Harmony's POV

When I felt the carriage we were riding in stop, I slowly opened my eyes. I didn’t even need to ask where I was because, based on the unusual way the wind was blowing, I could tell we were in the middle of a forest. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in just a few hours, we were surrounded by wild animals.

I subtly glanced at my two companions and saw them looking at each other, as if signaling.

"Why is there no question from the Princess?" I heard the Coachman ask.

"I don't even know; she seems too composed for someone whose life is in danger. I have no idea what she is planning, or perhaps she is just being foolish," Celia replied in a whisper, but because the area was quiet, I could clearly hear their hushed conversation.

I could kill them instantly where they are standing, but as much as possible, I don't want to stain these hands with blood for reasons I don't know. Or maybe it’s because I want to live a normal life, a life where I’m not obligated to kill people.

But is that even possible? Especially if I am surrounded by these kinds of people.

I scanned my eyes around the vicinity. The area was surrounded by towering trees, as if they were a shield or roof because the sky was barely visible, and it was quite dark. The entrance of this woodland gives the impression that it is a typical forest: calming, with a fresh breeze, a stunning view, and even a wide range of exotic flowers and plants. But once you reach the middle of the forest, your hair will stand on end because of the presence of wild animals scattered in every corner. These wild animals cannot get out of the forest because there is also a spell cast on it that acts as protection for the people outside.

I turned to look at the two and saw that they were still whispering, so I cleared my throat to get their attention. When they looked at me, I immediately ran. They were taken aback by what I did, so they ran after me.

"She's running away! We can't let her out of this forest!" Celia shouted.

I smirked as I spotted the direction I was looking for. I glanced back and then forward, but I bit my lip because I had gone the wrong way.

"Damn! It should be here! Where is it?"

Two wild animal traps are dispersed around this forest, and the other noblemen use them to cheat on the day of the Hunting Festival. However, it looks like they won't be able to use them this time since I will be the one using them.

I was about to go back in the direction I went earlier, but I stopped because Celia and the Coachman were there, standing and looking at me menacingly. My knees are trembling from running. This body is too weak to last the run; I have to be careful because this body might suddenly give out and I'll just lose consciousness.

Damn!

"Princess, you weakling, where do you think you're going?" My hands clenched after the Coachman said that, and I looked down as I remembered what my Mom said when I was a child.

"Savina, there are no weak Feuntales! Death will be your last destination if you are the weaker one."

I looked up and met their gazes without emotion, causing them to flinch from where they stood.

I was born to be strong, I was trained to have blood on my hands, I was raised to kill, and I grew up eager for human life.

But he dared to call me a weak Princess?!

I slowly took a step forward while my hands were still clenched. I will kill him with these hands!

I ran and was close to them, but instead of attacking him, I knelt and quickly slipped between his legs, which surprised him. I immediately stood up while weakly hitting myself.

Why? Why did I avoid killing him?!

But as I thought back to the times I had assassinated innocent people, I chuckled at that question. Be they stray souls or innocents, as long as it was the client's order, I shouldn't refuse.

"M-miss, for pity's sake, just save my child, please!" said the woman while hugging a five-year old boy.

I looked at her husband as he slowly crawled toward his wife and child and hugged them very tightly. "Just kill me, just kill me. Don't involve my wife and child; after all, I am the one to blame for whoever ordered you to do this... I-I cheated on her."

He's right; he's the root cause of this. If from the start he had been honest with his girlfriend and said that he already had a family, this child wouldn't be involved, but I'm outside of their situation. I should kill them, ALL OF THEM.

I closed my eyes and fired the gun; when I opened them, the bullet hit their foreheads exactly. I knelt and sighed, then placed my right palm on the open eyes of the little boy so that his tearful eyes would close.

I stopped running, my body trembled, and my chest tightened after remembering the mission I finished three years ago in my past life. Because of my trembling body, I fell and tightly gripped the grass with my left palm while my right hand was on my chest because of the tightness. I shook my head.

Suddenly, I felt disgusted with myself. If only I could go back in time... I would make a different choice and save the kid, but if I did, it would cost my sister's life.

I clenched my fists tightly.

"I'm really weak-"

"Did you think you could escape?" I looked at the coachman when he pulled my hair, causing my previously neat hair to become disheveled. He pulled me by my hair, and I bit my lower lip because of the pain, so I grabbed his hands to try to remove them, but I was surprised by the sudden pounce of a large animal on him.

"Ackk!" The coachman's scream could be heard in every corner as the wild animal devoured him. I looked at Celia, who now had wide eyes and fell.

I turned my attention back to the wild animal and slowly stood up and walked away, but Celia had recovered from her shock, so she suddenly ran to stop me. I also ran, I kept looking back at the wild animal and saw that it was busy with the Coachman.

Celia was still after me when I fled, so I kept running. She was about to catch up with me because my legs were worn out from running, and it appeared like they would give out in a short while. My eyes seemed to light up when I saw the trap I was looking for earlier, but it was still far away.

Shit! I have to get there!

I closed my eyes and ran even faster, but when I was close, Celia caught up with me and pulled on the dress I was wearing. I tried to break free, but her grip was tight, and she was reaching for my hair, so I took off the dress I was wearing and jumped to avoid the dry leaves on the ground, under which there was a well containing sharp wooden stakes. Celia failed to realize it, so she trod on some dry leaves, falling into the hole as a result. But before she completely fell, I quickly snatched the pouch on her side and dodged when she tried to grab my arm, causing me to fall to the ground, panting, and turned my gaze to the pouch I was holding.

"Haa...that was so close." I breathed a sigh of relief and slowly stood up, then peeked into the well.

I could see Celia with every part of her body pierced by the sharp wooden stakes. I gave her an emotionless look. "Look at yourself, you fell for your own stupidity," I whispered and turned away.

She deserved it, given that I ended up in this body because she killed the real Harmony without realizing it.

•••

After more than half an hour of walking, I still couldn't find the way out of this forest.

"Urgh! It seems I'm still lost." I whispered while continuing to walk, but when I stepped on the tree trunk and a loud noise was made, I was startled, causing me to feel the slight shaking of the ground due to seemingly running creatures. My eyes widened when I turned around and saw the Leopard attacking me from behind, but it died when two arrows penetrated its head. I turned around and peered behind the leopard. I noticed five other leopards coming at me and having arrows lodged in their chests and heads.

"What is the pretty little kitten doing in the den of predators?" I frowned and looked up at the tree and saw a man standing from there, and he was holding a bow.

Hmm? Who is he?

But instead of answering his question, my body quickly moved and pulled out the arrow from the leopard's head and immediately threw it behind the man. The man ducked, and with narrowed eyes, he turned to look below him because a Hyena that attacked from behind fell there. I grimaced and bit my lower lip while holding my right hand with my left hand because of the sudden and strong throwing of the arrow - it seemed like I had broken a bone.

The man turned his attention back to me, he looked at me from head to toe, then raised the corner of his lips while looking directly into my currently emotionless eyes. "I didn't expect that the kitten was actually a lioness," he commented. He jumped from the tree he was in and walked closer to me.

My lips parted when he got closer because I realized his clothes and appearance. His black hair has a side fringe, and his eyebrows have soft angles. His teal eyes give me the impression that I can see the ocean in them. In particular, his pale red, thin lips, and aquiline nose truly enhance his good looks. He was dressed in commoner clothes, including a brown suede jerkin over a tronde wool tunic, which he combined with a folke suede hood that is presently down. He was wearing simple trousers and black boots. On his waist, he had a belt where a dagger, hammer, and pocket were attached.

Behind him was a quiver made of leather, where his five remaining arrows were placed.

He is a commoner who came from Rystria Village. A commoner who prefers to be a slayer goes to the dungeon to slay monsters and strange creatures in exchange for the gems they can get within the bodies of the monsters that they killed. Because of his strength and skills, he was chosen by his peers to serve as their leader, proving how good he was. Aside from that, the group he leads is the group that the Female Lead in this story belongs to.

And for goodness sake, he is the second male lead in this book! Flavius Uolevi!

He is my bias. He is the second character I like the most. I admire his demeanor and the way he thinks—in fact, I like him more than the male lead. I want him for the female lead, but of course, not because the reader/s wants the second male lead should they be the end game. The Crown Prince was not as strong as Flavius, and the female lead is almost as strong as Flavius, which is why they are my favorites.

As a reader like me, there are characters we don't want to have a partner with because we want ourselves to be their partner instead. The ones we call husband/s, and since he wasn't taken, we feel the affection for that character more.

And I like him because, like him, we both gamble our lives to survive.

"Milady?" I cleared my throat and looked away.

"Who are you?" I asked, even though I was aware of his identity.

He held out his right hand while saying his name. "I'm Flavius Uolevi, and I'm a Monster's Slayer." I just looked at his outstretched hand, even though I wanted to hold it tightly and shower it with kisses.

Because my favorite character is here standing in front of me! Oh, f*ck! For a die-hard fan like myself, it's an honor to be able to speak with or at least see my favorite character, so I don't know where to put my happiness!

"I don't just shake hands with someone I just met," I responded coldly to him while looking into his eyes, but I frowned when I noticed the shock in his eyes and the redness of his cheeks.

"Y-you! Don't you even have respect for yourself?!" I frowned even more at what he said.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean? Is that all you can say? Damn! You're almost naked, Lady!" I looked at what I was wearing and realized that I was only in a chemise underdress because my dress from before had been torn off.

But what exactly about wearing this is disrespectful?

"I'm wearing something; I'm not naked because this underdress is long—" He cut me off by gesturing with his hands.

"Are you even serious? Do nobles act like that?"

Because he mentioned nobles, the realization hit me. That's why he's acting this way—because I'm not in modern times. I'm here in the 1840s.

What would his reaction be if he went to Earth? He might never open his eyes again because revealing clothing is common on Earth.

"Pfft!" I looked at him, and a suppressed laugh suddenly escaped my mouth, especially when I noticed that he was refraining from looking at what I was wearing.

"Hey! Is there something funny?"

I stopped laughing and cleared my throat. Without a word, I tore the underdress I was wearing, causing him to shout and turn away from me.

"Are you crazy, young lady?!" he exclaimed, still turned away. I walked toward him, to the front where the dead leopard was. I sat on the ground and pried open the leopard's mouth. Even though I felt like I had broken a bone in my right arm, I still placed it in the leopard's mouth and clamped it shut.

"Urgh!" I groaned as I felt the pain and removed my arm from the leopard's mouth. The sharp teeth left marks on my arm.

"W-what are you doing?!" I looked up at him when he shouted and came to help me. "What the heck are you doing? Why did you harm yourself and rip your clothes?!"

I grinned. "Oh, this?" I looked at my state. My clothes were torn to shreds as if a dog had mauled me, and blood was dripping from the wound on my arm that I'd caused by clamping it in the leopard's mouth. "This is none of your business, Mr. Second." As I said that, I looked up at him with a wide grin on my lips.