After Lalisa made up her mind, she began to feel anxiety creep up on her. The time when Prince Jungkook would be assassinated already overlapped with the present. Although the exact time when he was killed was unknown, she fortunately remembered the location as the assassination had been the most talked about event before the rebellion.
There was no time to waste. It would be a disaster if she missed this window of opportunity to save Jungkook's life. Blaise Castle was located in south of the capital, and it would take several days to get to from here to there. She had to make haste as soon as possible.
"Our brother Namjoon is training now, isn't he?"
"Yes, it's always the same. If he doesn't hold a sword for even a day, he'll probably get a rash."
Roseanne adorably stuck out her tongue and Lalisa looked at her lovingly. Lalisa had missed her sister so much. She was anxious to keep her eyes on her even more, but now she was in a hurry. She stroked Roseanne's soft hair and spoke to her sadly.
"Roseanne, I have to go somewhere for a while."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"It will be a few days."
"That long? I'm coming with you!"
Roseanne clutched at Lalisa's nightgown. Perhaps it was because Roseanne didn't remember their mother, who had died early, but the young girl had always hated being away from her older sister since she was a child. Lalisa did not hate Roseanne for following her like a mother, and they had little memory of being separated until their family had been destroyed in their previous life.
The decades of living without Roseanne had been extremely lonely. Lalisa wanted to indulge her sister and listen to everything she said, but this wasn't the time.
"I have to go alone..."
She quickly turned her head away. She had to be away for at least a few days to rescue Prince Jungkook, but she couldn't disappear for no reason. This wasn't a life when no one stopped her as a swordswoman, no matter what she did. She was the daughter of a Count who had to tell everyone her every move.
A memory flashed through Lalisa's head and gave her an idea.
"I have to go see Jihyo, and you can't travel that far with me."
"Jihyo?"
"Yes. I heard from her by letter a while ago, but I think I should go there myself."
Jihyo was a baroness who lived on a rural estate and was a distant relative of the Blaise's. She loved both Lalisa and Roseanne and, although not a frequent visitor, would make sure to visit Blaise Castle whenever she visited the south. Lalisa remembered that Jihyo had been very nervous preparing for her wedding. In her previous life she had only attended the wedding day to congratulate her, but now she had to leave Blaise Castle under any pretext. Jihyo, who had been her good acquaintance since childhood, would make a good excuse.
Lalisa glanced at Roseanne's face with apprehension, wondering if her memory might have been wrong. Luckily, however, Roseannne spoke with a subdued look as if she already knew about Jihyo.
"Do you still have to go there by yourself? If you're worried, you should send someone else...You can't travel that far just to see if something is up. Besides, this house is nothing without my sister."
"In some ways, a wedding is the most important thing in a woman's life. I need to visit her myself."
"But..."
"Jihyo has a lot of hair and she worries about taking care of it every day. If I go there in person it will help her greatly."
"...Tch."
Roseanne pouted in disapproval, and Lalisa sighed. If the future didn't depend on her saving Prince Jungkook, she would never leave her sister's side for a long time.
"My sister is too nice for her own good."
Lalisa smiled faintly at that. She didn't care if the world was stained with blood for the sake of her family, so the word "nice" was far from appropriate. It was impossible to estimate how much blood must be shed by her hands to save the Crown Prince Jungkook, but Lalisa just smiled innocently.
"I'll bring you a present when I get back."
"Really? I'll be looking forward to it."
"Yes. I'll pick something you like, so be patient."
"Yay!"
As if she had completely forgotten her opposition to Lalisa leaving, Roseanne smiled as bright as a flower that would soon bloom. Yes, Lalisa wouldn't mind being a demon of hell to protect this smile.
"Then you should wait at home quietly. When Father gets back, I tell him I've gone to help Jihyo's wedding."
"Okay. You have to come back as soon as possible, sister."
"I promise. I just need to say goodbye to Namjoon and then I'll leave right away."
"Already?"
"The sooner I leave the sooner I can come back."
Roseanne's expression turned sullen, but then her face soon lit up with an idea.
"Then I'll ask the chef to make lunch so you can eat it on the way."
"You don't have to–"
"In the meantime go talk to Namjoon!"
Roseanne left in as much of a hurry as she could, and Lalisa smiled sadly to see her go. Roseanne was a weak child who could never run properly, and although she was seventeen years old, she was small and thin for her age and looked only fourteen. Lalisa was worried to see her run slowly, but felt moved at her efforts. When she saw this bit of kindness, she couldn't help but realize that she really was back.
After a moment of gratefulness, Lalisa quickly came to her senses and sat down at her desk. She planned to leave the house under the pretext of helping Jihyo's wedding, but Lalisa wasn't sure if she could really visit her. She was planning to send Jihyo to a master beautician just in case, and planned to let her know this in advance so that she could avoid a difficult situation later on. She wrote a letter to Jihyo about going to help with the wedding, then another letter to the most famous hair salon in the capital city. The two letters were sent straight away, each bearing the seal of Count Blaise.
*
*
*
"Haaa!"
The strong smell of sweat and the sound of heavy breathing came from inside a training hall. Unlike the large areas where the knights trained as a group, Namjoon, her older brother and the next heir to the Count, preferred this quiet, cozy place. He was absorbed in practicing his forms and was unaware of Lalisa's approach. She observed him quietly without saying anything for a moment.
"...My brother."
For a long time when she had to survive alone, she had held a grudge against Namjoon in a corner of her heart. Not only did he forcibly prevent her from trying to save Roseanne, but...
He died to save her.
Lalisa had been dragged out of the castle, leaving Roseanne in jeopardy, and Lalisa was so dazed out of her mind she couldn't tell whether it was a dream or reality. The cries of the servants filled the air, and the smell of blood stung her nose. There were the footsteps of the knights and the sounds of yelling.
Until then, Lalisa was only the ordinary daughter of a count and found herself helpless to this nightmare. Namjoon finally raised his hand and slapped her. Her head jerked to the side with a loud smack. Her cheeks, which had never been hit before, quickly turned red, but her eyes widened into awareness. Namjoon spoke seriously, holding her face squarely in both hands and staring straight into her eyes.
— Lalisa, I can buy you some time so you can escape. Don't look back and go to Arden. Our family's safe house is there, so you must hide until you know what's happening.
She didn't fully understand what Namjoon was saying, but she nodded at his fearsome eyes. There was the sound of approaching voices and Namjoon pulled out his sword. He turned back to her and spoke again.
— Go. Go and survive, sister.
That was the last time she saw him. She watched her brother's back gradually get farther away, then she turned and began to run in the opposite direction. She didn't do it to live. She was too terrified and simply followed her brother's commands. Through her haze of terror she didn't realize until her dress her torn and her bare feet were covered with blood that Namjoon, her dear brother, sacrificed himself. She kept running through the pitch-black forest even though she could hardly see anything. That dark night was the most terrible night in all of Lalisa's memory.
Only later did she identify the mangled bodies of her father and brother hanging on the wall like a spectacle for all to see. When she saw them she felt her blood drained out of her body. Not even a scream came out of her mouth. There was only the sky and earth were collapsing in on her. She wanted to follow her family, but she was so angry and bitter that she couldn't even kill herself. Her brother had wanted her to survive.
Surviving was hell. It had been heavy and stifling to carry her family's deaths with her and she became resentful at her brother for saving her and sacrificing his life. As a matter of fact, Namjoonhad always been scary and hard to deal with, and growing up as the heir of a Count he was as blunt as his father. He rarely said thank you or sorry during Lalisa's childhood she wondered if all knights were like this.
And in the end, he had sacrificed himself without any special hero's death. Lalisa was unable to express either her gratitude and resentment towards him, and what she wanted to say to him built up to a mountain of words in her heart. Funnily enough, she didn't realized how much she loved him until he died. She blamed him for leaving her alone...
She had missed him as bitterly as she was angry at him.
"How long have you been there?"
Namjoon belatedly noticed Lalisa's presence and interrupted her thoughts in a low voice. She had to clear her throat before she answered.
"Just a moment ago."
"What is it?"
Lalisa's heart warmed at his straightforward style of speaking, unlike in the past when she found it difficult to communicate with him.
"I'm going to be gone for a few days to help Jihyo prepare for her wedding. I just stopped by to say goodbye to my brother."
"Yes. Be careful."
Namjoon had an uninterested look in his face and he started to clean his sword. Lalisa turned around, took a few steps, then stopped and and looked at him again. She saw the both the present Namjoon and the one from her previous life overlapped in her eyes.
"Brother."
"...?"
He looked at Lalisa with surprise, as if the conversation already been over for him. Then, under the bright sunlight, Lalisacame into view with her wavy blonde hair and scarlet eyes that shone like jewels.
"...I really wanted to say thank you."
"What?"
Namjoon asked dumbfoundedly, but Lalisa only went on her way with a mysterious look on her face. He tilted his head. Lalisa seemed different from yesterday. She was his precious sister, but they hadn't been very close. As he watched the growing distance between them he mumbled in a worried voice,
"By the way, she's probably not taking enough guards."
*
*
*
After meeting with her brother, Lalisa went into the armory where swords, bows, arrows, armor and all kinds of weapons were stored. Ordinary people were restricted from entering, but fortunately there was no place in the Blaise Castle where she couldn't go. Nevertheless, she avoided everyone's eyes, and passed the neatly displayed weapons and headed for the innermost part of the room. She passed through a dark and narrow corner before arriving at pitch-black suit of armor standing in lofty grandeur.
Lalisa knew how special that armor was. It was used by her mother when Lalisa was still a child. The metal used to make the armor was so expensive and so pure that even official knights couldn't afford it. It was only until she became a swordswoman did she realize its value, but it had been taken away before she could wear it.
As she gently placed a hand the armor her eyes moistened with emotion. The cool, solid touch under her palm stirred her memories. As a child she thought of the armor as her own, but after her mother died her father was against women learning sword fighting. For this reason she had never learned swordsmanship despite being born into a family of knights. In the end she had to learn it it anyway. Perhaps it was fate. After recalling the past, she soon began placing the armor into her large sack.
'I know that Father misses Mother and cannot bear to use her precious items, but I will use it to save him.'
Furthermore, her body was less physically fit than in her previous life and she needed good armor to protect her.
After finally placing the black helmet in the sack, she selected an unused sword. It was the first one she had held since returning to the past, but to her it was just yesterday. Her soft, un-calloused hand awkwardly gripped the solid handle, but her mind felt a strange sense of perfect understanding. She was fortunate that her training never left her.
Lalisa unsheathed the sword from the scabbard and saw her face reflected in the sharp blade. The face of the woman was much different than the cold swordswoman of the past, but the determination in her heart burned fiercer than before. Lalisa brandished the sword in the air a few times and muttered to herself.
"...I'm only half as good."
Her speed and power were limited in this untrained body. However, she had swung a sword thousands or tens of thousands of times, and the battles where she had risked her life was beyond count. No matter how weak and slow she was, she knew exactly where to swing her sword. There were more times where she had fought in dire circumstances than in favorable ones, and she had become resourceful in bad situations.
In one battle their supply unit had been annihilated and they starved for three days and three nights, while others fought crippled and barely able to move. They survived every moment. After persevering like this for so many years, even her untrained body was not diminished in ability. She concluded that while her power was significantly lowered, she could overcome it to some extent with experience and instinct.
Lalisa finally sheathed the sword and placed it in her sack, tying it with a knot that could not be opened easily. She suddenly realized that carrying a huge sack by herself could attract some attention. It wasn't easy to shake off the mentality of being a hardened killer who did everything herself, but now she couldn't forget she part of the aristocracy. After leaving the armory and putting as much distance as possible from it, Lalisa called out to a passing servant. The servant approached her and Lalisa pointed to the large sack.
"Take this to my carriage."
"What are all these large items, My Lady?"
"These are gifts for Jihyo when we arrive."
"That much? When Jihyo sees all of this, she will be happy to see you."
Though size and weight of the sack was a little unusual to be a gift to a lady of nobility, the servant didn't think much of it and did as Lalisa ordered. Other luggage, such as dresses and other items, were already taken care of by the other servants. When Lalisa confirmed that everything necessary was loaded, she stepped up to board the carriage.
"Hah, hah. Wait a second."
Roseanne held on to her skirt with one hand as she ran towards to carriage while with her other hand she held a large picnic basket. Lalisa paused at the sight of Roseanne hurrying towards her, then stepped down and hurried in her direction.
"Roseanne, be careful. You'll get hurt."
But Roseanne did not slow down until she was right in front of Lalisa. She took in deep gulps of air and gave her sister a bright smile.
"I don't want you to go without eating, so please take this."
Roseanne gave her the basket and as Lalisa took it confusion crossed her face. The weight of it was too heavy for her to even contemplate.
"You've prepared so much in such a short time. It's like a feast."
"Did you forget the person that told me that eating well every day would make me healthier?"
Lalisa became momentarily speechless. That was what she used to say to Roseanne, who always had grudges about eating.
Roseanne realized that she was holding her sister up, so she quickly pushed Lalisa into the carriage and spoke in a cheery voice.
"Go on and come back quickly. And don't forget my present."
After being pushed inside, Lalisa wistfully looked through the window at her sister.
"...I'll be back."
"Yes. Be careful, sister."
The large wagon set off and Roseanne waved goodbye. Lalisa held her head out of the window until and watched until her sister disappeared from view. She almost wanted to cry when she promised that she would be back again. She couldn't believe she had a place to return to.
Lalisa suddenly remembered basket on her lap. She placed it on the seat next to her and took out the food items one by one. Inside was a generous salad with fresh lettuce and chicken breasts, a ham sandwich, boiled eggs, cutely decorated rice balls, and finely chopped fruits. They all looked delicious to eat. Roseanne's lunch box seemed to be endless feast of all of Lalisa's favorite foods.
"..."
She neatly spread the food in the carriage, but she couldn't bear to eat it. Dahyun, the maid sitting up front next to the carriage driver, looked at her through the window anxiously.
"My Lady, are you all right?"
Lalisa was holding her face in her hands and appeared like she was crying.
"...It's okay. I just–I am a happier person than I thought..."
She had always missed these moments when her family was still alive in her previous life. Her father, her brother. Roseanne. How she had wished hundreds and thousands of times that they there were alive. Now she was happier than her imagination could even dream up.
"...How could I eat all of this food?"
Dahyun replied, not understanding the preciousness of the food to Lalisa.
"If you like, we can wrap it up again later."
Lalisa nodded, rubbing her wet eyes with her palm.
"Yes...That will do."
Her whole family was now alive. As long as that was, her happiness would last forever. Now Lalisa was leaving so she could never lose it again. She would be sure to change the future at all costs.