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I was once a hollow saint – chapter 3

(Me, the bride of an Emperor…?)

I was sure that it was some kind of mistake, but Marielle-san’s appearance suggested otherwise.

I never heard of such a thing. However, Sylvia-sama not telling me anything didn’t come as much of a surprise to me.

(Me, the queen of an empire… of course it’s absolutely impossible!　It’s impossible, it’s too strange.)

I had a feeling that I was being treated with a lot of respect, as there were a surprisingly large number of guards. I assumed that was because they saw me as a valuable saint, though.

(This can’t go on anymore! I have to tell the truth now and get back to the Kingdom….)

I started panicking, trying to wrap my head around what to do.

「Aah!　Ow, that hurts…..」

The carriage abruptly came to a halt, and my body banged into the wall with all its might while I heard the cabman’s shouts.

「Hey, what the hell are you guys doing?　Whoa!」

Soon after, I heard the sounds of swords colliding and loud yelling, and my shoulders trembled with fear.

It was definitely not just an accident and the obvious emergency made my aching body tense even more.

「Tiana-sama, are you all right?」

「I’m fine. I’m fine. More importantly, what on earth is happening here?」

Marielle-san immediately supports me and helps me stand up again.

I peered out the window where we had stopped and saw a swarm of guys with weapons rush from the trees, attacking the escorting knights.

(…That can’t be happening…Why?)

My mind went blank again, and it took me a moment to realize that we were being attacked.

Even though the imperial knights had to be highly capable and skilled, some of the men seemed to be able to use magic, and by far, the other side had more numbers, so they were being overpowered.

「Tiana-sama, here!」

Then the carriage door opens and a knight reaches out his hand to me. It seemed that he was trying to help me escape.

「You should have helped the others instead…」

「Aah..!」

But soon the knight grunted and collapsed at the entrance to the carriage. He seemed to have been attacked from behind, and a pool of blood spread on the ground.

「Hee!」

「Holy saint, I found you. Nothing personal, but I’m going to kill you here」

When I looked up, I saw a stranger smiling at me, holding a large sword, and I felt chills all over my body.

「Ahh ahh…」

Marielle-san, who was trying to protect me, was punched away by the man. I was grabbed by the arm and dragged out of the carriage, unable to move a finger due to fear.

「Tiana-sama!」

The knights surrounding me wanted to run to me, but they were blocked by a large number of men. I couldn’t help but think that something was amiss with the sheer number of men in front of me.

「Why are you doing this….」

「I have orders to kill you right here.」

The man looked down at me as I was being rolled on the ground and said that to my face.

(You did all this…. just to kill me?)

I just couldn’t comprehend why such a large group of people would want to kill me, and at this time, no matter how much I tried.

「But still, I didn’t know you were this beautiful. I wonder if I’ll be allowed to do whatever I want with you after you’re dead.」

The horrifying words and the eyes that devoured my entire body made me feel nauseous. The icy tip of the sword struck my neck, and I became acutely aware of “death.”

I had always felt worthless, and sometimes living itself was really tough.

But when it comes down to it, I can’t help but feel that I don’t want to die.

(I’m sure it’s because I’ve had so much fun these past few days.)

I have touched so many things, met and talked with so many people, and wished to see more of the outside world.

With trembling hands, I gripped the tip of the sword tightly as it bit into my neck.

[I don’t want to die in a place like this……!]

And at that moment, I screamed out loud for the first time in my life. I felt a pain as if I had been hit on the head with full force. The pain was so intense that it felt as if my head was going to burst, making it impossible to even keep my eyes open.

Immediately afterwards, an unfamiliar memory poured into my mind.