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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: A Second Chance
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Lassa was an old woman with a dark, wrinkled face.
Though she looked to be over ninety, she miraculously had a full head of jet-black hair, like a nineteen-year-old.
Her back was stooped, but true to her Ronheim blood, she was quite tall. From a distance, I’d mistaken her for a young girl coming to greet us.
Lassa welcomed us warmly.
She didn't seem to know I was a princess of Arental, but unlike Bihar, she welcomed me without the slightest hesitation.
Seeing Lassa's warm reception, the chief and the people of the Utar tribe finally relaxed and greeted me.
“The gods have sent me to you.”
Lassa said politely to Calius.
Calius seemed to know exactly what she meant.
“What message did the gods wish to convey?”
“Let us speak inside.”
Her tone was secretive.
Calius turned to me.
“Please rest with the others in the chief's home. I will be back shortly.”
“Alright, I will.”
Brentian, ever perceptive, came over and guided me to the chief's home.
The Utar tribe's mobile homes, called *kers*, looked just like round cakes from the hilltop.
Made with a wooden frame covered in animal hides and tied down with ropes, the home was surprisingly spacious and warm.
Our party of nearly twenty fit inside with room to spare, and members of the Utar tribe joined us, sitting in a circle around the hearth in the center.
“To host Her Highness the Princess in such a humble place.”
Vanessa grumbled beside me.
It seemed less out of concern for me and more out of her own displeasure.
Vanessa was uncomfortable sitting on the floor without a chair, and she hunched her shoulders to minimize contact with the household goods stacked against the wall.
The Utar chief looked awkward at Vanessa's attitude.
“I apologize for receiving such an esteemed guest in this humble dwelling. I hope you will at least recognize our sincere desire to treat you as our guest.”
I imagined what Calius would do and tried to imitate his gentle smile.
“Not at all. I am only grateful for your hospitality, especially on such short notice.”
The Utar people murmured amongst themselves in their nomadic tongue, which I couldn't understand.
From the way they kept glancing at me, they seemed to find my words curious.
At my words of thanks, the chief beamed and offered us a warm milk tea, a mixture of goat's milk and butter made from the same.
It was a peculiar milk tea, salty as if seasoned with salt, with the rich, savory flavor of butter.
“What is this?”
Vanessa wrinkled her nose at the unfamiliar beverage after sniffing it.
Unable to stand it, Brentian whispered.
“To nomads, salt is more precious than gold. They are treating us with the highest honor, so please refrain.”
My face burned with embarrassment.
Anger surged at Vanessa's shameful behavior.
‘I can't keep tolerating the maids' insolence just to stay on Cavalla's good side.’
I knew they were Cavalla's maids, but everyone else would assume they were mine.
Whether I liked it or not, the four maids, including Vanessa and Lamia, were a reflection of me.
I deliberately reprimanded Vanessa for her rudeness.
“Vanessa, you embarrass me. Even beasts know gratitude. Why are you only full of complaints?”
At my accusation that she was worse than a beast, Vanessa looked utterly dumbfounded.
“But, what did I do…?”
But seeing that not only I but others were glaring at her, she quickly shut her mouth. She must have realized no one here would take her side.
I took a sip of the steaming milk tea.
“...!”
An incredible flavor spread through my mouth.
The warm tea instantly thawed my frozen body.
“My head feels clearer! It was throbbing before.”
Lamia whispered beside me.
The tea seemed to suit her palate, as she quickly finished her cup and asked a nearby Utar man for another.
“You're right.”
Just as Lamia said, drinking the tea greatly alleviated the symptoms of altitude sickness—the tightness in my chest and the throbbing in my head.
“Is it to your liking?”
I smiled brightly at the chief's question and nodded.
“It's delicious! May I have another cup?”
“As many as you like.”
Seeing me enjoy it, the Utar people finally relaxed and smiled.
Watching Lamia and me enjoy the milk tea, the other maids cautiously began to sip theirs.
“It's good…!”
“I like it.”
At the other maids' reactions, Vanessa sat there sulking before storming outside.
The others burst into laughter at the sight.
I laughed along with an embarrassed expression, but sighed inwardly.
‘These maids urgently need some training.’
While Calius spoke with Lassa, I was treated with great hospitality by the Utar tribe and had a wonderful time.
I was in a strange place among strangers, yet for some reason, I felt as if I had come home.
* * *
Meanwhile, Calius sat across from Lassa, a blazing fire between them.
“My king, that which you have long sought is near.”
Her voice was frail and trembling with age, but her conviction came through clearly.
Calius raised an eyebrow.
“That which I have long sought?”
Lassa smiled faintly.
“The gods do not tell me everything. Only they know the whole truth. However, as the subject of this prophecy, you will be able to realize what the gods are telling you.”
Calius suspected Lassa might be referring to the lost sacred relic, but he found it strange.
The sacred relic his mother had protected should be with Cavalla.
“Are you certain it is near?”
“I only convey the voice of the gods.”
“Of course. I did not doubt you. I was merely puzzled because it differs from what I thought.”
“Life is full of wondrous things that surpass our expectations and plans.”
Whether she knew of the turmoil in Calius's mind or not, Lassa continued, smiling serenely.
Her next words only deepened Calius's worries.
“Be vigilant, my king. Doubt, and doubt again. Just as the precious thing has drawn near, so too has your enemy.”
“Is that so.”
“Your enemy has already brought a blade to your throat. You must learn to distinguish friend from foe.”
Lassa's prophecies were not straightforward and were difficult to decipher.
Lassa gently admonished the troubled Calius.
“There is no need to be anxious. As long as you do not forsake the gods, all will become clear when the time is right.”
She smothered the fire with sand and rose from her seat.
“Shall we return to the others? The chief has prepared a banquet.”
“I am always in your debt.”
Lassa raised her wise, dark eyes to look up at Calius, who had risen with her.
“You were born to be our king. No matter how the world turns, we are your people. Such words are not right, not right at all.”
She spoke firmly, then leaned on her staff and walked slowly out of the ker.
* * *
Calius and Lassa returned not long after.
Entering the chief's ker, Lassa's deep-set eyes scanned our party, one person at a time.
Then, she suddenly struck Brentian's shoulder with the staff in her hand.
“What was that for, Lassa?”
Brentian, who had been struck while sitting, looked up at the old woman with a wronged expression.
Lassa clicked her tongue.
“You think too much. When one overthinks, they can possess great wisdom yet still chase the wrong answer, passing by the right one. Think less, and run another errand for your master in that time.”
Brentian was Calius's closest aide and a rather influential noble in Ronheim, yet Lassa held nothing back.
It seemed Calius was the only one she treated with deference.
Brentian grumbled as if he were used to Lassa's behavior.
“You're the one who's always nagging me, Lassa. You're especially harsh with me.”
“It's because I'd hate to see your talents go to waste.”
The scene looked so familiar, like a country grandmother and her grandson from a fairytale, that I couldn't help but smile.
Lassa coolly passed by Brentian, then spotted me and approached with a smile.
But suddenly, about a step away from me, she froze. Her expression was one of shock.
“...?”
As I watched in confusion, Lassa slowly drew near and whispered in a small voice.
“You are one who has received a second chance from the gods.”
