Chapter 87………………………..
At last, the day of the second round of the competition had arrived.
The contestants, rising to meet the morning sunlight, gathered together in the dining hall of the palace annex.
When the contest for Princess Roziana’s betrothal first began, there had been so many participants—one hundred—that a single dining hall had not been enough; meals had to be split into three separate spaces.
But after only a single round, just sixteen candidates remained.
All sixteen sat now around the luxuriously set table.
At the head of the table sat Gregorian and Daniel, directly opposite Edwin and Mephisto. Among the remaining contestants were knights of Dreat, the knight captain, the grand duke’s heir Asterios, sons of marquises, and young counts as well.
At the far end sat Asterios, his lips pressed shut. His golden gaze moved past Mephisto and Edwin to rest on Gregorian and Daniel.
‘It won’t be easy to speak with them today, either.’
Even from afar, their defensive stances were clear.
Left with no choice, Asterios turned his gaze, briefly studying the other candidates’ faces.
Since they had volunteered themselves as Roziana’s suitors, each possessed some noteworthy quality.
Those from noble families with great wealth.
Those with strong bodies and special abilities.
Those with wisdom, perseverance, and character.
All of them were also rather handsome. The weak and the timid had already been eliminated in the first round, and most of those plagued by nightly nightmares from the succubus had withdrawn of their own accord.
Now, everyone was wondering what the second round would test among such men. All across the breakfast table, hushed voices speculated about the theme of the next trial.
“Since the first round tested physical strength and mental endurance, surely the next must focus on something different.”
“I’ve heard that Her Majesty the Empress herself devised the problem.”
“If they’ve kept it a secret until the very last moment, then it must be something that cannot be prepared for in advance.”
“They say the contest begins immediately after breakfast, so we’ll have to wait together and see.”
Asterios listened carefully to their chatter, then turned to Ijef, who sat beside him. The man, who had looked so gaunt the day before, appeared somewhat improved today—much to Asterios’s relief.
“Did you rest well last night?”
“Yes, Your Grace. Thank you for your concern.”
His brown eyes brightened as he asked:
“What do you think the second round will test, my lord?”
“It’s hard to predict exactly. But if it is indeed true that the Empress has prepared it, then it won’t be something that ends quickly.”
“You mean the contest will take time?”
Ijef widened his eyes in surprise at Asterios’s reply. Seeing the tiredness in them, Asterios looked at him with sympathy.
“Yes. Her Majesty is a cautious woman. And since this is about personally choosing Her Highness’s consort, I imagine she has devised a challenge that allows her to observe a man over time.”
“That does make sense. I had vaguely assumed, since Her Majesty is a lady, she might demand rare jewels or treasures be retrieved. But hearing you speak, I realize how shallow that thought was.”
Asterios tilted his head, curious.
“If the task had been to bring something precious, what would you have chosen to present, Ijef?”
“Eh?”
Ijef blinked, flustered, his mouth falling open slightly.
“Ah… I have a fork. A very precious one.”
“A fork?”
A fork, precious? Asterios’s golden eyes widened in intrigue.
“…Yes. Back when Her Highness was staying at the Grand Duke’s house, she once threw a fork at a monster to save me. That’s how she preserved my life. So to me, it is no ordinary fork.”
Ijef spoke quietly, lowering his head.
‘He actually kept that fork?’
Back then, Ijef had suffered the gravest injuries of them all. Asterios was surprised by the depth and sincerity of his heart.
When Roziana was still just a child, Asterios had left for the Secret Fog to meet Edwin. In that gap, the aura of darkness and its monsters had attacked Roziana at the Grand Duke’s estate.
“Ijef, I never thanked you for protecting Her Highness back then. Though late, I’ll say it now—thank you. And I should apologize, too, for how forcibly our bond began.”
Thinking back to how he had kidnapped Ijef and brought him to the Grand Duke’s house merely as a tool to heal Roziana with his holy power, guilt filled him.
“No, Your Grace. That incident was like my rebirth. I do not regret my choice. On the contrary, I am grateful to you for bringing me here to Dreat.”
But speaking of it stirred an old unease in Asterios.
Both times he had been absent, danger—dark magic—had sought Roziana.
Once, when she was still an infant in the imperial palace, a black intruder had infiltrated and then vanished.
And again, when she was at the Grand Duke’s house, monsters had attacked, though that time Roziana herself had destroyed them.
‘Both incidents happened when I was away. And…’
Back then, Mephisto had been the strongest suspect. Perhaps now was the time to confront him properly.
Just then, a stir spread through the dining hall as the chief attendant entered and raised his voice.
“Has everyone enjoyed their meal? Shortly, in the palace square, the mission for the second round will be revealed. All participants, please gather there.”
The contestants began leaving the hall one by one, heading back to their rooms to prepare. The atmosphere cooled at once, as each returned to guarded silence, competition pressing down on them again.
‘Come to think of it, even then, I knew something was strange but never solved it.’
Back then, there had been no time but to ward off threats and survive. He regretted that he had left it unresolved. Until recently, Asterios had been certain Mephisto was behind the monster attack on the Grand Duke’s house. Now he was no longer sure.
‘At least that attack, I believed, was Mephisto’s doing. Sending monsters to test Roziana’s powers… to confirm she bore mana. Then waiting for her to grow before storming into Dreat to take her.’
But even that was uncertain now.
He would have to hear the truth from Mephisto—and still, the question of who had sent the black intruder to the imperial palace remained unanswered.
At the time, Asterios had been stationed at the Dreat-Graham border under Emperor Leodian’s orders. He had only learned of the palace incident long afterward, through Nox.
[The intruder’s blood scattered through the corridor burned away instantly, leaving only black stains. As I recall, everyone had been struck by forbidden magic and fell into sudden sleep. It was only because Her Highness used the body of Fiona, the knight, that she could strike the intruder down.]
That was how Nox, who had inhabited the infant Roziana at the time, remembered and later told it.
Even then, Asterios had found it odd. The intruder had indeed vanished, leaving behind black traces on the floor.
‘If someone other than Mephisto can wield such black magic… if Gregorian himself has that level of power…’
The difference was that in the palace intrusion, the attacker had been human, while in the Grand Duke’s attack, it was multiple monsters steeped in darkness.
He could not let these suspicions pile up unanswered any longer.
Resolving to speak with Mephisto and Daniel no matter what, Asterios rose and followed the others.
A short while later—
When all the contestants had gathered in the square, the chief attendant unrolled a long scroll and proclaimed loudly:
“The second round of the competition to select Princess Roziana’s consort now begins! This round’s mission is: Nurturing a Seed with Sincerity!”
The announcement was so unexpected that a wave of outcry rippled through the crowd.
“Nurturing a seed?”
“Are we being asked to become gardeners now?”
“What could possibly be tested through sprouting a seed?”
Ignoring the mutters, the attendant continued.
“The time given for this mission is three weeks. Each contestant will now receive a single flower seed. Normally, a seed sprouts after two weeks of care. However, these seeds are special ones prepared by Her Majesty the Empress—they are a breed that will bloom into flowers in exactly three weeks.”
In other words: raise the seed with care until it blossomed.
“A refined task indeed, suited to Her Majesty.”
“But most of us have never grown a plant in our lives.”
“What ability could possibly be judged through this?”
“Perhaps they mean to measure our devotion?”
Most of the candidates were nobles, warriors, or men trained in strength. Their duty was to protect by fighting, not to handle fragile flowers. Few had ever dealt with such things.
“In that case, it’s equally disadvantageous for us all.”
“Which means it’s fair, I suppose. Ha ha.”
“It’s the exact opposite of the first round—what a surprise!”
They wavered between bewilderment and relief.
And then, as if saving the best for last, the attendant raised his voice again:
“The type of flower each seed produces will depend on the heart you nurture it with. Furthermore, during these three weeks, each candidate will be granted one tea time with Her Highness the Princess.”
At that, faces all around the square lit up instantly.
