Chapter 34
The thing Charmaine found puzzling now was the question of the fairies’ existence.
“Did they really hold rituals using fairy blood?”
She furrowed her brows.
“If my guess is right… are they hiding fairies here? But if that’s the case, aren’t they living far too openly, without any protection?”
If there had been any fairies left in Rintvel, they would have built a cage sealed with binding spells to imprison them—
so they could never escape,
and so no one but the king could ever lay a hand on them.
Thinking in such a “Rintvel way” came naturally to Charmaine, but she shook her head to drive the thought away.
Then she realized something strange about what the king had said earlier.
“I feel like I’m always burdening you.”
“What…?”
“You’ve said before that all the rites were your responsibility, but still—seeing your blood spilled every time doesn’t sit well with me.”
Those words implied that the owner of this body was a fairy.
Charmaine was stunned by the thought, staring blankly with her mouth slightly open.
She had never realized it, even while living in this body all this time.
Naturally so—
no one had ever said it aloud.
But if her guess was right, and Charmaine Pepe really was one of the surviving fairies, then it made sense that she had the unique trait of needing to feed on memories.
Even if she was only a half-blood.
“I can figure that out more later.”
And the fact that the king wasn’t reluctant to apologize also made him far more likable to Charmaine—
even if she knew a king should never bow his head to just anyone.
With that thought, she felt an indescribable sense of relief.
“But before that, there’s a small problem.”
Her eased mind froze, and she widened her eyes.
“What kind?”
The king hesitated, letting out a thoughtful “Hmm…” before speaking, as if reluctant to say.
A bad feeling crept up her spine.
“If this matter with them succeeds, I had planned to carry it out as quietly as possible. As you know, the people of Elium are hostile toward Rintvel.”
“And…?”
“As you said, I had no intention of sacrificing them to begin with.”
Charmaine nodded, listening closely to his words, hoping her instincts were wrong.
“Most of all, even if it’s best for the safety of our people to improve relations with them, in reality it’s not so simple.”
The longer his preamble dragged on, the more her instincts tilted toward the bad.
“…”
“I won’t be able to completely stop rumors that this is making us their vassal state. And they… seem eager to make their goodwill known.”
Just as she feared.
Charmaine’s complexion paled in an instant.
She could picture it clearly:
the three of them, shackled, walking through the capital’s main street.
They wanted a public display—a public execution.
Noticing her reaction, the king waved a hand reassuringly.
“Don’t worry. Of course, the rite will be conducted privately as usual. Even if they find out about it, they won’t know that you’re the one performing it. Protecting your existence is my duty. That won’t change—I’ll guard it no matter what.”
“…Right.”
She forced her breathing to steady.
So the king had been keeping her secret all along.
Now she understood why, when she’d investigated Elium, there’d been no trace of Pepe’s existence.
But…
“They also said they’d send an envoy along, not just the prisoners. They want them to be welcomed.”
“…”
“You know what that means, don’t you?”
“…A public execution.”
And that could mean the people of Elium pelting them with stones.
Or worse.
All the anger toward Rintvel would be focused entirely on them.
Misery, despair, humiliation, shame—unspeakable emotions would surround them.
She’d expected there would be more demands, but… why go this far?
Rage surged deep within her chest.
“They seem to have made a lot of enemies over there.”
But was that reason enough for this?
Why?
What could he possibly gain by sending them here as scapegoats?
Just for the satisfaction?
Even if he cut off her limbs, what would that change?
Her soul was here—
and no matter how much more loyalty he demanded, what good would that do?
Even if he had the empty shell of Charmaine Noël Kenders, the true soul was here—
No.
Her thoughts turned cold.
No…
What if Lakan was looking for her?
He doesn’t know where I am.
If he wanted to drag her missing self back to the surface…
Then she knew the reason.
With Charmaine Noël Kenders gone, all the grand plans he had built on her achievements were on the verge of crumbling.
At this point in time, she had been Lakan’s one and only truly trusted vassal.
She had even sensed his strange obsession with her now and then.
He would sacrifice her beloved disciples to find her—
a quick, easy way to do it without lifting a finger himself.
This wasn’t about creating unnecessary trouble.
It was about finding the fastest, easiest, and most effective method.
And the reason he had chosen Elium as the target was now obvious.
At this time, she had been actively observing and investigating Elium.
She had even clashed with Keniz Sadinarr after trespassing in a restricted area.
Does he think I ran away? Betrayed him?
No, he wouldn’t assume she’d been captured.
If he sacrifices Felic, Eltain, and Radi but still can’t find me… what then?
Those three were the only leverage he had over her.
Could he be planning to change his target and strike here instead?
The thought wasn’t entirely impossible, knowing Lakan’s temperament.
To him, a small, weak nation like this was something he could trample just to blow off steam.
She was furious.
But if she wanted to save them, she would have to endure this much.
He promised the rite would remain secret.
“I think it’s best to proceed as they wish on that point. The envoy will return before the rite, so there shouldn’t be much trouble. If they demand to attend, that would be overstepping their bounds, so we wouldn’t have to consider it.”
“…”
“We should, of course, check that the ones being sent as ‘offerings’ aren’t spies, but if they truly are those abandoned by Rintvel, there’s no need to kill them. Still, you don’t look too well. Is something wrong?”
Charmaine gathered her thoughts and met his eyes with a calmer expression than before.
“Ah, I was just thinking for a moment.”
“Take your time. There’s no rush.”
But Charmaine didn’t delay.
“I think that would be best too. But could I ask you to let me know in advance who will be in the envoy?”
“That’s no problem. We’ll need to know for our own preparations anyway. I’ll send someone to you as soon as we receive their reply. You’ll need more than just names, won’t you? A title, perhaps?”
If her guess was right—that they were coming to find her—then either Ingelo or Enzo would be among the envoy.
If not, they’d send someone of lower rank.
“The names. I need the names too.”
“Of course. Then we’ll also need to decide what to do with the three afterward. We can’t just let them roam free—it’d be dangerous, and there would be backlash.”
“Your Majesty.”
Charmaine called to him urgently.
“Hmm? Go ahead.”
“After the Rintvel envoy returns home, I’d like to take charge of them for a while. Would that be difficult?”
The king raised his brows.
“You?”
Fortunately, his expression seemed to say, You want to take on a troublesome job?
Charmaine nodded solemnly.
“Well, it’s just… Rintvel men are likely to be quite rough. And these aren’t children, but grown men. Are you sure?”
“They’re abandoned men, after all. If they’re not fools who don’t understand their situation, they’ll know to keep their heads down. And it’s a chance to confirm they’re not spies.”
Her gaze fell to the floor, heavy with bitterness.
“If you put it that way, it’s not impossible… but it’s not something I’d considered.”
It seemed he wouldn’t agree so easily.
If her theory was right, the king wouldn’t decide on the spot either.
How could she convince him to let her take charge of them?
As she pondered, she remembered what Alonso had said:
“So why did you decide to go this time? You always refused before, saying you didn’t want to take the late queen’s belongings.”
Ah—she’d said she was avoiding meeting the king because of that.
“If it’s just touching an antique to read its memories, that wouldn’t be hard.”
Then why had the king never done the easy thing and had her do it?
There had to be a reason, but she didn’t have the luxury to think about it now.
“The late…”
“Hmm?”
“The late queen’s belongings… If I check them for you, will you let me take charge of them?”
The king’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You’ll finally do it?”
Charmaine nodded.
“Hm… May I ask why you want this so badly? I’m grateful, of course, but to me it still seems like a very dangerous undertaking.”
