Chapter 16
Lilien lifted her chin and shouted at Nina.
“What will you do if you can’t keep that promise? Even if your body splits into a hundred pieces—or a thousand—you still can’t stake your life on it, can you?!”
Nina did not waver in the slightest at Lilien’s outburst. Instead, her voice grew even firmer.
“If I fail to obtain a declaration of submission from the King of Nortanica in this campaign, I will step down as Commander of the Imperial Knights and return to being an ordinary knight. Of course, even as a common knight, I will still, for Arsed…”
She trailed off briefly, lowering her gaze. Because of that, no one noticed the storm of fury raging inside her.
After steadying her emotions, Nina slowly raised her eyes to the Emperor.
At the sight of his daughter’s cold blue gaze, a chill ran down the Emperor’s spine.
It felt as though a memory he wished to forget had resurfaced.
A memory of that day—one that must never be revealed.
The brief silence was broken by Nina’s continued words.
“…as always, I will stand at the forefront and offer my body.”
The Emperor, the Empress, and Lilien were momentarily speechless.
They all understood that for a princess who held no real power to relinquish even the position of Knight Commander was no different from casting aside everything.
Nina’s unyielding resolve weighed heavily over the audience chamber.
As if knowing what outcome prolonged silence might bring, Lilien rushed forward and collapsed to her knees before the Emperor.
“Father, please. Please. I don’t want this. And I haven’t been feeling well lately—I need a healer with strong abilities too.”
“I intend to end the remaining wars as quickly as possible. The Knights of Arsed are exhausted from the long campaigns.”
No sooner had Lilien finished pleading than Nina pressed forward again, emphasizing the swift conclusion of the wars.
Seeing his daughter clutching his hand with a pitiful expression, the Emperor spoke in displeasure.
“Very well. If you fail to bring back the declaration of submission, I will demote you to an ordinary knight.”
“Father!!”
Lilien shot to her feet, shouting.
“This is for the Empire, Lilien. Enough with this childish stubbornness!”
“F-Father…”
For the first time, Lilien was denied by her father—and treated like a petulant child in front of Nina and Cassian. Words failed her.
Sighing deeply at the sight of his daughter, the Emperor rose as if he could not bear to watch any longer.
“To be this fatigued by reports first thing in the morning…”
Though it was a request from the daughter he cherished dearly, becoming the great emperor who unified the entire continent mattered more than indulging her whims.
“How vicious. Coveting something so trivial.”
The Empress, who had been watching Nina with undisguised displeasure, cast a sidelong glance at Cassian—the “trivial thing” she had just referred to.
Then, as if disgusted, she sharply turned her head and followed the Emperor out.
Left behind in the audience chamber, Lilien glared at Nina, her chest heaving with rising fury.
“You think you’ve beaten me? You think everything is going your way?!”
Nina merely looked at the shouting Lilien.
“Go ahead and enjoy it. In the end, you’ve only proven that this is the only way you can ever win against me.”
“….”
“No matter what, without that horrifying immortal body, you can’t do anything at all, can you?”
Here we go again.
Lilien frequently used Nina’s immortal body and missing heart to insult her.
It had long since stopped affecting her—but today, an ironic laugh slipped out.
“For something spoken by a princess destined to inherit the throne, that’s rather disappointing.”
“What?!”
“No matter how much you dislike me, that ‘horrifying body’ you speak of is one that received the oracle and is devoted to Arsed. To insult me like this is no different from insulting every knight who has given their life for Arsed. Don’t you think?”
“….”
“Lilien, it seems you’re unfit to become a wise ruler.”
It was the first time. Nina—who had always endured her tirades in silence—had not only rebutted her, but mocked her.
The unexpected strike pierced deep.
Startled, Lilien blinked rapidly, her trembling lips parting uselessly.
Turning away from her sister, Nina addressed Cassian, who had silently observed their exchange the entire time.
“His Majesty has granted permission. Prepare to depart in ten days as my personal healer, Lord Montreger. I will take my leave.”
“You—!”
Lilien’s voice stopped Nina as she turned to go.
“Even if the entire continent is unified, you’ll still be nothing more than Arsed’s weapon! Even without war, you’ll be used endlessly to subjugate monsters, suffering for the rest of your life. Ah—and if Desmorak continues his research on casting spells on monsters, you’ll have to serve as a test subject too. Unfortunately for you, without a heart, you can’t even die if you want to!”
What a dreadful, miserable life.
Nina listened to every word, her back still turned. Her teeth ground together until her jaw ached.
Even if the oracle was a lie, that part remained true.
But she had no intention of living that kind of life anymore. The very reason she had been forced to serve as Arsed’s weapon of war—the oracle—had been proven false.
At the very least, she would no longer tolerate others dictating her future with insults.
“Lilien.”
Nina slowly turned back toward her sister.
Though she spoke only her name, the weight in her low voice was heavy with authority.
Lilien flinched under the cold blue gaze looking down at her.
“All this time, you’ve mocked my existence—but you’ve never once defeated me.”
A faint smile curved Nina’s lips.
“Not in words. Not in actions. Not in existence.”
“….”
“And you never will. So refrain from spewing nonsense about my future.”
Biting down hard on her lower lip, Lilien trembled with fury.
“No! Don’t misunderstand. You and I are fundamentally different! Lord Montreger said so himself. There is always a distinction between what is noble and must be protected—and what merely exists!”
Ah. So it had come to that.
Cassian lifted and lowered his brows slightly in response.
“How could I not understand the difference in existence? There is always a distinction between what is noble and must be protected—and what merely exists.”
It was what he had said to Lilien the day she wounded Nina’s arm with a brooch and demanded to be healed.
Between the princess who threw herself onto the battlefield and the princess who dressed up daily and stared into mirrors—anyone could see who was the nobler existence to be protected.
He had been certain Lilien would never understand that.
And she had proven him right—her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment, convinced she was the noble one he meant.
He had mocked her self-centered thinking inwardly.
He had not expected it to circle back like this.
Cassian suddenly wondered what expression Nina was wearing as she listened to him.
Anger? Betrayal?
He turned his head to look at her—only to feel an odd emptiness.
She was not even looking at him.
Her face was as calm as ever, completely unmoved.
As if she had never cared what he thought of her in the first place.
They had formed their alliance solely for mutual goals—but for some reason, a bitter taste filled his mouth.
Seeing Nina unaffected by his words only fueled Lilien’s rage further.
“In the end, I will become Emperor according to the oracle! And when I do, you’ll live even more miserably than you do now! I’ll make sure of it—just you wait!”
Watching Lilien shout with both fists clenched, Nina let out a small scoff.
That oracle is a lie.
“Go ahead and try. But if Father were to hear you speak of becoming Emperor while His Majesty is still in good health, he might be quite disappointed. It would sound as though you’re wishing for his early death.”
“W-What?!”
“Well then. I’ll be going now.”
