~Chapter 132~
[Ariadna, the light of the Empire and the hero who destroyed the terrible Cambiata, died on the battlefield. Even her body could not be recovered.]
[And we confirmed that her body was taken by the remaining Cambiata forces and illegally used.]
For a moment, time felt like it stopped.
Why is he announcing this now?
If Padva reveals that Aria’s body was used for cloning experiments, that only puts him at a disadvantage.
While I was trying to understand the situation, Padva’s announcement continued.
[…It was truly difficult for me to deliver this news.]
“Ha.”
I let out a breath at Padva’s disgusting, fake sad voice.
[We will show you the evidence we discovered.]
I looked toward the bright light flashing in the square.
I couldn’t see it from here, but they were probably broadcasting Cambiata’s documents.
I clenched my teeth and began walking toward the square.
When we first arrived in Arten, seeing the busy square filled with Imperial citizens made me realize I had truly returned to the Empire.
But I didn’t dare enter it.
I couldn’t take my time sightseeing, and on top of that, I was a wanted criminal.
Moving visibly with so many people was dangerous.
But now, I had to see it.
Nocturne and the knights didn’t stop me—they walked beside me and protected me.
As we got closer to the square, Padva’s voice became clearer.
[Cambiata used Ariadna for horrifying cloning experiments.]
[The missing person from recent reports was actually a clone made from Ariadna’s body.]
I froze mid‑step.
The square was filled with shocked murmurs. Somewhere, someone let out a scream.
“Ari.”
Nocturne gently wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
I took a deep breath and pushed his hand away.
I pulled my hood low over my face and walked into the square.
The walls were covered in wanted posters.
Even in faraway Greymoss, seeing my wanted poster had shocked me.
Naturally, the mainland was in chaos.
There was probably not a single citizen in the Empire who didn’t know Aria’s face.
Nocturne and the knights stayed close around me so no one would see my face.
The once noisy square was now silent except for Padva’s loud voice.
[As Aria discovered during her life, Eshafe clones are unstable and cannot live long.]
[To prevent chaos, the Imperial family hid this truth and cared for the clone humanely until its natural death, then planned to hold Aria’s funeral afterward.]
[But the situation spread too widely and became impossible for the Imperial family to handle quietly.]
A perfect mixture of truth and lies.
‘He’s revealing only what benefits him—that Aria died and that I’m a clone—while hiding his connection to Cambiata.’
Crafty speech.
I habitually watched the people’s reactions.
Every citizen in the square was listening with held breath. Even the children stopped playing and stared up at Padva’s face.
He looked like a perfect future emperor—green eyes like the Empress, golden hair like Aria, and a smart, neat appearance.
The artifact projection made him look ten times larger than a normal person.
Padva spoke again with a sorrowful expression.
[After the clone was kidnapped by outside forces, the Imperial family used every resource to find the culprits.]
He paused. His green eyes twisted as if holding back pain.
[One of the forces behind this experiment was Minette Meyer, my fiancée.]
[When the truth was discovered, she tried to harm me.]
The knights all turned toward Minette.
Her face went pale.
[Furthermore, Duke Bendrix—Aria’s fiancé and current Commander of the Imperial Army—was also involved.]
[You all remember the mountain he burned down a month ago. People believed it was war trauma, but actually, it was because he lost control after Aria’s death.]
[…It is truly tragic.]
When Padva lowered his eyebrows sadly, the people in the square sighed with him.
[Thankfully, that mountain was a monster origin point, so no civilians were hurt. But if it had been a village, the disaster would have been unimaginable.]
[Cambiata used his unstable state to brainwash him into believing the clone was the real Ariadna.]
Nocturne stayed silent at the attention.
I clenched my fists.
Padva’s claims were almost perfectly constructed. Except for the part where he denied his involvement, almost everything else was technically true.
[The Imperial family believes Cambiata could influence the Empire because they are connected to people in power. We have been searching for those ties.]
[Duke Bendrix is an S‑rank combat Eshafe, and Lady Minette is an A‑rank mental Eshafe.]
[To destroy Cambiata, the Empire desperately needs the citizens’ support.]
Padva’s huge projection turned toward me.
It wasn’t actually toward me, but it felt like it.
[People of Ramsar.]
[I am a Nomer, just like the vast majority of our citizens.]
[I do not have powers—but I can carry on Aria’s will to bring peace by eliminating Cambiata.]
[So I ask for your support.]
The image changed.
Wanted posters of Minette, Nocturne, and their knights floated above the square.
[Anyone who captures the clone or Cambiata traitors will receive high honor and the greatest rewards.]
[If you see a clone with the same face as the dead princess, report it immediately. I repeat…]
Suddenly, dizziness washed over me.
Padva was a Nomer, but that was an advantage.
Most citizens were also Nomers. His speech was perfect for gaining their sympathy.
And the effect was immediate.
“Huh? Those people!”
“That’s Cambiata!”
People were recognizing my group from the wanted posters.
“Oh no…”
“Call the guards!”
Then a child pointed at me.
“That’s the princess’s clone!”
My whole body stiffened.
He couldn’t have seen my face under the hood. But he pointed without hesitation.
‘He’s an Eshafe!’
The Ramsar Empire had the most Eshafes in the world.
Tracking powers, identity-reading powers, emotion-sensing powers… There were countless types.
And now, every citizen had turned into a hunter.
‘Not even Nocturne can fight this many. And if he goes all out… he’ll burn the Empire to the ground.’
My mind went blank.
Could we really escape this?
“Ari, come.”
Nocturne grabbed me.
I followed him in a daze.
“They’re running!”
“Call the guards!”
As people shouted, I looked around.
The knights surrounding me were surprisingly calm.
I had panicked, so I assumed everyone else would too—but they stayed steady.
We headed back toward the castle.
The Arten security captain blocked the citizens and rushed to open the gate for us.
As we entered, Nocturne said,
“I want to show you something.”
“Show me something?”
“More like… someone I want you to meet.”
Someone he wants me to meet?
I frowned, confused.
The Count of Arten was part of the Golden Butterfly Group. Maybe people connected to them were here.
‘But this isn’t the time to meet anyone. We need to figure out how to handle this disaster first.’
As I stepped inside—
“Uh…?”
The inside of the castle was bigger than I expected.
And lined up all across the hall were many maids and servants.
I froze at the unexpected sight.
Then they all greeted me in unison:
“Welcome back, Your Highness.”
My eyes widened as I recognized their familiar faces.
“These people…”
They were Aria’s household servants.
The ones who served her before the war, but suddenly disappeared from the palace after I woke up.
They were all gathered here.
