“Episode 19”
She ran, or practiced horsemanship. Then she felt like she could live. She felt like she could survive.
“But this is not my homeland.”
Imperials had already forgotten how to ride alongside horses. Ereina, for the first time, felt fear as she tightened the reins of her beloved Kendel.
Kendel seemed to sense his owner’s fear as he neighed softly. Ereina sniffled, looking into Kendel’s brown eyes, which she hadn’t seen in a year.
She wished she could blame it on the dust. After tearing her gaze away from Kendel, she looked ahead again.
There, at the far end, stood a beautiful woman. Even though it might have been her first time wearing Northen riding attire, she looked stunning, with no trace of awkwardness. Her hair was neatly tied without a strand out of place, and she looked as delicate as a primrose.
With eyes shining brightly, devoid of fear or any ulterior motive, she looked at Ereina. Ereina couldn’t decipher what her gaze meant. It seemed to encourage her, yet at the same time, it felt devoid of any meaning.
“No, it can’t be devoid of meaning.”
Ereina thought as she tightened the reins with sweaty hands.
She had learned a lot in the past year. People in the capital, especially the nobles, didn’t give without expecting anything in return.
“Why do I want to catch the emperor’s eye? For my pitiful love, Ereina’s sake…” It would be nice to say, but no one helped for such naive reasons.
Ereina looked up, remembering the emperor who had shown interest in her for the first time.
Lucien Bu Ariaque was someone who didn’t need love. Even without love, he could secure the imperial lineage by choosing a partner. Many had jumped at the opportunity presented by the emperor’s choice.
But among them, Ereina was chosen. People said she was the weakest and most fragile among them, lacking dignity as an empress.
But they didn’t know something. Despite being chosen from among those who jumped into the pit, Ereina always felt proud of being chosen.
She loved Lucien Bu Ariaque, and she desired him ardently.
Ereina turned her head towards the young emperor. A faint spark lit up in her determined brown eyes.
“I won’t miss it. It’s a chance you’ve subtly thrown my way.”
Ereyna nodded respectfully to Yuliana across from her. Then, just before the horn blew, she leaped onto Kendel as if taking flight.
—
Ereyna riding atop Kendel seemed as though horse and soul were one.
Riding at an incredible speed, Ereyna effortlessly held a long lance aloft, appearing as swift as the wind itself.
The seemingly docile horse suddenly galloped like a runaway locomotive, and Ereyna, riding gracefully atop, kicked her heels into its sides, urging it to even greater speed.
With one hand holding the reins and the other grasping Lucian’s lance, Ereyna swiftly released the reins as they rounded a turn in the arena.
Clutching the long lance with both hands, she relied solely on the strength of her legs atop the horse.
Remarkably, she effortlessly raised the long lance above her head and swiftly brought it down.
The glinting light momentarily blinded the spectators, filling the arena with a dazzling display of reflected light from the rapidly spinning blade of the lance.
In a mesmerizing display, the lance seemed to dance, but in reality, it was a deadly martial skill.
As everyone watched in awe of her overwhelming prowess, the moment came when Ereyna thrust forward with intense force, and the wind split apart. The split wind, directed by the tip of the lance, cleaved through the row of stone statues arranged in the center of the arena.
Ten statues in a straight line had their heads severed in the same direction.
With a ghostly grace, Ereyna demonstrated both lance and equestrian skills simultaneously, her eyes conveying a resolute determination that belied her seemingly fragile appearance.
Captivated by the queen’s divine strength, the spectators were enthralled in excitement. Watching this spectacle, Yuliana wiped away cold sweat, closing her dizzy eyes.
“…..They said the protagonist in the novel is emotionally fragile, not weak. Even if I have to come back to life five hundred times, I won’t lose.”
She had already accepted defeat in advance.
But since it was a duel, she had to at least put on a show outwardly. It meant she had to pretend to die to spare the queen’s face.
“In the future, useless extras might get involved… If I imply that the queen is on my side, it might help me somehow… Oh, it’s driving me crazy. But seriously, who is this person? Even the ones we’ve seen so far seem like they’re not in their right mind. Is there someone even worse than this?”
Yuliana, not wanting to get entangled in spiraling thoughts, deliberately looked at Ereyna.
Then, an inevitable sentimental thought popped up. Ah. People in love are so pretty like that, she thought, like everyone else.
The thought of Evan crossed her mind even more.
Yuliana knew she had come a long way to truly recognize herself.
The ‘me’ from the past life knew of the love of the man in the novel. It was just a story. A story where love was held but let go because of spoilers.
But the love Evan had shown, witnessed by the ‘me’ who was reincarnated into that world, was not like the love in those stories.
It was affection felt for the first time in the life of an orphan named Isian. The love of the male protagonist who could die or live for her had changed a life that was living meaninglessly.
It was definitely changing. Just thinking about wanting to protect him after only two months…
“Then, do I end up loving him?”
Yuliana thought gloomily.
At that moment, a spiteful glare came down from the sky.
“After just two months… Was I a person worthy of loving someone else?”
Yuliana was engulfed in contemplation.
And during that time, Ereyna’s intense gaze was fixed on one spot.
With a long lance in hand, the queen aimed for the statue, which looked like a small dot from her perspective.
Swish!
The lance pierced the statue with a loud thud.
“Wow!”
The nobles and commoners alike were mesmerized by Ereyna’s overwhelming strength, rolling their feet and clapping their hands joyfully.
Receiving the cheers confidently, she gracefully descended from Kandel. Her long brown hair flowed freely, shimmering with healthy beauty.
On the other hand, Yuliana awkwardly smiled, shrugging her shoulders at the immense power displayed by the queen.
“Hmm… Right now, it’s probably more important not to lose my wits.”
Heeheehee…
Kandel neighed softly, as if knowing his owner’s good mood. Ereyna, feeling happy after a long time, gently stroked Kandel’s muzzle.
Despite the continued applause and cheers directed towards her, Ereyna cautiously raised her head towards the emperor.
Watching her, Yuliana swallowed nervously, following her gaze.
“In the novel, Ereyna personally nominated herself as a candidate for the empress’s consort…”
That’s how the story went until the middle.
Ereyna Walter, a character from the northern countryside, had harbored a secret crush on the emperor for a long time.
Though her humble family couldn’t even nominate her for the empress’s selection ceremony, she made history by nominating herself with her own name, not her family’s.
Upon hearing the news, the emperor chose Ereyna as the empress. However, when they finally met, Ereyna felt embarrassed about her audacious actions.
Could it be because of Ereyna’s unexpected demeanor? The setting was that the emperor didn’t pay attention to the empress.
“Who would’ve thought Ereyna would become the villain.”
Up until the middle of the novel, there were many people who supported the unfortunate Ereyna Walter, who stuttered.
Every time Ereyna appeared in the serialization, there were quite a few readers who called out for her happily, asking to make her happy, sometimes likening her to a cute little sparrow (maybe because of her large brown eyes?).
“But to make the empress a villain just to make the emperor a secondary male lead… I can understand why lala0419 got so upset.”
Yuliana pursed her lips.
“Anyway, seeing Ereyna’s different side might make the emperor see her differently too. Even though she seems a bit weak, she’s a straightforward girl, so she’ll handle it well. I hope Ereyna starts to like me too…”
In fact, things were already getting complicated even before the female lead appeared.
Before the female lead appeared, she divorced the male lead, and her attempts to avoid the men who followed her became increasingly futile after taking a rest at a quiet monastery. Even her wariness towards Evan began to fade.
Yuliana withdrew her gaze from the emperor and bowed to Ereyna, who was approaching closer.
During that time, she had other thoughts, specifically about her husband.
But what interrupted Yuliana’s contemplation was a small voice.
“L-Lady Duchess.”
“Empress Mama.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best.”
Ereyna blushed. Feeling refreshed from the exercise, she seemed much livelier than usual.
“…Well, Empress Mama. If I can’t even swing a sword, I don’t think I can win.”
Moreover, perhaps due to the increased physical exertion compared to usual, even standing was difficult.
Was it the aftereffects of the childhood ordeal? Yuliana whispered, feeling dissatisfied with her body that seemed to collapse at any moment.
“Empress Mama.”
“Yes, yes?”
Ereyna replied sheepishly while patting Kandel’s snout, which was still blowing air. Her demeanor was so bewildering that one might question if she was the same person who had just effortlessly ridden a horse and wielded a spear taller than herself.
Yuliana smiled slyly, meeting her gaze. Ereyna’s petite frame barely reached the chest of the considerably taller Yuliana.
“It’s unfair for someone to be named after the most powerful sun god and still be this cute. That’s cheating.”
Yuliana genuinely praised the empress.
“You were really amazing.”
“I-I’m sorry… Ah! I-I see!”
Ereyna’s face flushed with embarrassment. As her owner seemed displeased with her backward step, Kandel mischievously grabbed her sleeve.
However, Ereyna also had something to say from her perspective. When someone who easily surpasses the world’s aesthetic standards approaches so closely, anyone would react like that.
Ereyna nodded slightly, contemplating the infamous reputation of Lady Yuliana Oven. She soon found herself perplexed.
She was someone who could have easily been idolized without much difficulty if she had lived moderately. But why didn’t Lady Yuliana Oven live like that? Especially with such a likable appearance.
“L-Lady Duchess!”
Ereyna turned back towards Lady Yuliana, who was walking past her.
But before the dust settled, Lady Yuliana had already disappeared from sight.
“Let’s do well, shall we?”
“Hehehe…”
Evan Hillchen’s demon, referred to simply as the Black Demon, chuckled mockingly, as if snickering.
Whether it was Yuliana’s misconception or not, there was definitely an unusual snort emanating from the creature’s nostrils.
As Yuliana mounted the arrogant horse, she stiffened her arms to grasp the reins tightly. She then took a deep, labored breath. The overwhelming fatigue and dizziness made her feel like diving under the covers.
However, she was determined to somehow win Ereyna over to her side. Ereyna was meant to become not a villain, but a useful subject to the lazy Emperor.
“And what about the heroine and Evan…?”
Yuliana suppressed the faint twinge of doubt.
“No, not now.”
She didn’t want to think about it. Rather than intervening in the original novel and changing its course, she just wanted to escape from it and live a different life.
But Evan had changed that. Only Evan Hillchen had transformed the lazy Yuliana Oven.
She had never realized this fact as keenly as she did now. Feeling somewhat melancholic, Yuliana adjusted her posture atop the black demon.
She was initially afraid of the elevated gaze. As if knowing that the rider on her back wasn’t her true owner, the black demon snorted.
“If you don’t want to become horse meat, then stay still. It won’t be bad if you just do as I say.”
Yuliana grumbled to the stubborn black demon.
Meanwhile, the murmuring of the spectators briefly subsided, replaced by a tense silence. Once again, the sound of the horn heralded the beginning of the contest.
“Whooooo!”
“Hyahahaha!”
The powerful black demon surged forward with a mighty force.
The audience watched in breathless anticipation, not knowing what to expect from Lady Yuliana Oven, who was renowned only as a magician. Just as in the Empress’s match, ten statues were sporadically scattered throughout the field.
As Yuliana rode the galloping black demon at terrifying speed, she leaned flat against its back, clinging for dear life. Witnessing this perilous sight, the crowd erupted into screams.
“Goodness!”
