Chapter 163
“What are you talking about right now?”
“Exactly what I said. An imperial decree has arrived from the palace. It appears to be related to Lady Selina.”
It was practically a bolt from the blue. Freiman bit his lip and immediately headed toward Gregory’s office.
Before the holy knights standing guard could stop him, Freiman burst straight into the office.
Cardinal Modis was inside as well.
“This is quite the commotion.”
“I heard from Baon. You said an imperial decree came from the palace?”
“Yes. Since you’re the one most affected, see it for yourself.”
Gregory handed the document he was holding to Freiman.
At the bottom of the paper, the imperial crest was stamped clearly.
As Freiman slowly read the decree, his shoulders began to tremble.
“Verification of blood relations between Selina and the Marchioness—tomorrow, no less! Why is the imperial family taking charge of this?”
“Why do you think? They’re trying to control the Apostle however they please.”
Hearing Gregory’s voice lowered to a grim tone, Freiman ran a hand roughly through his hair.
Modis, who had been fidgeting between them, finally spoke.
“They’re likely exploiting the fact that the Apostle is a minor. At present, she has no legal guardian, does she?”
“But Selina is my daughter!”
“Strictly speaking… not yet.”
Freiman turned to Gregory.
“The adoption process isn’t complete yet, is it? Until it’s finalized, the Apostle officially has no guardian.”
He was right. The procedures were still underway. All the documents had been prepared, and they were only waiting for the result—but it hadn’t come yet.
“You should’ve handled this more tactfully from the start. If you’d at least talked to them, the Hailers wouldn’t have come down so hard.”
“His Holiness is correct. Things have become even more tangled. At this rate, we might lose the Apostle to the imperial family.”
Even without them saying it out loud, Freiman already knew this all too well.
He pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead.
If he obediently followed this imperial command, there was a high chance he would be dragged along exactly as they wanted.
I boasted that I’d be her shield…
The realization that he couldn’t even protect Selina made him feel utterly pathetic.
Still, Freiman clenched his fist, firming his resolve.
I can’t give up like this. I have to find a way—somehow.
A sharp light flickered in his eyes. Gregory watched him with an unreadable expression.
* * *
“Hm?”
Ardan, humming cheerfully as usual, noticed a single letter placed neatly on his seat in the clubroom.
The seal bore a painfully familiar imperial emblem.
Deban, who happened to be passing by, spoke up.
“I was picking up my own mail and saw yours too, so I brought it along.”
“Is that so?”
Ardan examined the letter briefly, shrugged, and opened it. He began reading the contents.
“Hello.”
“Good afternoon!”
The three Hailers siblings entered the Royal Family Clubroom side by side.
Sylvia greeted people before quietly approaching Ardan.
“Ta-da!”
She tried to startle him from behind, but he didn’t react at all. Instead, he stared at the letter with a hardened expression.
Sylvia tilted her head and peeked at it.
“What’s got you so serious?”
Just as she tried to read the opening lines, Ardan hurriedly folded the letter.
“It’s nothing. Just some business from the palace.”
“Really? It looks like bad news. Your face doesn’t look good.”
Sylvia gently touched his face. Ardan, who had been unconsciously tense, relaxed and carefully held Selina’s hand resting against his cheek.
“It’s not like that. Really—it’s nothing, so don’t worry.”
“Okay. If you say so.”
“Sylvia! Can you help me with this for a moment?”
“Yes! Senior! Ardan, I’ll go help for a bit.”
Sylvia went over to the others calling her. Ardan waved with a smile, but the moment he turned away, his face hardened again.
“Is something wrong, Your Highness?”
Cillian approached him. Ardan hesitated briefly, glanced around, then pulled him aside to an empty spot.
He handed over the letter from his pocket.
“What is this?”
“Just read it.”
Cillian reluctantly read it. The further his eyes moved down the page, the stiffer his face became.
“…This is—”
“This information came from my closest confidant in the palace. Is it true? That woman—!”
Ardan raised his voice, then flinched and quickly lowered it.
“That Selina is your mother’s biological daughter.”
“……”
“And now the Marchioness herself is claiming Selina as her true daughter. Doesn’t that strike you as strange? She entered the Hailers family with Sylvia.”
Selina—the Apostle—was already a figure shaking not just the academy but the entire empire.
The academy tightly controlled outside access and rumors, so students didn’t realize how massive the situation was. But Ardan, who received real-time information from outside, knew exactly how serious it was.
And now Selina being the Marchioness’s biological daughter? He simply couldn’t accept it.
If he was this shaken, Sylvia and Sylvester would be devastated. That was why he hadn’t shown them the letter.
But he suspected Cillian knew something—and as expected, Cillian remained eerily calm.
“…What do you know?”
“Enough.”
“Then what’s written here is true?”
Cillian closed his eyes instead of answering. Sylvia’s smiling face flickered through his mind.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
“Please don’t tell Sylvia. Or Sylvester either.”
“…That’s why I only told you.”
“Yes. Please keep it that way. Someday they may find out—but not now.”
Meeting Cillian’s serious blue eyes, Ardan nodded. Cillian bowed lightly in thanks and reread the letter.
Selina…
He’d known since childhood that Sylvia wasn’t their mother’s biological daughter—but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined Selina was.
What lay ahead was impossible to predict.
* * *
“We are here to escort you, Lady Selina.”
Selina rubbed her eyes at the sight before her.
Seeing her clearly displeased expression, no one dared to speak.
The reason for her sour mood was simple—the imperial decree that had suddenly arrived on the first day of her precious weekend.
At first, she thought it was because she was the Apostle. But she soon realized it was to verify her blood relation with her biological mother.
At least the academy had blocked imperial entry, allowing the matter to proceed quietly.
If the imperial knights had barged in publicly, rumors would’ve spread across the entire school.
“How long will she have to stay at the palace?”
Calix asked sharply. He was the one who had delivered the decree.
“We cannot say for certain.”
“Final exams are in two weeks. She’s already missed many classes due to illness. Taking her now will severely affect her grades.”
“We are merely following imperial orders.”
Talking was pointless. Calix muttered under his breath, “This is why I hate imperial knights.”
“You speak carelessly. You’re academy graduates yourselves, aren’t you? You should know how important grades are.”
Selina said it half as a probe—and both knights flinched.
“…Still, we can’t disobey the emperor.”
“Selina, will you be alright?”
Calix looked worried. Selina gave a faint, tired smile.
“What choice do I have? This happened because I’m the Apostle. I expected something like this eventually. I just didn’t think it’d be right before exams.”
Calix frowned. Forcing such a burden on a sixteen-year-old girl didn’t sit well with him.
He whispered so only Selina could hear.
“If they try anything unreasonable, use the academy as leverage. Ferion Academy has more influence than you’d think.”
Unexpected kindness—from someone who usually kept work and emotions separate.
“Thank you, Professor. I’ll remember that.”
Selina boarded the imperial carriage. Simon and Veronica followed.
As the carriage rolled away from the academy, Selina let out a deep sigh.
She hadn’t even had time to say goodbye to her friends.
Judging by the situation, she wouldn’t be returning today.
[Don’t worry too much, nya. I’m here with you, nya.]
Luna rubbed her head against Selina’s arm from her lap.
Yeah… at least I have you.
Watching the scenery pass by, Selina steeled herself.
“I won’t let them control me.”
“What will I need to do once I arrive at the palace?”
She asked Simon and Veronica.
They exchanged glances before answering.
“Though this is by the emperor’s command, you are our Apostle. An Apostle holds a status equal to the Pope. You need not feel intimidated before His Majesty.”
That was new information.
[They’re right, nya. But the difference is this— the Pope serves the temple, while the Apostle serves the god directly, nya.]
What’s the difference?
[It means you’re not bound to the temple, nya. Neither the palace nor the temple can control you. You are the god’s representative, no matter what, nya.]
Good to know.
She might dislike being an Apostle, but this aspect wasn’t bad at all.
“Is there anything I should be cautious of?”
“The greatest concern is that guardianship may be transferred to the Marchioness Hailers.”
Selina’s expression stiffened.
“If that happens, you’ll belong to House Hailers. Even unintentionally, you’d be subject to noble or imperial influence. The temple does not wish for that either.”
She understood immediately.
If Selina, the Moon Apostle, belonged to Hailers, then the Moon Temple would inevitably be dragged into politics.
Religion was meant to remain neutral—but this could shatter that balance.
So I must protect my guardianship at all costs.
As she absorbed every bit of information she could, the carriage continued onward—until it finally arrived at the imperial palace.
