The Regressed Princess - Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Falling into a Dream — Can You Live for Me?

The Love Goddess said: “If I triumph, you must spare this poor pair of lovers.”

The God of War said: “When I triumph, I shall take their lives.”

God and God gazed at each other; the scales of the covenant swayed between them. The Love Goddess wished to protect while the God of War wished to destroy; this unequal stake caused the scales to tip toward Lilia—the trial of the wager would be designated by Lilia, and Onoa had to accept.

Lilia raised her head and chanted:

“O my powerful sister, you crave war and vengeance. Have you ever regretted a single slaughter?”

“Never!”

“Never once?”

“Never once!”

Lilia curled her lips into a smile and flicked her long sleeves.

“Then I wager that within a hundred years, you will regret a certain slaughter.”

“Hahahaha!”

Onoa laughed heartily. The actress on stage seemed to merge into one with the phantom of the deity through her sublime skill, making the entire space vibrate with her laughter.

Thump—thump-thump.

What a generous trial this was. The scales swayed left and right as if sighing at how such an unfair wager could exist.

Before the covenant was finalized, the Love Goddess spoke aloud: “This is an unfair trial. You must choose between forsaking your divine power or forsaking your memory!”

Forsake divine power?

The God of War refused to give up her vast strength; moreover, she had heard that the Love Goddess had once lost a trial in which she forsook her divinity. She would not repeat that mistake.

“Fine. I shall forsake my memory.” Onoa believed that as long as her power was not restricted, she could win any victory. And she would absolutely never regret a slaughter that brought victory.

At the moment the scales balanced and the contract was formed, the Love Goddess raised her hand, pointing at the God of War as she sang aloud:

“She who looks down upon love shall be ensnared by it.” “She whose heart is full of doubt, I pray you sink into your own suspicions~” “You said there is no difference between the intentional and the accidental, so I shall present you with a—”

The Love Goddess’s final laughter stopped abruptly, for the impatient God of War had already leaped off the stage to be reincarnated.

The lights on stage shifted. The actors’ shoes tapped rhythmically against the floor tappety-tap-tap.

Eleanor sat in her chair, her fingers slowly tightening around the armrest. She seemed to smell a mysterious fragrance… but her body could not sound any alarm. Her eyes reflected the grotesque performance on stage, but her mind was already filled with another scene…

Losing memory? Onoa was not afraid of such things.

The God of War remained powerful. Even without memories, not knowing where she was headed, no monster could block her path. If she had simply continued her magnificent adventure forever, perhaps she could have easily won this wager.

But she moved too fast. In just a few months, she arrived at a prosperous city-state. Onoa sniffed; the fragrance of fine wine drifted through the air. It was a joyous banquet with roast meats stretching all the way down the corridor.

Clang!

She tossed the furs and bones of her prey onto the feast as gifts, sitting down with a swagger to enjoy the wine and meat. Onoa’s muscles reflected a bronze glow in the sunlight; she sat in the corner of the feast like a mountain. No one dared provoke such a strong and brave person. The guests looked away and chatted about interesting topics.

The City Lord’s daughter was incredibly beautiful, yet she refused to marry even as she reached her twentieth year. Now, forced by her father’s threat of death, she sent out a message:

“There are too many wild beasts for miles around; it worries me day and night. Whoever can slaughter a safe path through shall be the one I marry!”

Who could finish slaughtering so many beasts? Lady Evelyn’s expedient plan was truly laughable.

The God of War wiped her mouth and walked out the door.

A month later, wolves, tigers, and leopards piled high at the city gates, with even more corpses rotting in the forest.

“Is this enough?”

Onoa sat carelessly among the corpses, scanning the pale and flushed faces around her. She had no interest in marrying some beautiful lady; she simply thought doing this would be fun.

The God of War had forgotten everything, including the Love Goddess’s greatest power the ability to easily find the person your destiny loves most.

The carriage jingled as the horses halted before the scent of blood. The narrow door burst open, and a golden-haired girl stepped out, walking quickly forward.

Onoa turned her face and met a pair of calm eyes. The girl named Evelyn walked toward her, ignoring the neighing of the horses and the foul sea of blood. She looked up at the youth seated amidst the flesh, mimed a cleaning gesture with a piece of cloth in her hand, and burst into laughter.

“Oh dear, I worried for nothing. You aren’t hurt, are you?”

“How could I be hurt?” Onoa said with a stiff face. She felt a strange emotion. The muscles that were so relaxed during battle now tightened.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief and praised her sincerely: “That’s wonderful. I didn’t think anyone would actually go out to hunt the beasts directly…”

Onoa raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Do you plan to go back on your word?”

Before seeing the girl, she had no interest in making anyone fulfill the contract. Beauty? Marriage? Such things were utterly meaningless. She only wanted to mock the “feeble warriors” and the “self-righteous girl.”

But now, a miraculous emotion seized her heart. Looking at the girl’s slightly parted lips, she felt a sudden urge to kiss her.

Evelyn blinked at her, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted: “I really have so many things I want to do, I have no time to marry how about I pay you back instead?”

Onoa laughed in anger. Looking at the pearls and jewels on the girl, she shook her head, stabbed into the pile of corpses, and tossed out a fire fox with a brilliant coat.

“Money? Are you trying to humiliate me?”

Evelyn’s eyes widened as she took small steps backward, her lips still curved.

“Then… how should I compensate you?”

Onoa leaped down from the mound of corpses and took Evelyn’s right hand with her blood-stained hand. Feeling the rough skin, she froze and asked, “How can your hand be like this? Have you practiced martial arts… no, it’s not like that.”

The charming girl smiled slightly. She squeezed Onoa’s hand back, slowly rubbing her scarred palm against Onoa’s calloused hand.

“I tried, but my talent lies elsewhere. I truly have many things I want to do.”

The actors on stage held hands and gazed at each other, while below the stage, Eleanor’s head nodded down bit by bit, her eyelids growing heavier.

The battlefield was full of filth. Blood, dust, and the stench of rot. Eleanor knew that decaying corpses would cause a plague, but all she could do was order everyone to mind the water sources and try to settle the wounded.

War in the age of cold weapons was a river of blood. Everywhere were severed limbs and heaps of shattered organs. As soon as Eleanor stumbled, two attendants immediately took her arms, escorting her back to her tent.

She leaned against the cushions, shivering. Eleanor wanted to be like the protagonist of a legend, facing the bloody battlefield with a steady gaze, focusing only on her work and helping the medical team carry the wounded into the tents. But everything ended just as it began.

One of the attendants was a student of the medical team. As the student sent her in, they exclaimed hurriedly, “Thank goodness you’re okay, otherwise we’d be in deep trouble.”

There were too many dangers on the battlefield. Perhaps an enemy soldier would play dead and stab her. Perhaps one of their own would fail to secure a broken weapon, accidentally cutting her while being carried.

Perhaps she would strain her back while moving someone—or worse, contract a disease. Eleanor thought she could bear these risks, but the reality was the opposite.

“Your Highness.”

Batina lifted the curtain, and the nearby attendants immediately left with their medicine boxes. She wore formal, clean clothes, looking as if she could attend a wedding at any moment. Batina was doing it on purpose, and her sigh was intentional too.

She looked at the Princess and said softly, “If something were to happen to you, how would we live? Oh, right, don’t say anything like ‘you all must live well without me.’ The Prince Consort would never allow it.”

Eleanor couldn’t laugh; she knew Batina was right. Andra wouldn’t mind killing dozens or hundreds more; the thousands of corpses on the battlefield were proof of that.

“Are you okay!”

A hand tore open the curtain as Andra rushed into the tent. She threw her blood-stained cloak into the corner with force, then knelt on the ground, taking Eleanor’s arm to inspect it carefully. The girl’s face was pale, with a few tear stains still at the corners of her eyes. This fragile side instantly struck the youth’s heart, causing a surge of protective desire.

“Eleanor… Your Highness, you truly gave me a fright.” Andra rubbed Eleanor’s waist and whispered softly: “The battlefield is too dangerous. From now on, stay in the rear and wait for me to come home.”

“Hey, stop. There are so many beasts. Get behind me.”

Onoa and Andra sang in harmony on the stage.

Eleanor nodded and said in a low voice: “I will leave the battlefield. This place… is not for me.”

“Hahahaha, what are you worried about?”

She and Evelyn raised their eyes at the same time again.

“I will use my methods to reduce the harm brought by war.”

“I will use my methods to block the monsters and deepen the connections between people.”

The sun and moon on the stage flipped and switched. Evelyn changed into coarse linen clothes, long sleeves, and trousers; she put on gloves and a mask, with leather boots on her feet.

Onoa used the mountain of beast corpses to intimidate the City Lord, scaring him into offering his daughter with both hands. Everyone thought they had formed a marriage contract, but they had only become traveling companions.

“Where do you want to go?”

“How will you do it?”

The strong youth followed behind the girl.

As sun and moon traded places, the girl grew accustomed to the rough clothes, walking through long fields. She persuaded various city-states to build high walls and train strong hunters to patrol the mountains regularly, allowing the commoners to live and work in peace.

She recruited a large number of craftsmen, creating more powerful weapons and machinery, accelerating the pace of the war’s end.

She led Onoa to test a hundred herbs, giving the injured and sick more chances to recover.

She trained many medical workers, bringing forward medicines that led the era, and blocking the spread of disease with a clean environment.

The powerful lovers watched them from the side with burning gazes. They loved her beautiful face, they loved her brilliance, and they loved her hesitation. They loved her pale face, they loved her fragility, and they loved her strength.

“Evelyn.”

“Eleanor.”

Tap.

The silhouettes of Evelyn and Eleanor stopped at this moment. Then Eleanor staggered forward, and Evelyn quietly turned around. They looked at her with eyes she could easily understand.

The way you work for yourself and for others is beautiful, but now.

From now on, can you live for me?

My lover, I hope you can look at me more, more. Look only at me.

The actors performed the partings and reunions. The romance between Evelyn and Onoa was not smooth sailing one could say it was unequal from the start.

Onoa was too powerful, and Evelyn… Evelyn was a presence specifically chosen by Lilia; she possessed a heart as clear as crystal… and as cold as stone.

Unfortunately, Eleanor did not have such a heart; she was clutching her chest and sobbing softly. Andra heard her crying and gently covered her lover’s hand with her own. She did not turn back, so she naturally did not see Eleanor’s dazed eyes.

How can one reduce war?

The Eleanor of the first life still possessed countless radical and naive ideas. As long as she helped Andra win all the wars, everything would end, wouldn’t it?

She swung an invisible sword at Andra’s enemies. Gold coins and spies destroyed the order and finances of city-state after city-state; the spread of paper and knowledge was like a devil’s whisper. Andra’s posture of total victory on the battlefield crushed the scales on the negotiation table, causing the chips to tilt constantly toward their side.

The war finally ended!

Did the war end… really?

“Eleanor, I’ve got it!”

Anya took Angel’s hand, her eyes sparkling. The true way to end war was, of course to unify the world.

Eleanor’s eyelashes fluttered desperately, as if trapped in a long nightmare.

Evelyn, with her cold heart, did not fall into a nightmare. A few years later, she easily overtook the stalled Eleanor, turning back to smile at Onoa.

“I’m going to keep doing what I want to do. Goodbye.”

The smiles turned into drops of tears through repeated pursuits and entanglements. Andra tightly grabbed Eleanor’s wrist; Onoa tightly pursued her leaping lover.

“This won’t do.”

“Let’s… part ways.”

Their regret and sadness were deliberately ignored by their lovers. Lilia, dressed as a priest, danced onto the stage. She took a golden arrow from her bosom and solemnly handed it to Evelyn, who was constantly hiding in the mountains.

The shape of this arrow was different from any other. It had no fletching; it had heads on both ends, one solid gold and one crimson.

“My beautiful child, this is the Arrow of the Love Goddess.”

The Love Goddess spoke gently: “Pierce your lover’s heart with the red arrow, and she will forget you entirely. As for the golden end oh, it will make anyone fall in love; you have no use for it.”

The phantoms of the two girls overlapped again.

Evelyn took the arrow without hesitation.

Eleanor took the short blade without hesitation.

The doggedly pursuing Onoa hid behind a tree and finished listening to the Love Goddess’s tale.

The all-controlling Andra had eyes and ears both inside and outside the battlefield.

She snatched the arrow and drew her bow.

She snatched the hair-pin and threw it to the ground.

A golden arrow pierced Evelyn’s heart. The Love Goddess had not explained: if the human hit by it was unwilling to accept this love, her life would end at that very moment.

A jewel-encrusted dagger took away Eleanor’s heartbeat. Her soul fell into the pool of blood, slipping quietly from Andra’s hands.

Goodbye.

Never… to see you again.

Support