The Princess’s Final Wish Before Her Time Runs Out - Chapter 115

The journey had gone smoothly so far. With the season shifting toward spring, the weather remained pleasant and mild.

However, once they entered the Membroux Mountain range, everything began to change. The skies, clear for days, suddenly darkened as if the sunshine had been a lie all along.

“The weather’s turning ominous.”

Heinz, riding ahead on horseback, glanced up at the sky before calling toward the carriage. A moment later, the carriage window opened and Rashid looked out.

He, too, studied the sky. Clouds had gathered in thick layers, turning the entire sky a heavy shade of grey.

“Looks like it’ll be dark soon.”

Rashid didn’t reply. He quietly closed the window. Not long after, the carriage came to a stop.

“It’s too dangerous to camp deep in the mountains with the Lady,” Heinz said, approaching as Rashid stepped out of the carriage. The knight driving the carriage nodded in agreement.

Bringing a trained knight instead of a regular coachman had proven wise. The atmosphere inside Membroux Mountain was unnerving.

Though Rashid was familiar with the terrain, even he felt it—something was different this time.

“How far are we from the place you think the sanctuary might be?” he asked.

“We’d still need at least a full day to reach it. If it were just the two of us on horseback, we could be there by midday. But with the Lady in the carriage…”

Heinz’s gaze briefly flickered toward the carriage before returning to Rashid.

“And to be honest, we’ve never gone that deep into the mountain. It’s hard to say for certain how far exactly.”

“I suppose we’re lucky no beasts have shown up.”

“Yes. Probably because the Hespelt knights cleared the area during training before the war.”

From time to time, they still sensed wild presences, but once Rashid or Heinz heightened their guard, those threats quickly vanished.

“Let’s keep moving,” Rashid said simply, before turning back to the carriage.

Outside, Heinz and the knight exchanged a few more words before the carriage began to roll once again.

Inside the carriage, Rashid closed his eyes, stilling his breath. Silence settled. Only one sound broke through—a faint breath.

Not his own.

A soft, delicate breath that said one thing: she was still alive.

Rashid opened his eyes and looked at the person lying beside him. Her pale face, drained lips, golden-brown hair longer than before.

He watched her in silence before leaning against the side of her bed.

“Tericia.”

“…”

“My lady.”

No answer. No matter how he called her, she never responded.

But that was fine. He could wait. The end of this waiting was near.

“Just hold on a little longer. We’re almost there.”

A bitter smile tugged at his lips as he murmured the words.

Tap.

A quiet footstep she hadn’t meant to make echoed through the hall. The girl froze and ducked behind a pillar.

Fortunately, the boy walking ahead didn’t seem to notice. He didn’t stop or turn around.

Good.

Smiling to herself, the girl started following him again. She was getting better at this—more graceful, quieter.

Her golden-brown hair fluttered, tied back with a white ribbon.

“Make Rashid forget me.”

[… silence …]

“If I’m still alive, he’ll keep trying to save me. He’ll go to any lengths. So please… let him forget me. Like I never existed.”

[Tericia.]

“You have that kind of power, don’t you? You’re not some ordinary being. Please… let him forget.”

Desperation cracked in her voice.

She tried to stand, but her knees gave way, and she dropped back down to the ground.

Still, she didn’t give up.

“Please. Don’t let him come. Don’t let him waste himself trying to save me. Because of me, Rashid…”

[Then say it.]

“I did! I said I want him to forget!”

[No.]

The voice shook its head.

[That’s not your true wish, Tericia.]

“…!”

She froze.

Her purple eyes widened. Her lips trembled.

The voice gave her a faint, knowing smile.

[Say what you really want.]

“What I… really want?”

Her pale face turned even whiter. Her voice was barely more than a breath.

Could she say it?

Could she admit it?

“What I really want is—”

BOOM! The space around her rumbled.

Tericia flinched, instinctively looking around.

BOOM! Again, the empty white world shuddered.

A crack formed, thin and jagged, across the white space like a break in glass.

[He’s here.]

The voice said quietly.

Tericia turned back sharply toward it.

[“Rashid is here, Tericia. He’s come, carrying what I left behind for him.”]

The voice smiled gently as it looked at her.

The weather turned without warning. The grey sky finally gave in, and snow began to fall in thick, quiet flakes.

“We can’t take the carriage any farther from here,” Heinz reported as he calmed his horse.

The narrow trail ahead twisted deeper into the mountains—too narrow even for a standard carriage, much less the large, customized one built to carry Tericia.

“I’ll ride from here,” Rashid said.

If he held Tericia in his arms, they could manage on horseback. It wouldn’t be comfortable, but it was the only choice left.

“Heinz, from this point on, I’ll go alone. I’ll take Tericia with me. You can wait at the inn at the foot of the mountain. Or return to the estate if you prefer.”

“My lord!” Heinz exclaimed in shock. “You mean to take Lady Tericia up the mountain alone?”

“Of course. There’s only one horse capable of navigating that path.” Rashid nodded toward Heinz’s mount. The horses that had pulled the carriage were sturdy but not suited for steep, winding trails.

“But how can I let you go into the mountain alone—especially with Lady Tericia?”

“What would you do, then? Unhitch a carriage horse and try to follow us? That’s pointless.”

“Still, my lord—”

“I’ll be fine on my own,” Rashid cut in, eyes fixed on the trail winding into the snowy woods.

“And what if a beast appears?” Heinz persisted.

“I don’t think it will,” Rashid replied softly.

“What do you mean?”

Rashid thought of the gem he kept tucked safely in his chest pocket.

At first, he assumed the absence of beasts was because they feared him and Heinz. But now… he suspected it was the gem. A sacred relic from the sanctuary.

A divine artifact, he thought.

That would explain why the creatures kept their distance. And if it truly was a relic, then its power would protect them—and perhaps guide them to the sanctuary.

Even if the idea of carrying an unconscious Tericia through the mountains troubled him, there was no faster way.

“I’m going with you,” Heinz insisted.

“You’ll only slow me down,” Rashid said sharply.

“My lord!”

“I’m taking your horse. Are you planning to hike through these mountains on foot?”

“But…”

“I’ll come back safely, don’t worry. I’m not going to die—not when I’ve come this far to save Tericia.”

But what if Lady Tericia doesn’t wake?

Heinz bit down on his unspoken fear. He knew too well what Rashid’s answer would be.

The fact that Rashid looked so calm—that’s what terrified him most.

If Lady Tericia doesn’t wake… then our lord…

Heinz finally gave a reluctant nod.

“I’ll wait for you at the inn down the mountain. Please bring her back, my lord. Please save her.”

Rashid didn’t reply. Instead, he gave Heinz’s shoulder a small pat—a rare, almost affectionate gesture that made Heinz’s chest ache even more.

Rashid stepped into the carriage and knelt beside Tericia.

“Tericia, it’ll be an uncomfortable ride. Please bear with me a little longer.”

He gently lifted her into his arms.

“This is a week’s worth of food and medicine. If it runs out, come back down, even if it’s halfway,” Heinz said as he tied the supplies to the back of the horse.

Rashid bundled Tericia in a hooded cloak, adding another layer of warmth with a wool blanket. He held her against his chest, then tied her securely to himself to ensure she wouldn’t fall—even if the horse stumbled.

If she were awake, she’d be embarrassed and trying to wriggle free, he thought.

But now she stayed still. Completely unmoving in his arms. Too still.

Always so flustered, so shy—his Tericia, who would blush and run if he got too close.

“My lady,” he whispered.

Only at times like this do you call me that, she would usually retort.

There was no answer. Just silence.

A bitter chuckle escaped him.

If I keep going like this, I really will lose my mind, he thought. Or maybe I already have.

He glanced up at the sky.

The grey clouds had turned black, swallowing half the mountain. As if pointing the way forward.

“I’ll see you at the bottom,” he said to Heinz.

Then, with a quick sound, he urged the horse into motion.

The horse trotted a few steps, then picked up speed under Rashid’s command. Soon, his figure vanished into the shadow of the trees.

Please… come back safely.

Heinz remained standing in the snow, eyes fixed on the forest path where Rashid had disappeared, silently praying for their return.

Support