CHAPTER 152…………………………………
As soon as I made the promise to Cassandros, I heard footsteps outside the door.
“Ah, it’s already time to leave.”
We hadn’t even been inside for long.
Hurrying back out to the balcony, I moved toward the trees shrouded in darkness.
“Is the prince alright?”
“There’s no improvement… shall we call the mage again?”
“Sigh… no, that won’t be necessary.”
I could faintly hear the conversation between Empress Illiod and her attendant.
Even just by their voices, it was obvious they couldn’t stand being in this country any longer.
“If this continues, rumors about a mage will spread to other kingdoms too.”
I couldn’t just leave it be.
As I slipped back to our quarters under cover of darkness, Ares shot me a sideways glance.
“So, what’s your plan after checking on that kid, Your Highness?”
“Hmm… that’s the question, isn’t it…”
How could I resolve this without revealing that I was the Great Saint?
Then, a memory of this place suddenly came to me—
A long time ago, when I came here due to Count Stenel’s smuggling case.
“I got the bloodstone here… though the mine had long been closed.”
Yet the bloodstone I had secured back then was still in my storage bracelet…
I glanced at Ares and let out a sigh.
“Hah… I never thought I’d end up mimicking this guy’s brazen attitude.”
But if that little ruse succeeded, it would actually benefit us.
I looked up at the two of them and smiled.
“Thanks for sticking with me, both of you. You must be tired, so go ahead and rest.”
“Shion, what about you?”
“I have a brief discussion to have with Father.”
I needed to tell Father in advance what kind of little scheme I planned to pull tomorrow.
Yet seeing Ares frown in dissatisfaction made my chest tingle.
“I think he really wants to spend a bit more time with me too.”
Still, I shook my head forcibly.
“Ahem. Then, see you both tomorrow. Get a good sleep!”
But before I could even reach where Father was,
“…Shion.”
A soft, low voice stopped me in my tracks.
Turning around, I saw Kallion looking down at me with a faint smile.
“Huh? Kallion, what’s wrong?”
“I have a question, briefly.”
“Oh? What is it?”
Even though the lamp was on, the lateness of the hour made Kallion in the shadows feel strangely unfamiliar.
That smile on his lips was one I had seen for years, yet now it seemed almost foreign.
Kallion spoke in his familiar gentle voice:
“Do you… like Ares?”
“…!”
Despite the gentle tone, the sharpness of the question made my breath catch.
I was completely unprepared, and my heart sank.
Being asked that by Kallion was as shocking as being asked by Father.
“Kallion, now… isn’t this a bit—”
But even saying that was already a mistake.
Ugh. I swallowed the sound of my discomfort and rubbed my brow.
It was embarrassing enough if Ares found out—being caught by Kallion too was just as mortifying.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Ahaha. Yes.”
“Ugh.”
“Is that why Lord Epikus suggested going to Orpheum early?”
“What?!”
“Lord Epikus probably thought the same thing.”
I silently cooled my burning cheeks with the back of my hand.
I had tried my best to act indifferent, and yet it showed?
“If Kallion noticed, then surely Ares would too, right?”
Where had the keen instincts of a wild beast gone?
“Or maybe he noticed but is pretending not to?”
Anxious, I felt a chill creep down to my toes.
Had Ares really lost interest in me in that… way as he grew older?
“Even if that’s the case, I’ll talk to him properly later.”
I whispered cautiously.
“Ah… I mustn’t tell Ares yet.”
“……”
“Understand? I’m counting on you.”
Kallion, as if understanding my heart, soon smiled.
“Of course, Shion.”
“…! Thank you!”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“But—”
My lips almost moved on their own, but I managed to stop myself before saying anything foolish.
Was it right after we had just reunited?
Kallion had once told me, when he grew older, that he would propose to me.
“I was really young then… Kallion must have been ten?”
Since then, he had never said such a thing again.
Even as an adult, he didn’t seem close to any other young ladies.
“So, every now and then…”
I sometimes wondered.
When he gave me so many gifts, could it truly be just friendship?
“But Kallion himself… probably never thought of me that way as he grew up.”
Perhaps he had simply grown accustomed to our sibling-like relationship.
…I felt relieved at that thought.
It might be a selfish way to think, but
I smiled sincerely.
“Kallion, thank you again.”
For staying by my side unchanged.
And for keeping my secret.
Kallion returned the smile, unchanged and beautiful as ever.
“You’re very welcome.”
Meanwhile, the atmosphere between Tartarus and Illiod remained tense as time passed.
The demons were still angry, and within Illiod, fear of the “mage,” previously hushed, was slowly spreading.
The mages were going mad.
“Ugh… we still have one last important proposal left!”
They had wanted to export the “perfect doll” they had developed, but just before they could bring it up, Cassandros collapsed.
“Given how the Empress has been…”
Thus, they couldn’t simply insist on continuing the negotiations.
Etina was also troubled.
She tried to control her mother, but the older she got, the more she would inevitably rebel.
“Send the prince back to his homeland first, Etina! Has the condition ever been this serious?”
“If he stays here, it could even spread to others!”
The Empress had watched other royal bloodlines die over power struggles.
Though her daughter Etina had triumphed, the experience made her cherish the youngest even more.
Yet when entering the grand hall for the meeting, Etina furrowed her brow.
The two seats for the Erebus family were empty.
“The demon king’s family must be properly furious.”
Otherwise, why would both the demon king and princess be absent at such a crucial moment?
At that time, attendants of the demons approached.
I think they said they were the princess’s aides, faces I had seen a few times.
“Where are Erebus and the princess now?”
Teia’s side answered before Etina could.
“The King and the Princess will arrive shortly. They have some preparations to make, so we ask Prince Priamos for his understanding.”
“Preparations? What sort of preparations?”
“To relieve the discomfort of Prince Cassandros.”
The unexpected answer unsettled Illiod’s attendants.
Some looked insulted.
Even the mages could do nothing for the youngest sibling who collapsed at the slightest provocation.
Etina gazed at Teia with suspicion.
“Aren’t the demons mostly offensive in their powers?”
But no ruler would lie to another country’s king.
“Then… may I ask how you intend to heal him?”
“The princess has said she will demonstrate it personally.”
“…?”
It was increasingly puzzling.
The mages looked at each other in confusion.
Etina, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes as she assessed the situation.
“When the princess says she will show it herself, there’s only one meaning.”
It wasn’t mere goodwill—they intended to gain something from Illiod.
Glauco’s eyes sparkled behind his glasses.
“Exactly as you said, Your Highness Priamos.”
“…Then what is the compensation the demon king and princess seek?”
“If Prince Cassandros fully recovers, send him to the academy the princess establishes.”
Illiod’s attendants gaped.
Send their royal blood to study in demon lands?
Though the “Black Rose” had improved their view of demons, there was still a cultural gap, wasn’t there?
Etina subtly furrowed her brow.
“They plan to take my little brother and use him for their propaganda.”
Not just propaganda—this would solidify the alliance and make him favor demons from a young age.
“So this is the princess’s doing after all…”
