TPHW 07

Chapter 07

It was clearly a cold, distant father-daughter relationship. There was no warmth or affection at all.

I spoke bluntly on purpose in a dry tone.

“I want to go on a trip.”

“What?”

The king dropped the quill he was holding. The quill fell on the desk and a drop of ink splashed.

“To the Riston Empire.”

“Riston?!”

At my sudden words, the king looked at me with a blank expression.

He turned his head so sharply that the crown on his head tilted, and his blue eyes shook with confusion.

With a person like this, it’s best to push forward without hesitation.

“So.”

I curved my lips into a bow shape and smiled lightly.

“Please give me the key to the royal treasure vault.”

“…The key? Why?”

His voice rose an octave, full of caution.

“Before a trip, I should be able to take at least one thing. I am a princess, after all.”

I lifted my chin and pressed down on his weak presence.

I narrowed my eyes and looked down at him.

His shoulders shrank like a rabbit in front of a predator.

“Quickly. Give it to me.”

His purple eyes, just like mine, shook wildly like leaves in a storm.

His gaze was full of confusion and fear.

The king, who had ignored his daughter for so long, suddenly started talking about how dangerous it was and so on.

“The Riston Empire is dangerous! I even heard the emperor is insane, and there’s unrest near the border these days….”

His voice trembled.

But it sounded less like real concern and more like fear of trouble.

“Is the palace safe, then?”

I asked coldly.

My voice was sharp.

“I almost got poisoned here.”

The king’s face turned pale, and his lips trembled.

“T-that… that’s….”

“I don’t expect anything else. Just give me the key to the royal treasure vault. If not, I will find a way to take it myself.”

I held my hand out, palm facing up.

In the end, the king let out a long sigh and took a silver ring from the drawer.

His hand was shaking so much that the ring almost fell onto the desk.

He carefully placed the ring into my palm.

“…You must return within one month.”

“Alright.”

That was a lie. There was no way I would return in one month.

I held the ring, the key to the Snow royal treasure vault, and went down the stairs leading underground with Andy.

The stairs were narrow and steep.

With every step down, the sound of my shoes hitting the stone echoed.

The deeper we went, the colder and heavier the air became.

It felt like damp moisture was touching my skin.

There were torches on the walls, but their light was weak and did not reach the end.

Finally, we arrived in front of the royal treasure vault.

“Oh, the door looks very thick.”

Andy said in admiration.

Her hand unconsciously touched the hilt of the sword at her waist.

Is that so?

Maybe because she is a swordsman, she has sharp senses. To me, it just looked like a huge iron door.

When I placed the king’s ring on the door, the heavy iron door slowly opened.

The old hinges made a creaking sound in the darkness. Dust floated in the air and tickled my nose.

‘So this ring is also a magic artifact.’

Until now, I had not really seen mages or magic being used. But seeing artifacts like this, I felt magic would definitely be important in the path ahead.

I turned to Andy, who was standing still.

“Why aren’t you coming? Come in.”

Then Andy let out a dry laugh.

“I can’t go in. Only Snow royal bloodlines can enter. If I go in, a barrier will activate or I’ll be attacked immediately.”

I see.

So the Snow royal family is very greedy and proud of their bloodline.

They even placed such detailed magic.

They were deeply rooted in bloodline supremacy.

‘Then why are they trying to put a non-Snow woman on the throne?’

I muttered and walked into the vault alone.

The moment I crossed the threshold, a sharp current ran through my entire body.

It felt like a magical barrier was checking me.

My hair stood on end.

As I entered the corridor, glowing mana stones were embedded in both walls.

A blue light flowed along the walls, making it feel like I was underwater.

Even the air looked tinted blue. The light from the mana stones was not warm—it was cold like moonlight.

Walking further in, I opened my eyes wide at the royal vault.

“Wow.”

My mouth opened on its own.

I had been to luxury stores abroad before, places selling high-end accessories and watches—but of course, I never bought them. It was for client meetings and benchmarking. But I had never seen anything like this.

Treasures were neatly arranged on blue velvet tables.

It looked like a museum exhibition. No—more luxurious than a museum.

A beautiful tiara made of thousands of diamonds sparkled inside a glass case.

Next to it was an emerald the size of a palm.

Its green light mixed with the blue mana light, creating a mysterious color.

A huge golden rabbit statue had ruby eyes.

There were also silver magic artifacts, ancient engraved swords, and rare treasure boxes.

The jewels sparkled under the mana light like stars in the night sky.

‘The Snow royal family… they are really rich.’

As I scanned the treasures, I started to feel annoyed. Anger boiled inside me.

They had all this wealth, but my princess allowance was just that little?

And it was only gifts from nobles.

Are they kidding me?

“…Calm down.”

I clenched my fist and swallowed my anger.

Phetra, who already wanted more power, would go crazy if she saw this treasure.

With this level of wealth, anyone would become greedy.

Looking around, I walked toward the section with magic artifacts.

Small boxes were lined up on velvet-covered shelves.

Each box had ancient writing describing it. Luckily, I could read it thanks to Blanche’s memories.

“Invisibility ring,” “Truth necklace,” “Memory storage earrings….”

As I looked through them, I found something I liked.

I opened a small velvet box, and a pair of ruby earrings lay on soft cloth.

The rubies glowed faintly, flickering like they were alive.

‘This is it!’

I smiled widely and left the treasure vault, holding the box.

“I’m back, Andy.”

Andy, who had been waiting outside, looked at the small box in my hand and widened her eyes.

“What did you choose? Why is the box so small?”

Her voice was full of disappointment.

“Earrings.”

“…Wait a moment, Princess. You went into the royal treasure vault and came out with just an earring set?”

Andy’s voice rose an octave. She looked completely shocked.

I opened the box and put on the ruby earrings right there.

The cold metal touched my earlobe, giving a cool sensation. It felt like magic activating.

“Yes.”

“Seriously… you could’ve taken a diamond tiara or gold bar, why are you so ungreedy?”

Andy puffed out her cheeks, looking disappointed.

She looked like a sad squirrel. It was so cute that I almost wanted to pinch her cheeks.

But since Andy hated being treated like a cute child, I coughed and said seriously.

“Money and material things disappear when you spend them. But ‘ability’ does not disappear. So by that logic, magic artifacts with functions are the best.”

I said it like it was obvious. This was basic investment thinking.

Consumption goods versus productive goods.

Assets versus ability.

“What function does it have?”

Andy asked curiously, tilting her head.

“Recording function. It will be very useful in the Riston Empire.”

I smiled and quickly walked to return the ring to the king and prepare to leave.

My steps up the stairs felt light, almost like I was flying.

Andy followed me, holding her forehead and sighing deeply.

“Haaah. I was wondering what you were doing staying up late for a week—you were planning a trip to the Riston Empire? You should’ve told me earlier so I could prepare.”

“What?”

I stopped walking and opened my eyes wide. I didn’t understand her.

“Are you coming too, Andy?”

When I looked confused, Andy looked even more speechless.

She put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows.

“Then are you going alone, Princess? Lady Mary asked me personally to always stay by your side.”

Andy muttered about her sword, then frowned.

Her brows were deeply furrowed.

“I really don’t understand. If you’re going on a trip, you’ll need a lot of money, so why did you get a recording artifact instead of travel funds?”

She slowly shook her head, and her long silver hair moved over her shoulders.

“Andy, I’m not going to the Riston Empire for a trip.”

“Pardon? Then what?”