CH 3

On a bright sunny morning, an unexpected visitor arrived at the monastery.

“Eleni-sama! I am Korya, sent by Duke Uranos for the first time to meet you.”

The young knight, who was shouting with a clear and distinct voice towards the door of the monastery, had a very serious expression, probably a splendid knight on a mission driven by a sense of duty. It reminded me of the handsome knights I used to see in the castle.

While I was pulling water from the well near the monastery, I called out to Korya from the side.

“That would be me, Eleni.”

“Oh, wow?! Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude!”

“No worries. Please wait a moment. I’m going to put down the buckets of water.”

I carried two water buckets and headed towards the back of the monastery, but Korya blocked my way.

“I’ll take that for you. Which way should I go?”

“No, I can’t let a knight like you do such a menial task.”

“What are you talking about? As a princess, Eleni-sama, I cannot let you do such trivial things.”

“I’m just a nun here.”

Ignoring Korya’s outstretched hand, I walked towards the back of the monastery.

It must have been about 10 years since I last met someone who treated me like a princess.

But I wonder what Korya’s business was. I can’t think of a reason why a knight would come all the way to this remote place on orders from my father, Duke Uranos. If he wanted to kill me, he wouldn’t bother to introduce himself, and if he treated me like a princess, did that mean he saw some value in me as a princess?

I didn’t want to think about it. Whatever the reason may be, interrupting my current peaceful life would not be a blessing to me. That’s all I could think of. After sluggishly pouring water from the bucket into the water bottle at the water source, I reluctantly went back to Korya. I was filled with a strong desire to postpone any bad news as much as possible.

Brushing off the hem of my tunic, I arrived in front of Korya, who was still standing in front of the monastery door.

“Could you tell me more about this?”

“Ah! Since this might take a while, let’s find a calm place to talk.”

“As you can see, the monastery is in ruins. It is, in fact, a women-only space, and there is no place to sit and calm down. My little cabin, which I use as a bedroom, would be better, but I can’t let gentlemen in.”

“Oh, I see! Sorry about that. I’ll tell you about it here!”

The restless Korya cleared his throat and spoke with a serious attitude.

“His Grace Uranos has ordered me to take his daughter, Eleni-sama, to the castle. Currently, envoys from the Styx Kingdom are staying there and they seem to be looking for Eleni-sama.”

“Envoys from the Styx Kingdom? Why me?”

I asked a very natural question. When was the last time I heard the name of the great Styx? It had been so long that it was an entirely different world for me. Why would they be looking for me then?

Korya answered me honestly.

“I heard the rumor that you’re going to be married to Prince Athanasios Cypnimus of the Styx Kingdom!”

——What? What are you talking about?

Under the blue sky, Korya the young knight rejoiced as if it were his own news.

“Eleni-sama is getting married into the Styx Kingdom! This is a happy event!”

“Hmm.”

Korya was perplexed by my lackluster response.

“What’s wrong? This is a great opportunity! The Styx Kingdom is the largest country on the continent, and is hailed as the most majestic and pure holy land with a sanctuary that is second to none. I’ve never been anywhere else besides here, but it’s nothing compared to the metropolis of the Uranos Principality.”

“What am I supposed to do once I get there?”

“What do you mean… um.”

Korya stumbled over his words. I pressed on.

“Why do I have to go?”

“Well, um, that…”

“Why would the Styx Kingdom even consider me as a wife to the Prince?”

“I-Is it because of an oracle?”

“An oracle?”

I was amazed.

So, the god who did not save my mother is now telling me what to do?

Korya, who could not possibly understand my true intentions, must have thought I was doubting the oracle. He probably thought I was questioning its validity.

Korya began to persuade me.

“But, Styx Kingdom is serious about this. They are searching for a woman who received a divine oracle, a maiden named Eleni Galanis from the Uranos Principality. I only heard about it up to that point, but His Grace, Duke Uranos, responded to their request. So…”

“Is that why I have to be handed over like a piece of property?”

My words silenced Korya.

I was abandoned by my father. He had abandoned my mother’s homeland, my mother, and me. And now, he’s trying to call me back for the most despicable reason – because a complete stranger, a prince from the Styx Kingdom, is searching for me. He has never shown any love or sympathy for his daughter. If he had any love in his heart, he should have come to see me a long time ago, apologized for his wrongs, mourned my mother’s death, and loved me as his daughter.

To my surprise, Duke Uranos chose to hand over his daughter like a tool. I couldn’t help feeling disappointed and angry.

But there was no point in taking my anger out on Korya, who was just running for errands. I knew that too well. So I suppressed my feelings and tried to calmly accept the proposal.

“I understand. Please wait a moment while I prepare. Do we have to walk to the castle?”

“Yes, I’m sorry. I wish I could have arranged a carriage, but the road is quite rough and I even had to turn back with my horse halfway through.”

“I see. Yes, it was a rough path.”

I remembered walking the very arduous path from the castle to the monastery when I was a child. Even if my legs gave out and I stumbled, I was forced to walk, and sometimes a servant had to carry me on their back, but it was still a terrible mountain road that made me nauseous even to think about.

Now I had to go back the other way. Even though it was different from back then, I didn’t feel excited about it.

I put my meager belongings in a bag and left the monastery with Korya, the young man waiting in front of the monastery’s door.

There was no sentimentality. There was nothing left to regret from my ten years spent in this monastery or from my childhood.