CHAPTER 150………………………………………..
The Collapsed Prince (1)
‘Haa… this is exhausting…’
By the mid-to-late stages of the summit, my concentration was starting to run dry.
To clear my head, I decided to take a walk in the garden with a few close companions.
‘Still, the reactions are good.’
Our demons would benefit, yet Iliod wouldn’t lose anything.
If things continued smoothly like this, only one matter remained for me.
‘The newly opened Royal Academy!’
For it to really take off, other kingdoms would need to recognize its diploma.
‘The atmosphere is good, so it should pass, right?’
“…Your Highness.”
‘If this succeeds, I can invite and pressure the right people to gain new power—’
“Your Highness!”
“Huh? Ah!”
I must have been lost in thought.
Wearing heels didn’t help either—I twisted my ankle.
But before I could embarrassingly fall flat on the ground, someone grabbed my arm.
Ares’s voice was so low that my neck heated up.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
“…!”
A chill ran down my spine in an instant.
I was so flustered that no sound came out of my mouth.
Ares whispered urgently in my ear.
“Shion? Is your ankle okay?”
“Ah—”
I tried to smile and say I was fine, but the thought that Kalion and the others were watching me made my neck burn.
‘Above all, if Father notices, Ares might die.’
I snapped back to my senses immediately.
I calmly pulled my arm free and replied.
“I’m fine, Prince. Now, let go of me.”
“….”
“We’re in front of people. Keep some distance.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Ares stepped back behind me.
Honestly, I felt a little proud of how I handled that.
‘Didn’t show I was flustered, right?’
Ares didn’t seem upset either…?
But before I could glance at him again, a small, delicate voice came from ahead.
“Ah, hello, Princess of Erevos!”
“Good afternoon, Prince Kasandros.”
Iliod’s young prince approached with his attendants.
Considering I had heard he was unwell, he looked surprisingly fine.
“Is the food in Tartarus to your liking?”
“Yes, yes! I… uh…”
The prince fidgeted and smiled shyly.
“I couldn’t say anything on the first day, but I’m really happy to meet you in person.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. We all watched your video at the palace together.”
“…Why…?”
Their country must have plenty of entertainment. Why would they embarrass themselves by watching my video?
The prince smiled innocently.
“I like stories from faraway lands, but I can’t go outside much.”
“I see.”
“When I see you, it feels like I’m traveling far away. I like that.”
At that moment, a tapping sound on the hilt of a sword came from behind me.
‘Ares or Kalion?’
Why were both of them so irritated by a child’s words?
But the real problem came next.
The prince lifted his head to look at me and spoke.
“So even if Sister says to stay in the home country, I begged—uh…”
Suddenly, the prince’s silver-gray eyes widened.
“…? Prince, what is it?”
“….”
He just stared at me blankly.
And a few seconds later, he swayed and collapsed into my arms.
“Prince? Prince Kasandros?!”
Oh no—he fainted right into my arms!
The prince’s attendants shouted in alarm, and chaos erupted instantly.
And I was embarrassed for a different reason.
‘My magic isn’t working at all? Why?’
If he had simply fainted from fatigue, my healing ability would have fixed him instantly.
‘What…? Why isn’t it working?’
At that moment, the Iliod party rushed toward me.
The usually quiet Empress shouted.
“Kasandros!”
She snatched the prince from my arms as if rescuing him.
“Kasandros! What… why did this happen all of a sudden?!”
Then she glared at me, as if my contact with him had caused his illness.
“Demon princess. What have you done?!”
“Me…?”
“Yes! In this situation, there’s no other explanation—”
Just then, Father and Etina approached the center of the commotion.
Etina quickly gave orders to the attendants.
“Escort the Empress inside. Assign a wizard to Kasandros!”
“Etina! As the rumors said, you truly are…”
The Empress grumbled even as she reluctantly rose to her feet.
“That’s why I said, leave this child behind—!”
“What are you waiting for? Bring them in immediately.”
Only after Etina cut her off did the attendants hurriedly carry the Empress and the fainted prince inside.
…Then, Father’s glare cooled me to the bone as he helped me to my feet.
“King Priamos. Do you have anything to say about what just happened?”
“I have nothing to say regarding this rudeness.”
Etina bowed to me with a grim expression.
“My apologies for showing such a scene, Demon Princess. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, but is the prince… okay?”
“He has always been weak. The Empress tends to overreact…”
But what had the Empress said to me earlier?
‘As the rumors said!’
‘Rumors? About me?’
It seemed strange stories about me were circulating in another kingdom without my knowledge.
‘Then I should bring someone suitable to investigate the truth.’
And right next to Etina, she would be easy to keep close.
Laocoon had been attending the King of Iliod, but he hurried over when I called.
He wore the expression of someone thinking, “So it has come to this.”
“You called, Princess?”
“You know what happened in the garden earlier, right?”
“…Yes.”
“The Empress Priamos said I was ‘as the rumors said.’”
“….”
“Do you know what that means?”
Laocoon made a troubled expression for the first time in a while.
“It seems to refer to the rumors brought by the northern guilds recently.”
“The North… Akidalia?”
“Yes, Princess. It seems the new faith of Halkion has been spreading there recently.”
I had already heard rumors for years that Akidalia was unstable.
‘It’s such a chaotic place, they probably believe the faith without question.’
But Laocoon’s next words were troubling.
“They also spread claims that if demons set foot on their land, they are ‘tainted by magi.’”
“…What…?”
Magi? I’ve never heard that term.
‘The very name is obviously meant to slander demons.’
Laocoon watched our expressions carefully before continuing.
“Recently, famine and plagues have been more frequent there, so they likely need something to blame.”
“….”
“And we all know better than anyone that this phenomenon isn’t real.”
Laocoon tried to calm things down, saying the Empress would soon apologize.
But the atmosphere had already plunged.
Normally, the wizards could have healed the prince easily, but this time his symptoms were unusually severe.
So even those who had greeted me warmly were whispering among themselves.
“Could it be… that magi actually exist…?”
“Shh, shh.”
Meanwhile, our nobles were in an uproar.
“Princess of Erevos, this is an insult!”
“How dare they question you in front of the princess?”
“His constitution is already weak, and they mention nonsense about ‘magi’!”
And the bigger problem…
“King Priamos apologized on behalf of the Empress, but the Empress herself said nothing.”
Father… was angry.
His face was calm, but shadows writhed chaotically on the floor.
‘If that brat doesn’t personally kneel before the Empress, it’s meaningless.’
…Father was truly angry.
At this rate, the negotiations might collapse.
‘Wait! That can’t happen!’
My final agenda, which I hadn’t spoken about because of this cursed atmosphere, was mine alone!
