I'm Going Through Time to Meet You

Chapter 2

The young king was troubled.

By the fact that Antre was a mere speck compared to the empire. By his inability to protect Eleanor, the Duchess of Rivellon and Master mage. And by the fact that he was bringing up Isabella’s death at a time like this.

That was when Eleanor laughed. Playfully, she bent her knees and met his gaze, sighing deeply before asking, “Surely, you haven’t already forgotten what my specialty is, have you?”

“Time...”

“No, no. Space-time. I am, after all, a Master mage of space-time magic, Your Majesty. So believe me, I’m serious.”

The young king’s lips stretched into a long line. No one knew Eleanor’s brilliance better than he did. He had seen firsthand how extraordinary she was as a mage.

Even so…

“What happens then? Ellie, if you go back to the past, will you be able to return?”

Eleanor fell silent at the king’s question. She glanced away awkwardly, letting out a nervous laugh. Her blue eyes darted about the room, trying to avoid his eye.

The young king, recognizing the familiar expression, continued, “I’ve known you for too long to fall for that. You don’t think I realize that a Master isn’t all-powerful?”

“Well, it might be a little tricky to return to the right timeline again, but if I don’t do anything too drastic, it’s not completely out of the question—”

“But you will do something drastic!” The young king stomped his foot in exasperation. He had known Eleanor for twenty years, during which she’d always been an unpredictable troublemaker.

At his astute observation, Eleanor protested, “Drastic? I’m just going to visit my mother and maybe hang out with her for a while. What drastic thing could possibly happen?”

“You? Just hang out? Sure. Let’s say that’s true. But what if you make a mistake and the past shifts irreparably? Will you even be able to return then?”

Eleanor remained silent, simply gazing back at the young king. She didn’t rush to respond. In the end, it was him who made her hesitate, unable to make the final decision. The thought of him that weighed on her even now when her mind was made up.

At last, Eleanor shook her head. Her red hair—the same hair the young king once said reminded him of a sunset—tossed gently.

“I have no intention of coming back. You know that.”

That was why she had already designated the heir to the Duchy of Rivellon. She had made sure to settle all the urgent matters that followed, ensuring her absence wouldn’t be felt.

The young king looked as if his world were crumbling. He desperately reached out to her, trying to hold on.

“Ellie, if this is all because of the envoy from the empire, just wait a little longer. I’ll find a—”

“What are you talking about?” Eleanor’s eyes widened before she let out a bright, carefree laugh. “I’m not being chased away. I’ve been preparing this magic circle for years.”

The envoy from the empire was merely a convenient excuse for Eleanor. A pretext to let her finally shed the last sense of duty she had carried with her, under the guise of sacrifice.

And only then did the young king remember a long-buried memory.

“I want to see my mother.”

Long ago, on the night Isabella passed away, Eleanor had whispered those words to the young king, her voice thick with unshed tears. He had thought it was just the usual grief, a mourning of sorts.

But what had Eleanor said to him a few years later when she came to him one dark night?

“I need to go see my mother.”

The young king had failed to see. He had forgotten that his childhood friend had both the determination and the ability to accomplish this goal.

“You... surely not.”

You’re really going? To the past? Leaving me behind in this timeline?

Before he could voice his frantic thoughts, Eleanor smiled widely, as if he had asked the most obvious question in the world.

***

A few days passed.

Eleanor lifted her head absently and gazed at the sky. Her eyes were clouded as memories of the past drifted through her mind.

They say humans are creatures of regret and forgetfulness.

Eleanor thought to herself, If that’s true, then I must be the regretting type. Why didn’t I think to bring a fake ID with me?

It had been three days since she traveled twenty-four years into the past. Yet Eleanor hadn’t come anywhere near seeing so much as a hair on her mother’s head.

With a sigh of frustration, she admitted to herself that, despite her preparation, she hadn’t quite expected this.

“An illegal immigrant! Me!” Muttering in despair, Eleanor startled herself with her words, shrinking into herself as she glanced warily around.

Her overly cautious expression drew curious glances from passersby, though they quickly turned away when they caught her eye.

It had been three days since she arrived in the past, and Eleanor had to acknowledge that she stood out. Her hair was especially conspicuous. Astonishingly, it seemed that hair dyes hadn’t existed in the empire twenty-four years ago.

Grumbling under her breath, Eleanor tried her best to cover her carrot-colored hair with the hat she had bought in exchange for just two copper coins.

“Never seen someone drink tea alone? What is everyone staring at?”

Her words, intentionally loud enough for others to hear, were followed by awkward coughs as passersby looked away. Reclaiming her alone time, Eleanor tossed her hat to the other side of the table.

The cup of tea, once piping hot, had long since gone cold.

She knew it was odd to stay seated for so long, but she remained steadfast, staring at the sky from her patio table.

Yes, Eleanor of Rivellon from the small and humble but beautiful kingdom of Antre was now an illegal immigrant.

She couldn’t believe she was doing something illegal at her age, as a Master mage. Eleanor banged her head against the table with a groan, realizing once again just how important status was.

A fugitive who has to run away at the sight of a soldier. Woe is me.

Three days ago, she had settled into the capital of the empire. Her arrival had gone perfectly as she’d at least remembered to bring plenty of precious metals with her. She couldn’t stay at a luxury hotel without an ID, but at least she wouldn’t be left out in the cold. What was more, she had succeeded in time travel. Despite the enormous risk involved and the fact that she had almost died, she had made it.

To reiterate, Eleanor had successfully traveled to the past. The reason she had snuck into the empire’s capital instead of staying in Antre was clear: “Ugh, I need that ID soon so I can register for the Imperial Academy.”

The Imperial Academy.

For Eleanor, who didn’t officially exist in this world, the Academy was her only shot at meeting Isabella. The Academy welcomed even commoners with open arms, as long as they had the money and talent. However, to take the Academy’s entrance exam, she needed an ID. As lenient as the Academy was with mages, they wouldn’t let an illegal immigrant enroll. In the end, the problem was her status—or more precisely, her lack of an ID.

Eleanor sighed, staring blankly at the darkening winter sky.

“I thought everything would go smoothly once I became a Master, but it turns out that was just the beginning.” Her sigh mingled with the chilly air. After lingering a while longer on the terrace, Eleanor finally stood up, leaving her tea untouched.

The waiter looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and wariness as she pulled the collars of her coat up around her neck. Not because she had sat there for four hours with a single cup of tea—why was she insisting on sitting out on the patio in the freezing weather?

Under the waiter’s odd gaze, Eleanor pulled her hat down low and stepped out onto the central avenue. Eleanor was too fascinated by her surroundings to feel the cold.

Everything feels so strange. Can’t believe this is what the empire looked like twenty-four years ago.

She had never been to the empire before, but she knew plenty about the empire twenty-four years into the future from what she had heard and read. After the transcontinental railway opened, the empire experienced a second golden age of sorts. Not only could they now effectively control small, hard-to-reach nations on the fringes, but they also began to gather talent from every corner of the continent. It was no surprise that, twenty-four years later, the empire was always overflowing with the latest innovations, brimming with people in all manner of different attire from across the continent. The empire of twenty-four years ago, by contrast, was a quieter, more peaceful place.

Eleanor’s gaze followed the laughter of children running past her, but she shook her head and quickened her pace. There was no time to get distracted. Today was the last day to submit her application at the Imperial Academy. Determined to get her forged ID before noon, she stepped into the building.

“Long time no see, Lily!”

Lily, who had been walking down the hall, looked up at Eleanor’s cheerful greeting and gave her a strained smile.

The look on her face screamed “you again!” but her lips curled into a smile.

“It hasn’t been that long, but it’s nice to see you, Eleanor. I told you your item would be ready by noon today. Did I miscommunicate that?” Lily trailed off, glancing sideways at the pocket watch by her desk. Naturally, Eleanor followed her gaze.

It was only eleven o’clock.

Eleanor replied with a bright smile, undeterred by Lily’s pointed comment.

“I just thought I’d come a little early. In case the item was ready ahead of schedule by mistake. That does happen, doesn’t it?”

Lily nodded with a complicated expression, silently thinking that if anything, it would be late, not early.

When Lily offered to bring her some tea, Eleanor thanked her and plopped down on one of the folding chairs off to the side.

Her gaze, now calm, gazed about the room. In truth, she wasn’t entirely sure if trusting this place with her fake ID had been the right decision.

A forgery business operating out in the open like this? Shouldn’t these things be done in some shady back alley?

The building didn’t exactly scream “back alley.” The corridor was wide and lined with doors, and a long staircase led straight from the hall to the second floor. Even without the chandelier decorating the grand hall, the building looked like a proper place of business, not to mention it was well-lit all around.