Chapter 25
I had done all the preparations I could for today.
Of course, I had to stay vigilant and keep my mind sharp.
“My lady, the carriage has arrived.”
“Ah, yes.”
I gave a light nod and hurried out into the hall.
‘Since I’ve been moving since dawn, I’m exhausted… It’ll take nearly two hours to reach Palmos Rest. I might as well sleep.’
Suppressing a yawn, I approached the carriage. I expected the attendant to open the door for me—but to my surprise, it opened from inside.
‘Someone was already in there?’
A servant shouldn’t sit in the carriage before their master. Confused, I raised my head—then froze at the sight.
‘…Why are you here?’
Inside Aisadra Castle — Top Floor
Meytenche Hallroren gazed sharply through the window at the view below. A brown-feathered bird slid gracefully into the frame.
[I have returned, Master.]
“Kaim. Did you confirm everything?”
[No major changes. The spies Roton planted are moving as expected.]
Roton belonged to a powerful house neighboring the Hallroren domain to the east. Though bound by the same empire, rival noble families vying for influence could hardly get along. Sending spies to each other’s territory was an everyday occurrence.
But killing enemy agents was shortsighted. If you already knew their movements and positions, it was far wiser to let them operate within your control.
“And the temple?”
[As you know, they are organized in cells. Tracking them is difficult. Some have indeed infiltrated our domain, but rooting them out will be difficult.]
“Well… fanatics obsessed with religion. Only a madman could hide their identity through such self-inflicted torment.”
[Forgive my lack of strength. I will continue pursuit.]
“It doesn’t matter. Any move that could cause real damage will be too obvious to miss. Just don’t overlook that.”
[Understood.]
“What about Nergal’s Trial?”
[The council members are moving as a group. They will either boycott altogether or overload Lady Kalmia with tasks to humiliate her.]
Meytenche exhaled softly.
Naturally. After Kalmia had expelled all the Tower children, the affected factions had no choice but to retaliate. They couldn’t strike her openly, so they would deal their blows politically.
Boycotting Nergal’s Trial as a group was one such tactic. It was a public declaration that the candidate lacked popularity or support.
After all, the title of Grand House Head was deeply political. No matter how skilled in black magic, the head of a great house was first and foremost a ruler of people. Without influence and respect, whispers of incompetence would follow forever.
‘That’s why I called her position vulnerable…’
When Meytenche had ascended, there had been no such political bickering. After all, who would dare challenge the man who had destroyed the Dark Cores of every other child?
Fear, after all, was one of the most effective tools in politics. Dangerous when overused—but Meytenche knew better than anyone how to wield it.
[Then I will continue my rounds.]
“Go.”
Kaim melted away into the air. Meytenche stared briefly at the fading afterimage before returning to his desk. He opened a drawer, pulling out a small card-shaped letter.
“I don’t want to leave any openings. My request is still valid, right?”
The writing was childish, slightly crooked—clearly Kalmia’s.
Her one request was simple: to proceed by the rules.
Which meant that today, during the Assembly, that tiny little girl would once again cause chaos, all in the name of “the rules.”
What would she do this time?
For once, Meytenche’s lips curled upward into a faint smile. Anyone who knew him would have been stunned—it was a smile with warmth.
The Carriage
I gaped in shock.
Emerald-green hair. Eyes that glimmered like jewels.
A boy of about ten, so strikingly similar to Aunt Audrey that I could swear they were carved from the same mold.
Even without ever meeting him before, I knew at once.
He was my cousin—Emil.
“Here, take my hand. I’ll help you up.”
Emil extended his hand with friendly ease.
Caught off guard, I nodded faintly and half-accepted his hand as I stepped into the carriage. He sat opposite me, then leaned forward with the nimble grace of a cat, peering close into my face.
“Is it really okay for you to just climb into a stranger’s carriage? You’ve got no sense of caution.”
‘Says the one who dragged me in here.’
I replied dryly.
“Well, I knew who you were right away.”
“I thought so. Your reaction gave it away. How did you know?”
“…You look so much like Aunt Audrey.”
“Hmm.”
His smile, which had been constant until now, faded instantly.
“That’s something neither Mother nor I like to hear. Be careful not to say it again.”
“…”
I didn’t know much about Emil. By the time I entered the Tower, he had already left for the main house, so we had never crossed paths. Living ostracized in the Tower, I hadn’t kept up with family matters either.
But in the original story… Emil was already dead.
He had perished, consumed by his reckless attempt to seize a forbidden secret art. His death became the trauma that drove another cousin, Luska, to rein in the protagonist whenever they acted recklessly.
So Emil had been little more than a narrative device. But now, alive and breathing before me, he felt… real. And unsettling.
Perhaps it was because I, too, had once been nothing but a background character doomed to die.
‘What else do I know about him…’
He was originally born a twin, but his younger brother had died of illness years ago. Judging from his earlier words, his relationship with his mother, Aunt Audrey, was far from warm.
‘She must hate that he inherited her green hair—her greatest complex.’
Of course, as her only heir, she wouldn’t neglect him. But caring for him as a successor and loving him as a son were two very different things.
A bitter feeling welled up in me.
In my previous life, my own mother hadn’t protected me from my abusive father either—despite me being her true daughter.
What was family, really?
Emil’s voice broke my heavy thoughts.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Ah…”
Realizing I had been silently staring at him for a long while, I flushed in embarrassment. That was terribly rude.
“I… it’s just…”
“Yeah?”
“You’re really handsome!”
The words slipped out in my fluster. Emil stiffened, blinking several times—then suddenly burst out laughing.
“Oh, come on! If you’re going to make excuses, at least come up with a better one!”
“Huh?”
“You’re Uncle Sylvan’s daughter! How can you call me handsome?”
Well… it was true my father was the most handsome man in the world. Even if I set aside my daughterly bias, within the empire, both he and grandfather were considered the peak of male beauty.
By contrast, Emil had a softer, cuter look—more warmth than coldness. Not any less attractive, just a different kind.
“Well, sure, my dad is super handsome, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t! You’re both handsome, just with different styles.”
“…Liar.”
“It’s true! I swear on my dad’s name if I have to!”
My aesthetic sense doesn’t lie.
✨ End of Chapter 25 ✨
