Chapter 168
Sir Theseud was a Sword Master, a person who had pushed the human body to its absolute physical limits.
For him, moving his body like a performing acrobat was as easy as breathing.
Being a genius in swordsmanship and a noble, he had been coming and going in the palace as if it were his own home since childhood, and now he practically lived here.
Therefore, he must know the locations of each building, shortcuts, and secret passages like the back of his hand.
“No wonder I never suspected him at all.”
When I first drew up a list of suspects, I included all sorts of people—but Sir Theseud never even crossed my mind. There was no connection at all.
“But come to think of it, there’s no one who fits better.”
He knew Windfairer—the weapon used in my attempted murder—very well.
He could easily discover anything about palace affairs, even the founding rituals and hidden secrets.
Although it was said he never left his hideout while mourning the Empress’s death, who’s to say he couldn’t slip out? He was a mysterious, elusive Sword Master.
“That’s right! That’s it!”
Feeling a chill creeping over me, I stared at him standing before me.
Adorned with medals shining like stars on his chest, he was the most respected knight in the Empire.
Through the strands of his long hair, his face seemed to have retained the same allure that had made every woman in the Empire’s youth swoon.
Being roughly the Emperor’s contemporary, he must be in his forties now, yet he appeared untouched by time.
I guessed it was because he had secluded himself from the world, training only in martial arts, but even that aspect of Sir Theseud felt chilling, almost inhuman.
“No matter how much I think about it… am I suspecting the wrong person?”
I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears.
I tried my best to appear calm, bending my knees in a formal bow as I faced him.
“Thank you for congratulating me on my engagement.”
Sir Theseud fixed his gaze on me and spoke.
“By the way, I said you could come to me anytime you needed help. Why didn’t you? I told you that the door to my quarters would always be open to you, Princess.”
That was true.
After I discovered Windfairer, he had deliberately come to me and said those words.
At the time, I had thought it was a favor.
A chance to build rapport with the Sword Master and the mentor of the Crown Prince and his brother. I had even thought Sir Theseud wasn’t as difficult as I had imagined.
But now, looking back, I felt those words might have had another meaning hidden within them.
“Anyway, you’ve done something very meaningful for me. I want to repay you somehow…”
Repay me? Could it mean… he expected me to pay the price for uncovering the past that should have stayed buried?
No wonder I had felt uneasy, even though I thought it was a privilege.
“So my intuition had already been triggered back then.”
My face stiffened, but I forced a calm smile.
“I was planning to visit you soon anyway. By the way, it’s surprising. I thought you were in seclusion. I’ve heard you rarely appear at such formal occasions…”
“This is the engagement of the Crown Prince, whom I personally trained, so I came out from the tomb briefly. Aldenis is my precious student before being the Crown Prince.”
His explanation sounded plausible, but… isn’t this deliberate? He called me here to see how much I know?
“Sir Theseud, Princess.”
Palace attendants appeared in front of me, cautious. The one at the front carried a large basin.
“Here it is.”
“Ah.”
Sir Theseud took the basin from the attendant.
“Then, Princess, in accordance with protocol, receive the flower prepared by the royal family. This time, it is a golden rose, symbol of House Rosen.”
“Yes.”
I stepped forward and performed the formal gesture.
The golden rose floated on water in the basin, shimmering delicately.
Even to my eyes, accustomed to luxury, it was exquisitely crafted.
But my nervousness prevented me from truly appreciating its beauty.
“It reminds me of the obsidian rose Shion gave me.”
The beautiful roses prepared for me usually had thorns.
As I cautiously reached forward, increasing my alertness, my reflection in the water suddenly rippled.
And then, a mysterious radiance burst forth from the basin.
“Whoa…!”
The attendants, maids, and my retinue, who had been watching in a circle, gasped in astonishment.
I asked them,
“What is this?”
“It is one of the royal family’s sacred objects,” an elderly maid explained calmly.
“In the past, whenever a new person joined the royal household, they were reflected in this basin. If the person were a witch or used dark magic, their image would be distorted. Those with sharp eyes could see it.”
“Usually nothing happens, but I’ve never seen it glow like this. Truly auspicious. I’ll report it to Their Majesties immediately.”
Amidst everyone’s praise, Sir Theseud said nothing, only observing me.
“As I suspected, he was trying to gauge me.”
My suspicion grew into certainty.
I had died once. My soul had left my body, if only for a brief moment.
Only the murderer knew that fact.
And yet, the person who had been dead appeared alive before me? Surely, he must have assumed some evil sorcery was involved.
Anyone unaware of the truth would think so—bringing someone back from the dead is impossible without dark magic.
“But that’s not it.”
I was alive now.
A miracle created by the combined efforts of two mothers.
And the result of human endurance and struggle, which I had barely managed to achieve.
Even the royal sacred object acknowledged this, rewarding me with its radiance.
“No matter how knowledgeable you are, there’s no way you know this miraculous story, right?”
I picked up the rose and looked Sir Theseud directly in the eye.
He spoke calmly.
“I apologize if I startled you. It’s just an old custom…”
“No, it’s better to be thorough.”
“That’s true.”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“I’ve always thought we have a lot in common. Perhaps we are similar kinds of people? I feel our conversation would flow very well—better than with anyone else.”
He looked directly into my eyes.
“You are, in many ways, a fascinating person, Princess.”
There was darkness in his gaze.
Facing that darkness made my chest tighten. My body felt drained. I wanted to breathe, but I couldn’t.
The fear I had felt when I almost died returned vividly.
My body began to tremble.
“You are fascinating as well,” I said, hiding my trembling as best I could. My authoritative posture and cold voice helped.
“Thank you. I shall see you at the engagement ceremony shortly.”
I acted as if I knew nothing, had noticed nothing.
I took the golden rose, handed it to my attendant, made a proper bow, and turned away.
I could feel his piercing gaze on my back.
I suppressed the urge to run and dashed across the courtyard, re-entering the palace building.
Finally, I whispered to the maid following behind me.
“This ceremony of looking into the basin—is it really mandatory?”
“No. There was no such custom at the last engagement of Their Majesties.”
“I see.”
My legs began to shake.
I tried not to show it, but the darkness in Sir Theseud’s eyes earlier surged back, filling me with fear.
“Princess, are you alright?”
The escorting knights approached, concerned.
“….”
I instinctively recoiled. I couldn’t trust the knights. Who among them might be Sir Theseud’s loyal subordinate?
“I feel dizzy…”
The room swirled around me.
“Princess!”
Perhaps I had stumbled slightly, and the maids rushed to support me.
Then,
“Aristina!”
A familiar voice rang out.
It was Aldenis.
The bustling attendants and maids immediately froze and stepped aside.
“I came to get you, it seems to have been too long. What happened? Are you unwell?”
Aldenis’s gentle voice was right in front of me, filled with concern.
I could easily picture his kind, worried expression without looking.
Yes. Now I was alright.
My beloved had arrived. I could regain courage. We could face this together.
I blinked and steadied myself.
“Aldenis…”
“Yes, Aristina. It’s me.”
A large, warm hand held mine firmly.
My shaking vision steadied, and I saw Aldenis clearly.
The person I had longed for, destined to be my partner.
But…
The moment I saw that beautiful face I had dreamed of…
“Uh…?”
I was overcome with a strange, inexplicable feeling.
