Chapter 15

“If you keep using that bow, you might permanently lose use of your arm.”

Until high school, I was what you’d call a student athlete.

A promising archer for my school.

My dream was to one day compete in the Olympics and win a gold medal.

But that dream was shattered in an instant.

—My son was feeling really down and had a drink, okay? But miss, you were just standing around in the dark on the street too, right? So, huh? You share some of the blame too, don’t you?

The drunk driver’s family came to the hospital with brazen faces, demanding a settlement.

—You insane people. Get lost.

Of course I didn’t agree to any settlement.

The judge honored my request for the harshest possible sentence.

But no matter what punishment the offender received, my life couldn’t go back to what it was.

Because that accident forced me to let go of my bow.

I eventually started studying again, got into a decent college, and found a reasonably stable job.

But life after joining society wasn’t smooth either.

Soon after came workplace harassment.

The 37-year-old divorced manager who had confessed to 25-year-old me couldn’t handle rejection, and started bullying me out of spite.

He picked on every little mistake, excluded me from projects, and led others to ostracize me.

He even tried to manipulate me—implying that if I gave in to his feelings, work would be so much easier.

If it hadn’t been for Etias, my favorite from Star of the Revolution, I wouldn’t have made it through.

Watching Etias endure hardship and push through gave me the strength to do the same. I reported that man and got him fired.

When I filed the complaint with recordings and evidence, he cursed me for being a “vicious bitch.”

—Come on, I was just being nice because I liked you! Can’t you let it go? I said I was sorry!

Yeah, right. Pathetic bastard.

“Milady!”

Heros’s startled voice rang out.

Even as I handed over the custom-made bow I had requested, I could see doubt in his eyes.

He probably wondered, “How is a young noblewoman who’s never held a weapon supposed to use this?”

But what he didn’t know—was that I was once a future Olympic archer. A descendant of Korea’s own Jumong.

Handling a bow? Easy.

“I hate ugly bastards.”

The guy who ruined my dreams with drunk driving. The guy who bullied me after his rejected confession. They were all ugly.

“And I hate people whose minds are uglier.”

Just like these scum, bought off by Padelmon and the other relatives, coming after the life of an orphan girl who had just lost her parents.

“So…”

I drew the bowstring again.

“Die.”

The capital office received a report of a disturbance in Dobelton.

As usual, the officer on duty tried to pass off the hassle. Etias took command and led the soldiers there himself.

When they arrived, chaos greeted them—wreckage on the road and two forces locked in battle.

A carriage marked with the Elemoer crest lay overturned.

“…You’ve come to help! Thank goodness!”

A wounded guard in Elemoer armor pointed toward the opposing group.

“Those men attacked Lady Catrin Elemoer!”

Etias’s brow twitched.

He had known about Catrin’s schedule today—it was connected to his revolutionaries.

So this ambush must have happened on her way back from the poorhouse event?

A strange discomfort settled in his chest.

Perhaps it was guilt—his army had accepted help from the Sistina Poorhouse she ran.

“These ones are our allies, no need to stop them.”

The guard gestured to others.

Strangers. If they were that skilled, Etias should have heard of them, but they were unfamiliar.

Mercenaries hired by Catrin?

“……”

There was no time for idle thoughts.

Etias silently drew his sword.

A memory flashed across his mind—Catrin’s smug smile as she hurled sarcastic barbs.

Could she be hurt?

“Krahhh!”

He slashed through an enemy’s chest, who fell to the ground.

Once, twice—his sword moved with practiced precision, his technique flawless and swift.

The capital soldiers rallied behind him, and the already-faltering attackers began to panic.

“Gahk!”

“Ugh!”

More enemies fell, wounded or fleeing.

“Capture the stragglers. Don’t let them escape.”

With that command, Etias approached the overturned carriage and peered through the broken window.

It was empty.

His brows furrowed.

Had something happened to her…?

“Where is the owner of this carriage?”

At his question, a guard answered,

“I believe she escaped toward that brush over there, with her butler protecting her.”

Etias immediately turned and started toward the brush in the direction they had disappeared.

Thwip—thunk.

“Guhhhk.”

A man groaned and collapsed as an arrow struck his shoulder cleanly.

I drew the bow again, thinking,

It really is strange, this body of mine…

Thwip—

Another arrow pierced a man’s thigh. He fell to the ground with a cry of pain.

Sitting with one leg crossed on a tree branch, I drew the string taut, and my lips curled upward with unexpected delight.

“Kahh!”

Another man below cried out in agony.

It had been years since I last held a bow, but even in this new body, the instincts were still alive.

Even more amazing—

My unshakable mindset.

I was hitting people—but instead of fear, I felt more focused. My body moved in sync with the bow.

It was as if the villainess Catrin Elemoer’s body welcomed this sensation.

They say the soul is shaped by the body, after all.

Thwip—thunk!

“Aghhh!”

This time, I hit a man square in the back as he tried to flee.

One, two, three, four, five targets down.

I calmly looked over the fallen men, writhing in pain.

I had coated the arrowheads with a mild paralytic toxin—nothing fatal, but definitely painful.

Grinning wickedly, I aimed my bow at a rustling in the bushes.

Found another one.

As I tightened the bowstring—

Rustle—

A figure stepped out, and I froze.

“…!”

Slowly, I lowered my bow.

Tap. The bow bumped a branch as I descended.

He looked up at me quietly.

Etias…? What is he doing here?

Isn’t he just a government official handling paperwork?

His sea-blue eyes wavered when they met mine.

Leaves rustled gently in the breeze. The hem of my dress fluttered from where I sat on the branch.

The wind seemed to shimmer, wrapping the two of us in its current.

I stared at him for a long moment, then slowly climbed down from the tree.

When my feet hit the ground, the adrenaline and tension ebbed.

Setting the bow at my feet, I walked toward him and stopped.

My heart was pounding.

“…I greet Your High—”

But I suddenly flinched.

Before I could even finish my bow, I rushed toward him and reached out.

My hand touched a shallow cut on his cheek.

What… is this?

Without meaning to, the words burst from my mouth.

“Who the hell did this to you?!”