For the One Who Hates Me - Chapter 5

Aura woke up groggily in the bed. It was already dawn outside.

Karl was sleeping soundly beside her, completely defenseless. The pale dawn light gave his face a ghostly glow. For a moment, he looked like the boy she used to know.

Suddenly, she remembered their conversation from earlier.

“Karl, are you… do you still like me?”

“What if I do? What would change?”

Aura whispered to Karl, “…A lot would change.”

The moment he thought he had possessed her, she planned to disappear like a mirage, turning the hope he had just dreamed of on this very bed into pure hatred. She would inflict that wound and vanish forever.

‘He wants me to be an empress, now?’

Aura whispered to Karl once more. “No. I won’t give you… anything you want.”

Aura looked out the window. Snow was falling heavily. What bad luck.

She carefully lowered her legs from the bed.

“!”

An intense pain shot through her lower body. Aura glared at Karl. She hated how he was sleeping so soundly, completely oblivious after what he had done.

“Haa…” She took a deep breath, got up, and put on her clothes. It was just a thin housecoat, but she had no other choice. This was her only chance.

She reached her hand under the sofa. Her fingers found the cold scalpel.

Aura stared at the shiny blade. “A spoon? Were you trying to kill someone with that? No. You can’t, Aura.”

‘You’re right, Karl.’

Even when she had stabbed Karl with the dagger, she knew he wouldn’t die from it. ‘But I’m prepared to die.’

Aura gripped the scalpel tightly and left the room. One of Karl’s closest knights was standing outside her door.

“Your Highness, is something wrong?”

“What’s your name?”

“Josh Garnet.”

“Alright, Josh.” Aura instantly pressed the scalpel against her neck.

“Y-Your Highness?”

“Lower your voice. I’ll stab myself if you say one more word.”

A line of blood trickled from her neck. Josh’s face was filled with horror.

“If I die because of you, Karl will be very pleased.”

Josh shut his mouth, his face on the verge of tears. He raised his hands in a gesture of submission.

“Get me a horse. Right now.”

“A horse? From where?”

“Be quiet.” Aura pressed the scalpel deeper. It looked like blood would gush out at any moment. Josh nodded quickly.

“Lead me to where the horses are. Take a path where no one will see us.”

Josh had no choice but to guide Aura down the knights’ private stairs. They managed to reach the stables without being seen, a feat possible only in the early morning.

Josh brought out a horse. Aura gestured for him to follow her toward the back gate of the palace. The snow crunched with every step.

“Open the gate.”

“Your Highness…”

“Now.”

Josh had never been in such a predicament. He sighed and went to the guard, saying something to him. When the guard moved aside, Josh opened the door himself.

Screeeech…

The palace gate swung open. Aura stared blankly at the world beyond. If she passed through that gate, she would be free from Karl. She would never return.

“The horse.” Josh offered her the reins. The three golden buttons on his sleeve shimmered. Aura casually tore them off.

“…! Your Highness?”

“I’ll borrow these, Josh.”

Josh was completely dumbfounded. Blackmail, extortion… What kind of princess consort was this?

Aura mounted the horse and rode out the gate.

“Close the door.”

Josh obediently closed it.

“Don’t move from there until I’ve disappeared.”

He nodded. Aura spurred the horse and rode away. She disappeared into the thick snow. As soon as she was out of sight, Josh turned and ran at full speed.

A moment later, he burst into the princess consort’s room. Karl was still asleep. Josh was baffled. How could he sleep so deeply? How could he not know someone was leaving right beside him?

But there was no time to be surprised.

“Your Majesty.”

At Josh’s voice, Karl’s eyes snapped open. He felt for the person next to him and sat up.

“Aura.”

“She has left the palace.”

“…Damn it.”

Karl ran a hand over his forehead. His dark eyes glinted coldly between his long fingers.

“Catch her. She’ll have gone to Ansena.”

“Yes, I will leave at once.”

Josh ran out. Karl remained sitting there in silence for a moment.

His back was stinging. He reached a hand behind him and felt his back. There were several long, thin scratches. The moment he realized what they were, Karl let out a sharp laugh.

“Hah!”

Now he understood. He understood why she had spent the night with him. Why she had trembled in his arms but never once told him to stop. This emptiness and fury welling up in him—that’s what she had so desperately wanted to give him. She had thrown herself away so foolishly just to do it. And her attempt… had been a resounding success. It was perfectly, exquisitely executed. Karl’s insides were churning with an unbearable rage.

‘I can’t escape him, so I’ll discard him instead,’ is that it?

He could almost hear Aura’s voice. “Karl, are you sure you can stop now?”

Karl asked the question to his present self. The answer was still the same.

‘No.’

He had no intention of stopping just because he had been abandoned once. His men would catch her soon enough. When she returned, he would make sure she knew exactly what she had messed with.

Karl was about to get out of bed when he saw the heavy snow falling outside the window.

“Haa… Of all times.”

He frowned and got dressed. He opened his closet, pulled out two fur cloaks, and went outside. He headed for the stables. Knights were already mounting their horses.

“Your Majesty?”

“I’m coming with you.”

“Your Majesty, it’s too dangerous to leave the palace now.” Theo, the chief aide, tried to dissuade him. It had only been a few days since Karl had taken the throne. It was an unstable time to leave.

“Then you can stay and take responsibility.”

“What…?”

Karl vaulted onto Theo’s horse and rode out of the stables. The knights hurried to follow him. When they were out of the palace gates, the thickening snow blurred their vision. Karl asked Josh, “What was the Princess Consort wearing?”

“A simple housecoat.”

“…We need to hurry.”

Karl spurred his horse toward Ansena.

The snow stopped in the morning. Aura’s clothes were soaked from the night. Still, she rode and rode across the plains. Ansena was not far now.

“Haa…” She stopped for a moment and blew on her hands. They were chapped and numb from the cold.

Karl would have a handle on the situation by now. He would have figured out she was heading to Ansena.

‘Even so, I have to check on the people of Zenia. Even if I have to leave for somewhere else right after.’

Taking care of her people was a royal’s duty. Or perhaps, it was the last shred of her pride as a princess. At least one thing was a relief: Karl wouldn’t follow her himself. There was no way the emperor would leave the palace at a time like this.

Perhaps Karl would give up on Aura entirely. He might just laugh and shake off the woman who had thrown herself at him just to hurt him.

“…” She felt a pang of sadness but quickly shook her head. This was no time for sentimentality.

A short while later, she arrived in Ansena. A massive slum spread out before her. The people of Zenia were sitting around bonfires, without homes. Some were selling their goods, but they were just shabby stalls.

But something was off. ‘There’s no trace of magic.’

Zenia had the most magicians on the continent. Wherever Zenia’s people gathered, magic was usually visible.

Just then, “P-Please, forgive me!”

“Give it to me now!”

A man was huddled on the ground, clutching a loaf of bread. Men in blue cloaks were trying to take it from him. ‘Those men in the cloaks… They look like a self-defense force.’

The man clung to the bread desperately. “M-My child is very sick. If they don’t eat something today, they’ll die!”

“I pity your situation, but if we show mercy to everyone, the order will collapse. Let go!” The vigilante took the bread and handed it to a baker.

“Ugh… sniff…” The man knelt on the ground and sobbed. The vigilantes turned away somberly and left.

The man stumbled into an alley. He picked up a discarded glass bottle and smashed it against a wall.

Crash!

The jagged pieces of glass glistened. “Yes, if I’m going to die anyway…”

As he wiped his tears and turned around, Aura was blocking the alley entrance.

“W-What is it? Get out of my way! Do you want to die?” The man brandished the bottle.

Aura didn’t even blink. She tossed one of the golden buttons on the ground. “You should be ashamed.”

The man’s eyes widened. Gold. It was enough to feed his entire family for a month.

“Feed your child. And the other hungry children around you. Don’t forget the shame of this day.”

“H-Hic… Sob!” The man collapsed. He clutched the golden button and sobbed uncontrollably.

Aura’s heart sank at the horrible sight. He must have been an ordinary family man before Zenia was destroyed. Three years of being a slave had ruined them all.

‘I need to meet the leader of the vigilantes. That’s the fastest way to figure out what’s going on.’

Aura left the alley and looked around. She spotted the men in the blue cloaks in the distance and quickly followed them.

“Hello.”

The vigilantes turned around. A woman dressed like a noble, riding a well-fed horse. But she was too thin, and her appearance was haggard. They looked at her with suspicion.

“Who are you?”

“I’d like to meet your leader.”

“Huh. Who do you think you are? Get out of here!” one of the vigilantes snapped, sounding annoyed. The incident with the man had clearly put them on edge.

Aura hesitated. It had been so long since she’d said these words, it felt strange.

“I am Aura, the Princess of the royal family of Zenia.”

At that moment, the faces of the vigilantes were replaced with a look of awe and recognition. They finally recognized the princess.

“P-Princess!”

“Your Highness…!”

They started to kneel. Aura put a finger to her lips.

“Shh. Get up.”

She didn’t want to cause a scene here, especially with the imperial guard possibly on their way.

“Take me to your leader at once.”

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