The Crow That’s After Me - Chapter 1

“El. Tell me what you think.”

Elena was currently asked to make the choice of a lifetime. Elena’s eyes, which were said to be of the same vibrant blue colour as the Jart Sea, only stared into the deep water, at her reflection. Eventually, the Princess opened her mouth first.

“Raise your head and look at me.”

Elena’s eyes, facing the Princess, showed confusion and fear instead of the usual playfulness. A small sigh came out of the Princess’ mouth.

Elena, the young daughter of Duke Salem, is one of the maidens who served the Princess, and had grown up with her like sisters since her childhood. The Princess cared and loved Elena like her blood. That just made Elena’s situation more complicated now.

“You must be very flustered…. But you have to trust me. I swear under my name that this marriage is much better than being my brother’s mistress.”

Elena, who was listening to the Princess, looked slightly dark. The crown prince wants her. As a mistress, not a formal wife. The crown prince had already married and brought in his wife.

In the southern part of the empire, where the capital of the empire is located, it was common to encourage pleasure between men and women, and to have a mistress over a spouse so that they could promiscuous sex life.

Among them, only Duke Selum, of whom Elena was born and raised, was an exception. Elena’s father was faithful only to his wife, and Elena grew up dreaming of a harmonious family with a lover who only looked at her, like her parents.

But now they wanted her to be the crown prince’s mistress? Of course, she had no choice but to feel repulsed.

“How dare I doubt the Princess?”

With Elena’s sincere words, the Princess smiled as if she found her cute. The Princess’ familiar smile broke Elena’s tension. There was no way that the Princess would do anything harmful to her. Their relationship convinced Elena. She asked with a lighter heart.

“Who do you want me to be with?”

“I want to match you up with the Northern Archduke of Barthian.”

What, the Northern Archduke of Barthian? Wasn’t he the king of crows? Elena’s spirit briefly faded. Seeing Elena’s expression, the Princess nodded quickly as if she understood.

“The tragic thing that happened to the predecessor of the Archduke of Barthian… it’s saddening. Because of that, I also know well that the northerners have bad feelings for us. So I’ll leave the choice to you.”

Elena gently bit the flesh inside her cheek. The Princess added as if looking into her conflicting mind.

“Fortunately, northern men only have one woman in their lifetime. Rather, there are some cases where a woman has several men. There’s no other explanation other than them considering women as precious.”

Even if Elena married someone from here, they would not be able to escape the crown prince’s control. In the first place, the crown prince only wants to take Elena’s body. So her marriage did not matter to him.

As long as Elena stayed in the capital, the crown prince would not easily give up on her. She didn’t have a choice.

“El. Did you make up your mind?”

“Yes.” Elena replied. “I’ll gladly welcome Archduke Barthian as my husband.”

The Princess made Elena’s request come true shortly after.

Elena, who boarded a carriage heading north to marry Archduke Barthian, looked out the window and admired the view.

“Look at the white snow over there.”

“Oh my god, my lady! What are you going to do if you catch a cold?”

Elena’s nanny grumbled nonstop as she closed the window of the carriage again.

“I thought I’d follow ‘Born and Buried In The South’. But now, you wanted to move to the north? My lady…”

It was not that she could not sympathize with the complaints of the nanny who accompanied her to the north, which was notorious for the cold and ice caps. However, as she had heard the same story repeatedly in the carriage for more than 15 days, all the words of consolation Elena could give her had already fallen. She laughed helplessly.

“The north won’t be bad either. It’s a place where people live. Aren’t we all humans?”

“I really don’t know what made you decide to do this.”

The nanny shook her head. It was impossible for her to blame the Crown prince and Duke Selum, being left in the unknown.

Elena let the nanny continue to not know why. If she knew the reason, it was clear that the elderly nanny would forget her age and burst into anger.

The crown prince wanted Elena. It was not because he felt enthusiastic love for Elena, but because she was the only woman on the continent who could not fall for him. The crown prince just wanted to collect her like a jewel. Elena thought so.

She wanted to reject the crown prince at once. However, the powerful Duke Selum, who was said to be powerful enough to even make flying birds drop, could not do much in front of the imperial family. This was because the source of power given to them was by the imperial family.

Just then, the Princess mediated. In front of the emperor, she mentioned this, ‘Over the past decades, the North has been a fortress that blocks barbarians from going south beyond the sea. You haven’t forgotten the fierce battle from seven years ago, have you, Your Majesty? But how did our imperial palace treat them? Hungry dogs bite their owners without even recognizing them. In order to gain continuous loyalty in the North, you should not neglect them, but soothe them with appropriate compensation.’

It goes without saying that this was a valid argument compared to the crown prince who intended to take her in as a concubine less than a year after marriage. In addition, the emperor, who became wizened with age, seemed to be concerned with the poor princess who was neglected by her husband.

The emperor eventually agreed to Elena’s marriage while the crown prince left for the hunt and was away from the palace. And he hurriedly sent Elena to the north with various grains and dowry, including scraps.

No matter how all this happened in a short period of time, Elena didn’t have enough time to properly say goodbye to her beloved friends.

“Now I’m going to live thinking of the North as my hometown.”

Elena’s words to herself were a commitment to herself. The talkative nanny didn’t respond to her words for the first time in a long time.

At that time, the carriage suddenly stopped, and both Elena and the nanny looked strange. It couldn’t be a break since they just had that a while back.

“Did bandits appear?”

“If that was the case, how could it be this quiet?” Elena casually replied to the scared nanny.

“I’ll go out and find out. Stay still, my lady.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

Before the nanny stepped out, Elena knocked on the window with her hand. As Sir Jace, who was escorting next to the carriage, approached, Elena opened the window.

“Yes, my lady.”

“Why did the carriage stop?”

“On the other side, they’re confronting the knights of the North.”

Knights of the North.

She, who was pondering over Sir Jace’s words, said aloud, “I’m going to get off.”

Elena got off the carriage with the help of a knight waiting outside.

“I greet the lady. I’m Arthur, the commander of the Barthian knights.”

Sir Arthur, who found Elena, bowed with one knee bent. Elena, who peeked at the crow sitting on Sir Arthur’s shoulder and the black crow’s seal engraved on his armour in turn, smiled in response to the salute. Even a three-year-old child would know that they were the famous northerners without an introduction.

“Get up. Are you here to lead our escort?”

“Please, we don’t dare to lead. Aren’t you our master?”

Elena just smiled silently. Standing up, Sir Arthur continued after examining Elena’s reaction for a while.

“According to the order of the Archduke, we will be escorting the princess from here on out.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

Sir Lanchester, who is in charge of the procession, strongly protested. If the Northern Knights were just joining the escort procession, they wouldn’t usually disagree like this.

Elena, who guessed the reason, reached out to Sir Lanchester. He immediately handed over the stamped paper. Elena’s face, after reading the contents inside, hardened.

Elena returned the paper to Lord Lanchester and then asked Sir Arthur.

“Are you sure I’m the only one who can pass through the North?”

“That’s right.”

There was not even an inch of slack in Sir Arthur’s answer. Even before putting Elena in the northern part of the country, Archduke Barthian wanted to cut off her hands and feet. Elena frowned slightly.

“My lady, there is no reason to follow this man unconditionally. We’ll be with you all the way north.”

“The Archduke will not be pleased with the unauthorized knights stepping into the territory.”

Sir Arthur and Sir Lanchester were at odds. Elena, who had been agonizing for a while, made a decision and mediated.

“Lanchester. I’m a Barthian now. So I have to follow the order of the Archduke.”

“My lady!”

“Take the knights back. Take good care of my nanny.”

Sir Lanchested looked bitter as if the place Elena was heading was a den of evil. The nanny, who was eavesdropping behind the carriage door, was no different.

“My lady! What are you talking about? How can you go that far alone? Without this nanny, who will take care of you?”

“The generous Archduke brought in people to serve my lady.”

Sir Arthur spoke loudly as if he had heard all of her comments.

‘The generous Archduke Barthian also sent the crows with him.’

Elena sarcastically thought to herself, looking at the swarm of crows flying around people’s heads threateningly.

The cries of the nanny who collapsed in her seat intensified. Elena looked at Sir Arthur with a mixture of playfulness and reproach in her eyes.

Sir Arthur tactfully moved away. Elena raised the nanny with the help of Sir Jace.

“Don’t worry about me. Besides, it was Nanny who said she didn’t want to leave the capital just now.”

“I didn’t mean that I wanted to go back to the capital city without my lady!”

Elena’s heart was unwilling to let her nanny go. But instead of showing tears, she hugged the nanny tightly.

“Please don’t cry for me.”

Elena whispered to the nanny. The nanny wiped away her tears when she realized that Elena was holding back her tears with watery eyes.

“I will make Nanny’s wish come true. Okay?”

Born in the south and buried in the south. It was a lifelong wish for a nanny, who sang it every other day. The nanny shook her head.

“It’s because this senile old woman made a wish carelessly. Because of me……. How will you manage in that rough place alone?”

“Even if I’m fine, nanny won’t last a week in the North.”

Elena, who was patting the nanny on the back, saw Sir Arthur approaching her, ready to leave.

“Please send me a letter when you get to the capital.”

The nanny promised Elena over and over again.

“Let’s go up to the carriage we prepared.”

While walking along Sir Arthur, Elena looked back. Her hometown, her people, were all there. Leaving all that behind, Elena slowly boarded the carriage given by the Barthians.

Before closing the carriage, Sir Arthur took off his thick cape and held it out to Elena.

“Take it. The weather in the north is much wilder than my lady expects.”

“What about you?”

“I’m a northern man. You don’t have to worry.”

When Elena received the cape, Sir Arthur bowed and politely closed the carriage door. Tears dripped down Elena’s cheek, who was left alone.