Chapter 43: 43

Henrick had just finished carving a wooden bracelet, and he gripped his sculpting knife tightly. Meanwhile, Kang Yoon-Soo relaxed, sipping on the chilling alcohol from the Castle of the Dead.

Rustle…

Sounds came from within a nearby bush. Shaneth gripped her scythe, expecting something to pop up out of the bush at any moment.

Rustle…

A long shadow suddenly emerged from the bush. It was a woman with flowing golden hair, who asked, “Do you mind if I join you?”

She was wearing luxurious clothes that could only belong to a noble, and the way she spoke exuded a sense of elegance and authority; in addition, her smooth white skin looked as if it had never been under the  midday sun. Her beauty made it difficult not to look at her, and even made the surrounding damp forest look like beautiful scenery.

However, Shaneth asked cautiously, “Who might you be?”

“I’m a thief,” the woman replied.

Shaneth furrowed her brow at the woman’s response. “What do you mean, a thief?” she asked again.

“I’m a thief, since I stole something from someone else,” the woman responded.

It was at that moment that Henrick suddenly moved forward and pushed Shaneth’s head down.

Shaneth felt as if her neck would snap from the sudden force. “Kyah! What are you doing?” she shouted as she looked at him. However, she was surprised to see that the usually carefree and quick-witted Henrick seemed to be more shocked than her.

Henrick’s eyes trembled as if he were about to break out in cold sweat at any moment; he knelt down and bowed his head. “I apologize for showing you my shameful self. To think that I would greet the royal princess of the Reorkan Empire, your highness Kisifran, in this lowly place,” he said respectfully in an overly formal tone.

Shaneth doubted her ears for a moment. ‘The royal princess…?’ Did Henrick mean that this blonde woman in front of her was the princess of the empire, the daughter of the emperor?

However, Henrick had been the personal artisan of the royal princess at one point in time. It did not seem like a lie, considering how he was behaving so differently from his usual carefree self.

Henrick suddenly pushed Shaneth’s head down as she was lost in thought, before hissing, “You idiot! It’s a sin for a commoner to look at a royal without permission!”

“I-I’m sorry!” Shaneth said, immediately lowering her head. However, she was not looking at the royal princess; rather, her gaze went straight to Kang Yoon-Soo.

Kang Yoon-Soo did not disappoint, as he did not even bother to bow his head; in fact, he was sitting there nonchalantly while sipping on his chilling alcohol.

Princess Kisifran was taken aback by the man. “Why are you not bowing down to me?” she asked.

“I don’t want to,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied with a shrug. The other two’s faces turned blue when they heard his words.

Shaneth thought at that moment that she had to steer the conversation in another direction. She exclaimed, “Your royal highness! I am curious as to why a person of your stature is in these lowly mountains?”

“I got lost,” the princess replied.

“What…?” Shaneth was taken aback by the simple reply.

Suddenly, Henrick, who had been looking carefully at the royal princess, spoke up. “Are you really her highness?” he asked.

“I am, but I am also not,” the princess replied.

It was a strange answer, and Henrick’s eyes flashed with suspicion. “Forgive my insolence, but may I rise?” he asked.

“You may if you wish,” the princess replied.

Henrick slowly stood up as he, the former artisan of the royal princess, carefully examined the princess’ face. He slowly offered the wooden bracelet in his hand toward the princess. “May you wear this?” he requested.

“Of course,” the princess replied, taking the bracelet and putting it on her left wrist.

Afterward, Henrick let out a sigh as he said…

“It’s a doppelganger.”

***

The princess was not surprised, nor did she get angry. The only reaction she showed was a look of curiosity as to why these people were so surprised after seeing her.

“What do you mean, a doppelganger?” Shaneth asked in surprise.

The situation had not made sense in the first place. Why would the royal princess of the empire be wandering around these mountains at this hour?

Henrick stared at the princess before saying, “I was surprised at first too, but I’m certain now. I saw her often up close. She had an allergy to elf wood, and she hated seeing any elf wood around her. There was a time when she had an outbreak because of the bracelet made of elf wood I gifted her, and I almost got kicked out of the palace for that.” He pointed at her wrist before adding,  “But look, that bracelet is also made out of elf wood, and she’s fine.”

He now spoke with certainty. “Above all else, the emperor cherishes the royal princess, and he wouldn’t let Princess Kisifran wander around a place like this.”

“B-but…” Shaneth stuttered as she looked intently at the princess.

There were no other words to describe the princess’ long eyelashes and exquisite features other than the words ‘perfect beauty’, but to think that a beauty like her was a monster?

Shaneth was confused, asking, “Are you really a doppelganger?”

“Well, that is the case from your perspective,” the princess admitted.

However, she was different from a normal doppelganger. A doppelganger was a monster that enjoyed attacking its victim both mentally and physically, but the princess in front of them was just standing still. There was also no attempt whatsoever from her to hypnotize or attack them.

The princess pointed at the boar heart roasting over the fire and asked, “May I eat that?”

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo answered.

The princess placed the roasted meat on a wooden plate, and looked around before asking, “Where are the forks and knives?”

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“There are none,” Kang Yoon-Soo answered.

“Then how am I supposed to eat this?” the doppelganger asked.

“With your hands,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“I see…” The princess stared at Kang Yoon-Soo for a moment before using her hands to eat the wild tusk boar’s heart. She did not hesitate for a moment, grabbing the food with her bare hand and placing it in her mouth. She definitely looked like royalty on the outside, but the way she smudged soot all over her mouth seemed unnatural for someone of her stature.

Shaneth quietly whispered to Henrick, “If that’s a doppelganger, then why hasn’t she attacked us yet?”

“How would I know?” Henrick replied.

“I am a variant,” the princess interjected.

The other two jumped in surprise. The princess had heard them even though they were whispering quietly.

The princess took another bite out of the heart before explaining, “A normal doppelganger shifts its appearance quite frequently. It also harbors immense animosity toward other creatures, but I am different. I am a mutated doppelganger,” she explained.

“I am stuck in the form of Princess Kisifran, and I cannot shift into the forms of other creatures. I cannot read other people’s minds either, but I have a higher intellect than other doppelgangers. Well, there are a lot of other differences between them and me,” she added.

“Why is she speaking as if she were a test subject…?” Shaneth quietly asked.

“Oh, you figured it out. I am a test subject,” the princess replied.

“What did you say?” Henrick exclaimed, frowning in anger.

It was at that moment that some noises emerged from the other side of the forest.

Tadak! Tadak! Tadak!

It was the sound of hooves, and it sounded as if there were at least twenty horses on the way. The rough voice of a man suddenly filled the air as he shouted, “She must be around here somewhere! We have to find her and catch her by today!”

“I am sorry. If they find you with me, they will kill you all,” the princess suddenly said.

“What do you mean by that?” Henrick asked with an angry expression.

“My existence is confidential. They will kill anyone who comes across me on this mountain,” the princess explained.

“Who are they?” Henrick asked.

“The imperial knights,” the princess replied.

“Which order?” Henrick continued asking.

“The third order, if I recall correctly,” the princess replied.

“The third order? Then Lenox must be their leader, then,” Henrick said, looking surprised.

“Do you know him?” Shaneth asked.

“I know him, but… He isn’t someone to be swayed by personal feelings and disobey the empire. He’ll kill me regardless if that’s his mission,” Henrick explained. He glared at the doppelganger before asking, “Can’t we just hand you over?”

“I am a confidential secret of the royal family. They will definitely kill anyone who sees me on this mountain; they are loyal to the empire, after all,” the princess responded.

“We’re all dead…” Henrick grumbled. He then started to pack his stuff as he said, “We have to quickly get away from this doppelganger. The only way we can survive is if we pretend not to have met her.”

“But is it alright if we leave her alone like this…?” Shaneth asked.

“Damn it, no matter what the circumstances are, aren’t our lives the most important thing? She’s just a monster anyway; there’s no reason for us to put ourselves in danger just to help her out. Am I right?” Henrick asked as he looked toward Kang Yoon-Soo.

Kang Yoon-Soo slowly nodded and answered, “Yes.”

The princess’ doppelganger had been one of his companions in his previous life, and her being a variant doppelganger would be a big help in their travels. However, there was no need for them to travel alongside her. She would survive and get stronger one day, and there were just too many things to teach her, because she was still a monster in the end.

He stood up and pointed toward the horizon, as he felt that he could at least teach her a way out of her predicament for old times’ sake. He said, “If you go over this mountain and turn left at the fork in the road…”

“You look exhausted, as expected of someone who has lived for 20,000 years,” the princess said, cutting him off.

“What? You mean him?” Shaneth asked in surprise.

Kang Yoon-Soo, on the other hand, doubted his ears. “What?” he asked.

However, perhaps because he was far away, Henrick urgently shouted at them, “Don’t you have to run if you want to live? Hurry up!” The group subsequently descended the mountain in a hurry.

Afterward, Kang Yoon-Soo went to the princess and whispered, “What did you say just now…?”

“Isn’t this your thousandth life? After losing to the Demon Lord hundreds of times, that is,” the princess replied with an innocent look on her face.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo was different. His usually expressionless face changed, as a reaction formed on it for the first time. “How do you know about that…?” he asked.

For the thousands of years he had regressed, the doppelganger had never noticed the fact that he had regressed once. In fact, she did not even have the ability to read other people’s minds like a normal doppelganger. How did she know about that?

“Answer me,” Kang Yoon-Soo said, biting his lips.

His tone turned aggressive as he repeated, “I told you to answer me.”

The princess smiled for a moment, but as she was about to answer…

The sound of hooves drew closer toward them.

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