Episode 8
‘Time flows just fine for other possessors.’
Why? I’ve seen a lot of that, haven’t I?
Things like “One Year Later”…
‘I think I’ve even seen “3 Years Later” or “5 Years Later”.’
But the time in my empire flowed exactly the same as in South Korea, so an official banquet just one week after possession was challenging.
‘Thank goodness I watched a lot of medieval-style media.’
I sat like a princess I’d seen in dramas, imitating Zenais across from me for a long while, before the banquet finally ended.
‘How fortunate that Ernst was by my side.’
If I’d had to receive greetings from people I didn’t know without my pretty, shining shield, it would have been a disaster.
‘If I’d had to hold back nausea from morning sickness on top of it, I would have fainted.’
Not daring to leave first, I could only barely manage to slip out of the main palace once the atmosphere shifted and everyone began to disperse.
It was when I heard a presence behind me and turned, thinking it was Ernst.
“Lu.”
Contrary to my expectation, the day’s protagonist was standing in the darkness.
“B-Brother. You’re out already……?”
If you’re the male lead, you should have come out a bit later…
Lacking confidence to converse with Rurik, I hunched my shoulders slightly. The hand that had been reaching towards me slid slowly downward and, as if out of habit, brushed over his sword hilt.
Instantly, under the dim light, Rurik’s red eyes were once again engulfed by a black vortex.
‘Gasp, no…….’
Fearfully, I gulped down my saliva, and his voice continued.
“You still fear me.”
……’Still’?
I’m afraid Rurik might go on a rampage, and that he might notice the changes in his sister.
‘But even if that weren’t the case, was Louise originally afraid of her brother?’
I had only used the sister’s death as a device for Rurik’s rampage; I had never considered Louise’s perspective.
‘I think this is called “hoist with one’s own petard”…’
Of course, if their relationship was distant, it would be a great relief for me.
It would be harder for him to easily spot the changes in a sister he hasn’t seen for three years.
But……
“No, Brother!”
His blood-red eyes, shadowed and dark, were eerie, yet they looked so desolate that I couldn’t help but hold onto Rurik.
How much did Rurik love his sister…?
‘That foolish Louise.’
Scolding her in my mind, it was just the moment I lightly grabbed Rurik’s sleeve.
The black vortex that had been trying to encroach upon his red pupils vanished in an instant.
‘A coincidence?’
Stealing a glance at his gaze, I added.
“Th… that… I just thought since you’re the guest of honor at today’s banquet, it might have been better if you’d stayed in the banquet hall a bit longer.”
Rurik stared down at my fingers clutching his sleeve, then answered a beat late.
“……I’m not feeling very well.”
“O-of course, you must be tired.”
Saying that, I tightly shut my eyes.
‘I think I need to butter him up a bit.’
At this point, he’s not a brother, but a walking time bomb.
So, I abruptly linked my arm through his.
“Then let’s get you to your room to rest quickly. I’ll escort you.”
I was so awkward that my arm and leg on the same side moved forward simultaneously, but I swear I did my best.
Despite that, Rurik only frowned as if he’d heard something strange.
“It would be me escorting you.”
“Ah…….”
Since when is that the rule?
‘It’s inside the palace anyway, and you said you weren’t feeling well.’
I didn’t understand, but I nodded appropriately.
Rurik started walking.
I had to trot to keep up with his large strides, but I tried hard to make conversation.
“Did you eat properly, Brother? It seemed like you barely ate anything with so many guests.”
“……You were aware your brother was nearby.”
How could I not notice his presence when he was sitting right next to me?
Not quite understanding, I tilted my head, and Rurik added coolly.
“I thought you were only busy chattering with that Crown Prince of Flavi.”
Ah… Hahaha.
Why are my bad premonitions never wrong?
‘If Erni is the father, I won’t survive, absolutely not…….’
Only after entering the detached palace corridor did Rurik ask me.
“I heard you used the Tower Master’s flames instead of the imperial gate when returning from the academy.”
So that was the ‘different method’ Phoebe mentioned.
Was that related to the reason I survived?
‘Did Ren’s magic end up changing the content of the novel I wrote?’
Thinking that inwardly, I quickly answered, wary of upsetting my brother’s mood.
“J-just because I wanted to return quickly.”
At that, a look of surprise frosted over Rurik’s eyes, followed soon by a voice that sounded relieved.
“I thought… you wouldn’t want to return.”
Only then did Louise’s situation come to mind.
A member of the imperial family but treated like a pauper, unable to stay in the main palace and assigned to the detached palace… and they say she was even afraid of her only full brother…
‘She probably didn’t want to return to the imperial palace.’
But, to appease Rurik’s feelings, I quickly said.
“U-usually, that might be true. But the war ended, and you were returning too……”
Rurik’s footsteps, which had been gradually slowing during our conversation, came to a complete stop.
I strained my voice to continue.
“I thought… it would be nice if I arrived first and waited…”
He looked down at me as if seeing something strange and novel.
“……I see.”
Was the slight dampness in his voice just my imagination?
Rurik withdrew his gaze that had been fixed on me and started walking again.
“I know you’re close with the Tower Master, but don’t cause trouble for His Majesty. I’ve said it repeatedly; he is His Majesty the Emperor’s man.”
That was the superficial reason Rurik eliminated the Tower Master in the novel.
‘But is it true? Could Rurik be mistaken?’
I still don’t know Ren well, but I can’t even imagine him choosing the Emperor over Louise.
“I will protect you. You won’t suffer any pain.”
Could Ren, who said that, actually be on the Emperor’s side, not mine?
‘That can’t be…….’
Before I knew it, we arrived at my door. Rurik began to speak.
“Still……”
Then, just before turning away, he said.
“Thank you for waiting.”
Seeing his red, transparent eyes settle into a warm, healthy hue, I felt both relief and guilt.
‘Until just a moment ago, I was treating him like a time bomb…’
If Louise is his one and only precious sister, wouldn’t it be fair if I, too, treated him not as the ‘male lead’ but as a ‘brother’?
“I’m glad, Brother.”
Yes, I was glad he didn’t go on a rampage today.
But what if he eventually does?
‘Of course, Helena can suppress the rampage…’
But knowing that after that painful event, many people die and get injured, and Rurik is dragged off to prison having lost his mind… should I just stand by and watch?
‘Until he, like a true protagonist, walks his thorny path step by step and finally finds his own way?’
My proper place was to quickly find the father and escape the imperial palace, but I couldn’t help worrying.
‘Besides, this is a book I wrote…’
To let the male lead get caught up in the rampage episode I wrote, commit slaughter, and get imprisoned…
‘What kind of irresponsible original author does that?!’
Not only that, if I leave this precarious Rurik alone and he goes on a rampage, it’s obvious it would hinder my peaceful, long, and healthy life.
Shaking my head, I thought.
‘This won’t do. I need to keep a closer eye on Rurik.’
The next morning.
Just as I was leaving my room, trying to find an excuse to see Rurik before the banquet started again, an unexpected scuffle was unfolding in the corridor outside my door.
“What business brings you to my sister so early in the morning?”
Rurik growled.
But Ernst, with a completely unfazed expression, blinked his eyes a few times before smiling softly.
‘Is it just me whose heart flutters every time he unnecessarily blinks those eyes?’
Ernst finally answered politely.
“Since Her Highness Princess Louise hasn’t been eating well lately due to an upset stomach, I thought I might specially brew her some tea.”
Now that he mentioned it, he was holding a tea set on a golden tray.
Rurik’s expression grew even fiercer.
“You, personally? Instead of having a maid do it?”
“A rewarding hobby I’ve enjoyed since our academy days.”
Ernst answered with a grin and added.
“Not only that, but there is a crucial matter that Her Highness Louise and I must decide together today……”
A crucial matter?
‘Don’t tell me… the baby’s name?’
