pawn. It was not luck.
And Len, who had accompanied Lakan through countless battlefields, knew that very well.
Len bowed again.
“Your Highness, please be careful.”
“We’re heading straight to Beein Territory. You go in the opposite direction.”
“Yes. We will gather reinforcements and come to escort you immediately.”
Lakan simply nodded instead of replying.
Len and the three knights quickly disappeared into the left forest.
Lakan grabbed the carriage door handle and pushed it open, but it did not move easily, likely warped from the earlier fight.
With a sharp motion, the door was ripped open.
“Elizia.”
“Senior!”
Elizia, who had been curled up inside, stood up with a bright expression. Just hearing his familiar voice seemed to calm her.
A little warmth returned to her previously frozen body.
Lakan checked her over and confirmed she was unharmed. As expected, she had no injuries.
He gave a faint smile. His blond hair, slightly stained with blood, gave him a chilling aura—but his smile was gentle.
“You must have been scared… I’m sorry, Elizia.”
“It’s okay. You didn’t call the bandits, so why are you apologizing? I was just hiding inside the carriage.”
Elizia smiled brightly to ease the atmosphere.
Her fingertips were still cold, but staying cheerful was better than sinking into fear.
“Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“To the nearest Beein Territory first.”
The Royal Academy was too far. Since they had already traveled a long distance by carriage, it made sense.
The closest destination was Beein Territory near the lake they had originally planned to visit.
To avoid any remaining danger, Lakan stepped out first. Elizia followed carefully.
As soon as he stepped outside, Lakan grabbed a water bottle and poured it over his head, washing away the blood.
Elizia looked around.
A world she had never seen before unfolded. A chilling scene that made her skin crawl.
Blood pooled everywhere. Bodies lay scattered.
Her heart pounded, and her breath tightened.
But she forced herself to stand straight.
The man who had turned people into corpses stood right beside her.
“Princess, this way.”
Perhaps noticing her unease, Lakan calmly extended his hand, pointing toward a forest path on the right.
Water droplets ran down his golden hair.
Elizia stared blankly as the droplets shimmered down his cheek.
She couldn’t look away.
The forest path smelled of wet grass. Surprisingly, no pursuers followed them.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, and green moss covered the rocks.
What had been a battlefield moments ago now felt like a dreamlike forest.
After about two hours of walking, Elizia glanced behind her.
Lakan followed slightly behind her like a guard.
His expression looked relaxed, as if nothing had happened—but the blood on his collar proved otherwise.
Elizia recalled the earlier chaos: screams, clashing metal, her trembling hands.
She had never killed anyone, never even seen a dead body up close.
But Lakan… it seemed different for him.
Her steps slowed.
“Senior.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you used to situations like earlier?”
Elizia looked up at him with innocent eyes.
Lakan paused.
Of course, he had killed people before.
A few arrogant nobles under Empress Aira’s influence. Others who disrespected Princess Louise. And minor border conflicts he had been dragged into since childhood under the excuse of “protecting the empire.”
Most of it had been the Empress’s schemes—but he survived nonetheless.
To survive, he had no choice but to stain his sword with blood.
Instead of answering, Lakan simply smiled quietly.
Elizia smiled awkwardly as well, sensing the meaning behind his silence.
“……”
She looked up at the sky. Two white birds flew behind fresh green leaves.
After winding through the forest, a blue lake appeared.
On the left side stood a large tree, beneath which nobles were resting.
Elizia gasped.
“It’s more beautiful than I imagined! I can’t believe something like this exists in the mountains!”
“This is called the Moon-Lingering Lake. At night, the crescent moon reflects at the center.”
Elizia walked toward the lake, enchanted.
Golden sunlight rippled across the water.
“Let’s rest briefly. We still need to reach the territory on time.”
“Okay!”
They had enough time before sunset since Beein Territory was nearby.
Elizia dipped her feet into the cold water and quickly came back out.
“This feels like a picnic…”
She walked back toward Lakan, her wet feet brushing the grass. He was lying under a tree with his arm as a pillow.
Elizia sat beside him.
“Senior.”
“Yeah.”
“Can I ask something strange?”
“Go ahead.”
After a brief hesitation, she asked:
“If someone experiences death many times, do they eventually become numb to it?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I might become a queen someday… I may have to go to battlefields. I don’t want to look terrified in front of everyone.”
She couldn’t say she had already been too scared to even get out of the carriage.
Lakan picked a blade of grass and lightly poked her hand with it.
“At first, it stings like this. But over time, even sharp things lose their edge. Then it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“….”
“That should answer your question.”
“Ah…”
A faint understanding.
He continued:
“Relationships between people are the same. If you step just once into a small gap, everything changes instantly.”
His eyes seemed to burn faintly under the sunlight.
Elizia swallowed nervously.
Then his expression softened again, and his hand left her cheek.
The warmth disappeared, replaced by cool forest air.
She shivered slightly.
As the wind grew colder, a man’s voice came from behind them.
“Hey.”
A middle-aged servant approached.
“What is it?”
The servant looked down at them with faint contempt, noticing their worn clothing.
He handed Elizia a basket.
“Lady of kindness has instructed me to give you this.”
Inside were two leftover apples and a few cookies.
Elizia and Lakan looked at each other in silence.
