CHAPTER 104………….
After the meeting ended, all the other children hurried back to the palace except for me.
The one who seemed the most rushed was, of course, Yevgenia.
Seeing the Empress follow right by her side, she must be planning to seek her advice.
“If that’s the case, then I…”
Lost in thought, I was about to slowly make my way back to the palace.
“First Princess.”
Someone called from behind, and I turned my head slowly.
Hevzel was standing there, hands clasped behind his back, smiling kindly at me.
He approached me at an unhurried pace, bowed slightly, and spoke.
“His Holiness has asked for you. He wonders if you could visit where he is staying, if it would not be too much trouble.”
“Ah. That’s fine. Please lead the way.”
“This way, Your Highness.”
Hevzel made a courteous gesture and began walking at a measured pace.
The place where Pope Maridris was staying was the White Palace in the south, usually reserved for honored guests (such as foreign envoys).
Because of that, it was extravagantly splendid. The imperial guards stationed at the White Palace looked at me curiously when they saw me entering with Hevzel at my side.
‘I suppose they find it strange that I’m coming here with a priest from the 1st Division.’
They wouldn’t know that I had a personal connection with the Pope.
Smiling faintly, I stepped up to the guards and whispered softly.
“I’ll give you whatever you want later—so could you turn a blind eye this once?”
“G–Gasp, yes, Your Highness…! I–I wasn’t planning on saying anything anyway!”
“Thank you.”
When I smiled brightly, the knight flushed red and awkwardly averted his gaze.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
With a small sound of admiration, Hevzel quickened his steps and led the way.
After walking deep into the White Palace, Hevzel suddenly stopped.
The door before us lived up to the palace’s name: pure white, with ornate gold inlays. He knocked politely and announced,
“Your Holiness, I have brought Princess Lirien.”
“Ah, you may enter.”
“Your Holiness.”
“Your Highness.”
As soon as the door opened, I went straight to the Pope and looked him in the eyes.
“You’re going to infuse me with divine power again, aren’t you? It’s already been a month.”
“Yes. Please, give me your hand.”
I extended my wrist openly toward Pope Maridris. He carefully clasped it with one hand and closed his eyes.
Soon, with a surge of radiant light, something entered through my wrist.
This was the ritual where the Pope infused power into the artificially created holy vessel within me, stabilizing it.
And I… absolutely hated this process.
‘It feels awful…’
Having someone else’s divine power forced into my body was like wearing layers of ill-fitting clothes.
It was extremely uncomfortable, leaving my wrist aching as if it were burning for at least two hours afterward.
“It’s done.”
“Thank you…”
I lowered my arm, looking drained, and sighed. Pope Maridris gave me a slightly embarrassed smile.
“You never get used to it, do you? It seems our divine energies simply don’t resonate with one another.”
“It’s fine. I just have to endure for two hours, then I’ll be all right.”
“That’s a relief. Ah, since you’ve come all this way, please have some tea before you leave. In fact, even if you refused, I would have forced you into a tea time with me.”
He chuckled mischievously.
After giving Hevzel an order, he led me gently to the sofa in the reception room and seated me.
“Have you been well?”
“Mm, yes.”
“I heard there was a Crown Prince investiture ceremony. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend, but I did send a few clerics. Did you not encounter them?”
Closing my eyes tightly, I thought for a moment before shaking my head.
“It seems not. I don’t recall seeing them. Well, that makes sense—there was some trouble right from the first day of the banquet.”
“Ah, that business?”
The Pope widened his eyes knowingly.
“I heard Her Majesty the Empress suddenly shouted and stormed out of the hall. Is that true?”
“So you’ve heard already. From the clerics?”
“They told me the atmosphere was terribly tense. And also…”
He suddenly glanced around the room, then lowered his voice ominously.
“There have been… strange rumors going around.”
“Rumors?”
“Yes, about Her Majesty the Empress. Something is being whispered among the nobles lately.”
Rumors…
I thought for a moment, then curved my lips into a smile.
“About her supposed lover back when she was still a young lady?”
“So you’ve heard as well, Your Highness?”
The Pope looked impressed, calling me worthy of being the First Princess. But then he frowned in puzzlement.
“But surely that was only in her youth. Once she became Crown Princess, she cut ties with all of them. Strange for the rumors to resurface now.”
“That’s because of Her Majesty’s reaction. At the banquet, her behavior was… very telling. Wasn’t she famous in her maiden days for being so proper? She was held up as an example of etiquette itself. For someone like that to lose composure—it speaks volumes.”
“That’s true.”
The Pope nodded as if it made sense. Just then, a maid brought in tea and finger food for us, quickly set the table, and departed.
I watched her go and remarked,
“You’ll make sure she keeps quiet, won’t you? If word spreads that I’ve met with the Pope, it could cause problems.”
“She’s already been bought off.”
“You’re quick.”
“Of course.”
Smiling faintly, the Pope pushed the food toward me so it was easier to reach.
Touched by his small gesture, I picked up a canapé and ate it before asking,
“So you didn’t call me here just for small talk. What’s the real reason?”
“Don’t you have questions for me, Your Highness?”
So he was answering a question with a question.
‘As slippery as ever.’
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I spoke.
“What’s this about an oracle? Wasn’t the goddess’s last oracle over a hundred years ago?”
“That’s right. None of my predecessors have heard her voice since then. It’s an extraordinary occurrence.”
“…And the contents of the oracle—was what you mentioned earlier all there was?”
“….”
For once, Pope Maridris fell silent, staring into his teacup. The tension from his silence was heavier than ever.
I swallowed hard, then he finally raised his head to meet my eyes.
“Yes, that was all. But… the goddess is fickle, after all.”
“….”
“But don’t worry. Among us, the one most strongly recommended to light the beacon fire is you, First Princess.”
“That’s just a recommendation. You said your opinion was dismissed.”
I was about to scowl, but the Pope’s eyes sharpened as if to say, nonsense.
“Do you think we would put you forward without any measures in place?”
“…What do you mean?”
“There’s always a way. Humans live by cunning, don’t they? When the oracle came down, I thought to myself: clearly, this must be the First Princess’s role. So, do you know what I did?”
“…What did you do?”
The Pope grinned slyly.
“I swayed public opinion.”
“M–Mother! Wh–what should I do?”
Yevgenia’s face was pale as she looked up at her mother. Her trembling pupils betrayed her anxiety as she chewed her fingernails.
“Why would His Holiness Maridris support Sister Lirien? A–and besides, I can’t possibly win against her in the first or second aptitude tests!”
“Yeni, why are you so afraid?”
The Empress calmly patted her daughter’s back, gently stroking her smooth cheek.
“Whose daughter are you? Do you think you’ll lose to a mere count’s child?”
“B–But… I haven’t invented any medicine like Sister Lirien has… I didn’t singlehandedly go to the Magic Tower to obtain rare ores like orichalcum for the Empire… Everyone knows who the people will vote for!”
“Oh my, Yevgenia. Why are you so certain that the one chosen to light the beacon fire will be Lirien?”
“…Huh?”
Yevgenia blinked, struggling to grasp her mother’s meaning.
“Uh… that’s… because…”
She fumbled for words, but the Empress was quicker.
“Don’t we have Dmitri?”
“M–My brother…”
Yevgenia muttered softly. The hand gripping her mother’s sleeve briefly tightened with pressure.
“He already holds the great title of Crown Prince. Being chosen to light the beacon fire would only be a bother to him.”
The gap between a mere prince and the Crown Prince was vast.
Though Dmitri may have understood his studies in statecraft in theory, he was now beginning the real work—standing by the Emperor’s side and managing affairs of state.
Of course, the eve festival was important.
Because it commemorated the founding of the Empire of Estie, lighting the beacon fire symbolized declaring one’s existence to the goddess herself.
“But Yeni, this year will be the first and last time someone is chosen for that role.”
“….”
“From now on, Dmitri, as Emperor, will light the fire every year. He’ll become so used to it it’ll be second nature.”
“Then that means…”
“Yes. Dmitri won’t care about this position.”
So even if Yevgenia were to lose, Dmitri could always transfer the authority to her.
Yevgenia’s face lit up with renewed hope.
“T–Then there’s no need to worry, right?”
The Empress smiled serenely and nodded.
She longed for her children to shine the brightest. Dmitri already shone as Crown Prince, so now it was Yevgenia and Iabel’s turn.
‘Iabel will become the Empire’s greatest swordmaster someday, so she can wait.’
But with Lirien rising now, the Empress knew her daughter must shine before the people more brilliantly than anyone else to suppress that wretched girl.
And just as it happened, the beacon fire candidates would be chosen from among the Emperor’s children.
With a sly smile, the Empress stroked the daughter resting in her arms reassuringly.
“Misha, come out.”
Still holding Yevgenia, the Empress summoned Misha, who had been lurking in the shadows.
When Yevgenia turned her head, she saw a long-haired black-haired woman standing there.
‘Ugh, why does she always creep me out so much?’
Yevgenia disliked Misha—her gloomy eyes and ghostlike habit of appearing silently unnerved her.
As Yevgenia watched with distaste, the Empress ordered in a cold, emotionless voice,
“Go and find out how much support the people have for Lirien. You have until this afternoon.”
“Yes. Do you have any other commands?”
“Other commands….”
The Empress paused, then looked down at her daughter.
Yevgenia, who had grown ever more beautiful since her recovery, looked more and more like her mother. The Empress’s eyes gleamed.
“Yes, there is.”
Suppressing a crude smile, she curved her eyes into crescent moons.
“You truly… aren’t going to do anything?”
Rina drooped her shoulders as she set a Mont Blanc cake in front of me.
After the initial council, there had been several follow-up meetings with nobles who each held voting power.
The discussions were the usual: deciding when the first aptitude test would be, urging objections to be voiced sooner rather than later, and so forth.
Among them, I had been the quietest. My ally, Marquis Iollin, sweated nervously, hoping I would assert myself.
But…
‘Too bad for him, I have no intention of doing so.’
Having decided to remain silent for a while, I simply watched the meetings as though they were fires burning across the river.
Now, I was leisurely enjoying my time in the Crown Princess Palace, waiting for Mother.
With all the other royals, except Dmitri, busily scheming, Rina couldn’t help but worry and ask me such a question, even at the risk of offending me.
She glanced at me nervously, afraid I might take offense.
“Even Her Highness the Crown Princess Consort is worried… I apologize if I have upset you…”
“I’m not offended. It makes sense for you to worry. The people don’t even know yet that candidates for the beacon fire are being chosen among us royals. It may seem wise to make a show of good deeds now to leave a strong impression on them…”
“Th–then, Your Highness doesn’t see it that way?”
“That’s right.”
“Why…? I can’t understand… Some nobles already know what’s happening, and they’ve pledged their support to certain royals, offering help in every possible way…”
Indeed, I too had received offers of support.
The Gricilla family, who belonged to my faction, had been particularly eager. But I politely refused every single proposal with a sheepish smile.
Of course, those who knew me well—Ilia, Mulin, and Sesil—merely shrugged, saying, “She must be scheming something again~.”
But those like Rina, who only vaguely knew me, reacted differently.
They shook their heads in frustration, thinking I was foolishly passing up a golden opportunity.
What I wanted to tell them was this:
‘Just wait a little. The perfect picture will paint itself. Just stay quiet.’
Instead, I smiled softly and said,
“Even if I do nothing, things will naturally turn in my favor.”
“…?”
Rina, still puzzled, said nothing further. She simply set down a steaming cup of tea before me, her face filled with concern.
‘No need to worry so much. Yevgenia will cause trouble all on her own.’
