CHAPTER 63…………………..
My eyes went wide.
I’d sometimes seen fragments of dark knights’ swords lodged in the bodies of paladins when they returned injured.
Maybe it was because it came from the battlefield, but the color of those shards had always struck me as bizarre.
But… could it be?
“Minte, what kind of power does that stone have?”
“Bloodstone binds divine power. That’s why it’s mostly used for weapons, Princess.”
“Ah—”
Only then did I understand why the adults here had been uncomfortable.
Callion looked like he regretted asking in the first place.
But I had just realized something.
“If it binds divine power… then maybe!”
Could it be a way to fix my condition, where every time I used magic, it backfired because of my divine power?
Until now, whenever I tried to use magic, I’d collapse—dizziness, nausea, nosebleeds.
I was still young, so there was no need to use magic in formal settings yet…
“But as I grow older, there’ll definitely be more times when I’ll have to.”
And if I end up collapsing every time?
“Wow. Even I’d think I was a real handful of a princess.”
It wasn’t just about how hard it was on me—how long would those around me tolerate it before it became tiresome?
Of course, bloodstone wouldn’t bind divine power completely.
One knight who had returned alive had once said…
“The moment my sword clashed with a dark knight’s, my strength suddenly vanished! But once I held out, it came back.”
So it wasn’t a perfect solution.
But still, better than nothing.
“Then I just need to ask them to get some bloodstone from that mine!”
I looked up at the countess with hopeful eyes.
“Countess! Do they still mine more from there?”
“Oh my. Your Highness already knows about the mines?”
Her fresh reaction made my own eyes go round.
“What’s with that?”
But Minte nodded proudly.
Lete even stifled a small laugh.
“The Princess is very quick-witted. The young lord as well.”
“Our youngest? Hah, he only ever causes trouble.”
At that, Ares let out a dragon’s roar of protest.
“No I don’t!”
But when the countess smiled sharply, he immediately retreated behind my back.
Then she smiled at me again.
“That mine belongs to House Stenel, Princess. They’d know more about it.”
“Ah…”
“But it will soon be shut down.”
“What? Why?”
“Because the war is over.”
“I see…”
“It is by Prince Erebos’s order.”
The words I had been about to speak froze on my tongue.
Minte’s face also hardened into a blank mask.
“Of course. For the demons, bloodstone must be something they can’t stand to see.”
The countess looked toward the mountains and murmured softly.
“Perhaps next year, we can plant more trees there.”
“…”
“Then it will be painted in autumn colors like the rest.”
Her wistful expression left me silent.
Could places scarred by war someday return to beautiful forests?
“As if they had never been wounded at all…”
The countess gracefully shifted the mood with a bow.
“You must all be hungry! The weather is so fine—I’ve arranged for the meal in the garden.”
That day, we spent a pleasant time in the beautiful garden.
I forced myself to set aside my regrets about bloodstone.
“It’s only temporary anyway.”
I’d just have to find another method. Before going to Halkion, somehow.
But maybe because the bedroom was new,
even though Lete tucked me into bed, I couldn’t fall asleep.
I tossed and turned for over an hour.
“Ughhh… argh, really.”
In the end, I couldn’t stand it and sat up.
“I want to sleep, but my head is wide awake—it’s torture.”
Just then, light leaked through the crack in the door.
And I heard the murmur of voices.
“But at this hour?”
Callion and Ares wouldn’t dare wander in a new place, so…
That meant the voices must be—
“The Epikus sisters and the Countess Terraine.”
The sitting room was next to my bedroom, so the three of them must be talking there.
“Should I just pretend I didn’t hear?”
But as I tried to climb back under the covers, I thought I heard my name.
“The Princess did that in Beled…”
“She could have been in such grave danger—”
Tch. Old news, all of it.
“So the Epikus sisters are just filling the countess in.”
But just as I was about to drift back to sleep, something strange caught my ears.
“Those who believe ‘that rumor’…”
“That the Princess has a problem—”
My eyes snapped open.
The Princess had a problem?
…Me?
Since the Princess had come to the Autumn Palace, it was only proper to host a gathering for the nearby nobility.
But as the Princess was still far too young—certainly not even in her early teens yet—the event would be no grand ball.
It was decided that Lady Terraine and Lete, who held sway over the local circles, would arrange a tea party instead.
As they were exchanging light updates and discussing plans,
Lete accepted the list of invitations and got to the point.
“My lady, could you now tell me what you meant to say earlier?”
Lady Terraine had hinted at it that afternoon to the Epikus sisters:
“Later, let’s look over the invitation list together. There are things I should mention beforehand.”
The countess lowered her voice.
“Lady Lete. The truth is, there are still those in this region who believe that rumor.”
“You mean the rumor that the Princess has a problem?”
The countess nodded.
During the years Elysion had not spoken a word,
Erebos had kept her hidden until her health returned.
But among the nobility, rumors had spread.
That the Princess had some defect.
Specifically—that she could not control the power of Darkness.
And the “power of Darkness” was the very reason the demons revered the house of Erebos.
Minte, standing beside her sister, twisted her face.
“My lord Erebos punished those fools, I thought.”
“Once a malicious rumor takes root, it never fades easily.”
“Sounds like an inventive way of committing suicide.”
“Sadly so. And because this is the south, the rumors linger even longer…”
The south had long rivaled the capital in prosperity—
mines rich in ore, breathtaking scenery, ancient history,
and a location that made trade across the lake simple.
The southern noble houses were wealthy, and with wealth came pride.
They all pledged loyalty to Erebos with their lips,
but some danced dangerously close to insolence.
“Many here secretly believe the war was the queen’s fault. More so because, as a woman from the east, she outshone the noble ladies of the south.”
“…”
“And so, naturally, the Princess, who resembles Her Majesty greatly… ahem.”
“They dare to shift blame onto Her Highness?”
Lete’s brow furrowed.
“Do they not know of the birthday celebration, or the Beled incident?”
“Some of them were invited to the birthday festival, yes. But unfortunately, many were not present at the moment Her Highness revealed her power.”
“Good grief.”
“And as for Beled, they suspect the whole affair was exaggerated.”
That a five-year-old princess had gone down into the underground herself to rescue children—
Yes, demons were indeed stronger than humans.
But even by demon standards, that story sounded too far-fetched.
“So the story goes that His Highness Erebos took the credit to cover up the Princess’s frailty.”
“…”
“And since it’s all framed as ‘concern’ for the Princess, it’s difficult to accuse them of slander outright.”
If they punished such talk, it might only fuel the belief that “the Princess really must be weak.”
It was a situation that demanded careful handling.
Lete silently sipped her tea.
But when she set her cup down, her smile flashed cold.
“They’ve certainly grown far too comfortable with their easy lives. Seems they’ve lost all sense of vigilance.”
