The Reveal
Titania had said it over and over: “I’ve changed since I almost died.” She also said, “You have something precious, so don’t worry about me.”
‘I wish unnie had something precious, too,’ Vivi thought.
Vivi felt lucky to be alive again. She could now repay both her favors and her grudges. For the first time in her life, she was loved within the fence of a family. Because of that, she couldn’t ignore the fragile Titania, who looked ready to close her pale eyelids and sigh in relief as if to say, “I’m saved, that’s enough.” ‘This person deserves a chance like that, too,’ she felt.
“Then, just one question.” The woman, who had been lost in thought, raised her eyes. “Who is this ‘enemy’ who is famously after the treasures of the House of Castner and is after both the youngest princess and us?”
As if she had been waiting for that very question, the girl smiled brightly.
“A mad Archmage.”
Her voice was full of a vengeful tone, a stark contrast to her large, bright smile that bloomed like a sunflower in the sunlight.
“The head of the previous-previous Magic Tower, who is rumored to be dead. Someone who will stop at nothing for immortality… the self-proclaimed immortal Koschei!”
-O, my great master, it pains me to report that the tower is empty.
A skull in the air clicked its jaw together. It was a skull that looked as if it had just been dug out of a grave. But the red orb in its chest pulsed like a beating heart. A strange red light, as if replacing eyes, shone in its empty eye sockets.
The skull, wearing a pitch-black robe, looked around before letting out a mournful sound and collapsing on the floor. It was inside an empty tower. No, it wasn’t even certain if it was a “tower.” It was just a ruin. All that remained were broken stone fragments and shards of walls and pillars whose original forms were nowhere to be found. Not even a single mouse, fly, or spider, which should have been everywhere, was present.
-There is no trace of the treacherous power of light that you spoke of.
A momentary silence fell.
[You fool.]
The voice was heavy, as if it were speaking directly inside the skull’s mind. A sinister aura, as if a lump of cold, darkness, dust, and ash had been brought together, emanated from it.
[The trace of Belobog is right there, is it not?]
The skull turned its head frantically. Creaaak, went the sound of bone grinding. A white floor, as if carved from white marble, was visible. On it, there were a few strands of very light golden hair. The skeletal finger touched the strands of hair. Sizzle, a tiny static shock occurred. It was a sign of rejection.
[I made a mistake.]
-O, o, o, my great master…
[I made a mistake, thinking my servants would soon be freed from the underworld.]
-C-Could it be that that one confined imperial girl… was truly chosen by Belobog? A mere girl, knowing the weight of her choice…?
[Did you not say that there are no members of the current imperial family worthy of being chosen by Belobog?]
-M-Master.
[It was you who whispered that since the House of Castner was stepping in to protect her, there was no need to cause a stir over one small rat, especially with a great plan ahead.]
-F-For-forgive me!
The skull prostrated itself on the floor, its cranium buried in the ground. Clang, clang went the sound.
-This lowly, lowly Koschei has made a mistake! Master! I was so frightened when the House of Castner raided my workshop and burned my body!
[I never imagined that another human would make a choice similar to that pitiful girl, Gloriana.]
-But, master.
The skull slowly raised its head to gauge his mood.
-Gloriana, to be frank, the humans barely remember her now… but wasn’t she still a saint in name? Even now that Belobog has been weakened to the point of near-extinction, the barrier separating the underworld and the surface is still maintained…
[Yes, that foolish imperial girl will not have much power, but she has already made a contract. If she reaches the Rubedo stage safely, she will become a great threat to me.]
The voice declared.
[I must advance the war.]
The apocalypse that will burn everything to the ground.
The Votive Ceremony
About a week had passed since the demon raid on the Imperial Palace.
For now, this incident had turned Empress Cleo and Prince Brian into dogs chasing a chicken that flew away. The Emperor’s feelings were deeply hurt by this affair, so he ignored the now-conscious Prince Brian, who was crying and wailing for him. Having heard the Emperor’s words to “tell that worthless son to stay away for now and reflect on himself,” Brian had stopped eating and drinking.
The heretics of a secret society that worshipped the power of darkness were identified as the masterminds of the “Demon Palace Raid Incident.” However, no definitive culprit was concluded. The House of Castner had investigated the person who had handed over the “evidence” to the Empress, but they had run into difficulties. They had only found out that the Empress had contacted her family, the Marquis of Land, and the trail went cold after that. The Empress, like Brian, was keeping a low profile for the time being, so it was difficult to find out anything more.
I quietly returned Glory’s Emblem and ended my cooperation with the House of Castner, declaring one of my two debts successfully paid off. High Priest Ilian gave me a final health check. Then he laughed heartily, his face kind, and said, “This was truly an interesting affair.” He shook my hand and left, telling me to contact him anytime if I needed anything. He was a surprisingly carefree old man.
Now that I was officially awake, the Castner family who had been staying at the Empress’s Palace were also getting ready to leave. I returned all the extravagant items. The House of Castner’s honor was on the line, so they objected, saying, “How can we take back a gift we gave to our savior?”
My answer was simple.
“My stay at the Empress’s Palace is officially over, and the Rose Palace is under construction. Where am I supposed to put all this?”
Even the great House of Castner had no words for this, and they obediently took their things back. Well, they didn’t really take them back “obediently.” Vivi had made a ridiculous comment with a bright smile.
“Oh, then unnie! We can just give you a new house to put all those things in! Papa told me to be generous if I was going to give a gift!”
“No! I’m a member of the imperial family! I should live in the palace! I’ll just wait for the Rose Palace to be repaired!”
…Anyway, the Rose Palace, having gone through all this, needed a major renovation. The rumor that the Rose Palace looked like a haunted house had spread throughout the palace. The incident was so huge that the rumors had even leaked outside the palace. Since the rumors about a palace belonging to a princess—not even a prince—were so bad, the Emperor ordered a “proper renovation to quell the rumors.”
So, I voluntarily offered to leave for the Votive Ceremony early. The Emperor agreed without a second thought.
“He’s just worried about the rumors among the commoners that you looked like a saint with that sacred sword,” the Empress said cynically. Prince Adrian chewed on a scone and added, “Right, His Majesty is so petty, isn’t he?”
“And even though the Empress Consort is on probation, it’s awkward to stay. The Rose Palace needs to be rebuilt. It would also be awkward to stay longer at the Empress’s Palace.”
“Even so…” The Empress trailed off. “…Should I send Countess Constantine with you? Traveling to the southern end of the Empire in this hot weather is not easy.”
Countess Constantine was a lady-in-waiting the Empress trusted deeply. She was offering this because she knew I had no reliable people with me. I was silent.
My staff at the Rose Palace had all been replaced. To be precise, everyone but Head Maid Natalie, whom the Empress Consort’s influence had prevented from being removed, was gone. More accurately, even I didn’t know where they were. Empress Cleo, who had tried to use the maids to get to me, was extremely furious after failing, and it was unlikely she had left her spies in the Rose Palace alone.
So, I had no maids or ladies-in-waiting at the moment. It was a serious problem, even if a lady-in-waiting was an understandable absence since I hadn’t had a proper debut, but not having a single maid was a bit much. The only person who could give me a maid or lady-in-waiting without causing a scandal in this situation was Empress Elaine. It would be a problem if anything happened to her trusted subordinate on such a long trip.
“Alright. I’ll send a few skilled maids with you.”
“Or, maybe I can just go with you?” Adrian said, sounding worried.
“No, Prince Adrian. If you do that, we’ll have to deal with assassins sent by Empress Cleo from a faraway place, so please don’t. The House of Castner has already promised to send some capable guards and maids.”
“Oh, really?” Adrian’s eyes widened. The Empress’s voice softened slightly.
“Well… they’re sensitive about your safety, so that seems plausible.”
“But…”
“But what?”
I was silent for a moment.
