‘It hurts so much…’
“Faster! Be sure to watch your footing!”
“Yes, Teacher.”
At the training ground.
A twelve-year-old girl clad in leather armor swung a wooden sword at an elderly man over eighty years old.
Her movements were agile, every strike filled with a killing intent beyond her age.
Sweat had soaked through her clothes, and her exposed knees and arms were covered with numerous wounds.
The girl’s pupils were dull and lifeless.
‘It’s so painful…’
No matter how quick and nimble her swordplay was, to the man in front of her, she moved like a snail.
Her eyes momentarily glazed over, and this slight lapse was exactly what the man scolding her noticed.
His gaze instantly turned ice-cold.
When she swung at him again, he sidestepped with ease, causing her to stagger and fall to the ground.
“When facing an enemy, you must lock your eyes on theirs. A single moment of distraction means death under their blade. Understand?”
“Yes… Teacher.”
The girl slowly got up but before she could stand, the pain in her leg caused her to fall again.
Looking at the injured spot, she saw another terrifying wound.
‘I want… to run away.’
Seeing her in such a sorry state, the man sighed helplessly, “That’s enough for today. Tomorrow, I’ll push you to endure the pain even more.”
“Yes, Teacher…”
No sooner had he left than a figure in white robes appeared behind her.
Their hands glowed with a faint green light as they chanted softly over the girl’s wounds.
Soon the wounds began to heal, leaving only dried blood on the surface.
“Princess, Lady Effia is already waiting for you inside the hall.”
“I understand.”
The girl was twelve-year-old Ulysses.
Her cheeks still carried a hint of childish innocence, her skin soft like a baby’s, but her eyes remained utterly devoid of light.
The white-robed attendants gave Ulysses little time to rest.
After changing her clothes and cleaning off the dust, they led her elsewhere.
Swordsmanship class, magic class, etiquette class, potion-making class…
When the girl finally had a moment to rest, she realized the moon was already high overhead.
Another day was about to pass…
Staring blankly at the moon, she was soon reminded by the attendants, “It’s time to rest, Princess. Tomorrow’s schedule will be just as full.”
“I… understand.”
Back in her room, she pressed her ear to the door, listening until footsteps faded away before finally relaxing.
Her body slid down along the door, collapsing weakly onto the floor.
She hugged her knees, burying her face between her arms.
In the dim room, her sobs rose and fell.
The day’s grievances poured out — no need to pretend to be strong, no need to face those presumptuous eyes.
Only in this fleeting moment did she truly belong to herself.
She cried quietly for a long while, then lifted her tear-filled eyes toward the window — the moon had passed its zenith; it was time to rest.
Day after day, this painful existence seemed endless.
Until one day…
“Princess, Lady Effia will not be able to attend class today due to an urgent matter, so you may rest until three o’clock.”
“Rest… a little?”
Confusion clouded Ulysses’ face.
She hadn’t had such a long break in a very long time and didn’t know what to do.
“At three in the afternoon, I will come to find you. Please wait patiently in your room.”
“I… understand.”
After the white-robed attendant left, Ulysses stood dazed for a long moment.
Eventually, she began wandering aimlessly through the Castle.
The absence of purpose and urgency made her feel somewhat uneasy.
When she came to her senses, she found herself in the garden.
She didn’t know how long she had walked.
Looking at the giant clock pendulum atop the Castle, she realized less than two hours had passed.
There was still time before three.
Might as well sit here for a while.
Thinking this, she sat in the garden pavilion.
Her eyes didn’t wander to the blooming flowers but fixed on the sky above.
When people have free time, they tend to dwell on all sorts of messy thoughts.
The Princess was no exception.
She thought of her mother’s death, her brothers’ deaths, and these endless days of suffering.
Tears finally began to drip, and when Ulysses realized, her skirt was already soaked with them.
These tears shouldn’t be shed now; they should come at night.
Apart from these tears, nothing truly belonged to her.
So she couldn’t let even this last possession be left in the world.
Thinking this, she rubbed her cheeks fiercely, but the tears only multiplied, soaking her entire face.
She clenched her teeth to keep from crying out, but her body still trembled uncontrollably, the sobs rising and falling.
Clack.
A sharp sound made Ulysses pause.
She thought someone had come and quickly wiped her tears, trying to sit properly.
But it wasn’t footsteps…
Suddenly, she felt her head much lighter.
Reaching up, she found her crown was gone!
Panicked, she stood and looked down to see the golden crown lying on the ground.
It must have fallen off while she was bowed in tears.
Staring at the crown, she hesitated to pick it up.
All her grievances and pain came from this crown.
If she weren’t a princess, she wouldn’t have to bear this.
This crown was too heavy for her…
“Princess? The throne? Whoever wants them can have them!”
Years of pent-up pressure finally erupted at the sight of the crown.
She raised her foot and stamped repeatedly until it was buried in the dirt.
Then she burst into uncontrollable sobs, as if trying to cry out all the pain she’d held in all along.
“Are you crying?”
Suddenly, a strange voice whispered beside her.
Her crying stopped instantly.
She lifted her tearful eyes to see a girl with a lithe, catlike figure lounging lazily on the pavilion roof, like a cat basking in the sun.
The girl wore a brand-new maid’s outfit, looking freshly arrived.
“N-no, I’m not crying! My eyes just hurt.”
She said this, but her hoarse voice said otherwise.
“Not crying? Yeah, right.”
The girl flipped off the roof and landed right in front of Ulysses, moving with the grace of a cat, landing on all fours.
“Hmm, let me see…”
“What are you doing?”
The girl cupped Ulysses’ cheeks and examined them, then did something that made Ulysses’ pupils tremble.
She leaned in, sticking out her warm tongue to gently lick away the tears on Ulysses’ cheeks.
“R-rude!”
Ulysses backed away quickly to put distance between them.
Had she held a wooden sword, she might have swung it then and there.
“Don’t be so uptight. I’m just tasting them. Consider it compensation for disturbing my nap.”
“Disturbing your nap?”
Looking up at the pavilion, she asked, puzzled, “You’ve been sleeping up there this whole time?”
“Of course. Your crying woke me up.”
Ulysses’ cheeks flushed deeply.
Being seen in such a shameful state embarrassed her.
“P-please don’t tell anyone else.”
“I won’t, I won’t.”
The girl waved her hands casually.
She clicked her tongue a few times as if really savoring the taste of the tears.
Then her eyes suddenly brightened as she said, “Too much stress isn’t good for your health.”
“I’m not stressed…”
“Lying won’t work on me. I can taste it. Your tears are bitter, sour, and a little dry — all signs of great stress.”
“You…”
This strange maid — could she really be a cat in disguise?
“I’m not in the mood for your nonsense. I’m leaving.”
Ulysses turned and walked away, but only a few steps before the strange maid blocked her path.
Her movements were too swift.
Ulysses didn’t even notice her approach.
“What do you want?”
“Hehe, don’t get worked up. I’m not going to eat you.”
She took two steps forward, reaching out a slender, pale hand, smiling sweetly as she said, “Come with me. Let’s run away together.”
Ulysses’ eyes suddenly gleamed with a hint of hope.
Frozen in place, her lips parted to refuse, but her hand reached out first and grasped the maid’s palm…