Synopsis and Starting Chapter Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90 - Light And Shadow>
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112 - The Morning Comes>
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118 - After The Storm
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132 -
Chapter 133
Chapter 134 - Epilogue 1.3
Chapter 135 - Epilogue 2.1: Traces Of Life
Chapter 136
Chapter 137 - Epilogue 2.3
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Chapter 141 - Epilogue 4.1: Ever After>
Chapter 142 - Epilogue 4.2
Chapter 143 - Epilogue 4.3
Chapter 144 - Epilogue 5.1>
Chapter 145 - Epilogue 5.2
Chapter 146 - The Most Romantic Weekend>
Chapter 147 - Short Stories 1.2
Chapter 148 -
Chapter 149 -
Chapter 150 -
Chapter 151 -
Chapter 152 -
Chapter 153 -
Chapter 154 - Short Stories 3.1: Unexpected Things Happen>
Chapter 155 - Short Stories 3.2>
Chapter 156 -
Chapter 157 -
Chapter 158 -
Chapter 159 -
Chapter 160 -
Chapter 161 - Short Stories 5.1: The Man Behind The Mask>
Chapter 162
Chapter 163
Chapter 164 -
Chapter 165 -
Chapter 166
Chapter 167 - Short Stories 6.2
Chapter 168 - Short Stories 6.3
Chapter 169
Chapter 170
Chapter 171
Chapter 172
Chapter 173
Chapter 174
Chapter 175
Chapter 176
Chapter 177
Chapter 178
Chapter 179
Chapter 180
Chapter 181
Chapter 182
Chapter 183
Chapter 184
Chapter 185
Chapter 186
Chapter 187
Chapter 188
Chapter 189 (End)
Categories Genre: All, Completed, Fantasy Status: Completed ______
Total Chapters in book: 189
Estimated words: 290059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1450(@200wpm)___ 1160(@250wpm)___ 967(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 290059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1450(@200wpm)___ 1160(@250wpm)___ 967(@300wpm)
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LIST OF LAST 10 CHAPTERS:
Page No. 189 Page No. 188 Page No. 187 Page No. 186 Page No. 185 Page No. 184 Page No. 183 Page No. 182 Page No. 181 Page No. 180 Page No. 179 Chapter 124
Chapter 124:
Lucretius had shown me a few of the secret paths already in the past. With them, he managed to sneak in during the recent rebellion, and he also used the path to assassinate his father, the former emperor.
I became excited at the prospect of an adventure.
“So can we really leave the castle through the secret paths?’
He nodded. “Yes.”
As Lucretius put on a worn-looking cloak, Samantha looked worried.
“Y, your highness!”
When I agreed to his idea, Lucretius called for Samantha so she could help me get ready. The way he talked to her, it sounded like he had done this many times before.
Samantha tried to dissuade Lucretius and me desperately, but it was no use. Lucretius replied, “There is no threat to Bina and I anymore. Besides, I can take care of us.”
“But your highness’ injury hasn’t healed yet!”
I knew he wouldn’t listen to her. I wasn’t either.
I grabbed the clothes Samantha was holding and put them on. Lucretius and I laughed together as we became excited about our escapade.
Samantha begged again, “If you must go out… Then please take a guard with you for protection.”
Lucretius shook his head. “No, that’s not necessary. We’ll be fine.”
Suddenly, the door opened, and a guard walked in. I knew this man. He was one of the royal guards and was the chief of Lucretius’ personal protection team.
I also saw him fight during the recent rebellion. Lucretius told me later that he was the one who saved him after he was injured by the rebels.
The knight wasn’t wearing his normal silver armor. Instead, he was wearing normal clothes a commoner would wear like Lucretius and me.
Lucretius shouted, “Samantha! Did you call Sir Clark here?”
Samantha nodded coolly. “Yes. Your highness is still wounded, and you are taking your lady with you. I couldn’t stand by and watch. You can’t leave unless you let Sir Clark accompany you.”
Samantha seemed determined. I had seen that face before. She looked just like how my mom looked when I asked to go on an overnight trip with my friends.
In the end, Samantha won.
It wasn’t our plan, but it didn’t matter. This was our first date outside of the castle.
I felt my heart beating fast.
***
“You will stay far away from us.”
As we passed the secret path, Lucretius ordered his knight.
“Yes, your highness.”
As soon as we left the castle, Sir Clark disappeared. I knew he must be somewhere near enough just in case, but no matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t find him.
Lucretius chuckled and asked, “Does his presence bother you?”
I nodded and kept looking.
Where was he?
“I don’t see him anywhere.”
He smiled and replied, “Don’t worry. He is following us from nearby, but not so near that he can hear our conversations.”
“Really?”
When I asked excitedly, he nodded. “So it is basically just the two of us, and… you won’t be able to find him, or else he needs to find another job.”
However, I couldn’t help but keep looking. I turned towards an alleyway and studied the area.
“Still…”
Suddenly, Lucretius held my shoulder gently and whispered to my ear.
“By the way, you need to stop making be jealous.”
“J, jealous?”
“You keep looking for another man… How could I not get jealous?”
My face became hot.
Why was he always trying to embarrass me?
He added in a low voice.
“A man’s jealousy can be… very aggressive and ugly. If you want to see what happens, go for it.”
“I, it’s fine! I don’t want to see it!”
He smiled in satisfaction. I found him so annoying that I considered complimenting Sir Clark, but I decided against it. It was a bad idea.
Who knew what he would do?
What if Lucretius gave the poor man a hard time?
Instead, I took his arm and started to walk with him.
“Now, let’s go!”
This was our first date. A real date. I wanted to have fun.
We headed towards the city center.
***
Except for the year I spent in Aeal, the rest of my time was spent in Cransia’s capital Rombrook. However, despite it, I had never seen how regular people of this land lived.
Today, I did. I gaped when I saw the city.
Rombrook was a huge town. Even compared to modern day Korea, it was big.
There were so many people and tall buildings. Not as tall as the contemporary buildings in Korea, but still quite large. The city was filled with people even though it was late in the evening. With all the lights, it didn’t even feel like it was night.
I exclaimed in pleasure, “Wow!”
Lucretius said to me proudly, “What do you think? It’s great, right?” He then whispered to me, “This is the country I rule.”
He sounded so smug I couldn’t help replying haughtily, “This is nothing. My homeland’s capital is ten times bigger and fancier than this place.”
I knew I was being petty, but I didn’t like losing. Besides, it was true. Seoul was a big city. I wondered how Lucretius would react if he saw it.
… I guess it didn’t matter since it would never happen.
He shook his head. “No way. You’re exaggerating.”
“No, I’m not! I’m telling the truth.”
He placed his finger on my lips and shook his head. “I know how you like to exaggerate.”
“You…!”
When I was about to yell, Lucretius’ expression changed suddenly, and he pulled me close.
“Huh?!”
When I turned around, I saw a drunk coming nearby. He fell and broke a glass bottle, making sharp pieces fly everywhere.
Lucretius pulled me close to protect me.
He asked gently, “Are you okay?”
My cheeks felt warm. I turned away from him and nodded. “Y, yes.”
He guided me to safety, and it made me feel like a princess being protected by a knight.
I, I liked it. A lot.
I used to be big on being an independent woman.
Who needs a man?
Who needs romance?
That used to be me. In the past, I also made sure not to lead anyone on falsely. Lucretius, especially, used to not be on my radar as a candidate for romance.
However… Now that I admitted my feelings for him, I began to notice how well he treated me. They were little things, but they made me feel… special. I was happy.
Our past didn’t matter. I didn’t care what he did or what he was like before.
I wasn’t so naïve that I believed we would feel this strongly about each other forever. There was a saying that love usually expires in three years. Afterward, many couples remain with each other out of loyalty and affection.
Lucretius and I had known each other only for half a year. We officially started our romantic relationship very recently.
However, I knew to worry about how we may feel in a few years or decades was pointless. I needed to learn to enjoy the moment.
Therefore, I decided to revel in this feeling. I decided to be honest about my love for him and accept him with an open heart.
We held each other’s hands and roam the city. Many walked past us, but no one paid any attention to us. At least for this night, we were one of them.
While we walked, I noticed a café with a beautiful second-floor terrace. I insisted on stopping by because, after an hour of walking, my legs were getting tired.
I wasn’t sure, but I assumed we were on the busiest part of the town. The seat on the second-floor terrace would have been very expensive. When I looked up, it was already occupied.
However, somehow, Lucretius was able to get us the exact spot I wanted. I didn’t know how he did it. He just talked with the owner of the café for a few minutes before taking me upstairs arrogantly.
“Now, let me escort you, my lady.”
I took his hand and climbed the stairs expectantly. When we arrived, the table was cleaned up for us. I was sure there were customers already occupying this spot, so how did Lucretius accomplish this?
In fact, the entire second floor was empty and this all happened in ten minutes.
How was this possible?
If we were still in the castle, it would have made sense, but we were in the city pretending to be nobodies.
Well, perhaps he paid a lot of money. I decided not to ask about it since I didn’t want to ruin the mood.
I wanted to just enjoy the night.
Of course, I ended up finding out about it soon enough.
Total Chapters in book: 189
Estimated words: 290059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1450(@200wpm)___ 1160(@250wpm)___ 967(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 290059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1450(@200wpm)___ 1160(@250wpm)___ 967(@300wpm)
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