My power is to find you
That night, the carriage carrying Princess Greta and Fabian entered the palace very quietly.
Riella took care of everything from A to Z.
She calculated the time of their arrival and had the gatekeeper open the gate in advance. She also had the maids of the West Palace leave work early to prevent any rumors from spreading.
The princess and Fabian’s resting place was also neatly arranged. In case they were hungry, they had food ready to eat and water heated for their baths.
“Is it fun when you pity me?”
“Yes.”
When she answered without hesitation, the princess burst into an incredulous laugh, as if she didn’t even have the strength to rip Riella’s hair out.
Riella knew that her consideration would only bring further humiliation to the princess.
Perhaps that was why she had gone out of her way to see her off.
‘Because I want to get revenge like this. Because I want to see you ruined like this with my own eyes…’
“You must be excited, beating me.”
This time, Riella smirked at the princess’s sarcasm.
“Oh. Were we competing? If I had known, I would have been more careful.”
“You think this is the end?”
“No. I don’t want it to be over already when there’s still so much to clean up.”
Riella continued, returning the arrow that Greta had shot.
“The temple sent a letter of cooperation to the imperial palace. They asked that Fabian be sent to the temple detention center.”
Greta’s face, which had been twisted with arrogance the whole time, turned pale again at those words.
“We’re not going to intervene. We’re giving you time. Return to the kingdom and hide Fabian, or return him to the temple. It’s your choice. Either way, I’ll support you. You can consider it as a favor from the winner.”
With those words, Riella leisurely left the room.
As I took a few steps away, a loud noise was heard from inside the room.
There was the sound of Greta struggling. The sound of the table falling over. And there was the sound of Fabian sobbing.
“Are you okay?”
It was a mess inside, and Asion asked Riella with concern.
Riella smiled bitterly without answering and headed towards her room.
Asion escorted Riella to the bedroom door. Since everyone had left work, the entire lake palace was plunged into darkness, but Riella’s bedroom was the only place where the faint light of candles was dim.
“I’ve been waiting.”
A soft, languid, and sorrowful voice.
The moment Herhan, who was lying on the bed and quietly looking at her, came into view, a choking emotion welled up in Riella’s throat.
“I heard everything from Asion. He said you did a very good job.”
“Your majesty….”
“Should I have come with you?”
Riella shook her head vigorously.
“This is better. Your Majesty trusts me and waits for me. Knowing that I have worked harder and done better.”
And so it was.
When he looked at the broken princess and Fabian, she wondered how she could have been so strong, but now she realized it was because of Herhan.
When Riella stood in front of Herhan, the determination she had desperately tried to be dignified disappeared without a trace.
All she wanted to do was fall into his arms.
“Come here.”
At that moment, Herhan reached out and pulled away the blanket next to him.
Riella approached him without saying a word, and Herhan pulled her into a hug that was stronger and tighter than Riella’s.
“Thank you for your hard work, Riella.”
* * *
After Riella gave her time, saying the choice was in her hands.
Greta thought about it for a long time before finally coming to a conclusion the next day.
“The temple people are stupid. They treat Enril’s descendants like they are carriers of a contagious disease! That would never happen. Okay. Let’s go back to the kingdom first.”
“Back to the kingdom?”
“There will surely be those who will recognize your greatness. Yes, there certainly will be. We don’t need a temple or anything. We just need to gather our own power. First, let’s recruit the wealthy people of our kingdom.…”
“Then what will change?”
In a room that was a complete mess, Fabian was sitting on the edge of the bed.
His questions were lower and slower than usual.
Greta guesses he’s a little tired too.
“We have to do this until it changes. Or are we just going to let the Emperor do this to us?”
“What did we suffer from the Emperor?”
But Fabian, who should have bowed his head a long time ago, was different today.
“Are you asking because you don’t know? He is the one who got us into this mess!”
At those words, Fabian’s face twisted in pain.
Greta, not understanding the meaning of his despair, continued to say more.
“It was all the Emperor’s doing. The Emperor knew everything. Don’t you know? He knew from the beginning that I was going to get medicine, so he deliberately overthrew the shadow merchant and cornered me. He deliberately called me here and led me to the temple! Riela is in on it, too. They’re trying to trample on us! How dare they do that to me—!”
“Please stop!”
“…..!”
“Why on earth does it happen like that? Why on earth is it the Emperor’s fault and Riella’s fault? Why do you always blame others for everything?”
Greta was momentarily stunned.
“Are you….mad at me?”
“…..”
“Did you just yell at me?!”
She was so angry that Fabian, who always did what he wanted, resisted her.
It was so outrageous that Greta screamed louder than he did.
“What are you trying to say? Is it all my fault? I’m not the only one at fault, we chose this together!”
“That’s right. It’s our fault. No, it’s my fault. Because I stood by and watched this ridiculous situation unfold.”
“……”
“So I’ll take responsibility.”
At that moment, Greta used her venom again and forgot the words she’d been trying to use to win Fabian over.
‘Take responsibility’. She knew that meant Fabian would leave her alone.
Greta jumped up and grabbed Fabian by the collar.
“No, Fabian. Don’t do that. We’re not wrong. There must be a way. I’ll raise you up, one way or another—”
“Princess, don’t you understand yet? I am not your savior.”
“No, Fabian, you…”
“I’m nothing. You saw it clearly in the temple.”
“So…”
“…..”
“So you’re leaving me?”
“……”
“How dare you! Are you going to abandon me?!”
Fabian slowly pulled Greta’s hand away from the hem of his clothes.
In fact, it was a hand that should have been removed earlier, not now.
“Because I can’t give you what you want…I’m sorry, Princess.”
Greta didn’t shed a single tear, not even a single one. She just stared at Fabian with her bloodshot eyes.
Fabian turned away from the princess.
He didn’t necessarily hurry his steps.
Fabian knew that no matter how slowly he walked away, the princess would not be able to catch him.
* * *
When Fabian came out of the west palace, the sky was already dark.
The red-tinted palace was so beautiful that Fabian felt both sad and happy.
‘This beautiful world is Riella’s world…’
The place he was supposed to be was somewhere on the other side, not here.
‘If I could just see Riella one last time….’
Fabian thought, then shook his head and moved.
As he was walking silently and just about to leave the gate, a carriage came and stopped behind him.
When he caught a glimpse of red hair swaying more beautifully than the sunset behind the carriage, Fabian clenched his fists.
“How are you going to get there by yourself? Do you know the way? You’re so stupid.”
“I know the way. I know everything.”
Riella, standing in front of Fabian, muttered softly, ‘He’s bragging again.’
“I have explained your situation to the temple. The detention center is not such a scary place. They will look after you so that you can live a long life.”
“Yeah. Thank you. Riella.”
“Isn’t it strange, Fabian? When we were together, you were never sick.”
“It’s karma. I guess I’m getting paid back for the pain I’ve caused you.”
Riella didn’t deny it. She didn’t cry or laugh either.
“Goodbye, Fabian.”
Riella simply said goodbye to Fabian in a calm voice.
It was a huge improvement over the years of blaming, arguing, crying, and running away. Riella was getting better at saying goodbye.
“I’ll go.”
Fabian also got into the carriage calmly.
Before the carriage set off, Riella asked him one last question.
“But Fabian. What was your power?”
“…..”
“I have heard that each of Enril’s descendants has a special power. What is your power?”
Fabian, who seemed to be having a ‘grown-up breakup’, eventually squeezed his eyes shut against the rush of emotion, then opened them and smiled.
“Finding you.”
Fabian answered childishly as if he had gone back to the time when he first met Riella.
“My power was to find you, wherever you were, Riella.”
* * *
Six years old. All she remembers is her name, and the words someone said to her.
“You must survive. You must survive. Okay, got it, Riella?”
‘Whose voice was that? Why do I feel so happy and yet so sad when I recall this sad voice?’
Riella was too young to understand and remember all that.
“Help…please.”
Riella’s frail voice was muffled against the wall in front of her, unable to reach the outside world.
There was no way of knowing how long she had been trapped in the collapsed wall.
She didn’t know that this place had been abandoned for a long time. She had simply come to a roofed place to avoid the rain, curled up there, and fell asleep, but when she opened her eyes, everything was pitch black.
“Help me…hiks…”
At an age where she still didn’t know what death was, Riella trembled in a vague fear.
It was at that moment that the wall, which had not moved even when she pushed it with all her might, began to make a sound and produce dust.
“There’s a person…there’s a person here…Please save!”
A layer of the wall was removed and a loud noise was heard outside.
It sounded like a little kid making a fuss and throwing a tantrum.
“It’s in there! Seriously! Get it out of there quickly. Otherwise, Hank is an idiot!”
“Oh, I got it. Fabian. You little punk. It’s dangerous, so get out of the way! Ugh. Why am I doing this?”
“No. I have to look. Oh, it’s not there, it’s here!”
As the wall was removed, a thick cloud of dust rose, causing Riella to cough.
The adults outside, who noticed the noise, removed another layer of wall blocking Riella’s path.
“Wow, here she is. I found her. I saved her!”
When she heard the child’s shout, no longer blocked by any walls, she squeezed her eyes shut and let out a loud sob.
Maybe it was the sudden bright light that hurt her eyes. Or maybe it was the relief of instinctively realizing that she was alive.
“Why are you crying? Are you in pain? Are you okay? You don’t have to cry anymore. I saved you, so you’re okay.”
“Get out of the way, you punk.”
One of the adults said to the little boy.
Someone pulled Riella completely out of the rubble.
The little boy, despite the adults’ scolding, continued to approach Riella, grabbing her hand.
“I am Fabian.”
Only then did Riella raise her head, rubbing her eyes that were stinging from tears and dust, and what she saw were the most beautiful green eyes in the world.
“I saved you, so you’ll go with me, okay?”
* * *
