11-13 minutes?25.07.2022

Judith, who trudged to the outskirts of the Knights, washed her face three times by the well.

Her whole body trembled. Her ears were cold as if they were going to fall off.

“Prince William..”

Her heart felt heavy.

Who’s next in line? Who will be the next emperor? When such words came out, there were two names that one thought of first.

Olga, the first princess, and William, the third prince.

Olga is the eldest daughter born with the greatest love of the emperor.

She was a knight of the order of the blue knights, an order that only accepted those descended from an imperial, or noble bloodline. It was Olga, the first princess, who won the position.

However, when the first princess became ill, people began to mention other names for the throne.

It was the third prince William.

The next in line was the third prince who can handle people. It was said publicly.

Even his personality was wonderful.

Third Prince William had the power to attract people.

He was neither too clever nor naive, and he took care of his people.

But Heaven did not allow the third prince everything.

‘If he had been in good health, he would have been the Crown Prince.’

The third prince was weak.

William, who had been weak since birth, began to suffer even more when he became an adult.

As his immune system was greatly weakened, black spots appeared all over his body, and he spit out blood.

At one time he was on the verge of dying without a priest to provide divine healing.

In the meantime, the first and second princes criticized and undermined him, nibbling away at the base of his influence.

The emperor slowly began to move away from the third prince.

The time it took to get there was six years if Judith remembered correctly.

6 years until the order to kill the 3rd Prince was issued to cut off all possibilities.

Judith obeyed orders. She did it because it was ordered. Did it thinking about the 7 million gold that were going to roll in.

Splash!

She shoved her face in the bucket once again.

Bubbles came up.

The skin on his face was cold as if it were going to fall off, but Judith held on until it was hard to breathe.

She raised her face before long.

Water drops fell all at once with a loud sound.

“Whew, huu, huu.”

Is it because I held my breath? I heard a ringing in my ear. She felt dizzy for a moment, so she touched her forehead.

It was a form of self-harm, but there was no one to point it out.

After wiping the water, she exhaled loudly.

I’m afraid.

I don’t like it.

I want to run away.

Maybe all this is a trap for me.

What if William remembers me killing him?

It felt like her bottomless imagination was looking down on her. Judith shuddered as misfortune seemed to grin at her.

She’d never felt this way before.

Even if you gave her a knife and told her to kill William, she wouldn’t even want to touch the knife. It made her want to throw the knife to the other side.

Her eyes sank heavily with old memories.

She remembers the day she tried to kill the 3rd Prince.

For some reason, Olga, the 1st princess, visited the 3rd prince’s palace and recommended that the vigilance be strict.

Judith succeeded in overshadowing Olga’s concerns.

She broke through strict boundaries and killed the prince, then ended up losing her own life for money.

‘.. Can’t I plaster my memories?’

Cover it with a new white one, and let it harden by itself over time.

If she could get rid of what she did, she’d pay cash to the temple.

For the first time in her life, Judith understood the hearts of the people who were donating. It was a useless understanding.

‘It’s decided anyway.’

The 4th Prince’s orders cannot be ignored. Knowing this, Judith felt that her actions were useless.

She, who killed the 3rd Prince because she was blinded by the bounty, was now escorting him.

A sense of guilt flooded in.

Her unforgivable one-sided guilt exhausted her.

Her guilt is an undeniable and inescapable feeling. It somehow chases after her and attacks her heart.

How much longer does she have to feel this way?

Probably until she quits the Imperial Knights.

And now she was not in a position to resign.

‘He’s good at picking people.’

The Fourth Crown Prince Eden is insignificant compared to his brothers, but he also has a known advantage. It is that he has a good eye.

Coincidentally or not, Eden had found the right person.

If it is the third prince and not anyone else, Judith will protect him even if her teeth are all gone.

For the sake of atonement

‘It’s gonna be okay.’

Soon Judith spoke to herself as if someone was listening.

The Duchy of North Carolina is not far away.

It’s four or five hours away, and it’s hard to follow, but it’s not even a few days’ march.

‘He did say it was a light trip.’

It’s going to be okay.

She didn’t have any memories of there being a major affair in the Imperial Family or the Knights Orders during this time.

Judith barely calmed down and headed for the room.

And she met a person who was waiting for her in front of the knights’ quarters.

“Judith!”

“Violet?”

“Something has happened. Calipa..!”

There are not many people who will cry like that, and there are not many good reasons for that.

With a different complexion, Judith ran after Violet. There was no hesitation in her mind.

***

It was pure coincidence that Violet discovered Calipa.

“I was going to share the cutlets, but I..”

Calipa, lying on Violet’s bed, was breathing heavily with a pale face.

There was a foul smell in her irregular breath.

As soon as she smelled it, Judith figured out what had happened to her.

“Violet, where are the threads and needles? And can you go to the restaurant and get me some lemon and water? If you can’t give it to me..”

“I’ll ask Raymon to steal it! The needle is in the desk drawer!”

Violet quickly left the room.

She didn’t get any explanations, but Judith was grateful to her friend who believed in her and moved first.

Judith sat on the bed and unveiled Calipa.

Usually, Calipa, who hated someone even touching her body, was quiet.

“Calipa, wake up. Calipa.”

“....”

Calipa reacted but faintly.

“Calipa. If you can hear me, bend your fingers twice.”

Slowly but twice. Her left pinky moved.

‘Thank God. She’s conscious.’

Judith took the needle out of the drawer, and poked one of Calipa’s fingers.

Dark red blood poured out. Blood soon stained her uniform, but Judith didn’t care.

‘This can be detoxified in no time.’

A distinctive foul smell that appears when consumed. This is a characteristic of the Arima fruit, which is colorless and odorless and has paralyzing poison.

When she was a knight, Judith also went through this training.

The training and internal discipline of the Black Knights are often unknown to the outside world.

Paralysis poison adaptation training with Arima fruit was one of them.

Kill at all costs.

Survive at all costs.

The two absolute unwritten rules of the black knights sometimes condoned inhumane acts.

‘I can’t let her do this.’

If you quit being an imperial knight for something you don’t want to go through right away, you’ll surely regret it.

Can she completely turn away from the guilt of leaving Violet and Calipa alone?

“You can’t sleep,Calipa, hold on a little longer.”

“....”

Judith clenched her teeth and held Calipa’s hand.

About fifteen minutes later, Violet opened the door and came in.

“I brought it!”

Judith sliced ??the lemon and placed the softest part in Calipa’s mouth.

And she let the water run in her mouth over time.

“..Dit, Violet..”

It took an hour for Calipa to be completely detoxified.

Only then did Judith sigh.

Judith forced Khalifa to lie down.

Arima fruit has very strong paralytic poison.

Even if you eat as much as the size of your thumbnail, three or four grown men will be in pain for nearly 12 hours.

“Okay, I’m okay.. now.”

“You’re not okay. Lie down.”

It looks like an apricot, so it was easy to lose your life if you ate it all in one bite without even washing it.

“Calipa. Sleep here tonight.”

Judith said, covering her with a blanket.

“But this isn’t my dorm room...”

“No, Judith is right. It’s all right, so go to bed.”

Violet interrupted in a hurry.

Calipa groaned but tried to get out of bed by rolling.

However, each time Judith forced him to lie down, he could not get out of bed.

Judith brushed his friend’s white blonde hair to one side.

“But if I don’t go back to my accommodation..”

“Say you’ve been to the duchy. It won’t be a big deal if you’re away from the dorm for a day. Who’s gonna question you?”

“.....”

“Listen to me, they won’t care.”

Judith spoke stronger than usual.

No matter how strict the Black Knights were, they wouldn’t drive a princess away just because she left her dormitory for one day.

There were plenty of ways to get around.

In the end, Calipa nodded helplessly. Relief was visible on Violet’s face.

“It’s weird..”

“What?”

“Judith, I think you’ve changed lately..”

“.....”

At that moment, Judith, who was wiping Calipa’s fingers with a wet towel, paused.

“Yeah, I’ve changed lately, I’ve become a little more friendly. Right.”

“..yes.”

“I’m the same as usual. Don’t say anything weird. Violet, get some more blankets for her.

Judith moved his hand again, as if nothing had happened.

A faint smile appeared on Khalifa’s expressionless face, but somehow Judith had a hard time watching it.

‘I wish I had persuaded Khalifa.

Don’t go to the Black Knights. Bring out your horse and ask.’1

But Judith knew the limits of her voice. Even Calipa wasn’t nice enough to let go of revenge.

‘I knew it. I have to climb higher.’

Laying a blanket on the floor, Judith thought so.

Calipa’s breathing was still a bit unstable.

‘At least away from Jermel.. High enough to pull Calipa from the Order of the Black Knights.’

Violet was killed by beasts, and Calipa committed suicide. And even the 3rd prince she killed with her own hands.

‘Don’t run away again.’

Judith stroked the nape of her neck.

Her stigma, untied from her bandages and hidden in a black choker necklace, whispered to her every morning.

Don’t forget

Don’t forget that the choices you make will change your destiny.

Destiny is the result of the accumulation of small choices. So.....

‘I’ll do my best to change. This time for sure.’

It was an opportunity to go from being a killer to being a protector.

If she stretches out her hand out to the ones she turned away from, it will definitely change.

“Are you all right now?”

“Yeah.. Judith, your hands are warm, so it’s nice.”

Calipa said in a dazed voice.

“Then get some sleep. I’ll stay with you.”

“..thank you.”

Instead of answering “You’re welcome,” Judith had a warm smile on her lips.

I should thank you.

Before she knew it, she felt calm.

——————

TL Notes ( ′ ? ` )

Manhwa chapter: 21