Chapter : 10
‘Why would the prince want to see me?’
His family had ties with the royal family. The Tiberi Marquisate, Lael’s family, supported the first-in-line princess.
In truth, Lael had considered aligning with Prince Kyleop, but never acted on it. The prince had only recently returned from training, and since his return, his demeanor had clearly changed from before.
Unlike in the past, when he had coveted the throne, he now seemed completely uninterested in succession. In fact, he appeared to have lost interest in everything—not just the throne.
So Lael had no idea why the prince had summoned him.
“Your Highness, it is an honor to meet you, Prince Kyleop.”
Lael bowed politely.
Kyleop sat before him.
At the same time, Kyleop’s signature chilling aura, reminiscent of the night itself, pressed down on Lael.
‘What is this aura? …It’s incredible.’
It was so powerful that Lael lowered his body even more, feeling as if Kyleop were completely different from before he disappeared.
He didn’t know what might have angered the prince, but Kyleop seemed clearly upset.
After a long silence, Kyleop finally spoke.
“Do not interfere in the Grand Princess’s affairs.”
‘…What? Who?’
For a moment, Lael thought he had misheard.
So the reason he was summoned now was because of the Grand Princess?
Lael did a quick mental calculation.
‘Does this mean the prince supports Egail?’
Certainly not. Kyleop and Egail had never publicly shown any friendship. More importantly, Egail was closer to the princess than to the prince.
‘Then could it…?’
The memory of the meaningful glance exchanged between the prince and the Grand Princess during the recent magical power verification flashed through Lael’s mind.
If his guess was correct, the only reason the prince had summoned him now was for the Grand Princess alone.
“Do nothing, try to learn nothing, just continue as you have been.”
Then came the decisive words that struck Lael’s ears.
“Unless you want me as your enemy.”
Prince Kyleop was acting—for the Grand Princess alone.
In the end, Egail’s exercise plan was a complete failure. All that remained was the rumor that he had been completely led by his sister.
And that news quickly reached the Grand Duke, who seized the opportunity to come to Arisha and tease Egail.
“Even though he’s grown tall, he’s still the same as when he was a child.”
“The same as when he was a child?”
“Yes. When Egail was young, he would have fallen for you instantly. He listened to your words more than mine. Don’t you remember?”
“Not really.”
Arisha quietly sipped her tea. Its slightly bitter taste suited her perfectly.
“Well, it’s natural that you wouldn’t remember stories from when you were little.”
The Grand Duke smiled warmly at his daughter.
To be able to have a quiet conversation like this with her—it had already happened more than ten times, yet it still felt unbelievable.
‘Her taste is still the same.’
The Grand Duke had secretly worried while giving Arisha various gifts over the years.
He wondered if her tastes had changed completely from what they had been in her childhood. Fortunately, her preferences had remained unchanged.
‘Her mature tastes wouldn’t change so easily.’
Subtle flavors over strong ones, slightly bitter desserts rather than overly sweet ones. He hadn’t tried wine with her yet, but she would certainly prefer astringent flavors.
As the Grand Duke observed his daughter fondly, he noticed the locket around her neck. It was familiar.
“Egail gave that to you, didn’t he?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“He has returned it to its owner.”
The Grand Duke smiled sincerely this time.
The relationship between the two siblings was slowly returning to what it had once been.
Arisha hesitated briefly before speaking, something she had been curious about since receiving the locket from Egail.
“…What about Mother?”
She wanted to know why only the Grand Duchess’s face was blurry inside the locket.
A suffocating silence fell.
The Grand Duke still smiled, but the atmosphere was completely different from before.
“Shall we take a short walk?”
He extended his hand to Arisha.
They walked slowly in silence for several minutes before entering one of the Grand Duke’s buildings.
Inside were countless portraits—depicting previous Grand Dukes and their spouses.
It seemed to be a building displaying portraits of all the family’s members.
As they passed the portraits, two paintings stood at the very end.
One was the portrait of the current Grand Duke, and the other was so blurred it was difficult to discern its subject.
Judging by its placement next to the Grand Duke’s portrait, it was certainly the Grand Duchess.
‘Again, blurry.’
Both in the locket from Egail and in this portrait, the Grand Duchess’s face was always blurry.
It was as if her presence had been erased from the world.
The Grand Duke smoothed the blurred portrait.
“I remember nothing at all.”
For the first time since arriving here, Arisha saw the Grand Duke deeply immersed in sadness.
“Your mother left, and… everything became blurry.”
He murmured in a low voice.
“Memories, her image—everything about her. Not a single thing remains. As if she had completely vanished.”
A blurred portrait, lost memories.
His pain was fully conveyed.
Suddenly, a single precious person had disappeared without a trace. Arisha, too, knew someone like that.
‘Mrs. Jo…’
Arisha’s fingers touched the locket.
At that moment,
Bzzz—!
The locket emitted a brief flash of light.
“…!”
Arisha was instantly captivated by it.
“Arisha?”
She quickly pulled her hand away from the locket.
It was only after hearing the Grand Duke’s voice that she regained her senses.
“What’s wrong? What happened? Why suddenly—?”
The Grand Duke’s face was filled with concern.
‘The Grand Duke doesn’t feel it?’
It was definitely interference.
‘Not here, but from somewhere farther away…’
Her thought soon faded.
“No, it’s nothing.”
The Grand Duke’s expression grew more worried.
“Are you really sure you’re fine?”
“I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”
But the Grand Duke still didn’t seem convinced.
“This won’t do, won’t do. This really won’t do. It seems our daughter’s body is too weak!”
“……”
“I should have listened to Egail.”
With a firm resolve, he grabbed Arisha’s hand tightly.
“Let’s go.”
“Where, all of a sudden?”
“There is a great tonic in the Empire.”
He answered with determination.
In the Empire, there were two rulers.
One was the actual emperor, managing the state.
The other was the spiritual guide for all the citizens—the Saint.
This Saint was especially meaningful to the people. Unlike previous Saints, she had come from the lowest, most despised back-alley classes.
Eleven years ago, a massive beast attack shocked the Empire.
Many, including the Grand Duke’s family, suffered heavy losses.
Agni, who had been nothing more than a back-alley girl, awakened that day and saved hundreds of people.
Agni instantly became a famous figure in the Empire.
She entered the temple, became a priest, then advanced rapidly to become a Saint.
Agni did not hide her origins, proudly stating them. She accompanied the Grand Duke into dungeons countless times, saving those close to death.
Thus, she became the Empire’s strongest spiritual pillar.
Currently, she was being bothered by the Grand Duke at his residence.
“So, Saint, look at this. Doesn’t our daughter look too haggard?”
He gestured at Arisha.
“Her skin looks pale too.”
“Ah… yes…”
Agni replied reluctantly.
Pale? The Grand Princess looked better than ever. Her face, once gaunt, now shone with vitality. Her golden eyes sparkled like stars, and her usually furrowed brow was smooth and wrinkle-free.
Compared to three years ago, she looked entirely different. Seen in another context, one might not believe she was the same person.
“And today, she nearly lost consciousness!”
At the peak of the Grand Duke’s fussing,
Shhhh.
Suddenly, Arisha lay down on the sofa.
So natural that Agni briefly thought it was a bedroom.
“…?”
“See this? She collapses anywhere if she’s this weak!”
She seemed merely bored, lying down casually.
“Hmph.”
The Grand Duke pressed his brow dramatically, pretending to hold back tears.
“Pray for our daughter, Saint.”
Arisha watched the scene with a bored expression. The tonic he mentioned was, in fact, the Saint herself.
Through novels, she knew the Saint’s power. A genius, a “chosen one” who could heal a nearly-dead knight with a single prayer.
Such healing power did not exist on Earth.
And yet the Grand Duke called it a tonic.
‘This could get annoying.’
Arisha had quietly followed him, concerned about the Grand Duke’s bitter expression, but now it seemed she might get caught up in trouble.
‘Stay as quiet as possible.’
That was her plan.
Agni touched her head, muttering.
“…I’ll just offer a prayer and return.”
Though a spiritual leader, Agni could not easily refuse the Grand Duke, who wielded the Empire’s military power.
Moreover, the Grand Duke’s family and the Saint were bound by fate. Mutual respect now existed, though it had originated from ancestral ties.
Agni shot an annoyed glance at the Grand Duke, who merely smiled.
“Then I will offer prayers for the Grand Princess.”
Arisha finally sat up, and Agni began channeling holy energy toward her.
Arisha felt warmth spread throughout her body. Indeed, the Saint’s power was of a high class.
It should have enveloped and radiated through her entire body…
But nothing happened.
“Saint?”
The Grand Duke prompted Agni.
She tried again—twice, thrice, four times—pouring holy energy capable of resurrecting the dead. But Arisha remained unchanged.
Only her system window blinked:
[Lower-tier buff. A higher-tier buff exists and prevents this from being applied!]
[Lower-tier buff. Buff cannot be applied!]
[Lower-tier—!]
“…?”
Agni stared at Arisha, bewildered.
Arisha quickly composed herself.
‘When was the buff tier adjusted?’
It must have been included in a reward she received before death.
In times like this, ignorance was best.
The Grand Duke looked at Agni, utterly perplexed.
“Saint… your ability…?”
“Why is this…?”
Then Bixy suddenly popped out, shouting:
[Hahaha, pathetic! How dare you mess with our master!]
[Using such a weak buff!]
[Our master is insanely overpowered!]
[Hahaha!!!!]
He was laughing with pure excitement.
