Chương 3: Ch. 3 I Will Change The Future (2)
After meeting with her brother, Elena went into the armory where swords, bows, arrows, armor and all kinds of weapons were stored. Ordinary people were restricted from entering, but fortunately there was no place in the Blaise Castle where she couldn't go. Nevertheless, she avoided everyone's eyes, and passed the neatly displayed weapons and headed for the innermost part of the room. She passed through a dark and narrow corner before arriving at pitch-black suit of armor standing in lofty grandeur.
Elena knew how special that armor was. It was used by her mother when Elena was still a child. The metal used to make the armor was so expensive and so pure that even official knights couldn't afford it. It was only until she became a swordswoman did she realize its value, but it had been taken away before she could wear it.
As she gently placed a hand the armor her eyes moistened with emotion. The cool, solid touch under her palm stirred her memories. As a child she thought of the armor as her own, but after her mother died her father was against women learning sword fighting. For this reason she had never learned swordsmanship despite being born into a family of knights. In the end she had to learn it it anyway. Perhaps it was fate. After recalling the past, she soon began placing the armor into her large sack.
'I know that Father misses Mother and cannot bear to use her precious items, but I will use it to save him.'
Furthermore, her body was less physically fit than in her previous life and she needed good armor to protect her.
After finally placing the black helmet in the sack, she selected an unused sword. It was the first one she had held since returning to the past, but to her it was just yesterday. Her soft, un-calloused hand awkwardly gripped the solid handle, but her mind felt a strange sense of perfect understanding. She was fortunate that her training never left her.
Elena unsheathed the sword from the scabbard and saw her face reflected in the sharp blade. The face of the woman was much different than the cold swordswoman of the past, but the determination in her heart burned fiercer than before. Elena brandished the sword in the air a few times and muttered to herself.
"…I'm only half as good."
Her speed and power were limited in this untrained body. However, she had swung a sword thousands or tens of thousands of times, and the battles where she had risked her life was beyond count. No matter how weak and slow she was, she knew exactly where to swing her sword. There were more times where she had fought in dire circumstances than in favorable ones, and she had become resourceful in bad situations.
In one battle their supply unit had been annihilated and they starved for three days and three nights, while others fought crippled and barely able to move. They survived every moment. After persevering like this for so many years, even her untrained body was not diminished in ability. She concluded that while her power was significantly lowered, she could overcome it to some extent with experience and instinct.
Elena finally sheathed the sword and placed it in her sack, tying it with a knot that could not be opened easily. She suddenly realized that carrying a huge sack by herself could attract some attention. It wasn't easy to shake off the mentality of being a hardened killer who did everything herself, but now she couldn't forget she part of the aristocracy. After leaving the armory and putting as much distance as possible from it, Elena called out to a passing servant. The servant approached her and Elena pointed to the large sack.
"Take this to my carriage."
"What are all these large items, My Lady?"
"These are gifts for Glenn when we arrive."
"That much? When Glenn sees all of this, she will be happy to see you."
Though size and weight of the sack was a little unusual to be a gift to a lady of nobility, the servant didn't think much of it and did as Elena ordered. Other luggage, such as dresses and other items, were already taken care of by the other servants. When Elena confirmed that everything necessary was loaded, she stepped up to board the carriage.
"Hah, hah. Wait a second."
Mirabelle held on to her skirt with one hand as she ran towards to carriage while with her other hand she held a large picnic basket. Elena paused at the sight of Mirabelle hurrying towards her, then stepped down and hurried in her direction.
"Mirabelle, be careful. You'll get hurt."
But Mirabelle did not slow down until she was right in front of Elena. She took in deep gulps of air and gave her sister a bright smile.
"I don't want you to go without eating, so please take this."
Mirabelle gave her the basket and as Elena took it confusion crossed her face. The weight of it was too heavy for her to even contemplate.
"You've prepared so much in such a short time. It's like a feast."
"Did you forget the person that told me that eating well every day would make me healthier?"
Elena became momentarily speechless. That was what she used to say to Mirabelle, who always had grudges about eating.
Mirabelle realized that she was holding her sister up, so she quickly pushed Elena into the carriage and spoke in a cheery voice.
"Go on and come back quickly. And don't forget my present."
After being pushed inside, Elena wistfully looked through the window at her sister.
"…I'll be back."
"Yes. Be careful, sister."
The large wagon set off and Mirabelle waved goodbye. Elena held her head out of the window until and watched until her sister disappeared from view. She almost wanted to cry when she promised that she would be back again. She couldn't believe she had a place to return to.
Elena suddenly remembered basket on her lap. She placed it on the seat next to her and took out the food items one by one. Inside was a generous salad with fresh lettuce and chicken breasts, a ham sandwich, boiled eggs, cutely decorated rice balls, and finely chopped fruits. They all looked delicious to eat. Mirabelle's lunch box seemed to be endless feast of all of Elena's favorite foods.
"…"
She neatly spread the food in the carriage, but she couldn't bear to eat it. Sophie, the maid sitting up front next to the carriage driver, looked at her through the window anxiously.
"My Lady, are you all right?"
Elena was holding her face in her hands and appeared like she was crying.
"…It's okay. I just–I am a happier person than I thought…"
She had always missed these moments when her family was still alive in her previous life. Her father, her brother. Mirabelle. How she had wished hundreds and thousands of times that they there were alive. Now she was happier than her imagination could even dream up.
"…How could I eat all of this food?"
Sophie replied, not understanding the preciousness of the food to Elena.
"If you like, we can wrap it up again later."
Elena nodded, rubbing her wet eyes with her palm.
"Yes…That will do."
Her whole family was now alive. As long as that was, her happiness would last forever. Now Elena was leaving so she could never lose it again. She would be sure to change the future at all costs.
Chương 4: Ch. 4 I Hope I’m Not Too Late (1)
Elena had planned to only bring a few people with her from Blaise Castle. At least, that was what she believed until the carriage stopped for a rest. When she got out, she saw as many as six additional family knights following her some ways away. Including the two men who had been guarding the carriage, there a total of eight additional knights escorting her. When Elena expressed her surprise the lead knight explained,
"They were sent by Lord Derek. He believes there weren't enough guards."
"Derek, my brother…I see,"
she murmured, but her mind was turning. She could not rescue Crown Prince Carlisle with all of these people with her. If she had known exactly when and where he was assassinated she might have been able to make use of the family knights, but all she knew was where the crown prince died. She may have to stake out at the location for a few days, and she couldn't take a large entourage there. She came up with an excuse that she was helping with Glenn's wedding, but with what excuse could she come up with for staying in one place for so long?
That wasn't all. Even if Elena managed to persuade some of the knights to help her, she couldn't reveal her abilities in front of them. In fact, that was the biggest setback. She had lived her whole life as an ordinary daughter of a count, and for her to suddenly reveal she was an expert swordswoman? It would be, by all accounts, an inconceivable thing. Elena didn't want to explain this to her family or other people.
Although she wasn't ashamed to say expert swordswoman, she was willing to cut down tens or hundreds of people down in the future just to prevent the rise of Emperor Paveluc. The fewer people who knew about it the better. She wanted her family to be as safe and ignorant as happy as possible. That way, she would be able to laugh next to them as if she don't know anything…
With that decision, she had to escape and complete her mission her own. However, it was much more difficult to get away when the number of escorts had dramatically increased.
'…How do I do this?'
There were eight guards, a maid and a coachman. Ten people in all. Even if a daughter of a count couldn't go without an entourage, this number was ridiculous. A rat could disappear without being caught by anyone, but if a member of the family were to disappear it would cause utter chaos. Was there a way she could deceive all of them and disappear like smoke?
At the end of the day the group stopped at a luxurious inn they were to stay for the night. Elena entered her room, concern furrowed on her face. Sophie followed behind and closed the door behind them.
"Get some rest, My Lady,"
she said in a soft voice.
It would take three days to reach the place where the crown prince would be assassinated. She had to figure out how to get there somehow.
*
*
*
The inn had the most luxurious amenities and services, making it a fine place to stay overnight for any noblewoman. In fact, it was comparable to Elena's room room back in Blaise Castle. However, her mood was low. It didn't matter how comfortably she had spent the night.
'Why didn't I think of this…'
She was the esteemed daughter of a count and she was expected to act accordingly. However as time went by, she began to regret her decision and concluded that spending the night at the inn was a meaningless waste of time. She hadn't thought of a way to find the crown prince yet, but she had to plan as she goes. She hoped there was a little time left to look around.
If she had known she would've wasted time like this she would have spent her precious moments with Mirabelle instead. She felt angry at herself, but it was already beyond her control. What already happened, happened, so Elena had to use the rest of her time as efficiently as possible.
As soon as she got out of bed she did her morning exercise regimen from her previous life, then prepared the armor and sword inside the sack so that she could leave at any moment. Elena took a bath alone, then was soon prepared to go out.
Sophie the maid, who was just waiting outside for her master to wake, knocked at the door softly. She heard Elena's voice in reply, as if Elena had been expecting her.
"Come in."
Sophie walked into the room and her mouth opened in surprised when she saw Elena completely dressed. Even though Elena was diligent woman in everyday life, it was never to this degree.
"Ah–My Lady, you should have called for me when you woke up. How long have you been awake?"
"You don't need to take care of everything on your own while we're traveling. I brought you with me because I don't like all of the mess, but I can handle most things myself. You don't have to worry too much about it."
Sophie looked at Elena with a confused expression. When Sophie first left on this trip she thought she would have an increased burden serving Elena by herself. While Elena was a delicate woman, she was strangely more considerate today. Sophie spoke in a friendlier manner without realizing it.
"Hold on, My Lady. I'll hurry up and get you breakfast. The food at this inn is famous and is said to be second only to an expensive restaurant."
"I've already eaten. Let's leave right away."
"What? Now?"
Sophie's eyes widened in shock. It was still too early. Everyone would have woken up by now, but she wasn't sure if they were ready to leave yet. Then Elena said something more shocking to Sophie.
"Tell the coachman not to make any stops from now on, and to keep driving the carriage."
"Huh? How are you going to sleep?"
"I can sleep in the carriage."
Sophie forced her mouth shut and didn't ask how Elena could sleep in such an uncomfortable place. There was no reason for Elena to explain why they had to rush to someone's wedding preparations. Sophie was just a maid who followed orders.
'Well…if she gets uncomfortable she'll say it,'
Sophie thought to herself reassuringly. She didn't think that a lady who had never been through hardship could endure such a journey.
"Yes, My Lady. I'll go downstairs and tell them."
Sophie hurried to the room where the knights were staying.
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
200+ Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
0 Đá
Quyền lực Bạn cũng có thể thích
bình luận đoạn văn