Chapter 47
“How did this happen?”
“I don’t know exactly myself.”
Once the door closed and only the three of them remained, Norma crossed her arms and let out a heavy sigh as if interrogating them.
Erne stiffened under her casual yet pressing attitude, which clearly demanded a thorough and complete explanation of what had happened, down to the last detail.
“It’s true. Father suddenly came down to Vanessa. He said my mother passed away and that, as the heir, I must become the next queen. He brought me back in a rush.”
As Erne sat on the bed, her face clouded with worry, Norma and Rivera finally realized how serious the situation was, and their expressions hardened too.
“Do you know what they’re saying in the royal press?”
“No. I’ve only heard bits and pieces from Winzerd.”
Erne scratched her cheek, avoiding Norma’s piercing gaze.
“This isn’t the time to just sit around. Rumors say that Marquis Damien and Princess Erne conspired to assassinate the queen and seize the crown. In short, Erne, you’re being labeled a traitor.”
“Oh…”
Erne genuinely admired Rivera’s concise summary. The plot had escalated like something out of a trashy soap opera.
Well, maybe this was just another cliché from such a melodramatic mess. After all, her involvement with the so-called mastermind already felt like part of a twisted plot.
Yeah. I’ve been too relaxed lately. I need to stay alert again. If it comes to it, I’ll leap over the Great Wall of China, not just a mountain.
Erne already knew too well the power of melodrama.
She recalled the Nesheld royal family—a veritable kingdom of beasts.
Starting with her biological mother and the secrets surrounding her birth. Not to mention the second wave of revelations she heard from Marquis Damien on their way from Vanessa to the capital.
Reflecting on those past events, Erne vowed to never let her guard down again.
She must always be prepared for drama to strike—anytime, anywhere, in any form.
“Hey, this isn’t the time to be zoning out.”
Norma sighed and sat beside Erne. As Erne nodded absently, she suddenly remembered something: they weren’t the only ones who needed scolding.
“Norma, Rivera. Don’t you have something to say to me?”
Her voice sharpened, and they instantly realized she was about to scold them for barging in uninvited.
The quick-witted twins immediately stood up and looked away, whistling innocently as if searching for something far off in the distance.
Only when Erne’s glare deepened did Norma finally throw her arms around her.
“Sorry. We were worried.”
“Still, you’re uninvited guests. I’m not the owner here—Duke Winzerd is. I’m under his protection, too.”
“Right, right. We were totally in the wrong. Isn’t that right, Rivera?”
Norma, clearly not very sincere, barely listened to Erne’s scolding as she glanced at Rivera and nodded without even looking back.
Instead, she leaned in close to Erne and whispered with a sly grin.
“So? Any progress?”
Erne’s eyes narrowed dangerously at Norma’s suggestive gaze.
Then came a sharp smacking sound.
“Ow, Erne. That hurts.”
Norma whimpered as she rubbed her stinging hand, while Rivera let out a snide laugh from the side.
“There’s nothing going on between me and Winzerd.”
“Oh, please. You should’ve seen the Duke’s eyes today—he was practically dripping honey. You could’ve opened a bee farm with what he was spilling.”
Embarrassed by Norma’s pointed remark, Erne fanned her flushed face and dodged the question.
“But seriously. What were you two thinking, coming all the way here?”
“We didn’t want to sneak in and get caught by the infamous knights of House Douglas.”
It was Rivera, not Norma, who answered Erne’s question, shifting the topic.
Rivera’s face had been tense for a while. She seemed oddly dissatisfied, and it bothered Erne.
“Rivera. Are you okay? If it’s about what happened with the Duke earlier, I’ll apologize on his behalf. He didn’t mean any harm—it was just a misunderstanding…”
“It’s not that.”
As Erne apologized in Winzerd’s stead, Rivera’s face darkened further. Norma alone chuckled quietly and patted her twin’s back knowingly.
“It’s okay. Everyone grows up like this.”
“Hands off.”
Watching the ever-bickering twins, Erne finally felt she could relax and laugh sincerely.
Reuniting with them at Douglas somehow made it feel like they were back in Lank.
Since she left the Crows guild in their hands and entered the Nesheld royal palace, she’d only heard about them through Coco. They hadn’t had proper time together.
Watching their familiar dynamic, Erne murmured without thinking.
“Maybe I really should quit being a princess.”
Of course, it wasn’t something she could do so easily. Her words were closer to a complaint, a fleeting wish to rebel against the inevitable.
But to her surprise, the twins’ bickering halted as if someone hit pause.
They exchanged glances over Erne’s head. Then Norma spoke up first.
“Then how about we bolt right now?”
“Huh?”
“When we first started the guild, remember? You said we should make some money and travel—go to countries other than Nesheld.”
It was just something she had said in passing, but Norma remembered. Erne blinked in shock.
“It’s not hard. Maybe not today, but even House Douglas must have some weak points. We can target those, grab some valuables, and make a run for it.”
Rivera also chimed in without hesitation, and Erne burst out laughing. The twins hadn’t changed at all—they were completely on her side. In the jungle-like Nesheld palace, she had missed them terribly. Knowing they were with her again gave her immense comfort.
But still, she couldn’t respond as enthusiastically as before…
Father. And Shuknen. Selene. Ash…
One more face flashed through her mind. She didn’t need to say who it was.
Erne, feeling her face heat up, turned to open the window.
Right on cue, Coco flew in and perched on the window sill, trotting over to her.
Erne reached out to stroke him with a warm smile, but then Winzerd’s words crossed her mind.
“Guys. Do you think I really have a connection to the sorcerers?”
Sprawled across the bed, Norma scoffed.
“No way. The sorcerers disappeared from Nesheld long before you were even born.”
“But still…”
It was unsettling—how the crows viewed her as something divine.
When she thought about it, there was no real reason for them to follow her so loyally.
At first, I thought I had some possessed buff that let me communicate with animals. I even tried to pet the most vicious hunting dog in Lank and almost got bitten.
So it wasn’t all animals—only crows.
Since she had no explanation, she had chalked it up to popularity and left it vague. And that vagueness had come back to haunt her.
Seeing Erne’s face darken, Rivera gently shooed Coco away and closed the window.
“Erne. You should sleep now. It’s late.”
“Everything’s okay with the Crows, right?”
“No problems, other than too many requests piling up and not enough hands. Thanks to someone slacking off.”
“Hey. Was that a jab at me?”
Norma’s grumble was immediate, but Erne felt tears prick her eyes at Rivera’s gentle voice.
In the midst of all the chaos, the twins were the only ones she could trust and rely on.
“Thanks for coming. Really.”
Rivera, ever perceptive, picked up on her anxious tone.
Instead of replying, he took her hand and gently pushed her to lie down.
“Too cramped for three adults to share a bed like the old days.”
“Sweet dreams, Erne,” he whispered.
Next to him, Norma muttered with a half-laugh.
“Yeah, if we tried to sleep three to a bed now, it’d be a disaster. We’re adults.”
Zap. Rivera’s sharp glare hit Norma like a bolt.
Erne, now tucked under the blanket, poked her eyes out and began to doze off.
The twins’ squabbling sounded like a lullaby.
It must have been quite late. Erne’s breathing gradually slowed as sleep overcame her.
“Shh.”
Norma raised a finger to her lips, and even Rivera fell quiet.
“She’s asleep.”
“She must be exhausted.”
Watching her sleep, Norma and Rivera silently called a truce.
They didn’t want to disturb Erne, who must’ve been exhausted in every way.
To them, Erne had always been like a naïve younger sibling.
Someone they needed to protect.
“Let’s try going undercover tomorrow.”
“What about that kid from Lank?”
“We’ll talk to the client when they show up. Check if there’s a way to get Marquis Damien out. We need to move before the trial starts.”
Rivera spoke solemnly. Norma agreed for once.
“Of course. There’s no way the Géné would let him off.”
The Géné referred to two cockroaches residing in the Nesheld palace.
Rivera gritted his teeth.
“Idiot. I told you we should’ve packed lunch and stopped Erne when she got engaged.”
“Hah? You’re blaming me now? You and Erne were never going to work out anyway…!”
Just as the sibling fight was about to begin—
Knock knock.
A simple knock echoed from the quiet hallway.
Rivera and Norma’s eyes sharpened immediately. Moving cautiously to the door, they found it unlocked.
Norma, stepping out to see who it was, widened her eyes.
“…Duke?”
The gentle Duke Douglas Erne had known was nowhere to be seen.
His expression was icy cold, his voice flat and void of emotion.
“Both of you. Come with me.”
His eyes swept over the twins with a chilling, frost-like glare.
