《What Happens When the Second Male Lead Powers Up》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 ¨C A person¡¯s crashnding (1) I jerked out of bed while shouting that name. I don¡¯t usually talk in my sleep, so I don¡¯t know why I called out my younger sister¡¯s name like that. I woke up in such an odd way, but my body felt refreshed. It doesn¡¯t look like I had a nightmare or slept in a weird position. ¡°Your highness.¡± ¡®Holy shit, that scared me.¡¯ My shoulders flinched. I turned toward the sound of the voice and saw an unfamiliar person there. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, who are you and why are you in my house¡­¡­¡± ¡°Did you sleep well, your highness?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± It was not just one person. People I didn¡¯t know with different skin colors, hair colors, and eye colors were standing there looking at me. Someone had what seemed like a shiny basin, someone else was holding a white cloth next to him, and another person¡­¡­ ¡°Breakfast is in one hour, your highness. Shall we brush your teeth and wash your face?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡®Excuse me?¡¯ is the only thing people can say when they are truly shocked. The only thing I could think of was, ¡®Excuse me?¡¯ as well. I had no idea what was going on. ¡®Is it some kind of hidden camera? Did Eunse contact a TVwork to do this to me?¡¯ My mind was trying its best to figure out what was going on. ¡°I guess you are not fully awake yet, your highness.¡± ¡°That is true I guess¡­¡­¡± ¡°You are probably still fatigued from your journey. It is normal after such a long trip, your highness.¡± ¡®Journey? What is he talking about? Do TV shows go this far for hidden cameras these days?¡¯ It was extremely detailed for someone like me, who only went to work and came home, to understand. ¡®Where is Eunse? Is she in another room watching me?¡¯ ¡°Umm, could you please tell me where this is?¡± I slowly opened my mouth as calmly as possible. I didn¡¯t have many things I could ask. I quickly looked around, and it was not my room or our living room. I was in a room that was the size of our whole house, on a bed that was as big as my friend¡¯s studio room, with extremely expensive-looking furniture all around. ¡®What is that on the wallpaper? There¡¯s no way it is real gold, right?¡¯ ¡°You must be extremely tired, your highness.¡± The middle-aged man who had been the first to speak to me responded in an official voice. He motioned to someone standing next to him and a young boy quickly poured water into a clear ss and handed it to me. ¡°Would you like a ss of water to help clear your mind, your highness?¡± ¡°Uhh, thank you very much.¡± I didn¡¯t think much of it and drank about half of the cup. I then realized how stupid I had been. ¡®Why did I drink it? What if it wasn¡¯t water? Did I get abducted?¡¯ * To make it clear, it was just regr water. And this was not an abduction nor a TV program. It was body possession. ¡°Ah.¡± The face I saw in the water as I washed my face was someone else¡¯s face. The fact that I managed to get past it only saying, ¡®ah¡¯ was a miracle. I was jumping up and down and screaming internally. My palms were getting sweaty. ¡°Shall we get you dressed, your highness?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes, sir.¡± I responded after finishing washing my face and brushing my teeth. Even an elementary student would not do anything weird to cause suspicions or throw a tantrum about wanting to go home in this situation. I could use the fact that I wasn¡¯t fully awake as an excuse earlier, but not now. The important thing was to figure out my current situation ande up with a n. ¡°Excuse us, your highness.¡± Two young attendants walked over and started to change my clothes. The normal me wouldn¡¯t have let random people touch me like this, but I was so shocked that I just quietly let them do it. MCs in novels where they get transported into a different world possessing a character¡¯s body like my current situation always talk about how, ¡®it was too realistic to be a dream.¡¯ It really was like that. I didn¡¯t need to pinch my cheeks to know that this was real. The feeling of the clothes touching my skin and the rustling of the clothes as I moved were both extremely vivid. ¡°Is anything ufortable, your highness? The royal tailors made it while referencing the Holy Kingdom¡¯s casual wear from the pce.¡± ¡°It fits perfectly. Thank you.¡± I touched my shoulders and chest once before gathering clues in my mind. Based on theyout of the room and people¡¯s clothes, this was a ¡®Medieval Fantasy¡¯ world. I removed the web novel I was reading yesterday, from the list of potential options. That was a novel about how the MC woke up in the body of an Ancient Roman Emperor. ¡°Here is a mirror, your highness.¡± The middle-aged man had some attendants bring arge full-body mirror over so that I could take a look. I quietly gasped. I was only able to tell that this body was not mine when I was washing my face earlier. Would I be able to tell where I am if I know what I look like? ¡°¡­¡­Mm.¡± ¡°Do you like it, your highness?¡± I was tall and handsome with blonde hair and purple eyes. I smiled and could see the corners of my mouth rising in the mirror. A young man that everybody would definitely say was handsome was looking back at me. ¡®What the hell¡­¡­?¡¯ ¡°Yes, thank you very much, sir.¡± I just said whatever came to mind. Forget liking the clothes, someone this handsome is probably the main character. But most of the novels I¡¯ve read had MCs with ck hair; I¡¯ve never seen an MC with blonde hair. That meant that ¡®I¡¯ was probably a supporting character, whether it be the MC¡¯s close friend, party member, or even a mid-level boss the MC defeats along the way. ¡®Man, I don¡¯t even know how I am going to get back home. I hope I don¡¯t need to y an important role.¡¯ ¡°Then shall we head for breakfast? I will lead the way, your highness.¡± I just nodded my head. I took one more look at the ¡®me¡¯ in the mirror before starting to walk. ¡®Is he about my height¡­..? Huh?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­I saw it before.¡± ¡°Your highness?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s nothing.¡± I brushed it off and followed the middle-aged man. The attendants followed behind me. I gathered my thoughts while walking past an extremelyrge window with a view of a vast garden. ¡®First, the body I am in is a ¡®prince¡¯ from the Holy Kingdom. ¡®He looks oddly familiar, but I can¡¯t tell who it is. ¡®I¡¯ve yet to hear the prince¡¯s name or the name of the Holy Kingdom. ¡®I don¡¯t know why I am visiting this ce either. ¡®This ce has an ¡®Imperial Pce,¡¯ so it must be an Empire with an Emperor, but I don¡¯t know its name either.¡¯ ¡°This way, your highness.¡± The middle-aged man opened the door to the dining room and led me over to arge table before pulling the chair out for me. ¡°What would you like to drink, your highness? We have an assortment of coffee beans from the south and tea leaves from the north.¡± This middle-aged man who had been leading the discussion from the moment I woke up introduced himself as ¡®Benjamin Girardin.¡¯ ¡®I am not worthy, but I am in charge of the attendants here in Juliette Pce.¡¯ He said that as well, but his name and the name of the pce were both new to me. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ ¡°Could I have some kind of Herbal tea please?¡± I remembered that I was in someone else¡¯s body after saying that. My original body had a serious case of gastritis so I couldn¡¯t really drink caffeine, alcohol, or even carbonated drinks. That¡¯s why I just said what I usually say when I got to cafes, but¡­¡­ ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be okay in this body?¡¯ I even debated whether I should have asked for a cup of wine. ¡°¡­¡­I was careless. I understand.¡± My response made Benjamin, who had maintained a poker face this whole time, crack a little bit. I peeked at the other attendants to see if I made a mistake somehow, but they had serious expressions for a different reason. Some looked as if they were shocked, while others looked amazed. Was a single cup of tea such a big issue? ¡°Here is some Chamomile tea, your highness.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The attendants had quickly moved to bring me a steaming teapot and a teacup. ¡°Is the meal to your liking, your highness?¡± ¡°Yes, it is delicious. It is seasoned perfectly.¡± I wasn¡¯t lying. Freshly baked bread, extremely creamy soup, a dressing I had never tasted before, and an extremely fragrant meat dish with fresh fruit. My eyes were happy, and my mouth was in heaven with this breakfast. I could enjoy myself without worrying since I didn¡¯t think that the people who woke me up, washed me, and dressed me would put poison in the food. I need to eat and fill my belly so that my mind works well and provides the momentum for me to figure out a way to get home. ¡°You ate it cleanly, your highness.¡± Benjamin said that as if it was unexpected. I snapped back to reality to see that I was scraping the bottom of the sd te with my fork. I quickly put my fork down because, although I was from another world, even I knew that this was not proper etiquette. ¡°Haha, I guess I am really tired after traveling so far. I ate more than I usually do. Thank you very much for the meal.¡± I used the information I gathered from Benjamin earlier to my advantage. I don¡¯t know how far it is from the Holy Kingdom to here, but someone from this world said it was a long journey so it should be pretty far. ¡°Then should I tell them not to bring out the desserts?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s a separate stomach for desserts.¡± * I had warm Rooibos tea and some egg tarts full of custard for dessert. The attendants must have wanted some as well as they went ¡®wow¡¯ and gasped when I bit into the third one. ¡°I¡¯m so full¡­¡­¡± I could hear the attendants quietlyughing once I got back to my room and plopped down on the couch with a nket Benjamin handed me. I never expected to, but I guess I really didn¡¯t give off a charismatic first impression. ¡°Your highness, shall I get you a book to read?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡± One of the attendant kids asked, and I happily epted. A book would be great. Anything was fine as long as it would help me gather clues about this ce. I debated whether I ended up in something other than a web novel, but I had a feeling that that was not the case. I haven¡¯t read webtoons oric books since I graduated High School. My family did watch movies and dramas, but nothing they watched recently had a setting like this. I haven¡¯t really read any textbooks since I was twenty, and a musical seemed too far-fetched. I didn¡¯t even want to consider that I fell into a ¡®different world¡¯ rather than someone¡¯s creation. That meant that the only thing left was a web novel, but I couldn¡¯t figure out which one it might be since I¡¯ve read so many of them on my way to and from work. ¡°What is next on our agenda?¡± I asked Benjamin about today¡¯s ns. I inspected the decorations and any symbols I saw on the hallways to and from the dining area, but none of them were helpful. I had never seen the crest on the ends of the spoons and knives either. I guess I need to be a little more assertive now. ¡°¡­¡­There are no ns, your highness.¡± ¡®Wait, didn¡¯t he seem a bit awkward just now?¡¯ ¡°Her majesty ordered us to let you rest today as you arrivedtest night.¡± ¡°I understand. Then what does tomorrow¡¯s schedule look like?¡± Awkward silence. ¡®There¡¯s definitely something.¡¯ There was a moment of break in this wless butler-like character. On the other hand, my mind was slowly getting clearer. ¡°Am I resting all week?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll be bored if I only stay in the pce. May I look around elsewhere?¡± Thatst question almost came out of reflex. It was suspicious that a prince from another kingdom who was staying in the pce had no diplomatic things to attend. Benjamin¡¯s face looked quite distraught as he answered my question. ¡°I apologize, your highness, but that is not possible.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± He looked down not long after we made eye contact. ¡°If you are really frustrated, you should at least be able to take a walk in the garden.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Do you happen to know when I will be returning home as well?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®I see. This prince is imprisoned here.¡¯ He was sent to a ce far away from home and imprisoned in this empty pce. They treated him well, but he needed to ask the attendants before he even went on a walk. Then there was only one answer. ¡°I would like to walk right now to help with the digestion. I saw the garden through the window earlier and it was quite beautiful.¡± I was a diplomatic hostage. ¡°¡­¡­I will deliver your request to my superiors.¡± I nodded my head and Benjamin quietly informed one of the attendants. ¡°Go find Capuson-nim in the Romero Pce and indicate that Prince Jesse requests to take a walk in the garden.¡± I jumped up from the couch. I couldn¡¯t believe what I had just heard. The shock made it hard to breathe. ¡®Jesse¡¯ is my name. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 ¨C A person¡¯s crashnding (2) I repeated my name, ¡®Jung Jesse¡¯ in my mind. ¡°Your highness?¡± Benjamin and the attendants looked toward me. I stood there forgetting what I was going to say. A fictional character whose name is the same as mine that I know about¡­ There was only Jesse Viaan. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Everything suddenly turned white, and I got a headache. I felt as if all of the blood was rushing out of my head. ¡°Your highness!¡± ¡°Are you okay, your highness?¡± The young attendants became anxious as Benjamin shouted in shock. I barely managed to support myself using the armrest of the couch. I slowly sat down and looked up and noticed that the dizziness went away and I could see clearly again. I first needed some time to organize my thoughts. I looked at the concerned faces and smiled as if it was nothing. ¡°I think that trip really did take a toll. May I be alone for a bit?¡± * ¡°No wonder.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but talk to myself as I sat there. No wonder it looked so familiar. This was not my first time looking at Jesse Viaan. Eunse had shown me so much fan art of this guy. ¡°Excuse me?¡± A young attendant who brought my bag for me looked at me with his eyes opened wide. It was part of the stuff that the owner of this body, Jesse Viaan, had brought from the Holy Kingdom. I felt sorry for making the kid shocked and told him that it was nothing and to go rest as gently as possible. I watched the boy close the door before sitting on the ground and unpacking my things. ¡°¡­¡­How can hee so empty-handed?¡± ¡®Well, he wouldn¡¯t bring a gift when he wasing as a diplomatic hostage and there was no need to pack a lot of things since the people here were taking care of everything including his outfits, but really? Did he have to pack so lightly?¡¯ I even looked in the small pockets of the bag, but all I found in the prince¡¯s stuff was a small notebook, and a few pairs of clothes he must have worn on his way over. There were no weapons, treasures, money, nor anything. Or maybe the Empress already took it all. ¡°Aigoo.¡± I sat there with my legs crossed and opened the notebook. I hoped that he wrote some things on his way here, but unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t a single drop of ink on the notebook. ¡®Thiszy little punk.¡¯ I went and shined some light on it, thinking that there might be some magic spells I didn¡¯t know about. That did absolutely nothing. ¡°I guess he¡¯s pretty chill about everything.¡± I made a short observation about the prince before returning to the first page of the notebook. I needed paper to write down the things I knew anyway, so I might as well write it down in here and keep it with me. I sat down on the table and awkwardly picked up the quill pen. Some ck liquid came out once I pushed the pen against the notebook. I wrote the name of the novel I came into on top. . I took a deep breath as I felt like my hand was shaking. ¡°Jung Eunse, what the hell did you do¡­¡­¡± I mumbled my sister¡¯s name as I started writing down everything I remembered. ¡®I quit my job and ended up as a noble youngdy in another world¡¯ aka ¡®QNW.¡¯ It was a bestseller romantic fantasy novel that was extremely popr in Korea. The romantic fantasy genre is called ¡®RF¡¯ for short but QNW pretty much rewrote the history of RFs and was a super extra mega-hit series that continued to achieve new record sales day after day. QNW was number 1 in the RF category on any tform with web novels, and it naturally took the top spot in the live, daily, weekly, and monthly best charts. Even people who did not read RFs knew about the QNW title and its cover image. As the first-ever novel in the RF world to reach the unprecedented height of being a million-seller, it quickly expanded into other mediums. Its webtoon was the start, and it was so popr that Korea¡¯s top webtoon tform server went down before the first chapter was released. There were even talks about an animated series with a significantly high mary investment. The QNW drama CD filled with major pop stars sold out two minutes after it started taking pre-orders, and the fansined so much that they had to increase the production by 300%. They even took top actors and recently recorded an audiobook, which was where QNW¡¯s official OST was included. The MC¡¯s theme song was sung by a popr idol, and it easily reached the top position on the music charts. How do I know about all of this? ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I should be thankful or upset about this.¡± My younger sister, Jung Eunse (age 20, college student), is an obsessed fan of this work. Obsessed might not be strong enough of a term for her, but anyway¡­ QNW came out the year Eunse turned 19, so about Januaryst year. For Eunse, who was on the edge about being a senior in high school in March, QNW was a ce for her to escape. QNW was her source of relief when she failed her practice test in June, and she imed QNW gave her the strength to do well when she did fabulous on her practice test in September. When she hit the jackpot with the college admissions test? I don¡¯t even need to say anything. ¡®My life is a total novel. I mean it. How do I live when it ends?¡¯ Eunse is nine years younger than me and twelve years younger than my older brother. My brother and I raised our youngest sister as if she was our daughter, and Eunse¡¯s storm-like QNW love swept us up like the numerous people handing out flyers for gyms on the street. After I registered for my college courses, I had to keep the server open to pre-order the drama CD while my brother, who works at home, was tasked with the QNW OST. Eunse strongly emphasized that we needed to help get the streaming count up. QNW was always a topic when we three siblings sat down to eat together. Eunse would analyze the contents of the daily chapter and even give almost a thesis about why the second male lead, ¡®Jesse Viaan,¡¯ should be the main lead. ¡®Crapdric is no good. He sinned against our Christelle again. (TL: Author¡¯s spelling, not mine. I do not agree but I will stick with it) She¡¯s meant to be with Jesse.¡¯ It was really awkward to hear Eunse talk about a character with the same name as me at first. But, as with all things, I eventually got used to it. He was just a character in a novel, anyway. ¡®Is the male lead¡¯s name Crapdric?¡¯ ¡®Ah, hyung. You asked thatst time too.¡¯ ¡®The fans call him Crapdric because his actions are really crappy.¡¯ (TL: The Korean has it as a pun for trash, but the name doesn¡¯t do the pun the same way in English so Crapdric it is.) Eunse had asked my brother and me to read QNW multiple times. My brother quit after reading about half of it, saying that it wasn¡¯t his kind of novel and Eunse was disappointed but didn¡¯t push him further. As for me,st year I was busy quitting one job and applying for new jobs. Once I got hired, I needed time to get adjusted to the job. I couldn¡¯t even read the three or four web novels I was reading. Eunse knew my situation and didn¡¯t ask me to read it, and by the time she got into college, the QNW stuff slowly died down. My brother often said that he enjoyed Eunse talking about QNW more than QNW itself. I¡¯ve never read QNW myself, but I always agreed with him. That¡¯s right. I was not a reader of QNW. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ ¡°How can I get transported into a book I didn¡¯t even read?¡± I could only scoff in disbelief. But now that I know I am Jesse Viaan, I guess I can imagine why I¡¯ve been transported into this body. Eunse had been crying her eyes out after reading yesterday¡¯s chapter. She talked about how she felt numb, how she was going to send a letter to the author, and caused all sorts of ruckus before saying she was going to sleep first and think about it in the morning. She went into her room before it was even 10 pm. Jesse Viaan had died in thetest chapter. ¡°Is it a body possession and a regression?¡± Seeing as how a dead guy was still alive, someone must have sent me to the past to save this punk. The reason someone random like me instead of a reader was transported probably has to do with my sister Eunse. ¡®Wait a minute. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for someone like Eunse who knows every detail inside and out to be here instead? Why did I get sent here?¡¯ Eunse was a fierce and independent girl. She would take care of things like this on her own instead of leaving it for my brother or me. Then Eunse¡¯s sadness might be the reason for mying here, but is there someone else who actually sent me here? ¡°¡­¡­There¡¯s just no way to know.¡± It seemed moreplicated the more I thought about it. I decided to slowly do what I can for now and learn things one by one. I put my name, well, the name I would be called in this ce, down on the notebook. I recorded the few things I knew as well. ¨C Jesse Viaan The body I am possessing. The second male lead of QNW. Prince of the Holy Kingdom. Reasons unknown as to why I have been sent here as a diplomatic hostage and imprisoned inside Juliette Pce. Dies in a war in the future protecting the Imperial Crown Prince. I then wrote the MC¡¯s name underneath it. ¡®Christelle¡¯¡­¡­ ¡°What was her family name again? Sarcoji?¡± ¡®No, that¡¯s not it. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s right.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t easy to remember her family name because Eunse usually just called her, ¡®our child¡¯ or ¡®our Chris.¡¯ ¨C Christelle The MC of QNW. Has long wavy pink hair and sky-blue eyes. Cute personality. A woman who quit her job ended up waking up as Christelle. The fact that she is called a youngdy must mean that she is the daughter of a noble household. I remembered her hair and eye colors because I frequently saw QNW¡¯s cover. I remembered the face of the man who was frequently holding her by the waist and protecting her from the side as well. ¡°What was Crapdric¡¯s real name again?¡± ¡®What was the male lead¡¯s name¡­¡¯ It was a cool name fitting a male lead, but I couldn¡¯t remember since my sister just called him Crapdric all the time. ¡®I do know it starts with a C.¡¯ ¨C Crapdric The male lead of QNW. The Empire¡¯s Imperial Crown Prince. ck hair and red eyes. Significant height difference with Christelle. I believe he is a sword master. His personality is said to be shit. I could remember that the male lead was the Imperial Crown Prince since Eunse was always like, ¡®that punk is supposed to be the Imperial Crown Prince but he¡­¡­¡¯ andined a lot. I¡¯m disappointed that I¡¯m in this world without having read the novel, but I¡¯m relieved that I have my sister¡¯s ramblings to work off of. I hope I keep remembering things I heard from her. I then wrote down anything that came to mind. The things my sister saidst night while crying, the things she saidst week, and even things she talked about when we went out to eatst month. It was smarter to jot them down now while I remembered them, since I might mix things up or forget them in the future. Writing it down made it easier to memorize as well. I filled a good number of pages before noticing that the sun was all the way up. I wrote down thest topic. ¨C My goal. If my suspicions were correct, I was transported to the past in this body so that I can save this guy from dying on the battlefield in the future. There¡¯s only one way to save a punk who is supposed to die. Don¡¯t participate at all. There¡¯s only one way for a guy who is supposed to die in the Imperial Crown Prince¡¯s ce to live as well. Don¡¯t get involved with the Imperial Crown Prince. There should be many ways not to get involved with the Imperial Crown Prince, but in this novel, the core of the matter was that the Imperial Crown Prince and I were rivals for the same woman¡¯s heart. Eunse said that Jesse Viaan saved the Imperial Crown Prince and died in his ce for Christelle¡¯s happiness. That is why not getting involved with the MC, Christelle, should increase my chances of survival as well. I stopped thinking about it and put down onest thing. ¨C My goal. Don¡¯t get involved with the MCs and survive until the end so that I can go back home in one piece! Don¡¯t do anything to stand out, just quietly eat well and keep myself alive. Don¡¯t do anything that goes against my conscience, but do let others take care of things when possible. Be respectful to both people above and below me. ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty easy for a loner like me.¡± It¡¯d be one thing if I had to interject in the two of their rtionship, but I was more confident than everybody else in beingpletely unrted to them. I had quite the confidence in doing that since I was #foreveralone. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Chapter 3 ¨C A person¡¯s crashnding (3) After organizing my notebook all morning, I did some other stupid things since I finally had some time to myself. ¡°¡­¡­Status window.¡± Of course, a half-transparent window or text did not appear in front of my eyes. I had wondered if I became someone like the main character in a game world or something, but the reality was so cold it was freezing. I became so embarrassed at myself that my cheeks and the area around my eyes all turned red. ¡®I should just go eat.¡¯ * ¡°Your highness, I brought you some books you might enjoy. Her Majesty also gave permission for you to take a walk in the garden whenever you wish.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. That is wonderful.¡± After taking the same route as I did in the morning to eat lunch, the young attendant who brought me my bag in the morning brought over some books along with the good news. I thought that this child would leave quickly as well since Benjamin and the other attendants had left me alone, but the boy hesitated as if he wanted something. ¡°Do you have something to say to me?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡­¡± The boy turned red and didn¡¯t seem to know what to do. He seemed to be about fourteen years old. He had fluorescent sky blue colored hair and hisrge gold eyes were memorable. ¡°M, my name is Ganael Camard. I am Viscount Camard¡¯s eldest son.¡± ¡°My name is Jesse Viaan.¡± It really was an unfamiliar name. It felt awkward just hearing him introduce himself, so I told him my name as well, and the boy smiled brightly as if he was less nervous now. Ganael quickly continued talking as he blushed. ¡°Your highness, I don¡¯t think there is anybody in the Empire who does not know of your revered name. Everybody is curious about you even though they don¡¯t show it¡­¡­ There are many devout believers in the Empire. It is a historic event that a royal priest from the Holy Kingdom hase to the royal pce.¡± ¡®Wow, didn¡¯t I just get a huge chunk of information?¡¯ I clenched my jaw that was trying to drop and did my best to look calm. I wanted to write down everything Ganael just said into my notebook, but I could not do that. Devout believers, royal priest, historic event¡­ Ganael continued to say that it was unfortunate that he met me in such a situation, but that it was the honor of the Camard household for him to be able to serve me by my side. I guess he was saying that it was sad that I came as a diplomatic hostage, but that he was really happy since I was right here. It shocked me that such a talkative kid was able to maintain his emotions this morning. ¡°Ganael, could you tell me how old you are?¡± ¡°I turned sixteenst February. I am twelve years younger than you, your highness. Mying-of-age ceremony was a small one because I was preparing toe to the pce¡­¡­¡± The boy smiled shyly as he rambled on. If he¡¯s sixteen, then that meant that he was seventeen in Korean age. ¡®He looks much younger than that¡­.. Wait a minute. If I am twelve years older than this kid, that means that I was twenty-eight years old. I¡¯m twenty-eight as well, so that meant that Jesse Viaan and I were the same age.¡¯ This was new information as well. ¡°You¡¯re working so hard in the pce despite being so young.¡± ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s nothing, your highness. To be honest with you, I requested to work in the pce after hearing that you wereing. The Viscount didn¡¯t oppose my decision either. In fact, he praised me for doing something that follows our family creed.¡± I gathered a lot of new information almost instantly while chatting with Ganael. They were all just bits and pieces, but as someone who had never read the original , each and every piece of information was important background information and description of this world. Ganael then said, ¡®I¡¯m sorry if it is disrespectful for a person in a lower position to say this, but please speak informally.¡¯ I said that I would since it was obvious that he wanted to get closer to me and the boy looked so happy that he might start jumping up and down. ¡°That is why, if it is okay with you, your highness¡­¡­ Could you please listen to my confession?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± I was so anxious that my voice cracked. I have no idea how we got to this topic. Ganael became even more anxious at my reaction and quickly shook his hand around. ¡°J, just informally, your highness. I¡¯m sure you are still fatigued from your journey so it doesn¡¯t matter if it is tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or even next week. Whenever it is convenient for you¡­¡­¡± The boy looked nervous, as if he thought he put me in aplicated situation. But I really felt like dying. He wants me to listen to his confession? I then remembered that Ganael said that I was a royal priest. ¡®Did Eunse ever tell me that QNW¡¯s second male lead was a priest?¡¯ ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll try to make some time for you soon.¡± I guess she did say something like, ¡®our cute Jesse has a holy face and his upation is just as holy.¡¯ I responded with a typical Korean¡¯s ¡®let¡¯s hang out sometime¡¯ type ofment and Ganael started smiling again. I needed to focus. I needed to figure out exactly what a priest does, as well as what kind of god these people served before I did anything. * I looked at the books Ganael brought me once he left. There was a thin magazine, a history book, and what seemed to be an essay. ¡®Did they rhyme on purpose with that title?¡¯ First of all, I could tell for sure that the Empire¡¯s name was the ¡®Riester Empire.¡¯ All three books looked like they would be helpful to me and they seemed very different from each other so I shouldn¡¯t get too bored. Ganael, who seemed like he would be good at his job, seemed quite sharp too. I guess you need to force yourself to be sharp if you want to be an attendant in the pce. I picked up the magazine first. I saw that it had, in small font, ¡®March 15, 1613, of the Holy Calendar¡¯ on the cover. Underneath it in a muchrger font was the text, ¡®The Scoundrel of the Holy Kingdom ising to the Empire.¡¯ Was this talking about me? ¡¸In two days, Prince Jesse Viaan, the man who is known as the most handsome man in the Holy Kingdom, wille to the Empire. Although he ising as a diplomatic hostage, her majesty has pronounced that his official title will be a ¡®Confessional Priest¡¯ from the Viaan Holy Kingdom. What impact will he, who is said to have caused quite a number of scandals in the Holy Kingdom¡¯s Beau Monde, have on Riester¡¯s Beau Monde? Newspaper expert, Lady Sarah Belliard, digs deep into the atmosphere at the Holy Kingdom¡¯s Royal Pce that has kept itself isted for 30 years as well as Prince Jesse¡¯s personality. ¡¹ ¡®¡­¡­That¡¯s a lot to take in. I guess I have a pile of things to learn.¡¯ I had that thought as soon as I opened the magazine. The MCs of other novels have an extremely fortuitous encounter in the beginning, or their abilities are like hacks from the start or things like that. Unfortunately, it looked like I would have to dedicate myself to writing and repetitive memorization that I have not had to do since my college admission test days. ¡°No.¡± I lifted my hand and lightly pped myself. That is for the ¡®main character¡¯ while I am just one of the many male characters who doesn¡¯t really impact the MC¡¯s life. ording to what Eunse told me, the second male lead always remains as a supporting character and never bes the male lead. Let¡¯s remember what happened when I said, ¡®status window¡¯ in the morning. Nothing had happened. I calmly took out the notebook in my chest pocket with one hand while grabbing the quill pen on the table with the other. My goal was my survival and returning home. It was not something like saving or conquering this world. * I really did stay in my room studying. I wondered every so often what the hell I was doing when I was inside a novel, but I pushed past it with the will to go home and eat grilled kimchi fried rice with my family. The attendant children¡¯s eyes were always sparkling whenever they came in with snacks and herbal tea. Ganael must have said something to them. The children would turn red and rush out if they made eye contact with me or I smiled at them because I was embarrassed. ¡°Aigoo, my hips.¡± I thought things might be different because I was in a prince¡¯s body, but his muscles became sore after sitting in the same position for a long time, just like my original body. I slowly got up and walked to the window. I was nning on taking care of my stretching and vitamin D absorption at the same time. ¡°Huh?¡± I saw some people outside the window. There were numerous figures outside the ss window that showed me the back of the building. My room was on the East end of Juliette Pce and they were on the pce¡¯s West end, so it was hard to tell who they were. There seemed to be five or six of them, and two of them were holding weapons and sparring against each other. It looked as if the back of Juliette Pce was a training ground. ng ng. I could hear the sound of swords hitting each other. ¨C CLANG! I flinched at the sharp noise that pierced my ears. A sword seemed to have broken during the sparring. The person who broke his opponent¡¯s sword into two was holding a sword in his left hand while looking down at his right hand as he opened and closed it multiple times. He then slowly raised his head. He and I made eye contact. ¡°Eek.¡± I quickly closed the curtains and moved away from the window. My instincts told me that I should do that. I had a feeling that he would still be looking this way if I looked out again. Was it just my imagination that our eyes met? However¡­¡­.. The gaze had been so fierce. His gaze had been so firm that I could tell that he was looking at me despite therge distance. ¡°Your highness?¡± ¡°Ah, holy smokes!¡± I almost jumped. My heart that had been shocked twice in a row was beating wildly. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, your highness. I came in because I was concerned as I heard no response after knocking multiple times.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Don¡¯t worry about it, I am okay.¡± Benjamin seemed quite shocked at my reaction. I awkwardly caressed my neck. ¡°Um, I was looking out the window. I didn¡¯t know that there was a training ground here.¡± ¡°I see. The rear of Juliette Pce is an outdoor training ground specifically for royal use. His Royal Highness, the Imperial Prince, sometimes spars at this time.¡± ¡®The Imperial Prince? Is he different from the Imperial Crown Prince that Eunse was always talking shit about? Does that mean that the Imperial Prince was one of the people outside?¡¯ Benjamin must have seen the curiosity in my eyes as he calmly added on. ¡°Yes, your highness, the esteemed individual outside is his Royal Highness, Prince C¨¦dric Riester. He is the Empire¡¯s first Imperial Prince, the only royal grandchild, and is someone who will shine as brightly as the sun. Romero Pce, the pce in front of Juliette Pce, is his highness¡¯s residence¡­¡­¡± C¨¦dric Riester. The Empire¡¯s first Imperial Prince, the only royal grandchild, and someone who will shine as brightly as the sun. That meant that the Imperial Prince will soon be the Imperial Crown Prince. The male lead of QNW had the nickname of ¡®Crapdric.¡¯ The reason he got such a nickname was because his name started with a C. Crapdric and C¨¦dric. A very simple puzzle was put together in my mind. Then was the person who just made eye contact with me¡­¡­ ¡°Imperial Prince C¨¦dric is also responsible for the Juliette Pce. The royal family member residing in Romero Pce has been in charge of Juliette Pce for generations. I can set some time for you to meet his highness if you would like, your highness.¡± ¡°No, that is okay, Mr. Benjamin.¡± I quickly responded. Benjamin seemed to get extremely chatty as soon as the Imperial Prince was mentioned. I made up my mind not to get involved with the Imperial Crown Prince, well, simply the Imperial Prince for now, just this morning. It¡¯ll be difficult topletely have nothing to do with him since he¡¯s my neighbor, but I want to avoid getting to know him on the first day. ¡°I¡­I wish to live every day as quietly as today.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Benjamin seemed shocked to hear that. It was an obvious reaction considering my title as the ¡®Scoundrel of the Holy Kingdom.¡¯ ¡°I know my situation. I just want to read some books and spend my days chatting with the attendant children. I hope there aren¡¯t many times I need to meet with important people.¡± ¡°Your highness, if you have felt unsatisfied with our service of the facilities at Juliette Pce¡­¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that, Mr. Benjamin.¡± I cut him off before Benjamin got the wrong idea. ¡°I just wish to go home alive. It¡¯d be ideal to have all of my limbs intact as well.¡± I then smiled. I meant every word I said. Chapter 4 4 Episodio 4-Frum Ride (1) Ya ha pasado una semana desde entonces. "Conoce a Jesse Viaan, el primer pr¨ªncipe del Nuevo Reino de Venecia". "H, jardinero". "?Pr¨ªncipe Jesse, hoy es temprano para dar un paseo!" "S¨ª, tengo curiosidad por el jard¨ªn que ves por ma?ana". A los jardineros que estaban contentos conmigo, les ment¨ª con una sonrisa sin siquiera aplicarme saliva en boca. El jard¨ªn de ma?ana era bonito, pero no vine temprano para verlo. Mi rutina matutina durante los primeros cinco d¨ªas fue desayunar y quedarme un rato, luego ver los n¨²meros m¨¢s recientes y anteriores de ?Biweekly Riester? para estudiars circunstancias del imperio que se remonta. Despu¨¦s del almuerzo, sol¨ªa escanears ra¨ªces del imperio con un libro de historia rendado por Canael y sus hijos en el balc¨®n, y cuando estaba de mal humor, caminaba por el jard¨ªn durante aproximadamente una hora y luego regresaba a mi habitaci¨®n. Yo hice... "?No es camelia realmente bonita? El mecenazgo de Romero Pce es un lugar que le gusta a Su Majestad, por eso hacemos nuestro mejor esfuerzo ". "S¨ª, es realmente bonito". Fue una respuesta desalmada para mi o¨ªdo. S¨ª, su pr¨ªncipe era el problema. C¨¦dric Riester, apodado ''seregi''. El pr¨ªncipe del futuro y el principal ju masculino de ?After Resignation? Incluso si no hubiera ido al gimnasio todass tardes a caminar y ndir su espada, habr¨ªa podido sumergirme en el aire exterior en ese momento. "Es temporada de los tulipanes, as¨ª que los jardineros imperiales est¨¢n muy ocupados. Como eres de un pa¨ªs nuevo, me gustar¨ªa mostrarte tulipanes morados. Un jardinero puso una expresi¨®n muy triste. ?Hay tulipanes en este jard¨ªn? "Est¨¢ bien, hay una posibilidad pr¨®xima vez". Me re¨ª porque no hay habilidad cons flores y eso no significa que no pueda ver los tulipanes. Pronto los jardineros se inclinaron ante m¨ª, me saludaron y volvieron a agarrars tijeras de podar. Bang Ja-Meng dijo ramente que el pr¨ªncipe usa un rango de entrenamiento "a veces", pero desde que lo encontr¨¦ junto a ventana, ha sido cuchillos todos los d¨ªas en el campo de entrenamiento detr¨¢s del Pcio de Juliette. No estaba en guerra y, seg¨²n Benjamin, dignidad imperial ya estaba en el nivel m¨¢s alto en el imperio y los humanos parec¨ªan demasiado celosos. ?Estas estresado? De todos modos, sal¨ª a caminar evitando ese momento. Esto se debe a que no quer¨ªa ni siquiera hacer un cara a cara con el pr¨ªncipe debido a los movimientos superpuestos. Pero hace unos d¨ªas,enz¨® a ir al gimnasio durante mi caminata. No s¨¦ por qu¨¦ el horario cambi¨® a ese tipo de cosas, pero ?puede el inquilino encajar en el horario del propietario? Lo mismo suced¨ªa en Ropan que el due?o del edificio era absoluto. A partir de este d¨ªa, decid¨ª ser un chico que disfruta de un paseo matutino. "Pr¨ªncipe, ?podemos preparar una mesa de t¨¦?" "Oh gracias. Eres bang-ja-min y todos deber¨ªan tomar una copa tambi¨¦n ". Bang Ja-maeng asinti¨®, aunque estaba un poco en problemas. Canael y los ni?os se emocionaron y fueron a buscar una mesa y un taz¨®n. Cuando ped¨ª por primera vez hora del t¨¦ juntos, Bang Ja-Meng se opuso, diciendo que el gobierno imperial era estricto y que no era razonable que el asistente y familia real estuvieran enfermos. Critiqu¨¦ a ''Bang Ja-Meng y los ni?os son hijos de familia noble, as¨ª que ?no pueden sentarse y beber una taza de t¨¦?'' No funcion¨®. Al final, hora del t¨¦ grupal de Juliet Goong fue algo que me gan¨¦ diciendo: "Hice esto en un nuevo pa¨ªs, si no te gusta, ve a transferir". "?Prince, merienda de hoy es Madeleine!" "Tambi¨¦n hay galletas. ?Est¨¢ reci¨¦n horneado! " "Canael, no corras. Si corres, los gemelos tambi¨¦n corren ". Canael y los ni?os regresan con una gran canasta de pic y una mesa plegable. Sonre¨ª y prest¨¦ atenci¨®n a los ni?os cuyos ojos estaban desorientados pors galletas. Fue solo eso cuando Eun-seo era joven. Nuestros tres hermanos y hermanas son buenos paraer, especialmente si Eunseo lo iba aer desde una edad temprana. En un instante, se instal¨® una mesa de t¨¦ usible. Nos sentamos juntos. "Comamos tres galletas y dos magdalenas". "?S¨ª!" Mientras Banja Maeng serv¨ªa t¨¦ de menta con su habilidad profesional, puse algunas galletas en los tos de los ni?os. 14:00 Si no lo di primero, no podr¨ªa evitarlo porque no hab¨ªa forma de tocarlo. "Gracias, pr¨ªncipe". "El castillo est¨¢ en ruinas". "Es solo un bocadillo, pero ?qu¨¦ es Sung Eun?" Ante mis pbras, los ni?os se rieron a carcajadas. Mirando los bocadillos y brindoo esa edad, era triste y lindo. Solo soy un adolescente, pero al menos frente a m¨ª, pens¨¦ que ser¨ªa bueno estar c¨®modo. Canael, que tiene 16 a?os, excepto Bang Ja-maeng, era mayor de mis asistentes. Y era bastante inc¨®modo estar apoyado por ni?os peque?os. Cuando me despert¨¦ por ma?ana para encontrar suerte reconfortante en los rostros de los chicos que ayudaron avarme cara, sent¨ª una sensaci¨®n de culpa in¨²til. ?A qu¨¦ hora te levantaste y te preparaste? "Estas galletas pertenecen a los jardineros. Canael, lo tomar¨¢s m¨¢s tarde y lopartir¨¢s ". "El Pr¨ªncipe es verdaderamente un hombre c¨¢lido". No, los ancianos est¨¢n haciendo trabajos manuales dnte de sus narices, pero es porque me apu?ron para disfrutar de los nuevos esp¨ªritus. No pude decir eso y me re¨ª con rudeza. La hora del t¨¦ en grupo por ma?ana fue bastante buena. Bang Ja-Meng explic¨® el estilo del Pcio de Julieta, donde me alojo, y el Pcio Real Romero frente a ¨¦l. Solo pens¨¦ para m¨ª mismo que Romero Pce estaba intactoo una forma de infri¨®n a derecha del sol en Juliette Pce. Los ni?os queieron los dulces dijeron: "No he tenido pesadis desde que lleg¨® el pr¨ªncipe". Fue pac¨ªfico. La semana pasada tambi¨¦n fue tranqu, pero ser¨ªa genial si pudiera quedarme as¨ª todo el tiempo. "Entonces, saldr¨¦ a dar bocadillos a los jardineros". "S¨ª, buen trabajo". Canael, quien vaci¨® taza y el to, se levant¨® de su asiento y los otros ni?os salieron para ayudar a servir bebidas. Pronto, solo Bang Ja-maeng y yo permanecimos en mesa. Fue un poco inc¨®modo porque estaba tranquilo. Cog¨ª taza y me llev¨¦ a boca. Fue Bang Ja-maeng quien abri¨® boca primero. "?C¨®mo estuvo caminata matutina?" "Est¨¢ bien, es bueno despertar". Cuando entr¨¦ y mir¨¦ el libro, el contenido pareci¨® aparecer en mi cabeza. Por supuesto, ma?ana para revolcarse en cama es mejor, pero no estuvo mal para salir y tomar un poco de aire fresco. "Lees muchos libros. Escuch¨¦ que no tienes campos, que van desde revistas, libros de historia o Biblias cat¨®licas yentarios ". Estaba pensando en un libro, pero fue un poco espeluznante cuando sali¨® historia del libro. Sin embargo, entend¨ª que Bang Ja-maeng eligi¨® el tema. No era diferente de un candidato que viv¨ªa en un Gosiwon ultralujoso mado Pcio Imperial. Subrayan cada libro que traen los asistentes, organizan los puntos por separado y estudian los escenarios grandes y peque?os de Toegye-gong haciendo un cuestionario por s¨ª mismo. La informaci¨®n que coincide con lo que escuch¨¦ de Eunseo es importante, as¨ª que cinco asteriscos. Lo ¨²nico con lo que pod¨ªa contar era mi cabeza, sin genial memoria ys habilidades que da el "escritor" o el "sistema". De vez en cuando, estaba luchando con idea de que ten¨ªa que vivir a pesar de que me sent¨ªa contraproducente y sufr¨ªa por lo que estaba haciendo en este momento. A excepci¨®n de una hora de caminata, no hay salidas, no hay ejercicio vigoroso, y todass personas que trabajan aqu¨ª est¨¢n para har. "Porque no tengo pasatiempos que merezcan car". "Especialmente, para ?Riester quincenal?, intentas encontrar el n¨²mero pasado". ?Qu¨¦ pasa? ?Eso est¨¢ mal? ?Riester quincenal? era una revista que trataba sobre chismes y noticias sociales imperiales, pero ni siquiera era un Jirashi de tercera categor¨ªa. Hubo muchas contribuciones p¨²blicas y entrevistas de los nobles, por lo que fue una gran ventana para que personaso yo obtuvieran informaci¨®n. "?Puedes preguntar por qu¨¦ est¨¢s tan interesado en el mundo social del imperio y evitas conocer gente de Johann?" Oh, ?podr¨ªa eso estimr tal curiosidad? Eleg¨ª cuidadosamente el caballo. "Soy un poco introvertido". Esto fue real. "Me gusta ver todo por escrito". Toegye-gong lo habr¨ªa le¨ªdo. "Es muy diferente de disposici¨®n del pr¨ªncipe que conoce Riester". "Es un rumor. Es una exageraci¨®n ". "As¨ª es." La respuesta corta lleg¨®. Los ojos arrugados de Bang Ja-Meng me miraron fijamente. "Pr¨ªncipe, mi deber es hacer todo lo posible para servirte. No me importa que el pr¨ªncipe sea de otro pa¨ªs o sea reh¨¦n ". "S¨ª, lo har¨¦." Fue primera vez que se le ocurri¨® pbra "madre madre". La atm¨®sfera de repente pareci¨® ponerse demasiado seria. "Y el acto de" servir "tambi¨¦n incluye mantener a salvo al pr¨ªncipe". "veo." "Pero si hay algo que el Pr¨ªncipe me oculta, entonces proti¨®n perfecta es dif¨ªcil". "?S¨ª?" Esto significa que tengo algo que esconderme, ?verdad? La verg¨¹enza se extendi¨® a mi rostro. Pero Bang Ja-maeng me mir¨® en silencio. Hasta ahora solo he estado en habitaci¨®n, el restaurante y el jard¨ªn, no con nadie m¨¢s, pero Bang Ja-maeng sab¨ªa m¨¢s. No hubo tiempo ni espacio para un idente indescriptible. "¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Bang Ja-Meng, no tengo nada que ocultar". Es cierto, pero eso significa que esto es una nov y t¨² eres un personaje, as¨ª que sigamos adnte. "Sabes, soy yo quien ni siquiera tiene permiso para entrar en Corte Imperial. Nunca me he perdido de vista. En el nuevo pa¨ªs, nunca hubo una carta para m¨ª y nunca envi¨¦ ". "S¨ª, lo s¨¦." "?Pero de qu¨¦ est¨¢s hando de repente?" "¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤." Solo entonces Bang Ja-maeng baj¨® mirada. A primera vista, su rostro parec¨ªa mucho m¨¢s viejo de lo habitual. "No s¨¦ si lo sabes, pero soy un devoto creyente ortodoxo". De repente cont¨® una historia diferente. Busqu¨¦ a tientas lo que aprend¨ª. La org¨ªa era religi¨®n estatal del Nuevo Reino veneciano y una religi¨®n en que cre¨ªa el 80% de poci¨®n del Imperio Riester. Jesse Viaan tambi¨¦n fue el sacerdocio de org¨ªa. "No lo sab¨ªa, s¨®lo Canael pens¨® que s¨ª". "El Pcio de Julieta se ma p¨²blicamente ''Nenggung''. La mayor¨ªa de los sirvientes aqu¨ª han sido relegados. Pero esta vez fue diferente. Es porque se ha difundido noticia de llegada del Pr¨ªncipe ". No pude seguir el ritmo de conversaci¨®n. El bangjamaeng, que siempre estaba tranquilo y haba menos, estaba derramando fraseso una r¨¢faga de agua. "Los hijos e hijas de devota familia se alinearon para convertirse en los sirvientes del Pcio Juliette. No solo el m¨¢rtir Camard, sino tambi¨¦n nuestro Conde Girardin quer¨ªan que se asignara un miembro de familia al pr¨ªncipe. Los otros ni?os que siguen al pr¨ªncipe son todos creyentes selionados a trav¨¦s de una estricta seli¨®n ". No pod¨ªa entender por qu¨¦ estaba hando de esto, pero sus pbras me ayudaron a entender los favores incondicionales que los ni?os me hab¨ªan mostrado. Para los m¨¢s peque?os, habr¨ªa sido un extra?o extranjero, un animador cuyos nombres aparecen en revistas y un agente de fe. "Estoy listo para ser martirizado". "No, por qu¨¦ dices eso." Agit¨¦ mis manos con sorpresa. Martirio. Fue un tema muy pesado e impactante para los trabajadores de oficina que viv¨ªan en Corea en el siglo XXI. Bang Ja-Meng me mir¨® y continu¨®. "Pero, ?qu¨¦ saben esos ni?os? Frente a muerte, ser¨¢s infinitamente d¨¦bil. Incluso con fuerza que nos ha dado el Se?or, no podemos soportarlo ". "Bang Ja-Meng, c¨¢lmate. No hay peligro para los ni?os ". Ech¨¦ un vistazo a taza de t¨¦ que bebi¨® Benjamin. ?Por qu¨¦ has de manera tan extrema cuando no est¨¢s bebiendo solo? ?Qu¨¦ sucedi¨®? "Much¨ªsimas gracias. Prometo ser un sacerdote responsable para los creyentes ". "S¨ª prometo." "Por favor, j¨²ralo por el Se?or". [Lo juro por el Se?or.] En ese momento, estaba asombrado y temba. Mi voz zumb¨®o si hubiera encendido el micr¨®fono. Posteriormente, mesaenz¨® a brir con oro. "Oh Dios m¨ªo¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤." Bang Ja-maeng mir¨® al suelo y lo admir¨®. Segu¨ª apresuradamente su mirada. La fuente de luz no era una mesa. Un c¨ªrculo dorado, brindo en un c¨ªrculo, se extendi¨® a mi alrededor. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Chapter 5 ¨C Flume Ride (2) ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ve never seen such a big and bright Holy Domain before.¡± Benjamin seemed to know something, unlike me who was like a broken toy in this unexpected situation. It took me about 10 seconds to realize that this ¡®summoning a golden circle on the ground¡¯ was my ability. I was still confused after seeing something that I¡¯ve only seen before in games happening to me, but I had a feeling it would be stupid to ask, ¡®what is this?¡¯ [Anyway, the children will not be harmed because of me. That is true for you as well, Benjamin.] My voice echoed out once more as if I was in a karaoke bar. The light of the circle on the ground slowly became dimmer until it disappeared without a trace. It seemed to understand that I had finished what I needed to say and disappeared. ¡°I shall trust you because you used the Divine Oracle, your highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Benjamin seemed the brightest and most gentle I had seen all week. I did not say anything in response. It was difficult to maintain my facial expression, and I had a ton I needed to study after going back to my room. ¡®Holy Domain,¡¯ ¡®Divine Oracle¡¯¡­ And even why Benjamin acted so weird today. I became as anxious as someone who did not manage to review all of the topics before having to take a test. * * * ¡°Ganael, let¡¯s chat for a bit.¡± I closed my study material, err, the Theology book, and stopped the young boy. Ganael, who had seemed as happy as possible this morning, seemed extremely anxious now. He looked pale while serving me lunch and just awkwardly smiled and mumbled to himself any time I tried to talk to him. ¡°Y, your highness.¡± ¡°Take a seat. Did you eat?¡± The boy quietly mumbled that he did. I could see that hisrge gold pupils were shaking. He must have heard something from Benjamin or something so big that there was no way for him not to know what must have happened. Benjamin, who had made me anxious earlier, had been missing since my walk earlier. He had disappeared without answering any of my questions. ¡°Benjamin said something weird to me in the garden. Do you know anything about it?¡± ¡°Eek.¡± Anybody would be able to tell there was a lot he knew. Ganael might be sharp, but he seemed to suck at acting or lying. Or is he not thinking about hiding it because it¡¯s me? ¡°I feel like I have a right to know if it is rted to me.¡± ¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not a big deal.¡¯ I told myself that and tried my best to suppress the ominous feeling inside my heart. I had been extremely quiet for the past week and never ran into the Imperial Prince as I had nned. I had never heard about Christelle, the MC of either. That meant that the MC, the male lead, and I had never had any ovep at all. ¡°Umm, your highness¡­ You see¡­¡­¡± I calmly waited for him to exin. I was old enough to know that pushing children to hurry up and say it would only be counter-effective. At least that was how it had been with Eunse. ¡°Umm¡­¡­ There was a thief.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡®What? A thief? Not a spy but a burr?¡¯ I wonder what kind of amazing item was stolen that even I had to hear such weird things from Benjamin. Ganael seemed relieved to see the shocked expression on my face. ¡°You really must know nothing about it, your highness. I had faith that that would be the case.¡± ¡°Benjamin even brought up martyrs. That¡¯s why I thought I should at least know about it, even if it wasn¡¯t rted to me.¡± I suddenly had a feeling¡­ An important incident must have happened somewhere I don¡¯t know about. It might be the event that progresses the story of QNW. Even if I try my best not to get swept up by the flowing river, a tiny pebble could not be a boulder. It would end up floating along if the current bes too strong. In that case, I wanted to at least know how the river that I would have to trust with my body looked and where the currents were fast and slow. ¡°I heard that a treasure¡­a divine item had disappeared¡­¡­¡± ¨C Knock knock. Both of us stopped talking and turned toward the door after hearing a dull knock. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Benjamin opened the door and entered. Ganael quickly got up from his seat. I was curious as to what he had been doing until now, but he spoke first. ¡°Your highness, you have a guest.¡± ¡°A guest?¡± ¡°It is Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth Moutet of the Imperial Guard.¡± ¡®Holy shit.¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t remember having an appointment with her.¡± ¡°Excuse me, your highness.¡± A young woman popped in behind Benjamin and respectfully greeted me. I anxiously stood up. She had short olive-colored hair that was curled in and bright grey eyes. Her uniform had numerous medals to show off her merits. ¡°There was a serious theft that happened at the border of the Riester Empire and the Viaan Holy Kingdom. I asked for this urgent meeting because I had some questions regarding this incident, your highness. Please excuse me for being unable to inform you regarding this meeting in advance.¡± I would seem weird or suspicious if I didn¡¯t excuse her for it. I slowly nodded my head. I gulped, knowing that I had no choice but to ept this meeting with her even while knowing who she was. It felt as if the thought I had not too long ago had turned into reality and pped me in the face. Forget a flowing river¡­ I seemed to have identally gotten on a Flume Ride. * * * The only thing I have stolen sinceing here was the air I used to breathe. I reminded myself that I had nothing to feel guilty for and sat up straight. ¡°Ah, you really do drink tea without any caffeine, your highness.¡± Vice Captain Moutet was the first to speak. (TL: The author uses the word generally used for knights to address her, but the author uses it for all sorts of things throughout the novel, so I will use titles as fitting for each person. VC Moutet is a knight so I could use Dame, but I don¡¯t really like Dame and VC Moutet sounds so much cooler¡­) She tasted the Hibiscus Tea that Ganael had brought over. I now knew what she meant by that. The priest of the Church of the Almighty God stayed away from stimnts like caffeine and alcohol. They believed that they could not use Divine Power properly if they were forced awake or could not think straight. It was written on the first page of that only the most devoted priests followed this rule. The reason Benjamin and the children had been shocked when I had asked for Herbal Tea on the first day was because they didn¡¯t know that Prince Jesse was so devoted to the rules of the church. It made sense since this guy was known as the scoundrel of the Holy Kingdom. I just happened to get really lucky, like a bull that happened to catch a rat while stepping backward. ¡°It smells so good. I should rmend this to his highness, the Imperial Prince as well. He always drinks dark coffee.¡± ¡°Umm, you don¡¯t need to beat around the bush, Vice Captain Moutet.¡± Her gaze seemed as if she found it odd that I cut her off. But things like how Imperial Prince C¨¦dric is a masochist who likes Espresso was information I did not need. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are busy as well, Vice Captain Moutet. Didn¡¯t you say it was a serious theft?¡± ¡®Most importantly, I don¡¯t want to chat with you that long.¡¯ ¡°The Captain is taking care of all the work. My title is pretty much just an honorary title. Please just call me ¨¦lisabeth.¡± She smiled as she said that. I barely managed to smile back. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was the daughter of a Count and the future heir to the title; her position was in no way just honorary. ¡°Then please excuse me as I ask some potentially offensive questions.¡± The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard took another sip of tea before slowly starting to interrogate me. I saw the ring on her left hand shining as she held the teacup in her hand. ¡°Could you please tell me where you were and what you were doing on the night of March 17th?¡± ¡°March 17th¡­¡­ That was the first day I got here. I only remember washing up and going to sleep.¡± I didn¡¯t know for sure since I opened my eyes here for the first time on the morning of March 18th. But my personal attendant and monitor Benjamin told me that, so that should be correct. ¡°Did you make contact with anybody outside before going to bed or after waking up?¡± ¡°No. But you would probably get better answers asking Benjamin about it. I don¡¯t remember very well because I was very tired.¡± ¡°I have already interrogated him as well. He gave me the same response.¡± ¡®That must be why Benjamin had been missing for a few hours.¡¯ I nodded my head. ¡°Could you please tell me everybody you had contact with on March 24th in order?¡± ¡°Yesterday? Mm, Ganael and the twins came to wake me up. Benjamin was with us as well when I got dressed. I met some of the gardeners on my afternoon walk, but I have not memorized all of their names yet.¡± ¡°Most people do not memorize their names.¡± Her voice sounded as if she was holding back augh. ¡°You are just as Ganael told me, your highness. I was told that you are someone in a high position who is generous to the attendants and respectful even to the gardeners.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell her that it was because the attendants were younger than my sister, while the gardeners were my parents or grandmother¡¯s age. ¡°I feel more rxed that way.¡± That was all I could really say. It felt like a stoic yet realistic response. ¡°Did you say that there were twins among your attendants, your highness?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth quickly changed the topic. ¡°Ah, they aren¡¯t identical. They are children of Baron Beng, but only their heights are the same.¡± I talked to her about the twins. The two boys who always followed behind Ganael were 13 years old. I told her that I did not see anybody after that. Benjamin, Ganael, and the Beng twins were the only official ones attending to me while the other servants only showed up when they needed help. ¡°I visited Baron Beng¡¯s Estate when I was younger.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡± ¡°The Baron couple were extremely nice people. I should send a letter to check in on them.¡± The interrogation must have ended without asking anything important as she was talking about such random things. She then stood up and respectfully bid me farewell. It seemed too easy for an incident that made Benjamin almost go crazy in the garden and Ganael extremely anxious all day, especially since Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth called it a ¡®serious incident¡¯ as well. Of course, I felt that this was normal since I really didn¡¯t do anything. ¡°Until next time, your highness.¡± I just smiled as she walked out the door. I would rather not see the Imperial Prince¡¯s best friend in such an unexpected situation ever again. * * * ¡°It must have been tough for you today, your highness.¡± Ganael chatted with me as he brought me a cup of water in case I needed it in the middle of the night. I was sitting on the bed reading Kumon, no, as I responded to him. ¡°You had it tough being interrogated today as well. Why are they questioning us when the theft happened so far away from here?¡± ¡°It was really tough, your highness. I waspletely shocked.¡± The boy sighed. I heard more about the incident from Benjamin after Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth left Juliette Pce. The theft had happened at the ¡®Temple of Vignce,¡¯ which was extremely far away from the Royal Pce. Apparently, it was a ce that would require someone to go through numerous portals and then travel by horse for a week after that to get there. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that ce have extremely tight security as well?¡± I read about it in a book. The Temple of Vignce was thergest temple on the continent that was on the border of the Riester Empire and the Viaan Holy Kingdom. It was also the residence of the Pope, although the position was currently vacant. The Pope renounces their nationality once they be the Pope, so the Pope¡¯s residence was located in the Temple of Vignce, which was on a neutral territory guarded by both the Empire and the Holy Kingdom. ¡°That¡¯s right. ording to the attendants at the Romero Pce, the Divine item just disappeared without any traces or witnesses. If the Holy Kingdom had stolen it, they would have obviously taken it back to the kingdom, so I don¡¯t understand why they were bugging you about it, your highness.¡± I found that funny as well. They must think I¡¯m some kind of pushover because I¡¯m a diplomatic hostage. Even if the prince had robbed the Divine item on his way to be a hostage of the Empire, why would he bring such a treasure with him when he knew he would be searched thoroughly upon his arrival? ¡°Let¡¯s just think of it as a reference check.¡± I nonchntly responded. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s words and actions had not been heavy at all. If she really thought I was a suspect, I¡¯m sure the Captain would have shown up instead of the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard. Either that or they would have dragged me somewhere to be interrogated. ¡°Yes, sir. Please sleep well, your highness.¡± ¡°You too, Ganael.¡± The boy turned off the light, said goodbye, and left. I waved at him even though he couldn¡¯t see me and slowlyy down. I suddenly started thinking about Eunse as I stared at the ceiling. Had she ever mentioned this? I don¡¯t think so. She did talk about temples and ceremonies, but she never mentioned anything about a treasure disappearing or how ¡®our Jesse¡¯ was framed for a crime. I must have been airheaded. This was no Flume Ride. I guess I got agitated too since everybody was antsy even though it wasn¡¯t even an important incident. Yes, AirHeads is just the name of a candy bar. (TL: Some things were changed to make this joke work in English as the author referenced a Korean snack). ¨C Click. Someone opened the door and entered the room without even knocking. It was the twin attendants, the Beng twins. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Chapter 6 ¨C Flume Ride (3) I sat up. I could see two children quietly standing in the darkness. ¡°Hey guys, what is¡­¡­¡± ¡®Mmph.¡¯ I suddenly felt as if I was suffocating. I quickly grabbed my neck. There was nothing there. But even though there was nothing there¡­ ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± I could not breathe. Neither my voice nor even my breath wasing out properly. I slowly crumbled down while looking at the children standing in front of me. The expressions on the Beng twins¡¯ faces that were visible because of the moonlight looked extremely unfamiliar. The faces that had always been smiling at me were as cold as ice sculptures. ¡®What is going on?¡¯ ¡°Synkie, prepare the sacrament.¡± ¡°Just focus on what you¡¯re doing, Pierre. (TL: Trantes to Peter, but French Peter is Pierre, got to stick with the author¡¯s methods even when she doesn¡¯t give English spellings -.-) He¡¯s resisting.¡± ¡°Ugh, cough¡­¡­¡± ¡® ¡®Synkie¡¯ and ¡®Pierre¡¯?¡¯ Those weren¡¯t those children¡¯s names. At least they weren¡¯t the names I knew. I did my best to stay conscious even as my face turned purple from suffocation. ¡°Don¡¯t rely on your mana. Try to pull out more Divine Power.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Aah!¡± ¡®Synkie¡¯ was giving ¡®Pierre¡¯ advice. That tightened the force around my throat even more. These children were trying to kill me. I could at least be sure of that. I didn¡¯t know how they were doing it, but the twins were trying tomit murder without putting their hands on me. ¡°Ugh, ahh, mmph!¡± ¡°He¡¯s stronger than I expected.¡± ¡°Your highness, please just ept your fate. This is the will of the Almighty God and his majesty¡¯s decision.¡± These punks who haven¡¯t even been through puberty were saying such scary things. I could feel the vein popping out on my forehead. I clenched my teeth and shook my head. ¡®Like hell I would ept this.¡¯ ¡°Ugh, mm¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s almostplete.¡± I became dizzy. Everything was getting blurry from ack of oxygen. I couldn¡¯t help but feel that this world was ¡®real.¡¯ There was no way that such a slow shadow of death could be fake. ¡®I¡¯m scared.¡¯ Eunse, my brother, and my mom¡¯s faces shed in front of my eyes. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Good, good.¡± Renault Beng, no, Pierre, was saying terrible things with an innocent look on his face. I red at the boy and desperately tried to recall what I had just read in the . My mind was hazy, so I couldn¡¯t recall very well. I had no confidence that I would seed. However¡­ I still had to try. ¡°I¡¯m going to start the sacrament.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± It was a hundred, no, a thousand times better to grasp at the straws and try something rather than to die without doing anything. I tried to do whatever I could toe back to my senses. I had to focus. A small golden circle appeared underneath Synkie¡¯s feet the moment I started to pray. ¡®I pray to the great Almighty God of the continent. I don¡¯t know if you will ept my prayer, but please. Please save me.¡¯ ¡°Wait, Pierre. Did you just¡­¡­¡± ¡°I can do it. Hurry.¡± ¡°You idiot, not that!¡± ¡®Help me.¡¯ ¨C Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! ¨C ng! [Get lost, you bastards!] ¡°Aaah!¡± A golden circle exploded out of my body. The two boys¡¯ bodies were sent flying as if they were bullets because of my ¡®Divine Oracle.¡¯ I could finally breathe again. The walls were cracked, and every window in my bedroom was broken. The chandelier was shaking violently along with the ground. The books I had scattered around the room were flipping pages as if they were reeds blowing in the wind. The golden circle under my feet was the only thing that was shining brightly in the darkness. [Cough cough, don¡¯t get any closer!] My squeaky voice echoed through the Divine Oracle. The two boys¡¯ feet seemed to stick to the ground as they got up as if someone had super-glued them to the ground. ¡°H, how does he have such¡­¡­¡± ¡°Huff, huff¡­¡­ Huuuuuuuuu¡­¡­¡± I urgently breathed in and out over and over. My coughing would not stop. My eyes were hot from the tears that gathered during my suffocation. ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡­ There¡¯s no way you have so much Divine Power!¡± ¡°Did you really steal a Divine item or something?!¡± [Won¡¯t you shut the hell up?] The two bastards were shouting too much. I said that because I was annoyed, but the Divine Oracle was applied once more and the boys¡¯ mouths were closed shut. I caught my breath and looked underneath the bed. It was exactly as I had read in the book. This perfect circle that was radiantly glowing gold¡­ This was the ¡®Holy Domain,¡¯ an aether circle¡¯s simplest form that protected the priest from all external forces. It was the thing that appeared when I made that vow to Benjamin. As long as the circle is open, everything I say can be activated as a ¡®Divine Oracle.¡¯ The strength of a Divine Oracle varies depending on the Divine Power of the priest who activated the circle. The Divine Oracle would not work if the opponent had a stronger Divine Power than the caster. Basically, the fact that these punks couldn¡¯t do anything because of my Divine Oracle meant that their Divine Power was much lower than mine. [Don¡¯t bite your tongue. Do not think aboutmitting suicide.] ¡°Mmph¡­¡­¡± Regardless of their identities and the reason behind why they wanted to kill me, I needed to keep them alive for now. I needed to figure out the details of this issue ande up with a n to prevent this kind of danger from happening again. They still called me ¡®your highness¡¯ respectfully and said that it was ¡®his majesty¡¯s decision¡¯ to kill me. Did the Holy Kingdom¡­¡­ ¨C Bang! ¡°Prince Jesse!¡± ¡°We are the Imperial Guard! Drop your weapons!¡± The door that had be weaker because of how my circle released easily fell off. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was in the front of the group of knights that charged in with their swords drawn. The already messy room instantly turned into a loud flea market. A few of the Guards who seemed like the Elite stood in front of me as if to protect me. Benjamin came with them and quickly supported me as I staggered. I managed to see that his face was pale. ¡°Get down! Do it now!¡± ¡°Mmph! Mmph!¡± The other Imperial Guard members bound the two criminals. The two boys whose mouths were shut closed frowned as they iled around. The knight who was trying to drag ¨¦tienne Beng, no, Synkie out of the room, looked stupefied. The boys¡¯ feet were stuck to the ground and would not move. ¡°Prince Jesse, please release your Divine Oracle. It will be difficult to arrest them like this.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth realized what was going on and quickly addressed me. But it was hard for me to even open my mouth. I didn¡¯t know whether the adrenaline was gone or if I was finally feeling the seque of fear, but I could not put any strength into my body. My legs were wobbly, and I had a terrible headache. ¡°Your highness!¡± It felt as if my body was crumbling down. I felt as if my soul and body had split, as I thought I was still looking forward, but my body seemed to be falling to the ground. ¡°Call the Imperial Doctor over immediately!¡± ¡°Damn it. Hey you, go escort Her Eminence, the Cardinal!¡± That was what I remembered hearing before I fainted. * * * ¡°Does he really n on living quietly?¡± I heard a man¡¯s voice I did not recognize. It was a low voice that woke me right up. It was a soothing voice, as if a voice actor was performing. I wanted to open my eyes to see who this guy was. Unfortunately, although my mind was awake, my body was not listening to me. ¡°The flow of his aether has stabled.¡± ¡°That means that he should wake up soon, right?¡± I recognized the voice asking that question to be Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s voice. The man did not respond. I just hear a chair quietly being pushed back. ¡°C¨¦die, will you be back?¡± She seemed to be talking to the other person. However, all I heard was the footsteps of the man moving away. I finally thought that I might be dreaming. I wasn¡¯t feeling frustrated or suffocated, but the fact that my mind was awake but I couldn¡¯t move my body made me feel as if I was having a nightmare. I got sleepy again once I had that thought. I didn¡¯t resist it and fell back asleep. * * * ¡°Ah, you are finally awake.¡± When I opened my eyes, I¡­¡­did not see an unfamiliar ceiling. It was the same wallpaper that I had been seeing for the past week. ¡®I guess I¡¯m still Jesse Viaan. I¡¯m not back to being Jung Jesse.¡¯ I was disappointed that I didn¡¯t wake up at home with Eunse and my brother before slowly turning my head toward the person who spoke to me. ¡°Hi there.¡± A middle-aged woman was warmly smiling at me. Her magenta hair was tied in a side ponytail and flowing over one shoulder. Her beige-colored eyes looked warm as they observed my condition. I was intrigued because this was my first time seeing a monocle. ¡°You fainted because of aether overload. I¡¯m d you recovered faster than I expected.¡± ¡°Who, cough. May I ask who you are¡­¡­¡± I asked in a hoarse voice, and she handed me a cup that was on the side table. I had a case of d¨¦j¨¤ vu as I drank the water. The ceiling wallpaper was familiar, but this was actually not my room. It was just a room with the same wallpaper. Well, my room was probably out ofmission after everything that had happened. I thought about my ¡®dorm room¡¯ that had cracks on the walls and every window broken. ¡®Man, I destroyed a room just one week into possessing this body.¡¯ ¡°My name is Aur¨¦lie Boutier. Have you heard my name before?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± My jaw dropped on its own. Aur¨¦lie Boutier. Of course, I knew her name. How could I not know? She was a famous person who appeared in every book that I read. The Imperial Prince¡¯s godmother. She was someone who had rejected the Duchess title twice. She was the Empress¡¯s close friend and her ¡®Religious Partner.¡¯ ¡°It is an honor to meet you, your noble Eminence, Madam Cardinal.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too, little prince. There¡¯s no need to get up.¡± The Empire¡¯s only Cardinal quietly chuckled as she greeted me. She motioned for me to lie back down as I started to sit up. I never expected such a colossus to appear in front of me like this. Cardinal Boutier was an important character in QNW that Eunse frequently mentioned. ¡®Madam Au was shielding Crapdric in front of Christelle, and wow¡­ Even I almost fell for it. She¡¯s such a smooth talker.¡¯ Madam Au. She yed the role of the matchmaker who connected the MC Christelle with the male lead. Although I could calm my nerves after meeting Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, I felt like I would throw up after meeting the Cardinal. ¡°First of all, I wish to apologize to you on behalf of the Imperial family. The Empire is partially at fault for this incident as well. Her Majesty was unable toe because she is currently busy, but she expressed her deep regrets. She promised to amodate anything you want.¡± Cardinal Boutier furrowed her eyebrows. I tightly clenched the empty cup. This person ys an extremely important role in the novel and was extremely close to the Imperial family. I would gain no benefits from getting involved with this person in the long run. But because of that same reason, the information I could get from her would be extremely high quality. I had almost died right before I fainted. I managed to save my life because I had studied so hard, but¡­¡­ If I had fresh knowledge I learned from a person in addition to what I had learned from books, I might have had a better grip on my powers and been in a much better situation. I couldn¡¯t let the same thing happen again. I made up my mind to safely get back home. In order to do that, I needed to make the most of the opportunity I was given. ¡°Your Eminence, I wish to hear an exnation. Could you please exin all of it to me?¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± She gently took the cup from my hand, poured some more water in there, and returned it to me. She then filled a cup for herself as well. ¡°Who were those guys? Where are they now?¡± ¡°If you are talking about the siblings, Synkie and Pierre, Synkie is a priest while Pierre is a Holy Knight. They are children the Holy Kingdom sent to assassinate you.¡± I had expected this, but it was still so cruel. Those guys were too young to do such a task. ¡°How was that possible? I heard that every attendant had to go through a rigorous check to get into the pce.¡± ¡°You are right, but they somehow managed to get their hands on the checking process as well.¡± She took a sip of water. Her expression made it seem as if the situation had been horrible. ¡°Baron Beng is a noble from a small countryside territory on the southern end of the Empire, and his faith is extremely deep. The Baron couple decided to send a child to attend to you after hearing about how you would being to the Empire. Their first child had already be the young patriarch and would seed his position, so they decided to send the twins, their second and third children, to take the attendant selection test. Both the parents and children were happy to do that.¡± ¡®I visited Baron Beng¡¯s Estate when I was younger. The Baron couple were extremely nice people.¡¯ I recalled what Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth had said. ¡°After passing the documentation process, the two children got onto a carriage toe for their interviews. They couldn¡¯t even think about using portals because they are so expensive. They lost their lives to some bandits while going through one of the dangerous forests in the south. The driver lost his life there as well.¡± I could tell what happened next even without hearing the rest. ¡°Those bandits then disguised themselves as the Beng twins.¡± The Cardinal nodded her head. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 7 ¨C News about her (1) ¡°The two bandits, Synkie and Pierre, were simr in age and size with the killed children. Most importantly, they were also twins, so the interviewers were not suspicious. The Imperial Guard believes that someone who works for the Beng family received some money from the Holy Kingdom and handed over the information about the attendant candidates.¡± ¡°So you are saying that once the Holy Kingdom got information about the Beng twins, they sent assassin who met the requirements to switch with them?¡± ¡°Yes. It seems to have been nned long before you got here.¡± ¡®Money? They sold out two children who were only thirteen years old and got them killed for money?!¡¯ I was devastated about what I had just heard. Eunse had never told me about this side of QNW. Was the whole novel like this? Or was it only this chaotic around the ¡®second male lead?¡¯ If it was thetter, I can understand why Eunse was always feeling sorry for the prince. ¡°They were thoroughly educated to be your attendants, so they wouldn¡¯t have failed the exam. The Chief of Staff and Benjamin were not suspicious of them because they had seen them at the interview.¡± Cardinal Boutier calmly added on. ¡°Ma¡¯am, what happened to them? Were they executed?¡± ¡°They are still alive.¡± Her gaze was kind of odd as she looked at me. ¡°It was all thanks to you taking care of them properly. You gave a Divine Oracle so that they could notmit suicide. Normally, assassins who get captured try to kill themselves to protect their masters.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes. They were captured by the Imperial Guard without being able tomit suicide and ended up having to reveal everything they knew.¡± ¡°Were they tortured?¡± I bit down on my lips. It wasn¡¯t that I was forgiving those bastards for what they had done to me. My loathing and disappointment in those murderers were not getting weaker just because we were close for the past week. But there was a limit to what a Korean person living in the 21st century could ept as punishment. It was understandable for criminals to go to prison. It made sense that they would need to question them to find out the instigator. But torturing people, especially children in their early teens, was something I could not easily ept. ¡°They probably would have done that if I was not here, but thankfully, I am kind of skilled.¡± Her beige-colored eyes curled up. ¡°My Divine Oracle is very strong. It isn¡¯t very hard for me topletely cleanse the minds of children who have lived their whole lives being brainwashed.¡± That was a relief. She looked at my expression beforeughing out loud this time. ¡°You truly are a kind child as I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°No ma¡¯am, I do believe that they need to be punished. Even if they are minors, they have murdered three people and tried to kill me as well.¡± ¡°You are right. They will be charged with attempted murder on a member of the Imperial family because they tried to kill a prince of a foreign nation residing at the pce. Even if they keep their lives because of the Beng couple or your benevolence, they will live the rest of their lives in prison.¡± I nodded my head. I barely managed to survive, but I felt ill thinking about the two children and the driver who lost their lives in an instant. ¡°Then can I ask you some questions now?¡± ¡°Excuse me? You have questions for me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that all of my questions have been answered yet. I just want some answers to things that have made me curious the past three days.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I will answer any question to the best of my abilities, your Eminence.¡± ¡®I guess I was unconscious for three days.¡¯ That was the only thought in my mind as I looked directly into the Cardinal¡¯s mysterious eyes. She cautiously started to speak. ¡°The Holy Kingdom¡­¡­ I know that you were not respected there.¡± Mm, this was actually something that I knew about. Eunse had mentioned Jesse Viaan¡¯s unfortunate family life, and it was written in thetest issue of the as well. Unlike the two princesses who were born from rtionships between the Queen and the Prince Consort, Prince Jesse was a bastard born from the Queen¡¯s affair with a priest. ¡°Everybody in the Empire knows that the person who pushed for you to be sent as a diplomatic hostage was the Holy Kingdom¡¯s Prince Consort, Werner.¡± The official husband probably saw the prince as a thorn in his eyes. That bastard is probably the one who sent the assassins as well. I calmly nodded my head. Cardinal Boutier slowly continued to speak. ¡°It is not very shocking that he sent assassins to kill you. He could ask the Empire to take responsibility if you died as a diplomatic hostage, so it was probably a good idea in the Prince Consort¡¯s mind. The assassin siblings admitted to this as well.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°They were nning on killing you and making it look like a suicide. They probably nned on framing you for the temple theft incident because you were recently questioned about it.¡± I wondered why he needed to kill me when he already sent me off as a diplomatic hostage, but it was probably rted to the fact that Prince Jesse was the son of a priest. The priests had absolute power in the Holy Kingdom. The royal descendants were all baptized at birth and groomed as priests and would rise to the position of bishops at the age of sixteen even if they were born with extremely weak Divine Power. Whether they grew up to be swordsmen, mages, or whatever, anybody close to the throne would always carry the title of priests as well. The only way for anybody who was not of royal blood to be a priest was to be born with strong Divine Power, but that did not seem to bemon based on the history books I read. There was only about one person per generation, amoner without any royal blood, who would be a priest. That was why it was not an exaggeration for people to call the story of how the Monarch of the Holy Kingdom fell in love with a priest who was originally amoner and had a child with him to be ¡®the romance of the century that shook the entire continent.¡¯ The citizens of the Holy Kingdom supported the Queen¡¯s first child, crown princess Elise¡¯s rights to the throne, but showed quite the fierce love for Jesse, the son of a priest. He was an extremely popr prince who was born with purple eyes, which were said to show that someone was a descendant of the Almighty God. It might have been normal for Prince Consort Werner, the crown princess¡¯s father, to feel concerned. Oh, these were all things I learned and memorized while drawing someone else¡¯s family tree from the information I read. The only things Eunse had told me about this was that Prince Jesse was born from an extramarital rtionship, his eyes were purple, and that ¡®the atmosphere in his family was terrible.¡¯ ¡°But the Prince Consort must not have believed that you would have such strong Divine Power. The two children were no match for you.¡± Cardinal Boutier¡¯s eyes clouded over. I gulped. This was something I could not understand either. If they knew that Prince Jesse was a strong priest, they should have sent people who were stronger than him to quietly take care of him. But the Prince Consort¡¯s assassins became powerless at my aether explosion and could only obey my Divine Oracle. ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡­ There¡¯s no way you have so much Divine Power!¡± ¡®Did you really steal a Divine item or something?!¡¯ I recalled what those two punks had shouted to me. They seemed even more shocked than I had been at the amount of power I released. This was very weird. Prince Jesse was born and raised in the Holy Kingdom¡¯s pce. If he was born with strong Divine Power, there was no way that the Prince Consort would not have known about it. Does that mean it wasn¡¯t innate and that he earned this Divine Power after leaving the Holy Kingdom? When could he have done that? Furthermore, is something like that even possible? I was starting to get a headache. I just decided to be honest. ¡°Your Eminence, even I do not know how that happened.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that my Divine Power was so strong. I just thought that I couldn¡¯t die like that and prayed to the Almighty God.¡± ¡°And then aether so strong that it made the walls crumble burst out of your body? Your Holy Domain was also big enough to fill the entire room.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Her head slowly tilted to the side. Her face was stoic but seemed a bit cold. ¡°Did you steal the Divine item from the Temple of Vignce?¡± ¡°No, ma¡¯am.¡± I immediately responded back. I didn¡¯t know how the conversation ended up there, but I was innocent so I had no reason to hesitate. The Cardinal slowly closed her eyes. [May the Almighty God forgive this child for his lie.] Arge gold circle appeared on the bedroom floor as soon as she said that. This Holy Domain was extremely fancy and exquisitepared to the one I had released. The circle spun once before quietly disappearing while I was nking out at the intricate patterns on it. I finally realized what she had done to me. ¡°Just now¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I tried to use a holy circle for confessions to see if you were lying. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She had a bitter smile on her face. ¡°Those who confess and are forgiven receive a special aether reaction. It looks like you have no sins to receive forgiveness for since the Holy Domain is calm. You were telling the truth.¡± ¡®Wow, there are people who use confessionals as lie detectors. Ma¡¯am, is it really okay for the Cardinal to do this?¡¯ I was amazed at the fact that sacraments could be used like this. I also felt relieved that Prince Jesse had not stolen a Divine item without my knowledge. ¡°Time for me to get up now.¡± She brushed off her clothes and got up while I was nking out. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions, but someone is calling for me.¡± ¡®Wait, she is leaving just like this? This is the end?¡¯ Her suddenly leaving like this was as shocking as seeing her as soon as I opened my eyes. ¡°Your Eminence, you¡¯re leaving right now?¡± ¡°Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 11 am. I will leave the door to my office open. Feel free toe to ask any questions you may have.¡± She sounded like a professor I had in college. It was an extremely great offer for me since I nned on pulling out as much information as I could from the Cardinal. I calmly nodded my head. ¡°Oh right, will youpliment ¨¦lisabeth when shees? She was the first to notice that the twins were suspicious.¡± The Cardinal said that as she was about to walk out the door. ¡°¨¦lisabeth? Are you talking about Vice Commander Moutet?¡± ¡°Yes. She¡¯s a modest child, so she won¡¯t bring it up first.¡± * * * ¡°I stayed with his royal highness, the Imperial Prince at Baron Beng¡¯s estate when I was younger. I was concerned about the fact that they grew up to be not identical since I remembered they were clearly identical when they were younger.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it does happen, but I guess you could call it the intuition of the Vice Captain of the Royal Guard. That was why I urgently sent a messenger to the Baron through a portal to confirm if it was true. I also sought out his royal highness for his opinion on the matter. My intuition ended up being correct.¡± ¡®Didn¡¯t someone tell me that this girl was extremely modest?¡¯ I took a sip of pumpkin tea while listening to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth talk about her part in this with an extremely proud look on her face. I asked for this tea after seeing that Ganael¡¯s face waspletely swollen from crying so much because he was worried about me, but it was pretty good with a sweet scent. ¡°The Baron couple had not heard from their sons for a while but were waiting because they thought the children would have sent letters through carriage mail because portal mail is too expensive. They could have never imagined for something so horrible to have happened to their sons.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth scrunched her face as if she was feeling emotional. I thought that she wouldn¡¯t be that calm of a person from the first time we met, but she seems to be more expressive than I thought. Was she acting tough that day because she came to investigate an incident at that time? ¡°I brought the Imperial Guard to Juliette Pce as soon as we got the Baron¡¯s confirmation. I apologize for being unable to respond any faster, your highness.¡± ¡°Not at all. I should be thanking you. My life would have been in danger if you had not appeared at that time, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth.¡± ¡°I just did what needed to be done, your highness.¡± Her grey eyes sparkled as she smiled. ¡°It is difficult to approach Juliette Pce because it is at the farthest corner of the Imperial Pce grounds. The minimal number of guards are assigned here because there are not many dangers. It will change from now on of course.¡± I debated whether to ask about that damn ¡®Temple Treasure Theft incident¡¯ while she was telling me about the ns to increase the number of guards at Juliette Pce. It wasn¡¯t rted to me now that the Cardinal stepped in and confirmed that I was not the thief. I was honestly curious about what had happened, but I thought that there was no need to show any interest in it since it must not be an important incident as Eunse never brought it up. ¡°Ah, we will make sure that you have plenty of guards for your attendance at the Spring Ball as well.¡± ¡°Excuse me? The Spring Ball?¡± I asked in a cold tone. All of the other thoughts in my head quickly left like the water during a low tide. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Chapter 8 ¨C News about her (2) Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s eyes opened wide at my reaction. ¡°You don¡¯t know about the Spring Ball, your highness? I guess you haven¡¯t heard about it yet since the details came out yesterday.¡± She mumbled about how Ganael seemed out of it as well. ¡°The Spring Ball at the Riester Imperial Pce is the Empire¡¯s greatest Beau Monde affair in the first half of the year. Many youngdies and young masters make the debuts at this ball. There were some talks about postponing it because of this assassination attempt, however¡­ Something big happened while you were unconscious and it will proceed as nned.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth stopped talking for a moment and took a sip of pumpkin tea. The silence gave me an ominous feeling. ¡°Duke Sarnez¡¯s only daughter, youngdy Christelle de Sarnez, has finally gotten up from her sickbed.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I could not control my expression. I tried my best to look uninterested and shoved my face into the teacup. Christelle de Sarnez. The main character of . A person I must avoid at all costs. My heart was beating wildly for negative reasons. ¡°Do you know the story of youngdy Sarnez, your highness?¡± ¡°No, not at all.¡± ¡®My voice was okay just now, right?¡¯ ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing to know about it. There is nobody in the Riester Empire, especially in the Beau Monde, who does not know about it. I¡¯ve heard that you have a lot of interest in that area as well, your highness.¡± I quietly started eating a goug¨¨re in front of me. I felt as if I needed something to eat to calm myself down. ¡°After hering-of-age ceremony three years ago, the youngdy fell into a mysterious long slumber. She regained her consciousness every so often during the first year, however, she has been sleeping without moving at all for the past two years, as if she was a doll.¡± ¡°¡­¡­That sounds so terrible.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it? Her Majesty even sent the Imperial doctor to stay with Duke Sarnez for a long time to see if anything could be done. Duke Sarnez is one of Her Majesty¡¯s few loyal retainers. Of course, he is still just as loyal.¡± Information about QNW¡¯s original setting that Eunse never told me about wasing at me like a tidal wave. This was a story I couldn¡¯t find while going through one year¡¯s worth of . ¡°But youngdy Sarnez opened her eyes three days ago. It was the same night that you fainted, your highness.¡± I got the chills after hearing about this scary coincidence. ¡®Did I cause some kind of ident? Did she wake up because of me? No, it should not be rted to me at all. It¡¯s finally time for the MC to start her journey.¡¯ I quietly shook my head while thinking about the things Eunse said to herself every so often. ¡®Don¡¯t be overly self-conscious and regain your healthy life.¡¯ ¡°ording to the rumors, the youngdy is apparently extremely healthy to the point that they cannot believe that she has been sleeping for three years. She also keeps asking for spicy food. I guess your taste buds change if you are sick for a long time.¡± ¡®Ah¡­¡­¡¯ I became certain after hearing about her wanting spicy food. A Korean office worker is possessing the body of this woman who finally awakened after three years. ¡°Anyway¡­ She has only been out of bed for four days, but there are quite a lot of people who are predicting that the youngdy will make her Beau Monde debut at the Spring Ball. Her Majesty seems to be nning on making the ball asrge as possible to celebrate the joyous asion of her waking up.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was the young matriarch of the influential Moutet County, so she would not be one to create or spread rumors. Most of what she just said must be true. ¡°That¡¯s really great.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it? But the other young masters and youngdies who had nned on debuting at the ball might feel differently. They are all busy calling the tailors at the capital, trying to change their attires for the ball.¡± I tilted my head in confusion as I did not understand what that meant. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth chuckled. ¡°They are preparing extremely fancy outfits because they are worried that they would be buried by youngdy Sarnez and gather no attention.¡± ¡®It¡¯s not like they could do anything to get more attention than the main character.¡¯ I was shocked to unexpectedly hear about Christelle, but I was able to quickly regain myposure by eating delicious food. She¡¯s someone I would have nothing to do with, anyway. I decided to make that happen. ¡°Of course, there is someone else they should really be wary of.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth swiped her olive-colored hair behind her ear and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m talking about you, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I flinched and dropped the fifth goug¨¨re I was about to eat. ¡®Why is my nameing up?¡¯ ¡°Your highness, you got caught up in an assassination attempt one week aftering to the pce and was able to survive thanks to your own abilities. The nobles and even themoners on the streets are all talking about you.¡± ¡°You must be joking, right, Vice Captain Moutet?¡± ¡°Absolutely not. Whether it is who you will bring as a partner to the Ball, what you will be wearing, or even what kind of dancing you will do¡­ They are supposedly curious about everything.¡± I clenched my eyes shut before opening them back. Another of the cheesy bread went down my throat. ¡®What good will it do for me to get so much attention?¡¯ ¡°Umm, I will not be attending the ball. I can barely take a walk in the garden with Her Majesty¡¯s permission.¡± ¡°There were talks that Her Majesty will send you an official invitation, your highness.¡± ¡®Wait¡­¡­ Why would she do that?!¡¯ ¡°It is just my hypothesis, but the Imperial family received some scorn because of this assassination attempt. I believe she wants to restore some of the prestige of the Imperial family by publicly showing that you are healthy and well.¡± I felt as if things were getting blurry. The pce ball where the main character is making her Beau Monde debut? I¡¯ve never read a romantic fantasy, but my intuitions were telling me something. This was an event I must avoid at all costs. In fact, this ball might be more dangerous to me than the twin¡¯s assassination attempt. I could stop some attacks by opening my circle now, but I would not be able to get away if I get swept up in the main character¡¯s story. ¡°I believe I will be busy that day.¡± ¡°Excuse me? I haven¡¯t even mentioned the day of the ball, though?¡± ¡°I came to the Empire to fulfill the role of a Confessional Priest. I will have to listen to the confessions of the esteemed individuals at the pce.¡± I said whatever came to mind, but even I thought it was a decent excuse. I may be a diplomatic hostage, but my official title was ¡®Confessional Priest¡¯ so I just had to do my job well. The position of ¡®second male lead¡¯ was none of my business. ¡°But everybody will be at the ballroom that day¡­¡­¡± ¡°I may not know much, but I do know that the number of people who will not be able to attend the ball will be much greater than the number attending the ball.¡± I recalled how Ganael had asked me to hear his confession the first day I ended up here. I also remembered the faces of the gardeners, attendants, and kitchen staff who always greeted me with bright smiles. ¡°I will remain as a priest for those people.¡± I smiled brightly. It sounded like a perfect excuse even after thinking it over once. * ¡°Your Majesty, Her Eminence, Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier has arrived.¡± ¡°Tell her toe in.¡± The Empress of the Empire, Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester, sat up straight instead of leaning back on the couch. The Cardinal would nag her about how her posture was terrible or how she should think about her age if she kept sitting like this. She was fixing her wrinkled cravat when the Cardinal appeared. She was wearing a full ceremonial robe with a mitre on her head unlike how she had been dressed when she had gone to check on Prince Jesse. ¡°Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier greets the sun that has descended to the surface.¡± ¡°Laura, give us a minute.¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡± The Chief of Staff quietly responded and headed out of the room. Only the Empress and the Cardinal were left in therge office. Aur¨¦lie sat down on the couch across from the Empress as if it was normal and took a whiff of the coffee that was prepared for her. ¡°Why were you sote?¡± ¡°I came as soon as you called. You know that Juliette Pce is far from the Empress Pce. The Cardinal responded to Fr¨¦d¨¦rique¡¯s grumbling question with a gentle smile. Aur¨¦lie Boutier had left Prince Jesse¡¯s room immediately after hearing her contractor¡¯s voice calling for her in her head. The shocked look in the young man¡¯s purple eyes was still clear in her mind. ¡°So, how is the situation?¡± ¡°Prince Jesse is very healthy. He¡¯s not hurt, and the mental shock should heal soon.¡± ¡°You know I am not asking about that.¡± The Empress¡¯s cherry-colored eyes looked angry. Aur¨¦lie quietly sighed at her childhood friend¡¯s hot temperament. ¡°His aether exploded that much, but it only took three days for the flow of his aether to calm back down. The total amount of aether he has is difficult for even me to fathom.¡± ¡°What kind of¡­¡­¡± The Empress seemed shocked to hear that the level was beyond what the Cardinal could fathom. The Cardinal slowly continued to speak. ¡°It makes sense why the nearby attendants are having good dreams. It would be weird for them to be upset having that much aether roaming around them. C¨¦die¡¯s condition getting better recently probably has to do with that child as well.¡± ¡°¡­It is really difficult to follow what you are saying.¡± ¡°I think you might be swinging your sword too muchtely. Read some books too.¡± It was a simple joke but the Empress did not snort as usual. The topic was too heavy and serious right now to do that. ¡°His aether is at a level that you can¡¯t fathom? Are you trying to say that he could be the Pope in the future or something?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Aur¨¦lie responded as if she was singing. ¡°All I know is that the total amount of aether on his te is huge. His current Divine Power is at the Bishop level.¡± ¡°Either way, the information about his just being a bishop for show was a lie.¡± ¡°It was. He was able to easily take down a Clergy level priest and a Holy Knight on his own.¡± They both stopped talking for a moment. The Empress brushed back her silver hair that she recently had cut short saying it was annoying. ¡°Then did the prince really steal the ¡®Paten of Wishes¡¯?¡± She looked toward the documents on the table in front of the couch. It was the report the Empire¡¯s troops had organized regarding the information they heard from the border. The ¡®Temple of Vignce¡¯ was thergest temple on the continent, located on the border of the Riester Empire and the Viaan Holy Kingdom. One of the few Divine items on the continent was being stored at the temple, which is the residence of the Pope, and there was a legend that if someone made a wish with their blood, the Almighty God would grant that wish. That was the reason it got the name, the ¡®Paten of Wishes.¡¯ Prince Jesse was being suspected of touching the paten when he stopped at the temple on his way to the Empire. It was unlike and almost impossible based on the amount of time he took, and nothing was found in the prince¡¯s belongings. The soldiers in the area said that the prince¡¯s group was the only one to pass through the Empire¡¯s thoroughly guarded inspection site that day but he had no reason tomit such a crime. Even if the Divine item never shows up, the prince will be free of these ambiguous suspicions in the future. ¡°I still don¡¯t really know. I am not sure that ¡®stolen¡¯ is the right word for it.¡± ¡°Adam, answer my question.¡± The Empress used the Cardinal¡¯s middle name to scold her for avoiding the question. However, it wasn¡¯t that the Empress truly did not understand the Cardinal¡¯s current demeanor. The Paten of Wishes was fine. It was still in ce at the temple, giving off a holy light and showing off its beautiful exterior. It made sense, since the paten was a Divine item that only the Pope could handle. Forget moving the paten, anybody who was not chosen to be the Pope wouldn¡¯t even be able to move it the length of a fingernail; the Pope position was currently vacant. The problem was¡­ The contents of the paten were not fine. ¡°Even if the paten is fine, we cannot look past the fact that all of the Holy Water is gone.¡± ¡°I know, Yves.¡± The Cardinal quietly responded. The Holy Water that had been in the paten had disappeared without leaving a single drop. ording to the legends, the Holy Water was not something people had put in there; it was something from the Almighty God that had been in the paten from the beginning. It meant that the paten and Holy Water had been one entity for a very long time. The exhaustion of the Holy Water was pretty much the destruction of the paten. ¡°I will ask again. Did the prince absorb the Holy Water to get such powers?¡± ¡°That child is innocent. I personally confirmed it.¡± Aur¨¦lie¡¯s calm gaze met the Empress¡¯s fiery gaze. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique knew what the Cardinal meant when she said that she ¡®personally confirmed it.¡¯ ¡°Thest record we have of a person touching the Holy Water is 600 years ago. That noble drank the Holy Water hoping to get the powers of the Pope but his whole body burnt down.¡± ¡°The Almighty God is merciful.¡± The Empress grumbled back in a sarcastic tone. She was a believer but it had been a long time since she stopped loving the Almighty God. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester had a feeling that this incident might never be resolved. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Chapter 9 ¨C The Empress Pce¡¯s Number 1 Instructor (1) ¡°Wow, the Imperial Pce is the size of a city.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Ganaelughed at myment. Apparently, Ganael came to see me with his swollen face the day I regained consciousness and cried again. It was too much for this little guy to have been betrayed by the twins, whom he had thought were his friends and having me almost die. He looks much better now, two dayster. ¨C ck, ck. I let the carriage continue to take me as I looked outside. This was the first time I was getting to explore different parts of the Imperial Pce other than Juliette Pce and the garden. ¡°It is 10:40 am. I¡¯m relieved that we will be able to make it on time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Thanks.¡± Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 11 am. Those were the times Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier told me that she would be avable to chat. To be honest, I didn¡¯t think that she opened those times up especially for me. Why would the most respected religious figure in the Empire open up her schedule three times a week for a simple diplomatic hostage? That was why I just nonchntly brought it up at breakfast when Benjamin and Ganael dropped their jaws in shock. ¡®Your highness, what did you just say?¡¯ ¡®Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 11 am. She told me that I cane during those times to ask any questions I may have¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®Benjamin-nim, I will go grab the formal attire!¡¯ ¡®Ganael, contact the attendants at the Romero Pce as well! Let them know that we need a carriage.¡¯ ¡®Yes, sir!¡¯ I was shocked and said, ¡®It¡¯d be great for me if we go today. I have a lot of questions.¡¯ But when I responded that way, Benjamin said¡­¡­ ¡®Rather than ¡®It¡¯d be great,¡¯ it is that you must go. Prince Jesse, this is not an option.¡¯ He then almost red at me as if he wanted to swear at me. That was what happened not too long ago at around 9 am. I would have liked to get another day of rest. I know that it is important to get information from the Cardinal, but I wanted to give myself a moment to empty my head after almost losing my life. I don¡¯t know how strong the mental fortitudes of main characters in web novels are to be able to hit incident after incident and still easily get through them. ¡®Mm, no, that¡¯s not right. They can do that because they are the MC. I¡¯m just an extra, so it makes sense that my mind is not as strong.¡¯ I consoled myself and told myself that I was doing my best. ¡°Good morning, Prince Jesse. Wee to the Empress Pce.¡± ¡°Hello, sir.¡± I arrived at the bottom of the stairs up to the Empress Pce as I had those thoughts. An attendant who seemed to have a pretty high position was waiting for us at the entrance. That was when I really realized that the Cardinal¡¯s statement was not an open offer. ¡°I believe this is your first time at the Empress Pce. I will personally escort you to Her Eminence, Cardinal Boutier¡¯s office.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I obediently followed behind the attendant, with Benjamin and Ganael walking behind me. The official name of the Empress Pce was the ¡®S¨¦nair Pce,¡¯ but nobody called it that and everybody just calls it the ¡®Empress Pce.¡¯ I didn¡¯t think much of it when Benjamin told me about that, but now I understand why. Basically, no other word can express the overwhelming scale and splendor of this building. The ceilings seemed to be at least 30 meters tall and the pirs, wall art, and decorations were all huge. The sleek marble floor connected from corner to corner and glimmered in the light with not even a single speck of dirt visible. If Juliette Pce was a business hotel, the Empress Pce was a seven-star hotel that costs 40,000,000 won per night. ¡°This way, your highness.¡± We walked up to the second floor and the attendants working at the Empress Pce saw me and quietly bowed as they walked past. Most of them seemed to spend a long time looking into my eyes. I guess purple pupils are rare for people. ¡°Your Eminence, Prince Jesse Viaan has arrived.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± I heard a warm voice respond once the attendant knocked in front of arge Mahogany door. Benjamin said that they would wait outside and took a step back. ¡°Please enjoy your time, your highness!¡± Ganael clenched both of his fists and whispered to me. * I wish it would have been enjoyable¡­ ¡°Eek, no, please wait!¡± ¡°Your activation is too slow. You need to grasp the flow of aether inside your body.¡± ¡°Aaaaaaaah!¡± ¨C Bang! This was already the fourth time. ¡°Oo ¡­¡­¡± I rolled my body over to get up from the ground. The Cardinal¡¯s grand circle, her ¡®Holy Domain,¡¯ had pushed me back until the door and I barely had enough room to stand up. ¡®Wasn¡¯t this time to chat? How did it be training time without any protective equipment?¡¯ ¡°Oh, you still have time to think about other things?¡± ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry!¡± I quickly snapped out of my thoughts. I quickly started running toward the center of the room the moment she shrank the size of her Holy Domain. It was to the spot with the symbol of the Church of the Almighty God, the downward arrow. ¡°I did it!¡± I then quickly released my Holy Domain. It was amazing that I could summon the circle with my will alone without lifting up a prayer or saying a Divine Oracle. My Holy Domain looked like a kindergartener¡¯s chicken scratchespared to the Cardinal¡¯s Holy Domain that had luxurious patterns on it, but at least it activated. ¡°Then protect yourself.¡± ¡°Huh? Your Eminence, this is cheating¡­¡­!¡± She maintained her Holy Domain and started walking toward where I was standing, crashing into my flimsy circle. ¨C Chhhh! Golden mes danced together like the mes thate up when welding things together. ¡°Please wait a moment!¡± ¡°Resist.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± I felt something like a migraine, but it felt more like pressure than pain. It felt as if an invisible force was pushing down on my head saying, ¡®go away, step back.¡¯ I felt myself being pushed back even though the Cardinal didn¡¯ty a finger on me. ¡°Can you feel the flow of divine power?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am¡­¡­¡± How could I not? That so-called ¡®aether¡¯ inside my body was squirming around my heart, as if to resist her strong power. It was different from when I stopped the assassin twins. Forget detecting the existence of the aether, I just left things to luck and was busy shouting things that day. But I could tell for sure now. I could tell what was causing this warm feeling that felt as good as being on an electric pad in the winter. It felt like a liquid, but also like a gas. ¡°Tightly grab onto it.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I made eye contact with Cardinal Boutier. Her magenta hair was flowing down over one shoulder and she had a mitre on her head that looked as sharp as a fish head, but she looked as rxed as she did the first time I met her. ¡°Twist its damn neck and imagine that it is under your control.¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡­¡± I gulped because even though her beige-colored eyes curled up as if she was smiling, the words she said were pretty scary and coarse. I still had to do as she ordered. I believe the Cardinal is trying to teach me something right now. Although her choice of words sounded crass, I started suppressing my aether. ¡°Good, just like that.¡± Well, to be more specific, I imagined myself suppressing my aether. I guess I kind of imagined a sashimi knife striking down against a flopping flounder? Is this what they call image training? ¡°Good, try to hold on for 10 seconds. One, two¡­¡­¡± Her Holy Domain started pushing against my Holy Domain again as soon as she started counting. ¨C Chhhh! Golden mes burst up again. The round border of my circle felt as if it would break at any moment. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Five, six¡­¡­¡± Ten seconds felt like forever. I could feel sweat pouring down my forehead. I tried my best to channel my aether to the bottom of my feet. That seemed to be the only solution to maintaining this position longer. ¨C Chhh! ¡°¡­¡­Nine, ten.¡± Both Holy Domains disappeared as soon as she finished her counting. My Holy Domain evaporated instantly like a light turning off while the Cardinal¡¯s Holy Domain slowly seeped into the ground and gently disappeared. ¡°Please let mey down for a moment¡­¡­¡± I didn¡¯t even wait for her response and plopped down on top of the symbol of the Church of the Almighty God at the center of her office. ¡°Huuuuuu¡­¡­¡± ¡°That is your ¡®Divine Power¡¯.¡± I barely managed to turn my head to look at the Cardinal. Her eyes had seemed really cold when she was telling me to tightly grab onto my aether, but she looked like a nice person again. ¡°Civilians and even most priests are unable to differentiate between ¡®aether¡¯ and ¡®Divine Power.¡¯ Many people even believe that the two are the same.¡± ¡°I¡­see.¡± I had been one of those people. My foundation was weak because I basically learned by skimming through books. I was surprised that she understood the things I said until now, despite my using the two interchangeably. ¡°If aether is the blessing from God, Divine Power is the ability to control it. It allows you to use it as you please and give it orders.¡± My head nodded on its own. It was easy to understand after experiencing it with my own body. ¡°The total amount of aether that is stored in a person¡¯s soul or ¡®te¡¯ is determined at birth, but that is not the case for Divine Power. It will continue to get stronger if you work hard in your training and circte it frequently without beingzy.¡± ¡®She¡¯s very good at teaching.¡¯ I was thinking that she was amazing as I slowly sat up. I took some deep breaths and noticed my fluctuating aether slowly start to calm down. ¡°Thank you for your wise words, Your Eminence. But¡­¡­¡± ¡°Because I told you that I would answer your questions.¡± That was the perfect response as if she anticipated my question of, ¡®Why are you teaching me these things?¡¯ She smiled brightly before returning to her chair and sitting down. Unlike the area around me that had turned into a mess, therge desk and giant piles of documents looked as if nothing had happened. ¡°I did say that aether is something a person is born with, but I know that your aether is an exception. I thought it would be obvious that you would be curious about a power that suddenly seemed to appear out of nowhere. Was I wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡­No, ma¡¯am, you are right.¡± I lightly brushed off my crumpled clothes and sat down on the couch she pointed at. ¡°No matter how much aether a person has, it is useless if they don¡¯t have enough Divine Power to control it. On the other hand, a person who has powerful Divine Power can use their meticulous control to achieve a lot of things even if they were born with a low amount of aether.¡± Her exnations were easy to understand. She stopped talking for a moment before continuing in a serious tone. ¡°During our negotiations for diplomatic hostage, the representatives of the Holy Kingdom indicated that you were just a bishop in name. They said that you would not be a threat to anybody because you grew up without receiving any proper priest education. That was why Her Majesty and I thought that was the case as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But you were able to defend against a Clergy level priest and Holy Knight on your own and resisted against my power without any training today.¡± She smiled brightly while saying that I seemed to be a proper Bishop-level priest. ¡°Does that mean you see me as a threat?¡± ¡°If I wanted to see it that way, I probably could.¡± She gave me an ambiguous response. ¡°But I believe that you can be of great assistance not just to the Riester Imperial family but the future of the Empire as well.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± My eyes opened wide after hearing such heavy expectations. ¡°You might hope to go back home because you are a diplomatic hostage, but the Holy Kingdom¡­¡­ Probably doesn¡¯t wish for your return now that things are like this.¡± ¡°That¡­.is true.¡± I started thinking about Prince Jesse¡¯splicated family tree. Prince Consort Werner sent me as a diplomatic hostage then had assassins try to kill me in order to secure his loving daughter, crown princess Elise¡¯s position. All he wants from me is for me to die outside the Holy Kingdom. ¡°May I ask what you wish from me, Your Eminence?¡± If the Cardinal wanted to make some sort of deal in return for teaching me, I needed to think about it. This would be much safer than the Empress considering me as a threat because I was a Bishop-level priest. Of course, I would only agree if it had nothing to do with youngdy Christelle, the main character of ¡®QNW,¡¯ or Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. ¡°You are a smart child.¡± She was looking directly into my eyes. ¡°There is a young child.¡± ¡°A young child?¡± ¡°Yes. I hope that you can help that child.¡± I am probably wrong, but her gaze felt sort of desperate. ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments The Cardinal sounds kind of scary. She¡¯s my kind of gal! Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chapter 10 ¨C The Empress Pce¡¯s Number 1 Instructor (2) ¡®Help a young child?¡¯ I kind of nked out since I was thinking of something big like hidden hostility in the courts, a fight for power, or purifying the church. ¡°How¡­¡­ How do you want me to help the child?¡± Of course, I was happy since helping a kid out would be much easier than any of those things. I actually have a lot of confidence when ites to kid-rted things. My brother and I basically raised little Eunse since she was nine years younger than me. I can say with certainty that my brother and I, although we are both not married, have done everything most parents would do with their kids. ¡°You must be thirsty. Would you like something to drink?¡± But Cardinal Boutier suddenly changed topics. I focused on her expression since I found it to be odd, but as someone in a high position like a Cardinal, she had a great poker face. She looked at me and smiled before calling an attendant to ask for drinks. ¡°Here is your coffee, your Eminence, and ginger tea for you, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The attendant soon brought a steaming tea kettle, tea cup, and a coffee cup. It made sense that Benjamin was surprised on the first day since even the Cardinal drank coffee. He must have told the attendant while waiting outside, as she brought me a drink without any caffeine even though I didn¡¯t say anything. I only had ginger tea with ginger extract at home, but this one tasted like it was made differently. The piece of lemon in there made it taste even more refreshing. The attendant then left the room. I debated whether I should bring up that ¡®young child¡¯ again. ¡°I cannot tell you anything else right now. I¡¯m sorry.¡± The Cardinal took a sip of coffee before breaking the silence. I guess she didn¡¯t n on just avoiding the topic. ¡°Please just remember for now that there is a young child who needs your help. It is not something that will bring you harm. I promise.¡± ¡°Is the child sick?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°Are you not able to tell me the name or age of the child either?¡± ¡°Yeah. If you are able to stabilize your power more and we are able topletely trust each other¡­ Then I will introduce the child to you.¡± She said that kind of quietly. I had no choice but to nod my head. Well, it wasn¡¯t a bad deal for me. I would get personal tutoring from the Cardinal which will make my Divine Power stronger, raising my chances of being able to protect myself. The only thing I needed to do was to help out a young child, which shouldn¡¯t be problematic since she promised it wouldn¡¯t bring me harm. The fact that the Empress might be less wary of me since I was forming a sort of master-student rtionship with the Cardinal was a bonus. ¡®Ah, right. The Empress. I still have that to discuss.¡¯ ¡°Excuse me, your Eminence.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Her Majesty said that I could make any request¡­¡­ or so I remember hearing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I did say that. Did you need something?¡± ¡®I originally didn¡¯t need anything, but something came up a few days ago.¡¯ ¡°I heard that I may end up participating in the Spring Ball. If possible, I hope that I don¡¯t have to attend it.¡± ¡°That is unexpected.¡± Her eyes opened a bit wider before sheughed. Everybody in the Empire seemed to know my nickname, the ¡®Scoundrel of the Holy Kingdom,¡¯ that they all, regardless of their status, thought that I was extremely social. They all get shocked when I say that I am not going to do something and their eyes open as wide as a rabbit¡¯s eyes when I say that I just want to read books in my room. ¡°Do you have other ns for that day?¡± ¡°Mm, I n on performing the task I was sent here to do.¡± ¡®The main character of this novel, youngdy Christelle de Sarnez, will definitely be at the Spring Ball, so I don¡¯t want to run into her. I¡¯ll end up dying if I do. I would rather stay alive.¡¯ Sadly, I couldn¡¯t say all of that to her. ¡°I came as a Confessional Priest so I n on listening to the confessions of people at the pce.¡± The Cardinal¡¯s beige-colored eyes sparkled at my response. She seemed to be amused. * * * ¡°I presume they will all line up starting from the early morning. I think we will need to issue numbers to people.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth stopped moving her knife and put on a serious expression. I jumped in shock while feeding Ganael, who was standing next to me, a piece of sirloin. ¡°Do you really think so many people will show up?¡± ¡°Confessing to a regr Bishop level priest is something themoners will get to do maybe once in their lives. Most temples mainly have Clergy level priests since the Bishops are busy with their political conflict against each other. Some people will even start camping tonight once they hear that Prince Jesse will personally hear their confessions.¡± She finished speaking and used elegant movements to slice her meat. Her short, dark green hair gently shook back and forth. ¡°Then it will probably increase the workload for the imperial guards. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, not at all, your highness. We get paid well for our job and most importantly, Her Eminence the Cardinal is personally supporting your decision.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth smiled brightly. This lunch meeting was urgently scheduled so that we can discuss the confessions that would start tomorrow. She added on, saying that, ¡®there will be a lot of punks from the Imperial Guards who go to confess as well.¡¯ I quietly smiled and started to eat my third te of steak. As one of the important characters of ¡®QNW,¡¯ Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier¡¯s influence in the Riester Empire was amazing. The fact that she was the Empire¡¯s only Cardinal was a big part of it, but the most influential reason was her title as the ¡®Empress¡¯s Religious Partner.¡¯ The ¡®partner¡¯ discussed here is not as spouses but as friends. The Riester Imperial family, especially those who are close to the throne, must have a ¡®Political Partner¡¯ or a ¡®Religious Partner.¡¯ The Political Partners are solidified through marriage while the Religious Partners, what did they call it, are through some kind of contract. Based on the information I skimmed through, the former was like an arranged marriage for political gain while thetter was more of finding your soul¡¯s other half. As people who ¡®share souls,¡¯ the Cardinal knows what the Empress knows, and the Empress does not know anything the Cardinal does not know. The Cardinal¡¯s opinion was involved in anything the Empress did, and the Empress pretty much gives consent for what the Cardinal does. Basically, the reason I get to be a Confessional Priest is because of the Cardinal¡¯s support and the Empress¡¯s approval. I was full of energy to do my job since I officially got permission not to attend the ball. ¡°The reason Her Eminence the Cardinal is supporting you is probably because she has been a Confessional Priestess as well.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± I responded to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth as I sliced another piece of meat and put it in Ganael¡¯s mouth. Benjamin was frowning at me, but I just ignored him. Seeing him eating so well reminded me of Eunse for a moment. ¡°Yes, sir. Most of the Imperial Pce¡¯s priests sit around doing nothing. They are assigned here to help the religious life of the Imperial Family, but only a few members of the Imperial Family reside in the Imperial Pce and even less want to share their inner thoughts with an unfamiliar priest. But her Eminence entered as a Confessional Priestess when she was younger and went to the temple every single day to wait for anybody who wished to confess.¡± ¡°Even on the days nobody showed up?¡± ¡°That is correct. That was how she met her Majesty and developed their friendship.¡± ¡°What an amazing story.¡± She could have had a cushy job doing nothing, but she chose to sincerely do her job and it led to her bing lifelong partners with the future Empress. This kind of thing could only happen in a novel. Well, I guess this is a novel. ¡°It probably reminded her of that time. She may have recalled her younger days while looking at you, your highness.¡± ¡°I guess that is possible.¡± ¡°Furthermore, you said that you would take confessions regardless of a person¡¯s status.¡± ¡°Yes, Her Eminence seemed interested in people¡¯s reactions and the results as well.¡± ¡°Your highness, it is not proper etiquette to feed your attendant food.¡± Benjamin couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and cut into our conversation. I stopped moving the fork in my hand. I was still able to say something, though. ¡°Mr. Benjamin, you said that you have lunch at 3 pm. It¡¯s not right to starve a growing boy until 3 pm.¡± ¡°Attendants are used to this way of life. Your actions can negatively influence Ganael¡¯s body and mind in the long run, your highness.¡± ¡°Okay then, I promise this is thest bite.¡± I smiled brightly and moved the fork again. Ganael peeked warily at Benjamin but still took thest bite of food from me. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabethughed out loud as she watched. ¡°You have a good master, Ganael.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t make fun of me, Vice Commander Moutet.¡± Ganael¡¯s face turned red, and he quietly mumbled back to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. ¡®Do the two of them know each other?¡¯ ¡°Then should we open the Confessional starting from the morning?¡± Her clear voice made me forget about the random thoughts in my head. I exined my n to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do it from 10 am to 11:30 am, 3 pm to 4 pm, and 8 pm to 9 pm. I can¡¯t stay in the temple all day, so I n on splitting it into three segments a day.¡± ¡°I think that you will be too tired, your highness. You also need to consider the travel time to the temple and back. How about reducing it to twice a day?¡± ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll think about it.¡± This was something that Benjamin already brought up to me. I would rather do it just twice a day as well, but I hesitated to do as I pleased because I learned that many people will be waiting for me. I can¡¯t do the morning sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays since I will be learning from the Cardinal anyway. Chatting with people I don¡¯t know was one of the things I had the least amount of confidence in, but I felt pretty good about just ¡®listening to people.¡¯ ¡°We will do as you wish for now, your highness, but please do change the times or number of sessions a day if you feel that it is too much in the future.¡± Benjamin gave a great solution. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth agreed with him as she picked up her wine ss. The grape juice that was in there instead of wine swirled around as she picked it up. * What greeted me the next morning was a long line that was about 100 meters long from the temple entrance. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth had not been joking. People in line were holding small pieces of paper and raising their voices with excited expressions on their faces. ¡®Are those really numbers?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s his highness, Prince Jesse is here!¡± ¡°What? Where? I can¡¯t see!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t push!¡± ¡°We greet his highness, the First Prince of the Holy Kingdom!¡± ¡°Hello everyone, I didn¡¯t expect so many of you.¡± I awkwardly greeted them and the people who had gathered here from all corners of the pce either covered their mouths with their hands or bowed to me over and over without knowing what to do. It made me feel embarrassed and awkward. I walked over to some of the older individuals with their hands reached out while wondering whether I should shake their hands, but the Imperial Guards quickly came over and stopped me. I guess they saw signs of the line turning chaotic as some of them used their arms to push the people back. ¡°Your highness, please follow me.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who came in the carriage with me, guided me in a reliable voice. Benjamin, Ganael, and I quickly followed behind her. Knights wearing armor opened the heavy doors, revealing the inside of the temple to me. The chatters of the people behind me were no longer on my mind. ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± This was my first time at a temple since ending up in this world of . I quickly looked around as everything looked so amazing. I feel like I have seen a simr ce before, but that¡¯s probably because the author is someone from Earth as well. The outside looked like a temple from Greek mythologies while the inside looked like arge Cathedral. The main differences were that the ceiling was t and that there werettice patterns on the windows making the inside of the temple look quite magical instead of the stained ss you would normally find at a Cathedral. ¡°The Confessional is over here.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth pointed toward the inner corner of the temple. I clenched my fists and started walking. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Chapter 11 ¨C The Little Visitor (1) ¡°Are youfortable in there, your highness?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth respectfully asked from outside the Confessional. ¡°Yes, it is cozy in here.¡± I could hear herughing at my response. I sat down and looked around. It looked different from the Confessional I saw in movies. It is probably to be expected since it is a different religion inside a novel. The area I was in was wide enough for me to sit down and stretch my legs, and the cushion on the seat was soft. The ceiling was high too, so I didn¡¯t even need to duck whileing in. ¡°We will let the first penitent in soon. Please pull the rope to your left if you need anything or are in danger. We will be stationed outside the temple.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡± I looked to the left and saw a long rope dangling from the ceiling of the Confessional. It had a fancy handle and the color and texture looked so luxurious that it looked like a decorative rope. To my right was arge wooden window connected to the penitent¡¯s side. I thought it was a checkered pattern, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to be the downward arrows of the Church of the Almighty God. ¨C Click. I soon hear a penitent walking into the other side. I took a sip of the sage tea that Ganael had packed for me in a ss bottle. ¡®Calm down, you memorized the process.¡¯ ¡°Hello there, beloved believer.¡± ¡°Hello, your highness.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I recognized the voice. ¡°Benjamin?¡± ¡°Yes, it is me.¡± I could see a silhouette that resembled that of a tidy butler through the wooden window. ¡°Are you here to confess?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. I did not stand in line and used my position as an attendant for some special privileges. Please forgive me.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Iughed out loud. It was because I knew that Benjamin was not joking. I felt myself not being as tense anymore. My anxiety died down a bit too. [I forgive you, Mr. Benjamin.] A golden circle, my Holy Domain, lit up the Confessional floor once I gave the Divine Oracle. I felt that there was an aether reaction on the now forgiven Benjamin¡¯s side, but I could not see it properly from my side because of the wooden window. ¡°Myst confession was one year ago.¡± ¡°I see, please tell me what else you would like to confess.¡± It was actually easier than I thought to switch back and forth between regr conversation and Divine Oracle. I did wonder how to differentiate it at first, but I was able to do it after practicing it a few times, pretending that I was turning the aether faucet off when I was not giving a Divine Oracle. In case you were curious, my test subject was Ganael. ¡°Prince Jesse, I suspected you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I believed that you might have stolen the Divine item just because you were ced on the Imperial Guard¡¯s list of people to question. I thought that you wouldn¡¯t have done it, but I could not get rid of my suspicions and had to get you to swear it to me, your highness.¡± ¡®Oh yeah, something like that did happen.¡¯ Ipletely forgot about it because my life was threatened that same night. I recalled Benjamin¡¯s expression as he asked me in the dew-filled garden to be a responsible priest. ¡°Please forgive me for the sin of having unnecessary suspicions and insulting an esteemed individual such as yourself with these thoughts.¡± Well, I wasn¡¯t that angry even after recalling the incident. Benjamin was a devoted believer of the Church of the Almighty God and, based on what I had heard, asked to transfer from the Romero Pce to the Juliette Pce to serve me. He had asked for a transfer on his faith alone, but a prince who was a Bishop got caught up in a major theft incident. I can see why Benjamin would say something like that. The theft just happened to happen right as I passed through the border. I felt a bit wronged, but it was nothing major, although Benjamin seemed to have been facing a lot of guilt for questioning a priest. [I am fine. I¡¯m sure the Almighty God will forgive you as well.] My voice gently echoed. There was a much stronger aether reaction than earlier on the other side. I still couldn¡¯t see it very well. ¡°Thank you very much, your highness.¡± Benjamin sounded as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. It made me smile bitterly, thinking that he must have been struggling with it for a while. ¡°Your highness, this is when you give the penance.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, thank you.¡± ¡®Oh right, there¡¯s that thing.¡¯ The penance is the absolution for the penance¡¯s sins. I did not understand this part at first when I read it in the . I wondered if I was supposed to say something like, ¡®I forgive you, so pay up.¡¯ Of course, I had a better understanding of it now. I read through many examples beforeing here today. [You must have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with me tomorrow. Ganael will of course be joining us.] I don¡¯t know how it works in religions in the real world, but the penance in ¡®QNW¡¯ is basically whatever the priest wants. It is because a priest is someone who uses aether, which is known as the ¡®Authority of the Almighty God.¡¯ ¡°Your highness, something like that is not a penance¡­¡­¡± [You asked me for forgiveness. You said that you apologize for suspecting me. This is the penance I am giving you.] I could hear Benjamin sighing loudly on the other side. ¡°I understand. I will carry it out properly.¡± I smiled and took a sip of sage tea. Benjamin was happy to get forgiveness, and I was happy to not have to eat alone in front of my attendants. I guess it went well. * * * ¡°Hello there, beloved believer.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hello, your highness.¡± ¡°Ganael? Is that you?¡± ¡°M, myst confession wasst month.¡± I failed to hold back myughter. I could feel my second penitent, Ganael, getting antsy on the other side. ¡°Your highness, this¡­! Benjamin-nim got to do it so I wanted to do it as well¡­¡­ You did say you would hear my confessionst time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I did say that. Let¡¯s hear it.¡± I responded and Ganael coughed a few times topose himself. I naturally paid close attention as I was curious to know what he wanted to confess. ¡°Your highness, on your first day at the pce¡­¡­ I brought you some books for you to read.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± ¡°But¡­¡­ Umm, one of the magazines¡­¡­ It had an article that talked bad about you. I, I really didn¡¯t know. I did not bring it to you with such thoughts on my mind, your highness¡­¡­ I was just rushed and brought a few things over without looking at them¡­¡­¡± I could hear the young boy start to get teary. I kind of nked out thinking about what he could mean. ¡®Is he talking about the since he said magazine? It talked crap about me?¡¯ ¡°Imitted the sin of degrading an esteemed person like yourself¡­¡­ Please forgive me¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hold on, Ganael. I¡¯m not sure I understand what you are saying.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your highness¡­¡­¡± ¡®Is he talking about how it called me the ¡®Scoundrel of the Holy Kingdom?¡¯ ¡¯ The article said that I was a well-known yboy and that I was involved in many scandals, but I had not thought much of it. In fact, I remember thinking that it was great that I learned more about this character Jesse since I didn¡¯t have much information. He had been concerned about it after all this time. [It is okay, Ganael. I had fun reading it. It was very helpful as well.] ¡°Your highness¡­¡­¡± [There is nothing to forgive, but I will still forgive you. I mean it.] ¡°Thank you very much¡­¡­¡± The bright aether reaction appeared on the other side as my forgiveness echoed. I came up with an extremely fitting penance as I heard Ganael sniffling on the other side. [Your penance is to continue rmending great books for me. You will also need to bring me as much new information as you can.] ¡°New information¡­¡­?¡± [Yes, especially as it rtes to his highness, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, and youngdy Christelle de Sarnez.] Ganael did not seem to question the fact that I mentioned two people I had no interactions with yet. I guess he wasn¡¯t thinking much about the content of the penance since he was happy to receive my forgiveness. ¡°Yes, sir, I will carry it out properly.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks.¡± It was great for me too. I needed to have information to avoid them. Now that Christelle has woken up, it was necessary to know about her and the main lead¡¯s whereabouts in advance. * * * Once Ganael left, I couldn¡¯t tell whether this was a time for confessions or a Dear Abby podcast. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you told a woman who is not your wife your middle name and your wife kicked you out?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. But I swear on the name of the Almighty God that I did not cheat! She was just a woman I met at the bar¡­¡­¡± ¡®You crazy bastard, why would you tell a woman you met at the bar your middle name? More importantly, why are you meeting a woman at a bar? Isn¡¯t that cheating?¡¯ I felt as if I had eaten 100 sweet potatoes without any water. I felt as if I was watching one of those rtionship advice programs that my brother would turn on and swear at whenever he was vacuuming the house. ¡°Beloved believer, your middle name is something you should only share with close family members or your partner. At least, that is how it is in the Holy Kingdom. Is it different in the Empire?¡± I said things I had read in the as if they were my own words. Everybody on the continent has a middle name in between their first name and their family name, and this middle name was something you only shared with your family, spouse, fiance, or a very close friend. ¡®Who will be the woman to hear Prince Jesse¡¯s middle name?¡¯ That article that was discussing my potential rtionships with different youngdies whom I didn¡¯t even know the faces of was how I learned about this. ¡°Well, it is the same in the Empire as well. But you see, I¡­thought that I made a new friend, and¡­¡­¡± ¡°You became such good friends after a few hours that you told her your middle name?¡± ¡°That¡­¡­ I apologize for my actions. Please forgive me, your highness¡­¡­¡± ¡®Did he meet his destined best friend for life or something? Did he find his BFFL? What the hell did the two of them do to get so close?¡¯ I clicked my tongue and released my Holy Domain. The floor lit up as if a light had been turned on. [This is not something for me to forgive. Your wife is the one who needs to forgive you. Go back home and kneel in front of the door, tell her the truth, apologize to her properly, and swear that you will never do something like this again. You should probably sign a contract and I would rmend giving up drinking as well.] ¡°That¡­¡­ That is too cruel¡­¡­¡± [This is your penance, beloved believer.] The golden circle shed and moved 360 degrees clockwise. The aether reaction for forgiveness did note up. It was the expected result since I refused to forgive him. [You should also ept it if your wife chooses not to forgive you.] I gave him no way out with thatst part. I don¡¯t know the rtionship between the couple, but if he begs for forgiveness and she refuses to forgive him, that just shows how much of her trust he has betrayed until now. ¡°I, I will do as youmanded¡­¡­¡± The man was almost whispering at this point as he opened the door and walked out of the Confessional. I sighed while hearing his dragging feet as background music. ¡°Seriously, what kind of¡­¡­¡± I felt guilty at first. I wondered if I, as someone who didn¡¯t believe in the ¡®Church of the Almighty God¡¯ or even knows much about it, could act as a priest just because I had aether. Even if I was doing it to save myself and was just a character in a novel, it wasn¡¯t easy to trick the living and breathing people in front of me. Especially with something as sensitive as religion. But this bastard just now and the one earlier, what did he say again, oh right, he took someone¡¯s money and then said, ¡®Is it that big of a sin to tell them to wait 10 years until he has the means to pay it off,¡¯ like seriously¡­¡­ After that, I felt like I was overflowing with conscience and morality. I would have probably gotten two free refrigerators for all of my good karma if this was the olden days. ¨C Clunk. ¡°Eek.¡± I turned my head in shock. The noise came from the other side, but it sounded different from the Confessional door opening. ¡°Who is there?¡± I opened my Holy Domain as I asked. This was not the one for confessions, but for self-defense. My body reacted faster than normal after having been attacked by those twin assassins before. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± I heard a person¡¯s voice and the sound of cloth being pulled. ¡°Are you a penitent here to confess?¡± I put my nose up against the wooden window and looked through to the other side. It was still hard to see, but I could definitely see a lot more than I could from a distance. ¡®¡­¡­It¡¯s a kid?¡¯ ¡°Are you okay? Are you sick?¡± I cautiously asked. The little kid who had his head down was barely sitting on the penitent¡¯s chair. His ck hair was shaking, making it obvious that he was not okay. The noise I heard just now wasn¡¯t the sound of someone walking or the door opening, so I had no idea how he got in here. ¡°Where are your pare¡­¡­¡± The kid jerked his head up at that moment. His orange eyes that were as clear as the sun were looking right into mine. ¡°¡­¡­What are you doing here?¡± The boy frowned as he asked. I started speaking in disbelief. ¡ª Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Chapter 12 ¨C The Little Visitor (2) ¡°I¡­¡­ I am listening to confessions. I am a priest.¡± I felt as if I needed to respond sincerely after seeing the re on his face. No, I didn¡¯t get scared by a kid¡­ absolutely not. ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re doing things you weren¡¯t even told to do.¡± The boy coldly responded. I reacted slowly because I had not expected such an attitude. ¡®What kind of ce has kids who are so rude to adults they met for the first time? No, no, no, no. That¡¯s not the problem right now.¡¯ ¡®Please pull the rope to your left if you need anything or are in danger.¡¯ I reached my hand to the left after remembering Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s words. ¡°I can call the Imperial doctor if you¡¯re not feeling well. Just wai¡­¡­¡± ¨C Crack! ¨C sh! I had chills from head to toe. I moved out of instinct and slowly turned my head to see something metal that had just barely missed my cheek. A sharp dagger had cut the end of the rope to my left and was stabbed into the wall of the Confessional. The cut handle was rolling on the ground. I quickly turned toward the boy. There was a hole in the wooden window from the dagger. ¡°Eek¡­¡­¡± ¡°Useless ploy.¡± I guess he doesn¡¯t want me to call them. The boy¡¯s voice trailed off near the end. Plop. I heard something falling. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ll be right there. I won¡¯t call anybody else.¡± My mind was a mess, but I grabbed the handle on the floor and shoved it into my sleeve. I then walked out of the Confessional and saw a knight at the temple door bowing to me. ¡°Your highness, we are about to bring in the next penitent.¡± ¡°Please wait a minute. I want to see what this side looks like.¡± I just said whatever came to mind. They must have thought I wanted a break as the knight bowed and closed the door. I should have bought myself at least ten minutes with that. ¡°I¡¯ming in. I won¡¯t do anything to you.¡± I quietly said that outside the Confessional before quickly opening the door to the other side. I immediately saw the little kid on the ground. I knelt down and cautiously checked the child¡¯s condition. I made sure to close the door behind me as well. ¡°Hey buddy, you¡¯re sweating a lot.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± I knew that it wasn¡¯t smart to be concerned about a mysterious young boy who seemed to pop in out of nowhere. I couldn¡¯t let my guard down around a kid since I was almost killed by two very young punks a few days ago. But still¡­ ¡°Do you have a fever?¡± He shouldn¡¯t be able to harm me if I have my Holy Domain open. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± The boy sharply yelled and smacked my arm away. The child¡¯s orange eyes looked as if they were on fire. He seemed to be about seven years old. The boy was much younger than Ganael and the other attendants. He had arge ck robe over him and the way he was pushing me away even as he was shaking made him resemble a small animal. ¡°How did you get in here? How do you n on leaving? This older brother will help you.¡± ¡°Older brother?¡± ¡®This little punk just sneered at me, didn¡¯t he?¡¯ I was getting annoyed despite being concerned about him. ¡°Fine, this mister will help you. I think your condition will get worse if you stay here. The floor is hard and cold.¡± I quickly responded. I raised my arms above my head so that the boy could see what I am doing before slowly reaching out. The child just stared at me without moving this time. ¡°¡­¡­You don¡¯t know anything.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ve been caught. Can you keep that a secret and not tell other people?¡± I had a bitter smile on my face as I put my hand on his forehead. It really was as hot as a fireball. ¡°I guess I should have packed some medicine.¡± I didn¡¯t even think about how someone might be sick even though I knew I would be meeting a lot of people for confessions. I wondered whether I should ask Benjamin to pack some simple things like aspirin or pepto bismol or whatever they use here as fever reducers or digestive medicine. ¡°Don¡¯t say a word about what you saw today.¡± ¡°What?¡± His weak but firm voice broke me out of my thoughts. The boy then grabbed my wrist. I suddenly felt as if the ground under me disappeared. ¡°Huh¡­¡­?¡± It felt as if the world was spinning. It kept spinning until everything went blurry. I could see my circle that was lit up like a spotlight slowly bing dimmer. ¡°You, what did you¡­¡­¡± I did not get a response. The boy¡¯s ck hair became darker while his orange pupils turned red. I lost consciousness once my Holy Domainpletely disappeared. * * * D¨¦j¨¤ vu is the feeling of having experienced something already. ¡°Hello, little prince. This is already the second time seeing you like this.¡± What do they call it when you feel like you¡¯ve experienced something for the third time? Troisj¨¤ vu? ¡°But you woke up within a day this time. Your Divine Power must have gotten stronger since thest time.¡± Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier gently smiled with a gaze that seemed to be praising me. I nkly stared at her before snapping out of it and sitting up. Familiar furniture and beautiful wallpaper filled my view. This was my bedroom. ¡°¡­¡­Prince Jesse greets her noble Eminence, Madam Cardinal.¡± ¡°Yes, hello again.¡± ¡°Did I faint at the temple?¡± ¡°It was my ipetence. I ask for your forgiveness, your highness.¡± I heard a familiar voice from the other side. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was standing to the left of the bed with a grim expression on her face with a pale Ganael next to her. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t your fault, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. Ganael, I¡¯m okay.¡± I tried my best to smile. ¡®I really hope that this is thest time that I wake up somewhere other than where I close my eyes. None of the three times were my choice either.¡¯ ¡°You lost consciousness because of aether depletion. You must have worked really hard listening to people¡¯s confessions.¡± ¡°Aether depletion?¡± I turned my head back to the right side of the bed. The Cardinal slowly started exining. ¡°Your body will be in a state of shock from aether depletion if the speed of aether leaving your body is faster than the amount naturally being created inside you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You can consider it the opposite of the aether overload you experiencedst time. That was where the aether creation speed bes extremely fast and shocks the body.¡± She stopped talking and slowly brought her teacup to her mouth. My mind was quickly moving to organize my thoughts despite having just woken up. ¡°Does that aether depletion thing strike suddenly like that?¡± Her elegant brows slightly furrowed at my question. She seemed to be contemting something. ¡°The flow of my aether was fine until I fainted. There were no other symptoms, and then all of a sudden¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t finish my sentence. ck hair and orange eyes. The boy¡¯s handsome face suddenly popped up in my mind. ¡°Was there nothing around me when you found me?¡± ¡°Yes, sir, nobody was there as we had not let any penitents in at that time.¡± My mouth closed on its own at Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s response. Thest words I heard echoed in my ears. ¡®Don¡¯t say a word about what you saw today.¡¯ Why had he given me such a warning? Was he on the run or something? Did hemit a crime? He seemed too young to have done that. Even if he hadmitted a crime, it was weird for a criminal to try to hide in the Temple at the Imperial Pce. Wouldn¡¯t most criminals try to get as far away from the pce as possible? ¡°Should I call the Imperial doctor, your highness?¡± Ganael gently grabbed my arm. He must be worried since I suddenly became quiet. ¡°No, I am fine thanks to her Eminence taking good care of me. I was just thinking about something.¡± I responded as brightly as I could. Looking into Ganael¡¯s young honey-colored eyes reminded me of the determined gaze of the young boy who had grabbed my wrist. A thought popped into my mind at that moment. ¡°Your Eminence, is it possible to suck aether out of someone else¡¯s body?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°As you already know, I have not learned anything regarding this. I am doing my best to study by using books these days, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± She responded to my question in a low voice. ¡°Priests and Holy Knights are able to give and receive aether from each other through bodily contact. They could also do it by opening their circles, but physical touch is the most effective way.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I gently nodded my head as if I was just randomly asking it. But my mind was asplicated as the gears inside a clock. ¡®It was that child.¡¯ My instincts were telling me that was the case. The sudden dizziness and the feeling of my body falling to the ground¡­ All of that happened because that little thief grabbed my wrist and stole my aether. ¡®Why had he done that? Did he need aether?¡¯ I recalled how unstable the boy had been. ¡®Were his fever and sweating a result of aether depletion? Then maybe that child is¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°It is something that happened a lot back in the warring period¡­¡­ It is rare for something like that to happen these days. There is generally no need for arge amount of aether.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was the one to break me out of my thoughts. Her expression seemed odd when I turned toward her. Her ash-colored pupils were shaking, and she seemed a bit angry. I nodded my head at her. ¡°In addition to her Eminence and myself, are there any¡­¡­¡± ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Come in.¡± Cardinal Boutier quickly responded to the knocking. My question about whether there were any other priests in the Imperial Pce was cut off. ¡°You¡¯re up, your highness.¡± Benjamin walked in and seemed extremely relieved after noticing that I was awake. I smiled and greeted him with my eyes. ¡°His royal highness, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric has gifted you some precious tea leaves.¡± There was a wooden box with splendid designs on the silver te Benjamin was holding out with both hands. ¡°What are the tea leaves for?¡± I asked as Benjamin came closer and slowly opened the box. The box was full of dry leaves that gave off a pretty nice scent. ¡°This is sage tea that is good for your health. His royal highness sent it as he is unable toe to see if you are doing okay.¡± ¡°Really? That was very nice of him.¡± I answered respectfully despite not meaning it. ¡®What¡¯s up with that punk?¡¯ Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth seemed to be mumbling something next to me, but I couldn¡¯t hear properly. The Cardinal seemed to be tired as she sighed a few times. * * * In the end, I returned to the temple. ¡°Will you really be okay, your highness?¡± ¡°I got plenty of rest already. Please don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Your highness, here is the sign.¡± I consoled Benjamin while receiving something that Ganael had prepared for me. The front said, ¡®now taking confessions¡¯ while the back said, ¡®the priest is currently unavable.¡¯ I had requested this wooden que while rolling around my bed yesterday. ¡®I¡¯m sure the Imperial carpenters have never received such a request before.¡¯ ¡°I am heading in now. I promise not to overdo it.¡± Benjamin finally seemed a bit relieved after hearing that. As I expected, Cardinal Boutier had canceled all of my scheduled confession times after I fainted in the temple from aether depletion. She imed that taking confessions three hours a day was bad for both the flow of my aether and the order of things at the Imperial Pce. I couldn¡¯t say anything back to her after having just regained consciousness. I thought they would be upset, but apparently, the people who had been waiting in line with numbers that day wandered around the Juliette Pce all night, worried that I would be seriously ill. That was why I dered that I will take confessions whenever it was convenient for me without setting specific times. In return, I had them prepare this que so that anybody who stops by the temple would know whether I was there or not. I could notpletely stop doing confessions since it was my great excuse for not going to the ball. ¡°We will be in the Temple Office, your highness.¡± Benjamin walked away with Ganael. I guess they will be waiting for me in the area behind the temple where priests prepared for sacrament and rested. I watched the two of them walk away before putting the que on the door handle of the Confessional. ¡®The priest is currently unavable.¡¯ Penitents shouldn¡¯te in since this is up. I clenched my teeth and walked into the Confessional. I was nning on waiting for that little kid all day. I couldn¡¯t do anything about it if he didn¡¯t show up, but based on his attitude at the time¡­¡­ It didn¡¯t seem to be his first time here. There must be a secret passage he used to get in and out. I shouldn¡¯t get hurt if I activate my circle, and I shouldn¡¯t faint if I avoid contact with him. I don¡¯t know who that kid is, but I can¡¯t let a little kid who isn¡¯t even tall enough to reach Eunse¡¯s hips wander the Imperial Pce in pain. ¡ª Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Chapter 13 ¨C The Little Visitor (3) This was the difference. My room in Juliette Pce was simr to a central library on a university campus. There were cherry blossoms blooming outside, but I had to study inside while people like Benjamin, Ganael, and the attendants were going in and out and causing white noise simr to my experience in a library. On the other hand, the Imperial Temple¡¯s Confessional was simr to the premium reading room Eunse used to go to untilst year. It is small and dark, but the chair isfy and there is a partition separating each room. Both that ce and here were extremely quiet so that all you could hear was your own breath and the sound of your clothes as you moved. They both make a person really sleepy too. ¡®Why is that little punk not showing up? Is he being shy today?¡¯ ¡° ¡®Controlling the flow of aether is a simple yetplicated process. The easiest training method is to be able to freely change the size of your circle¡­¡­¡¯ Is that so?¡± I read the textbook I brought with me out loud so that I would not fall asleep. I sometimes question whether I fell into a romantic fantasy or a studying novel. Other than the confessions that were recently added, all I do in the pce is eat, sleep, and study. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it. I would rather live my life quietly studying like this for all eternity a hundred, no, a thousand times over getting swept up in a romance that has nothing to do with me and dying in the process. Staying alive will let me hopefully go back home at some point. I looked down at the ground. I could see my circle that was expanded wide enough to reach out of the Confessional. I recalled how the Cardinal had pressured me by increasing and decreasing the size of her Holy Domain as she pleased on the first day of my training. ¡®I might as well give it a try since I have nothing to do while I wait.¡¯ I took a deep breath in and then out. I focused and imagined closing the aether faucet about halfway. ¨C Chhhh¡­¡­ The Holy Domain resembled a conscious being as it hesitated for a moment before slowly getting smaller. The inside of the Confessional that had been really bright now looked as if a mood light was turned on because the glowing circle became smaller. ¡°Oh, it works.¡± I easily seed again. I tilted my head in confusion. I felt as if everything I tried was pretty easy to do as long as it was rted to handling aether. It was the same when I had to fend off the twin assassins and when I took confessions. ¡®Is it like this for other priests too?¡¯ Based on what I heard from Benjamin yesterday, the only priests in the Imperial Pce were Cardinal Boutier and me. I¡¯m the only one who was officially stationed here, while the Cardinal was here as the Empress¡¯s partner. That meant that the only priest I could chat with was the Cardinal, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a good person to talk to about this since she¡¯s known as a once-in-a-generation type of genius. Well, it is good to have something you are good at. I showed a positive attitude toward this because there was no reason to think negatively about being good at something. I started to get hungry, so I closed the book and opened the pic basket Benjamin packed for me. Some people might talk crap about how I am using the Confessional like my own living room, but I can¡¯t help it since I can¡¯t focus when I am hungry. ¡°Ah, he put them in here.¡± The fever reducer and digestive medicine I asked Ganael for were in a corner of the basket. I couldn¡¯t tell what the thing was inside the circr pill bottle, so I opened it and took a sniff. It had the sharp scent of medicinal herbs. This is probably for abrasions. I had food, two bottles of tea, and even medicine. Unfortunately, not a single ant, let alone the child, visited the Confessional even after a few hours. I debated staying thirty more minutes and then leaving since it was almost time for dinner. ¡°Wow, holy shit.¡± The Calisson I ate was too delicious. I couldn¡¯t help but admire it out loud. ¡®The cracker tastes like fruit. Is there melon inside?¡¯ I drank a sip of ginkgo leaf tea with it and the way the slightly bitter taste of the tea settled the sweetness in my mouth was almost magical. I took turns eating the cracker and drinking the tea until my gaze headed toward the rope on the left side of the Confessional. It wasn¡¯t fixed and still looked the same as it did the other day after the boy threw the dagger at it. I stopped eating and looked to the right. I could see the wooden window that had a hole in it. I suddenly became ufortable. ¡®Why did Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth not say anything when the Confessional looks like this? Does she not know about it yet?¡¯ It was hard to believe that she did not look around after I fainted. She might have thought that I fainted because of health issues or Divine Power issues, but who knows what could happen to a person while they were alone? As Vice Captain of the Royal Guard, there was no way she would not have looked around. ¡®Is she not saying anything even though she knows?¡¯ I flinched at my thought and stiffened up. ¡®She pretended not to see de marks inside the Confessional? Why?¡¯ ¨C Knock knock. I jumped in shock at the sudden knocking. It was noting from the other side. Someone was knocking on the door to my side. ¡°Excuse me, is anybody in there?¡± I heard an unfamiliar woman¡¯s voice. I debated what to do before opening the door. The woman outside the door seemed to be in her mid tote thirties. She looked shocked and quickly bowed after making eye contact with me. ¡°Aigoo, it is an honor to meet such a respected individual. I, I did not think that you would really be here, your highness¡­¡­¡± ¡°That is okay. But how did you know that I was inside¡­¡­¡± I definitely put up the sign that said, ¡®the priest is currently unavable¡¯ when I came in. ¡°Umm, I saw this on the ground¡­¡­¡± I lowered my head following her finger. The circle that I had shrunk earlier had stretched back out and was visible outside the Confessional. I guess I couldn¡¯t control it because I was distracted because the Calisson was so delicious. ¡°Ah, I see. Yes, ma¡¯am. I am taking confessions. Have you eaten?¡± I felt awkward and just said whatever came to my mind. * * * ¡°It is an honor, your highness. For you to share food from the Imperial family with a lowly woman like me¡­¡­ I, I will treat it asmunion.¡± ¡®What wasmunion again? Oh, it must be rted to that ceremony where the priests give food to the believers.¡¯ I didn¡¯t remember what or why the priest gave the food though. ¡®I guess I should study more about that as well.¡¯ ¡°I have some tea as well.¡± I handed the woman three or four Calissons and poured some ginkgo leaf tea into a small cup Ganael packed for me. I handed her the cup through the broken wooden window and she quickly grabbed it with both hands. I could see her fingertips shaking. ¡°I, I am honored. I will never forget this moment for the rest of my life. My goodness¡­¡­¡± ¡°Please enjoy.¡± I didn¡¯t bring it to enjoy on my own anyway. I listened to the woman slowly biting down on the cracker and waited for her confession to start. She wet her lips with the tea and finally started speaking. ¡°Mm, mm, m, myst confession was 10 years¡­¡­ No, I think it was 12 years ago.¡± ¡°I see, please go on.¡± ¡°My husband and I work as mountain keepers of the mountain behind the Imperial Pce. The job isn¡¯t difficult thanks to the grace of her majesty. We kill the dangerous-looking animals if they show up, make sure that the trees are not sick, and report any suspicious activities to the Imperial Guards.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the mountain behind Juliette Pce?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, sir.¡± I thought about the mountain that was visible past the training ground behind my room. My first thought when I saw it was, ¡®There¡¯s a mountain here so there will probably be a lot of mosquitoes in the summer.¡¯ I didn¡¯t realize it would have mountain keepers. ¡°A few days ago, animals that looked like demonic beasts appeared, so my husband and I scared them away.¡± ¡°Demonic beasts appeared?¡± My voice became louder in shock. ¡®Wait, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m near the Bukhan Mountain. I have to even worry about wild animals showing up now?¡¯ ¡°It is not verymon. It is a small mountain at the end of arge mountain range, so some follow the mountain range and show up every so often. There is a strong barrier around the Imperial Pce that keeps the extremely dangerous ones away, and we only get small ones the size of rabbits that are not detected by the barrier.¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡­¡± I quickly sighed in relief. I would feel wrong dying while in the middle of someone else¡¯s romance, but I also didn¡¯t want to die after being bitten by a wild hog. ¡°Anyway, after that happened¡­¡­ These little monsters would run away, but then they keeping back. They somehow didn¡¯t get eaten by other animals but those little beasts continuing to show up was on my mind¡­¡­ So I lit a fire to scare them away a few days ago.¡± I read about it in a book. Demonic beasts can have all sorts of abilities but they are scared of water and fire so they can be hunted easily using that to our advantage. ¡°I have forgotten about them since they haven¡¯t shown up since then. But I was chatting with the carpenters in the pce today when¡­¡­ I heard that they might be divine beasts instead.¡± ¡°Divine beasts?¡± I remembered the random line written about them in the book about demonic beasts. ¡®Whenever divine beasts appear, a person with Divine Power leads them to a divine item.¡¯ It was something like that. It didn¡¯t have any pictures of what a divine beast looks like, so I thought it was just a myth or something. ¡°Yes, sir. I heard that the attendants at Juliette Pce have only had good dreams since the prince of the Holy Kingdom had arrived, and they said that divine beasts might be trying to head over to absorb some of that aura as well.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡­¡± My cheeks felt as if they were on fire at the fact that the talks about good dreams did not stop and had spread throughout the Imperial Pce. I guess I shouldn¡¯t have let the attendants kiss up to me like that just because they were young. This is why early education is really important. ¡°U, umm, I also have only had auspicious dreams or good rests without any dreams since you arrived, your highness. I have worked as a mountain keeper for twenty years and have never seen demonic beasts that look like them as well. They didn¡¯t seem afraid of people so I really wonder if they truly are divine beasts¡­¡­¡± The women, Agnes¡¯s voice was getting quieter. ¡°That is why I came here for forgiveness. Maxim said that it is a terrible sin to bother divine beasts. But my husband said that they probably weren¡¯t divine beasts.¡± ¡®Maxim? Isn¡¯t that the name of the carpenter who made my sign?¡¯ [That, mm. First of all, you did well to scare those little animals away without harming them. The Almighty God would have looked favorably upon you for that as well.] ¡°T, thank you very much, your highness.¡± [Even if they were divine beasts, there was probably not much you could have done differently. People without Divine Power are unable to tame divine beasts. Because of that¡­¡­] My repertoire of things to say was not up to par toe up with things on the spot. It wasn¡¯t easy trying to throw away my position as the second male lead and living as a professional. [I forgive you. You did what you did for the safety of the Imperial Pce. However, should something like this happen again, please make sure to contact the Imperial Guard first. You can inform Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth of the Imperial Guard about what I just said as well. This is your penance.] Agnes continued to quietly thank me after I said that. She sounded a bit as if she might be crying as we were surrounded by a bright light. * * * I waited in the Confessional for four hours, but the little punk who threw a dagger at me and stole my aether on our first meeting didn¡¯t show up. My first andst guest today was Agnes. ¡°There are a lot of books about demonic beasts.¡± I was currently standing in front of a table in my pajamas. I came back and had dinner with Benjamin and Ganael and was now looking at a new book after washing up. It looks like it¡¯s going to be a drawn-out battle with the kid so I should just focus on my studies as usual while I rest. ¡°But there are barely any books about divine beasts.¡± ¡®Are they really like animals of legends?¡¯ I felt like that would make Agnes feel better too. ¨C Flutter, flutter. I could hear the sound of the curtains pping. The wind flipped the pages of the book. Ganael usuallyes every night to close and lock the windows and doors, but the balcony door was wide open for some reason. ¡°I guess he forgot.¡± I walked over and closed the balcony door and the curtains. It wasn¡¯t cold. Korean spring has some chilly days, but it has been warm here since March. ¡°Your attendant did his job.¡± ¡®¡­¡­What?¡¯ ¡°You are extremely dense for someone who has so much aether.¡± I slowly turned around after hearing the clear voice. My body felt as if it was creaking. I saw a small body. I saw the hair that was as dark as ink even under the light and orange-colored eyes that looked even brighter because of the light. That damn little kid was standing in the middle of my room. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Chapter 14 ¨C The Little Visitor (4) ¡°You¡­¡­¡± I activated my circle as soon as I started talking. The golden circle made the room even brighter. The young boy was quietly looking at the Holy Domain under his feet. ¡°How did you get in here?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I checked on the punk¡¯s condition as I asked. He looked much better than the other day. He had some cold sweats on his forehead and his breathing was a bit short, but he didn¡¯t look as if he would fall to the ground likest time. ¡°Did youe to steal aether again?¡± The boy raised his head and made eye contact with me. He had a haughty gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t remember stealing it.¡± ¡°Taking it without asking me is stealing it.¡± The child snorted. I kept my guard up but thought that he would be quite the troublemaker since his attitude was already so crappy. ¡°Did you do something wrong? Are you on the run?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The young boy quietly observed me before sighing and walking over to sit down at the table. His movements seemed so natural that it felt as if this was his room and not my room. ¡°Use your circle to release your aether.¡± ¡®¡­¡­Is he ordering me around?¡¯ ¡°Why should I?¡± ¡°Do you want to faint again?¡± ¡°Ho¡­¡­¡± I was at a loss for words because I couldn¡¯t believe how pompous this kid was being. He sat down as if the seat was his and didn¡¯t avoid my gaze even as I stared at him. He seemed so calm, even though he was pretty much threatening me. I should probably respond strongly as well. ¡°You should answer my questions. Otherwise, I will tie you down with my Divine Oracle and call the attendants.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Your condition is not good right now. You should be respectful if you came here for aether.¡± I sternly responded. The boy slightly frowned. Eunse was generally a good kid, but she used to throw tantrums around when she was five or six years old, like most kids that age do, to make us give her what she wanted. Children will only get worse if you give in to them during those times. I tried ignoring her and calming her down, but the most effective method was to make her follow the rules. ¡®If you want something, ask respectfully. Then I will hear you out. That is our rule.¡¯ ¡°I am allowed everywhere in the Imperial Pce.¡± The boy finally opened his mouth. That must be his answer for my, ¡®how did you get in here?¡¯ question from earlier. It wasn¡¯t a satisfactory answer, but I slowly released aether through my circle as if I was giving him a reward. I didn¡¯t know what to imagine to do it, but I tried controlling it by imagining myself slowly releasing a ball of yarn. It must have been effective, as the boy¡¯s scowl slowly released. ¡°I am not a criminal, nor am I on the run.¡± I let out even more aether. I imagined myself undoing the ball of yarn for about four rounds. ¡°Then I won¡¯t be in harm¡¯s way for helping you.¡± ¡°I guarantee it.¡± ¡®Would you look at this punk.¡¯ The little punk seriously answered my half-joking statement. I naturally did not believe him. Someone who had nothing to hide would not sneak into the Imperial Temple Confessional like that or barge into a prince¡¯s room through the balcony. But he didn¡¯t seem like your typical thief or troublemaker since he seems to know theyout of the pce very well. ¡°I guess you¡¯re a noble or a part of the royal family?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The boy shut his mouth like a m. His orange pupils gave off a stubborn light. ¡®Ah, I remember not getting a response from Eunse even when my brother came home whenever she looked like this.¡¯ I shook my head and chose a different question. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric was an only child and the only royals currently residing in the Imperial Pce were the Empress and the Imperial Prince, so this kid was probably not a part of that family. Christelle, the main character of QNW, did not have a younger brother this age either. At least I avoided two troublesome sources. ¡°Are you a priest as well?¡± ¡°No.¡± The boy immediately responded to my question. This was unexpected. Only priests and Holy Knights were able to give and receive aether. I was told that the power to control aether, Divine Power, was generally something only priests and Holy Knights had. ¡°Then you are saying that you are a Holy Knights¡­¡­¡± ¡°Why are you reading a book about demonic beasts and divine beasts?¡± The child sharply cut me off. His gaze looked fierce as he looked through the books on the table. He sure gave off a lot of force for someone so tiny. ¡°I haven¡¯t read it yet. Apparently demonic beasts appeared in the rear mountain and someone thought they might be divine beasts, so I became curious.¡± I slowly approached the child and stood on the other side of the table. I didn¡¯t tell him about Agnes, the mountain keeper. I may just be a priest by name, but I wasn¡¯t such a bbermouth that I would go around talking about a person¡¯s confession. ¡°¡­¡­I guess our conversation will go quicker than I expected.¡± The boy quietly mumbled. He then said something shocking. ¡°I¡¯m currently guiding the divine beasts who have entered the Imperial Pce to a divine item. That is the reason I needed your aether.¡± ¡®Whenever divine beasts appear, a person with Divine Power leads them to a divine item.¡¯ The statement I read in a book that I couldn¡¯t even remember the title of quickly rushed through my brain. It was the appearance of an unexpected connection. But before that¡­ ¡°Divine beasts are real?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Those beasts that appeared in the rear mountain came down to the pce?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they didn¡¯t walk in through the main gate.¡± I gulped. Mountain keeper Agnes and her carpenter friend Maxim were correct. They really were divine beasts and not demonic beasts. ¡°I thought they were animals of legends. There wasn¡¯t much I could find on the topic.¡± ¡°The prince of the Holy Kingdom is questioning the existence of divine beasts?¡± The boy seemed to be sneering at me. ¡°That is a stereotype. Not everybody in the Holy Kingdom is a devoted believer.¡± ¡°The closest divine item is located in the Sarnez Duchy, so you will cooperate until I can lead the divine beasts there.¡± The boy didn¡¯t pay any attention to what I said and just said what he wanted to say. ¡®Wait a minute, hold on.¡¯ My mind was turning into a mess because too much data was entering at once. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them back. ¡®Let¡¯s slowly organize these things one by one.¡¯ I extended my hand and first curled my thumb in. ¡°¡­¡­You are guiding those divine beasts?¡± ¡°Only those with Divine Power are able to tame divine beasts. You should know that as well.¡± ¡®Makes sense, this punk has Divine Power.¡¯ I nodded my head and curled my index finger in. ¡°Her Eminence the Cardinal is in the Imperial Pce as well. Why are you the one to do it?¡± ¡°Her Eminence is unable to leave Her Majesty¡¯s side.¡± The boy quickly responded. The Empress and the Cardinal are said to have signed a contract to be ¡®Religious Partners.¡¯ I recalled Benjamin¡¯s exnation about how the Cardinal was able to stay in the Imperial Pce because she was the Empress¡¯s partner. ¡®I guess people who be two halves of a soul are unable to physically be far apart.¡¯ ¡°Third. When you say the Sarnez duchy, are you talking about youngdy Christelle de Sarnez¡¯s hometown?¡± The child just slightly nodded his chin as if it was annoying to respond. I felt a sense of danger from that small movement. I subconsciously looked up because a name that I should never get involved with was being brought up. Was this the author messing with me? Was it a sign that I could not avoid the MC and the original plot of the story, no matter what I did? There was no need to be anxious. There were plenty of holes to escape through still remaining. ¡°Can¡¯t you just raise the divine beasts here at the pce instead of guiding them there?¡± ¡®He said they follow him well. There are many web novels these days with animals.¡¯ I truly believed that guiding this story in that direction would not be a bad idea. I would do anything to avoid running into Christelle. ¡°¡­¡­I now understand the reason the Holy Kingdom threw you away.¡± This little punk was mocking me with both his eyes and mouth. ¡°No, I just don¡¯t want to get involved with Duke Sarnez. I just want to live quietly.¡± ¡°Haaaa.¡± The young boy sighed as if he could not believe what he had just heard. I went over everything I had done until now. I admit that I broadened the ying field by saying I would take confessions, but I would have been forced to attend the ball if I didn¡¯t create that escape route. I didn¡¯t want to show my face at a ce where the main couple was highly likely to attend. The number of love calls I would get from the Riester Beau Monde would decrease if I focused on my job as a priest. ¡°I will be the one leading them there so you don¡¯t need to worry about the Duchy.¡± The boy nonchntlymented. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked down at the child. ¡°All you need to do is supply me with aether.¡± ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s good for me, but¡­ Will you really be okay? Are you doing it by yourself?¡± ¡°I do not need any help since the divine beasts and I arepatible.¡± ¡®Compatible? Ispatibility a thing with aether?¡¯ The things I needed to study in this foreign world seemed to never end. ¡®Damn it, I¡¯m never going to joke about leaving Korea to go live in another country ever again.¡¯ ¡°But let me know if you need anything else. Your condition seems to get really bad when you have aether depletion. Does it take that much aether to guide the divine beasts?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I slowly put my hand on my boy¡¯s forehead that was no longer sweating. He didn¡¯t have a fever. He was a bit pale, but the little kid seemed to have calmed down after receiving my aether. I was ufortable thinking about such a young child going through the Imperial Pce and the Imperial Capital on his own to reach the Sarnez Duchy. ¡°Am I really not allowed to talk about your situation to anybody?¡± ¡°I remember telling you to keep your mouth shut.¡± ¡°I feel like it would be okay to inform her Eminence, the Cardinal. She might be able to help you in some way if she knows what you are doing.¡± The child silently reached out and opened the lid of a wooden box on the table. He must be doing this to avoid the question. The box was full of the sage tea leaves that Imperial Prince C¨¦dric sent me as a gift a few days ago. ¡°You haven¡¯t even touched it.¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s precious. I n on sharing it little by little with the people of the pce.¡± The boy frowned after hearing me say that I couldn¡¯t drink it all on my own. ¡°Should I pack some for you too?¡± The child¡¯s orange pupils seemed disgruntled. I thought that he might be thirsty and brought a pitcher of water over and poured it into an empty cup. ¡°Are you eating properly? You need to eat well to grow tallerter like this big bro.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t tell whether he was ignoring me or just not responding. I grabbed a handful of daryols from a ss bowl next to the box and wrapped them in a clean handkerchief. ¡°Eat these when your blood sugar is low.¡± Ganael had them wrapped and put them in this bowl for me to enjoy whenever I wanted. The child had an odd expression on his face after receiving the bundle from me. ¡°Huh?¡± Golden pebble-like things suddenly started floating around the boy like fireflies. I became anxious and quickly canceled my Holy Domain. My heart sank thinking that I might have harmed him. ¡°It¡¯s time for me to go.¡± But he didn¡¯t seem impacted at all. He silently moved and opened the balcony door before jumping onto the ledge. He was so stealthy that I wouldn¡¯t have noticed if I didn¡¯t see him with my own eyes. I quickly moved toward the balcony as well. ¡°You should at least tell me your name if we¡¯re going to see each other again.¡± The young boy turned his head and stared at me. His face looked different looking up at him like this instead of down. His ck hair reflected in the moonlight was extremely calm as it blended with the stars around it while his orange pupils were as bright as suns in the night. We stared at each other like that for a while. ¡°¡­¡­C¨¦die.¡± The boy answered before throwing his body into the darkness. * ¡°What is all this?¡± The next morning, I was dragged to the front of Juliette Pce and greeted by the loud chatter of the attendants. There was arge wagon that was full of something. ¡°These are gifts from his highness, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. He is gifting each of the attendants at Juliette Pce one box of these precious tea leaves for our hard work.¡± Benjamin smiled brightly as he exined. The box in Ganael¡¯s hand seemed about one-tenth the size of the box I received. He opened the lid and I could smell a refreshing yet sharp mint-like fragrance. It must be sage tea again. ¡°I guess the sun rose in the west today.¡± Ganaelughed out loud at my mumbling. I was thinking about how they say that people who do things they don¡¯t usually do are about to die, but the Imperial Prince is the male lead, so that shouldn¡¯t be an issue. So, I just headed back to my bed. But it was nice to see all of them gathered together, chatting happily, and smiling. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Chapter 15 ¨C The Duke¡¯s Family is Suspicious (1) Hello all, The author has indicated that the English title is ¡®When the Third Wheel Strikes Back¡¯ in nod to Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back. As we are in the very early stages of the trantion and the author has graced us with an official name, we will start using it. You will see TWSB from here on! The author also joked that this beginning arc is called the Phantom Spy (in line with Star Wars Episode 1). Fun fact, the word for spy used here can also be used as a unique name for Korean tea manufactured in a specific time frame, and Jesse loves tea so I personally want to call it the Phantom Tea arc. The Duke¡¯s Family is Suspicious (1) ¡°C¨¦dric Riester! See what happens if you break my sword again!¡± ¨¦lisabeth Moutet, Vice Captain of the Royal Guard, was shouting loudly as she chased after a man. The corridors of the Romero Pce, the residence of the Imperial Prince, had many more attendants and guards than the Juliette Pce. However, none of them were shocked to see this woman who dared to shout at the Imperial Prince like this. They just looked at the two of them with expressions that seemed to be saying, ¡®here we go again,¡¯ as if this was normal. ¡°Why don¡¯t you share it with the whole world that you are overflowing with aether?¡± It was understandable that she finally released the anger she had been holding in. The Imperial Prince¡¯s condition had been visibly much bettertely. It was to the point that he was unable to control his ¡®strength¡¯ during sparring and broke his opponents¡¯ swords or lit their clothes on fire. This was a significant change from how he used to suffer from aether depletion for such a long time. However, ¨¦lisabeth could notugh as this was already her fifth sword that was broken and sixth uniform that was burnt at the sleeves. ¡°David, coffee.¡± ¡°I will prepare it right away, your highness.¡± ¡°I will take a juice please.¡± ¡°Of course, young Countess.¡± (TL Note: So, the novel addresses any individual [both male and female] who is set to seed their parent¡¯s position as young Count, young Duke, etc. So if you see them addressed like this, just know that they are the official heir to inherit the title in the future!) The Imperial Prince called his attendant David Capuson to ask for coffee instead of responding to his close friend¡¯s grumbling. ¨¦lisabeth had quickly ordered something as well. C¨¦dric would never give her a proper apology or a response, so she might as well get a refreshing and delicious juice out of it. The two of them sat downfortably inside the Imperial Prince¡¯s office. ¡°Prince Jesse asked me a question yesterday. He asked if I knew about the wooden window in the Confessional being broken. Apparently, the cord was cut too.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨¦lisabeth instantly gulped down half of the pineapple juice that Capuson brought her. She took off her jacket and wiped her forehead and neck that were full of sweat from the sparring. Her short olive-colored hair that was usually tidy was a tangled mess right now but neither she nor the Imperial Prince cared about it. ¡°I made up an excuse about how I thought it was already like that because it was an old temple and that we were nning on asking for it to be renovated. You know I suck at lying, right? I¡¯m sure it was visible on my face, but Prince Jesse just let it go.¡± Her grey pupils red at the Imperial Prince with annoyance. The man was still stoic. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lie to his highness again. Be careful.¡± Prince Jesse was a very good person who always gave a listening ear for others, unlike the rumors she had heard. She couldn¡¯t believe that her friend threw a dagger and threatened the prince who would have listened to him without any issue. She knew that this guy had quite the temper, but she didn¡¯t think that he would be unable to control himself in that state as well. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just tell him the truth? You¡¯re going to be getting his help like every day.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not every day.¡± The man finally spoke. His orange-colored eyes looked disgruntled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I hurt your pride? You really¡­¡­¡± ¨¦lisabeth clicked her tongue and took another sip of juice. C¨¦dric was deep in thought without even taking a single sip of his coffee. Telling Prince Jesse his situation was something he had not even considered. He was the Imperial Prince and would soon be the Imperial Crown Prince once his engagement was finalized with his ¡®Political Partner.¡¯ He could not share his condition, something that was a big secret in the Empire, with a diplomatic hostage. It didn¡¯t matter that the prince had his life threatened by the Holy Kingdom and that he was pretty much alone here in the Empire. However¡­¡­ ¡°Something is weird about the Duchy.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¨¦lisabeth put her cup down on the table. Her voice was low as she noticed that the Imperial Prince was not just trying to change topics. ¡°I guided the divine beasts to the border of the Imperial Capital and the Sarnez Duchy, but those animals were unable to determine the direction of the divine item.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Do you think you need to go closer to the Lord¡¯s Castle?¡± C¨¦dric silently tilted his head. As Prince Jesse had already realized, there were not many records or information about divine beasts. C¨¦dric had no luck, even after going through the most secretive locations of the Imperial Library. However, he was sure that divine beasts were able to feel the aura of divine items from a distance and that their natural instincts would guide them to the divine items. Divine beasts were said to be ¡®messengers of the Almighty God¡¯ sent to protect the divine items. In that case, the ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea,¡¯ the divine item that has been guarded by the Sarnez Duchy for generations, should have released an aura to draw those divine beasts in as well. But those small divine beasts¡­they showed no special reactions even after they arrived at the Duchy and just roamed around the Imperial Prince¡¯s feet. He got on his horse thinking that they would go find the divine item on their own if he left them there, but the divine beasts followed him all the way back to the Imperial Pce. That was not good. ¡°There¡¯s no way that divine item got stolen too, right?¡± ¨¦lisabeth mumbled in a serious tone. She recalled the theft at the Temple of Vignce that had been a major issue not too long ago. ¡°Maybe a thief who only aims for divine items has appeared.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± The Imperial Prince cut the young Countess¡¯s imagination off with a sigh-likement. He felt as if he would have to do as she said and take the divine beasts closer to the Sarnez Lord¡¯s Castle. These divine beasts might be stupider than he thought and need to be right in front of the divine item to do their part. The potential of the divine item disappearing was just spection. No, it better be just spection. ¡°I need that divine item.¡± It was sort of a solution for him. ¨¦lisabeth quietly nodded her head at the Imperial Prince¡¯sment. His engagement to youngdy Sarnez would be helpful to C¨¦dric in many ways. This was especially true because the family¡¯s divine item was to be given to him as a wedding gift. The ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea¡¯ was said to be the optimal treasure to handle his chronic aether depletion and his ¡®power¡¯ that he could not control. ¡°But doesn¡¯t it feel nice to use Divine Power? I heard that it feels like you are unhindered. It¡¯s supposed to give you a sense of freedom.¡± C¨¦dric snorted. It would be a lie to say that he didn¡¯t like his ability that he was able to enjoy for the first time after receiving the prince¡¯s aether. But he was not going to increase the number of annoying things he needed to do in order to maintain it. His ¡®power¡¯ was just a petty trick that would disappear once he married Christelle de Sarnez. The Imperial Prince called his attendant again. He handed his now cold coffee and asked for sage tea instead. * * * ¡°Thank you very much for the meal.¡± ¡°Eat as much as you want. I told the chef to keep iting.¡± I chuckled modestly. I confirmed that Cardinal Boutier picked up her fork before picking mine up. (TL Note: It¡¯s respectful, especially in Korean tradition, that the oldest person at the table starts the meal.) The luncheon menu was magnificent. I didn¡¯t know it was such a good thing to be taught by someone very high up in status. Rolling around the office floor as if I was sweeping it was all worth it for this. ¡°I can send a message to the Vatican if you wish to meet a Holy Knight.¡± The Cardinal sliced a well-roasted asparagus as she spoke. I raised my head while chewing on a piece of duck meat. ¡°I know that child was a Holy Knight as well, but I¡¯m sure you did not have a nice conversation with him.¡± That ¡®child¡¯ she was talking about was Peter, one of the assassin twins who tried to kill me. (TL Note: It was changed from Pierre to Peter because there is an actual Pierre in the future. Past chapters should have all been changed to Peter as well.) Synkie was a priest while Peter was a Holy Knight. I had asked her about Holy Knights around the end of our lesson, so this must be a continuation of that. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. But I was still able to tell what that punk¡¯s ability was. It should be ¡®air.¡¯ ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She responded. I recalled the information I learned a few moments ago. Unlike priests who hold aether, the Authority of the Almighty God, in its purest form, Holy Knights had aether in one of four forms to use it. I had pretty much anticipated it from when she said four forms, but the author of ¡®QNW¡¯ split the Holy Knights¡¯ aether forms into water, fire, air, and earth. The inspiration must havee from the Four Elements Theory. Peter tried to suffocate me, so that bastard¡¯s ability was ¡®air¡¯ for sure. ¡°There is no need to do that, your Eminence. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll run into a Holy Knight sooner orter in my life.¡± ¡°Yes, that is true.¡± The Cardinal smiled brightly and turned toward her te. I dipped a piece of bread in my moules marini¨¨res sauce as I finished my thought. Holy Knights only have one attribute of aether until they die, and the amount of aether that is consumed varies depending on the person¡¯s abilities. I naturally thought about the little kid who showed up in my roomst night. C¨¦die had been silent when I asked him if he was a priest or Holy Knight. ¡°Do Holy Knights or priests have a lot of reasons to use their Divine Power until they reach aether depletion?¡± ¡°It is rare for priests.¡± The Cardinal sternly responded. ¡°Priests will generally never run out of aether unless they use their healing powers excessively.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Mm, I guess you are an exception.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡­¡± ¡®That wasn¡¯t me using it excessively¡­that was someone¡¯s kid stealing it from me.¡¯ ¡°But Holy Knights are different. The existence of the aether itself in its special form eats away at the Divine Power, and it taxes their Divine Power once more when they release it out of their body. It¡¯s very taxing because Holy Knights frequently use their abilities to protect priests.¡± The Cardinal¡¯s eyebrows sunk a little. Her smile seemed a bit awkward. ¡°The reason that Holy Knights and priests move around in pairs is for a stable supply of aether.¡± Basically, she was saying that the efficiency went down. Priests like me were fine because we used pure aether, but Holy Knights used aether in other forms like water or fire, so they needed much more resources. ¡°Your Eminence, I¡¯ve learned that Holy Knights are only born in the Holy Kingdom.¡± I asked her another question. This was the reason I didn¡¯t think that C¨¦die was a Holy Knight. This was the heart of the Riester Empire, far, far away from the Holy Kingdom. ¡°I don¡¯t know how it actually is, but that was what I read in books. ¡®Priests may make their first cry anywhere on the continent. It is because the Almighty God looks over all humans. However, Holy Knights only open their eyes on thend of the lord¡¯¡­¡­¡± ¡°It is because they must protect the Almighty God with their lives.¡± The Cardinal finished the statement for me in almost a whisper. Her eyes looked extremely mysterious as we made eye contact. ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Come in.¡± I nkly looked into her eyes for a bit before I snapped out of it. I turned toward the door to see the Cardinal¡¯s attendant walking into the dining area. ¡°Please forgive me for interrupting you during your meal, your Eminence. Your highness.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Did something happen?¡± ¡°Her Majesty has sent out the invitations for the Spring Ball. I wished to deliver it right away as it was an Imperial Message.¡± ¡°I see, I guess it is already time for that toe. Thank you.¡± ¡®Ah, it¡¯s finally here.¡¯ I wasn¡¯t going to be there, but my heart couldn¡¯t help but beat wildly. I was surprised that they knew that I was at the Empress Pce and sent my invitation here as well. The attendant put my invitation on a silver te and approached me while the Cardinal was opening her invitation. ¡°This is your invitation, your highness. Here is also a message from Lady Sarnez.¡± (TL: It says wife of Duke but I just went with Lady over Duchess because there are actually a lot of female nobles in this novel (like young Countess Moutet). Christelle and any other daughters will have YOUNG in front of them for youngdy versusdy like mama Sarnez here.) ¡°Excuse me?¡± I questioned my ears as I looked at the Empress¡¯s Crest that was stamped in a cherry-colored sealing wax. ¡°A message?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. It says, ¡®a message for the honorable Prince Jesse Viaan¡¯ on it.¡± ¡°Why would Lady Sarnez send me a message¡­¡­¡± Natalie, the attendant, had an awkward expression on her face. She seemed to be asking me how I expected her to know that. I forced my fingers that didn¡¯t want to move to grab the letter. It felt extremely heavy, even though it was probably just my imagination because it had the main character¡¯s family name, ¡®Sarnez¡¯ on it. ¡°Lady Sarnez should be at the pce right now. Did she give it to you just now?¡± Cardinal Boutier asked Natalie. ¡°Yes, your Eminence. I was told that Lady Sarnez handed the letter to the Chief of Staff on her way to greet Her Majesty with youngdy Christelle.¡± I watched the Cardinal nod her head before looking back down at the letter in my hand. Her signature, ¡®Lady Isabelle de Sarnez,¡¯ was very visible. I couldn¡¯t feign ignorance or dodge it because it was marked directly for me. The thing that I was more worried about was Christelle¡¯s existence. I even got a bit scared knowing that she was at the same ce as me right now and that I could run into her in this Empress Pce. ¡°I wonder what this is about.¡± I opened the neatly folded letter. I really hope this is just a greeting. Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Chapter 16 ¨C The Duke¡¯s Family is Suspicious (2) ¡°What a beautiful day we are having. Isn¡¯t it a great day for a walk?¡± The Cardinal, Aur¨¦lie Boutier, leisurely asked. There was no response. She did note to the hill behind the Romero Pce to enjoy a pic with her lovely godson. But there was no reason not to enjoy it aftering all the way out here. She looked toward the Imperial Prince, who was protecting her as he walked next to her. The two of them were walking without any attendants with them. Even the gardeners were away because they knew that this was the Imperial Prince¡¯s usual walk time. ¡°This way, your Eminence.¡± The young boy, who finally spoke after a long time, guided her to a secluded section of the vast hill. The shrubs that were as tall as the Cardinal were all neatly trimmed here. It seemed like a great ce to hide something. ¡°Who else knows that it is here?¡± ¡°Her Majesty knows about it. I¡¯ve also informed Capuson about it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing. I can¡¯t believe only four people still know about it.¡± ¡°You will understand once you see it, your Eminence.¡± The Cardinal¡¯s beige-colored eyes sparkled with curiosity under her monocle. She was already a middle-aged woman, but this would be her first time seeing a divine beast. The Cardinals of the Holy Kingdom and bishops from the countryside had talked about the ones they had seen, but that was all. It was because there were no divine items for the divine beasts to roam around and protect here in the Imperial Pce. There were only four divine items throughout the Empire¡¯s vast territory. ¡°Godmother-nim, please step back for a moment.¡± C¨¦dric asked in a low voice. The Cardinal took about two steps back without any questions. The Imperial Prince confirmed that things were quiet before taking the ck glove off his left hand. ¨C Snap! He snapped his fingers and a radiant orange me appeared at the tip of his fingers. Aur¨¦lie Boutier quietly gasped. This child¡¯s ability was extremely beautiful, no matter how many times she saw it. She knew that he didn¡¯t feel the same way, but she believed that this was a blessing and not a curse. She had believed that for a very long time. ¨C Crackle! C¨¦dric swung his arm in a specific manner. The me that was the size of a flower fanned out like a giant leaf and descended to the ground. ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­ The red me touched the fresh spring grass and started glowing gold. The Cardinal observed this with interest. This was not a regr reaction. Instead of scorching the green grass ck, the fire was creating yellow chunks resembling forsythias in the air. The things that had been asleep reacted to the Imperial Prince¡¯s aether and floated up. ¨C Squeal! ¡°Hmm¡­¡­?¡± One of the chunks made a noise that did not suit its majestic title of ¡®divine beast.¡¯ The Cardinal looked toward the Imperial Prince with confusion. C¨¦dric quietly received her gaze. ¨C Growl! ¡°C¨¦die?¡± The second chunk made a simr noise as well. The anxious Cardinal called the Imperial Prince by his childhood nickname. ¡°Godmother, they don¡¯t bite.¡± ¡°No, not that¡­¡­¡± Aur¨¦lie Boutier watched the holy divine beasts descending in front of her with an anxious expression on her face. The two chunks stopped glowing before they slowly changed to look like animals. The light faded, and their appearance became clear. ¨C Screeeech! ¨C Whimper! Their four legs were ck, but their bodies were russet. Their tails that seemed to be the perfect length for their short frames were very chubby. The tips of their noses and their ears were white as if they were dipped in sugar powder and their eyes were ck as if two ck beans were ced on their faces. They looked extremely fluffy and cute. ¡°My goodness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± She had not expected them to look like Dragons nor Griffins, but this was too unexpected. The two stuffed animals, no, the two divine beasts, seemed happy to see C¨¦dric, despite his waking them up from their slumber, and roamed around him in circles. Dirt marks started appearing on the young man¡¯s sleek ck boots. ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t know they would be such lovely children.¡± The Cardinal crouched down to get closer to the animals. She had never seen animals like this, despite roaming the Empire from corner to corner with the Empress when they were younger. She gasped in disbelief. The little punks that suddenly appeared in the hill behind the Romero Pce and shocked the Imperial Prince, the animals that were scared of the Imperial Prince¡¯s me but still followed him around, these earth attribute divine beasts that were said to create flowers and vines as they pleased¡­¡­ She never expected them to be such cute little creatures. ¡°Are you going to try taking them to the Sarnez Lord¡¯s Castle tonight? That is what ¨¦lisabeth told me.¡± The Cardinal raised her head as she asked. She noticed the Imperial Prince looked extremely tense. There was a dark shadow on his handsome face. ¡°¡­¡­One of them is missing.¡± ¡°What?¡± Her face that had finally looked calm again, changed once more. The smallest of the three was not visible. C¨¦dric Riester raised his eyes that were shaking chaotically and observed the building in front of him. The Juliette Pce looked as peaceful as always. * * * ¡°So¡­ it is saying that she really wants to meet with me?¡± I asked to confirm. Benjamin nodded his head. He was reading the letter from Lady Isabelle de Sarnez that I received while eating with the Cardinal. I was so concerned about the letter that I was hiding in my room without even going to hear confessions. ¡°There is nothing that sticks out in the text, your highness. It asks how you are doing and that she wishes to chat in private with you when you are free. That is all.¡± I lightly sighed. That was what I read as well, but I had shown it to Benjamin just in case there was some secret code between the Riester nobility or something. Maybe the words didn¡¯t really mean what they said, but thankfully, that did not seem to be the case. ¡°I wonder why she wants to meet with me all of a sudden. None of the other nobles sent me anything like this.¡± Ganael, who was standing next to Benjamin, shook his head with his eyes opened wide. ¡°Your highness, there are numerous unofficial letters that have been sent to you. However, her Majesty¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ganael.¡± Benjamin sternly cut him off. The young boy quickly realized his mistake and shut up. I guess the Empress has been intercepting the letters I have been receiving from the nobles. ¡°I ask for your forgiveness, your highness.¡± ¡°Please forgive me, your highness.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not a big deal. It is not that weird either.¡± I was not a long-term guest staying in this resort called the Imperial Pce. Although I got to ck off and study all day, I was still a diplomatic hostage. It was understandable that the Empress would not want the high-ranking individuals of the Empire to contact me for any reason. I wasn¡¯t upset. In fact, I was extremely thankful to the Empress since I wanted to be as far away from the Beau Monde as possible. ¡°Then how did Lady Sarnez¡­.. Ah, I did hear that she delivered the message through the Chief of Staff.¡± ¡°The fact that she delivered it through the Chief of Staff means that her Majesty approved of it. It is understandable since Duke Sarnez is a loyal vassal of her Majesty.¡± It meant that the Empress was totally confident that someone from the Sarnez household would not send me a suspicious letter. The fact that youngdy Christelle de Sarnez and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric would be engaged was something I knew about long before I transmigrated into this body. I remembered it clearly because Eunse always said that, ¡®I would have broken off the engagement a long time ago.¡¯ over and over. Nothing has been officially announced yet, but I¡¯m sure that the discussions are happening under the surface. The Empress¡¯s rtionship with the Duke has always been good, and she trusted the family a lot since she was willing to marry her son off to his daughter. ¡°Then I guess I can just ignore this.¡± I pushed the letter to a corner of the table. I don¡¯t need to think about it if it isn¡¯t anything important. ¡°If Lady Sarnez asks for an audience with me, Benjamin, could you please prevent it even if her Majesty won¡¯t stop it? I hope that you can say that I am sick or something.¡± ¡°Your highness?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to get involved with an amazing household like the Sarnez Duchy. I just want to live quietly, just as I mentioned to you on the first day.¡± I smiled and Benjamin opened and closed his mouth without being able to say anything in disbelief. I kept the ¡®I¡¯m sick¡¯ card up my sleeve since nobody would believe me even if I used it, but I thought it was a pretty good excuse to not meet with Lady Sarnez. Benjamin quickly noticed that I was done with this discussion topic and refilled my empty cup of lemongrass tea. ¡°Ganael, what is that book?¡± ¡°Ah, I brought a book with pictures and a map as you requested, your highness.¡± The young boy smiled brightly and walked toward me. His aqua blue hair resembled the spring sky outside the balcony. ¡°It looks really heavy. Thank you for bringing it here for me.¡± ¡°Hehe, it was nothing, your highness.¡± I took the book and ced arge piece of foutis in the young boy¡¯s hand. I opened the book after seeing Ganael take a bite, and there was arge map on the first page. ¡°It¡¯s a map of the divine items in the Empire.¡± ¡°Yes, I was curious. There was that theft at the templest time as well.¡± I quickly answered Benjamin¡¯s curiosity-filled statement. Well, I was half speaking the truth. I did want to know where the Temple of Vignce, where the divine item was stolen from, was located. But the reason I asked for this book today was because I wanted to see how far that kid C¨¦die would be traveling with the divine beasts. He said that it was fine, but it would be weird not to be worried about such a young kid roaming around on his ownte at night. ¡°The Sarnez territory is right next to the Imperial Capital.¡± ¡°Yes, sir, the Sarnez territory is right outside the Imperial Capital¡¯s western border. The Lord¡¯s Castle is a bit farther away, though.¡± Benjamin exined it to me. The Imperial Capital and the Sarnez territory were simr to Seoul and Bucheon. I then looked at the beautiful picture above the word ¡®Sarnez.¡¯ ¡°This must be the divine item being protected by the Sarnez Duchy.¡± ¡°That is correct. That is the ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea.¡¯ ¡± ¡°How long would it take to get to the Sarnez territory on a horse?¡± ¡°If you start from the Imperial Pce¡­¡­ You should be able to get there within two hours at maximum.¡± I put my finger on the map and drew a straight line from the Imperial Capital to the Sarnez territory. This thing called memory was quite interesting. The only thing that I remembered from the cover art of when I was writing everything down in my notebook on the first day was the appearances of the two main characters. I couldn¡¯t remember their clothes or essories that well. That was the case, but¡­¡­ I remembered something after seeing the blue jewel that was embroidered in blue threads on the page. I recalled the Imperial Prince who was holding arge sapphire ne in his left hand while his right hand was around Christelle¡¯s waist. Christelle was reaching toward the ne in his hand as well. There was no need to question it. The fact that a jewel that was important enough to show up in the cover art was the divine item that the Duchy was protecting with its honor was not weird. ¡°It would be beautiful if it was turned into a ne.¡± I quietly mumbled. ¨C Screeeeech! ¡°¡­¡­Was that a bird just now?¡± I nkly added on after hearing an unexpected noise. The weird noise hade from the balcony that was left wide open to get some spring breeze. I had all sorts of thoughts on my mind. I wondered if I would see one of thoserge bugs that were said to exist in western countries since there was a mountain right behind us. ¡°Your highness, please take a look.¡± Ganael, who was the first to go out onto the balcony, called me over in a somewhat excited voice. Benjamin, who had been right behind Ganael, stopped in shock after seeing something. I gulped and got up from my seat. I guess it wasn¡¯t something that would harm me since they didn¡¯t tell me to stay here. ¡°What is it?¡± I walked past Benjamin, who was standing as stiff as a board, and noticed some vines crawling up the balcony. ¡°Ho¡­¡­.¡± I felt as if I was watching some sort of nature documentary. It was as if I was watching a timpse video of vines growing. Small palm-shaped leaves quickly started to grow as well. And a little after that¡­¡­ ¨C Screeeeech! A small animal that climbed up the vines valiantly screeched as if it was announcing its arrival. It was a red panda. ¡®This crazy novel¡­¡­¡¯ ¡ª Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Chapter 17 ¨C The Duke¡¯s Family is Suspicious (3) ¨C Squeal! ¡°Red¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is it a demonic beast?¡± I was about to mumble, ¡®why is a red panda here,¡¯ but kept my mouth shut after hearing Ganael¡¯s question. The atmosphere was a bit odd since even Benjamin, who usually doesn¡¯t get flustered by anything, seemed shocked. It was as if¡­¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve never seen an animal that looks like this before.¡± They were reacting as if red pandas did not exist in this world. ¨C Squeeeee! The red panda made a cute little noise and moved toward me. I released my Holy Domain out of reflex. Therge circle of golden light warmly surrounded Benjamin, Ganael, and me. ¡°Please don¡¯t move.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± I picked up a bottle of water on the table as well. I was nning on spraying the water if needed, since I read that demonic beasts were weak against fire and water. ¡®But is this really a demonic beast? Are red pandas demonic beasts in ¡®QNW?¡¯¡¯ ¨C Screeeeech! The red panda stood on its hind legs after noticing my Holy Domain. It then waved its front paws around like arms and got closer, as if it was threatening us. Its maroon face, the two white circles on its cheek, and its eyebrows all looked vicious¡­holy moly¡­¡­ My heart started to hurt. ¡°It¡¯s so cute¡­¡­¡± My mouth subconsciously let out the words on my mind. The red panda entered into the circle without any fear. The little cutie thoroughly inspected and sniffed the Holy Domain that was lighting up the ground and started pressing down on the designs with its paws. As it did that¡­¡­ ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­ I heard what sounded like the wind pushing down the des of grass before every spot the little cutie stepped on started growing weeds and wildflowers. ¡°My goodness¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh Almighty God, thank you very much¡­¡­¡± Ganael gasped. Benjamin seemed to be praying. I finally realized that this red panda was not a demonic beast. I observed the balcony again and noticedrge vines that had grown all the way up into the ledge. ¨C Pruuuuuuuuu The red panda made it to the center of the circle and looked up at me. It stood on its hind legs again, as if it had met a bitter enemy or an extremely delicious looking prey. It seemed to have trouble bncing on its hind legs as it ced its front paws on my knee and opened its mouth. I could only chuckle as it looked as if it was smiling. It seemed to be signaling me to feed it. ¡°This little guy seems to be a divine beast.¡± Ganael closed his eyes and started praying after I said that. I slowly ced the bottle of water back on the table and picked up a slice of orange on a te. I knelt down and let it sniff it first, and the red panda put the whole piece in its small snout and chewed on it for a while. ¡°You eat so well. Would you like some more?¡± ¨C Pruuuuuuuuu! I reached out my other hand and cautiously patted its forehead. It did not resist at all. The way it seemed to be working so hard to chew on the second slice of orange I gave it made it extremely cute. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to have any intentions of attacking. It isn¡¯t shy around people¡­maybe it is because it is a divine beast?¡± ¡®Well, it¡¯s actually just a really cute red panda to me.¡¯ I smiled and booped the tip of its nose. Holy Knights and divine beasts were the only ones capable of using water, fire, air, or earth abilities. Mages and demonic beasts were unable to use the four holy powers. It must be an earth attribute divine beast since it was able to make grass and flowers grow at will. I was sure this was one of the three divine beasts that C¨¦die said that he was hiding in the pce and letting them sleep during the day. ¡®Why did it wake up at this time? I wonder where the other two are.¡¯ ¡°Your highness, you are truly an esteemed individual.¡± Benjamin said that while I was lost in my thoughts. I felt awkward, since all I had done was feed something to a wild animal. If the aether a priest has is noble and plentiful, its aura spreads out to give the people around the priest good dreams and health. We have experienced that because of you already, your highness. But we never expected that you would also draw a divine beast here¡­¡­¡± My jaw dropped at Benjamin¡¯sments. I was shocked at the fact that their talks about having good dreams was not just buttering me up; it took me too long to see that he seemed to be tearing up. ¡®I was a human dream catcher¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°That, mm¡­ I see.¡± ¡°Then do we need to move this divine beast, err¡­ esteemed divine beast to where there is a divine item?¡± Ganael quickly asked. There weren¡¯t many files on divine beasts, but everybody seemed to know that you need to lead a divine beast to a divine item should they ever appear. ¡°Then someone with Divine Power needs to do it, but her Eminence, the Cardinal, cannot leave her Majesty¡¯s side. I also cannot move about as I please.¡± I quickly responded. Based on where it appeared and its abilities, I was certain that this red panda was one of the divine beasts that C¨¦die was taking care of. It wasn¡¯t that I trusted that little kid 100 percent, but I had promised to temporarily cooperate with him to resolve this divine beast issue . I couldn¡¯t let myself send this little animal out of the Imperial Pce without chatting with him first. Something might have happened to C¨¦die, which caused him to lose one of the red pandas. ¨C Grrrrr. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡± It must have felt my concern as the red panda growled. I carefully touched its triangr ears that looked like mountain peaks with snow because of the white tips. ¡°Should I give you some aether too?¡± The ck and round red panda¡¯s eyes sparkled with curiosity. I slowly moved and didn¡¯t take my eyes off of it to make sure that the little guy was following me. I sat down and quickly decreased the size of my circle, which surprised the red panda and made it stiffen up. ¡®It¡¯s so freaking cute.¡¯ ¡°It looks like it hasn¡¯t eaten for a while and it might be a part of a pack, so I will take care of it for today. Please don¡¯t say anything to her Majesty.¡± I was surprised to see Benjamin nod his head so easily. Maybe he wanted to spend some more time with a divine beast as well, since seeing one was like a once in a lifetime opportunity. ¡°Then I shall go get some items for our esteemed divine beast. A te, a cushion, things like that. I will make sure to get a lot of fruits too!¡± Ganael looked excited as he quickly said those things as if he was rapping before he left. I don¡¯t know if red pandas like soft cushions, but I didn¡¯t think that this little guy was too picky based on his actions. ¡°I will go inspect the vines on the balcony. We may have to call the gardener.¡± Benjamin soon left as well. I finally let out a deep sigh. I somehow managed to buy us some time, but I will have no choice if C¨¦die does note tonight. We will have to inform the Empress about this and get help from a priest outside of the pce. ¡°How did you end up all the way here?¡± I slowly released my aether as I asked. The red panda tilted its head before putting its head against my calf and sniffing. I pulled the stem off of a cherry and offered it, and it looked so cute putting the whole thing in its mouth and chewing. This must be why Eunse was always watching animal videos on Youtube. ¡°I don¡¯t think this guy was in the novel.¡± Eunse would have appealed to my brother and I a long time ago if a cutie like this appeared in the original . Furthermore, there was no way that only the MC and the male lead would have been on the cover image. The rule of the webnovel world is that any lovely pets in the series must be on the cover. I don¡¯t think that the author would have wasted a great ace like a red panda. ¨C Knock knock. I heard some knocks at that moment. I put a slice of apple in the red panda¡¯s mouth as I answered. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Your highness, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth is here.¡± Benjamin opened the door as he announced her arrival in an awkward voice. I froze where I was sitting and barely managed to turn my head to look at Benjamin before moving my gaze down to make eye contact with the red panda. I had not expected a situation like this because I waspletely absorbed by this little guy¡¯s cuteness. ¡®What do I do?¡¯ ¡°Prince Jesse, I am here to speak to you regarding the divine beast that entered Juliette Pce.¡± What Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth said was much further ahead than what I had been concerned about. * ¡°So¡­her Majesty already knows about the fact that I have a divine beast.¡± ¡°Yes, yes sir. You could say that.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth seemed to be repeating herself more than usual, but I just let it go. It was because I heard that there were a lot of nobles going in and out of the Imperial Pce as the Spring Ball was almost here. It made sense that she was kind of out of it since the Imperial Guard must be extremely busy right now. ¡°The gardener saw it?¡± ¡°Yes sir. That¡­¡­ He came to check on the flowers and saw a divine beast climbing the walls of Juliette Pce.¡± She nkly looked down at the red panda on the carpet before responding, almost like a robot, to my question. She then chugged the cup of cold rosemary tea. ¡®I guess it makes sense. Benjamin said that the vines on the balcony were as thick as an adult male¡¯s arm.¡¯ Something like that growing extremely quickly would definitely catch people¡¯s attention. I handed a strawberry to the red panda that was roaming around my feet and asking me to hand over some more snacks. It must have liked the sweet taste of the strawberry as it made a small dandelion grow at the tip of its paw. ¡°Then how long should I take care of it for? Is her Majesty nning on having a priest from the outside assist us?¡± ¡®I guess I¡¯ll end up as a temporary guardian.¡¯ I looked back at Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth as I had that thought. Her grey eyes that were always full of confidence seemed very¡­weak. ¡°We already have a priest¡­¡­ No, that is correct. I heard that she would call one soon.¡± She continued to speak. ¡°In order to make sure that the divine beast can react to Divine Power from the outside as it pleases¡­¡­ Her Majesty has given an Imperial Order that you should leave the balcony open at night. You don¡¯t have to worry about your safety as we have verified the identities of all attendants in the Imperial Pce after that assassination attempt fromst time.¡± The conditions sounded great. I just had to say that the divine beast must have felt the flow of Divine Power as it walked out of Juliette Pce¡¯ even if C¨¦die shows up at night to take the red panda away. I nodded my head with satisfaction. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth sighed and brushed back her silky short hair. The sleeves of her uniform jacket were burnt ck. ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, your clothes are burnt.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± She smiled at me. The smile looked dangerous for some reason. ¡°I should just stab him once and go to prison¡­¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Your highness, have you ever seen a carrier pigeon before?¡± I felt as if I had heard something extremely scary, but I kind of lost my train of thought once she stood up straight and looked into my eyes. The impact of a beautiful woman truly was amazing. ¡°I have never seen one in person.¡± ¡°I went to get rid of some demonic beasts in the Northst year.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The topic of conversation quickly changed. ¡®Wait, why?¡¯ ¡°The path was blocked by heavy snow, so we had no way to reach their of the demonic beasts. But our schedule would have been seriously dyed if we changed directions. We chose to force our way through because the damage to the North had been serious already. I both shouted at and consoled my subordinates to get rid of the snow¡­¡­ And I had the following thought as I looked up at the sky at that time. I really hate this. I would rather be that carrier pigeon deliver the news about the snow removal.¡± Every word she said pulled at my heartstrings. As someone who had served as a soldier in the Korean Army, I knew how loathsome that trash that fell from the sky could be. ¡°But now that I¡¯ve been a carrier pigeon¡­¡­ I feel like I would rather be a snow-removing sessor of a Count¡¯s family.¡± I felt so bad for her. Her work at the Imperial Pce was so demanding and difficult that she would rather be plowing through snow. Something like that shouldn¡¯t happen. ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, you are an amazing Vice Captain of the Royal Guard. If you get discharged¡­¡­ No, all of this will just be a small portion of what you¡¯ve been through in the long-run. You¡¯ll be joking about this over drinks in the future.¡± She smiled and picked up her tea cup after I told her to cheer up. ¡°I will toast to that, your highness.¡± Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Chapter 18 ¨C The Duke¡¯s Family is Suspicious (4) ¡°You¡¯re going to go into the Sarnez Lord¡¯s Castle today, right?¡± The young boy silently nodded his head at my question. C¨¦die, who barged into my room silently as he had done the first time, was ring at the red panda roaming around the top of the oak cab. I slowly released my aether to the young boy using my circle as I asked more questions. ¡°Won¡¯t it be bad if you get caught? What should I think if you don¡¯te again starting tomorrow?¡± That made C¨¦die finally look toward me. His orange-colored eyes were shining confidently. ¡°I will have no reason to see you again starting tomorrow if the divine beasts detect the divine item at the Lord¡¯s Castle.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m asking if that will be easy.¡± I nagged him a little. This kid didn¡¯t seem to fear getting caught by Duke Sarnez¡¯s soldiers or attacked and killed while getting close to the Lord¡¯s Castle. To be more specific, he was acting as if he knew that something like that would not happen. ¡°Her Majesty said that she would request a priest toe. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth told me about it. Can¡¯t you just ask that person to do it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s how the Vice Captain of the Royal Guard exined it to you?¡± The young boy scrunched his eyes. I chose my words carefully, as it felt as if I was being interrogated. ¡°I asked if that was the n and she said yes.¡± C¨¦dric snorted. I looked toward the red panda on top of the cab instead of saying anything else, since the young boy did not say anything and seemed just as stubborn to proceed with his n. I offered it a piece of a peeled grapefruit, and the little guy¡¯s nose twitched before it slowly came down to the carpet. ¨C Squeal! ¡°Good.¡± The tail of the red panda looked as fluffy as a corn dog as it approached me. The red panda sniffed the grapefruit before putting the whole thing in its mouth and started chewing. It seemed to like the slightly sour taste. I couldn¡¯t help butugh as it made a cockb the size of a finger grow underneath its paws. ¡°¡­¡­What the hell did you do to it?¡± C¨¦die asked me that question while I wasughing at the red panda. I did not understand what he meant and could only make eye contact with him. His eyes that were visible underneath his thick charcoal-ck eyebrows seemed a bit anxious. ¡°Divine beasts do not eat food. They should be satisfied with aether.¡± ¡®Ah¡­¡­ Is that so?¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know. I offered it some and it ate it.¡± I answered honestly. I looked back down at the little divine beast and it was just focused on the grapefruit without being interested in our conversation at all. ¡°I¡¯m sure not all divine beasts are the same. This guy seems to like eating.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Maybe that is why it was awake in the middle of the day while the others were sleeping?¡± What other reason could there be aside from hunger when it was the only one to wake up despite being sealed by aether the same way as the others? Furthermore, I heard that this guy was the smallest of the three divine beasts. It was possible that it ate less aether because it was pushed aside by the other two punks. The red panda, after having finished the slice of grapefruit, put its head in my palm and twitched its whiskers. It was obvious it was asking for more. ¡°C¨¦die, do you want some too?¡± The young boy just ignored me. This wasn¡¯t my first rodeo with this guy¡¯s terrible personality, so I just gave a few more slices of grapefruit to the red panda. It took about ten minutes or so for C¨¦die to fill up on my aether and the red panda to fill its tummy with fruit. ¡°What will you do if these guys can¡¯t detect the divine item even when you get near the Lord¡¯s Castle?¡± ¡°Then I will need to hear the Duke¡¯s exnation.¡± He seemed prepared for a situation where the divine item, the Blessing of the Blue Sea, would not be in the Sarnez Duchy. The kid¡¯s gaze was stern. C¨¦die gave off an authoritative feel that was rare to see in other children his age. His demeanor and tone that seemed right out of a novel made it feel as if he might be a precious young master of an important family. ¡°It¡¯s time to go.¡± Golden pebbles, that were smaller than the size of my pinky fingernail, started floating up from the young boy¡¯s body. These aether orbs floating around looked magical no matter how many times I saw them. C¨¦die always got up once they appeared, as if he was pulling the charger out of a fully charged cell phone. ¡°I hope that things go well and that we have no reason to see each other anymore.¡± I said that while following behind the kid heading for the balcony. It would be good if a little kid like this had no reason to wander around sote at night. C¨¦die put on arge robe and easily jumped on top of the ledge. The red panda that was fluttering its ears seemed to have noticed that it was time to go as well as it slowly moved toward us. ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re not going to attend the Spring Ball?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be busy receiving confessions. But her Majesty still sent me an invitation.¡± I smiled and gently rubbed the area between the red panda¡¯s ears. C¨¦die looked down at me for a bit before reaching his left arm into the air. ¡®Does that mean this little kid will be at the Spring Ball too?¡¯ ¨C Snap! He snapped his fingers and it caused a small me. The thoughts on my mind instantly evaporated from shock. I raised my head and looked at the tip of the young boy¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡­¡­¡± A fist-sized me that was the same orange color as the boy¡¯s eyes was crackling between his thumb and his index finger. This was my first time getting to see C¨¦die¡¯s ability. It also might be myst time. I was at a loss for words, staring at this beautiful me that was lighting up the darkness, and just stood there. ¨C Pruuuuuuuuu The red panda was the first to respond to the me. It stood up on its hind legs before grabbing onto the ledge with its two front paws. A pretty thick tree branch was created from the tips of its paws despite not receiving any orders from C¨¦die. ¡®I guess this is what it meant when he said that his attribute waspatible with the divine beasts.¡¯ ¡°Is the fire attribute stronger than the earth attribute?¡± ¡°As you can see.¡± The boy seemed a bit amused, even though it was very faint. I couldn¡¯t tell whether he was happy at the fact that he was stronger than the red panda or if he just enjoyed using his ability. ¡°Now then.¡± ¨C Pruuuu! C¨¦die jumped off the balcony before I could say anything else. The light-red me and the aether particles I was ustomed to by now cut through the night sky and disappeared. I quickly looked down to see that the red panda had already gone down as well. The new leaf that was created through aether was shaking. ¡°What a fancy goodbye.¡± I mumbled to myself. That was how the cute red panda and the boy who was not as cute as the red panda, but still as handsome as a child actor, left Juliette Pce. * Four dayster. I headed out of the Empress Pce with Ganael escorting me to find Benjamin waiting for me. ¡°Your highness. Lady Isabelle de Sarnez officially requested an Audience with you while you were away.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I stopped in the middle of climbing onto the carriage. I had lessons with Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier as usual this morning. She, who ran me ragged while iming that ¡®learning through experience is better than through theory,¡¯ must have felt pity for me as she treated me to a luxurious feast after the lesson. Lady Sarnez must have requested an Audience while I was dealing with that carrot and the stick from the Cardinal. ¡°What did you tell her?¡± ¡°She said that she would like to speak with you this afternoon, so I responded that it was difficult because your schedule was full. I was unable to say that you were ill because there are many people who knew that you came to the Empress Pce. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°That is okay. That was a wise choice.¡± I waved my hand. He must havee up with a better excuse since anybody would be able to tell that saying that the prince who looked fine on his way to learn from the Cardinal suddenly got sick was a lie. Ganael pouted. ¡°It would not have been weird to reject her without a reason, your highness. How rude of her to request an Audience with you the day she asks.¡± ¡°Just let it go, Ganael.¡± ¡®I don¡¯t n on meeting with her anyway.¡¯ I kept that part to myself as I smiled. I did find it a bit odd since I thought that her letter that mentioned meeting with me was just a greeting. ¡°We will head to the temple now, your highness.¡± The carriage coachman bowed and informed me of our destination before he closed the carriage door. I nodded my head and looked out the window. The afternoon sun was quite bright. The vast Empress Pce was extremely beautiful, with the flowers and trees filling up the area. I could tell that everybody was busy preparing for the Spring Ball that would happen in two days. Everybody I saw on my way to the temple seemed very busy. Some people who were carrying furniture wrapped in white cloth put it down and bowed once they saw our carriage. As I silently responded to them¡­ ¡°Do you think it won¡¯te anymore?¡± I turned toward Ganael who sounded a bit upset. His honey-colored eyes were sulking. ¡°The esteemed Divine beast.¡± ¡°Mm, probably. Nothing has happened for a few days.¡± I responded to him. C¨¦die and the red panda had not shown up since they left my room a few days ago. I thought that they must have safely arrived at the ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s a good thing. It is good for divine beasts to be around a divine item.¡± Benjamin and Ganael nodded at the same time. I chuckled as I remembered how disappointed both of them had been after I told them that the divine beast had left the pce in the middle of the night. ¡°I heard that people who help and look after divine beasts receive good luck and the power to cast out curses. I¡¯m sure you will receive such blessings as well, your highness.¡± ¡°Haha, just hearing that already makes me happy.¡± The corners of my mouth curled up even more after hearing Benjamin¡¯sment. ¡®I wonder if I will be able to safely go back home if I receive good luck.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but have such a thought. ¡°The gerberas have already bloomed. The gardeners must have worked really hard.¡± Benjamin pointed out the window. I looked around confused since I didn¡¯t really know flower names, and he was nice enough to point them out for me. I could see the orange flowers that resembled mes. ¡®¡­¡­That little punk should be fine, right?¡¯ ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at the temple, your highness.¡± Ganael¡¯s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. The carriage stopped and the coachman quickly opened the door. * ¡°Then we will wait in the priest¡¯s office, your highness.¡± ¡°Good luck, your highness!¡± Ganael smiled brightly while handing me a pic basket. He recovered very quickly after sulking that the divine beast hadn¡¯te back. I waved to the two of them and opened the door to the Confessional before walking in. I put the que saying ¡®now taking confessions¡¯ and then sat down on thefy chair. Everything was silent now. It made me think that this was my new job. This was my transmigrated life of a wise diplomatic hostage who has arrogantly chosen to cast aside the role of the second male lead. ¡°They still haven¡¯t fixed it.¡± I scoffed while looking at the rope to my left that still had the end cut off and the wooden window that still had a hole. It was understandable that they didn¡¯t have any time to fix up the temple since the Spring Ball was almost here. ¨C Screeeech¡­¡­ I heard an eerie noise at that moment. It was not the sound of the main door or the priest¡¯s office door opening. I could hear someone walking over from the back side of the temple. My instincts made me hold my breath. ¨C Tap, tap, tap¡­¡­ I could hear steps that were moving not too fast and not too slow. I frowned while hearing the person walking over from the back of the temple without any hesitation in their step. ¡®Who would walk in here through the back door?¡¯ The faces of Benjamin, Ganael, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, the Cardinal, and the guards guarding the entrance all floated through my mind. But it didn¡¯t seem to be any of them. ¨C Tap. I got the chills. The footsteps had stopped right in front of the Confessional I was inside. The moment I stopped hesitating and released my circle¡­ ¨C Click. I becamepletely flustered. The door to the other side opened and I saw a shadow walk into the seat of the penitent. I felt extremely embarrassed. ¡°Wee, beloved believer. When was yourst confession?¡± That was why I went on the offensive and started talking first. I was trying to make it seem as if I released my Holy Domain, not because I was scared, but for the confession. ¡°I am not here to confess.¡± A woman¡¯s clear voice echoed through the Confessional. I felt my heart thump for some reason. It was an extremely charming voice that everybody would admit sounded good. ¡°I heard that my mother¡¯s request for an Audience had been rejected. I came here to personally ask you to please change your mind.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I could see the woman taking the robe off of her head. The entire world seemed to be moving in slow motion. I finally detested the Imperial Pce¡¯s carpenters who had not fixed this ce up. The side of her face was visible through the hole in the wooden window. Her beautiful and wavy pink hair¡­ Her blue-gray eyes that were sparkling brightly¡­ It was Christelle de Sarnez. ¡ª Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Chapter 19 ¨C Why are youing out of there? (1) ¡°Your highness?¡± ¡®What is going on?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Where had things gone wrong?¡¯ ¡°I apologize foring to the Confessional to see you like this. I had no choice as I was trying to avoid people¡¯s gazes.¡± Something had ended up wrong. Something had ended up very wrong. Things would not end up like this if that was not the case. ¡®Did I make a mistake? When?¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t have much time, so I will just give a short exnation of my mother¡¯s situation.¡± My body was fine but I felt as if the world was spinning. My heart was beating wildly and my palms were sweaty at the thought that I finally met ¡®her.¡¯ No, I was not feeling love at first sight. ¡°¡­¡­Are you youngdy Christelle de Sarnez?¡± ¡°Excuse me? Yes, your highness. I was in such a rush that I forgot to even introduce myself¡­¡­ Please excuse me. My name is Christelle Olivier de Sarnez.¡± That glimmer of hope that it might not be her crumbled in front of my eyes. Of course, everything that made up Christelle as a person made it almost impossible for it to be someone else. The main character truly was the main character. I could tell that she was a beautiful woman, even in this dark Confessional, because of her flushed cheeks and long inner eyshes, and her figure had a way of drawing people¡¯s eyes toward it as well. Overall, she looked quite simr to the girl on the cover art of but different as well. First difference was therge eyes looking at me. They were not the bright sky-colored pupils I remembered, but blue-gray in color that gave her a more intelligent and serious feel. ¡®Wait a minute¡­¡­ Hold on. She doesn¡¯t seem intelligent at all. ¡°Youngdy Christelle, is ¡®Olivier¡¯ your middle name by change?¡± ¡°Ah, hull.¡± (TL: Hull is a Korean ng for when a person is shocked. It remains hull because of the sentence thates next) She let out a Korean phrase that would not exist in this world. I clenched my teeth to maintain my poker face. She must not be too adept at the ¡®rules¡¯ of this world because it hasn¡¯t been long since she transmigrated into this body. ¡°I will pretend that I did not hear it, as your middle name is something you should only share with people important to you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Thank you very much.¡± I kind of mumbled while clenching my teeth and she brushed her hair back with her hand and sighed as she responded. It seemed as if both of us were finding this to be quite difficult. ¡®Why the heck do I need to know the main character¡¯s middle name already?! Isn¡¯t this moving too quickly?!¡¯ This situation was too painful for me since I had no ns whatsoever for anything to progress between us. ¡°Please leave if you are not here to confess. I will pretend that this meeting never happened.¡± I firmed my resolve and looked forward. I cannot be nice to her. In the novel, Jesse Viaan, unlike Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, was always nice and warm to Christelle. That was the reason Eunse said screw the Imperial Prince and supported Jesse, and also the reason Christelle¡¯s heart was shaken by the second male lead multiple times. That meant that I had to do the opposite. I wondered who in the world would want to be hated by someone, but apparently I was that person. I needed to be hated by her in order to not be involved in that crazy love triangle. I needed to do that to survive. ¡°Your highness, I just need a moment of your time. You see, my family¡­¡­¡± ¡°I do not wish to hear it.¡± ¡°My mother wishes to confess. However, she wishes to do it privately and not in the temple. It is because¡­¡­¡± ¡°I guess I have no choice. I will call the guards.¡± ¡°Please wait a moment!¡± ¨C Ssh. I heard the sound of water. I looked toward the pic basket to my left out of reflex. The ss bottle filled with peppermint tea did not show any signs of movement. I got the chills. ¨C Ssh, ssh. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The sound wasing from the right, from the area past the wooden window to my right. I turned my head very slowly. My body seemed to be creaking like the tin man when he wasn¡¯t oiled properly. ¡°It is because of this.¡± There was an orb of water the size of an apple floating on top of Christelle¡¯s small hand. The water inside the sphere that made me think of her eyes was causing small waves as it moved. I could only nkly stare for a bit. I had no idea about how to understand what I was looking at and the current progression of things. ¡°What¡­¡­¡± ¡°The divine item that my family has been protecting, the ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea,¡¯ does not exist anymore.¡± My eyes opened wide. Too many things were mming into my mind at that moment. The Blessing of the Blue Sea, the Sarnez Duchy, the divine beasts, and the little boy with the orange-colored eyes. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly as I mentioned. The Blessing of the Blue Sea does not exist anymore because it was absorbed into my body.¡± My mind couldn¡¯t process it quickly despite hearing the exnation. I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything. Something like that was not possible. The Blessing of the Blue Sea was an item that appeared on the cover art of ¡®QNW.¡¯ It was a blue jewel that resembled a sapphire. That divine item that seemed as if it would y an important role between Christelle and the Imperial Prince¡­the fact that that divine item disappeared from the beginning of this story was hard to ept. However¡­ ¨C Ssh¡­¡­ This sphere that was spinning on top of Christelle¡¯s palm, as if it was mocking me, was definitely a water attribute power. And, as described in its name, the Blessing of the Blue Sea was a water attribute divine item. ¡®Christelle is using aether?¡¯ I never heard Eunse mention anything about Christelle using superpowers. This story was the typical clich¨¦ of a girl who is with a guy because of a political marriage and turns from hating him to bing his lover. That would be the one sentence description of the QNW story. At least that should have been the story¡­ ¡°¡­¡­It is probably better to go ask Her Eminence, Cardinal Boutier for an attendance instead of with me.¡± That was the most logical answer I coulde up with right now. I couldn¡¯te up with any solution to this problem. ¡°Going to see her Eminence would be seen as a political move. At least, that is what my mother thinks. She wishes to confess to you, your highness, as someone who hase from the Holy Kingdom, so that she could confess without holding anything back even subconsciously.¡± ¡°Youngdy Christelle, I¡­¡­¡± ¡°There is a story about the divine item that disappeared from the Temple of Vignce as well.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¨C Clunk! I heard the dull thud of the main door opening. The ¡®real¡¯ penitents seemed to being in. Christelle flinched and pulled her robe over her head again. She clenched her hand into a fist and the water orb instantly disappeared. ¡°As the bell rings to announce 9pm at the Spring Ball in two days¡­ Pleasee to the farthest right balcony of Strauder Pce. Please, I beg of you, Prince Jesse.¡± She quickly left the Confessional without even waiting for my response. Everything she said was making me anxious. The moment I debated whether I should stop Christelle or not¡­ ¨C Riiiiiiiip! ¡°Ah fuck.¡± I heard the sound of something ripping before I heard her quietly swear. She must have stepped on her dress and ripped it. ¡®She is cute and easily adapts to any situation, but is slightly clumsy.¡¯ Her personality seemed to be exactly the same as the one Eunse liked. ¡°Ho¡­¡­¡± I heard some quick footsteps and felt her disappearing to the back of the temple as I nked out over this giant tsunami that struck me head on. I then heard the cautious steps of the penitents from the direction of the main entrance. I tried my best to calm my mind that was going wild. ¡®What the hell is going on right now?¡¯ * I canceled my afternoon confession ns and headed back to Juliette Pce once Christelle left. I finally used the ¡®I¡¯m sick¡¯ excuse in order to organize my thoughts. ¡®I wasn¡¯t saving it to use it like this¡­ damn it¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Lady Isabelle de Sarnez is youngdy Christelle¡¯s stepmother. Duke Simon de Sarnez remarried after his wife passed away.¡± Benjamin exined while standing in front of the table. I already knew this, but I motioned to him with my gaze to continue. Ganael was the one who continued. ¡°Lady Sarnez does not participate in the Beau Monde much and rarely leaves the Duchy. That is why there are not many rumors or gossip regarding her. Some people gossip about how she is your typical stepmother while others praise her for being a graceful and elegant person, but¡­¡­ There are no nobles who are close enough to her to know the truth.¡± I nodded my head and quietly looked down at the April 1st issue of the that I had opened on top of the table. The headline, ¡®The treasure of the Sarnez has awakened¡¯ was written inrge letters. This was the issue that did a special coverage of how Christelle had woken up from her three year slumber. I have subscribed to the and had already read this article about nine days ago. But every sentence looked different after that almost heart attack inducing meeting with Christelle. Lady Sarnez imed that ¡®I will get my daughter back no matter what I have to do.¡¯ The divine item, the ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea,¡¯ has disappeared. Christelle has woken up. She talked about how she ¡®hasmitted a grave sin.¡¯ It seemed like I was forcing things a bit, but this kind of image popped up as I put the pieces of the puzzle together. This might not be the order of events, but this seemed to be the most likely, based on what I knew right now. Basically, Lady Sarnez used the treasure of the family to save her daughter who looked as if she would never wake up. Putting aside the question of ¡®how¡¯ she did it¡­¡­ She made her daughter¡¯s body absorb the divine item. Christelle then woke up from her unexinable slumber and was able to use the attribute of the divine item as aether. If I was right about all of this, then why would Lady Sarnez wish to confess to me? ¡°I guess using a divine item for personal reasons would be a grave sin?¡± Ganael¡¯s eyes opened wide after hearing my sudden question. They looked like they would pop if I gently tapped on them. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be the case? Divine items are treasures that the Almighty God has personally bestowed down to the continent.¡± ¡°Are therews about how to punish such people?¡± ¡°I do not believe there is. However¡­¡­¡± Benjamin¡¯s voice became lower after taking over. ¡°The people of the families guarding the divine items¡­they all have a lot of pride whether they are in the Empire or in the Holy Kingdom. They believe that they are in the forefront of the Almighty God¡¯s will. They are all people who would put their lives on the line to protect the divine item from people pursuing them for their personal greed.¡± ¡°So they will probably riot if someone used a divine item for personal reasons.¡± ¡°I believe so. But I believe that the Almighty God would send his will down first even if nobody steps up.¡± I kept thinking about what Benjamin just said. In such a situation, I could see why Lady Sarnez would wish to receive forgiveness from a religious figure. There were too many pieces so I wasn¡¯t too confident, but¡­¡­ It at least seemed true that the Blessing of the Blue Sea has disappeared and I had proof of that. ¡°Those divine beasts¡­ Where would they have gone if they didn¡¯t go to the Sarnez Duchy?¡± The three red pandas had been unable to detect the divine item even after passing the border of the Imperial Capital and entering the Sarnez Duchy. Then there was the little boy who was leading the three little animals. If the Blessing of the Blue Sea had already been destroyed by then, it made sense why C¨¦die and the divine beasts would have been lost. Benjamin did not get anxious and responded to me, despite my sudden change of topic. ¡°If not the Sarnez, then¡­¡­ The second closest divine item to the Imperial Pce would be the ¡®Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star¡¯ in Marquis Duhem¡¯s territory.¡± (TL: The literal trantion could be the sword of wisdom from Mars, but not knowing theyout of this world, I am going with ming Star, which are the two Chinese characters used in the word for Mars) ¡°How long would it take to get there without using any portals?¡± ¡°If someone was to run without stopping, it would probably take about two days and four days at most.¡± I bit down on my lips. Four days. That was the same as how long C¨¦die and the red pandas had been gone. It seemed oddly too spot on for it to be a coincidence. ¡®Then let¡¯s assume that C¨¦die took the red panda trio and headed toward the Duhem March¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Benjamin, Ganael.¡± I cautiously called for both of them. The two of their expressions became even calmer, as if they noticed the change in mood. I needed a lot more help now. The main character suddenly fell on top of me from the sky. Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Chapter 20 ¨C Why are youing out of there? (2) I really hoped that I would not need to exin something like this to Benjamin and Ganael. It wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t trust the two of them; I didn¡¯t want there to be a big enough incident that I would need to get their advice. I wanted to live as quietly as possible. I just wanted to be here as a diplomatic hostage and a religious figure. But my limits on my own seemed quite visible now. I was swept up in Christelle¡¯s narrative, without being able to resist in any way, as soon as she appeared. It was as if I was a small gear inside a watch that was being forced to move by therger gear that was the main character¡¯s story. That was why I asked for this meeting today. I wanted to extend my hand out to my ¡®confidants.¡¯ ¡°Lady Sarnez probably cannot confess to Her Eminence, the Cardinal, because of the marriage issue.¡± Benjamin elegantly moved his knife as he said that. I raised my head as I put a piece of veal from my nquette de veau in my mouth. Benjamin, Ganael, and I were sitting at a table enjoying a meal. I was stubborn and said that you need to share a meal in order to discuss serious matters. I had no choice, since I already used up the penance of ¡®eating three meals with the prince¡¯ I gave to Benjamin. ¡°Are you talking about the marriage between Imperial Prince C¨¦dric and youngdy Christelle?¡± ¡°Ah, you know about it, your highness. It is a rumor that is not that well-known yet.¡± Ganael looked surprised after I said that. I just smiled while holding my spoon. I really wanted to say that he would know a lot of things if he had a young sister who read the romantic fantasy novel too. Benjamin nodded his head and exchanged his te ofpletely sliced Chateaubriand with mine. ¡®There is a middle-aged angel among us¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°There were talks at one point about how the ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea,¡¯ the divine item being guarded by the Sarnez Duchy, would be the wedding gift. Her Eminence, Cardinal Boutier, should know about that because she is his royal highness¡¯s godmother.¡± ¡®Oh, it was the wedding gift. That was why the divine item was on QNW¡¯s cover art.¡¯ My fork was moving back and forth but would stop in shock every so often from what Benjamin or Ganael said. I think it was a smart decision to reveal what happened in the Confessional to the two of them. I already had one of my questions answered. ¡°I guess the marriage discussions might go bad if she confessed to her Eminence about using the wedding gift for personal reasons.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. Especially because her Eminence and her Majesty are of one mind and one will.¡± Ganael responded to me. The Empress¡¯s ¡®Political Partner,¡¯ Prince Consort Alexandre, left this world when the Imperial Prince was young. The only person the Empress could discuss her son¡¯s marriage with and share the seat of the parents at the wedding would be her ¡®Religious Partner,¡¯ Cardinal Boutier. ¡°People might even say that she is using the fact that they would be her future inws to cover her grave sin of using a divine item.¡± Benjamin added on in a quiet voice. I finally understood what Christelle meant when she said that Lady Sarnez meeting the Cardinal would be seen as a ¡®political action.¡¯ It meant that she wanted to confess with pure intentions and wanted to avoid being seen as trying to take advantage of her future inw. ¡°There is an Archbishop and many other Bishops at the Imperial Capital, so why would she want to meet with me¡­¡­¡± ¡®Was she saying that she felt mostfortable confessing to a foreigner who had nothing to do with the Empire?¡¯ ¡°Your highness, you are a royal priest. With her sins being so grave, she probably wishes to confess to the most noble person.¡± Ganael seemed to be puffing up his chest as he said that. His golden eyes seemed oddly proud. I awkwardly changed the topic as I did not bring this up to hear such praise. ¡°Then informing her Eminence about this event¡­¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have to, right?¡± Benjamin¡¯s fork stopped moving and he looked toward me. I sent him a gaze that was asking him to please say yes. I would be thirty soon, but I was naturally seeking permission since there was a reliable elder by my side. I had no ns on even dipping a single toe into the mess that the two main characters were involved in. ¡°I personally believe that you do not need to step in, your highness.¡± I sighed in relief. ¡°This is an issue between the Imperial family and the Duke¡¯s household in the end. They will not be able to hide the issue of the wedding gift being gone forever. It will only be a matter of time before her Majesty and her Eminence find out the truth. I¡¯m sure that the elders of both households will take care of things properly.¡± Benjamin was so nice, telling me exactly what I wanted to hear. Ganael¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up, as if he suddenly remembered something. ¡°Now that I think about it, I remember hearing that his royal highness has not been feeling well since about three or four days ago. ording to the attendants at the Romero Pce, they said that he might not be able to attend the Spring Ball. Maybe he has already heard about the issue with the ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea?¡¯¡± ¡°That is possible.¡± It seemed quite likely since Benjamin agreed with him. There was no need for me to step in and show that I know about this if the involved parties were already aware of the situation. That was one burden off my chest. ¡°But youngdy Christelle is quite bold. She infiltrated the Imperial Temple to personally speak to you. She seemspletely different from the youngdy she used to be prior to going unconscious.¡± Ganael gave a major spoiler about the novel without even knowing about it. I covered my mouth with a napkin in order to hide the fact that the corners of my lips were shaking. ¡®That¡¯s because a different person is possessing that body.¡¯ Benjamin, who had been listening quietly, added on to support Ganael¡¯s statement. ¡°Youngdy Christelle of three years ago used to be famous for being an introvert. She never stepped out of the Lord¡¯s Castle and Duke Sarnez was quite worried because she had a lot of trouble expressing herself. That was the reason she did not make her Beau Monde debut as soon as she had hering-of-age ceremony.¡± I had never heard this before. Eunse had only talked about Christelle, the girl whose body was possessed by someone who quit their job, not the ¡®real¡¯ Christelle. It seemed as if there was quite the personality difference between the two Christelles. I took a big bite out of the Dame nche that showed up as dessert and started to think. I recalled Christelle¡¯s showmanship to demonstrate her ability once I declined to have a conversation, as well as how she, despite showing some sloppiness, managed to blurt out everything she wanted to say. She looked like the main character at first nce¡­¡­ ¡®There is a story about the divine item that disappeared from the Temple of Vignce as well.¡¯ ¡®What did you say?¡¯ ¡®Ah, right. There was that thing.¡¯ ¡°She mentioned another divine item as well.¡± Both pairs of eyes immediately turned toward me. ¡°She said there was something to tell me regarding the divine item that disappeared from the ¡®Temple of Vignce¡¯ as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The mood instantly changed. Ganael frowned while Benjamin looked ufortable. My heart sank as I had never seen these expressions on their faces before. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Lady Sarnez might be thinking about. Her Eminence personally imed your innocence, so what else would she have to add onto that?¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been that long since his highness got out of that difficult situation. How dare she bring that up¡­¡­¡± Both of them grumbled in annoyance. Basically, it sounded as if they were upset that she was using that incident as bait to meet with me. I had not expected this kind of reaction from them. ¡°I was thinking that Lady Sarnez might have some clues about the culprit or something. I also thought that maybe she would confess that she stole that divine item as well.¡± Benjamin picked up a cup after hearing that. Ganael sounded as if he was groaning as he poured a soft drink for him. The two of them looked as if their mouths were stuffed with sweet potatoes even though I had not thought much of the situation. ¡°If it is the former, they should be going to the Imperial Guard or the Empire¡¯s soldiers.¡± ¡°If it is thetter, there is no need for you to hear her out, your highness. She will receive divine punishment.¡± The two of them almost sounded as if they were scolding me. I stopped talking and moved my hand toward the second dessert. This situation felt familiar for some reason, and I remembered how my brother and Eunse would team up to scold me like this from time to time. ¡°So, what is your n two days from now, your highness? Will you go to meet Lady Sarnez?¡± I was cutting my warm Charlotte with a dessert knife when Ganael directly asked me. I shook my head. ¡°I would have to go to the Spring Ball to meet Lady Sarnez, and I have no intentions whatsoever of doing that. I am a bit curious about what she had to say regarding the divine item that was stolen from the temple, but it is none of my business.¡± I did not like the phrase, ¡®if you can¡¯t avoid it, enjoy it.¡¯ I did meet the main character one time, but I nned on continuing to try to avoid her. I would not have given up on the second male lead position from the beginning if my resolve was going to be shaken from such a short interaction. I cannot show my face at the event where the main character will be the center of attention. Benjamin nodded his head with satisfaction at my stern demeanor. Ganael said that I made a great choice and that he would give me some more meat now that I¡¯ve had my dessert. It was a very filling meal. * ¡°I feel like I¡¯m dying. I want to go home¡­¡­¡± ¨¦lisabeth groaned as she plopped down on the couch. She had not understood why the veterans on the Imperial Guard were always saying things like, ¡®The Spring Ball is hell the Almighty God has sent down to the continent,¡¯ or ¡®why do you like the spring so much, you stupid nobles,¡¯ even when she rose to the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard positionst summer. But now that the Spring Ball was a day away, her skin and bones were feeling the pain and anguish. The thought of having to go through this crap again next year was horrifying. There was just too, too, too much for her to do. ¡°C¨¦die, you should have stopped me when I said that I was going to join the Imperial Guard¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it has only been two hours since you got to the pce.¡± The Imperial Prince coldly responded. ¨¦lisabeth jerked her head off of the cushion. Hergrey eyes that were full of fatigue looked extremely angry. ¡°Do you know how it feels to be a public servant who goes to work every day? Do you know how a knight who has to work a national event feels¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Feel free to leave if you have gotten enough rest.¡± ¡°I just got here.¡± She grumbled as she sat up. C¨¦dric, who was seated on the other side, still looked a bit pale. The Imperial Prince who would have to stand in front of the Empire¡¯s top echelon nobles tomorrow, was struggling from ack of aether for the past few days. It was obvious why the attendants were anxious. ¡°Will you be able to go to the ball?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The Imperial Prince gave a short response. She had known him since they were quite young; C¨¦dric never talked about being in pain or things being difficult to her. ¡®He probably acts the same way in front of her Majesty and her Eminence.¡¯ ¨¦lisabeth wanted to talk about something else after having that thought. That was her main reason foring here anyway. ¡°Did you get a response from the Duchy?¡± C¨¦dric slightly pointed with his chin instead of responding. She turned to see an envelope on top of the table. ¡°What did they say?¡± ¨¦lisabeth didn¡¯t want to even look at words anymore. She had gone through so many documents this past week that she asked the Imperial Prince for a short TL:DR version. C¨¦dric frowned. ¡°They said that the divine item was fine.¡± It seemed extremely short, but it was easy to understand the viewpoint of Duke Sarnez through it. ¡°But that¡¯s a lie.¡± C¨¦dric nodded his head. He recalled what happened five days ago when he led the divine beasts to just outside the Lord¡¯s Castle. The way the small animals could not detect anything and just roamed around his feet and rolled in the grass made him want to scoff. The Duke was lying. There was no treasure with aether in that territory. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find out once we see his face.¡± His deep and low voice sounded even lower than usual. Duke Sarnez, his wife, and their only daughter will participate in the Spring Ball. They would be able to find out the truth after asking the three of them in person tomorrow. They wouldn¡¯t dare to lie at an event where the Cardinal and the Empress were present. C¨¦dric was thinking that this was thest chance for them. ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened and an attendant walked in after the Imperial Prince gave permission. It was David Capuson. ¡°Your highness, Prince Jesse has sent you some dandelion tea.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± This sentence mentioned both an unexpected name and an unexpected item. ¨¦lisabeth tilted her head in confusion. ¡°From Prince Jesse? Why did he suddenly send some tea?¡± ¡°¡­¡­He must have found out somehow that you are not feeling well, your highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I apologize for our inability to keep the staff quiet. Please forgive us.¡± That prince must not have forgotten that the Romero Pce had sent some sage tea in the past. It wasn¡¯t that shocking after considering the prince¡¯s personality. Although C¨¦dric¡¯s mind seemed to be scattered because of these dandelion tea leaves, he didn¡¯t feel bad. ¡°Shall I boil some water?¡± C¨¦dric gave his silent approval after Capuson cautiously asked. The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard just quietly chuckled. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Chapter 21 ¨C Why are youing out of there? (3) The day of the Spring Ball. Thinking about it now is kind ofte, but I have been toocent. The Imperial tailors barged into Juliette Pce at 9 am and put a ton of pins into perfectly good clothes to start their cutthroat fitting process. I felt as if I was watching happen in front of my eyes. I wasn¡¯t even going to the Ball¡­ ¡°The phrase about a person¡¯s face being wings is probably used for a situation like this.¡± I could only awkwardly smile, as I couldn¡¯t tell whether the attendant¡¯s vocal cords made a typo or if he wasplimenting me. The other attendants who helped to dress me covered their mouths and chuckled as well. Oh well, as long as someone here is happy¡­¡­ ¡°Prince Jesse, could you please stretch your arms out to your sides?¡± I stretched my arms out at the request of the boss of the changing room, I mean, the Imperial tailor. It was my first time wearing a bishop¡¯s uniform. Prince Jesse might have worn it before I transmigrated into his body, but this was the first time for me. ¡°All of the details are there and thankfully everything fits, despite us feeling a bit rushed to make it. And as our friend over here just said, you truly seem to make the clothes look even better, your highness.¡± The boss pushed up her thin-framed sses before opening up a thick book of formal Church of the Almighty God outfits to show me. There weren¡¯t many embroidered aspects of a bishop¡¯s outfit, but it was quite splendid because everything was gold in color. Basically, only the underclothes were white. ¡°If you look at the next page and the page after that, purple is reserved only for the Pope.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I knew about this too. ¡°But since your highness already has amethysts, there is no greater symbol. It is amazing!¡± It took me about three seconds to realize what she meant by that. She meant that my eyes went well with the gold clothes because they were purple, which meant that they ¡®received the blessing of the Almighty God.¡¯ The boss then pretended to cry, saying that ¡®it was so hard to procure gold satin of the highest quality during this season.¡¯ She seemed extremely friendly, despite this being our first meeting. ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Come in.¡± That was why I responded to the knocking quicker than anybody else. I might lose all of my energy even before going to receive confessions if I stay here listening to this person. ¡°Your highness, it is time for your departure.¡± Benjamin was the one who came to save me. The boss said that this was really thest thing and put a giant mitre on top of my head. The mitre was the opposite of the clothes, with a white background and gold decorations. ¡°Although you are probably well-aware of this fact, please let me remind you that the priest¡¯s formal attirees with spells imbued in them. The clothes will not feel heavy and you will feel neither hot nor cold. They can also absorb the impact of the carriage traveling over a bumpy road. This mitre will also not fall off your head until you personally take it off.¡± ¡®Wow, I didn¡¯t know about that.¡¯ I felt extremely relieved, as I didn¡¯t know how I was supposed to wear such thick clothes in the middle of April. ¡°Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about the difort from the clothes themselves. Please let it go and just pretend that you have be the best clothes hanger in the world.¡± She sternly said that. I felt a bit sad that although I started this morning as a person, I was pretty much an inanimate object from here on. * I had proimed that I would not attend the Spring Ball and would instead focus on my responsibilities as a Confessional Priest. The Empress and the Cardinal epted my request. That was why I thought that everything had gone well. I thought that I could enjoy some peace on my own while the Imperial family and the nobles were having fun. However¡­ ¡°I guess I thought too light of the situation.¡± ¡°Your highness¡­¡­¡± Ganael looked toward me with pity. They washed me so much this morning that the scent of my shampoo was all around the shaking carriage. Benjamin med himself saying that, ¡®it is my fault for not informing you about it,¡¯ but looking back on everything, it was normal for things to end up like this. Although many nobles would arrive at the pce in the evening to match the start of the Ball, there were a ton of nobles who decided to show up early to enjoy the flowers at the Imperial Pce and confess to the prince of the Holy Kingdom. The Empress had expected all this and sent the tailors to me this morning to make sure that I looked presentable. ¡®People in power truly think differently from everybody else. I was just busy debating what to have for lunch today¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°We will arrive at the temple soon, your highness.¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t see the temple today.¡± I anxiously responded. I would normally be able to see the temple doors at this distance, but there were so many carriages lined up that I could barely see the top of the building. The gridlock was quite serious. ¡°There¡¯s even a punk who parked horizontally¡­¡­¡± I could hear Ganael trying his best to hold back hisughter after hearing my mumbling. The coachman helped me off the carriage and the knights guarding the temple saluted me one by one. The heavy main entrance of the temple was opened. I quietly took a deep breath. The hundred plus pairs of eyes inside the temple all turned toward me at the same time. * ¡®¡­¡­Wouldn¡¯t it have been better to go to the Ball? No, absolutely not. Snap out of it.¡¯ I slowly raised my hand and gave myself a p. No matter how tired I was, it was better than being at the same ce as Christelle and the Imperial Prince. Suffering for a day would allow me to avoid both of them, so I couldn¡¯t have such weak thoughts because it was a bit difficult. ¡°Are you okay, your highness? I will make it so that you can take a bath as soon as we return to the pce.¡± ¡°You worked hard, your highness. Please rest well when we get back.¡± ¡°Both of you worked hard too¡­¡­¡± Ganael and Benjamin pretty much dragged me out of the temple. It was actually my mind that was extremely tired, not my body. I had a migraine even though I spent more time listening than speaking and even took two breaks to eat. It must be stress since I didn¡¯t even use a lot of aether. ¡°Ganael, what time is it right now?¡± ¡°It is 8:35pm.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± The promised time to meet Lady Sarnez in the Strauder Pce, which was next to the temple, was 9pm. I thought that I wouldn¡¯t even meet her as a coincidence if I returned to my room around 8:30pm and I was relieved that things were going as nned. ¡°Next time, I really should just use being sick as an excuse.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness, that is probably for the best.¡± Benjamin agreed with me. I chuckled and started walking toward the carriage. My body was stiff because I had been tense all day, wearing these clothes I was not used to wearing. The confessions of the nobles were not that different from the confessions of theborers at the Imperial Pce. The only differences were that the penitents were wearing fancier clothes and used more stylish words. Other than having people staring right into my eyes and the fact that they seemed to be confessing about the same things¡­¡­ The flow itself was pretty simr. ¡°There was someone near the end who asked me to help theme up with a name.¡± The two of their eyes opened wide. ¡°He wanted me to give a middle name for his daughter. He didn¡¯t have anything to confess but said that he came today just so he could have me give his daughter a middle name.¡± Ganael shook his head side to side. Benjamin just sighed. Apparently the four years old girl, ¡®Sophie¡¯ really liked kicking balls around, so I gifted her the middle name of ¡®Zinedine¡¯ so that she can grow up to be great at it. I thought it was a great choice since the people of the Empire use French names. ¡°I will escort you to Juliette Pce, your highness.¡± The Imperial coachman approached and opened the carriage door for me. I nodded my head and stepped onto the step¡­ No, I was about to do so. ¡°Benjamin, that¡­¡­¡± I pointed at something. I wondered if I was seeing things because I was so tired. It was because something was happening across the street that seemed unbelievable. Benjamin¡¯s eyes opened wide after his gaze followed my finger. Ganael seemed shocked as well. ¡°¡­¡­The esteemed Divine beast?¡± The young boy nkly mumbled those words. There were thick vines growing up from the ground toward the left-most balcony of Strauder Pce. They looked as thick as the waist of adult men. I could hear the noise of the vines growing through the grass and shrubs from across the street. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Okay, this isn¡¯t a hallucination. It is real.¡¯ I got onto the carriage without any hesitation. There were red torches and magic lights around Strauder Pce since the Ball was taking ce, but I could pretend that I didn¡¯t see anything since the area around the temple was dark. It was not my business whether that red panda couldn¡¯t leave the Imperial Pce or if this was a new divine beast that appeared. ¡°Shall we go?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, your highness.¡± Everybody quickly started moving after hearing my cold voice. Ganael and Benjamin sat down and the coachman quickly moved over to close the carriage door. It was at that moment. ¨C Pruuuuuuuuu¡­¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± We all heard the pained cry of the red panda. I clenched my eyes shut. I spent all day suffering while listening to the confessions of the nobles. I worked my butt off all day and barely got out so that I could avoid going to that pce. If the author had even the smallest amount of conscience, they can¡¯t do this to me right now. ¨C Screeeeeeeech¡­¡­ It wasn¡¯t my business whether the little punk had been starving or was in pain. The Imperial family and the nobles inside will take care of it. They won¡¯t kill it since it is a divine beast and would probably put it in a cage and treat it as a spectacle for a bit before sending it off to a nice ce. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¨C Screech, screech, screeeech¡­¡­ I jumped up from my seat. If this was a webnovel with me as the main character, I would probablyment right away that, ¡®the pace is extremely slow. I¡¯m outta here.¡¯ Unfortunately, the real me was getting off the carriage. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ * ¨C Screeeeech ¡°Yes, it is your big bro. It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡± The vines had reached out and were wrapped around the ledge of the balcony now. I used the thick vines as steps and easily got to the incident site. I only came here because this was the left-most balcony of Strauder Pce. I would have clenched my teeth and left if it was the right-most balcony that Lady Sarnez mentioned. ¡°Will his highness be okay?¡± ¡°Divine beasts are not regr animals. They cannot be tamed by anyone without aether. You all just quietly go inform her Eminence about this. Hurry.¡± Benjamin was having a serious conversation with the guards of Strauder Pce down below. The soldiers seemed anxious as there was no manual for ¡®when a divine beast shows up in the garden.¡¯ They would never have let me climb up if I didn¡¯t tell them that a priest¡¯s formal attire can absorb the impact of a moving carriage. ¡°Big bro has no food right now. Will you stille with me?¡± I reached mynd through the railing. Thankfully, this red panda was the one I had looked after before. I remembered it because one of the stripes on his chubby tail was white. The red panda looked at me and tilted its head in confusion. I could hear beautiful music and the muffled noise of people talking through the half-open balcony door. ¨C Screech! ¡°Good. Come this way. Let¡¯s just spend the night together with this big bro.¡± I nned on going to look for Cardinal Boutier with this guy first thing in the morning when I wake up. Then she would take care of everything. I reached my arm out and released my Holy Domain. The red panda felt the flow of golden aether and twitched its whiskers before rubbing the tip of its round nose on my palm. I finallyughed in relief. It should be good now. ¨C Click. I suddenly saw the tip of ck dress shoes through my peripheral vision while my focus was still on the red panda. I slowly raised my head. I made eye contact with an unfamiliar man. But I had no choice but to recognize him. ¡°What are you doing over here?¡± His low voice that sounded familiar oddly made me recall a conversation I once had with Eunse. It sounded extremely fresh, as if I was hearing it through headphones. ¡®Jung Eunse, why do you always talk about the male lead when you hate him so much? Are you sure you don¡¯t actually like him?¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t¡­¡­ It¡¯s because of his damn face! Face, face, face!¡¯ My sister¡¯s face at that time resembled Ms. Na Moon-hee shouting ¡®pumpkin sweet potato!¡¯ (Reference to a Korean drama. Here¡¯s the youtube video of the scene and the ¡®look¡¯ is around the 1 minute mark https://youtu.be/vgyvy-Jhxjw) Eunse always talked highly of QNW¡¯s male lead but always maintained a cynical attitude toward him. He had the face of a god who belongs in the Louvre, but his personality is shit. I could experience what she was talking about face to face right now. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The man slightly frowned after looking back and forth at the red panda and me. ¡°¡­¡­I guess the divine beast woke up.¡± The way his face seemed to blend ssical and modern beauty so wlessly made it seem as if he belonged in the Orsay rather than the Louvre. His hair that was as ck as the abyss and his eyes that looked as if gas had been ced in there was overpowering the area. This was the second person I had to avoid at all costs. The male lead of . This was C¨¦dric Riester. ¡ª Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Chapter 22 ¨C Handling (1) That was the moment I thoroughly understood why I was the ¡®second¡¯ male lead while the Imperial Prince was the ¡®main¡¯ male lead. There was a time when Ganael told me something embarrassing and said that ten out of ten people would turn around to look at me if I walked past them. As for Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, people would not only turn around to look at him, they would drop whatever they were doing and chase after him because he was so handsome. Even looking at him from down here, I could tell that he was at least 10 cm taller than me. This was quite the difference in specs. I tried my best to snap my mind out of this funk. The Imperial Prince and I looked at each other for a while. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I had least had the broken wooden window between us when I met Christelle. Although I couldn¡¯t keep a poker face, it had been easy to hide my expressions because the Confessional is dark. The fact that Christelle rushed in and rushed out was advantageous for me as well. They were all great conditions for me to hide my shock and embarrassment. But I was facing this guy face to face. We were also on a balcony with red torches and magic lights shining from the garden below. I was almost resentful to the damn Imperial Prince for choosing this balcony of all balconies in Strauder Pce to get some air. ¡°Yes, your royal highness, I will take this little guy with me. Her Eminence, Cardinal Boutier will be informed of it as well.¡± I put on as natural of a smile as possible and opened my mouth. We didn¡¯t exchange greetings or whatever even though this was our first meeting, but I had no regrets as I was hoping that this would be our first andst meeting. I reached my arms out to the red panda. The Imperial Prince, who was looking down at me and the little guy, started speaking. ¡°I heard that you were not going to attend the ball.¡± ¡°I am not. I just happened to see this baby red panda here while passing by, your royal highness.¡± Anybody would be able to tell that there were vines that resembled Jack¡¯s beanstalk, so why the heck was he mentioning the ball? I also didn¡¯t like how the Imperial Prince was speaking informally to me even though it was our first time meeting. While all of that was going on, the red panda wasn¡¯t listening to me either. The little punk seemed to be curious about the newly arrived individual, as it stopped heading toward me and walked over to the Imperial Prince¡¯s side. The Imperial Prince was just smirking, as if he found this to be amusing, instead of helping me when he could clearly see that I was working hard to lead the divine beast to me. He truly lived up to his infamy. Why did a stupid obstacle have to appear when I don¡¯t have any crackers up my sleeves? I really wanted to go and get some rest, so I held back a sigh and released my aether. My Holy Domain appeared and the area under my feet became brighter. [¡­¡­¡¯Demy.¡¯] I then whispered the little guy¡¯s name. The noble that asked me to name his daughter earlier today told me something. ¡®They say that if you call them by a great name they will respond with a great heart.¡¯ It made sense. I¡¯ve never heard about it in Korea, but I decided I would use it if the Empire had such a saying. I based it on the name Demeter since it is an earth attribute divine beast. It is a divine beast so it is partially (demi-) a god¡­ Even though this little guy may leave here tomorrow¡­¡­ I thought that this guy might respond well ande to me if I gave him the best name I could think of right now. ¨C Screeeeech! The red panda screeched louder than ever before because of my Divine Oracle. To be more specific, it was a noise in between ¡®piiiii!¡¯ and ¡®SCREEEEEECH!¡¯ The way it was opening and closing its mouth while looking at me again made me feel really good, as it looked like it was smiling at me. The little punk started trotting over to me, as if he never got led astray at all. It then jumped right over the ledge and crawled up my arm, making me smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go now, Demy.¡± The little punk pushed down on my neck with his hind legs and stood up. I carefully held Demy¡¯s ck front paws as he tried to get on my back. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± The Imperial Prince asked that question. He keeps talking informally¡­this bastard must have been taught wrong when he was younger. ¡°What do you mean by that, your royal highness?¡± ¡°Name.¡± I¡¯m sure he¡¯s not suddenly curious about my name, so he must be asking about ¡®Demy.¡¯ ¡°That, mm¡­ He¡¯s simr in color to demi-ce sauce.¡± I couldn¡¯t mention Demeter in a world without Greek mythology and I didn¡¯t want to suddenly talk about prefixes when I still didn¡¯t know a lot about hownguage worked in this world. After I said whatever came to my mind¡­ Imperial Prince C¨¦dric scoffed. ¡°You really seem to like food.¡± ¡°I eat very well. I will be on my way now, your royal highness.¡± There was no need to chat any longer. My work here was done since I procured the red panda, Demy. I confirmed that Demy was safely on my shoulder and slowly started to mo¡­¡­ ¡®Hold on. How does he know that I like food?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± I suddenly got the chills. I mentioned the color of demi-ce sauce, I never said that I picked the name because I like that sauce. It made me feel odd. I knew that I was being overly sensitive but it nagged at me that he immediately figured out that I was a glutton. I slowly moved my eyes from looking at the vines for a ce to step to the Imperial Prince. The young man was still looking at me. ¡°Did you need anything else?¡± The clouds parted at that moment. The bright light of the moon shined down on his silhouette. I could clearly see his clear orange iris as they took in the light. The way his satin-like ck hair was slightly curly seemed quite familiar as well. ¡°No way¡­¡­¡± ¨C Dang, dang¡­¡­ I flinched and looked down. I could see Benjamin lifting nine fingers to me. The bell was ringing as it was 9pm. ¡°Nevermind, I will be on my way now, your royal highness.¡± I rapidly blurted those words out and took a step down. It seemed too personal of an issue for me to say my hypothesis out loud. My mind was quite chaotic with all sorts of thoughts. The Imperial Prince just slightly tilted his head without showing any other reaction. ¨C Screeeeeech click. I heard the balcony door open and close at that moment. I could hear the voices of the guests and the music for the waltz for a moment before they disappeared again. I then heard someone¡¯s gentle voice. I ignored everything and carefully took a step down, so that Demy would not shake. ¡°Your loyal subject greets our esteemed royal highness.¡± ¡°Lady Sarnez.¡± ¡®What did he say?¡¯ ¨C Squeeeee. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I made a mistake.¡± Demy screeched at me for missing a step. I anxiously held onto the vine in front of me. ¡®Why is that person here?¡¯ ¡°Madam, I saw that youngdy Sarnez has yet to arrive.¡± ¡°Yes, your royal highness¡­¡­ I was informed that she was going to change as she found her clothes to be ufortable.¡± Lady Sarnez¡¯s voice was shaking. The Imperial Prince was speaking respectfully to her, but the coldness in his voice made him seem more like a loan shark than her future son-inw. Demy wagged his tail in front of my face. I rebooted my body, that had stopped from a moment from shock. Thankfully, the two of them were not visible to me right now. ¡°I greet your highness, Prince Jesse Viaan as well.¡± Lady Isabelle de Sarnez suddenly spoke to me as well. ¡°I had not expected the two of you to be together¡­¡­¡± I thought that she should only be able to see the top of my head, but then I remembered that I had a tall mitre on my head right now. I felt like a pheasant. It was made so that I couldn¡¯t feel the weight or feel hot, but I felt more like a damn pheasant than a person right now. ¡°¡­¡­Hello, madam.¡± I barely managed to speak. I wanted to tell her that she got the wrong person, but I could not do that. I was wearing fancy formal attire and had purple eyes. I had no choice but to charge forward. ¡°First of all, I want to thank you very much.¡± Lady Sarnez then walked toward the ledge. I raised my head as a shadow appeared over me to find a much younger face than I expected. Her face, that seemed to be at max in her mid-thirties, seemed full of guilt and fear. ¡°I know that your time is very precious¡­¡­ I understand how disrespectful it was of me to make such an appointment as I pleased. That is why I can only thank you for your kindness to still show up¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lady Sarnez. Unfortunately, I did note here to meet with you.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± A teardrop brushed past my cheek. I clenched my teeth. ¡°I came here to rescue a divine beast. This little guy over here. I would have gone to the farthest balcony on the right if I was headed to see you, Lady Sarnez.¡± She blinked her eyes. She did not seem to understand what I was saying. ¡°Your highness, this is the farthest balcony on the right¡­¡­¡± ¡°This is the farthest left.¡± I sharply cut her off. The Imperial Prince, who was quietly listening in the back, snorted and¡­ ¡°It is the left if you look at it from the back.¡± ¡­¡­That was what he said. * The red panda Demy¡¯s fancy specialty,¡¯using thick vines to create stairs for humans,¡¯ was put on full disy. The thought about wishing that he would have used such an ability earlier was sadly toote. I had the little punk around my neck, put on as calm of an expression as possible, and stepped into the balcony. I would lose if I showed them that I was embarrassed. I could feel the obvious ridicule from Imperial Prince C¨¦dric¡¯s gaze, but I pretended not to notice it. Lady Sarnez thankfully did not ask if I was terrible with directions. ¡°Then shall we get started? Your Confession.¡± I hoped that everything would be dramatic, but progress smoothly, since I was in a novel. Even if I fail, maybe I could fail at a good spot looking cooler than right now. I wanted the type of scenario where the reader can¡¯t help but wonder about the character¡¯s growth as they scroll down. I didn¡¯t want it to focus on my identally showing up at the meeting location because I couldn¡¯t tell the building¡¯s front and back door apart. Now it made sense why there were no carriages in front of Strauder Pce. There was no need to park in the back since all guests would go in through the front. It was unbelievable the more I thought about it. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you came here for the divine beast?¡± ¡®Can you please stop talking? You¡¯re making me furious.¡¯ The Imperial Prince did not even blink at my re. I suppressed the embarrassment that was boiling inside me again and turned my head toward Lady Sarnez. She seemed concerned that someone might open the balcony door and enter, but looked a bit better after hearing that I would take her confession. ¡°Thank you very much, your highness. I would have had nothing to say even if you chose to leave¡­¡­¡± ¡®It¡¯s fine, this is to preserve thest bits of my dignity.¡¯ I almost blurted those words out but they quickly disappeared from my mind. I thought that saying something like, ¡®I made a mistake with front/back, left/right, but I am still leaving¡¯ seemed even stupider. The image of acting cool and taking her confession seemed like the better option now that things were like this. I was curious about what she had to say about the divine item that disappeared from the ¡®Temple of Vignce¡¯ as well. ¡°Now then, could our Imperial Prince please exit the balcony? Confessions are done one on one in order to maintain confidentiality.¡± The Imperial Prince¡¯s eyebrow twitched after hearing my statement, in which I purposely did not address him as ¡®your royal highness.¡¯ The response I got back was unexpected. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll need me.¡± He then raised his left hand, which had a ck glove on it. He made a horizontal gesture in the air and the balcony door clicked and locked. Lady Sarnez seemed calm but I couldn¡¯t help but be astonished. ¡°What just¡­¡­¡± ¡°I guess you haven¡¯t heard that I am a magic swordsman.¡± I had not. However, I clearly remembered Eunse calling this bastard a ¡®sword master.¡¯ I swear that I didn¡¯t get this confused with the setting for a different novel. I thought that she was right since he just swung his sword around all the time, but a magic swordsman? Furthermore, ¡®magic¡¯ did not seem to be the type of magic I imagined in my head. Is this or something? Is he some kind of mutant? ¡°Your highness, it is fine with me. I will take it as a blessing from the Almighty God that I could even confess to you. In addition¡­¡­¡± Lady Sarnez seemed to be stuck in the middle of this standoff that wasn¡¯t really a standoff between the Imperial Prince and me. Her voice was still shaking, but her ck eyes seemed firm. ¡°His royal highness has every right to know of my sin.¡± Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Chapter 23 ¨C Handling (2) ¡°Why don¡¯t we sit down and chat?¡± I guided Lady Sarnez to the flowers and the vine steps that Demy had made. It wasn¡¯tpletely clean since I stepped on them to walk down, but there wasn¡¯t anywhere else to sit on the balcony. Thankfully, Lady Sarnez did not seem to care about that. I just left that damn punk of an Imperial Prince alone to do whatever he wants. ¡°Mm, hmm. Myst confession was¡­¡­ Two months ago.¡± Lady Sarnez cleared her throat before speaking. I quietly nodded my head and released my circle. [Now, please share what you are feeling guilty about.] My voice echoed through the night air. I could feel a small amount of aether leaving my body. The Holy Domain created a geometric shape as it circled around the three people and one divine beast. Lady Sarnez seemed to nk out for a moment after seeing the golden glow. Demy detected the aether and slid down from my shoulder onto myp. I quietly waited for her to start her confession. I nned to gather as much information as possible and then return to Juliette Pce. ¡°Simon, my husband¡­¡­ loved his daughter dearly. I loved her just as much.¡± Her gaze made it seem as if she was thinking about a moment in the past. I thought I could see a small smile appearing on her face as she thought about Christelle. ¡°I realized something the day I became a part of the Sarnez Lord¡¯s Castle after marrying my husband. That child¡­¡­ Was more like me than I had expected. Although we do not share a single drop of blood, Christelle and I were very simr. We are both quiet, extremely shy, and very bad at expressing ourselves¡­¡­¡± I nodded my head at her. The original Christelle was said to be that kind of person. ¡°It was lonely living as the wife of a Duke in thatrge Lord¡¯s Castle. Simon is a good husband, but he was too busy. I married him knowing that, but it was still very hard¡­¡­ That child being there made everything okay.¡± Lady Sarnez smiled brightly. She quickly wiped a falling tear with her handkerchief. I could see her pale face gain a bit of life now that she was speaking about her daughter. ¡°That was when Christelle was eight and I was twenty-two.¡± I barely stopped myself from frowning. I knew that 18 was considered an adult in this world but it felt too young for a Korean person like me. I couldn¡¯t even fathom the amount of pressure she must have felt, bing the Lady of a house at the Korean age of 23. (TL: Korean age starts at 1 at birth, so it is generally ¡®older¡¯ than for example, the US age system) ¡°Every moment I spent with that child was happy. I didn¡¯t leave the Lord¡¯s Castle very much and that led to a lot of people pointing fingers at me, but¡­¡­ having pics with just the two of us, creating small concerts, cooking together, those moments we had¡­¡­ They were all so great that I felt as if I had received a present. I thought to myself that Christelle was a wonderful wedding gift.¡± Lady Sarnez wiped away her tears. Ganael had mentioned two rumors he had heard about her. One of them was that she was the ¡®typical stepmother.¡¯ But this expression was something that a person could not have unless they truly cherished and loved someone. Either that or she deserves an Oscar for her acting. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you are going to confess?¡± A cold low voice interrupted us at that moment. The Imperial Prince, who was leaning against the ledge with his long legs crossed, was ring at Lady Sarnez and me. ¡°I don¡¯t really care for soap operas, madam.¡± [Your royal highness.] ¡°Your highness, it is okay. His royal highness is right.¡± I was about to sharply rebuke this bastard of an Imperial Prince for interrupting someone else¡¯s confession, but Lady Sarnez stopped me. ¡°My introduction was quite long. That¡­¡­ the incident happened after Christelle went into aa.¡± She was speaking in a choppy manner. ¡°Her Majesty, with her unending grace, sent the Imperial doctor to our ce¡­¡­ My husband brought famous doctors from all around the Empire for three years to examine Christelle. However, nobody could recognize the ailment or even have a clue about it. They could not get our child to open her eyes. One of the doctors said that she might be like this forever¡­¡­ That she might sleep for the rest of her life¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is that why you took and used the Blessing of the Blue Sea?¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric sharply asked. It seemed as if he threw away all his manners,but he confirmed that he knew about the Sarnez divine item disappearing as I had expected. ¡°After hearing that it could not be healed with medicine, magic, or a priest¡¯s healing powers¡­¡­ I thought that I should go make a wish at the ¡®Temple of Vignce.¡¯¡± [Are you stating that you have stolen the divine item that was at the border?] I asked in shock but she shook her head. ¡°I thought about the legend about how the Almighty God would grant your wish if you made a ¡®wish of blood¡¯ at the divine item within the Temple of Vignce. I told my husband that I wanted to go there, and he¡­¡­ he came back with quite a bit of demonic beast blood. He said that he would not stop killing demonic beasts until his daughter was saved.¡± He probably had no other choice as a parent. They were so desperate that they chose to believe a legend that could only be found in holy text. They didn¡¯t care that other people might gossip about them going crazy. ¡°But we heard about the theft before we could start our journey toward the temple. We heard that the divine item was missing and that nobody would be able to go inside for a while. I¡­¡­¡± Lady Sarnez¡¯s statement was stopped short by her tears. Demy quietly groaned, as if he was feeling sorry for her. I gently rubbed his back. ¡°I despaired as if the world wasing to an end. Our n had to be stopped before we could even try¡­¡­ The next day, my husband asked me something. He asked if it would be better for us to let her go¡­¡­¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric quietly sighed. If I understood correctly, Duke Sarnez asked her if they should euthanize their daughter. ¡°I asked him for a day to think about it¡­¡­ I then stayed by her side all day. That was when I thought about the Blessing of the Blue Sea. If we couldn¡¯t go to the Temple of Vignce, I thought that I could at least pray to our family¡¯s divine item¡­¡­ I did it thinking that it would really be myst resort¡­¡­¡± My eyes opened wide. The Imperial Prince frowned. ¡°Then,¡± [Are you saying that you made a wish to the Blessing of the Blue Sea?] ¡°My husband does not know about it, your highness. I did it alone.¡± She quickly added on. ¡°I secretly switched the divine item with a sapphire I received as a wedding gift. I had just nned on putting it by my child¡¯s side and praying. It was going to be for just a moment. But then¡­¡­¡± Her pupils started shaking uncontrobly. ¡°A blue light shot out of the divine item and fell onto my daughter. I thought the Almighty God really was listening to my wish. It truly seemed like a miracle. I hugged Christelle with joy when she woke, but then¡­¡­ I realized that I could not see the Blessing of the Blue Sea anymore. And then¡­¡­¡± I quickly organized my thoughts. The Blessing of the Blue Sea, the item that should have been a wedding gift for the Imperial Prince and Christelle¡¯s wedding. An item that was probably a macguffin in ¡®QNW¡¯ that had disappeared in the beginning. (TL: In fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself) It was because Lady Sarnez prayed for her daughter to be saved. It seemed like a scene out of an old Disney movie, but from the author¡¯s point of view because Christelle was the main character and therefore had to wake up. Even if the author didn¡¯t want to do it, the handle had to be turned a bit to increase the probability of her waking up. ¡°My daughter¡­did not recognize me.¡± [Mm.] That was to be expected. She was Christelle, but not ¡®Christelle.¡¯ However, Lady Sarnez did not know this. ¡°At first, I thought that it was because she was still sick. My daughter, who does not have her memories, who does not seem to know a lot of things she used to know¡­¡­ My husband thinks that our daughter has ¡®be more mature¡¯ but I have a different thought.¡± Lady Sarnez¡¯s lips were shaking. It sounded as if Christelle had a hard time adjusting after transmigrating into this body. It made sense since I already knew that this was a novel but she just suddenly fell into a different world. ¡°What if¡­because I made such a difficult wish to the divine item¡­¡­ What if Christelle is being cursed because I could not understand the Almighty God¡¯s will and was greedy?¡± ¡°Are you seriously asking that question?¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric responded before I could do so. ¡°The Almighty God¡¯s curse is not a joke. If you are thinking about using that word as a shield to lessen your burden-¡± [Your royal highness, please wait.] I stopped him. The Imperial Prince seemed disgruntled but did not say anything else. [Lady Sarnez, why do you feel that way? It is possible that the youngdy is showing such symptoms because she had been sick for so long?] ¡°No, my daughter¡­¡­ is now able to control a scary ability. Water¡­she can control water with her fingertips. Arge drop of water moved ording to her will right in front of my eyes.¡± ¡®I guess this part is finally being discussed.¡¯ The Imperial Prince and I made eye contact. I could see many emotions quickly floating through his orange eyes. ¡°I told her the following. I told her that Imitted a grave sin to save her and that although I should have been the one to be punished, she received it instead¡­¡­ Christelle then responded like this.¡± She kind of scoffed in disbelief. ¨C Someone who was pretty much dead hade back to life. She told me to stop crying because it was not a curse. She said that she would personally pay the price to the Imperial family if it really was a sin that she absorbed the divine item that should have been given to the Imperial family¡­¡­¡± It was a very bold and understanding response as expected of the main character who Eunse liked. Lady Sarnez then started crying. She buried her face in her handkerchief. ¡°Please forgive me, your highness. Many people were harmed because of my extreme greed. Christelle, my husband, and even his royal highness¡­¡­ I heard that his royal highness really needed that wedding gift, but I still¡­¡­¡± The Imperial Prince had a stoic expression on his face. I couldn¡¯t tell whether he was thinking that there was nothing to be done about a past happening, or if he was hiding his anger. I repeated what she said twice in my mind so that I would not forget it. I then took a deep breath. [Oh merciful Almighty God, please forgive Lady Sarnez for the lies she has said to me.] The balcony was quiet. My Holy Domain showed no reaction. I then smiled. [Everything you said until now was the truth. Thank you very much.] Lady Sarnez¡¯s lips opened wide in shock. The Imperial Prince scoffed in disbelief. Using a confession as a lie detector. I learned how to do it from Cardinal Boutier. My Holy Domain would have shown an aether reaction and washed away Lady Sarnez¡¯s sin if she had lied, but everything she had said was true. [I apologize, but I had to ount for the possibility that you were lying.] I smiled bitterly. [And I¡­¡­ do not believe that you havemitted a sin, Lady Sarnez. You had no intention of destroying the divine item, and simply prayed for your daughter¡¯s wellbeing. It weighs on me that you did not inform your husband about it, but that is something for the two of you to slowly work out.] Lady Sarnez tightly clenched her handkerchief. The Imperial Prince then silently handed her his handkerchief when she went to use her wet handkerchief once again. I was quite shocked, but maintained a poker face as I continued with the sacrament. [I do not agree that youngdy Christelle was cursed. The power of water is an Authority of the Almighty God and is a holy blessing. They say that Holy Knights are only born in the Holy Kingdom, however¡­¡­ they also could have received their powers after they were born. The Almighty God could be capricious as well.] Lady Sarnez smiled a bit after hearing that. I could feel the Imperial Prince staring at me. [Please share the story you shared with me with her Majesty and her Eminence. Make sure to talk with your husband and youngdy Christelle as well. This is your penance.] My Holy Domain slowly lost its glow. [Please do not worry about your daughter. She will be fine.] Lady Sarnez bowed deeply after hearing my final Divine Oracle. I quickly changed topics because she seemed as if she would start crying again while mumbling about how thankful she was. There was also something else I was curious about. ¡°By the way, Lady Sarnez, how was youngdy Christelle¡­¡­ how was she nning on paying the Imperial family for it?¡± I took a peek towards the Imperial Prince as I said that. The situation made it feel as if their engagement would be broken, but I was curious to know whether Christelle still had ns to marry this punk. Maybe it would be the type of romance where she offers herself instead of the divine item? ¡°It is exactly as you just mentioned, your highness.¡± The corners of her lips struggled but slowly tilted upwards. ¡°She said that she would proudly be the Empire¡¯s first Holy Knight to pay back her debt to the Imperial family. She thought that the weight in my heart might be a bit lighter as well¡­¡­¡± ¡®Wait a minute. Umm, esteemed author-nim¡­ I think you turned the handle a bit too much¡­¡­¡¯ ¡ª Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Chapter 24 ¨C Handling (3) I couldn¡¯t quicklye up with a response. My mind was busy going through all the clues that Eunse had told me in the past. Unfortunately, thebination of the words ¡®Holy Knight¡¯ and ¡®Christelle¡¯ could not be found no matter how much I thought about it. I talked about Holy Knights earlier because I wanted to mention how Christelle¡¯s ability was not something bad, but I didn¡¯t expect things to really go like this. I was certain that the beginning of ¡®QNW¡¯ did not go like this even though I had never read it. Breaking off of the engagement and dering a change in profession¡­ The plot twist became bigger with the disappearance of the Blessing of the Blue Sea. It made me wonder what power granted Lady Sarnez her wish in the original story. It would most likely be the divine item that was said to have been stolen from the Temple of Vignce. If it was still there, Lady Sarnez might have been able to save her daughter while keeping the Blessing of the Blue Sea as a wedding gift. Christelle would also not have gotten the power of water. Then that left just one question. Who stole the divine item from the temple, and why? ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± The moment I started talking¡­ ¨C Knock, knock, knockknock I heard a somewhat familiar beat as someone knocked. It was the same beat used when cheering, ¡®Dae, Han, Minguk!¡¯ (TL: If you want to hear the beat, go to about the 15 second mark in this video https://.youtube/watch?v=T-1kW_whTIw) Imperial Prince C¨¦dric was the first to respond. He seemed to know who was knocking as he snorted a sigh before drawing another line in the air with his gloved hand. ¨C Click I heard the door unlocking. This ability seemed just as amazing the second time. The balcony door slowly opened, and a familiar person walked out with a smile on her face. Lady Sarnez and I immediately got up. ¡°Oh? It is a gathering of people I like.¡± Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier slowly addressed us. She was wearing the Cardinal¡¯s formal attire. Both her clothes and her mitre were much fancier than mine. Her clothes had a lot moreyers and the embroidery had a lot more detail. She gently waved her hand and the attendants behind her quickly withdrew. ¡°Hello, your Eminence.¡± ¡°It is my pleasure to be in your presence, your noble Eminence, Madam Cardinal.¡± ¡°Your Eminence.¡± I, Lady Sarnez, and the Imperial Prince all greeted her in that order. The Cardinal responded and said that she was happy to see us, before her beige-colored eyes turned to look at Demy, who was on my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m relieved that you tamed him well. I heard about what was going on.¡± ¨C Squeeeee. Demy quietly squealed, as if he was responding to her. I then remembered that Benjamin ordered the guards to ¡®inform her Eminence about the situation.¡¯ I was about to tell her that I would probably have to send the little guy off in the morning when the Cardinal spoke first. ¡°Our little prince did a very good job with the confession. You also didn¡¯t forget the things I taught you.¡± She was looking at me like a proud teacher. My thoughts paused for a moment before resuming. ¡°¡­¡­Did you hear all of that, your Eminence?¡± ¡°The soldiers told me it was urgent, so I even left Fr¨¦d¨¦rique behind to show up when I noticed that the balcony door was locked. I ended up hearing it while waiting inside.¡± She then said that she was sorry, though I saw no semnce of regret on her face. It looked like she purposely eavesdropped, but it was hard to suspect her because of the innocent look on her face. She slowly walked over to us and reached her hand out to Lady Sarnez. ¡°You¡¯re going to get dehydrated if you cry so much, Isabelle. Should we go drink some tea?¡± Her voice was as warm as a mother¡¯s luby. Lady Sarnez¡¯s face scrunched upon hearing the Cardinal¡¯s suggestion. It reminded me of Eunse when she was young. She would act strong and get up without crying after falling down and scraping her knee, but when I walk over to her and ask ¡®are you okay?¡¯ she would burst into tears. ¡°Waa¡­¡­¡± Lady Sarnez pressed her face against the Cardinal¡¯s shoulder. I could understand how upset she had been with such a heavy burden on her heart. The Cardinal patted Lady Sarnez¡¯s head, and led her inside while the Imperial Prince and I quietly stood there. She was headed toward where her partner, the Empress, and Lady Sarnez¡¯s partner, the Duke, were waiting for them. ¡°Oh right, C¨¦dric.¡± The Cardinal stopped to look back as she was heading out the door. The Imperial Prince waited for her to speak. ¡°I heard that youngdy Sarnez¡¯s carriage has arrived. Shouldn¡¯t you go out there?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°We probably have to cancel the engagement announcement that was nned, but you are that child¡¯s partner today.¡± She didn¡¯t even wait for the Imperial Prince¡¯s response as she smiled and started walking again. She really was kind of a do-whatever-I-want type of person, but she had an odd way of making it hard to go against her. This must be what they call charisma or something. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Imperial Prince did not respond. He was almost ring at the Cardinal as she walked away but his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. The fatigue and chaos I had momentarily forgotten about instantly flooded back after seeing the serious expression on his face. ¡°Goodbye then, your royal highness.¡± I also gave a short farewell before slowly grabbing Demy, who was tickling my neck with his movements. It was time to head back. ¡°Did you mean what you said earlier?¡± A suave low voice spoke to me from behind. I turned around to see the Imperial Prince looking down at me. I guess he¡¯s just a punk who likes to keep things short and say whatever he wants without going into much detail. ¡°What are you talking about, your royal highness?¡± His orange eyes red at me. ¡°¡­¡­The part about how it is not a curse,¡± ¡°Youngdy Christelle de Sarnez is now entering the hall!¡± A loud voice echoed out from the hall and drowned the Imperial Prince¡¯s voice. The loud hall instantly fell quiet as if doused in cold water. The endless music abruptly ended as well. I got the chills for a moment. The main character¡¯s Beau Monde debut was unique, starting immediately with her entrance. I couldn¡¯t hold back my curiosity and walked toward the balcony door. Although I wanted to avoid the two main characters, I also wanted to see the character Eunse loved so much when she was under bright lights. I needed to get a good impression of her in order to tell Eunse about how Christelle was in person. ¡°Are you interested?¡± ¡°Nope, I am just going to look, your royal highness.¡± I peeked my head out the door. Thankfully, nobody seemed to be interested in me at all. The luxuriously dressed nobles were all focused on one spot while holding either transparent wine sses or their partner¡¯s hand. They were all looking at the grand staircase descending from the second floor to the center of the hall. There was a beauty walking down the red carpeted stairs without an escort. Her pink hair that was tied up was waving while her blue-gray eyes were shining like jade marbles as they reflected the light of the chandelier. Her white jacket,which had beautiful embroidery done in blue threads, slightly shook as she moved. Her silver boots and dark blue formal attire underneath sharply contrasted the jacket. Her expression showed a hint of anxiety hidden behind confidence. It made her look like apany employee who was about to give a presentation she was proud of. Actually, she sort of looked like an employee who had written their letter of resignation. ¡°Ho¡­¡­¡± She was different. She waspletely different from the Christelle on the ¡®QNW¡¯ cover art; the girl who had her long hair down and was wearing a fancy pastel-colored dress. This Christelle looked more like a young knight. ¨C Click, click, click. Her boots cked as she walked through the marble floor. The crowd of nobles parted to the side in order to open up a path for her as if she was some kind of prophet. Christelle¡¯s destination, which she arrived at without any hesitation, was in front of the Empress and the Cardinal. The Sarnez couple was standing next to them. ¡°Hold on, Demy. I¡¯ll y with you in the carriageter.¡± The mumblings from the nobles grew louder, but I couldn¡¯t see anything because Demy was dangling his tail in front of my eyes. Christelle must have done something. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric walked past me and out of the balcony. He used the fact that he was taller than most people to urately find the shortest route to his mother and godmother. While he did that, I took off my mitre and ced Demy inside. He seemed satisfied as he created a small Azalea at the tip of his ear. ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡± The nobles blocking my view gasped in amazement. I stuck my neck out to see what was going on. Christelle was kneeling on one knee in front of the Empress and the Cardinal as if she was giving a vow of loyalty while Imperial Prince was offering her his hand and saying something. I couldn¡¯t hear what he was saying because they were too far away but the mood didn¡¯t seem bad. -????????? Christelle grabbed the Imperial Prince¡¯s hand and stood up as the waltz music restarted. The nobles pped and cheered. They seemed to have been wowed by something, as some of them were crying and calling out to the Almighty God. ¡°Wooooooooooo!¡± ¡°What a cool looking pair.¡± The nobles around me werementing in awe. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric and Christelle were dancing. Anybody would have been able to tell that she was not familiar with this but the Imperial Prince must be good at leading as there were no major mistakes. His ck uniform, which was decorated with golden threads on the sleeves, matched quite well with Christelle¡¯s outfit. ¡°I guess they really do get connected.¡± ¨C Squeeeee? I patted Demy¡¯s nose as he tilted his head in confusion. I felt a bit relieved. I no idea what Christelle said while kneeling nor what the Imperial Prince said to her, but¡­¡­ The important thing was that there was no greater green light than the two main characters holding hands and dancing together on their first meeting. ¡°This is great. Let¡¯s go for real now.¡± I raised my head after saying that¡­just for Christelle and I to make eye contact. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®No, I must not have seen correctly. She is far away and there are a lot of people here. She could have been looking at another noble and we coincidentally brushed nces as she did that.¡¯ I told myself that and took a step back. Christelle and the Imperial Prince made another one and a half turns before the Imperial Prince looked right at me this time. I flinched and closed the balcony door after walking inside. Thest thing I saw through the gap in the door was Christelle looking directly at me after the pair made another half turn. ¡°Why is this ying out like a horror movie¡­¡­?¡± I had the chills. I felt as if the author turned the handle until it fell off, then flew over and stabbed me in the chest. * ¡°Your highness, that was too much. What do we do¡­¡­? Benjamin-nim, you worked really hard as well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, you worked hard too.¡± The person who greeted me when I tiredly walked onto the carriage was Ganael, who seemed even more tired than me. Benjamin, who had been waiting for me in the garden the whole time, seemed quite tired as well. Ganael took out some lemon balm tea, a few ¨¦irs, and a basket of snacks. ¨C Knock knock. Someone knocked on the carriage door as I was peeling a hard-boiled egg for Demy. Ganael answered and the door opened. The person standing outside was not the coachman. ¡°Lady Sarnez.¡± ¡°Prince Jesse.¡± Her eyes were redder than when I had seen her on the balcony, but she looked much better as she stood there alone. Benjamin and Ganael showed her as much respect as they could while remaining seated. I offered her a seat in shock, but she just quietly chuckled and shook her head. ¡°I just came because there was something I was unable to tell you regarding the divine item that disappeared from the Temple of Vignce.¡± She then cautiously looked at Benjamin and Ganael. She was quietly asking if it was okay for the two of them to hear. ¡°I will hear it together with them. Please tell me.¡± Christelle did tell me at the Confessional that she would talk about this, but I thought that she had told me everything during her confession. I was confused, but waited for her to speak. ¡°I am unsure of the validity¡­ it was something my husband and I heard while researching rumors about the divine item. We heard it from our connection in the Holy Kingdom¡­¡­ the high-ranking priests of the Holy Kingdom seem to believe that the divine item had ¡®fulfilled its duty¡¯ rather than ¡®disappeared¡¯.¡± ¡°When you say it fulfilled its duty¡­¡­¡± ¡°Someone might have made a wish there and caused the divine item to be permanently damaged rather than gone.¡± She fixed her shawl. It looked as if she hastily put it on toe here. ¡°I heard that while her Eminence, Cardinal Boutier, has cleared your name as the representative of the Empire, the priests of the Holy Kingdom believe you are innocent for that reason. Because of that¡­¡­¡± My extremely tired brain started to move again. Maybe the divine item from the Temple had disappeared after fulfilling someone¡¯s wish instead of being stolen. Thanks to that, the backstory and setting of the novel has beenpletely twisted. ¡°I wished to tell you because I thought that it would be good for you to know as well, your highness.¡± She finished speaking in a quiet voice. I saw a brightly shining thread of potential from within the hundreds of thin and weak threads surrounding it. ¡ª Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Chapter 25 ¨C Curriculum for Pride and Prejudice (1) I think I slept for about 10 hours. Christelle, the main character, proimed that she would get a new upation while Imperial Prince C¨¦dric looked a lot like someone else I know. Then there was the mystery about the divine item from the Temple. I wondered if I would be able to sleep because I had so much to think about but I knocked out as soon as I washed up andid down on the bed. It was 9 a.m. when I opened my eyes. ¨C Chirp, chirp¡­¡­ ¡°It¡¯s nice and peaceful.¡± I agreed with Benjamin, and took a sip of cinnamon tea. We had morning tea time like this quite often but it felt as if we had not had it for a long time becausest night felt so long. The garden, which was even nicer than usual because of the guests, was as quiet as a library. It was as if a storm had gone through. ¡°I think I will need to pretend to be sick from a couple days out whenever there is an event in the future.¡± Benjamin nodded his head. I put a piece of apple in Demy¡¯s mouth as he sat on myp, and looked toward the notebook on the table. Benjamin made sure to never look at me, not even withan idental nce, whenever I was writing something in the notebook. Maybe he thinks this is some kind of tragic memoir of a diplomatic hostage or something like that. He wasn¡¯tpletely wrong so I didn¡¯t say anything. ¨C The divine item that was stolen from the Temple of Vignce. It is possible that it did not disappear, and that someone had used it. This was the first thing to figure out. This is all just a hypothesis from here but it would bepletely different moving with an idea in mind versus without any thought. I started to analyse all of the information Lady Sarnez told me in front of the carriagest night. The divine item at the temple that should have been used to save Christelle had been used up after fulfilling someone else¡¯s wish first. That led to Lady Sarnez having no choice but to use the ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea¡¯, which was used in the original story as a wedding gift for Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. It was such a powerful variable that it warped the story for the main character. There was only one external factor that could have done this in my opinion. It was me. ¨C Squeeeee. ¡°Demy, don¡¯t climb on top of the table.¡± I hugged Demy¡¯s ck belly as he reached his paw toward the table and put a grape in his mouth. The red panda quickly calmed down. ¡®Jesse Viaan¡¯ died for sure in the original. The next day, someone did something to revive him, leading to my possessing his body and time regressing. I thought that this was some kind of natural phenomenon until now. Things like this happen frequently in webnovels where the main character ends up possessing a character in a novel. No ¡®external power¡¯ seemed to have done anything, and they just ended up in the book. The life after possession was more important than how the possession happened. I believed that I was in a simr situation until yesterday. The theft of the divine item at the temple was a bit concerning, but I had not thought much about it especially after almost dying. But it ended up not being a simple theft. Someone made a wish to save ¡®me¡¯ and I ended up possessing this body as a result. ¨C The divine item that was stolen from the Temple of Vignce. It is possible that it did not disappear and that someone used it. ¨C Who made the wish? ¨C Do other divine items have the power to grant wishes as well? If this is the case, then who is the culprit? I was a bit curious about that, but I didn¡¯t think that much would change even if I knew. Even if the future Christelle made the wish after hearing the news about Prince Jesse¡¯s death, the current Christelle would have no idea. I thought about Eunse as well, but that seemed even less likely. I have no idea what Eunse would have to do to make magic like this happen since she was not a part of the novel. In the end, there were two important things for me to consider. ¨C Do other divine items have the power to grant wishes as well? A lot of people seem to know that the divine item at the temple would grant someone¡¯s request through a ¡®wish of blood¡¯, but that did not seem to be the case for the Blessing of the Blue Sea. ording to what I read in a book, it was just an extremely strong water-attribute divine item. The fact that it saved Christelle was just the author forcing it to grant a wish in order to push the story forward, but I could not ignore this glimmer of hope. ¨C If other divine items could react to human desire and grant their wish, would they be able to fulfill my request to go back home? Even I could tell that it was probably too optimistic to be true, but¡­¡­ ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth is headed this way, your highness.¡± I snapped out of my thoughts. My notebook was full of underlines and circles. I raised my head to see Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth energetically walking over with her olive-colored short hair fluttering in the wind. Ganael was with her as well. ¡°Good morning, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡°Hello, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth.¡± The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard seemed quite refreshed after sessfullypleting a big event. I closed my notebook, and put it in my pocket. Benjamin got up and offered her a seat while Ganael chatted with me. ¡°Her Eminence, Cardinal Boutier, said that she would personally contact the Duhem March. She asked how 3 p.m. this afternoon would work for a meeting.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine with me. I¡¯m surprised that her Eminence is okay with it. Thank you, Ganael.¡± Ganael also told me some more information about Demy, along with the fact that my personal tutoring with the Cardinal at 11 a.m. was rescheduled for the afternoon. I thought about skipping the lesson today because I slept in and I had a lot of thoughts to organize, and then, I ended up with a response like this. Benjamin quickly took care of his and Ganael¡¯s empty cups before telling us to ¡®chat in peace¡¯ and walked toward Juliette Pce with the boy. ¡°Thank you foring all this way despite your busy schedule. You worked really hardst night.¡± I personally poured some cinnamon tea for Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. She received the cup and smiled. Her grey eyes were sparkling while looking at the desserts. ¡°Your highness, I wee your summons at any time. It gives me an official excuse to avoid my work. I worked pretty much until right before I died yesterday so I am feeling very refreshed now that it is over.¡± She took a sip of tea as she told me about everything that happened at the Spring Ball. Most of it was rted to the nobles, especially ones who wouldn¡¯t listen to the Imperial Guards and would only listen when she, the future Count, showed up. It led to her having no choice but to show up at each incident. ¡°Now that I think about it, I heard that you were actually at the Strauder Pce for a bit, your highness.¡± ¡°I was only on the balcony. It was because of this little guy.¡± I said that as I pointed to Demy, who was starting to climb up my chest. ¡°Is he the same one from before?¡± ¡°Yes he is. I thought that he had left, but turns out he was still in the pce. He should be headed to the Duhem March where the other divine item is located soon.¡± ¨C Screeeech Demy quietly screeched. I gently patted his back and opened and closed my mouth a few times. I had called for Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth early in the morning because I had something to say, but it was not easy to actually ask it. I wondered if it really was okay to ask this question, but I also felt that I had a right to know. ¡°Please feel free to say whatever is on your mind, your highness.¡± She must have noticed my hesitation as she started to speak first. I finally managed to say the thing that had been worrying me the most sincest night. ¡°I recently saw a young boy in the Imperial Pce. He asked me to keep it a secret, but I don¡¯t think I can do that anymore.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She put the teacup up to her lips. ¡°He has ck hair and his eyes are orange. He is about this tall¡­¡­¡± ¡°Cough, cough! Cough, cough, cough!¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth started coughing after she choked on the tea. Demy got shocked by this and raised his tail. I quickly handed her a napkin and poured some water into the now-empty cup. She took a while to calm down, but there were still tears in her eyes. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Please, ahem, please continue.¡± ¡°Ah, of course. That little boy and I have run into each other a few times. He says name is C¨¦die.¡± ¡°Haaa¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± She sighed and covered her mouth with the napkin. It really seemed as if there was something she was hiding. ¡°He looked quite a bit like Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. I¡¯m sure you would think that if you saw him as well, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡­¡± ¡°Have you already met him before?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth nodded her head with a stiff expression on her face. ¡°Do you know him?¡± She nodded again. ¡°He seemed to wander through the Imperial Pce as he pleased. Is that kid part of the Imperial family as well?¡± She hesitated for a moment before nodding her head. As expected, the ¡®Imperial Prince¡¯s best friend¡¯ really did know everything. An image formed in my mind. I recalled how Eunse would call the Imperial Prince trash all the time. was said to be loved by many people because it mixed together old cliches and new ideas. It seems more ridiculous than a novel concept no matter how many times I think about it, but I guess people would keep reading about a male lead like this because they were interested in his back story. ¡°Does he have a ce to stay? His Royal Highness is taking good care of him, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t think I heard you properly, your highness?¡± She was nkly staring at me. ¡°That kid would even hide in the Imperial Pce Confessional. I don¡¯t think that his educational environment is very good. I know that it is not my ce to say this since I am not his family member nor his parent, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me, your highness. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth reached both hands out to cut me off. ¡°Umm, may I ask who you think that child is?¡± ¡°Whatever mistake his Royal Highness may have made when he was younger is none of my business.¡± I sternly responded. C¨¦die was born with Divine Power. He seemed to have learned how to use it as well. However, he imed he is neither a priest nor a Holy Knight. He found it difficult to tell me his parents or how old he was. His tone was arrogant and his actions were elegant. That must mean that the person he learned from was the same way. ¡®Crapdric, that shithead, he really needs to think about what he did to Christelle. He better regret that for the rest of his life. Erase your past, you little punk¡­¡­¡¯ Eunse¡¯s voice echoed like a siren in my mind. The ¡®past¡¯ that she might have been talking about could be this kind of past. ¡°I just ache seeing a child in a simr situation as myself. I was a child born between royalty and a priest as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I hope that you can take good care of him, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth.¡± She bit down on her lips. It must be hard for her to maintain her expression as her face waspletely red from the neck up. She seemed to be shaking a bit as well. ¡°Demy, a toothpick is too sharp to eat. Spit it out.¡± Demy started causing some trouble at that point, so I could not observe Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth any longer. I think I heard her mumbling something about telling the truth or karma, but I wasn¡¯t sure. Anyway, I organized my notebook and had a nagging question resolved thanks to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. My morning tea times were always so helpful. * ¡°Your Eminence, Prince Jesse has arrived.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Every second and every minute seemed like an eternity yesterday but time was moving quite quickly today. It was 2:40 p.m. so I left for the Cardinal¡¯s office and I was standing there right now, making sure that I looked okay. Cardinal Boutier¡¯s attendant, Natalie, told me that I looked fine. She then opened the door. Benjamin and Ganael, who were standing behind me, told me to ¡®not hurt myself,¡¯ along with ¡®your highness, don¡¯t roll on the ground too much today!¡¯ They both quietly whispered that to me. I couldn¡¯t tell whether they were worried about me or mocking me. ¡°Hello, little prince. Did you rest well?¡± ¡°Prince Jesse greets her noble Eminence, Madam Cardinal.¡± I bowed and raised my head to see her eye sparkling under her monocle as she pointed to a side of her office. I had an ominous feeling while looking at her bright smile. I slowly turned my head. Another guest had arrived before me. ¡°Hello, Prince Jesse Viaan.¡± A woman smiled brightly and greeted me respectfully. It was thest pair of eyes I saw before closing the door of the Strauder Pce balcony. Her blue-gray eyes looked cold but clear. Her outfit was different from yesterday, but her pink hair was still tied up the same way. ¡°This is youngdy Christelle de Sarnez and she will be learning with you starting today.¡± The Cardinal was dering that we would be working as a team today. This was not something that was not in our original tutoring sybus. ¡ª Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Chapter 26 ¨C Curriculum for Pride and Prejudice (2) ¡°Learn together?¡± I stupidly asked back. The situation was so sudden and shocking that I forgot that I didn¡¯t even greet Christelle properly. I tried so hard to not go to the Spring Ball, but I ended up dipping my foot over there anyways. I consoled myself that it was okay since it was just a short visit, but what is this tragedy of being in the same ce as the main character the very next day? It was hard to ept. ¡°It is only temporary. We just requested that the Vatican send a Holy Knight to teach Christelle so I decided to teach her temporarily until they look over my request, ept it, and dispatch someone to the Sarnez Duchy.¡± I sighed internally at Cardinal Boutier¡¯s response. Basically, this meant that the Cardinal and the Empress were epting Christelle¡¯s desire to be a Holy Knight in order to repay her debt to the Imperial family. I guess they couldn¡¯t let go of such a talented individual even if the engagement was terminated. I wanted toin and say that these were supposed to be one-on-one lessons, and that I wanted a refund, but this was the Cardinal and not some after-school learning center. Someone as busy as her probably did not have time to train two students separately. I had enough justification to say that I would go on spring break while she teaches Christelle. I was at least relieved to hear that it was temporary. The Cardinal was a priestess and not a Holy Knight so she should only be able to teach Christelle the basics and mainly theory. ¡°¡­¡­I understand. Please take good care of me, youngdy Sarnez.¡± I spoke extremely stiffly on purpose. I called her by her family name and didn¡¯t smile. Since things were going to be like this despite my wishes, I decided that I would make sure to earn some negative points while we learned together. ¡°Yes, thank you very much for yesterday. My mother wishes to invite you for a meal when you are free.¡± Unfortunately, Christelle responded as if she had not received any damage from my cold demeanor. The ¡®yesterday¡¯ she was talking about was how I listened to Lady Sarnez¡¯s confession on the balcony during the Spring Ball. Lady Sarnez seems like a good person, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to eat properly because of the pressure and fear at the knowledge of eating with the main character¡¯s mother. ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I believe that that will be difficult.¡± I mechanically responded back. I was so relieved that I could not leave the Imperial Pce because I was a diplomatic hostage. ¡°Take a seat. I will get you some tea.¡± The Cardinal smiled gently and guided Christelle and I to the couch. She called her attendant, Natalie, while observing us with a warm gaze that made me even more frustrated. I thought that that damn bastard of an Imperial Prince should be here instead of me¡­¡­ ¡°Is this your first time meeting each other?¡± I debated on how to answer that question when Christelle started speaking first. ¡°No ma¡¯am, I went to see Prince Jesse at the Imperial Temple Confessional. I asked him to ept my mother¡¯s confession.¡± ¡°The Confessional? What a fitting location for a Holy Knight. It looks like your future will be bright.¡± The Cardinal¡¯s beige-colored eyes curled up. Christelle and I just blinked our eyes as we had no idea what she meant by that. ¡°Every Temple Confessional has a set amount of aether flowing through it at all times. It is there to calm the penitents and inspire faith in them. There is also no better ce for a Holy Knight to refill their aether in an emergency.¡± Christelle¡¯s eyes sparkled as she nodded her head. She talked about how it now made sense as to why she felt a bit more rxed as soon as she walked in there. After hearing that, I couldn¡¯t help but think about someone else I had met in the Confessional. To be more specific, a certain young child. ¡®¡­¡­What are you doing here?¡¯ ¡®I¡­¡­ I am listening to confessions. I am a priest.¡¯ ¡®Hmph, you¡¯re doing things you weren¡¯t even told to do.¡¯ I felt as if one mystery had been resolved. That punk C¨¦die must have urgently hidden in the Confessional the day we first met because he wascking aether. He was suffering from the fever, chills, and dizziness because of aether depletion, and had no choice but to go inside because he could not get proper help. I started feeling ufortable after thinking about that child. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric really seemed to be trash, as Eunse mentioned. C¨¦die imed that he was neither a priest nor a Holy Knight, but if I had a son like him, I would have done whatever I could to partner him with a talented priest. I would also never let a kid, who doesn¡¯t even seem old enough for elementary school yet, roam around on his own at night. Neglect, abandonment¡­ this really seemed to be child abuse. I felt stupid that I had not realized the severity of the environmental issues around that child earlier. ¡°¡­¡­Here is the daisy tea for Prince Jesse.¡± Natalie put a warm cup of tea in front of me. I finally snapped out of my thoughts. I had no idea when she came in here, but the Cardinal¡¯s attendant was elegantly serving us our drinks. ¡°Thank you, Natalie. Go get some rest.¡± ¡°Yes, your Eminence.¡± I suddenly became curious after seeing how warmly the Cardinal was speaking to her attendant. Actually, I had nned on asking about it before I knew Christelle was going to be here today. The thing she had said when she had epted me as her disciple¡­¡­ ¡®There is a young child.¡¯ ¡®A young child?¡¯ ¡®Yes. I hope that you can help that child.¡¯ I wanted to ask her if C¨¦die was the child she was talking about. I wanted to ask if her response was regarding aether depletion when I asked if the child was sick. My theory seemed pretty urate if C¨¦die really was the Imperial Prince¡¯s illegitimate child. C¨¦die would be like a grandson to the Cardinal since she was the Imperial Prince¡¯s godmother. It made sense that she would reach out to me since she was not the type of person who would sit back and let a child like that suffer. The thing I was curious about though¡­¡­ ¡°A Holy Knight usually partners up with a priest. They be friends who can watch each others¡¯ backs. The priest provides aether for the Holy Knight while the Holy Knight protects the priest to ept the will of the Almighty God.¡± I wanted to know why that child still did not have a priest partner. I wanted to know why she had not attached a priest to a kid who was born into the Imperial family of the Empire and coulde and go as he pleases in the Imperial Pce. Even if he was an illegitimate child that people didn¡¯t know about, I felt that she should get a reliable religious figure toe, even if it wasn¡¯t someone at the Archbishop level or higher. ¡°I see, that is an interesting rtionship.¡± Christelle responded to the Cardinal with an interested expression on her face. I looked at the daisies floating in my teacup as I continued to think. ¡®Did C¨¦die not want a priest?¡¯ That was something to consider as well. I was sure that it was child abuse until a moment ago, but all I could do was tell him to be careful if he was acting as he pleased. There was not much that the adults could do for him if he was sneaking out of his ce to roam around at night and refusing to get a priest. But at least it seemed that the father and son did chat with each other as he seems to have shared with the Imperial Prince that I like food. ¡®I will have no reason to see you again starting tomorrow if the divine beasts detect the divine item in the Lord¡¯s Castle.¡¯ The child¡¯s clear voice echoed in my head. I really had not seen him since then. I did get reunited with Demy, but I¡¯m sure that C¨¦die led the other two little creatures properly. There is no need for me to worry about the little punk since Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth seems to know about the situation as well¡­¡­ ¡°Little prince?¡± I suddenly heard the Cardinal¡¯s voice. I jerked my head up in shock. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you are having idle thoughts with twodies in front of you.¡± She mischievously curled her eyes up. Both of their cups were about half empty. ¡°My apologies, your Eminence. I guessst night was very tiring. I nked out for a moment.¡± I wet my lips with cold water and said whatever came to my mind. I should have been more careful not to think about other things while next to the main character. Christelle looked toward me and silently chuckled. ¡°I was asking if you had a partner, your highness.¡± ¡°A partner?¡± ¡°Yes, a Holy Knight partner.¡± ¡°I do not have one.¡± Her eyes opened wide at my response. Her pink hair, that was tied in a high ponytail, was shaking. ¡°I am new to this, but even I can feel that your aether is amazing, your highness. I can¡¯t believe that you still don¡¯t have a partner¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are Holy Knights more reserved?¡± She quietly whispered. The Cardinal and I made eye contact. It was because my aether was not innate. The Holy Knights of the Holy Kingdom just did not want to partner with the Prince Jesse of the past who had nothing to offer. I was just a ¡®Bishop in name¡¯ until I came here, and both the Prince Consort of the Holy Kingdom and the Empire¡¯s Empress believed that was the case as well. The former even sent weak assassins to kill me. But my aether level exploded exponentially at some point, and the Prince Consort¡¯s attempts ended up in failure. I had no idea about the source of this sudden power at first, but I have a hypothesis about it now. ¡°First of all, I am a foreigner who is unable to exit the pce as I please. The Holy Knight who partners with me will be inconvenienced in many ways.¡± I came up with an excuse that sounded usible in my current situation. Christelle nodded her head with a serious expression on her face. I didn¡¯t know whether my intentions of letting her know my situation got through to her or not. She is the precious daughter of a hot shot Duke, while I am a diplomatic hostage whom the Holy Kingdom has no problem sending off. She would be happier with a different priest. ¡°But this is no longer the Warring Era so there is no need for aether to always be full and for priests and their Holy Knights to always be around each other.¡± She responded to me very quickly. It sounded as if my statement went in one ear and out the other¡­¡­ ¡°There are always fewer Holy Knights than priests. It is not weird for a priest to not have a partner.¡± Cardinal Boutier smoothly interjected into our conversation. ¡°Our little prince is definitely a talented Bishop, but it might be difficult for him to be a priest for a Holy Knight as he is dedicated to his task of taking Confessions.¡± ¡®This¡­¡­ Is she helping me? She¡¯s definitely trying to help me, right?¡¯ ¡°Then should we invite a mage for the next lesson to learn the differences between a Holy Knight and a mage?¡± Christelle was about to say something when the Cardinal announced the end of the lesson. I got up with a confused expression on my face, unable to figure out what had just happened. Only thirty minutes had passed when I looked up at the clock. ¡°Thank you very much, your Eminence. I will see you in two days.¡± ¡®Well¡­¡­ I guess the orientation is always short.¡¯ That was what I decided to think before respectfully saying farewell to the Cardinal, giving a brief goodbye to Christelle, and quickly leaving her office. I rushed, because although it was not very likely, I didn¡¯t want to think about her potentially asking to walk together. Thankfully, the Cardinal did not ask to have lunch today. I don¡¯t know whether I was being overly sensitive, but my back felt itchy until the moment the door closed. * ¡°I would head over to Juliette Pce immediately and tell him if I were you.¡± The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard, who was sitting down in a corner of the indoor training ground, shouted in a loud voice. The Imperial Prince who was drawing something with the tip of his sword suddenly stopped moving. ¡°Really¡­¡­ I won¡¯t tell him the truth, but¡­¡­ I would rather tell the truth and get his help than have such a misunderstanding. That would be a hundred times better.¡± ¨¦lisabeth seemed quite weird today. She wasughing instead of getting angry, despite the Imperial Prince¡¯s fire charring her sleeves ck and the Imperial Prince breaking her training sword once again. She had been weird since the moment she got to the training ground. She would snicker to herself like a crazy person and go, ¡®ah, how can he have such a thought? Is he a genius?¡¯ At times, she seemed as if she would cry as well. Her expressions quickly changed back and forth from amazement to dying fromughter. C¨¦dric slightly frowned. ¡°I told you that I have no need for help from the prince.¡± ¨¦lisabeth plopped down on the ground. The Imperial Prince wondered if he needed to call the Imperial doctor. It was concerning that his one friend was already suffering from the heat. His attendant, David Capuson, happened to walk in through the door at that moment. C¨¦dric lowered his sword and greeted him. ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you are here.¡± ¡°This is a message from her Eminence, Cardinal Boutier.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Capuson continued to speak with a serious expression on his face. ¡°¡¯The wave entering the cold pce. 11 a.m. two dayster in the outdoor training ground.¡¯ That is the message.¡± The Imperial Prince did not say anything. ¨¦lisabeth was the first to react. ¡°Can Ie watch?¡± C¨¦dric just ignored her. He picked up his sword and headed toward the center of the training ground. Capuson watched the Imperial Prince¡¯s back for a moment before giving a short nod to ¨¦lisabeth and heading out. The attendant just hoped that his master would make a wise decision. ¡ª Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Chapter 27 ¨C Curriculum for Pride and Prejudice (3) Today was once again a day without a lesson. However, it was a day with an extremely important task for me toplete. ¡°Hello, Prince Jesse. Have you been well, your highness?¡± ¡°Hello, Agnes. It has been a while.¡± I smiled brightly at the mountain keeper, Agnes, whom I had not seen in a while. Agnes lowered her strong body to bow deeply. This woman, who hade to confess to mest time because she felt burdened at the thought that she may have harassed a divine beast, seemed much calmer and rxed thanst time. ¡°Please say hello to this guy as well. I have chosen to name him Demy.¡± ¡°H, hi¡­¡­¡± ¨C Screech! Agnes seemed to be having difficulties epting the situation but gently waved her hand toward Demy, who was seated on top of my right shoulder. Seeing this, Demy slowly moved over to my left shoulder. The way he was raising and lowering his head to observe Agnes made me unsure as to whether he remembered her or not. ¡°He¡¯s really going to a good ce now, so you can be at ease.¡± I told her that so that she could rx. Agnes nodded her head with tears in her eyes. I had invited Agnes here thinking that seeing Demy off might help Agnes feel more at ease, and I was relieved that my hypothesis was correct. ¡°Your highness, they are ready to head out.¡± Benjamin came over to inform me. There was arge and luxurious carriage in front of Juliette Pce today. The Duhem March had sent it to us to transport Demy, our divine beast, and the Marquis¡¯s extremely shy family crest was next to the door to scare off anybody who would dare to get in its way. I walked toward the carriage with Agnes. Demy must not have realized the situation yet as he was leisurely wagging his tail to match my steps. ¡°You¡¯ll get in trouble if you cause a ruckus over there. Don¡¯t bite sharp things and don¡¯t fool around where people are working.¡± I slowly exined things to the red panda. I couldn¡¯t tell if this little punk was actually listening to me as he was busy biting the piece of fig I put in his mouth. I could hear the sound of the pulp breaking apart. I was confused where all the fruit he ate went, as he did not have to go to the restroom even though he ate so well. ¡°Hello, Prince Jesse Viaan, I greet the Moon of the Holy Kingdom.¡± I turned my head after hearing an unfamiliar man¡¯s voice. The person who called out to me was a handsome buff man with ck skin. He was wearing a uniform simr to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s but the decorations were more colorful and he had a lot of medals. I finally realized the identity of this unfamiliar man. It would be strange if he did not apany this carriage on such an important day. ¡°You must be Captain Herv¨¦ Duhem. Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°It is an honor to meet you like this, your highness. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from ¨¦lisabeth, hahaha.¡± The manughed out loud and offered me his hand. It was interesting, as this was the first time I was offered a handshake sinceing to this world. I grabbed hisrge and thick hand as I greeted him. Captain Herv¨¦ Duhem, the second son of the Duhem March, looked less authoritative and more like a muscleman. He was one of the Empire¡¯s greatest mages and was featured in the earlier in the year as one of the ¡®Top 10 Most Charming Bachelors in Riester¡¯. Of course, I am not interested in that ranking at all. ¡°Will you be escorting the carriage, Captain Duhem?¡± (TL: Should be Sir Duhem, but I am going to use Captain as I have been using Vice Captain instead of Dame for ¨¦lisabeth as this word is used for multiple things in this novel) ¡°No, your highness. I will only guard it until we reach the boundary of the Imperial Capital. The Imperial Troops and three Clergy level priests will escort it to the territory. The divine beasts are important but Her Majesty¡¯s safety is most important to me.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I nodded my head at him before stopping after realizing something odd. ¡°I believe you just said divine beasts¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. The other two are in the carriage.¡± ¡°The other two?¡± My eyes opened wide while Benjamin and Ganael gasped behind me. The Captain of the Imperial Guard looked at the three of us with confusion before opening the carriage door. The three priests sitting inside noticed me and jumped up to show their respect. ¨C Squeak! ¨C Squeal! I responded to their greeting while being stunned looking at the two red pandas that seemed to be rolling on the floor trying toe closer to me. They were definitely bigger than Demy and they did not have the white stripe on their tails like Demy had. They were exactly as C¨¦die had described them. ¡°His Royal Highness brought them to us this morning. Your aether must really be amazing for the three of them to all reside only around Juliette Pce, your highness.¡± Captain Duhemughed as he said that. Even Agnes, who had been quietly standing there, confirmed the situation by saying ¡®Yes, these are the three I saw in the mountain.¡¯ My mind was aplicated mess as I turned toward Romero Pce. C¨¦die and the divine beasts had not appeared since leaving my balcony that night. I had expected the kid to have led them to the March, however, I guess he must have used up his fire attribute power keeping the divine beasts asleep at the imperial Pce. That would have required a lot more aether than usual¡­¡­ ¨C Screeeeech Demy screeched before climbing down my right arm. I was careful to make sure he did not fall, and reached my arm out and into the carriage. ¡°It¡¯s a family reunion. You must be happy, Demy.¡± ¨C Pruuuu! The little punk safely boarded the carriage. The three red pandas sniffed each other and opened their mouths wide as if they were greeting one another. He then stood on his hind legs and put his body like a nket on top of one of the other red panda¡¯s heads. The third red panda screeched before putting its ck front paw on the two red pandas in a pile. The three of them ended up in one giant ball as they rolled around on the carriage floor. The priests groaned in pain as the three rolled around. ¡°Your highness, my heart is hurting so much¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s normal, Ganael.¡± It was cute enough seeing one red panda, but the three of them together was just too darn cute. I quietly observed the red pandas as they had fun together before handing two packages to one of the priests. I had asked Benjamin and Ganael for themst night. ¡°This is some fruit, please give them to the divine beasts on your way there. I don¡¯t know about the others but that one over there with the white stripe on his tail likes them a lot. This one here is snacks for all of you.¡± The priests in the carriage became shocked and bowed deeply toward me. I felt embarrassed and waved them off. I had originally thought about a snack for Demy before remembering the people and preparing snacks for them as wellst minute. Their reactions were more intense than I had expected. ¡°¨¦lisabeth told me the desserts from Juliette Pce are amazing. Our priests are very lucky today.¡± Captain Duhem, who had been watching,ughed loudly before grabbing the carriage door. It was time to say goodbye. ¡°Demy, you have to stay healthy when you go there, okay?¡± I waved my hand toward him. I¡¯ve gotten attached to him already and the thought of this being ourst moment together made the tip of my nose scrunch up, but this guy had a better environment and a family to go back to. Demy must have noticed the change in the mood as he stopped rolling around and looked right at me. I did my best to smile and lowered my arm once the door was about half way closed. It was at that moment¡­ ¨C Screeeeeeech! Demy screeched loudly and swiftly escaped the closing carriage. I caught the ck ball of fluff on my leg in shock. I was extremely confused, as I had never seen this little guy move so quickly. ¡°No, you have to go with your friends.¡± ¨C Pruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! ¡°Why are you acting like this?¡± Benjamin, Ganael, Agnes, and Captain Duhem all seemed anxious as well. I put on an awkward smile before looking at Demy who had instantly conquered the top of my shoulder. Anybody would be able to tell that this divine beast looked upset. It¡¯s white eyebrows, that looked as if someone had dabbed paint on his face, were frowning viciously. I could see a pink tongue as Demy opened his mouth wide as if to threaten us. My heart hurt so much, it felt as if it would break¡­¡­ ¡°Demy, Captain Duhem¡¯s hometown has a fire attribute divine item. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it.¡± I slowly petted the little punk from head to toe and cautiously picked up his warm body. I was nning on putting him back in the carriage. ¨C Screeeeech! Demy twisted his body and gentlynded on the ground. I thought that I had failed, but he did not run away and simply grew vines with sharp leaves from the tips of his paws. I looked closely and the vines had thorns on them as well. His face was pout pout while the nts were poke poke. ¡®Maybe¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Do you not want to go?¡± ¡°That seems to be the case, your highness.¡± Captain Duhem sounded amused. The priests inside the carriage lookedpletely stunned. I was a bit shocked but also touched as I stood there at a loss for words. Demy then raised his tail. ¨C Crack! ¡°Say that you will raise him, your highness!¡± Ganael became distraught looking at the now cracked ground. Demy was jumping up and down. It was almost as if he was asking whether or not I am aware of his abilities and to hurry up and receive him, this powerful glorious creature, and serve to his needs. And then¡­¡­ ¨C Dunk! There was a dull noise as a small sinkhole appeared in front of Juliette Pce. It was the perfect size for Demy to go inside and take a nap in. I could hear Benjamin mumbling as he called out to the Almighty God. I thought about the possibility of someonegetting hurt from Demy¡¯s protest and quickly lowered myself in front of him. ¡°Demy, big bro was in the wrong. I won¡¯t send you off.¡± ¨C Screeeeech! ¡°I mean it. I promise. Now I won¡¯t send you even if you ask me to let you go.¡± ¨C Whimper¡­ Demy shook his head. He still seemed disgruntled about something. One of the priests inside the carriage quickly delivered the bag of fruit to me. It was some very quick thinking on his part. ¡°Thank you very much. Oh look, here are some blueberries.¡± I grabbed a handful of the blue fruit and handed it to him. He pointed his nose and sniffed the fruit before finally climbing my arm. He didn¡¯t seem to have any desire to eat it right now, but I guess he wanted me to show that I was willing to be his fruit shuttle. I could see the thorny vines on the ground slowly start to wither. His tantrum sure was odd. ¡°Captain Duhem, it seems¡­.. I will need to keep Demy here.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Yes, your highness. I will personally inform her Majesty. I got to watch quite a precious sight today!¡± The Captain of the Imperial Guard wasughing out loud for some reason. I stood up looking embarrassed. I could see that the attendants from Juliette and Romero Pce had gathered around the carriage. ¡®It¡¯s like a free show for the neighborhood¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Then let¡¯s say goodbye to your friends. Say bye bye.¡± ¨C Pruu! ¨C Squeeeee! ¨C Squee! Demy looked at the red pandas inside the carriage and let out a short purr and the others responded simrly. ¡°The ¡®Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts¡¯ is happening soon so the three of them may be reunited at that time.¡± Captain Duhem slowly spoke as he watched. The coachman must have realized that the incident was over, as he stopped standing around and walked over to close the carriage door. The Imperial Guard members who had been standing at attention walked over after hearing Captain Duhem¡¯sments. ¡°Is the ¡®Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts¡¯ thepetition taking ce next month?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. My big brother is sharpening his magic skills waiting in anticipation.¡± The Captain of the Imperial Guard answered my question in a refreshing manner before getting on his horse. The ¡®Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts¡¯ was apetition for hunting demonic beasts that happened at the start of spring in the Duhem March. This event was famous because Marquis Fran?ois Duhem, Captain Duhem¡¯s big brother and the organizer for the event, always put up an amazing prize for the winner, and because the Empress and the Cardinal observed thepetition every year. The Empress participated two years ago and took the perks of the victor ording to the . ¡°I¡¯m sure Demy will enjoy that.¡± I felt that her Majesty might let Demy go with them to get some fresh air for an event like that. There shouldn¡¯t be any concerns of Demy running astray as Cardinal Boutier can use Divine Power. I nodded my head before thinking of a question and looking up. ¡°Captain Duhem, are you perhapsing to my lesson tomorrow?¡± ¡°When you say lesson¡­¡­¡± ¡°Her Eminence the Cardinal said that she would invite a mage to teach me.¡± Ipletely left out the part about Christelle, but it wasn¡¯t a lie. Captain Duhem shrugged his shoulders andughed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, your highness. I have never received such a request. But I have a pretty good idea who it will be if her Eminence is calling a mage.¡± He then added on how the title of the ¡®Empire¡¯s strongest mage¡¯ was not his alone. He definitely seemed to be Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s superior acting humble like this. I chuckled and took a few steps back. ¡°Please be careful, and please take good care of the divine beasts as well.¡± He put his index and middle finger to his forehead to respond. Captain Duhem shouted a few things before the carriage and the Imperial Guard members¡¯ horses slowly started to move. Agnes took a handkerchief out of her pocket and waved it in the air. We quietly stood there until the divine beasts and the Imperial Guard were no longer visible. ¨C Squeal! Demy said goodbye to his friends while in my arms. I had a quick thought about how the three of them might be siblings. Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Chapter 28 ¨C Curriculum for Pride and Prejudice (4) ¡°Hello, Prince Jesse Viaan.¡± ¡°¡­Hello, youngdy Sarnez.¡± Christelle was as respectful as usual while I was as cold as before. ¡°This is my first time doing a lesson outdoors. It sounds fun, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Cardinal Boutier smiled warmly. My stiff face loosened a bit to show my agreement. I didn¡¯t mind doing the lessons indoors as I mainly stayed home anyway, but being outside was also nice as it felt as if I was going on my morning walk. It was also my first time in the outdoor training ground. It seemed even more fresh because I had not even nced at this direction since seeing the Imperial Prince swinging his sword here on the first day I possessed this body. Parts of the ground were shed with sword aura, and there were a lot of training swords to one side. I didn¡¯t know whether or not these were traces of the Imperial Prince. ¡°Good luck, your highness! ¨C Screeeech! ¡°Ganael, be quiet.¡± Something else that was different from usual was the audience at our lesson. I don¡¯t know what she was thinking, but the Cardinal allowed our close attendants to watch, soGanael and Benjamin sat in the shade and watched our lesson with Demy in a flower cart. The Cardinal¡¯s attendant, Natalie, was also next to them. Christelle¡¯s ability hasn¡¯t been publicly announced yet, but I guess they are nning on announcing it soon if people are allowed to watch her. I waved at the group of three people and the one divine beast. ¡°Our mage has yet to arrive.¡± The Cardinal said that as if it was nothing. She then gently motioned toward Christelle. ¡°Will you try using your ability? We are outside and this side has a forest, so you can use your ability as freely as you would like.¡± Christelle¡¯s water-colored eyes sparkled as she energetically nodded her head. Her tightly pulled up pink hair seemed to show her resolve. I took a few steps back. ¨C Ssh, ssh. A small drop of water appeared on top of her palm. I could hear Ganael going ¡®wow.¡¯ Christelle smiled and moved her fingers as if she was creating a wave. The drop of water started to grow in size. The transparent blob of water became as big as a bowling ball before growing in size again to that of a sink. ¡°How is the aether consumption?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like a lot is being used.¡± Christelle responded to the Cardinal¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯ve never made it this big even at home. It feels nice.¡± The MC sounded refreshed. She seemed extremely satisfied with her ability. Watching her like this made me wonder about her motivation. I was pushing forward with the single goal of getting back home safely, but her goal seemed to be different. The fact that she imed she would use this power to serve the Empire meant that she would walk in the middle of the spotlight. I thought hard about ¡®our Chris¡¯s personality¡¯ as Eunse had mentioned to me. Aside from maintaining an indifferent attitude with the MC, it was important to remember her action patterns. ¨C Ssh¡­¡­ ¡°Wow!¡± Ganael gasped loudly as Christelle¡¯srge water blob changed into a stream of water. The stream drew a circle in the air and spun around before squirming like a snake. Christelle must have enjoyed the feeling of controlling water with her fingertips as sheughed as well. As she suddenly reached her arm out¡­ ¨C Chhhhhhhhhhhh! The strand of water that was as wide as a brook quickly shot out toward the opposite side of the training ground. Everybody focused their attention on the rapidly moving water. I felt like a spectator chasing the ball with my eyes while watching ser. At that moment¡­ ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaa! Someone¡¯s sword sliced through the water. I gasped at this unbelievable sight. To be more specific, someone¡¯s sword aura had cut through the water, but it looked as if he sliced through water with a sword. The scattered water drops sparkled like ss in the sunlight. They looked as if they were moving in slow motion. ¡°Your Eminence.¡± I heard a familiar low voice. The man who appeared was surrounded by scattered beads of water simr to a camera filter that looked like a fanart Eunse once showed me. Water was dripping down from the sword in his left hand. A middle-aged man, who seemed to be his attendant, and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth were behind the young man. She seemed excited for some reason as she greeted me with her eyes over C¨¦dric¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Wee, C¨¦dric. You made it right on time.¡± The Cardinal smiled warmly while looking at the Imperial Prince. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t expect this, but it wasn¡¯t like I hoped this bastard would show up. My poor life¡­¡­ * ¡°This is my godson who will help us out as a mage today.¡± The Cardinal proudly introduced the Imperial Prince. The Imperial Prince bastard was simply looking at us with his condescending orange eyes. ¨C Squeeeee Demi, who was in the shade, quietly squealed. He must think the Imperial Prince seems shitty too. The Imperial Prince had introduced himself as a magic swordsman at the Ball. That meant that he was both a mage and a swordsman, which was why it made sense for this bastard to show up today. I wondered if the reason Captain Duhem said he was ¡®one of the Empire¡¯s greatest mages¡¯ was because of the Imperial Prince as well. He seemed to be talented in all aspects as the main male lead. He was good with the sword, with magic, and he has a son¡­¡­ He would be the MC¡¯s all-rounder helper if he knew how to use aether. ¡°Then we will await you in the shade over there, your royal highness.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth quickly walked over toward Ganael. She must have brought snacks with her because she smelled savory like popcorn. The Imperial Prince¡¯s attendant followed behind her. Anyway, the situation wasn¡¯t all bad for me. It would be best if I wasn¡¯t here, but it was still good for these two to have a reason to interact with each other again now that their engagement has been broken. The overall big picture of the Romfan seemed to be intact despite the beginning being twisted. The Imperial Prince and Christelle stared into each other¡¯s eyes for a long time, as if to reinforce my ideas. Yes, the all-rounder helper can be her boyfriend too. ¡°Your loyal subject greets our royal highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± However, the damn Imperial Prince didn¡¯t even open his mouth at Christelle¡¯s greeting. I could see the MC frowning at this ssless, rotten bastard. I clicked my tongue internally. ¡®I guess I was supposed topletely ignore her. That¡¯s kind of hard for me¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Hello, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°It looks like you meddle in everything.¡± I greeted him thinking that he would ignore me too, but the bastard immediately responded. ¡®How old is this punk? Why does he keep speaking informally to me?¡¯ His tone would be problematic even if he was older than me. ¡°Please don¡¯t distort the truth. The two of you are participating in my lesson.¡± I countered as Christelle looked up at me while the Imperial Prince looked down at me. I debated whether I should have been so sassy back to him. I should be like a fly on the wall around the two of them. ¡°How about we end the greetings here and get started? Christelle and C¨¦dric, head over to the center.¡± The Cardinal was my savior. I turned around without hesitation after hearing her voice. I joined the now five member audience while Benjaminplimented me on my hard work and gave me a rose tea with frozen rose petals. It felt as if we were on a pic. ¡°Please ept my greeting, esteemed Prince Jesse Viaan. My name is David Capuson, and I am his Royal Highness, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric¡¯s, chief attendant.¡± The attendant, who came with the Imperial Prince, gracefully greeted me. It was my first time meeting him, but I could tell immediately that he was a respectful person unlike the Imperial Prince. ¡°Hello David. Nice to meet you.¡± I smiled and greeted him back before motioning to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth with my eyes. She quickly understood and moved a few steps away. I confirmed that nobody was eavesdropping before quietly asking Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth a question. ¡°How is C¨¦die doing?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s face turned odd at my question. She furrowed her brows and pursed her lips to reflect theplicated thoughts on her mind. ¡°¡­¡­Mm, he is very well. He is, in fact, too healthy.¡± ¡°Really? I think that the two divine beasts were sealed at the Imperial Pce until yesterday. The impact on that little kid should have been rather big if he used that much aether.¡± ¡°He took care of his body well so he is okay now. He was drinking good tea too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Was it Dandelion Tea¡­¡­?¡± ¨C Baaaaang! ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaa! There were loud explosions going off. The audience and I all turned toward the center of the training ground. A pir of water as thick as the Imperial Prince¡¯s body was unable to push forward while being hindered by the training swords stabbed into the ground. I couldn¡¯t help but drop my jaw in shock. I could hear the Cardinal¡¯s voice from a distance. ¡°The difference between mages and Holy Knights is simple. People who use special aether with attributes like water, fire, air, or earth be Holy Knights, while people who use powers aside from those be mages. For example, C¨¦dric¡¯s mana¡­¡± The imperial Prince held his sword in his left hand as he raised his right hand. ¡°It reacts to metal.¡± ¨C aaaaang! He drew a horizontal line with his fingertip, and the rest of the swords being stored to the side started flying toward Christelle. The audience jumped up in shock. However, the MC was no pushover. ¨C Chhhhhhhhhhhh! ¨C ng, ng! A wall of water shot up, not from her hand this time but from the floor, to parry all the swords away. The water shot up so quickly that white sprays of froth sshed out to the sides. She smiled and clenched her right fist. The water barrier instantly turned into a round sphere. She was adapting so well. ¡°You¡¯re going so hard against a beginner.¡± Christelle grumbled at the Imperial Prince as she opened her hand. Arge orb of water sted its way toward the Imperial Prince. The Imperial Prince didn¡¯t move to dodge and simply fixed his grip on his sword as he shed through the air without any hesitation. ¨C Shhhhhhhhhhhh! ¨C Baaaaang! A beautiful sword aura crashed into the water. The heat gathered at the tip of his sword made the orb of water evaporate into fog. The air in the training ground trembled. Once it seemed as if things were over¡­ ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! ¨C Papapow! Long water nails stabbed toward the Imperial Prince¡¯s back as more training swords flew over to stop them. He had not even turned around to look. Water sshed everywhere, leaving the Imperial Prince¡¯s sleeves and hair wet. ¡°A Holy Knight who attacks from behind? Even the Attack team would sneer at you.¡± He snorted. Christelle¡¯s gaze turned cold. The Cardinal was mediating the situation. ¡°The two of them seem good for each other.¡± I quietlymented white watching them. There was definitely something different about the main couple. I had that same thought while watching them dance at the ball, but I became sure of it after seeing them working out together in the middle of the day like this. ck hair as dark as night and bright pink hair. orange eyes that seemed to be burning and cold blue-gray eyes. The contrast between the two of them seemed to be a sort of cruel arrangement set by the author. Both of them have very belligerent personalities, so they should be able tomunicate well if they be clo- ¡°What is it?¡± The others who were watching were looking at me as if they had seen a ghost. ¡°Your highness, that¡¯s a bit¡­¡­¡± ¨C Squeeeee¡­¡­ Ganael sounded as if he heard something extremely ufortable. I was headed toward the flower cart because Demy seemed ufortable as well when I noticed an attendant approaching from a distance. She was walking briskly, almost to the point of running, so it seemed quite urgent. She noticed that we were all gathered at one table and bowed to us with a shocked expression. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Natalie asked first, which made me think that this woman was likely one of the Cardinal¡¯s attendants. ¡°Umm, Marquis Fran?ois Duhem just announced the prize for the winner of the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts.¡± ¡®Huh? Is that such an urgent matter?¡¯ ¡°Wow, what is it?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s eyes glowed while saying that she wanted to participate this year as well. However, the others seemed to be having simr thoughts to me as they looked a bit tense. The Imperial Prince would have to protect the pce alone while the Empress and the Cardinal head for the Duhem March for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. As a Diplomatic hostage, I would also be stuck here. The demonic beast huntingpetition had nothing to do with us. ¡°Umm, the divine item¡­¡­ He said that he is putting the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star on the line as the prize. Her Majesty is urgently looking for her Eminence regarding this matter¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me?!¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, Ganael, and I shouted at the same time. Benjamin, Natalie, and David were pale in the face. All of us turned toward the center of the training ground at the same time. The three people there must have felt our gazes as they turned around to face us as well. All that I managed to see in that moment was Imperial Prince C¨¦dric¡¯s now-broken sword ¡®Look at this bastard¡¯s attitude problem. He broke another sword¡­¡­¡¯ Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Chapter 29 ¨C The Last and Only (1) After that, well¡­ It was quite a mess. ¡°My goodness, Fran?ois¡­¡­¡± Cardinal Boutier had a rare baffled look on her face after hearing that Marquis Fran?ois Duhem put the divine item, the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star, as the winning prize for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. She then stopped our lesson abruptly, and quickly left the training ground to meet with the Empress. The Imperial Prince also left without saying goodbye with a serious look on his face. I used the dampened mood to my advantage, and quickly returned to Juliette Pce. I gave a short goodbye to Christelle as I left and she looked as if she was thinking about something again. It was a lot for me, even though I had transmigrated here almost a month ago, so imagine how shocked the people who were born and raised here were feeling. Who in their right mind would offer a divine item as a prize for apetition when using a divine item for personal use is believed to be a grave sin? ¡°Marquis Fran?ois Duhem¡­¡­ He is someone who would do something like that.¡± Benjamin started speaking in a calm voice. This was our first balcony tea time in a long time. I petted Demy¡¯s tail as I waited for his exnation. ¡°The Marquis is someone who puts everything into finding an interesting prize that will be discussed by the masses every year. He is also the person who turned the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts into one of the Empyrean events. He even turned his territory into a tourist attraction to fill his residents¡¯ stomachs. He probably thought that there was no reason he couldn¡¯t use the divine item after learning that the Blessing of the Blue Sea was gone.¡± Someone like Marquis Duhem would have heard the details about how the Blessing of the Blue Sea had disappeared. The Cardinal had personally contacted him so that he could take care of the red pandas. It would have been difficult to give him another reason as to why they were sending the divine beasts to his territory when the Sarnez Duchy was closer. There was no need to hide the truth from the Duhem household, one of the Empress¡¯s close vassals, since they had decided to train Christelle as a Holy Knight. ¡°But still, isn¡¯t this a grave sin to use a divine item like this?¡± ¡°It is definitely a big deal.¡± ¡°Maybe he thought that it was okay since nobody would be able to take the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star?¡± Ganael, who had been quietly listening, offered his thoughts. I tilted my head in confusion. Demy also tilted his head. ¡°Why can¡¯t people take it?¡± ¡°The Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star is embedded into the ground in the middle of the wilderness outside the Lord¡¯s Castle.¡± ¡°Nobody has seeded in pulling it out.¡± ¡®It is Excalibur¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°It is said that the Sword of Wisdom chose to embed itself there when the Almighty God bestowed the divine items onto the continent. There is a prophecy that only a chosen person will be able to pull it out and gain the power of fire.¡± ¡®Isn¡¯t it a bit clich¨¦ to copy the legend of King Arthur?¡¯ I had that thought as I put a small cr¨¨me br?l¨¦e in my mouth. The pairing of sweet, moist custard cream with thin, crunchy caramel on top was a masterpiece. ¡®It¡¯s so good.¡¯ ¡°Numerous people have attempted to pull out the Sword of Wisdom. Tens of thousands of men and women of all ages, upations, and identities entered the territory.¡± ¡°It might have even been in the hundreds of thousands, .but everybody failed.¡± Ganael added on as well. I noticed that Benjamin and Ganael¡¯s tes were empty,so I put a cr¨¨me br?l¨¦e on each of their tes. Benjamin was silent for a moment before he pointed to a spot on the divine item map I had out on the table. A glowing pearlescent ck thread was embroidered in the shape of a sword on the southern part of the Imperial Capital. There were luxurious red threads around it simting mes. ¡°So he is putting it on the line for attention since nobody can take it anyway?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. That is exactly right. Marquis Duhem really loves attention¡­¡­¡± Benjamin nodded his head with disappointment at the boy¡¯s mumbling. ¡°He is very understanding and wise so he is popr with the residents of his territory, but the opinion of him is different in the Beau Monde. He is someone who would do anything within his power for attention. He is very loud¡­¡­ Of course, that aspect is currently helpful to Her Majesty. However¡­¡­¡± Benjamin¡¯s overall evaluation was that he was someone who seemed extremely frivolous, not meeting his position as a Marquis. ¡®Basically, he¡¯s an attention seeker.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sure her Majesty and her Eminence will convince the Marquis.¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain they will. Even Marquis Duhem cannot be allowed the precedent of using a divine item so rashly.¡± I nodded my head and took a sip of Chrysanthemum tea. It was interesting. If two divine items sessfully transmigrated people into this world, was it possible that a third could as well? I would be lying if I said I had not thought about it. However, I probably ended up here to save Jesse Viaan from dying in the future war, so it was extremely likely that I would not be able to go back home until then. ¡®Mm, it¡¯s hard for me to get out of the Imperial Pce since I¡¯m a diplomatic hostage. I guess it will be difficult for me to see the Sword of Wisdom.¡¯ ¡°It is a fire attribute item so it is notpatible with youngdy Sarnez who wishes to be a Holy Knight.¡± I mumbled to myself. Aetherpatibility was pretty simple. Water was stronger than fire, fire was stronger than earth, and earth was stronger than water. Air isn¡¯t impacted much by the other attributes but it also did not influence them a lot either. Furthermore, I read in that Holy Knights needed to find weapons that match their attribute to be able to effectively use their abilities. Having a fire attribute weapon would make it difficult to use water attribute abilities so there should be no reason for Christelle to want the Sword of Wisdom. ¡°Oh right, I heard that youngdy Sarnez has met many bishops thest few days. I think she has also met two Archbishops.¡± Ganael suddenly brought up the topic of Christelle. The young boy was dutifullypleting his penance of ¡®bring me any news regarding youngdy Sarnez and the Imperial Prince.¡¯ ¡°Contacting high-ranking priests must mean that she is looking for a partner as a Holy Knight.¡± The two of them agreed with my hypothesis. I put a piece of kiwi in Demy¡¯s mouth before quietly sighing. I couldn¡¯t tell, but everybody here has told me that my aether is amazing. That was why it was hard to ignore the possibility that Christelle will make me her partner. I was concerned about how the two of us might get entangled since this was a romantic fantasy story, but the wise Christelle seems to be weighing her options before choosing a partner. I could probably rag on her a bit by asking how many people she previously looked at before rejecting her. ¨C Screeeech! ¡°Yes, it¡¯s pretty. Thank you.¡± Demy made an orange Patrinia grow in his front paw and handed it to me. I wondered if he was interested in the Chrysanthemum tea so I poured some into his te, but he seemed indifferent. Raising a divine beast as apanion was not easy. * ¡°I¡¯m sure that my brother is not just doing this for attention.¡± Marquis Duhem¡¯s younger brother, Herv¨¦ Duhem, Captain of the Imperial Guard, spoke in a serious voice. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique was silent with a hand against her forehead. Aur¨¦lie Boutier was by her side as usual as she sat at therge office desk. The Cardinal had a picturesque smile on her face but nothing could be read in her eyes underneath the monocle she was wearing. ¡°Of course, I cannot say that there was no intention of getting attention at all. However, I believe that all three of you are well aware of what my brother has proimed for a long time, your Majesty. The Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star is a fire attribute divine item and his Royal Highness was born with fire attribute aether, so¡­¡­¡± ¡°I was not born with it.¡± The person who cut him off was the subject of the discussion, C¨¦dric Riester. His orange eyes that were full of distant despair were glowing with a prating gaze. ¡°I was cursed.¡± ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°I lose my physical body the moment I use even a bit of that power. How can you call that an ability?¡± The Captain of the Imperial Guard shut up. A suffocating silence passed through them. Houses Sarnez, Duhem, and Moutet were the closest confidants of the Imperial Family who knew about the Imperial Prince¡¯s ¡®body condition¡¯. They had vowed loyalty to their deaths and had watched over the Imperial Prince for a long time. Herv¨¦ Duhem knew that he should watch what he says because he knows of the Imperial Prince¡¯s situation, but he could not currently do so. The Blessing of the Blue Sea had been absorbed into youngdy Sarnez¡¯s body. The most usible n for the Imperial Prince had been turned to dust. Then there was only one decision left in his opinion. ¡°If you are not able to suppress your fire attribute aether with a water attribute divine item, what about using a fire attribute divine item to fill your aether instead?¡± He finally mentioned the idea his family had. The Imperial Prince was looking at the ck glove on his hand without saying anything. The Cardinal quietly sighed. There was a crack in C¨¦dric Riester¡¯s soul, hisrge ¡®te¡¯. It was a miniscule crack that wouldn¡¯t have mattered if he was born as a regr person. However, he was born possessing fire attribute aether. That was the start of his tragedy. The Imperial Prince had fallen into a deep slumber after birth as a result of aether depletion. The people who had secretly shown up to take a look at the young Imperial grandchild, the Empire¡¯s noble mages and the Holy Kingdom¡¯s elderly Cardinals, had said that it was a curse the Almighty God had ced on the Empire. Even high-ranking priests pouring aether into his body until they fainted did not allow the Imperial Prince to stay awake for very long. It was as if they were pouring water into a jar with no bottom. He had to sleep 18 hours a day until he turned 12 years old. There were some miraculous changes after Prince Consort Alexandre¡¯s death, but even then, he was unable to maintain his physical body after he used even the tiniest sliver of his aether. This was the reason the Imperial Prince, who would be twenty-five years old after his birthday this year, had not ascended to the position of Imperial Crown Prince. He would instantly turn into a young child as soon as the bnce in his aether shifted. ¡°Your Royal Highness, I understand this maye off as disrespectful but I must say it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Please enter the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts and pull out the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star as the winner.¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric snorted. ¡°Only the chosen one should be able to pull it out.¡± ¡°It is because there had been no Holy Knights in the Empire until now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The divine item should react if you pour fire attribute aether into it. At least, that is what our family believes.¡± ¡°And if nothing happens despite pouring aether into it?¡± The young man¡¯s low voice sunk even lower. ¡°I would be unable to pull the sword out and turn into a child in front of the Empire¡¯s nobles.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Do you have a n for that situation as well, Captain Duhem?¡± Herv¨¦ Duhem¡¯s head sank a bit. The one who spoke up was the Imperial Prince¡¯s godmother. ¡°There is someone who can make sure that does not happen.¡± ¡°Aur¨¦lie.¡± The Empress called out after understanding what the Cardinal meant. However, the Cardinal did not stop. ¡°That child is pure. He would not push your hand away.¡± ¡°We cannot reveal a secret of the Imperial family to the prince from a hostile nation.¡± ¡°The Imperial Prince is right.¡± The Empress answered almost in a sigh. Her cherry-colored eyes were full of anguish. ¡°Even if I was not the one who caused the war, the two nations have not been connected for 30 years as a result. The prince came not for an alliance but as a diplomatic hostage. We cannot give him our trust without thinking it through.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°However, it is true that the little punk has been cast out of the Holy Kingdom. It is also confirmed that his aether level is something even the Cardinal cannot fathom. That is why¡­¡­¡± She removed the hand that was supporting her forehead and pushed back her short silver hair. ¡°C¨¦dric, do as you wish.¡± The Imperial Prince¡¯s eyes opened wide. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique looked right at her son as she continued to speak. ¡°Decide whether or not you will trust the prince and get his help to obtain the Sword of Wisdom. If not, we will cut off one of the Marquis¡¯s legs when he gets to the Imperial Capital and make him take back the promation regarding the prize.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure there are other means even if it is not the Sword of Wisdom. I promise to give you every opportunity in this world.¡± ¡°Mother.¡± ¡°You also don¡¯t have to worry about the prince betraying you. I will take care of it if something like that happens.¡± There was no need for a sword master like her to personally step in. Prince Jesse would turn into a corpse overnight if it was the Empress¡¯s will. The Holy Kingdom would wee it with open arms if that was what the Imperial family wanted. Therge office becamepletely silent, as if someone had poured cold water over them. ¡°¡­¡­Please give me some time to think about it.¡± C¨¦dric Riester responded. Herv¨¦ Duhem let out a deep sigh. ¡ª Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Chapter 30 ¨C The Last and Only (2) Three days passed and it was now Saturday. Cardinal Boutier canceled one of our lessons. I didn¡¯t hear the reason behind it, but her attendant, Natalie, personally came to Juliette Pce to deliver the message. I believed she was dealing with the issue of the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star being offered as the winner¡¯s prize for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. It wasn¡¯t bad for me. We could make the lesson up at ater point and it was better the less contact I had with Christelle and the Imperial Prince. ¡°You have nothing else on your daily agenda except for going to take confessions in the afternoon, your highness. In addition, your monthly dignity maintenance allowance and sry have arrived so I have ced them in the safe.¡± ¡°I understand¡­¡­ Excuse me?¡± My voice automatically went up after hearing about this for the first time since transmigrating into this body. ¡®I have money?¡¯ ¡°Dignity maintenance allowance and sry?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. I informed you about it the morning after you arrived.¡± Benjamin respectfully responded while standing on the other side of the table. I tried my best to recall the events of the day after my transmigration. However, all I remembered was eating well during my meal, eating well during snack time and burying my face in my notebook. My ears must have temporarily shut down because I was too shocked after transmigrating for the first time in my life. ¡®How did I miss such important information?¡¯ ¡°I frequently¡­¡­ I frequently receive money?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. The Imperial family deposits 1 million francs every month for your dignity maintenance allowance and another 1 million francs for being a priest working in the Imperial Pce.¡± ¡°So, 2 million francs a month.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Francs are the French currency. I thought that the French patch was only for the names of people in the Empire but the author must have cleanly made everything French, including the currency. It made me wonder if the Viaan Holy Kingdom used euros. ¡°I am having a hard time getting a sense of how much 2 millions francs are. I believe the value of things might be very different from the Holy Kingdom?¡± I naturally asked the question in a practical way. I wondered if it was about 2 million won. The value of the currency in the novel being the same as the value of the won would have made it easier for the author to calcte things. The only work I did here was hearing confessions, studying, eating, and ying with Demy. I paid no security deposit, I pay no rent, the attendants take care of all my meals, cleaning, andundry, so 2 million a month was like winning the lottery. ¡°Mm, mm. With 2 million francs¡­¡­ You should be able to buy a luxurious residence on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital. It is unfortunately not enough for a ce with ake.¡± My mind nked out at Ganael¡¯s response. ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you build it yourself, you should be able to buy one near ake as well, your highness.¡± Benjamin must have thought that I was disappointed about not being able to get a house by ake as he quickly added on. I had no idea how to ept this. I wondered why they were giving a diplomatic hostage who basically ate all their food so much money. They also pay in advance, which meant that 4 million francs were currently in my safe¡­¡­ But I had nowhere to spend it. It¡¯d be one thing if I was nning on packing up my money and hiding in a remote territory or investing in something prior to the war to put me in a position to do things as I please, but I was a hostage whose goal was to go home. ¡°¡­¡­The Riester Imperial family is quite wealthy.¡± I could only gasp in amazement. Ganaelughed out loud. ¡°It is not an exaggeration that his Royal Highness is called the Empire¡¯s greatest heir.¡± I nodded my head. ¡®I guess the main male lead of a Romfan can¡¯t just be tall and have a pretty face. ¡°Ah, is it possible for me to send the money to someone?¡± Benjamin looked concerned at my question. I immediately realized what he must have mistakenly thought. ¡°I am of course not sending it to the Holy Kingdom. There is nobody there to receive it anyway.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± ¡°I wish to send it to the House of Beng.¡± Both Ganael and Benjamin¡¯s mouths shut. I recalled the twin attendants the assassins from the Holy Kingdom had disguised themselves as to kill me. I sometimes woke up feeling frustrated whenever I thought about the poor Beng twins who were murdered for that reason. I didn¡¯t even know their faces but how could I sleep well at night knowing that they died at such a young age because of me? ¡°I know that the hearts of parents who lose their children cannot be consoled with money. But¡­¡­ The Beng twins were hired for me. I know it iste but I wish to help cover the funeral costs if possible.¡± Benjamin slowly nodded his head. It meant that he would proceed as I requested. ¡°Please send 3.5 million francs to the Baron couple.¡± Ganael covered his mouth in shock. I smiled bitterly. The money was useless to me and I would get more next month but I thought that it might be at least a little helpful for the Baron couple. That was enough for me. Demy silently walked over and rubbed his body at my ankle. * ¡°How is it, your highness? We made it so that you could open the wooden window from your seat as you requested.¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfect, Maxim. Thank you very much.¡± I also told him he did a great job and the Imperial Pce¡¯s carpenter scratched the back of his head and smiled with embarrassment. Maxim was the one who had made the ¡®The priest is currently unavable¡¯ and ¡®Now taking confessions¡¯ que for me as well. He was friends with Agnes who works in the rear mountain of Juliette Pce. ¡°It doesn¡¯t even make any noise when I open it.¡± ¡°I spent a lot of effort on the hinges. Those small details are the difference between highest-quality and high-quality work, your highness.¡± He proudly exined. I continued to gasp in amazement at the Confessional¡¯s wooden window that Maxim hadpletely fixed. ¡®This is why technical skills are so important.¡¯ Maxim and the Imperial Pce¡¯s carpenters seemed to have some down time after the Spring Ball, as they went in and out of the Imperial Pce temple thest few days to fix the Confessional. I made a slightly difficult request of hoping that the wooden window could be opened from the priest¡¯s side and they just asked me to leave it to them as if it was nothing. They didn¡¯t even seem to question whether the priest shoulde face to face with the penitent. I was thankful for it. The reason I asked for such a design was for whenever C¨¦die showed up. Two days ago, the carpenters had taken off the broken wooden window and were talking to each other about how it looked as if a knife had pierced through it while the other was like why would there be a knife in here. I had a hard time keeping a poker face on because I felt guilty despite it not being me who did it. I made up my mind to teach that kid a lesson to not destroy things left and right when I saw him next. ¡°The decorative rope for summons is not our jurisdiction but the people in charge said that you need to exchange the entire rope. I believe it will take some time, your highness.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I awkwardly smiled and responded. I didn¡¯t dare to say that I had the cut off part and that the rope would be like new if they sewed it back on. I would then have to exin about the little guest who was with me as well. ¡°Then I will be on my way now, your highness. Please be healthy as well, esteemed divine beast.¡± ¨C Squeeeee Maxim gathered his tools and put them in a leather bag as he bowed, making Demy quietly squeal while in my arms. I said goodbye to Maxim with Benjamin and Ganael before returning to the Confessional. It was time to start my afternoon task of taking confessions. ¡°Demy, stay with the two of them for a bit.¡± ¨C Whimper I handed the red panda to Ganael, who was pretty good at holding the animal safely now, and received a full pic basket from Benjamin. I confirmed that the two people and one animal walked into the priest¡¯s office and closed the door before putting the ¡®the priest is currently unavable¡¯ sign up. And then¡­ ¨C Screeeech I entered the empty penitent¡¯s side. It was not my usual priest¡¯s seat but the other side. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡­¡± It was pretty dark inside so I could not see the edges of the wooden wall very well. I wished that I had my cellphone for the shlight but settled for releasing my circle. Golden aether poured out and drew a circle on the ground. I took a short breath in and the Holy Domain shrunk in size. ¡°It should be around here.¡± I crouched on the ground and searched around the chair the penitents sat on. I didn¡¯t have a big goal today. My mind was light because it was just a curiosity that didn¡¯t need to be resolved. I pressed the area right underneath the chair with my foot but there didn¡¯t seem to be any secret doors. ¨C Knock knock. I knocked on it just in case as well and it didn¡¯t sound hollow. ¡®So it is not below.¡¯ ¡°Is it behind it?¡± The Confessional was shaped withrge wooden nks against the wall, so it was impossible to sneak in through the sides. If it wasn¡¯t from below, the hidden passage should be on the back wall. I pushed the chair slightly out of the way and pushed on the back wall. A scene from a spy movie I watched with Eunse shed in front of my eyes. There was some kind of decoration you needed to twist or pull for a door to open, but there wasn¡¯t anything like that because this was a temp¡­¡­ ¨C Screeeech ¡°¡­¡­¡± I heard the Confessional door open behind me. I clenched my teeth out of embarrassment. ¡®There¡¯s always someone like this who walks in despite the sign saying I am not avable¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°What are you doing over here?¡± It was a familiar voice. I slowly turned around. I remember getting this question from this kid the first time I met him as well. ¡°¡­¡­You are walking in like a normal person today.¡± C¨¦die snorted at my question. His eyes were the same orange color as that of that damn Imperial Prince bastard. * ¡°Excuse me.¡± I continued sitting on the ground while putting my hand up to his small forehead to check his condition. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t have a fever. He wasn¡¯t breathing heavily nor did he have any cold sweats, so it didn¡¯t seem as if he overdid it with his aether. C¨¦die sat on the penitent¡¯s chair and quietly observed what I did without showing any reaction. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have a partner priest?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Or do you already have one but you just avoid them?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know who he took after to not answer any questions and be so frustrating. I had no choice but to start with easy questions if he didn¡¯t want to answer the hard questions. It was simr to dealing with a six year old who won¡¯t answer why he fought against his friend but would answer if you asked what he ate for a snack. ¡°Did you walk in through the main door?¡± ¡°How about you stop there since I used a path you don¡¯t know about.¡± ¡®See, he answered right away.¡± ¡°What about food? I have some ugnarde. Do you want some?¡± ¡°Did they starve you at the Holy Kingdom?¡± I chuckled. I decided to increase the difficulty level of the questions. ¡°Did you tell your father before you came out?¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± The boy frowned as if he heard something unbelievable. I lowered my voice and was about to ask in detail when I heard the heavy thud of the temple door opening. However, I did not hear any footsteps after that. It seemed as if someone opened the door and looked inside. C¨¦die squinted. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I put the que up saying I am not here.¡± The boy scoffed at myment. I did not mention the fact that my absence sign was ignored twice already. I removed my Holy Domain so that it would not be visible from the outside before cautiously grabbing C¨¦die¡¯s elbow. The boy¡¯s eyes opened a bit wider as I changed the aether delivery method to physical touch. It seemed to be effective as I could feel my aether quickly leaving my body. I quietly started speaking again. ¡°Do you want to stop here for today? It¡¯s dangerous for you because other people cane in and out¡± At that moment¡­ ¨C Click. ¡°Eek.¡± The door handle to the Confessional turned. I grabbed onto the handle out of reflex. The fact that I basically lunged at it seemed to have been worth the effort as the door thankfully did not open. But what I was sure of was that there was someone on the other side. My heart was beating wildly in shock. ¡°How¡­¡­¡± I quietly mumbled. I had not heard anything until just now. The temple door did open earlier, but I had not heard anything¡­¡­ ¡°Shh.¡± C¨¦die quietly whispered. The boy¡¯s lips clearly formed a word. ¡®Mage.¡¯ ¨C Clunk The guest outside turned the handle once again. Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Chapter 31 ¨C The Last and Only (3) The Last and Only (3) ¡®A mage?¡¯ ¡°Excuse me, is anybody in there?¡± I heard an unknown woman¡¯s voice outside. It was hard to tell by the voice alone, but it sounded like someone older. I calmly took a breath before releasing my Holy Domain again. Therge golden circle quickly appeared and spread to the outside of the Confessional. I could see C¨¦die¡¯s young face much better thanks to the light. ¡°Yes, I am inside. I am not taking confessions right now. May I ask what brings you here?¡± I calmly responded. The Imperial Pce was somewhere people could not enter without proper identification and reason. This was especially true about the temple at the Imperial Pce which was guarded by elite knights. I didn¡¯t have a reason to be wary about someone whose identity should have been confirmed twice beforeing here. However¡­ ¡°I came to confess. Ah, I now see the que that says you are not here. I did not notice it. Please forgive me.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell whether this person really didn¡¯t know or if she was making an excuse. The woman¡¯s tone sounded serious but still light. She seemed to let go of the doorknob after confirming that someone was inside, but I turned toward C¨¦die without removing my hand from the door. The little kid¡¯s gaze was still sharp. ¡°That is okay. I guess the que was too small that you must not have seen it. But did you just use magic in the temple, madam?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± My tone was a bit usatory at the end and I could hear the woman mumbling ¡®oh my goodness¡¯ to herself. ording to the second chapter of , magic was not to be used inside temples as a way to show respect towards the Almighty God. It was an old custom that most mages do not abide by in modern times, but it was still a rule. ¡°Please forgive me for that as well, it was unintentional. It is rare for me to move about without using magic. Please forgive me, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡®So, she does know that I am the one in here.¡¯ I quietly sighed. ¡°I will forgive you, madam. But please keep that in mind from now on.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. Thank you very much. Then I will sit here and wait.¡± ¡°You are going to wait?¡± ¡°You seem to be on a break so I will wait until youe outside to confess, your highness.¡± ¡®I guess she is really here to confess.¡¯ ¨C Click, click. I heard her footsteps for the first time. ¡®I guess there were no footsteps earlier because she used magic.¡¯ I heard the sounds of clothes crumpling, making me believe that the woman sat down somewhere. I let go of the door handle and turned toward C¨¦die. The boy¡¯s eyes were full of contempt. ¡°C¨¦die, leave for today.¡± I whispered to him. ¡°You can¡¯t be seen by that person. Come to my room if you need help again.¡± ¡°Proceed like this.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t need to do the sacrament inside the Confessional.¡± ¡°Well, that is true, but¡­¡­¡± The little kid was saying something quite daring. He wanted me to have that woman sit outside while he and I hid inside the Confessional and receive her confession. ¡°You can¡¯t eavesdrop on someone else¡¯s confession. That¡¯s supposed to be confidential.¡± I quietly scolded him. I then remembered how that damn Imperial Prince bastard was standing next to us when I listened to Lady Sarnez¡¯s confession at the Spring Ball. It let me know who C¨¦die took after to act like this. ¡°Sarah Belliard doesn¡¯t deserve such consideration.¡± The boy sharply whispered back. I nked out for a moment. ¡®Who did he say that person is?¡¯ ¡°To be honest with you, I don¡¯t have anything to confess, your highness. I just needed somewhere to vent.¡± The woman¡¯s voice echoed through the temple at that moment. I gulped before slightly opening the Confessional door and peeking outside. There was an unfamiliar old woman with white hair sitting at the second row of chairs and looking up at the ceiling. Her elegantly cut hair and luxurious green dress were enough to let me know that she was not an ordinary person. Most of the Empire¡¯s mages were nobles or royalty, simr to the Holy Kingdom¡¯s priests. And if this woman was really ¡®Sarah Belliard¡¯, then¡­¡­ ¡°My grandson is supposedly sick. I feel like it is my fault.¡± The woman continued to speak. I debated whether or not I should respond. It might be better not to, since she seemed to have started on a rant. C¨¦die, who noticed it was not a confession, looked at me with an imposing gaze. ¡®Fine. Feel free to listen.¡¯ ¡°I gave my grandson his name. He is a boy, but I made his middle name a boy¡¯s name.¡± I tilted my head. This, I was sure was umon here. Both the people of the Empire and the Holy Kingdom have a unique tradition with middle names. The rule is that boys are given female middle names while girls are given male middle names. The ancestors of the continent started this tradition to prevent the mischievous and capricious Almighty God from taking their kids back to heaven. They believed doing this would make the Almighty God confused about the child¡¯s gender. The differences between male and female names seemed to be clear in this world, as it used foreign names and not Korean names. ¡°The reason I did that was¡­¡­ I was just being capricious. It had a nice meaning and I thought that the name suited my grandson well. I also had some suspicions about the validity of the story about how the Almighty God would take children away. Of course, I have nothing to say if you ask why someone over sixty would randomly think about that.¡± She scoffed. I left the door slightly open before sitting down. ¡°My daughter and son-inw liked the name too. They really liked it until my grandson fainted and went into aa.¡± The woman¡¯s voice was as dry as a desert. ¡°It is amon story. A child is sick and the parents work hard to heal them but nothing works. In the end, their hatred was directed toward me.¡± I couldn¡¯t hear thatst part too well because it was mixed in with a sigh. I had experienced a simr situation not too long ago. The faces of Christelle, the MC of QNW, and her mother, Isabelle de Sarnez, briefly appeared in my mind. ¡°They me me for giving him such a middle name and say that the Almighty God is trying to take their child away because of my arrogance. I know they don¡¯t mean it wholeheartedly, but knowing that there is some honesty in their words¡­¡­it has made me wonder if this really was the curse of the Almighty God that I had heard about. The curse could be responsible for my grandson being sick, and for the family being destroyed.¡± C¨¦die let out a long sigh behind me. I checked his condition before focusing on her story again. ¡°That is all. This is the situation, and I just wanted to vent to someone about it. Everything from here on is up to my daughter¡¯s family and me. It doesn¡¯t matter whether it is an incurable illness or a curse.¡± I heard the rustling of clothes and then some footsteps. I carefully looked out to see that the woman had gotten up and was getting ready to leave. ¡°I will make my leave now, your highness. Thank you for listening to an old woman¡¯s grumbling, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡°Lady Belliard.¡± She stopped moving as I called her name. Her emerald-colored eyes seemed a bit shocked. I looked at her through the crack of the door. ¡°You know who I am, your highness?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it would be harder for someone to not know you.¡± I smiled bitterly and cleared my throat. Sarah Belliard, the Managing Editor of the . The celebrity of the Empire¡¯s media and the person known as the Expert of the Holy Kingdom. She was the person who wrote a feature story on mest month. ¡°First of all¡­¡­ I¡¯m sorry for your grandson¡¯s condition.¡± She lightly nodded her head at my condolence. I could see that the old woman¡¯s face was paralyzed with sadness and guilt despite the distance between us. ¡°This might sound arrogant, but I hope that you do not consider it to be a curse.¡± I spoke as sincerely as possible. It might be a fake religion believed by the people inside a novel, but I didn¡¯t want to treat the faith and belief of the hard working people in front of me as something nonexistent. ¡°I met someone not too long ago who was also struggling with thoughts about a curse from the Almighty God. I told that person that I believed it was not a curse as well. I am not saying it to simply make you feel better. I truly believe that it is not a curse.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± C¨¦die and I made eye contact. I smiled at the young boy. ¡°I believe that there is power in the word ¡®curse¡¯. If you think that it is a curse or think along the lines of it being a curse, it will make you start wondering if it truly is the will of the Almighty God and make you feel powerless. It will do that even if it is not the truth.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The boy¡¯s orange eyes were looking at me with a piercing gaze. ¡°Of course, your grandson is actually sick. That is not a lie and nothing will change that. However¡­ it might feel easier to give up if you ept it as a curse. You may think that there is nothing you can do, as it is the will of the Almighty God.¡± I gently touched my hand toward the little boy¡¯s forehead. His skin had cooled down, and felt soft to the touch. I sighed in relief. ¡°I hope that you and your family will not give up, and will continue to fight. You must do so if you wish for the chance to save your grandson.¡± I was careful not to say the wrong thing. I knew how tragic it was to have someone in the family be sick. How frustrated the family members could be. how to slowly heal. ¡°And I know it is weird for me to say something like this, but¡­¡­ if someone needs to be hated, it should be the Almighty God and nobody else. Good people doing good deeds with good intentions; people living their lives to the best of their ability should not me each other.¡± It was quiet outside the Confessional. Anybody would be able to tell that I may have overstepped my boundaries here. However, her heart was so heavy and dark that she was willing toe all this way to vent to a prince whose face she didn¡¯t even know. I could not ignore that. ¡°¡­¡­Thank you very much.¡± Lady Belliard responded in a quiet but firm voice. She then turned around and started walking away. I could see her long shadow moving out of the temple through the crack in the door. I slowly looked away. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°C¨¦die, you are filled up.¡± Golden aether pebbles were floating around the little boy¡¯s body. However, the boy did not budge even as I motioned for him to go. ¡°What is it? Do you have something to say?¡± He was staring at me with a firm and piercing gaze. I turned to close the door because I was worried that he was hurting somewhere when¡­ ¨C Clunk. I heard a weird noise from where C¨¦die was sitting. I turned around in shock. ¡°Ho¡­¡­¡± The afternoon sun was shining down on me from the ceiling of the penitent¡¯s seat. The boy had disappeared at some point. It was the top. It was not the back wall or the floor but the ceiling that was the kid¡¯s secret passage. * It was Monday again. ¡°You met Lady Sarah Belliard?¡± Cardinal Boutier seemed a bit tired when I met her again for the first time in five days. I nodded my head at her question and took a sip of Anise tea. Christelle was seated next to me, drinking cold coffee as if it was water. ¡®I want these group lessons to end soon¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°She stopped by the temple for a moment.¡± ¡°Mm, Fr¨¦d¨¦rique and Lady Belliard had a meeting on Saturday.¡± She smiled at me. ¡°A revised edition of the April 15th almost came out.¡± ¡°A revised edition?¡± ¡°Yes. Fran?ois announced that he would make the ¡®Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star¡¯ the prize for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts on the 15th, so that information was missing from thetest issue. It was toote to put a new article in by then. That was why Lady Belliard wanted to publish a revised edition with that information while Fr¨¦d¨¦rique and I tired ourselves out convincing her otherwise.¡± My hypothesis was pretty much on the mark. She seemed to have worked her butt off to prevent the news about the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star from spreading. ¡°We don¡¯t like to suppress the media but we had no choice as it had to do with a divine item.¡± I nodded my head while chewing on a piece of bread that was full of spices. There wouldn¡¯t have been anything I could do even if the Empress and the Cardinal enjoyed suppressing the media. ¡°But it won¡¯t disappear.¡± ¡°You mean¡­¡­¡± ¡°The Sword of Wisdom will end up being the prize for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts.¡± Christelle and my eyes opened wide. ¡°And C¨¦dric will participate in ce of Fr¨¦d¨¦rique and I this year.¡± Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Chapter 32 ¨C Let¡¯s think of it as a field trip (1) ¡°Then I guess he will be attending for the first time along with me.¡± Christelle responded. I was listening without giving it much thought before I stopped eating my bread in realization. ¡®So based on what she just said¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re right. C¨¦dric is not going just to watch. I¡¯m sure his goal is to win.¡± Cardinal Boutier gently exined. I looked at her before turning and looking at Christelle, who was sitting next to me, as well. ¡°You are participating in the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts as well, youngdy Sarnez?¡± Christelle¡¯s blue-gray eyes sparkled as she gave a refreshing smile in response to my question. ¡°Yes. We decided to publicly announce that I am aiming to be a Holy Knight at the Demonic beast Hunting Competition. It will be a chance for me to show off my skills as well.¡± It seemed like a good strategy. It would be much more effective for her to showcase her water power in front of numerous nobles during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts rather than simply sending a message or making an announcement. Convincing people to ept her decision would be easier if she started her career with something like hunting demonic beasts with the Imperial family backing her up. ¡®It¡¯ll be something like, ¡®The First Blessing the Almighty God has Bestowed on this wastnd of Holy Knights.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± I meant it. The storyline with only Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric seemed to finally be starting. Of course, I¡¯m sure they had a great time at the Spring Ball as well but that was their first meeting, so the story of their love and adventure will start at the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. Eunse always went off about how they needed to break up whenever she discussed them, but in my opinion, I actually felt that they were a great pair. Christelle nodded her head in response to my congrattions. ¡°I met with numerous priests this week because of that. I was hoping there would be at least one person willing to be my partner for the duration of the Great Clearance.¡± She stopped talking for a moment before looking at me. ¡°But it is difficult to find someone who meets all the conditions. The Archbishops are generally too busy, the Bishops said that apanying me would be too difficult for them, and as for the more enthusiastic people¡­¡­ Well, most of them were more interested in the distinction than actually working with me.¡± It wasn¡¯t unexpected. Archbishops and Bishops would be too busy maintaining the dioceses and handling behind the scene politics, so they wouldn¡¯t want to spend time on a youngdy whose path to be a Holy Knight had not even been confirmed yet. The priests who were willing to invest their aether in Christelle are probably more interested in creating a connection with the House of Sarnez rather than her growth. ¡°It was tiring because while all of them spoke of how wonderful it was that the Empire was getting a Holy Knight, they were also busy calcting the feasibility of my sess.¡± Christelle quietly mumbled about how she was tired of dealing with doubtful people like that. I quickly took a peek toward the Cardinal but she seemed too preupied with drinking her coffee to hear Christelle¡¯sints. I was the only one who knew about the main character¡¯s true identity¡­¡­ ¡°Because of that¡­ if it is okay with you, Prince Jesse, and if her Majesty and her Eminence will allow it¡­¡­¡± I quickly shoved my face into my teacup to hide as I got an ominous feeling. The sweet anise tea now felt like poison. ¡°I would like to ask if you would be my partner until next month. I will be able to find a different partner once I am officially knighted.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I am costly to hire. My aether quality and quantity are both high and I am a royal priest even if I may not look like it.¡± Thankfully my voice had not been shaking as I said that. I shamelessly maintained a haughty expression and didn¡¯t even look toward her. ¡®Let¡¯s be calm. I can reject her and I can also be rejected.¡¯ ¡°I will buy you with money. How much will it be?¡± ¡®Wait, you know that line? Excuse me, how old is the person who transmigrated as Christelle¡­¡­?¡¯ (TL Note: This line is from Autumn in My Heart, a Korean Drama from 2000). ¡°I need a lot of money.¡± ¡°Please name a price.¡± ¡°¡­¡­2 million per month?¡± 2 million francs was the amount I received monthly from the Riester Imperial family. That was thergest amount I could think of on the spot. Benjamin and Ganael said that it was enough to buy arge mansion on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, and enough for a house by ake if I built it myself. Even the daughter of Duke Sarnez should not be able to make decisions regarding such arge amount of money by herself. ¡°4 million monthly. The condition will be that I must personallye to the Imperial Pce to get aether when I need it.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Hahahaha.¡± I was responding like an idiot after being suppressed by Christelle¡¯s spirit when the Cardinal startedughing out loud. I was bewildered as I had never seen her burst intoughter like this. She found it so funny that she had pushed up her monocle while wiping tears away with her handkerchief. ¡°Haha, you must not know anything about the House of Sarnez, little prince. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°I do know that they are extremely wealthy, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°My monthly allowance is 5 million francs.¡± Christelle nonchntly added. My jaws dropped. I finally felt the vast difference between our transmigration conditions. She was the precious daughter of one of the wealthiest grand nobles in the Empire while I was a child born out of wedlock, and a Diplomatic hostage imprisoned in the Imperial Pce forever. Our scales for allowances had no choice but to be different. ¡°Then do we have a deal? Will you temporarily be my partner, your highness?¡± ¡°That is not for our little prince to decide.¡± The Cardinal was the one to respond to Christelle¡¯s question. She had quicklyposed herself, and returned to her usual merciful and mysterious self. ¡°Our little prince came as a Confessional Priest for the Imperial Pce and is dutifullypleting his task, making it difficult for him to make deals or partnerships with people from outside the Imperial Pce.¡± She then quickly added on. ¡°I¡¯m sure I told youst time as well.¡± . I realized that those beige eyes could seem cold as well. Based on her reaction just now along with thest time Christelle was getting a feel for me, she seemed to be wary of Christelle and I developing a closer rtionship. ¡®I guess it makes sense since ¡®Teacher Au¡¯ was said to have yed a big part in Imperial Prince C¨¦dric and Christelle getting together in the novel. She probably doesn¡¯t want the potential wife of the guy she treats as her own son to get tangled with me.¡¯ It would be great for me if the Cardinal would stop Christelle. ¡°This is not easy.¡± Christelle slowly leaned back as she mumbled. There were no changes to her expression despite herint. Her spirit seemed to be getting even stronger against the obstacle that appeared in her path like the munchkin MC she is. ¡°Then could you just share a bit of aether with me right now?¡± ¡°Right here?¡± My voice became louder at Christelle¡¯s sudden request. She smiled brightly. ¡°Even if we cannot make a deal, can¡¯t I at least get a sample of the goods?¡± ¡®Did she use to work in sales or something¡­¡­?¡¯ I became anxious at her words and had that random thought. I had no good reason to say no, so I peeked toward the Cardinal. She simply had her head tilted to the side, not showing any opposition. I would have ignored her or snorted at her if I was that damn Imperial Prince bastard, but I couldn¡¯t do that with my personality. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­Only for a moment.¡± I managed a stoic response to her request. Christelle¡¯s long boots were shaking with anticipation. I closed my eyes and opened my Holy Domain. It felt as if a very small amount of paint flowed out of my fingertips and toes to paint a picture. The floor of the Cardinal¡¯s office became bright as a golden circle surrounded Christelle and I. ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± Christelle blinked herrge eyes as she gasped in shock. ¡°I have seen the circles of many other priests, but this is my first time seeing a Holy Domain that feels so pure and clean.¡± ¡®It is not for sale even if you say that.¡¯ I imagined picking up a ball of aether in my mind. I thought that it would be enough to release one loop of aether. ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Come in.¡± I heard someone knocking on the mahogany door. The Cardinal had quickly responded, and the door swung open immediately. I stopped trying to release aether and turned my head towards the neer. Once I turned around¡­ ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Hi there, my dear godson.¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, who looked shockingly handsome as usual, had entered the office. * ¡®But why? Even if you are not yet the Imperial Crown Prince, aren¡¯t you busy?¡¯ I briefly pondered that question. This was a Romfan and it was normal for the MC and the male lead to interact. I wondered if Cardinal Boutier called him over again using the lesson as an excuse. The problem was that I was here like an impurity in their potential romance. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I am about to share some of my aether with youngdy Sarnez, your royal highness.¡± I calmly responded to the Imperial Prince who got right to the point without saying any greetings as usual. Christelle stood up and respectfully greeted the Imperial Prince. The Imperial Prince simply motioned with his eyes. He was still such a petty punk regardless of how many times I saw him. ¡°The youngdy seems to have plenty of aether already.¡± ¡°This is my personal business so there is no need for you toment on it, your royal highness.¡± The Imperial Prince tried to provoke Christelle but she just smiled as she returned a passive aggressive response. The mood in the office instantly turned cold. Natalie, the attendant who had guided the Imperial Prince inside, made eye contact with me before swiftly closing the door and disappearing. ¡®Ha¡­¡­¡¯ I clicked my tongue in jealousy before standing up from the couch. ¡°We will have other times to do this in the future, so I will just give you some aether next time.¡± I then released my Holy Domain. It was my way of asking them to not fight and to get along with each other for now. I thought that the Imperial Prince might find it annoying for Christelle to receive aether when she didn¡¯t need it as he had a son who suffered from aether depletion quite frequently. Christelle seemed discontent but quickly epted my decision. ¡°Are we not using the interior training ground today, your Eminence?¡± The Imperial Prince suddenly changed the topic while addressing the Cardinal. I noticed that the punk was in afortable outfit simr to the one he wore the day he sparred against Christelle in the outdoor training ground. However, the only consistent thing between the outfits was the pair of ck gloves on his hands. The leather only covered his fingers, so both the palms and the backs of his hands were half visible. It seemed extremely ineffective to me. ¡°Oh right, we were. I asked Fr¨¦d¨¦rique to leave it empty until 11:30 a.m.¡± The Cardinal gently smiled as she answered the Imperial prince while starting to clean up.. She then exined how she told her Majesty, who usually uses the interior training ground before lunch every day, that she was nning a lesson for the kids there today. With how she exined it, It seemed obvious to me that the Cardinal and the Empress had a veryfortable rtionship with each other. She then continued. ¡°The two of you head over first. I have something to discuss with our little prince.¡± ¡®Me?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. It¡¯ll be a short chat.¡± She gently motioned for Christelle and that damn Imperial Prince to leave. The two of them respectfully bowed to the Cardinal before walking out of the room, ring at each other with discontent. I knew they would start dating soon, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about the two main characters. I instead directed my attention to this one-on-one discussion with the Cardinal. ¡°Your Eminence, what did you wish to talk about¡­¡­¡± My butt was firmly in my seat but my anxiety led me to awkwardly hold my teacup with both hands. The fragrance of the still-warm anise tea tried its best to calm me down. ¡°Mm, I mentioned that Fr¨¦d¨¦rique and I are not going to the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts this year, right?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°As a result, they are missing a priest to take confessions from the field.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± My heart was beating wildly. I raised my head to look into the Cardinal¡¯s eyes. ¡°Demonic beasts threaten humans and are evil creatures who destroy our homes, but they are still living creatures. There are nobles who will want to confess regarding the murders they willmit or havemitted during the clearing. I have always been there to listen to their sins in previous years.¡± She was saying all this in a way that resembled singing more than speaking. It suddenly made me think about the butterfly effect. I guess things ended up like this because I changed directions as Jesse and decided to live as a Confessional Priest? ¡°I would like it if you could take charge of these confessions this year. If Christelle still doesn¡¯t have a partner then, it would be good for you to go and help her as she fights¡­¡­¡± The Cardinal¡¯s voice became a bit quieter. Her words about Chistelle seemed strange, like she didn¡¯t actually want me to do it. ¡°It would also be good to help C¨¦dric get the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star and build a rtionship with the future Imperial Crown Prince.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I thought about my identity once again. I couldn¡¯t say that my decisions had absolutely no impact, but this example of the butterfly effect had actually started a long time ago. The synopsis for the beginning of ¡®QNW¡¯ had gone awry from the moment the divine item inside the ¡®Temple of Boundaries¡¯ was used to save me instead of Christelle. (TL: Changed from Temple of Vignce to Temple of Boundaries because almost 300 chapterster it makes sense). I was too focused on how this change influenced the main character and I. It seemed as if there were not two, but actually three people who were mmed by the typhoon caused by the fluttering of butterfly wings. The Imperial Prince was unable to gain backing from the Sarnez Duchy after their wedding did not proceed as nned. However, he seemed to have other ns as well. ¡ª Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Chapter 33 ¨C Let¡¯s think of it as a field trip (2) ¡°Excuse me, there is something I am curious about.¡± I opened my mouth. I was anxious since it was just the Cardinal and I here, but I had something to say to her as well. The Cardinal was the one who brought up the Imperial Prince first, so I felt no pressure asking my question. ¡°Feel free to ask whatever you want.¡± ¡°His Royal Highness is Her Majesty¡¯s only child; is there something he needs to do or get to be the Imperial Crown Prince?¡± It didn¡¯t seem like something that required a lot of thought. I was sure that there were many branches of the Empire¡¯s Imperial family, but Imperial Prince C¨¦dric was the only direct descendant for the throne. That meant that both the Imperial Crown Prince position and the throne were guaranteed to him as long as he didn¡¯t decline the position or end up in a serious scandal to smudge the reputation of the Imperial family. The wedding with the House of Sarnez wasn¡¯t weird since he would have been able to receive political assistance from them if it worked out, but¡­¡­ ¡°Does the divine item, the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star, have something to do with the Imperial Crown Prince position¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Something connected my mind. A fire attribute divine item and a little child who uses fire attribute ether. ¡°Is it maybe for Sadie?¡± (TL: Author has indicated it is spelled Sadie 300+ chapters in. Thanks to Eve for letting me know! I will eventually change them in the older chapters¡­) The Cardinal¡¯s eyes opened wide. Her usually stoic face was filled with shock and slight anxiety. ¡°¡­¡­Is that the name the child gave you?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, that is how he introduced himself.¡± Her face turned rather odd at my response. She seemed entertained, yet also full of disbelief. ¡®I remember seeing this sort of expression before. Who was it?¡¯ Of course, that was not important right now. The Imperial Crown Prince position seemed to be just an excuse for the Imperial Prince to get the divine item for his son who suffers from ack of ether. ¡°Is that kid the child you asked me to help in the past?¡± I finally asked the question I had been wondering about for days. The Cardinal pushed her hand to her temple on one side before quietly sighing. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I also know that he was the one who depleted your ether. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I had never heard such a genuine apology from her before. The ether depletion she mentioned was talking about the first day I met Sadie, the day he looted me for my ether until I fainted. The Cardinal and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth had been by my side when I woke up. I had thought that the Cardinal was there to use her healing powers on me while Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was there to apologize as she was in charge of protecting me, but¡­¡­ Looking back at it now, both of them were people who knew Sadie. ¡°I scolded the kid after that. Nothing simr happened, right?¡± ¡°No ma¡¯am¡­¡­ After that, he took the ether through my circle when he needed it.¡± ¡°That is a relief.¡± The Cardinal truly looked relieved. However, I was still full of questions. ¡°Does that kid not have a priest partner?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Did that child tell you how his body ended up with such a condition?¡± My mouth closed on its own. Sadie had never properly answered any of my questions nor had he shared his story. If it was a private issue, I shouldn¡¯t dig any deeper than this. The Cardinal must have sensed my hesitation as she smiled brightly and continued speaking. ¡°I want to tell you everything, but¡­¡­ I think it would be better if you waited until he chooses to open his heart to you.¡± She then added on about how his heart already seemed quite open. I wasn¡¯t sure about that statement but I couldn¡¯t say anything when someone so close to Sadie and his family was saying that. I just nodded my head. ¡°Then it¡¯s my turn now. There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been curious about for a while.¡± ¡°Please ask away.¡± The Cardinal squinted her eyes as she smiled. She looked like a young girl who was happy to receive a new toy as a present. ¡°Has Sadie ever revealed his identity to you?¡± ¡°No ma¡¯am, it is just my hypothesis.¡± She did not continue to ask what my hypothesis was. The Cardinalughed out loud before taking a sip of her coffee. I quietly organized my thoughts while holding my teacup. Now that the importance and influence of divine items has been proven twice in the ¡®QNW¡¯ world, it was definitely a green light that I got the chance to see the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star in person. The novel was just beginning. The chances of the divine item sending me back home are extremely low as I have no idea whether or not Prince Jesse will live or die in the future war. But the only way to walk down a path with no regrets is to at least make an effort before you fall. In addition, helping the Imperial Prince win the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts and obtain the Sword of Wisdom would be helping Sadie. I wondered what his n was, since his chances of actually pulling the Sword of Wisdom out were low, and I don¡¯t think I would be of much help for that damn Imperial Prince anyways¡­¡­ I also never wanted to do anything to associate with that punk, but¡­¡­ How can I say no when it is for a child in pain? ¡°Then I will participate in the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts as well.¡± I put my teacup down. My palm cooled down as the teacup¡¯s warmth disappeared. I knew that realistically I had no choice, but there is a difference between being forced to go and choosing to go on my own ord. ¡°I will also cooperate with his Royal Highness.¡± The Cardinal smiled brightly after hearing my response. I thought that I was seeing quite a lot of smiles on her face today. * ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was a ce like this in the Imperial Pce!¡± Ganael shouted in an excited voice. I smiled and nodded my head. A cool spring breeze wasing from past the hill Benjamin was pointing at, blowing the grass around us t to the ground. It was an amazing view. It was so beautiful, but I thought it would be even better if Eunse and my brother were here with me. ¡°I thought it was just a mountain because it was called the rear mountain. I didn¡¯t expect there to be a ce like this.¡± ¡°Pleasee whenever you want, your highness.¡± Agnes, the mountain keeper,mented with a smile while walking in front of us. I moved Demy, who was dangling around my waist, up onto my shoulder. ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice toe out to an open area like this?¡± ¨C Squeeeee! The little punk squee¡¯d with joy. I took Demy with me whenever I went for a walk in the garden and spent time with him on the balcony throughout the day, but even that probably wasn¡¯t enough for him to feelfortable. Even if he is a divine beast, he is still an animal, so it must be very frustrating being unable to run around. I petted his fluffy tail with an apologetic heart. It is currently 11 am on Wednesday. It was obvious why we were climbing the rear mountain of Juliette Pce during my ¡®group lesson¡¯ with the Cardinal. ¡°A field trip? It reminds me of when I was younger.¡± Christelle said something rather risky while walking next to me. I wondered if she thought that it would be okay for the others to find out about her transmigration into that body. My expression must have been a bit odd, as she chuckled and quickly exined herself. ¡°I used to have pics on the hill at the Lord¡¯s Castle with my mother when I was younger.¡± I nodded once. ¡®What a great excuse. It felt very natural.¡¯ I kept that assessment to myself. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been here. I shoulde again with Fr¨¦d¨¦rique next time. There are many trees that I haven¡¯t seen before.¡± I turned around and took a peek at the Cardinal after hearing her voice. She was wearing the mostfortable outfit I had seen her in so far and was linking arms with Imperial Prince C¨¦dric at the back of the group. I recalled the reason today ended up like this. Two days ago, on Monday¡­ the day that I said that I would participate in the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts¡­ The Cardinal and I left the office and arrived at the interior training ground a few minutester than Christelle and that damn Imperial Prince. It was only about a fifteen minute difference but the two main characters managed to cause an incident during that short time. We arrived to find the training ground flooded with ayer of water with all sorts of spears, swords, and what looked like cannonballs embedded into the walls and ceiling. It was a bit amazing that Christelle, who must not have been able to control her power, was drenched while the Imperial Prince was standing there perfectly dry with his hair stylishly kept up. Cardinal Boutier looked at the two of them and¡­ ¡®Who started it?¡¯ She gently asked that question. Honestly speaking, I would have immediately started apologizing, as she looked like my brother right before he got angry. I would have immediately said that the other person just got swept up in my mischief and ran off while saying that I¡¯ll start cleaning right away. But as for our MC and the male lead¡­ ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®I see.¡¯ They quietly red at each other without saying anything. ¡®Even if Christelle gets rid of the water on the ground, there are still a lot of damaged areas that need fixing. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique uses this ce a lot¡­¡­¡¯ Christelle finally started to look a bit anxious as the Cardinal mumbled to herself. ¡®Please ept my deepest apologies, Your Eminence. I will pay for the repairs¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®You use money as if it was water.¡¯ The Imperial Prince cut her off. Iughed because I thought he was provoking Christelle with a pun about her water ability. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I thought I was chuckling quietly¡­¡­¡¯ All three of them simultaneously looked over at me. I got scared and shut up. The Cardinal quietly looked us over before saying¡­ ¡®I guess it can¡¯t be helped since you are both hot-blooded youngsters. I was the stupid one for thinking I could teach you all while cooped up somewhere like this.¡¯ She then sighed. After that, she said¡­ ¡®Should we go on a field trip next time?¡¯ That was how this had happened. The Cardinal had been smiling but it was obvious that she was angry and by then, Christelle and the damn Imperial Prince bastard finally seemed to realize that she was upset. Nobody had been able to oppose her sudden offer. She was giving off such a scary vibe where we would have had to shut up and follow her even if she told us we were going on a military march. ¡°This should be a good ce.¡± Agnes pointed to our side after taking us to a t area on the rear mountain. I snapped out of my thoughts and helped Ganael and Benjaminy out arge pic mat. The Cardinal¡¯s attendant, Natalie, and the Imperial Prince¡¯s attendant, David, also got busy unpacking their things to get the drinks and snacks out. ¡°It feels like we are on a pic.¡± The Cardinal shared her thoughts in a warm voice. Everybody seemed to be silently agreeing. Keywords such as ¡®Dressed in Full Combat Gear¡¯ had dominated my mind until we made our way here but I felt at peace looking at the well maintained pathways and the lush green hill. The nine people and one animal sat down rxedly on the mat. ¡°Thank you very much for the meal.¡± I wiped my hands with a cloth before receiving a warm Kouign-amann and a lightly seeped cup of Artichoke Tea. I bit down on the crunchy bread and the sweet taste of caramel filled my mouth. The slices of almond added texture and a savory taste while the gooey interior wrapped around my tongue. ¡°It¡¯s so good¡­¡­¡± I shared my assessment of the food as usual. Benjamin and Ganael looked quite satisfied as they started drinking their coffee and strawberry juice respectively. Christelle watched all of it unfold beforeughing loudly in a pretty voice. ¡°I thought thisst time as well, but you eat so well and look so happy when you eat.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t he?¡± The Cardinal smiled as she responded. Natalie, as the person who brings me snacks every lesson, agreed without any hesitation as well. ¡°¡­¡­Thank you very much.¡± It was apliment I heard frequently in my original body, but it was the first time someone brought it up in front of so many people like this. I got embarrassed and reached toward the te of fruit. ¨C Pruuuu! I peeled a lychee and gave it to Demy, which distracted me enough to calm down a bit. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Did you need something, your Royal Highness?¡± I then made eye contact with Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, who was sitting across from me. He was looking at me with a somewhat disgruntled gaze, and had not even touched the espresso in his hand. ¡®Why doesn¡¯t he just add some water and sugar if his coffee is too bitter¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Can you not feel it at all?¡± He suddenly asked. I wondered if all the male leads of Romfans left things out of their speech like this, or if this bastard was just a special case. ¡°I cannot understand what you are saying if you leave details out like that, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Your mana sensitivity has issues.¡± That damn Imperial Prince brisklymented before getting up. His attendant, David, made swift movements to get his coffee from him. I was blinking wondering if he wanted to start something, when Christelle also jumped up. The Iced Americano that she was drinking¡­¡­ was now in my hand. ¡°Something is headed this way.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ganael became anxious after hearing Christelle¡¯sment. She and the Imperial Prince were both looking past the hill. I looked in the same direction but I couldn¡¯t see or feel anything. ¡°Esteemed godmother.¡± The Imperial Prince called the Cardinal in an extremely low voice. Her beige-colored eyes looked at me and gently curled up. ¡°I said that it feels like a pic, not that we are actually on a pic.¡± ¨C Rumble! I then heard the ground rumbling from a distance. ¡ª Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Chapter 34 ¨C Let¡¯s think of it as a field trip (3) ¨C Squeal! Demy responded before me. His long and round tail rose up and he walked off of the pic mat. The way he slowly opened and closed his mouth over and over made it seem as if he was threatening something or wary of it. ¡°What was that noise just now?¡± I asked Cardinal Boutier about the situation. She had a picturesque smile on her face and did not respond. ¨C Rumble¡­¡­ I heard a thunder-like noise roar through the ground again. The people in our group started stirring. I opened my Holy Domain without any hesitation. The circle of golden ether lit up the top of the pic mat and started expanding at its master¡¯s will. My Holy Domain¡¯s maximum diameter was about 30m. It wasrge enough to easily cover the seven people on the mat, as well as the Imperial Prince, Christelle, and Demy, who were standing near us. As for how to make it evenrger than this¡­ well¡­ there is a way, but it is impossible to do right now. ¡°Demonic beasts.¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric answered in a low voice. Ganael gasped in shock. I quickly stood up and walked over to Demy. I could see a few red dots once I stared into the distance so hard that my eyes started to hurt. ¡°Why are there Demonic beasts here? I heard that there was a strong barrier around the Imperial Pce¡­¡­¡± I stopped talking mid sentence. I then turned to look at the Cardinal. ¡®No way, right?¡¯ ¡°You all seemed a bit tense so I had them undo the barrier around the mountain range for a bit. I also had the Imperial Guard help me put some bait out.¡± ¡°Your Eminence.¡± ¡°Fr¨¦d¨¦rique gave me permission. Do you remember what you did to the Empress¡¯s favorite training ground?¡± I gulped. ¡®So basically¡­¡¯ The two main characters had destroyed the interior training ground. In return, the angry Empress and Cardinal decided to teach their one and only son and someone else¡¯s precious daughter a lesson. ¡®But still, drawing demonic beasts to the rear mountain of the Imperial Pce? What about the civilians? Why do both of them have such terrible personalities? Is the Imperial Prince the way he is because he takes after both of them?¡¯ ¡°You can¡¯t properly prepare for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts by practicing against other people, so I had some demonic beasts prepared.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t talk about this as if you are talking about today¡¯s lunch menu!¡¯ ¨C Stomp stomp stomp stomp¡­¡­ ¡°They¡¯reing.¡± Christellemented. Bean sized drops of water started floating up from around her feet. The red dots far in the distance were rapidlying closer to us. The dots were each now about the size of a fingernail. ¨C Pound pound pound pound¡­¡­ ¡°One, two, three¡­¡­¡± ¡®Four, five.¡¯ A total of five creatures were rushing toward us. I walked to the front of the pic mat. The Imperial Prince and Christelle were standing in the very front while I was standing behind them to protect the Cardinal and the others. ¡°Please don¡¯t step out of my circle.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your highness.¡± Benjamin responded in a calm voice. The mountain keeper, Agnes, was looking around the back for any boulders or trees we could hide behind. The others seemed to have seen Demonic beasts before, unlike me, as they calmed down almost instantly. Well¡­ everybody except Ganael. ¡°I¡¯m just going to be cheering you all on.¡± The Cardinal teased us in a rxed voice. I couldn¡¯t help but scoff. I shook my head and had my ether flow to the tips of my hands. Warmth soon flowed down to my palms and ether (TL: Ridibooks announced a special TWSB board game where it is spelled as Ether so spelling change it is) orbs the size of steamed buns soon appeared. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez, please feel free to take them down without worrying about running out of ether.¡± ¡°That is great, your highness. I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± I clenched my hand into a fist before reopening it. The golden ether orb flickered on and off like a fluorescentmp. I needed to activate the flow of ether early in order to support her as quickly as possible. I haven¡¯t used any healing powers yet, but I¡¯m sure it should be doable if I follow everything I read¡­¡­ ¨C Pound pound pound pound pound¡­¡­ ¨C Mooooooooooo¡­¡­ I could hear a beast roar. Then, I could start to see the demonic beasts in the distance. They looked like disgustingly red bulls with a mane around their necks. Their skin was glossy like snake skin. They also seemed twice the size of normal bulls. Their eyes were glowing white as they ran toward us, making them look extremely scary. ¡°They are Toxin Bulls.¡± The previously silent Imperial Princemented. He slowly took a few steps forward before pulling the sword out of the scabbard on his right hip. ¡®Toxin Bulls?¡¯ ¡°Are they bull-shaped demonic beasts that release poison?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± My mind calmed down. I had read about them while trying to find information on the red pandas when they first appeared in the Imperial Pce. The Toxin Bulls were herbivores, but they release poison created from the nts they ate to attack humans. Fire attribute would be the most effective against poison but we only had a swordsman and a water attribute user. ¡°We cannot let them get close. These things breathe out poison as well.¡± ¨C Squeeeee. Demy quietly screeched. The little guy seemed to have someints as he roamed around my feet, so I lowered myself. ¡°Are you scared? Do you want me to hug you?¡± ¨C Squeeeee! Demy shook his head to say no before standing up on his hind legs. And then¡­ ¨C Pruu! ¨C Shaaaaa¡­¡­ The grass in front of Demy started to bend. No, to be more specific¡­¡­ ¡°They¡¯re knots.¡± des of grass were being tied with each other to create knots. I reached over and pulled at one but the knot held firm with no signs of weakening. A way to hold the demonic beasts down to prevent them from approaching us while we take care of them. A thought suddenly shed through my mind. ¡°Your Royal Highness, youngdy Sarnez. Let¡¯s do it this way.¡± I offered a suggestion. The clear blue water-like eyes and the burning orange eyes simultaneously turned to look at me. * ¨C Mooooooooo! ¨C Rooooooar! They were less than 100m away now. The five Toxin Bulls were drooling as they charged toward us. The saliva dripping from their tongues melted some of the wildflowers. I channeled a lot of ether into Demy, who was in my arms. ¡°Demy, can you do it?¡± ¨C Whimper! ¡°It¡¯s okay, big sis and big bro over there will take care of it even if you make a mistake. Two, three¡­¡­¡± The red panda raised both front paws. ¡°Now!¡± ¨C Crack! It sounded like a giant watermelon cracking in half as the path on the hill sunk down. ¨C Moooooooooo! ¨C Roar! Rooooooooar! There was a mix of mooing and roaring as the unbnced Toxin Bulls fell into the sinkhole. Demy had hit the location on the mark, unfortunately the hole was not very deep. ¨C Rooooooar! The five fallen beasts iled to stand back up. The Imperial Prince started moving even without my signal. He ran forward so quickly that I couldn¡¯t even see him. He then elegantly swung his sword-wielding left arm. There was a faint white light and¡­ ¨C Baaaaaaaaaang! ¨C Mooooooooooo! There was an extremely loud explosion before the Imperial Prince¡¯s sword aura shed through the vital points of three demonic beasts. It was truly a sword art to the afterlife. I couldn¡¯t believe that he was still not a sword master. But this was not the time to nk out in shock. The two Toxin Bulls that barely managed to avoid getting hit in vital points were stumbling as they crawled up the sink hole. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez!¡± I poured all of the ether I had been gathering into Christelle, who was still standing inside the circle. I could see the main character smiling as bright as the stars. Christelle took a deep breath and then¡­ ¡°Please leave it to me!¡± ¨C Tap! She kicked off the ground and instantly ran off. I was amazed by this special ability of Holy Knights that I had only read about until now. They had amazing physical strength regr people couldn¡¯t even dream about. This speed was something she would not have been able to get if the novel had progressed as written. ¨C Ssh, ssh¡­¡­ Water quickly gathered around her boots once she approached the sink hole. A broad stream of water followed the slope of the hill and into the sinkhole. ¨C Boom! ¨C Mooooooo! The dry dirt turned into mud, bing very slippery and forcing the demonic beasts that were climbing the walls to stumble and fall back in. Large streams of water ruthlessly poured down to fill the pit. Demonic beasts were naturally weak against water and fire, so they weakened as their bodies became wet. ¨C Roooooooooooar¡­¡­ Only one of them was alive after a while. ¨C Mooooooooooo¡­¡­ ¨C Siiiiiiizzle¡­¡­ The blood and saliva of the demonic beasts was being melted by the water, bing a solution of poisonous liquid. I was relieved that we were able to pool it into a single area. We would not have been able to prevent the poisonous liquid from spreading everywhere if Christelle was going up against them alone, and the Imperial Prince fighting alone might have led to them splitting up to overwhelm him with numbers. . ¨C Hnnnng¡­¡­ There was a loud breathing noise before thest demonic beast closed its eyes. My body stopped being tense as I sighed in relief. ¡°Your highness¡­¡­¡± I could hear Ganael, who was quietly hiding behind the closest boulder, mumbling. I turned around to see Benjamin, Natalie, David, and Agnes looking up at the sky and praying. I scoffed in disbelief. ¡°Ah, son of a¡­¡± I heard Christelle¡¯s voice at that moment. I jumped in shock and turned to look to find her looking as if she was about to fall. Demy had tied knots in the grass near the sinkhole in case the demonic beasts escaped, but it looked as if her foot got caught in one of them instead. ¡°¡­¡­Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I am okay, your highness. Ipletely forgot about these.¡± She smiled at me. I smiled back out of etiquette and looked at the Imperial Prince. I saw that he wasn¡¯t injured at all, as I had expected, and then we made eye contact. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I wondered if he was going to try to provoke me again, but he did not say much. He just threw his broken sword on the ground and started walking away. It seemed that the swords he used were too weak to withstand his sword aura. ¡®How can someone who is the Imperial Prince not have a famous sword of some kind?¡¯ ¡°Good job, everyone. That was good for a warm up, wasn¡¯t it?¡± The Cardinal¡¯s gentle voice descended upon the pic mat. She was drinking coffee in the same position she had been in before the group of Toxin Bulls had arrived. Christelle chuckled and nodded her head. I petted Demy, who was squirming into my arms, before whispering to him. ¡°Good job, Demy. You the real MVP today. You were the best.¡± ¨C Screeeeech The red panda screeched valiantly. My circle slowly disappeared. * Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who had quickly emptied over half of a cup of plum juice, finally looked refreshed. ¡°I was wondering why her Eminence had summoned the Imperial Guard.¡± She smiled refreshingly as if her lingering curiosity from the past few days had finally been resolved. Her olive-colored hair fluttered in the spring breeze that was blowing through the garden of Juliette Pce. It had been one day since we pummeled those Toxin Bulls on the rear mountain. Today¡¯s morning tea time was with my guest, Vice Commander Moutet, who had ditched work. ¡°Her Eminence has no interest in the knights or the military. We usually do not have any interactions with her.¡± She exined what she meant. ¡°But for some reason, she was looking for a few of our core members who had experiences clearing demonic beasts. I heard that she even asked if they had experience herding cows. I wondered what kind of joke it was, but it was for a unique field experience¡­¡­ I can¡¯t help but admire her.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s splendid grey eyes were sparkling. Seeing this look of respect in her eyes for Cardinal Boutier, someone who was quickly bing the icon of violence in my mind, the future of the Empire¡­¡­ Probably has a speck of dust in it. ¡°Please include me in field trips like that in the future, your highness.¡± ¡°It was not a field trip.¡± ¡°Getting to eat dessert from the Juliette Pce in a scenic area and catching some demonic beasts sure sounds like a pic to me.¡± She meant it. I had a bitter smile on my face as I wet my lips with my burdock tea. Yesterday¡¯s experience was definitely constructive, but a part of my heart turned cold thinking about the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts, which was more intense and muchrger in size. Even though I knew nothing bad would happen while being with the two main characters¡­¡­ ¨C Rustle. ¡°Prince Jesse.¡± I heard the grass being stepped on as Benjamin appeared from one side of the garden. He was holding a te covered by a silver lid in one hand. He must have brought snacks for Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and me. ¡°I have both good news and bad news, but I will start with the good news, your highness.¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t people usually ask which one you would rather hear first?¡¯ ¡°The good news is that the coconut cake today is the best I have ever had.¡± He revealed the contents of the te. It was a dessert full of finely shaved coconut powder that looked like Korean shaved ice. A dark chocte symbol of the church of the Almighty God was at the center. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabethmented about how ¡®it is magnificent, it is splendid¡¯. (TL: There¡¯s a trio of Koreanpliments that goes, it¡¯s magnificent, it¡¯s splendid, it is a gift from God.) The corners of my lips curled all the way up to my ears at this extremely good news. ¡°As for the bad news¡­¡­ You have received an interview request, your highness.¡± ¡ª Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Chapter 35 ¨C The Scoundrel of the Holy Kingdom (1) ¡°An interview? What¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is it perhaps the ?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth asked for me since I was too shocked to finish my sentence. The serious look on Benjamin¡¯s face seemed to be spreading to her a bit as well. The was the Beau Monde magazine that I had spent the most time reading sinceing to this ce. Over half of the Empire¡¯s nobles subscribe to it, while the other half are said to read it with their friends who do . (TL: The OG version of sharing Netflix passwords) ¡°Yes, your highness. Lady Sarah Belliard, the Managing Editor, officially requested to interview you and her Majesty has approved.¡± Benjamin calmly exined before serving coconut cake on the tea table. I couldn¡¯t help but have questions that filled my mind even as I picked up a fork. ¡°I don¡¯t know why this is happening all of a sudden. It was quiet until now.¡± ¡°To be honest with you, it has not been quiet, your highness.¡± Benjamin cautiously responded. I stopped taking a bite of the soft cake and looked at him. ¡°Your highness, I¡¯m sure you are well aware of the fact that the Empress Pce has been filtering all personalmunication from the nobles to you. All gifts have been stored in the Imperial safe as well because we do not know the intentions behind them.¡± ¡°Yes, you told me.¡± ¡°It is the same for any contact from the media. This is especially true for the which has been asking for a personal interview with you since the day you arrived at the pce. Her Majesty had declined them all until recently.¡± ¡®As I expected. Well, I¡¯m thankful for that since I would like to be as far away from attention as possible.¡¯ ¡°I wonder what made her change her mind.¡± I responded to him. It made me a bit anxious but there was no reason I couldn¡¯t do an interview. It was something I had never done before in my life but I felt as if it would be fine if I answered as they told me to answer, and feigned ignorance for any potentiallyplicated questions. I was ready to follow anything the Empress Pce told me to do, as long as it wasn¡¯t something difficult. They feed me three meals a day and pay me to stay here. If the people who hold my life in their hands tell me to bark, how can I not bark? I just wanted to know why they suddenly allowed this interview. ¡°To start with the conclusion, it is because of Marquis Fran?ois Duhem.¡± Benjamin sighed as he responded. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who had been quietly listening, nodded her head while saying that she understood. I looked at her and then at Benjamin. Marquis Fran?ois Duhem was Captain Duhem¡¯s older brother and the person in charge of the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. He was the one who frustrated the Cardinal by announcing that he would put the divine item, the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star, as the prize for the winner of thepetition¡­¡­ ¡®Ah.¡¯ ¡°Did she allow them to interview me in return for pushing back the announcement regarding the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star?¡± ¡°That is correct, your highness.¡± I nodded my head at the immediate response. The Cardinal had exined the situation in the past. It made me think about Lady Sarah Belliard, who was willing to share Marquis Duhem¡¯s promation even at the cost of sending out a revised edition. Even if the Marquis had talked about the winner¡¯s prize, the difference was heaven and hell when it came to being a rumor against being written in the most influential magazine in the Empire. ¡°Her Majesty is usually rxed with the nobles. She believes that it will be less annoying to her that way. The nobles can do things freely as long as they do not get on Her Majesty¡¯s nerves.¡± ¡°You are saying that this media control is a unique circumstance.¡± ¡°Yes sir. Her Majesty must have thought that it would be cleaner to give her a reward since something like this pretty much never happens.¡± I was that reward. Rather than owing Lady Belliard and being bothered by her frequently, the Empress wanted to give her a treat and shut Lady Belliard up. ¡°When will the interview take ce?¡± I asked with curiosity. ¡°I heard that it will take ce at 2 p.m. in the Empress Pce tomorrow.¡± ¡®That¡¯s fast.¡¯ I put a piece of the sweet yellow cake in my mouth and let it melt down. ¡®I mean, when else would you use a cker of a diplomatic hostage?¡¯ I did not consider the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts as a simr deal since I said that I would go. ¡°Your highness, please be cautious around Lady Belliard.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth warned me in a serious tone. I stopped my hand from attacking the cake and made eye contact with her. ¡°I was almost looted dry by her a few months ago.¡± The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard then raised her left hand. The ring on her fourth finger shined brightly in the sunlight. I had seen it on her hand the first time I met her. It had a splendid jewel at the center. ¡°It is a yellow diamond.¡± ¡°How interesting.¡± The real Prince Jesse might have seen it frequently, but it was my first time seeing it. She quietly chuckled at my response. ¡°An engagement is a person¡¯s personal life, but she wanted to dig into it solely because I was the sessor for the Moutet County. She is not an easy person to deal with.¡± ¡®Oh, it really was an engagement ring.¡¯ I wanted to know who her fiance was but I did not ask because it felt odd asking her before she mentioned it first. Anyway, it seemed that the way this world¡¯s media chases after celebrities was the same as it is in my old world. I thought that it was an obvious development because the author of QNW was Korean. I recalled how Sadie had talked back to me with his usual sharp gaze in the Confessional a few days ago. ¡®You can¡¯t eavesdrop on someone else¡¯s confession. That¡¯s supposed to be a secret.¡¯ ¡®Sarah Belliard doesn¡¯t deserve such consideration.¡¯ ¡®I wonder what he meant by that.¡¯ The little boy had such a strong reaction to her, Benjamin was calling the interview bad news, and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth struggled with her¡­ ¡®Do they just mean that Lady Belliard is a trashporter?¡¯ (TL: Korean ng for reporter + trash was used so I created the term trashporter) ¡®¡­¡­Thank you very much.¡¯ The woman¡¯s old voice was still vivid in my mind. She had an ill grandson and her rtionship with her daughter and son-inw had suffered because of it. Of course, you can¡¯t cover up other issues just because she had such a sad story, but¡­¡­ ¡®Yes, I cannot meet someone with my heart already leaning in one direction.¡¯ I thoroughly chewed on the cake to make sure that I didn¡¯t forget that. ¡°I will say I don¡¯t know to any difficult questions and respond with as little as possible to the easy questions as well. That should be good, right?¡± I smiled as I said that. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth gave me a thumbs up, saying that I had the right mindset. Benjamin silently nodded his head but he still looked worried. ¨C Squeeeee Demy suddenly popped out of the garden shrubs. He must be hungry after running around and having fun. I cleared my mind as I handed him a thinly sliced mango. We had caught five demonic beasts yesterday and I had been studying all day after returning to the pce, so I wanted to leave tomorrow¡¯s affairs for tomorrow¡¯s me to deal with. * Yesterday¡¯s me was such a selfish bastard. ¡®How could you only think about yourself?¡¯ ¡°He is not someone who needs a lot of makeup. His highness also pulls off beautiful colors very well.¡± ¡°I see, his skin is so clean as well.¡± The boss of the makeup department in the Imperial Pce was holding arge brush-like item in his hand, and the boss of the attire department I had met back at the Spring Ball were chatting with each other while I was seated in front of them. One of the numerous empty rooms of the Empress Pce was full of people attending to me. ¡®This is so nerve-racking¡­¡­¡¯ The people of the Empress Pce rushed over to Juliette Pce early in the morning, threw me into the tub, and frantically started to get me ready. The fact that Sarah Belliard, a media celebrity, managed tond an interview with a diplomatic hostage seemed to have created a bigger ripple than I had expected. I managed to see a miracle in action when all of the attendants finally left me alone after I told them that I would starve all day if they didn¡¯t let me wash alone. I naturally had no ns to starve myself, so I was relieved that the threat worked. ¡°The best way to describe Prince Jesse¡¯s skin? The summer cool tone.¡± Christelle, who was seated on the couch observing the chaos, said something that nobody here would understand. ¡®This definitely sounds like something Eunse talked about a few times but I don¡¯t really remember what it means.¡¯ I think it meant skin that looked cool even in the summer or skin that looks even better in the summer. Anyway, it was a term that should only work in Korea, so I feigned ignorance and changed the subject. ¡°Do you not have to stop by your house, youngdy Sarnez?¡± ¡®Why are you killing time here? Please go home.¡¯ That was what I actually meant by that but Christelle did not even budge. ¡°Anything you do while ditching ss is fun.¡± I couldn¡¯t say anything to that since it was true. She smiled as she saw my mouth close before happily observing the clothes that the attire team had selected and brought over for me. I thought that the interview would start after lunch because it was scheduled for 2 p.m. I had never expected them to cause such a ruckus from the morning. Even Benjamin and Ganael seemed quite shocked this time. I supposed that I should expect a ruckus for anything the Empress is involved with in the future. My Friday lesson with the Cardinal was canceled, so the fact that Christelle came over to y was one of the tiny misfortunes of the day. ¡°My mother worries a lot if I only stay at the residence.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The main character suddenly responded. I had no idea what to say to that. ¡°It is not easy to see someone who treats me so well suffering. I feel that way even though I don¡¯t have many memories about my mother.¡± She then said that that was the reason she left the house whenever she had an excuse to do so. Lady Isabelle de Sarnez still seemed to be unable to drop her concerns for her daughter. No parent would be able to do so, but¡­¡­ I could see a bit of Christelle¡¯s personality based on her response. She was an affectionate person, as Eunse had told me, and seemed weak to the older sister characters. It wasn¡¯t that difficult to think that an office worker in her twenties would consider Lady Sarnez, a woman in her thirties, to be an older sister. ¡°His straight hair doesn¡¯t cause many issues, so we can justb it over.¡± I was quietly in my thoughts when the makeup department boss proimed that as if he had made a great discovery. ¡®Wait, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m some kind of idol¡­¡­ Whatever, I guess I should be happy that they won¡¯t put any makeup on me. I remember how much Eunse hated it since it is such a hassle getting it off.¡¯ * ¡°This is my first timeing to this side. It is extremely luxurious.¡± Christelle seemed amazed while looking at the mural on the ceiling. She looked extremely entertained after she ended up having lunch with me in the Empress Pce and apanying me to the interview location. I couldn¡¯t turn her away after seeing the grim look on her face while talking about her mother¡­¡­ ¡°I see.¡± It was also my first timeing around the Empress¡¯s office, as I had only been to the Cardinal¡¯s office and the dining area. We were slowly walking down the wide hallway of the Empress Pce, following an attendant with Benjamin and Ganael behind us. ¡°This person is¡­¡­¡± I observed arge portrait in front of the Empress¡¯s office, while Christelle was inspecting the mural. It was a portrait of someone I didn¡¯t know but there was no way I could not recognize that face. ¡°That is his Royal Highness, Prince Alexandre.¡± Benjamin responded to my question. Alexandre Riester. The man who was said to have given up his title of Duke for love. The Empress¡¯s husband, who had left this world now, only remained as a portrait in front of his spouse¡¯s room. He looked almost exactly the same as Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, but his ck hair was down to his waist and his eyes were as blue as the deep sea. ¡°The Thrilling Archmage¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± I suddenly heard Ganael¡¯s urgent voice. I turned around wondering if Cardinal Boutier had appeared. (TL: In Korean, the same title is used for pretty much everyone. Jesse, C¨¦dric, Cardinal Boutier, The Empress, etc. Hence Jesse¡¯s confusion with who it is when in English all of their titles are different.) ¡®Nobody said that she would be taking part in the interview.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± However, the person who was there was not the Cardinal. ¡°Your loyal subject greets our Royal Highness.¡± Christelle greeted him first. The attendants who were momentarily shocked quickly showed their respects as well. Unlike the portrait silently observing us, the eyes of the person slowly walking over to us was the color of the sunset. I calmly greeted Imperial Prince C¨¦dric and the woman walking one step behind him. ¡°Hello, your Royal Highness. Hello Lady Belliard.¡± Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Chapter 36 ¨C The Scoundrel of the Holy Kingdom (2) The location that the Empress provided for the interview wasrger than my room in Juliette Pce. I followed the attendant of the Empress Pce who led me to sit at a couch that was reserved for the higher ranking individual. The way my body sank in and made me feel rxed made me think that they truly had the highest quality stuff here. Lady Sarah Belliard sat across from me. ¡°You must be close with youngdy Christelle de Sarnez, your highness.¡± ¡°No, not at all.¡± She said something that could get me into a lot of trouble. I immediately denied it. Just a moment ago¡­ Christelle, the Imperial Prince, Lady Belliard, and I had awkwardly greeted each other outside the Empress¡¯s office. Christelle thanked me for ying with her and left while the Imperial Prince ignored us and walked into the Empress¡¯s office as if he owned the ce. I had been anxious about how that punk might get involved with things this time but thankfully it seemed to have just been a coincidence. Lady Belliard, three attendants, and I entered the interview room as originally nned. However, Lady Belliard seemed to have decided to take my answer and twist it as she pleases. ¡°Ah, so you do not know the youngdy¡¯s middle name yet.¡± ¡°I n on continuing to not know it.¡± I quickly shut it down. I absolutely could not say that I already knew it and that I heard it on our first meeting. Lady Belliardughed leisurely before saying something else. ¡°Anyway¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t expect to see the most handsome man on the continent, the most handsome man of the Empire, and the most handsome man of the Holy Kingdom in one ce. I must be very lucky.¡± ¡®What is this? She¡¯s talking so quickly it sounds like she is rapping.¡¯ Although she didn¡¯t say any difficult words, it was hard for me to understand what she was trying to say. She must have noticed my confusion as she quickly exined. ¡°His Royal Highness, The Prince Alexandre Nicole Riester was called the most handsome man on the continent when he was alive. His Royal Highness, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, is, in all ounts, the most handsome man in the Empire.¡± She was talking about how she saw Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, the portrait of Prince Consort Alexandre, and me in the hallway. ¡®It¡¯s not like we¡¯re F4¡­¡­¡¯ (TL: After chatting with some people, this is most likely a Boys Over Flowers reference, with F4 or Flower 4 referring to the four pretty boys) It was giving me the chills but I let it be. The Imperial Prince looks almost the same as the deceased Prince Consort so it wasn¡¯t weird to hear about how both of them were handsome. Even Eunse, who frequently sang about how this punk was Crapdric, would nk out whenever she saw a picture of the Imperial Prince. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Your highness, do you know why Her Majesty chose the Empress Pce for us to have this interview?¡± Lady Belliard¡¯s tone turned a bit sharp. I sat up out of reflex. The interview was taking ce in a reception room close to where the Empress works. ¡®Is this the first question?¡¯ ¡°It was probably to suppress your spirit, Lady Belliard. This is somewhere you can continuously feel that Her Majesty is close by.¡± Lady Belliard smiled at my response. She seemed to like what I said. I thought that she looked like the strict Editor-in-chief in that movie my brother liked. I think it was called or something like that. ¡°That is quite the skilled analysis. However, there is one other reason as well, your highness. I heard that Juliette Pce started some renovationsst month.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°She probably did not want to show me the renovation site.¡± The old woman¡¯s green eyes were sparkling with intelligence as she spoke. It was to be expected, but she looked much more energetic then when I had peeked at her through the gap in the Confessional door. Her gently fluttering short white hair, her red satin dress, and even every single wrinkle on her face had a way of giving her a charismatic look to suppress the person she was talking to. ¡°The renovations have finished. You seem to be slower at getting information than I had expected, Lady Belliard.¡± That was what I said to her. I purposely left out the fact that it only finished two days ago. Lady Belliard smiled while looking as if she had not expected to hear this. The reason that a part of Juliette Pce needed renovations was because I destroyed the inside of my bedroom and the window while dealing with the twin assassinsst month. The Empress must have not shown any signs of it to Lady Belliard. She was probably also wary of some people giving Lady Belliard eye witness ounts of what had happened. That was why Lady Belliard was invited to the Empress Pce instead of Juliette Pce where I reside. ¡°I thought that you were just a warm person but you know how to point your thorns as well, your highness.¡± She openly gave me an assessment. It upset me, but living in a Confucian society for 29 years made it difficult to talk back to an elder. I also didn¡¯t want to fall for her provocation so I simply smiled and changed topics. ¡°I am only speaking the truth. I heard that you have a time limit so you should probably get the interview going, Lady Belliard.¡± The Empress had only given Lady Belliard 30 minutes. It could be considered long or short depending on what you were doing. ¡°Then I will start with something that I believe most of our readers would be curious about.¡± The Editor-in-chief of the opened her notebook and put on a small pair of spectacles. I reaffirmed what I told myself earlier. ¡®I don¡¯t know anything that might make thingsplicated and give only short responses even to the things I do know.¡¯ ¡°What do you think about your nickname as the Scoundrel of the Holy Kingdom?¡± ¡°Lady Belliard, that is disrespectful to our esteemed highness.¡± Benjamin, who was standing behind me, gently scolded her for her ruthless question. I turned my head to tell him that I was okay. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t expect something like this from someone who was in charge of the best selling publication in the Empire. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. A scoundrel¡­¡± I dragged out the end. This was actually something I was probably more curious about than she was. It had been on my mind since the first day I transmigrated into this world. What kind of life did the real ¡®Prince Jesse¡¯ live that he was publicly known as a scoundrel? I read about how he spread all sorts of gossip in the Holy Kingdom and stole the hearts of numerous noble women but I had no way of knowing whether any of it was true. Eunse had never said anything about Prince Jesse¡¯s past and usually only talked about how sweet he was to Christelle and how he was devoted to her. ¡°I don¡¯t have much thoughts about it.¡± That was why this was my choice as my response. It wasn¡¯t about me anyway. ¡°Hohoho, this is your chance to give any excuses or exnations.¡± Lady Belliard chuckled in a low voice as she exined. ¡®Excuses? I need to know what happened to make excuses.¡¯ ¡°Which incident are you specifically asking about?¡± ¡°Oh, you are asking me, your highness? Hmm, the first thing thates to mind is the rumor about how you were two-timing two married women. I heard that one of them was in thest month of their pregnancy while the other was a newly wed priestess. I¡¯ve been told that everybody in the Holy Kingdom knows about this.¡± My jaw dropped. I could hear Ganael gasping behind me. ¡®What should I be more shocked about right now? The fact that Prince Jesse was responsible for some crazy infidelity? The fact that it was with, not one, but two married women? Or maybe the fact that Jung Eunse liked a bastard like this? Hold on, is this the same background setting that would have been exined in the novel?¡± ¡°Your highness.¡± Benjamin calmly called my name and put a hand on my shoulder before removing it. I shook my head vigorously internally. I had no way of confirming whether this was true or false. ¡®Calm down, Jung Jesse. Proceed ording to the guidelines you set for yourself.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± ¡®Feign ignorance on all awkward or difficult questions.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t as if I was lying when I said that I don¡¯t know. She then wrote something in her notebook with a quill pen. ¡°Are you saying that it is nder?¡± Lady Belliard lowered her head a bit and looked at me through her sses. I still had the chills from receiving this extremely effective attack of ¡®Married women infidelity triangle.¡¯ ¡°The story of how Prince Consort Werner of the Holy Kingdom has done everything he could to disgrace your name is quite well-known, even in the Empire, your highness. Do you perhaps see these scandals as part of the Prince Consort¡¯s scheme?¡± My eyes opened wide at that moment. My mind became extremely cool, as if I poured some mint chocte in there. There was some logic in her words. Werner Viaan. The Prince Consort of the Viaan Holy Kingdom and Queen Christanne¡¯s husband. Not only did this guy, in order to protect the child between the Queen and him, crown princess Elise¡¯s position, send the bastard child Jesse Viaan to the Empire as a Diplomatic hostage, he even tried to assassinate me. Elise had the proper rights as the first born and as the legitimate daughter, but he was wary because Prince Jesse was so popr. It made sense if that guy would spread all sorts of scious rumors in order to dirty the prince¡¯s name. It also made sense why Eunse would feel so much pity for Prince Jesse. He had to deal with so much contempt and scious rumors even without doing anything wrong, and ended up falling in love with Christelle but could not get her heart. In the end, he died for her. ¡°¡­¡­His Royal Highness truly cares about the future of the Holy Kingdom. How would I know the thoughts inside his deep heart?¡± I opened my mouth after a long time. My voice naturally went lower at the disturbing situation, but Lady Belliard seemed to think that it was because I was telling the truth. ¡°The future of the Holy Kingdom¡­¡­ It sounds like you are saying that the Prince Consort dragged you down for crown princess Elise, your highness.¡± ¡°His highness has already responded. Please move onto the next question.¡± Ganael responded on my behalf. I smiled gently and looked up at the young boy. Ganael looked a bit angry but did his best to manage his expression after sensing my gaze. ¡®He¡¯s such a good kid.¡¯ ¡°Then may I ask something a bit sensitive?¡± Lady Belliard ced her sses on the table as she asked. I managed to get a peek into her notebook which was full of writing now. ¡°The questions until now have been quite sensitive as well.¡± Sheughed out loud at myment. I smiled without backing down. This was a fight I will win at the end. This conversation would seem difficult for anybody who was listening, but I had received some new information because of the questions and answers just now. I was too anxious at first to remember that she was known as the ¡®Holy Kingdom Expert.¡¯ I would be able to pull out a lot of information from Sarah Belliard if I use this interview properly. I had nothing to lose since I was ignorant of the workings of this world. ¡°It is a political question this time.¡± ¡°It sounds interesting.¡± ¡°Your highness, the reason that you came here as a Diplomatic hostage is because the Holy Kingdom went against the Armistice and invaded our Northern border. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°There is a rumor that the conflict was from Crown princess Elise acting on her own.¡± ¡®¡­¡­Hmm?¡¯ * C¨¦dric came out of the Empress¡¯s office and stopped walking. He turned his head and looked down the hallway. He could clearly feel the flow of ether that was as wide as the southern fields and as gentle as the spring breeze. He had experienced the ether of Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier and many other priests, but there was only one person who gave off this kind of sensation. ¡°¡­¡­I guess the prince¡¯s schedule has not finished.¡± ¡°That is correct, your Royal Highness.¡± His attendant David responded. The Imperial Prince quietly looked down at his left hand and clenched and unclenched his fist a few times. His body condition was not bad today. No, his condition had always been decent ever since Prince Jesse had entered the pce. He only turned into a little kid when he used too much power. However, it was wise to fill up the canteen fully if there was a well nearby. It was wise to do that even if there was a small crack in that canteen. ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a bit before we go.¡± ¡°The room next to the reception room is empty. It is the room Prince Jesse used to prepare this morning.¡± The sharp David offered him the best suggestion. The Imperial Prince nodded his head and started walking. Although it wasn¡¯t as good as directly receiving the prince¡¯s ether, just being around the guy calmed the fires inside his body. The junky ether in the Temple Confessional could notpare to it at all. The Imperial Prince and his attendant quickly arrived at the room next to the reception room. David was thinking about making coffee for the Imperial Prince as he gently opened the door. However, someone was already in there. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­Youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°Your loyal subject greets our Royal Highness again.¡± Christelle de Sarnez, who had her desirable pink hair in a high bun, got up and elegantly greeted the Imperial Prince. The Imperial Prince instantly felt frustration building up inside him. He knew that she had visited the Empress Pce as a guest today but had not expected her to still be here. He had the petty thought of wanting to leave the room. ¡°David, coffee.¡± ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness. What would you like, youngdy Sarnez?¡± ¡°Ah, could I please have an iced coffee that is not too strong? Thank you very much.¡± Her water attribute always got on the Imperial Prince¡¯s nerves. His senses would be on alert and an instinctual displeasure overwhelmed him whenever they were in the same ce, especially if it was indoors. Although he didn¡¯t know for sure, she should also be feeling a simr displeasure at his fire attribute ether. ¡°The view from this room is great.¡± Christelle boldly tried to start a conversation while looking at David leave. The two of them made eye contact. Her eyes were as cold as ice. They truly were ipatible as he had thought. Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Chapter 37 ¨C The Scoundrel of the Holy Kingdom (3) ¡°¡­¡­¡± The attendant, David Capuson, had a disloyal thought for a moment. He wanted to leave his master and get out of here right away. He was the person who had been supporting the Imperial Prince for the longest time, and, as the Chief Attendant of Romero Pce, had the ability to maintain his calm and handle any and all situations. However, even he had never faced something like this before. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric seemed to find it ufortable to be around youngdy Christelle de Sarnez, but he could not figure out why. The problem was that the youngdy seemed to find the Imperial Prince to be extremely unpleasant as well. A suffocating air brushed past in the room next to the reception room. ¡°Here is your coffee, your Royal Highness, and yours, youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Youngdy Sarnez thanked the attendant respectfully. The Imperial Prince thanked him with a gaze. It was back to silence after that. David debated whether he should step out and leave the two of them alone. The only thing he could think of being responsible for this bad rtionship between the two of them was the breaking of the engagement. However, it wasn¡¯t like they were going to be married because they had feelings for each other. He had heard that things with the House of Sarnez were resolved pretty well. They even danced together at the Spring Ball when they first met. Of course, the Imperial Prince was skilled in acting as a member of the Imperial Family, but¡­¡­ ¨C ck. He could hear the ice moving inside youngdy Sarnez¡¯s coffee cup. David snapped out of his thoughts and looked toward his master out of habit. The Imperial Prince¡¯s face was even stiffer. ¡°David.¡± ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Go rest.¡± He was being asked to leave. He thought about how the two of them had turned the interior training ground into a mess, but this was the Empress Pce. Furthermore, Lady Sarah Belliard was in the reception room right next to this one. There was no way that they would cause such an issue. The attendant bowed respectfully before stepping away. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The room became suffocatingly calm again. Christelle de Sarnez, well, the soul of Ham Ga-in inside her, barely managed to stop herself from scowling. The art of keeping a poker face that she had learned from her 31 years of life and crafted in her long time in the workforce, was quite useful here as well. She did not like the man sitting across from her but she maintained a smile on her face. Everybody she met after the transmigration was a first meeting and a new person to her, but it was the first time she did not like someone for no reason like this. ¡°Huuuuuu.¡± Christelle quietly took a breath. She did her best not to think about the Imperial Prince. The reason she did not immediately return to the Sarnez Residence in the Imperial Capital after saying goodbye to Prince Jesse was not to have this unnecessary mental battle with this man. She could clearly feel the ether of the prince in the next room even without focusing very hard. As someone who has not been officially ordained as a Holy Knight yet, the only time for her to use her ability was during the lessons. She had never experienced what it felt like to becking ether. As a result, this was closer to a form of aromatherapy. The vocal equivalent would be ASMR. Being exposed to the prince¡¯s ether calmed her heart and made her feel as if the waves inside her settled down. The other priests she had met had extremely precise ether control and their ether was not this pure. It was more like the Imperial Prince¡¯s¡­¡­ ¡®Wait a minute. The Imperial Prince?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Did you want something?¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric looked disgruntled as she looked at him with herrge eyes. He did not openly frown at her, but there was no goodwill whatsoever visible on his pretty face. The cause of her difort started to reveal a faint outline. Christelle oddly felt a sense of victory as she started speaking. ¡°You are not a priest, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But it feels as if you have ether.¡± C¨¦dric Riester was silent at this sharp deduction. There had been no Holy Knights in the Empire until now. That meant that there had been nobody who could sense his fire attribute ether. Even healing priests had to open a special circle and release their ether to confirm his condition. However, Christelle de Sarnez was different. As expected, this woman was reacting sensitively to his fire. This was going to be annoying. * ¡°The collision of forces at the border was Crown princess Elise acting on her own?¡± ¡°I have a hundred birds feeding me information, your highness.¡± Lady Belliard smiled brightly and said that random phrase after hearing my question. I took a sip of the dried lime tea that an attendant had brought for me, and tried to control my facial expressions. The sweet taste made me feel as if I could focus a bit again. ¡°About twenty of them told me that was the case. They said that Prince Consort Werner had nothing to do with that incident, and that the crown princess was solely responsible.¡± ¡°Even if what you said is true and the incident was solely caused by Crown princess Elise, it does not change anything.¡± That was my response. It was the truth. Even if the Prince Consort did not order her to do it, I was here because the crown princess went against the agreement. It just meant that the father and daughter acted with the same goal in mind. Who cares if they didn¡¯t seem to work together for a single incident? ¡°I guess so, your highness. But five of my birds¡­¡­ they said something different. No, it may have been six birds.¡± She mumbled about how numbers became sort of blurry as she grew older before lowering her voice. I could barely hear what she said next. ¡°They say that the crown princess does not agree with what the Prince Consort is trying to do.¡± ¡°You are saying some dangerous things.¡± I felt chills down my back, but made sure to still respond calmly. This was new information as well. I¡¯m sure it was just a rumor, but there was a difference between knowing that these rumors were out there and not knowing anything at all. Crown princess Elise is two years older than Prince Jesse. I have no idea what kind of rtionship the two of them had. However, I did not believe that the three siblings of the Holy Kingdom would have been close, as Eunse described Prince Jesse¡¯s family as if they were a ridiculous family in a Korean drama. They were probably only friendly on the outside, as half-siblings often do in the shows, with behind the scenes political battles urring in the pce. At least that was how it was in the Chinese drama that my brother was watching. ¡°His royal highness, the Prince Consort, cherishes Princess Elise more than his own life.¡± I said something that pretty much everybody knew about. ¡°But do you think that the crown princess feels the same way about the Prince Consort?¡± Lady Sarah Belliard asked in a profound way. Her green eyes looked as if they could pierce through a person¡¯s soul. However, there was nothing she would be able to get from me. ¡°I do not know.¡± I didn¡¯t know anything. I calmly said that before bringing the teacup to my lips. No, I tried to put the cup to my lip. ¨C Ssh¡­¡­ The liquid in the teacup moved oddly. I was shocked but clenched my teeth not to say anything. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know about that either.¡± ¡°Lady Belliard, it is probably best to stop asking about the political situation in the Holy Kingdom. It may impact the rtionship between the two nations.¡± Benjamin sternly interjected. Lady Belliard sounded shocked before she shrugged her shoulders. I was unable to take my eyes away from my teacup even at that moment. I was the only one who saw this, because Lady Belliard rejected a drink saying that she does not drink anything during an interview. What happened just now did not happen because my body or the ground shook. I was sure that the tea in my cup shot up before it fell back down. It waspletely still now, as if nothing had happened, but it felt like something you would see in a movie¡­¡­ ¨C ng! I heard the sound of ss breaking on the other side of the wall. I jerked my head up. Lady Belliard, who was flipping through her notebook, and Benjamin and Ganael who were standing behind me, looked shocked at the unexpected noise as well. ¡°I guess they are not finished cleaning the next room. It sounds as if the attendants made a mistake.¡± Benjamin calmlymented. I looked up at him with confusion. Ganael thankfully exined things for me. ¡°The next room is where you got ready this morning, your highness. This reception room and that room share a firece.¡± I peeked toward the firece behind Lady Belliard. We seemed to be able to hear the other side, because the firece was open and therefore connected the two rooms together. It made sense now because I didn¡¯t think that the walls of the Empress Pce would be thin enough to allow sound to travel through so easily. ¡°Weren¡¯t we much farther in the morning? I don¡¯t remember Her Majesty¡¯s office being so close.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because we moved through the eastern staircase, your highness. It is much closer, and it seems different if you use the central staircase as we did just now.¡± ¡°I thought that it was apletely different floor.¡± ¡°Mm, your highness¡­¡­¡± Ganael looked at me with pity. Benjamin quietly sighed. ¡°I know I¡¯m bad with directions, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°This is an interesting story.¡± Lady Belliard¡¯s eyes sparkled at myment. I shut my mouth but it was already toote. ¡°The prince who is known as the Moon of the Holy Kingdom is bad with directions. Or maybe directionally challenged is better?¡± She put her sses back on her face and started moving her quill pen. ¡®Damn it, this isn¡¯t what I wanted.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­I am pretty average with directions.¡± I wanted to say that I had nothing to fear with the map app on, and that I could get around on my own with no problems. It felt so unfair that I could not say anything because I transmigrated into this body. It looked as if my weaknesses would be revealed in my attempt to get information out of her. ¨C Crackle! I saw the fire in the firece burn fiercely behind Lady Belliard at that moment. ¡°Uhh¡­¡­¡± Ganael seemed to have witnessed it this time as well. The fire soon returned to normal but I could not shake this odd feeling in my mind. Lady Belliard turned her body to look behind her after seeing the stiff expressions on our faces. ¡°Umm, did you hear the story about the Divine beast?¡± I quickly threw her some bait. The Managing Editor of the looked back at me with an amused gaze. ¡°When you say divine beast, are you talking about the animal that you took in instead of sending to the Duhem March?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± I know it made no sense, but I had a strong feeling that I could not let her find out about this possessed teacup or the suspicious firece. The Riester Imperial Pce was made with anti-magic stones in the walls and the floors to prevent magic from being used anywhere other than the training grounds. The temple was an exception as it was under the Pope¡¯s authority. Basically, it meant that what happened just now was not because of magic. ¡°His name is Demy. I let him y in the garden when Ie to the Empress Pce¡­¡­¡± I started going off about things she didn¡¯t even ask me and seeded in keeping her gaze focused on me. I didn¡¯t care whether they poured oil or alcohol into the firece from the other room. However, there was a clear culprit for the tea giving me a show. And, based on what I knew, her abilities should not be revealed just yet. ¡®Why did she not go home yet?¡¯ ¡°He sounds very cute.¡± ¡°Yes, he is very cute. He¡¯stely shown interest in the meat I eat¡­¡­¡± I pushed back against my jaw that was going stiff, and continued my chat with Lady Belliard. I ended up biting my tongue trying to get new information out of Lady Belliard while simultaneously not revealing much about my personal life and protecting Christelle de Sarnez¡¯s secret. I would probably only feel better if I told her she owes me a meal for helping her out, but I couldn¡¯t even say that, as it might make us get closer. ¡®Damn it¡­¡­¡¯ * Friday with the fierce firece came to a close and it was already Monday. It was raining outside. ¡°Wee, my little prince.¡± ¡°It is my pleasure to be in your presence, your noble Eminence, Madam Cardinal.¡± 11 a.m. I received Cardinal Boutier¡¯s warm wee as I entered her office. Two guests who had arrived before me were seated on the couch. One bastard said nothing as he looked at me, while the other stood up and respectfully greeted me. ¡°Hello, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡°Hello, youngdy Sarnez. Hello your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Unlike Christelle, who was acting like an adult, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric looked quite upset. It was at least good that he wasn¡¯t trying to provoke me as usual. ¡°My godson¡¯s condition is bad because of the rain.¡± ¡®Because of the rain? Does this punk have spring fever?¡¯ I did my best to maintain my poker face as I sat down far away from the two main characters. It was good news to hear that the main character of a romfan was struggling with spring fever. ¡®Use that ¡®heat¡¯ to light up your romantic life and start dating her already.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s even more upset because he¡¯s been ced on probation.¡± ¡°Your Eminence.¡± The Cardinal quietly chuckled after hearing the Imperial Prince¡¯s stiff voice. I blinked a few times after hearing that word for the first time sinceing to this world. ¡®The Imperial Prince is on probation? Why?¡¯ ¡°I also received probation.¡± Christelle leaned in close to the table and whispered. Her smiling face was so pretty yet so ominous. ¡°How¡­¡­ did the two of you cause an incident?¡± The Imperial Prince scowled at my question. The main character¡¯s clearughter echoed through the room. Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Chapter 38 ¨C Thump, thump, thumping (1) ¡°Yes, they caused arge incident. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique is extremely angry.¡± Cardinal Boutier responded to me instead of the involved parties. I then noticed that she seemed a bit upset as well. I looked directly at Christelle because I already had an idea as to what might have happened. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez was in the next room when I was interviewing with Lady Sarah Belliard. Did she¡­¡­¡± ¡°His Royal Highness was there as well.¡± Christelle sounded as if she was recalling a pleasant moment. She did not show any signs of remorse or apology. I turned toward the damn Imperial Prince in disbelief. His orange eyes looked as if they wanted to set me on fire. ¡®Why is he acting as if he didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡­¡­¡¯ Basically, the two of them were not satisfied with the chaos they caused in the interior training groundst time, and had a lover¡¯s quarrel in the Empress Pce as well. I know that Christelle has awakened as a Holy Knight, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel that this MC couple might be too violent. It made me worry about what the youngsters reading this would learn from them. Emotions getting out of hand is one thing, but he chucked things around with his mother in a nearby room? As for Christelle, she even resorted to using ether? ¡°The two of you were definitely in the wrong this time. You should get along with each other.¡± I sternly responded. The Imperial Prince quietly clicked his tongue. Christelle had aplicated look on her face. I rattled off like crazy to Lady Belliard about Demy, food, and food that Demy eats because I was scared that she would find out about what was going on next door. I was relieved that I did that. I didn¡¯t even want to imagine how the article would have sounded or how the romance would have warped again if she found out that the Imperial Prince and a young nobledy were fighting in the Empress¡¯s Pce. ¡®Can¡¯t the two of you just date normally?¡¯ ¡°Prince Jesse is right. Christelle is only neen so it is more understandable that she could not control her emotions, but you¡¯re twenty-five in August, C¨¦dric.¡± ¡®Neen¡­¡­¡¯ I gasped at the MC¡¯s age and peeked toward Christelle. It made sense logically, but I had not thought that hard about their ages before. Neen meant that she was the same age as Eunse. Even if the soul that transmigrated into her was an office worker around my age, it was impossible to consider someone who looked so young as a potential romantic partner. Of course, I had no desire whatsoever to date her so it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°C¨¦dric cannot partake in any political affairs for one week. Christelle is not allowed to receive lessons as a Novice Holy Knight either.¡± The Cardinal exined to me. The Imperial Prince red into the air with extreme discontent visible in his eyes. He seemed to have dealt with some of the Empire¡¯s affairs already, despite not being the Imperial Crown Prince yet. ¡®So he¡¯s twenty-four right now. This little punk, whose name on the family tree isn¡¯t even dry yet, dares to speak informally to a four years older big bro like me¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± The Cardinal¡¯s beige-colored eyes sparkled dangerously under her monocle. ¡°They broke stuff inside the Empress Pce and increased the workload for the attendants, so their punishment is to clean the underground portal. Nobody is allowed to help them.¡± ¡°Esteemed godmother.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± The Imperial Prince¡¯s voice was so low he sounded gloomy. Christelle just gasped. I didn¡¯t know where the underground portal was located nor what it looked like, but making them clean made them seem like high school students. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle while looking at the two of them openly showing their dislike of the situation. ¡°I guess you can be their supervisor.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± The smile instantly disappeared from my face. I got the chills from this unexpected attack. ¡°Why do I¡­¡­¡± ¡°We need someone to keep an eye on them so that they don¡¯t fight again. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if it was someone who knows both of them well? It is also highly likely that they will not listen to a person who doesn¡¯t have much authority.¡± She then added on about how everybody is busy with their tasks. It was her way of putting it nicely,, but she still meant that a cker like me should go take care of the kids. However, I had a card up my sleeve to use for such a moment. ¡°I need to go receive Confessions, your Eminence.¡± ¡°These two children have wronged the Empress of the Empire. Please watch them cleanse their sins.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± That was beyond the limits of this card up my sleeve. I became upset. ¡®These idiots should have gone far away from home to fight with each other. Why did they have to fight here at home and create mes that affect me as well when I did nothing¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I did my best to make sure I didn¡¯t grumble and looked up as I made eye contact with Christelle¡¯s blue-gray eyes. I couldn¡¯t help but grind my teeth after seeing the joy in her eyes. I then turned to look at the Imperial Prince, who was sitting about 3 meters away from Christelle. I watched him ignore my gaze and cover his mouth with his gloved hand. ¡®Hey, you little¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Since the Moon of the Holy Kingdom will suffer on our behalf, the Empress Pce will provide lunch. A full course meal for as many people as you want.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I will properly fulfill the role.¡± I responded to her. ¡®Damn it. I might as well work my butt off and bring Ganael, Benjamin, and Demy to stuff our faces since things are like this.¡¯ * Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, Christelle, and I were kicked out of the Cardinal¡¯s office. She must have discussed it beforehand, as there were ten Imperial Guard members stationed outside the door. They respectfully greeted us before escorting us. I briefly exined the situation to Benjamin and Ganael before telling them to get ready to eat until their stomachs blow upter. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that there was a portal in the Empress Pce.¡± My voice echoed in the staircase down to the basement. We were now moving to the darkest parts of the Empress Pce. A few Imperial Guard members quickly lit torches as we went down. ¡°It has never been used since the War.¡± The Imperial Prince responded in a low voice even though I wasn¡¯t expecting an answer. I thought about the history of the Empire that I had read until now and nodded my head. ¡®It makes sense that they would close the portal after something like that.¡¯ However, it was extremely confident of them to put a portal in the pce where the Empress resides. ¨C Step, step¡­¡­ ¨C Click, click¡­¡­ I could only hear footsteps again. The Imperial Guard members were walking like robots who only looked forward while Christelle and the Imperial Prince did not say anything. It was surprising, since I had expected them to argue. I looked up at the Imperial Prince, who was standing next to me, before turning to look at Christelle, who was following one step behind us. ¡®Are they really not arguing because I am here?¡¯ ¡°You sure are quiet, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Do you want us to fight?¡± ¡°No, I hope that the two of you get along very well, your Royal Highness.¡± The Imperial Prince slightly frowned at my response. Christelle didn¡¯t seem happy either. I couldn¡¯t tell what the problem was with them. I heard that they acted like bitter enemies until they fell in love in the original as well, but the rift between them seems to be worse because Christelle gained power. ¡°We are getting along very well.¡± Christelle suddenly said that as we continued to move down. ¡®Jackpot.¡¯ ¡°That is good to hear.¡± ¡°I learned one of his Royal Highness¡¯s secrets as well.¡± A couple Imperial Guard members became anxious and almost stumbled. On the other hand, my face lit up. ¡°That¡¯s really great.¡± ¡°Great?¡± The Imperial Prince immediately asked in a sharp tone. This young punk was so full of murderous intent. ¡®Wait, don¡¯t you usually get closer to someone by having secrets between the two of you? Am I not even allowed to speak now?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s good to have a friend you can reveal your secrets to, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°We are here. This way, your Royal Highness.¡± The Imperial Prince looked ready to verbally attack me, but an Imperial Guard member reported to us first. We all looked up at therge stone door that covered our view. Unlike the above ground floors that were made of Carrara marble walls that were well-decorated, the basement resembled a dungeon in a video game. It was dark and eerie with high ceilings and cold air. However, I still did not see any rats or bugs, probably because this was still inside the Imperial Pce. ¡°We will open the door now.¡± The Imperial Prince nodded his head and the Imperial Guard members gathered together to push the stone door open. ¨C Ruuuuuuuumble¡­¡­ The door smoothly moved out of the way without much resistance. It did not seem to be locked. Everything was amazing, as I had never been to a ce like this after transmigrating to this world. Even Eunse might have never read about this. I could soon see therge area on the other side. ¡°Cough, cough!¡± ¡°Cough cough!¡± ¡°Achoo!¡± The Imperial Guard members who went in first to light torches and make sure it was safe waved their hands around while coughing and sneezing. I could even see someone crying and sniffling with a stuffy nose. Christelle and I followed behind the Imperial Prince, who walked forward withrge strides. ¡°¡­¡­How long will it take to clean all of this?¡± I mumbled to myself. The hallway had been eerie, yet clean, but this room with the portal seemed as if nobody had been here for a long time. Spiderwebs were drooping down from the ceiling everywhere and the floor was so dusty I couldn¡¯t figure out its original color. ¡®I guess the Empress really was angry.¡¯ The two of them should probably feel relieved that they were not exiled or thrown into prison for doing something like that in the Empress Pce. ¡®I wonder what Duke Sarnez and Lady Sarnez are thinking right now.¡¯ ¡°Umm, brooms, and bins of water have been prepared over here. There are rags as well¡­¡­¡± ¡°Your Royal Highness, if it is too difficult, we can help out¡­¡­¡± ¡°Should we first prepare an area to sit down?¡± The Imperial Guard members, who looked like pros at maintaining their poker faces until now, seemed to have found themselves in an awkward position to leave us after seeing the ce. Of course, they had already told us that they would just be standing guard outside and not actually leaving us here alone. However, they seemed to struggle with leaving the person who would eventually be the Emperor, the prince of a neighboring nation, and the youngdy of a respected noble family toplete such a dirty task. ¡°That is okay. Please go and take care of any business you need to attend to.¡± I stepped up and calmed them down. The Imperial Prince was simply standing there like a sculpture with his sculpture-like face and Christelle has been messing around since earlier, so I was the only one who could take care of this. ¡°Prince Jesse, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°These two have significantly wronged her Majesty and are here for punishment. Are you trying to cover for them?¡± ¡°A-absolutely not, your highness!¡± The Imperial Guard members shouted back. They seemed to finally snap out of it. ¡°Good, so it is okay for you all to go. Please don¡¯t worry. I will keep an eye on them.¡± I smiled and sent them out the door. The Imperial Guard members hesitated and looked as if they wanted to resist, but moved their feet. I waved at them and slowly turned around. ¡°Huuuuuuuu¡­¡­ Will the two of you be able to take care of all of this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡± The Imperial Prince retorted back. ¡®His mentality to make even the impossible happen is very good. I, as your supervisor, do not wish for a lot from the two of you¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°I will do it alone.¡± Christelle interjected. I was a bit shocked and looked down toward her. Our dear MC opened up her palm and a waterdrop the size of a basketball sshed into existence. ¡®Wow, I was wondering what she was thinking.¡¯ ¡°She said to not get help. She never said not to use our abilities.¡± She smiled like a mischievous child. I couldn¡¯t help but scoff. * ¨C Ssh, ssh! ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­ A wave that reached the ceiling swirled through the circr room and mmed into the wall as it moved. There were strands of water thinner than most pinky fingers sweeping along the floor like snakes. The dirty water flowed into the sewer outside the door. This continued for about twenty minutes. I stood on the right side of the door and shouted in a loud voice. ¡°Are you okay, youngdy Sarnez?¡± ¡°Yes, I am not dizzy yet, your highness!¡± I heard Christelle¡¯s energetic voice from inside the room. I read that Holy Knights really like to use their Divine Power. The part about them feeling freedom and serenity from releasing their unique ether seemed to be true. I looked toward the Imperial Prince who was leaning on the left side of the door. He looked serious even from the side and it made me think of something. I said something before I could even think about it. ¡°Umm, it will be okay, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He seemed to not understand what I meant. I let out a fake cough. ¡°I¡¯m talking about Sadie.¡± The Imperial Prince¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°What are you-¡± ¡°You cane in now!¡± Christelle shouted from the inside. The dirty water on the floor was gone without a trace. I peeked inside to see that the room was nowpletely different from the room we saw thirty minutes ago. I felt as if I should turn on the music for . (TL: A Korean show that seems like Fixer Upper would be a goodparison to. It is referencing the music that was used when they reveal the fixed up house. Here it is if you are interested: https://.youtube/watch?v=Wg4bp9_JCuw) ¡®My goodness¡­¡­¡¯ ¡ª Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Chapter 39 ¨C Churn, churn, churning (2) ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s so pretty, isn¡¯t it?¡± The only thinging out of my mouth was gasps of admiration. Christelle smiled brightly and turned toward me. I nkly nodded my head at her question. This basement room, that didn¡¯t have a single ray of suning into it, was shining brightly. It looked as if the walls were chiseled down to create this ce. ¡°Is it white gold? It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡­¡­¡± I mumbled and slowly walked around the room. The floor, walls, and ceiling of the round room were all made of the same metal. White and blue lights wereing off of the now spotless room and reflecting on the other side. I could faintly see the reflections of Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, Christelle, and I on the ground. It also seemed like the background of a sci-fi movie. ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m getting dizzy.¡± Christelle finally stumbled. I quickly walked up and grabbed her arm to support her. She had created a lot of water in many different shapes and forms, so she should have used a lot more ether than when she sparred against the Imperial Prince or took down those Toxin Bulls. ¡°Please stay inside my circle.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Christelle smiled at me. I let go of her arm and calmly released my Holy Domain. The circr golden light that surrounded the three of us mixed together with the white and blue lights of the area and gave off a mysterious glow like never seen before. Color started to return to Christelle¡¯s pale face as I released my ether into the circle. The Imperial Prince just silently watched. ¡°This must be the portal.¡± Christelle quietly absorbed ether for a bit before pointing toward the center of the floor. I turned my head to look at where she was pointing. There seemed to be something like arge circle at the center of the room. However, the shape was not the same as an ether circle. It looked like two squares ovepping each other at an angle. I went up to take a closer look and I was able to see that someone had meticulously dug the shape out of the ground itself. ¡°It¡¯s extremely elegant.¡± ¡°I heard that ether circles and magic formations arepletely different. I guess it is true.¡± Christelle and I took turns admiring theplicated formation. The symbols of my Holy Domain looked like a four year old¡¯s chicken scratchespared to this. However, the magic formation was notplete. There was a giant sh down the middle, as if someone had struck down with a spear or axe. ¡°This must be why they say that the portal is closed.¡± The Imperial Prince nodded his head once at myment. The portal had be unusable after a portion of the magic formation was destroyed a long time ago. 99% of the portal was made up of text and images that I could not decipher, but there was a part that did catch my eye. ¡°¡­¡­¡¯For my beloved Juliette.¡¯¡± I read it out loud. ¡°Juliette? Isn¡¯t that the name of the pce you reside in, your highness?¡± Christellemented. I nodded my head. I thought about a story that Benjamin told me at tea time about a month ago. It was written about multiple times in the history books as well. The current Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique¡¯s grandfather, thete Emperor Romero, was engaged to be wed to a woman named ¡®Julite.¡¯ She was a noble priestess from the Viaan Holy Kingdom as marriage between the two nations was possible as there were no issues between Riester and Viaan at that time. Julite quite enjoyed her name pronounced in the Riester style, Juliette, and thete Emperor Romero had two buildings built in the Imperial Pce for his beloved. Those buildings were the Romero Pce and Juliette Pce. The reason Romero Pce was located in front of Juliette Pce was supposedly thete Emperor showing his will to be her shield forever. However¡­ ¡°Juliette is someone who betrayed his Majesty, thete Emperor Romero. That is the reason Juliette Pce is often called the cold pce.¡± I exined it to Christelle. Christelle slightly tilted her head and started speaking. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to nag my private tutor for information when I go home. I lost a lot of my memories after being ill for so long.¡± I chuckled and nodded my head. Christelle probably had no time to study history as she had enough issues adjusting to this life after transmigrating into her new body. I had a ton of time, since I was a diplomatic hostage who was left alone and felt pressured to gather information by the time constraint of my eventual death as the second male lead, but it was different for her. Anyways, it was understandable that the portal was in the Empress Pce if it was made for none other than Juliette. Late Emperor Romero probably wanted it so that she could easilye to him whenever she wanted. Of course, he ended up facing the Holy Kingdom¡¯s Holy Knights on the other side of the portal. It might even have been Romero himself who destroyed the magic formation like this. ¡°Then will nothing happen even if we channel mana into this?¡± I turned toward the Imperial Prince and asked. He answered yes as if it was obvious. ¡®Mm¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°I do want to see it once.¡± Christelle, who seemed to have the same thought as me,mented out loud. I slowly peeked toward the Imperial Prince. Christelle was openly looking towards him. The young man¡¯s orange eyes scowled. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious to see how it looks when it is lit up.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work so it won¡¯t matter, right?¡± Imented and Christelle quickly followed up with an excuse as well. Unlike the two of us, he was a mage and a swordsman. He could easily infuse mana into the broken magic formation if he wanted to do so. It was safe since the portal had no chance of taking us anywhere, and this was our chance to properly witness a historical site that was developed during the Warring Era. It was normal that we would be curious. ¡°Haaaa.¡± ¡°I cleaned up on my own so this much is just service, don¡¯t you think so, your Royal Highness?¡± Christelle asked in her uniquely sharp tone. Her voice felt the same way it did when she asked me for an ¡®ether sample¡¯st time. The Imperial Prince was silent for a moment before he let out a deep breath through his nose. He then stretched his left hand out toward the magic formation. I quickly deactivated my Holy Domain since Christelle¡¯s condition seemed to have stabilized. I wanted to see the full magic formation when it is not covered by my circle. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Red aura started flowing out of the tip of the Imperial Prince¡¯s ck glove. This was mana, the source of magic. I had seen him use magic to control metal, but this was my first time seeing him channel pure mana. The mana gently descended to the ground like spreading paint before it spread out like fog and enveloped the magic formation. Christelle and I watched without making any noise. ¨C Ooooooong¡­¡­ An odd noise came out of the magic formation. It truly resembled the type of noise that woulde from a sci-fi movie. The foggy red mana quickly turned into liquid before it pushed forward through the borately sculpted magic formation. The empty grooves were rapidly filling with red ink. Once the portal was full without any empty areas¡­ ¨C Wiiiiiiiiiiing! The ground shook as it released a blood red light. The sharp light of metal looked scary. ¡°Ho¡­¡­.¡± ¡°This is crazy¡­¡­¡± My jaws dropped on their own. Christelle showed an intense response as well. I agreed with her statement as I looked down at my feet. The magic formation was splendid and detailed. The portal did not move at all because of therge sh in the middle, but my stomach was churning. It was as if I got in a car with an extremely strong air freshener¡­¡­ ¡°Ugh.¡± I gagged. I quickly covered my mouth with my hand. ¡®What is going on?¡¯ ¡°Are you okay, your highness? A shocked Christelle was inspecting my face. The Imperial Prince seemed to be shocked as well, as he stopped the mana flowing out of his hand. I felt the color leaving my face as I stumbled. ¡°I just don¡¯t feel very¡­¡­¡± My legs gave out. I felt my forehead go cold while my body was covered in cold sweat. I then fell ov¡­ ¡°Ugh!¡± The damn Imperial Prince grabbed me by the cor. ¡®Hey you crazy bastard, I can¡¯t breathe!¡¯ ¡°Looks like you¡¯re still out of it.¡± ¡°Please let go of him, your Royal Highness!¡± Christelle raised her voice. I quickly stood up straight and took a deep breath as soon as the Imperial Prince released me. ¡°Huff.¡± My eyes focused again but my stomach was still churning. It was apletely different feeling to ether depletion. ¡®No, this really feels like¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°I feel naus, ugh¡­¡­¡± I did my best to stop myself from throwing up and groaned. I frowned as my mouth started tasting sour. The red light on the ground instantly disappeared. The room returned to its refined blue and white color as if nothing had ever happened. I don¡¯t know whether it was the red color making me anxious or what, but my heart seemed to calm down a bit once the magic formation was turned off. I slowly raised my head. I could see orange eyes looking down at me. The Imperial Prince must have stopped his mana. ¡°Do you have Portal Nausea?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± His low voice echoed in my ear. I was confused despite hearing him properly. ¡®Portal what?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s an issue of mana sensitivity. Go see the Imperial doctor.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, what kind of nausea is that¡­¡­¡± I barely gulped down the saliva under my tongue as I asked. My insides were feeling much better but I was still a bit dizzy, simr to the seque from being carsick. Christelle supported me as I staggered. The Imperial Prince bastard used his long legs and was already exiting the room. ¡°Wait, who gets motion sickness from using a port¡­¡­¡± Furthermore, the magic formation had not even activated. Christelle quietly answered as I mumbled to myself. ¡°You, your highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± * ¡°It is Portal Nausea.¡± ¡®Ha¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°It is something that happens to people with extremely low mana sensitivity. Their bodies cannot handle the mana inside the portal¡¯s magic formation.¡± The Imperial doctor calmly exined to me. I leaned against the headrest of the bed with Demy on my tummy as I listened. Benjamin and Ganael were standing next to me looking extremely concerned. Cardinal Boutier and someone I had never met before were standing next to the Imperial doctor. As for the full course lunch? I didn¡¯t get to have it. That damn Imperial Prince snitched to the Cardinal that I got motion sickness at the underground portal and I was forced to settle for two bowls of consomme. Eunse was right. ¡®It¡¯s all that bastard¡¯s fault no matter what¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Everybody is born with some level of mana sensitivity even if they are not mages. They are able to at least tell whether or not the animals around them are regr animals or demonic beasts. However, there are people every so often who can only tell that the animal is a demonic beast once theye close and use their mana.¡± The doctor stabbed some more figurative daggers into my chest. I recalled that I only knew that the Toxin Bulls in the rear mountain behind Juliette Pce were demonic beasts after confirming their abilities. I was that person who would need a taste in order to tell shit from soybean paste. ¡®Damn it¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°People who were born with such low mana sensitivity are unable to use portals through normal means.¡± The Imperial doctor made a heavy statement. I quietly sighed. I thought that I got lucky having a lot of ether when I transmigrated into this body, but I guess I had no talent whatsoever in regards to magic. My stats were all in toward a priest. ¡°I am concerned that you will have to use a carriage to go to the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts if you are not able to use portals. I heard that the road there is rough¡­¡­¡± Cardinal Boutier listened seriously beforementing. Her beige eyes were full of concern. I was concerned about that as well. Usually, a diplomatic hostage would not need to use a portal outside of the Imperial Pce, but I needed to head toward the Duhem March next month. ¡°It is probably best to take carriages and rest at different ces as we slowly travel.¡± I gave my suggestion. Using carriages would make our trip longer and cost more, but I did not have the courage to try using a portal again. Just thinking about that red light makes my stomach churn and gives me an ominous feeling. It would be a hundred times better to slowly take in the scenery of the Empire as we traveled. ¡°Not at all. Please leave it to me, Prince Jesse.¡± The unfamiliar man who had been quiet until now spoke for the first time. I looked at the feeble person standing to the Cardinal¡¯s right. His ck skin and light pink eyes made him look memorable and handsome. He gave off apletely different vibe from his younger brother, Captain Duhem. ¡°Do you have a better idea, Marquis Duhem?¡± I asked and he smiled before opening his bag. I could hear the Cardinal sighing. Marquis Fran?ois Duhem was a mage who specialized in teleportation.I heard that he was investing a lot of money to research portals and create inventions based on his specialty. The Cardinal had called over the Marquis, who happened to be in the Imperial Capital, after hearing that I was diagnosed with Portal Nausea. Of course, she looked as if she was regretting that decision a bit right now¡­¡­ ¡°It is this right here!¡± The Marquis made some dramatic movements as he raised his arm in the air. There were t, round and mysterious apricot colored pieces of cloth in his hand. ¡°Your Portal Nausea will disappear like magic if you put it under your ear!¡± ¡®Hey dude, that¡¯s trademark infringement!¡¯ ¡ª Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Chapter 40 ¨C Churn, churn, churning (3) Marquis Fran?ois Duhem stood arge trunk next to him and started speaking with the piece of cloth in one hand. The Imperial doctor slowly packed up as the Marquis¡¯s one-man show started. ¡®I¡¯ve seen something like this quite often down in the subway.¡¯ ¡°There is an extremely unique glue on the back of this cloth. Shall I give you a hint since you seem curious? You simply need to think about ¡®Demonic beasts¡¯ and ¡®animal-hide gtin¡¯ together. Hoo hoo hoo. If you stick this part under your ear, the mana in the animal-hide gtin and the cloth fuse to create a unique reaction. I personally participated in the research¡­¡­¡± He had a lot to say, and seemed to be every bit the attention seeker that I heard he was. His every gesture wasrge and swift. It was to the point that it would seem loud even if he stopped talking and only continued with his movements. Cardinal Boutier was not even hiding the fact that she was ignoring what the Marquis was saying as she took the kimi- no, the portal motion sickness medicine- from his hand. (TL: The Korean motion sickness patch is called Kimite) ¡°Ah! You are interested in it as I expected, your Eminence.¡± ¡°Fran?ois, could you quiet down? The little prince is a patient.¡± She sounded annoyed. It was interesting because I had never seen the Cardinal treat anybody like this. However, Marquis Duhem didn¡¯t seem dispirited at all. ¡°Of course, I was extremely rude. However, please don¡¯t worry as he will brush it off and get back up soon enough, your Eminence. Here are some more, Prince Jesse.¡± He smiled elegantly and started rummaging through his other bag. I thought that he seemed quite carefree for a Marquis, but decided that I should be thankful since he came over after hearing about my poor condition. Being smart and having a lot of interest in the welfare of his residents should mean that he was a pretty decent person of power. His words and actions might seem extremely light and carefree, but he had a handsome face and a lot of money, so the pros probably outweigh the cons. ¡°Here you go, please take some.¡± The Marquis limped over and handed me some of the motion sickness medicine. I suddenly realized that I had not noticed his condition because I had been listening to the Imperial doctor. ¡°How did you hurt your leg?¡± I asked with curiosity. The Marquis made some dramatic movements, as if he had been waiting for me to ask, and touched his splinted left leg. His light pink eyes shook a bit. I felt as if I was watching a y¡­¡­ ¡°Our beloved Majesty handed down some vicious worldly pain on the Almighty God¡¯s behalf.¡± ¡®She must have beaten him up.¡¯ ¡°I heard that you were putting the divine item in your territory, the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star, as the prize for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts.¡± I asked about it. The Sword of Wisdom was probably the reason for the Empress to call him over and beat him up. The Cardinal had canceled my lesson to deal with what the Marquis had done, while the Empress made a deal with Lady Sarah Belliard and allowed her to interview me. I was shocked that the Empress was violent toward someone, especially a Marquis at that, but it was not that shocking considering what I had seen from Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique regarding her personality until now. ¡°Yes, your highness. It was a decision that came from my family¡¯s loyalty, however, anger was clearly visible on Her Majesty¡¯s face and¡­¡­¡± ¡°You should feel lucky that you still have your leg.¡± The Cardinal sharply cut him off. I heard the Marquis quietly sniffling. I couldn¡¯t help butugh because it was like watching a skit. I heard that Marquis Duhem was one of the Empress¡¯s close confidants, and in some sense, they truly seemed like family. ¡°Anyway, thank you very much for the motion sickness medicine.¡± I controlled myughter and received the medicine from him. He elegantly bowed with extremely dramatic movements. ¡®I guess he¡¯s skinny because he moves so much that it counts as exercise.¡¯ ¡°Then you must have used carriages the whole way on your way from the Holy Kingdom. That must have been difficult.¡± The Cardinal looked at me while speaking in a pitying voice. I stiffened a bit at this unexpected statement. It made sense now that I thought about it. Prince Jesse would not have been able to use portals with this body, despite portals being used a lot in the Viaan Holy Kingdom as well. If he did use them, he would have crossed the border half unconscious. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all in the past.¡± I just mumbled something that came to mind. I could see thepassion in her beige-colored eyes. I guess I earned some sympathy without even aiming for it. ¡°You should be able to try using a portal again if the medicine works as it should.¡± She quietlymented. I could only nkly nod my head. I couldn¡¯tin that I didn¡¯t want to use a portal when they were telling me there was a medicine that could help me deal with my motion sickness. It was obvious that leaving the house would lead to all sorts of difficulties no matter how I go about it. I decided to make the most of it, since this trip should be the first andst trip I make. ¨C Squeeeee Demy, who woke up from his nap, quietly squealed on top of my stomach. I petted his warm head as I thought about the date. The Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts was on May 8th and it was currently April 27th. It could take up to four days to get to the Duhem March from the Imperial Capital by horse. It would obviously take longer than four days if the medicine didn¡¯t work and we needed to take carriages. ¡®Mm, we don¡¯t have much time.¡¯ ¡°Prince Jesse, my family and the Duhem March will wee you from the bottom of our hearts whenever you visit.¡± The Marquis opened up like a peacock as he said that. I awkwardly smiled. * It was extremely peaceful for the next three days. What I mean is that I did not see Christelle or Imperial Prince C¨¦dric for three days. It felt so good. ¡°Where should I put the clothes for the party?¡± ¡°Put them in that bag over there in the corner. Organize the shoester because we are supposed to get a new pair in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Yes, Benjamin-nim!¡± ¡°Benjamin-nim, there are three mitres¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ganael-nim, we need to prepare his highness¡¯s snacks separately at dawn¡­¡­¡± Numerous people were going in and out of my room, the hallway and the pce since early in the morning. It was more than just Benjamin and Ganael. All the attendants and royal servants in Juliette Pce were involved, making it quite chaotic. It was because I was leaving for the Duhem March tomorrow. Benjamin told me that I would be helping by sitting quietly, so I sat on afortable chair and was trying my best to be invisible. Some of the attendants red at me when I tried to fold some pajamas and pack them. ¡®I can¡¯t tell who the boss is¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Demy,e here.¡± ¨C Pruuuu! I called the red panda who was rolling on top of the carpet over to me and sat him on my knees while writing with a quill pen on a fancy piece of paper I got from an attendant. ¨C Screech! ¡°Shh, we need to be quiet since everybody is working.¡± Demy was following my hand and waving his ck front paw around as if he found the inking out of the pen whenever I moved it to be interesting. I couldn¡¯t draw the circle because I couldn¡¯t see the paper. I was trying to use this free time to study but this divine beast was being quite uncooperative. ¨C Knock knock knock ¡°Hello, Prince Jesse.¡± Someone knocked on the open door. It was a familiar voice. I raised my head and greeted her. ¡°Hello, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who had a refreshing smile on her face as usual, walked into my room while linking arms with Ganael. Ganael¡¯s face was a bit red as he walked in with snacks. I¡¯ve had this thought for a while but the two of them seem really close. ¡°Ganael, you take a break too.¡± ¡°But¡­¡­¡± The young boy¡¯splexion changed at myment. He seemed to feel guilty for rxing when everybody else was busy. ¡°You even brought two cups of juice to drink with me.¡± Ganael¡¯s face flushed red as Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth jokinglymented. ¡°T- that!¡± ¡°Ganael, you look like a tomato.¡± ¡°Oh, the juice you brought is tomato juice too.¡± The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard and I took turns teasing him. The young boy looked as if he would cry. I thought that he might get upset if I teased him too much, so I stoppedughing and changed topics after having Ganael sit down. ¡°You must be busy as we are leaving tomorrow.¡± ¡°I am working with joy because I am going to y. Traveling for work is the best, your highness.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth smiled brightly and raised her ss of tomato juice as if she was making a toast. I remembered how she had wanted to participate in the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts this year. The Vice Captain finished her drink and got down to business as Ganael poured hot Elderberry tea into my cup. ¡°Now then, please let me brief you on the schedule, your highness. We will use the portal closest to the Imperial Pce at 11 a.m. tomorrow to travel to the southern part of the Imperial Capital. The portal is at the center of the Imperial Capital in the Legault district.¡± I nodded my head and put a banana in Demy¡¯s mouth. I would peel it and hold it in my hand and Demy would grab my wrist and take a bite. ¡°It has been decided that only one portal will be used, so that will be the first and only portal.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I responded to her. I had tested the motion sickness medicine quite a bit with the Imperial doctor, Cardinal, and Marquis Duhem in thest four days. I had ended up as the beta tester for a medicine that was not even out in the market. I felt as if they were getting good use out of me as a diplomatic hostage. I would stick the medicine underneath my ear and stand on top of the Empress Pce¡¯s underground portal. We concluded that I would be able to use a portal at least once a day without any problems. A second time proved to be quite difficult even while using the medicine. ¡®Then I guess you will be there in four days, your highness. Stick one on in the morning, use a portal, and get some rest. Stick another one the next morning, use a portal, and get some rest. You just have to repeat that process!¡¯ Marquis Duhem had shouted with joy like a mad scientist. ¡®There may be some side effects, so I do not rmend using it for the whole duration of the trip.¡¯ The Imperial doctor said something extremely rational to put the brakes on that n. ¡®Fran?ois, there¡¯s no fun in smacking you, so control yourself. It is probably best to use the medicine on the first day and then take carriages from there on.¡¯ Cardinal Boutier concluded things for us. Apparently portals were not simple movements from Point A to Point B. They worked simr to subways. It would be great if we could use the Legault portal in the Imperial Capital to go directly to the Duhem March but we would need to go from Legault to a different neighborhood¡¯s portal, then to another portal. It was also super expensive, so much so thatmoners and poor nobles did not even think about using them. ¡°We expect it to take a minimum of four days from the southern part of the Imperial Capital to the Duhem March. Things may change based on the weather or condition of the road.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± I was excited like it was the day before a field trip despite hearing that we would be traveling for four days. I had not thought much about it until yesterday. But seeing the people at Juliette Pce running around so early in the morning to pack made me excited and curious about the outside world. I had been to the basement of the Imperial Pce and on the rear mountain. I had been in many buildings and even had the temple fixed up as I pleased. However, I had remained inside the Imperial Pce the whole time. I didn¡¯t have anyints about that, but I was sure that it was a positive thing to be able to see the bigger ¡®QNW¡¯ world. ¡°You seem happy, your highness.¡± ¡°Is it because it is your first outing?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and Ganael smiled as they asked. I became embarrassed and quietly rubbed Demy¡¯s ck tummy. ¡®Was it that obvious?¡¯ ¡°There will be a total of ten carriages. Eight of them will have attendants, guards, and cargo¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ten carriages?¡± I almost nked out. I thought that there would be three or four carriages so it seemed like quite a lot. ¡®Aren¡¯t they spending too much money on a diplomatic hostage? Oh, are they paying closer attention because I am a diplomatic hostage?¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t n on running away.¡± ¡°Hahahaha.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabethughed out loud as I anxiously responded. I meant what I said. I had nowhere to go and it would be dangerous on my own. Why would I run away from this five star hotel? Survival was the most important thing for me. ¡°Please tell that to the little kidter.¡± ¡°When you say little kid¡­¡­¡± I did not finish my sentence. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s grey eyes curled up like a cat¡¯s eyes as she smiled. She was talking about Sadie. I peeked toward Ganael. The young boy was too distracted by Demy to hear our conversation. ¡°Please continue the briefing.¡± I quickly changed topics. I didn¡¯t feelfortable talking about Sadie when a lot of people wereing and going. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth chuckled at me before taking a map of the Empire out of her pocket. * The start of May. A long row of carriages was visible between Juliette Pce and Romero Pce. Strong and beautiful horses were calmly waiting for departure. Therge Imperial Crest on the side of the ck carriage was so shiny that it could probably be seen from 500 m away. Benjamin and Ganael got onto the sixth carriage that was designated for me. I was in the garden waiting for Demy, who had yet to return. I was nning to grab him as soon as he came out of the bushes as I stood there and opened my circle to release ether. ¡°Demy,e on out now. We need to go see your friends.¡± I amplified my voice and said out loud. I couldn¡¯t help but smile while thinking about the red pandas that had gone to the March long before us. It was at that moment¡­ ¨C Click. The door to the fifth carriage, the one that was right in front of mine, opened. I turned toward the source of the noise out of reflex. ¡°¡­¡­How slow.¡± I heard a deep voice that sounded like a voice actor reading a poem before I saw an all too familiar face. My Holy Domain extended out as I lost control. My insides were already churning even though there were no portals. ¡ª Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Chapter 41 ¨C Pce Escape No. 1 (1) The carriage shook gently as it moved. Ganael¡¯s voice was shaking as well. ¡°I¡¯vemitted a grave sin, your highness. Please forgive me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ganael. People sometimes forget things when they are busy.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡­¡± ¡°I mean it. I¡¯m totally fine.¡± I smiled and consoled Ganael. The young boy¡¯s extremely depressed golden eyes finally lit up a bit. I thought that he might continue begging for forgiveness so I quickly put three macarons in his hand. Benjamin sighed after having watched our interaction. I had run into Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, who got off from the carriage next to mine, as I waited for Demy in the garden earlier. The bastard was talking as if I was the reason the trip was dyed. That was when I learned that the Imperial Prince was traveling with me. ¡®No wonder there were ten carriages there. No wonder the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard was going with us.¡¯ Many pieces finally fell into ce. ¡®Damn it¡­¡­¡¯ I was shocked after seeing the unexpected face, but to be honest, things like that didn¡¯t shock me much anymore. What could a diplomatic hostage say or do when his royal highness decides that he wants to save money and observe the life of his people? ¡°I definitely meant to inform you that his royal highness would be traveling with us, but my mind was scattered yesterday¡­¡­¡± Ganael¡¯s voice became quiet. I recalled when the young boy came with Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth to see me yesterday. ¡®If I remember correctly, Ganael was¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Yeah I know. You were so busy looking at Demy that you didn¡¯t even finish your juice.¡± I calmlymented. Ganael¡¯s face nked out for a moment before he vigorously nodded his head after missing a beat. ¡®Demy is seriously cute after all.¡¯ I don¡¯t know for sure, but it seemed as if Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth didn¡¯t tell me about the Imperial Prince on purpose to surprise me. ¡°We¡¯re on different carriages and it¡¯s not like my schedule changes because of his royal highness. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± I smiled while speaking the truth. Ganael¡¯splexion looked much better as he handed me a hot off the press copy of that was released this morning. The cover had the phrase, ¡®Belliard asks and Viaan answers¡¯ inrge text. Lady Sarah Belliard¡¯s interview with me seemed to be the main article. I felt extremely embarrassed despite hearing about it in advance. ¡°The story about the prize for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts is here too.¡± I did my best to avoid the title and talked about something listed in small letters at the bottom of the cover. ¡®The Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts and the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star ¨C the divine item wants a master.¡¯ It sounded dramatic. The article that could not be published in thest issue on the 15th was finally out after receiving Her Majesty¡¯s approval. I started thinking about the Imperial Prince in the carriage in front of mine. It might be easy for him to win since he is said to be the most skilled with weapons in the Empire, but I had no idea how he nned to pull the Sword of Wisdom out. ¡®Will he dig out the entire area around it?¡¯ ¡°Your highness, this should be your first time in this direction.¡± Benjamin gently started talking to me. My gaze followed his hand to look out the window. The carriage was passing the building next to the Empress Pce. My jaws dropped on their own. ¡°Wow, everything¡¯s big here.¡± The two attendants quietly chuckled at my gasp of admiration. There were already so many things I had yet to see, despite not even having left the Imperial Pce yet. Most of the pces I¡¯ve visited were located at the rear of the Imperial Pce, giving me no reason toe this far to the front. I might be exaggerating a bit but there was a fountain asrge as Juliette Pce and a garden that seemed at least three times the size of the Empress Pce. There were also numerous pces that looked extremely luxurious even though I have no idea what they were used for. There was also a statue of Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique¡¯s mother, thete Empress C¨¦line, which was at least 5 meters tall. ¡°We are now passing through the main gate.¡± Benjamin continued his exnation. We had already made it to the main gate while I was nking out at the marvelous view. Exiting the Imperial Pce shouldn¡¯t be a big deal, but I couldn¡¯t help but be nervous. The carriage seemed to slow down for a bit before I faintly heard the horses¡¯ hooves hitting the ground as the carriage pushed forward once more. My forehead was up against the window as I observed the outside. The tall ck gate was opened wide. Knights in silver armor were kneeling on one knee along our sides as we passed by. They were showing respect to the Imperial Prince as he left. ¡°That¡¯s kind of cool. Demy, look over there.¡± I called for the red panda that was spread out like jelly on top of my knees. He seemed to be sleepy after having yed in the garden, as he didn¡¯t respond much. I gently caressed Demy¡¯s back while taking in the world outside the Imperial Pce that was slowly appearing in front of my eyes. * ¡°Seriously, there are so many people.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already said that four times, your highness.¡± Ganaelughed out loud as he responded. I had been starting my sentences with ¡®seriously,¡¯ ¡®you know,¡¯ and ¡®for real¡¯ for a while now. Seeing a new part of the Imperial Pce was enough to wow me, but the Imperial Capital, the city outside the Imperial Pce, was truly a new world. There were nobles wearing fancy outfits andmoners wearing simple clothes walking around in the same ce. The clean streets had vendors selling street food and flowers. The houses looked like they came straight out of fairy tales as they were all sorts of shapes and colors. Generally, the people looked happy but busy. It seemed fitting for the Imperial Capital that was said to have ten percent of the Empire¡¯s poption. ¡°Your highness, please be wary of your facial expressions as they may be able to see you from the outside.¡± I quickly moved away from the window after hearing Benjamin¡¯s advice. Therge number of people outside were all bowing toward our carriage procession. It wouldn¡¯t be weird if at least one person raised their heads but nobody was moving. The people looking out of building windows either took off their hats or bowed their heads to show their respect. It gave me the chills. ¡°The people of the Empire have so much respect for the Imperial family.¡± ¡°If you are surprised by this, just wait untilter, your highness.¡± Benjamin smiled as he gave a benign answer. He seemed to enjoy the fact that I was being surprised left and right. ¡°We are almost at the Legault portal, your highness.¡± Ganael offered me the portal motion sickness medicine. I put the Marquis Duhem brand motion sickness medicine underneath my ear and waited for the carriage to slow down. The Legault district, which was at the center of the Imperial Capital as well as thergest district, had so many people that it was one of the first ces in the Empire to get a portal. The n was to use the Legault portal to travel to the southern part of the Imperial Capital and take carriages from there. ¡°I believe that we have arrived.¡± ¡°Already?¡± ¡°It is because the roads were cleared for his royal highness.¡± ¡®Is that it?Is it simr to how the light is always green and the Gwanghwamun is clear whenever the president is headed out?¡¯ (TL: Gwanghwamun is the main andrgest gate of Gyeongbokgung Pce, in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea.) ¡°Your highness, people may try to talk to you once you get off the carriage. You don¡¯t need to respond to all of them.¡± ¡°I heard that his Royal Highness does not say anything at all.¡± ¡®That bastard is always like that.¡¯ I barely held myself back from saying that out loud and simply smiled. People were still bowing extremely respectfully as our carriages passed. The Imperial carriages soon stopped in a single file line outside a sparkling building. It wasn¡¯t as luxurious as the Imperial Pce, but I could tell that it was a not building where just anybody could enter. ¨C Knock knock. The coachman knocked on the door before soon opening it. I checked my outfit onest time. I also didn¡¯t forget to ask Ganael and Benjamin if there were any marks on my forehead from pushing up against the window earlier. I didn¡¯t like crowded ces or having a lot of people looking at me, but it was time for me to get off. * I¡¯ll start with the conclusion. The Legault Central Commerce Center was simr to the Korean Coex. (TL: Coex Convention & Exhibition Center located in Samseong-dong of Gangnam-gu district, Seoul, is one of South Korea¡¯s convention and exhibition centers.) I worked very hard not to look scared. Demy was still sleeping in my arms without a care in the world. I was jealous of him. ¡°Your highness, please only look forward as you walk.¡± ¡°I will, Benjamin.¡± The entire building was full of different shops, and the path was asplicated as a maze. The lobby was connected to the portal entrance so the building would be full of spectators whenever celebrities came by. It really was the same as Coex. For example, our current situation. ¡°Long live his Royal Highness!¡± ¡°We greet his Royal Highness, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, the future sun of the Empire!¡± ¡°Three cheers for his Royal Highness!¡± ¡°Please be victorious!¡± This was the first time since my transmigration that I was happy to have Imperial Prince C¨¦dric with me. ¡°He¡¯s so popr.¡± ¡°Yes, his Royal Highness has gone out many times to clear demonic beasts.¡± Ganael was like a ghost, hearing my quiet mumbling before he responded. I nodded my head without making it seem obvious before peeking toward the Imperial Prince who was walking in front of me. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was clearing the way next to him, without her usual smile on her face. The Imperial Guard members were creating a barrier between the people and us. The people, who were split like the Red Sea, were packed like sardines in the Commerce Center lobby going wild. I was able to avoid the spotlight for a bit thanks to the overwhelming attention on the Imperial Prince. ¡°Your Royal Highness!¡± ¡°I can die without any regrets now¡­¡­¡± I saw many women tearing up while looking at him as well. I wondered what was making them so emotional, but it was understandable considering the Imperial Prince¡¯s face. There were people cing flowers by his feet as well. ¡®The vendors selling flowers on the streets must have been aiming for this.¡¯ ¡°An ad celebrating his Royal Highness¡¯s birthday goes up in the waiting room every year.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± I questioned my ears and thought I misheard because I was paying too much attention to everything else. ¡°Although he does not have much activities outside, his Royal Highness is loved very much.¡± Ganael exined with excitement. I couldn¡¯t help but ask because I was anxious. ¡®Is this a modern fantasy genre?¡¯ ¡°Well¡­ Do they put something like ¡®you are our star?¡¯¡± ¡°Come on, your highness. How would they dare to put something like that? ¡®The miracle of August 13th, his Royal Highness is our star.¡¯ That is what they put.¡± My facial muscles were no longer listening to me. I didn¡¯t know whether to be more shocked about the TMI pouring in or that a birthday advertisement suddenly popped up in a ssical Romfan. ¡®This really is Coex.¡¯ ¡°Thank you for your mercy, Prince Jesse!¡± I heard a man¡¯s voice at that moment. I turned toward the source of the noise out of reflex. A middle-aged man, who seemed to have worn the best clothes he owns, was tearing up while looking at me. It was difficult to ignore someone like that. ¡°Mister, what do you mean by mercy?¡± I walked near him and asked. The whispers nearby spread like a crashing wave. I smiled bitterly after sensing the gazes cautiously looking at my eyes. I could hear the whispers about how they really were purple. ¡°I, I heard that you sent arge sum of money to Baron Beng, your highness. Many good things happened in our territory thanks to your generosity. We started construction on a canal and the territory Lord-nim is also building arge orphanage. I, it is all thanks to your benevolence, your highness.¡± The man quickly answered with a grateful look on his face. It was hard to understand because his voice was shaky, but he was talking about how I sent money to the parents of the dead twins. He must be a resident of Baron Beng¡¯s territory. ¡°No, that is the benevolence of the Baron couple. I simply helped them with the funeral fees.¡± The man bowed deeply after myment. ¡°P, please eternally receive the blessing of the Almighty God.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. Please get home safely.¡± I said goodbye to him and started walking again. I looked forward to see that the Imperial Prince was silently observing me after having quickly cut through the lobby to arrive in front of the portal. ¡®Of course he moved quickly, since he ignored all these people who had been waiting since dawn to say something to him.¡¯ His gaze seemed to be implying that I was slowing things down again. ¡°I¡¯ming, I¡¯ming.¡± I mumbled to myself. Trying to walk briskly without looking deliberately rushed made me feel as if my arms and legs would move awkwardly. I finally realized that about a third of the flowers on the ground were purple. I looked around, thinking it was not likely, and noticed that there were passionate gazes directed at me. I felt my ears instantly get hot. ¡®Wow, it probably would have been better not to know.¡¯ ¡°I will open the door now, your Royal Highness.¡± I awkwardly walked up to the portal entrance and a person who looked like an employee respectfully guided me. The Imperial Prince flicked his chin once to respond. ¨C Crrrrr¡­¡­. Therge copper door slowly opened to both sides. Nobody had used the portal all morning, as per the Imperial Decree. The empty area was simr to the underground portal of the Empress Pce in many ways. The room was round and there was a fancy magic formation on the ground. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re finally here. Hello your Royal Highness and Prince Jesse.¡± Christelle de Sarnez was already in there with a whip in her hand. ¡®¡­¡­Hmm?¡¯ ¡ª Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Chapter 42 ¨C Pce Escape No. 1 (2) ¨C Crrrrr¡­¡­. The heavy door closed again once everybody who was going to use the portal stepped inside. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric and I were in the front of the group, facing Christelle. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Imperial Prince bastard was as stoic as ever while looking at Christelle, but he seemed oddly upset. Though he must have known about hering to the portal since he didn¡¯t seem shocked. It seemed as if I was the only one who was out of the loop once again. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez. Why are you¡­¡­¡± ¡®No, questions like these are meaningless now. I¡¯ve told myself many times that it is normal for the main character and the male lead of a Romfan to run into each other.¡¯ It was obvious why Christelle would be at the portal since she was going to participate in the ¡®Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts¡¯ as well. The two of them were fated to run into each other. I calmed the sleepily grumbling Demy in my arms as I changed my question. ¡°What is up with that whip?¡± The shiny blue leather looked scary. ¡°Ah, I copped one from upstairs.¡± Christelle waved the hand holding the whip as she responded energetically. I was debating whether it was okay to show that I understood what she meant by ¡®copped,¡¯ but a person standing next to me responded instead. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, youngdy Sarnez. Are you nning on using the whip as your weapon?¡± It was Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who was traveling with us. Her grey eyes sparkled as she walked up to Christelle. The two of them had met at the exterior training ground before, but they probably had no chance to speak to each other because that meeting hade to a screeching halt. ¡°Hello, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s ok, may I take a look at your whip?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. It was difficult for me to suddenly handle swords or spears because I had never used my muscles before. I nagged the knights at the Duchy to help me find a weapon that someone like me could use, and they rmended a whip.¡± ¡°It is not a bad decision if you take good care of your arm. This is a high quality item as well.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. Thankfully I have a decent wrist snap.¡± Christelle had a bright smile on her face as she received the whip back. She seemed to like this new conversation partner. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth also smiled and nodded her head. She then told Christelle toe find her if she ever needed a sparring partner. I had a feeling that the two of them would get along but seeing them together like this made me believe that they could be very good friends. ¡°Enough chit chat. Let¡¯s go.¡± The Imperial Prince poured cold water on the warm mood. I looked up at the bastard with a pitying gaze. I could understand why Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was his only friend. ¡®You should try chatting with Christelle too instead of arguing with her all the time.¡¯ ¡°My apologies, your Royal Highness. Everybody, attention! Half of the guards will remain here and be thest to teleport. The other half,e this way¡­¡­¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth quickly looked serious before respectfully saluting the Imperial Prince and giving orders to the Imperial Guard members. The attendants and royal servants apanying us stood in their respective positions as well. Christelle sent the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard off with a slightly disappointed look on her face beforeing to stand next to me. Unintentionally standing with the main characters on both sides of me made me feel extremely frustrated. I silently rubbed the sleeping Demy¡¯s back for some animal therapy. The vanguard entered the portal and disappeared to the Imperial Capital¡¯s southern area. Seeing the magic formation swallowing people with red metallic light and watching the people disappear like dust filled me with both awe and fear. When it was finally our turn, I felt nervous, not because of my mana sensitivity, but because of my mental health. ¡°I heard about the situation. Did you put the motion sickness medicine on, your highness?¡± Christelle gently asked. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Then it should be okay.¡± ¡°It should. We did some clinical trials.¡± Sheughed out loud and encouraged me after I responded. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, Ganael, Benjamin, and the Imperial Prince¡¯s attendant, David, who were all on top of therge magic formation with us, each told me not to worry as well. It made me feel a bit better. ¡°We don¡¯t need a mage.¡± I had a small smile on my face when I heard a cold low voice. I raised my head to see what was going on. I could see the Legault portal mage standing with an awkward look on his face and the Imperial Prince standing in front of him. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°It is as I said. I will use my mana so another mage is unnecessary.¡± His orange eyes were full of caution. It seemed as if he did not like other people¡¯s mana touching him. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He was as tall as a giraffe but acted like a 24 month toddler instead of a 24 years old adult. I seemed to be the only person who could handle this issue since Cardinal Boutier was not here. ¡°¡­¡­As you wish, your Royal Highness. I¡¯m extremely sorry, mage-nim. Please just consider it as conserving your mana.¡± The Imperial Prince bastard scowled at my apology. The portal mage bowed and quickly retreated. I then asked the Imperial Prince. ¡°In return, you have to do it as gently as that mage-nim would have done, your Royal Highness. Please count to three and then insert your mana¡­¡± ¡°Now.¡± ¨C Wiiiiiiiiiiing! The Imperial Prince channeled his red mana into the magic formation without any warning. What he showed us at the Empress Pce¡¯s underground portal seemed to have just been a teaser as his mana ruthlessly gobbled up the magic formation as if it wasva that had just shot out of a volcano. Christelleughed in disbelief. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was shaking her head. ¨C Ooooooong! ¡°You s¡­¡­¡± The portal activated quicker than I could swear. Demy was grumbling after having just woken up. I tightly hugged the red panda and red at the Imperial Prince¡¯s eyes that were disappearing like sparks into the red mana. I felt the ground underneath my feet disappear as his mana grabbed me by the cor. I looked down to see the tips of my hands, my feet, and Demy¡¯s tail disappearing like dust. ¡®Hey Mr. Mage, I don¡¯t feel so good¡­¡­¡¯ * Thankfully, I was fine. Marquis Duhem¡¯s motion sickness medicine worked wonders! I was able to arrive at the southern part of the Imperial Capital without any dizziness at all and maintained my good condition after getting on another carriage. The only negative was that there was a sir who was upset because of this portal travel. ¨C Squeal! ¡°Yes, you were shocked. You were upset.¡± ¨C Screeeeech! ¡°Yes, you¡¯re angry because big bro didn¡¯t wake you up and suddenly put you in a portal.¡± ¨C Cruuuuuuuuu! ¡°Yes, big bro is really sorry. Can good little Demy forgive him this one time? Demy, you¡¯re an esteemed divine beast while big bro is a mere human.¡± ¡°Your highness.¡± Benjamin called out to me with a face that seemed to be implying that I shouldn¡¯t be saying that. I put Demy down on my knees because it made me feel a bit awkward. The red panda headbutted my palm as if he was still angry. It was warm and soft. ¡°I thought it would be okay because Marquis Duhem said it would be fine, but I guess I shouldn¡¯t have let him sleep.¡± Benjamin knew what I was talking about. Marquis Fran?ois Duhem said a few days ago that he was certain there would be no problems for Demy to use the portal since divine beasts have high mana sensitivity. I was honestly dubious. That was because the divine beasts that had been sent to the Marchst time did not use portals to avoid any potential problems. The Marquis admitted the truth at that point. ¡®To be honest with you, I have tried teleporting with the divine beasts in my arms. It went well. So, you do not need to worry, your highness.¡¯ ¡®He¡¯spletely crazy¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°No, your highness. It would have been difficult for you to wake Demy-nim since he managed to sleep soundly in that loud Commerce Center.¡± Ganael took my side. He was right, so I smiled and handed Demy three raspberries. I looked a bit upset but he could not reject the sweet scent of the raspberries. ¨C Nom nom nom nom¡­¡­ ¡°You¡¯re eating so well.¡± Either way, I got past that giant hurdle of a portal. All that was left was to make sure Demy and I stayed safe at the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. The main characters will take care of themselves. * ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at our amodations, your highness.¡± ¡°Slurp¡­¡­¡± I quickly slurped up the drool around my mouth and woke up. I had beef jerky, Coulommiers, sd, and about four quiches filled with different fillings before I passed out. I somewhat remember looking out the window and enjoying the view, but the forest path of the Empire became pretty repetitive, simr to how the view on the freeway bes repetitive after five minutes. The sun was setting when I woke up. ¡°It is extremely shabbypared to the Imperial Pce. However, it should have all of the basics as this is a ce where the nobles and the Imperial Family stay every so often.¡± Benjamin exined our lodging to me. I nodded my head. We were staying at some inn instead of a noble¡¯s castle. I wondered how this made sense with the Imperial Prince being here with us, but the road to the Duhem March, located at the southern part of the Empire, was rough. There was no Lord¡¯s Castle to stay in, and doing so would require a significant detour. You would waste more time if you wanted to look for that 5 star hotel. We ended up spending the first night at Lucas Vige. ¨C ck, ck, ck. The carriage slowed down before it stopped. I put the now energetic Demy on my shoulder and got off the carriage with the coachman¡¯s escort. I then looked around. ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± I could see a clean building in between the quickly moving attendants and royal servants from the Imperial Pce. It was ratherrge for an inn, and reminded me of a small hotel in the European countryside. There were magic lights scattered around to keep the darkness at bay and make people feel safe. There was a que at the front of the building with the words, ¡®Le Siffre Inn.¡¯ ¡°Your highness.¡± Benjamin quietly called out to me. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked behind me. ¡°Eek.¡± I quietly gasped. There were approximately 1,000 or so residents of Lucas gathered in front of the inn, bowing with their heads on the ground. I had seen something simr at the Imperial Capital as well, but this feltpletely different. The people at the capital seemed to be showing their affection and respect for the Imperial family with their bowing but these people seemed to give off a sense of awe. I could see a lot of their backs shaking. ¡°W, we greet h, his Royal Highness¡­¡­ May you, shine like the sun¡­¡­¡± I could hear a young child¡¯s sobbing voice. I turned my head to see a young girl standing in front of the Imperial Prince C¨¦dric with a bouquet in her hands. She seemed to be only around ten years old, but she must be the vige representative to greet the Imperial family. The adults who made a kid do this are the worst but I immediately walked up to the Imperial Prince. I was worried that he would treat the child heartlessly. However¡­ ¨C Rustle. The Imperial Prince received the bouquet with a simple movement. The girl became shocked, knelt down, and lowered her head. I blinked my eyes a few times at this unexpected turn of events. ¡°¡­¡­Unpack the things and hand them out.¡± ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness.¡± The attendants started moving even quicker at the Imperial Prince¡¯s order. I finally realized why we hade with so much stuff. There was a reason all ten carriages were teleported through the portal. They were not things for him to use. ¡°Please stand in five lines! We will hand out the Imperial gifts from his Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Please write your name here, and over here¡­¡­¡± ¡°I, I¡¯m so honored by this Imperial blessing¡­¡­¡± ¡®¡­¡­This doesn¡¯t seem like the type of person who would be called Crapdric.¡¯ I looked at the residents who were bowing ny degrees over and over again while following the Imperial Prince into the lodging with quick steps. Christelle, who had walked up next to me at some point, was looking at the Imperial Prince¡¯s back and saying, ¡®Two sides¡­¡­¡¯ She was in shock as well. She was saying that she saw a new side to him. ¡°Your loyal subject greets our esteemed Royal Highness.¡± ¡°We will serve you to the best of our abilities, your Royal Highness.¡± I walked into the lobby to see cleanly dressed employees and a person who seemed to be the owner bowing toward the Imperial Prince. This felt a bit burdensome outside of the Imperial Pce. Thankfully, we should be able to rest peacefully inside since we rented the whole inn¡­ ¨C Rustle. ¡°Huh?¡± The Imperial Prince shoved the bouquet into my arms. He then followed the inn owner up the stairs without even looking back. ¡®What the heck?¡¯ ¡°My apologies, Prince Jesse. His Royal Highness does not like to have things in his hands¡­¡­ I will take care of it if you give it to me.¡± David, the Imperial Prince¡¯s attendant, quickly walked over and apologized on his behalf. Basically, it meant that the bastard threw the bouquet away by shoving it in my arms. ¡®Hey, this is why Jung Eunse calls you Crapdric¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°He¡¯s the type to earn some points and then lose them all with his actions. Why does he live his life in such a difficult way?¡± Christelleunched a Fact Missile from next to me. David looked as if he heard her, but did not dare to say anything. I could hear Vice Captain ¨¦lisabething in behind us while holding Ganael¡¯s arm andughing. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°I will keep the flowers in my room. I would feel too bad throwing them away and wasting the girl¡¯s efforts.¡± ¡°Then I will provide you with the water.¡± Christelle responded with a smile on her face. I couldn¡¯t tell whether she was making fun of me or cheering me on. I just wanted to eat some dinner and go to sleep.i Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Chapter 43 ¨C Live Twice (1) ¡°The Imperial Pce feels so empty without the children.¡± Aur¨¦lie Boutier leisurelymented. She was savoring the scent of the coffee in her hand. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique snorted at the Cardinal¡¯sment while looking over the Empire¡¯s matters while sitting across from her. ¡°You¡¯re feeling empty because the two of them have left for a moment?¡± ¡°We won¡¯t be able to see them for over ten days.¡± ¡°It would have been the same even if we were the ones to go to the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts.¡± ¡°Mm, I guess that is true.¡± The Cardinal smiled gently and brought the cup to her lips. The peaceful silence returned to the Empress¡¯s office. The Empress would click her tongue and quietly swear while looking through the documents and the Cardinal would respond to the Empress from time to time while flipping through her book. A sunset simr to their beloved child¡¯s eyes was visible outside therge window. It was a peaceful May. This time of year was usually hectic for them, taking portals to go to the Duhem March, but it was a joyous asion to have a quiet Spring like this for the first time in a long while. ¡°They should have arrived at that small vige by now.¡± The Cardinal was the one who started speaking again. The Empress responded a momentter, without taking her eyes off of the piece of paper in her hand. ¡°What vige?¡± ¡°The one with nice vigers and the innkeeper who likes gambling.¡± Fr¨¦d¨¦rique slightly frowned. It was the same frown that would make people think of Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. Of course, it would be more urate to say that it was C¨¦dric being like his mother. ¡°Are there only one or two viges like that?¡± ¡°Remember that time when we traveled a few days by carriage because there was a crack in one of the portals? It¡¯s the ce we stayed in during that storm.¡± The Cardinal added on with a smile on her face. The Empress finally raised her cherry colored eyes and looked at her contractor. She was scowling as if she was recalling a moment from the past. ¡°If it is the ce I am thinking about, I remember that the inn owner was taken to the prison in the Lord¡¯s Castle.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I forgot about it since it happened so long ago.¡± ¡®Has it already been ten years?¡¯ Aur¨¦lie Boutier had that thought as she sipped her coffee again. It wasn¡¯t a serious topic, so Fr¨¦d¨¦rique looked down at the document in her hand again. Silence filled the room once again. For a moment, the only sounds that filled the area between the two of them were of clothes and papers rustling. ¡°I n on opening a new wine for dinner.¡± ¡°Then who is running the inn right now?¡± The two of them spoke at the same time. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, who was thinking about calling the Chief of Staff to bring her a wine list and some tasting notes, looked at Aur¨¦lie with an extremely disgruntled look. The Cardinal¡¯s beige colored eyes curled up and she continued speaking, as if to console the Empress. ¡°It¡¯s where the children will be staying. I am concerned.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably a family member of the person who was imprisoned. I doubt there will be any problems since we have not heard much until now.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± ¡°Sadie and ¨¦lisabeth will soon be sword masters. The prince is a Bishop level priest, and that little Sarnez girl is a Novice Holy Knight. You¡¯re worried for no reason.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯m feeling a fish dish today.¡± The Empress nodded her head and summoned the Chief of Staff. She was informed that a decent white wine from the south had been offered to the Empress. The Cardinal knew that the Empress reacted this way not because she didn¡¯t care about the children, but because she trusted them. She was trying her best to think in a simr way. She was sure that the two children, no, the four children with ¨¦lisabeth and Christelle included, would be fine ande back safely. They would be able to take care of things cleanly even if something happened along the way. Prince Jesse, the eldest of the group, wasn¡¯t very young. She felt guilty; like a noble parent leaving mischievous troublemakers with a single personal tutor as she finished her coffee. * ¡°Wow, that was so delicious.¡± ¡°Yes, it was delicious, your highness!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad for me either, your highness.¡± ¨C Squeal! Imented first, followed by Ganael, Benjamin, and Demy to show our satisfaction with our dinner. Honestly speaking, Demy was only eating the flowers from the bouquet the Imperial Prince shoved at me, but I was relieved that he was finding it delicious. Ordering room service was probably one of the best decisions I made today. My mind was at peace despite being far away from the Imperial Pce since I was eating while being surrounded by the people I could be rxed around. ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Come in.¡± Benjamin responded to the knocking. I watched as a burly inn employee came in to clear the dishes. The man seemed to be in his mid-twenties and seemed nice. He was also the person who carried my bags to the third floor and brought our food. There were some Imperial Guard members with serious gazes behind him. They were here to protect us. ¡°Thank you very much for the meal.¡± ¡°I, it is an honor, your highness.¡± I thanked him for the meal because it felt awkward to sit here without saying anything, but the employee flinched and bowed. The way he quickly and efficiently cleared the table despite looking flustered made him seem quite experienced. Desserts were then ced on the table. The desserts were Cr¨ºpes Suzette that gave off the sweet scent of oranges. ¡°I can taste it just by looking at it.¡± Ganael chuckled at myment. ¡°We had Cr¨ºpes Suzette here when we came ten years ago as well. I¡¯m sure you will like it too, your highness.¡± Benjamin responded in a benign voice. He said that he came through before while attending to the Empress and the Cardinal. I picked up a new knife as I intently listened to what he was saying. ¡°I remember something slightly unpleasant happening at that time though.¡± ¨C ng! Everybody flinched and turned our heads toward the noise. The employee had broken arge dish and was standing there, not knowing what to do. The Imperial Guard members took a few steps forward and the guy shook like he had been electrocuted before quickly plopping down to the ground. He seemed to be nning on cleaning the broken pieces with his bare hands. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Y, yes, I am okay. I truly apologize for this, your highness.¡± ¡°You may get hurt, so why don¡¯t we get a broom-¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Red blood dripped down to the ground. I stopped talking and walked toward him. Benjamin and Ganael got up and followed behind me. The Imperial Guard members pushed the pieces of ss far away with their feet. They seemed to be preparing in case something bad happened. There was arge gash on the man¡¯s right hand. ¡°The injury seems pretty deep. Should I call another employee for you?¡± ¡°No, it is okay, your highness. I can stop the bleeding myself.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s ask them to bring some medicine up.¡± ¡°I, it is okay, your highness. Medicine is expensive¡­¡­¡± I tilted my head in confusion. ¡°I will pay for the medicine.¡± ¡°That¡­¡­¡± The man seemed hesitant. He seemed to be debating on whether or not it was okay to say something. I calmly waited for his exnation. ¡°I need to personally pay the inn back for the price of any medicine I use. That is the rule here at ¡®Le Siffre¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­¡­The employee needs to pay for medicine despite getting hurt while working?¡± ¡°T, that is the case, your highness.¡± I looked back at Benjamin and Ganael in disbelief. Both of them shook their heads at my gaze that was asking if this was the norm for the Riester Empire. It meant that the inn owner was a weird person. ¡°Then I guess it¡¯ll be fine if it heals without any medicine.¡± ¡°E, excuse me?¡± ¡°Please open your palm. I will use my healing power on you.¡± The man jumped up after hearing my proposal. ¡°H, how could someone like me dare¡­¡­¡± ¡°I have learned how to do it but this is my first time using it. Please just think of it as being my guinea pig and feel at ease.¡± I calmly consoled him. It was the truth. Priests need to release a special healing circle when using healing powers that can only be opened if you memorize the shape of the circle. It waspletely different from the Holy Domain that created its own pattern based on the priest¡¯s character and Divine Power. That was the reason there were specific healing priests on the continent. It truly was difficult to be a doctor both in this world and the other. I had been following Cardinal Boutier¡¯s suggestion, drawing the circle on paper and memorizing it. There were many different types of healing circles as well, but the one I memorized was one of the basic circles used for light injuries and small cuts. ¡°Don¡¯t feel too burdened. You are helping me by letting me do this.¡± I quickly added on. The man raised his head and looked at Ganael, Benjamin, and the Imperial Guard members before slowly nodding his head. He then carefully opened his bloodied palm. ¡°Then I will get started.¡± I closed my eyes. I knelt down, took one big breath, channeled my ether from head to toe, before urately drawing the healing circle without w in my head . I didn¡¯t forget to recite the incantation either. [The Almighty God¡¯s tears shall gather your blood.] As I said that and opened my eyes¡­ ¨C Ooooooong¡­¡­ A sky blue circle gently appeared on the ground and surrounded the employee and me. It was as clear as I had read about in the book. The healing circle slowly turned clockwise and seemed to be looking for something until¡­ ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­ It created a small miracle on top of the man¡¯s injured palm. Seeing the blue ether pebbles seeping into the long gash made me think of an ad on TV. The flowing blood instantly stopped and the gash slowly closed. Even I couldn¡¯t help but to drop my jaw in shock, despite being the person who used the healing power. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± The employee blinked his eyes a few times. He clenched his fist a few times as if he could not believe what just happened in his hand, before quickly bowing his head on the ground. ¡°T, thank you very much, your highness! You¡¯ve given such a blessing to amoner like me¡­¡­ Thank you very much.¡± ¡°No, I should be thanking you for cooperating with me.¡± I smiled bitterly. He had a bright smile on his face for the first time sinceing into the room, and said that he would bring new Cr¨ºpes Suzette. * Demy and I were the only ones left in the room now that it was 9pm. Ganael and Benjamin were sharing a room next door. ¨C Screeeech¡­¡­ ¡°It was a long day, wasn¡¯t it? That is how it is when you go traveling.¡± Demy stretched out across my stomach and sighed. At least, it seemed that way to me. I wasying at an angle on the bed, consoling the little punk while drawing healing circles on a piece of paper. While taking care of Morris, the inn employee,¡¯s injury during dinner, I had the idea that it would be good to memorize a lot of healing circles. ¡°How great would it be if I could have abilities like this when I go back.¡± The red panda raised his tail after hearing my mumbling. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at his action. I knew that it was nonsense. Even if I could use healing powers in the real world, it was highly likely that I would be unable to memorize theseplicated circles to activate them. The more serious the ailments they heal, the more difficult the circles are to memorize. Slowly building up; starting with the simplest circles is the path down this Royal Road. ¡°Should we wash up and go to sleep early?¡± ¨C Knock knock. Someone knocked on the door at that moment. There were Imperial Guard members stationed on the third floor where I was staying, as well as in all of the hallways of Le Siffre. I had no reason to be wary of a visitor even during thete hours. I put down the wet towel I was going to use to wash Demy, and got up to open the door. ¡°Hello, your highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Youngdy Sarnez.¡± I felt the need for a defibritor. My heart sank. This was my first time meeting Christelle alone since our initial meeting at the Imperial Pce¡¯s Confessional. There was at least a wooden window between us at that time, but right now, I was wearing a shirt that had at least two buttons undone. ¡°Have you had your meal, your highness?¡± ¡°Of course. And yourself, youngdy Sarnez?¡± I brought my right hand forward as naturally as possible and covered the left side of my neck. I thought that it might help cover myself up a bit more. I knew that I was being excessively self-conscious, but it was definitely a scary thing to be alone with the main character in casual clothing at this hour. ¡°Yes, I was thinking about going for a walk because I was full. I heard that the night market at Lucas Vige is open today.¡± Christelle smiled brightly. I felt my heart grow darker while looking at this smile that seemed to make the whole world brighter. ¡®She wants to go out again? Is this a Holy Knight¡¯s stamina¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Why don¡¯t you go with Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth? I am a bit tired.¡± I quickly declined, not taking a single step from the door. The corners of my lips felt as if they would start spasming. ¡°I did ask Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth first but she cannot leave the inn because of work. Apparently it would be difficult unless his Royal Highness or you left.¡± ¡®Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth!¡¯ ¡°Then I guess you can go with his Royal Highness.¡± I smiled. Christelle¡¯s eyes scrunched suspiciously. ¡°You know that his Royal Highness and I are notfortable around each other. Are you trying to make me not have fun?¡± ¡°No, of course not. I will go if his Royal Highness goes.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡®Did I make a mistake?¡¯ Christelle¡¯s blue-gray eyes sparkled dangerously. She put a hand up to her chin and seemed to be thinking about something for a moment before bowing extremely respectfully to me and smiling. She then turned around and walked away toward the stairs. I quickly closed the door and hugged Demy. ¡°Ah, that was so scary¡­¡­¡± ¡®There¡¯s no way she¡¯s really going to bring that Imperial Prince bastard, right? There¡¯s no way that that bastard woulde. No way, right? Right? Chapter 44 Chapter 44 ¨C Live Twice (2) Chapter 44 ¨C Live Twice (2) However, that actually became reality. ¡°The group¡­¡­ Has grown quiterge.¡± I opened the door and looked at the group of children standing in the hallway. There was an excited Christelle, a pretending to be calm but clearly excited, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, Ganael, whom I had no idea as to why he was a part of this group, and¡­ ¡°Are you not tired, your Royal Highness?¡± The bastard naturally ignored my question. I had no idea what she said to convince him, but Christelle actually seeded in dragging the Imperial Prince here. He was standing firm with a long ck robe while ring at me. ¡®How is this possible? I thought the two of you weren¡¯t very close!¡¯ I debated whether she threatened or ckmailed him, but either way, I had no way out at this point. ¡°We will be too noticeable going out like this. Everybody here¡­¡­ Doesn¡¯t have the typical appearance.¡± I had to at least attempt onest resistance. ¡°That is why I prepared these! Tada!¡± Christelle smiled brightly and showed me a small basket. I peeked in to see suspicious looking medicines and sses. I gulped. I could hear Demy, who was plopped on the bed, snoring. * ¡°We¡¯ve never been somewhere like this before, have we?¡± ¡°No, we have not, ma¡¯am.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, whose dark green hair was now brown, and Ganael, whose sky blue hair was now also brown, were walking together in front of the group. Christelle had purchased more than just the whip from the Legault Central Commerce Center. She must have expected this event, as she gathered all sorts of magic tools to help with disguise and camouge. She said that she bought a lot of other things too, but I didn¡¯t dare to ask about them. I had the damn Imperial Prince bastard to my left and the MC to my right as we walked through the night market. I tried multiple times to slowly back away but Christelle would immediately notice and stare at me like a ghost so I couldn¡¯t leave. The street that was lit up as much as possible with small, cheap magic lights was extremely busy. It was as if every resident of Lucas Vige was here. Stalls selling all sorts of products, foods, and alcohol were packed one after the other with the fountain at the center. There were even children running through the narrow street withrge dogs. It feltpletely different from the Imperial Pce or the Imperial Capital. ¡°Your highness, do you want to try that?¡± I was smiling at the children when Christelle started talking to me. Her eyes, that were now brown because of eye drops, were looking at me. I turned toward where she was pointing. ¡®Dagger throwingpetition!¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­It looks dangerous.¡± ¡°They said it is okay because the tip is blunt. Let¡¯s see, ¡®Get a prize by simply hitting the target. Anybody who hits the center will receive the shopkeeper¡¯s special pastrami sandwich and dragon fruit juice!¡¯ Ah, it is food. I prefer money.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try it.¡± I responded to her. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we aim for the winning prize since we came all the way out here to the night market?¡± ¡°You suddenly became so serious, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡°Right this way, your Royal Highness.¡± The Imperial Prince quietly sighed at myment. He did not like medicine touching his body and instead used a pair of disguise sses. He still looked like the regr Imperial Prince to us since we knew his true identity. But the expensive sses seemed effective, as nobody else seemed to pay any attention to him. ¡°Wee, for three people? It is 10 francs for 3 tries!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll pay.¡± The nice looking shopkeeper greeted us with an apron on. Christelle responded energetically and handed her 30 francs. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and Ganael got chicken skewers from somewhere and were eating them while watching the situation with joy. ¡°Thank you very much, youngdy Sarnez.¡± I quietly thanked her. ¡°It was nothing. I will go first.¡± ¡°I wish you luck.¡± The shopkeeper wished Christelle luck and handed her an old dagger. Christelle slightly pulled the robe back over her head and raised her arm. Her now dark brown hair was tightly braided down. She moved her dagger wielding right arm forward and back and aimed toward the target before¡­ ¨C Tap! ¡°Ooh!¡± ¡°She hit the target on her first try!¡± Two people in the audience screamed with excitement. It wasn¡¯t right at the center, but the fact that she hit the target on her first try showed potential. ¡°Then I will throw this time.¡± I received the dagger from the shopkeeper. I could not give up on this mesmerizingbination of a pastrami sandwich and dragon fruit juice. Christelleughed while asking why I looked so serious, but I could notugh with her. I couldn¡¯t ever hit the dart board at the bars during college¡­ I wonder how I will do here? * Both my mind and body felt terrible. Three people were gathered around me whispering nonstop. ¡°Your highness, I guess you really are only overflowing in ether.¡± ¡°Please be quiet, youngdy Sarnez¡­¡­¡± ¡°Cheer up, your highness! I will order you a pastrami sandwich from the chef as soon as we arrive at the March.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡­¡± ¡°Throwing is all about the wrist, your highness. You cannot rely on your arm.¡± ¡°It is already toote¡­¡­¡± The three daggers in my hand were killed heroically as five people, including the shopkeeper, watched on. I loathed the author and felt so embarrassed that I almost started grinding my teeth. ¡®What kind of ¡®second male lead¡¯ has no mana sensitivity or physical abilities?¡¯ I received the shopkeeper¡¯s open sneering while Christelle struck the target with all three daggers. ¡°Grandpa, are you not going to throw?¡± The woman¡¯s voice brought me out of this deep swamp of despair. I turned my head to see that the shopkeeper was talking to the Imperial Prince. He must seem like a grandpa to others because of the sses. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth covered her mouth with her hand and startedughing. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Imperial Prince looked a bit upset but took the daggers without causing any issues. His orange eyes clouded over while he held the dagger and observed it. ¡®Wait a minute, this bastard¡­¡­¡¯ * ¨C Thud! Christelle put down the cup of beer that she emptied about half way. Herrge round eyes were full ofints. ¡°Using magic was cheating.¡± ¡°Youngdy Sarnez, calm down and try this dish.¡± I pushed the pastrami sandwich on the table toward Christelle. There were three sandwiches made with homemade rye bread, pastrami, and colew in front of us. I was eating one by myself while the good friends Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and Ganael were sharing another one. The number of people at this street vendor¡¯s stall was not going down despite it being almost 11 p.m. ¡°I could have hit the center too if I dipped the dagger in water before I threw it. It¡¯s totally doable.¡± ¡°And the reason you didn¡¯t turn those words into action?¡± The Imperial Prince retorted back. The person who hit the center of the target three times in a row at the ¡®Dagger Throwing Contest!¡¯ just now to win the three sandwich sets did not even touch them. I was happy to benefit from it but I didn¡¯t expect the two of them to start provoking each other like this again. ¡°I¡¯m thankful for the sandwich but please don¡¯t tease the youngdy, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°So, he really was making fun of me! I couldn¡¯t tell whether he was being serious because he had some alcohol in him.¡± Christellemented after I tried to stop the Imperial Prince. I checked her cup to see if she was drunk and noticed the 750ml or so of beer was all gone from it. ¡®She drinks a lot.¡¯ ¡°No, he says that he is not making fun of you.¡± I immediately changed what I said. The Imperial Prince bastard raised one eyebrow, but Ipletely ignored it. I¡¯ve thought about it since a few days ago, but it seems as if I need to slowly change my strategy. If I am unable to avoid these two people, I would probably feel better if I manage to stick the two of them together. I know that it won¡¯t be easy to make that happen as I please, but I wanted to at least try. ¡°You also have the prize you won, youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s pretty. The sandwich is gone when you eat it, but I can keep this for a long time.¡± She treasured the mental victory and took out the crocheted decoration. The shopkeeper gifted three crocheted decorations in the shapes of three divine items, the ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea,¡¯ ¡®Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star,¡¯ and the ¡®Ark of the Wind Deity.¡¯ I was told that there were a lot of souvenirs in the shapes of the four divine items at the Empire. It felt simr to selling Eiffel Tower keychains in Paris or Cheomseongdae choctes in Gyeongju. (TL: Cheomseongdae is an astronomical observatory in Gyeongju, South Korea) ¡°I¡¯ll take this one and I will give this one to you, your highness. As for this one¡­¡­¡± Christelle hesitated for a bit before handing the Sword of Wisdom shaped loop to the Imperial Prince with a slightly irritable gaze. I barely held myself back from smiling. ¡°I offer this to you, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, youngdy Sarnez.¡± I thought that the Imperial Prince bastard might reject it, so I quickly set the tone to make him feel obligated to ept it. I grabbed the sandwich and juice that Christelle did not eat and pushed it toward Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and Ganael. The two of them who had been quietly chatting with each other smiled with joy. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Imperial Prince silently looked at the loop of the Sword of Wisdom on the table before grabbing it and putting it in his pocket. It sent chills of joy down my body. ¡®Wow, I should have done this a long time ago!¡¯ It felt as if the two of them would quickly get closer to each other as long as I nudged them a little bit. ¡°Thank you all foring out with me tonight.¡± I was shouting for Jung Eunse in my mind after seeing this new ray of hope when Christelle continued talking. The shopkeeper had given her a refill so she had a full cup of beer in her hand. ¡°There were a lot of things I wanted to do. But the attendant I brought with me from home seemed to want to shield me from everything. I understand why, but¡­¡­¡± She chugged her beer. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was not drinking because she was on duty and was sharing the dragon fruit juice with Ganael. I didn¡¯t drink and the Imperial Prince didn¡¯t order anything, so Christelle was the only one drinking at our table. ¡°Thinking of this as a second life made me want to live without any regrets. That is why I asked for such esteemed people¡¯s timete at night, fully knowing that it was disrespectful.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay, youngdy Sarnez. I understand.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth warmly responded and clinked her juice cup gently with Christelle¡¯s beer cup. It sounded as if Christelle was being sappy because she was drunk, but I couldn¡¯t help but have a bitter smile on my face. The other three people probably thought she was talking about a second life because she had been sick for a long time. However, I knew the truth about Christelle¡¯s situation. ¡®There are a lot of things I wanted to do,¡¯ ¡®live my second life without any regrets.¡¯ It made sense for someone who submitted her letter of resignation and ended up being transmigrated to this world. I thought that it might continue in that motif, but it was reality for the MC. I knew that this was a novel, but this ce was a new opportunity for Christelle. ¡°It is nice and cool up north during summer. Let¡¯s all go together-¡± ¡°Damn it, I told you the money was due at midnight!¡± Flinch. A husky man¡¯s voice drowned out Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s whisper. Our heads naturally turned toward the voice. The loud stall instantly became quiet. ¡°Umm, I had to pay off my debts elsewhere first¡­¡­¡± ¡°Debt? Then is what you owe to the inn not debt? Do you think that ¡®Le Siffre¡¯ is a pushover?¡± The man, who clearly looked like a thug, kicked a wooden table. ¨C ng! ss broke, and the food that a customer had left was spilled on the floor. I frowned. ¡®That guy just talked about the inn we are staying in.¡¯ ¡°Mr. Felix, why are you acting like this when there are customers here?¡± Someone moved in front of the shopkeeper at that moment. My eyes opened wide after seeing the person. It was Morris, the inn employee I had used my healing powers on a few hours ago. The thug also recognized him and calmed down a bit. ¡°Move. This bastard slithered his way out like thisst month too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll put in a good word with my aunt.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­¡± The thug red at Morris with frustration. I started thinking about who Morris¡¯s aunt might be. ¡®Maybe¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°How are you going to eventually inherit the inn when you are such a pushover? How are you going to take control of the vige?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any thoughts about that.¡± ¡°How stupid. You¡¯re missing your chance to be the Lord in the countryside.¡± The thug spit on the floor before giving the shopkeeper behind Morris the finger and heading for a different stall. It seemed to be a sort of warning. The stall slowly started returning to life after the situation ended. I turned and looked at the others. ¡°My goodness¡­¡­¡± Ganael seemed shocked at this situation. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was also looking at the Imperial Prince with a stiff expression on her face. ¡°What do you wish to do, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Imperial Prince¡¯s eyes grew dim in thought. I cautiously interrupted. ¡®I know Morris. Oh, he¡¯s the guy who stopped the situation. He is one of the inn employees.¡± Christelle suddenly stood up from her seat. I looked up to see a serious look on her face. Wait a minute¡­¡­ Oh esteemed author-nim, why is the MC smiling right now? Chapter 45 Chapter 45 ¨C Live Twice (3) Chapter 45 ¨C Live Twice (3) Life truly is unpredictable. I was happy up until yesterday because I was able to eat with Ganael, Benjamin, and Demy, but this morning, I voluntarily came downstairs for breakfast. Of course, it was not the buffet stylemonly seen in the modern world. I was sitting at a round table with Christelle, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. Long story short, the meal was pretty calm. Thisbination would have caused quite the ruckus any other time, but the four of us hade to a sort of agreement before returning to the innst night. The tes on the table started to empty and the Imperial Prince put down his utensils. I took a big bite of a warm croissant with whipped cream and ckcurrant jam to cleanse my pte. ¡°It¡¯s so good.¡± I said it quietly but Christelle looked at me and smiled. Someone knocked on the dining area¡¯s door at that moment. ¨C Knock knock knock ¡°Come in.¡± A woman entered after Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth responded. There were five Imperial Guard members behind her. The Imperial Guard had summoned the innkeeper. ¡°Your loyal subject greets his esteemed Royal Highness, Prince Viaan, young Countess Moutet, and youngdy Sarnez.¡± The innkeeper, udine Green, walked into the dining area and bowed respectfully. I carefully observed her face. The woman, who had personally escorted the Imperial Prince to his room yesterday, seemed to be in her mid thirties and had a gentle look simr to Morris. It was hard to imagine that she would do such a thing. ¡°I wish to show my gratitude for the hospitality shown by the Lucas Vige and the Le Siffre inn.¡± ¡°I am honored, your Royal Highness. It was nothingpared to the Imperial benevolence we have received.¡± udine lowered her head even more and answered modestly at the Imperial Prince¡¯s words of gratitude. I heard that she was amoner, but she acted and spoke elegantly, probably because she had experience dealing with nobles and the Imperial family. The Imperial Prince¡¯s orange eyes squinted a bit before he said what we had discussed. ¡°That is why I am thinking about staying another day.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Excuse me?¡± udine raised her head with a slightly anxious voice before realizing who she was talking to and quickly lowering her gaze. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez has only recently recovered from her illness and is feeling tired. It won¡¯t be a bad idea to rest a little longer.¡± The Imperial Prince¡¯s low voice was so cold it sounded almost frigid as he said his pre-nned words. udine seemed to think that there was some logic to his words as she nodded her head a few times. Everybody in the Empire knew that Christelle had been asleep for three years. Our little tripst night was a secret that only Benjamin and David knew about. ¡°We will work even harder to repay you for your trust, your Royal Highness!¡± udine responded in a higher and happier voice. The Imperial Prince looked away from her without saying anything else. That seemed to be the signal as the Imperial Guard members left the dining area with her. Employees of the inn came in after that. They were clearing the dishes and serving dessert. I thoroughly observed the employees while Christelle put up a terrible little act going, ¡®ah, my darn iron-deficiency anemia¡¯. ¡®Found him.¡¯ ¡°Hello Morris.¡± ¡°Did you sleep well, Prince Jesse?¡± Morris seemed shocked and his shoulders curled forward at my greeting. I smiled and watched him put down a te of cookies shaped like tulips with sherbet on them. The employees then bowed and started leaving the dining area when¡­ ¡°Morris, I have something to discuss with you regarding what happened yesterday.¡± I stopped Morris from leaving. I didn¡¯t forget to raise my right palm and wave. He nodded his head and walked toward me. The other employees seemed to think that I was going to scold Morris, and quickly lowered their gazes and closed the dining area door behind them. ¨C Click Ganael, who had been quietly standing there, quickly locked the door. Morris blinked like a scared little calf. ¡°Is your hand okay?¡± ¡°Excuse me? Yes, yes, your highness. It is all thanks to your help. Thank you for your divine benevolence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Then I will ask about something else now.¡± ¡°Yes, of course. Please ask whatever question you may have.¡± He respectfully sped his hands together. I looked directly at him and started my questioning. ¡°Someone named Felix threatened a shopkeeper at the night marketst night. I wish to hear an exnation.¡± The young man gasped. He cautiously looked up before noticing that we were all looking at him and turning pale. * ¡°So, Miss udine Green, the innkeeper, is your aunt.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. We aren¡¯t very far apart in age, but¡­¡­ My grandfather and my aunt took me in when I became an orphan.¡± Morris exined the situation. He shoved hisrge body into a small chair while being pseudo interrogated by us. The grandfather he was talking about was the person who ran the inn before udine inherited it. ording to Benjamin, that grandfather was extorting money from the vigers using terrible means and was caught by Cardinal Boutier, who happened to be staying here. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, who was with her, immediately sent him to the prison at the Lord¡¯s Castle over ten years ago. udine, the daughter of the criminal, was responsible for the inn after that. ¡°The fee is¡­¡­ It is money the Le Siffre receives from the vigers. My aunt sends people to the night market and the vendors to collect the fee whenever members of the Imperial family or nobles visit.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth looked astonished. ¡°Did she perhaps take a portion of the imperial gifts his Royal Highness bestowed on the vigers?¡± ¡°That is right, madam young Countess.¡± Morris responded with a sad look on his face. His voice was slowly getting heavier with guilt. ¡°The esteemed guests always bestow expensive gifts to the vigers in response to the warm wee they receive. My aunt believes that it is only possible because the Le Siffre inn is here. Those esteemed guests would have no reason toe here if the inn did not exist and the vigers would not receive any gifts.¡± All four of us frowned at the same time after hearing his exnation. udine wasn¡¯tpletely wrong. The Imperial family and great nobles have stayed in this ce for a long time, so it wasn¡¯t a stretch to think that the gifts bestowed each time was because of the inn. However, that was absolutely not a proper justification to take people¡¯s money away. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t as if the vigers were fooling around. I heard that they came out every morning to sweep the streets and beautify the whole vige from the moment our itinerary was shared with them. They fixed the roads and baked bread for the Imperial Guard members even though they weren¡¯t paid for theirbor. In fact, even the bouquet that the Imperial Prince received yesterday was hand raised by the vigers who made sure to only use the best of the best flowers. ¡°I¡¯vemitted a grave sin, your Royal Highness. I tried to stop my aunt numerous times, but¡­¡­ It was useless. Me, please punish me first.¡± Morris bowed deeply and his whole body was shaking. He was 13 years old when his grandfather was sent to prison. It was probably not easy for him to change the situation since his aunt was his only remaining rtive and he was a minor. I could imagine how udine treated her nephew since she makes him pay to use medicine from the inn. ¡°I can¡¯t be sure of anything after only hearing your exnation.¡± The Imperial Prince responded after having heard the whole story silently. Morris flinched. I noticed that his sunset colored eyes were burning with silent anger. ¡°I will host a luncheon. Summon the representatives of the vige.¡± He made his promation. Phase 2 of the operation was now starting. * After Imperial Prince C¨¦dric called udine Green to show his gratitude and extend his stay for another day, he called the two vige representatives to treat them to lunch. Anybody would think that the Imperial Prince was extremely satisfied with the vige and the inn. Thanks to that, the chef of Romero Pce,, who was apanying the Imperial Prince, was busy all day. It was fine until now, but¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The problem was that the two vige representatives who were in the dining area with us were unable to say anything because they were scared. I smiled bitterly and looked at them. Christelle was thinking hard about something next to me. It would have been different if the two middle-aged people were only wary of the Imperial Prince. I would have been able to tell him to try to lessen the pressure he was giving them. However, the person they were clearly wary of was¡­ ¡°The final main dish is Coq au vin. Please enjoy.¡± It was this person. udine Green was smiling brightly while attending to us. She imed that she was personally serving us as the innkeeper because it was a special asion. However, I noticed her alterior motive less than five minutes after the food came out. The middle-aged individuals would look down at their te as soon as they made eye contact with her, while udine would stare each of them down for a while. Although she had this extremelypassionate look on her face, it was obvious that she was threatening the vige representatives in some way. She was basically telling them to not even think about making any negativements. The Imperial Prince quietly observed the table. They would need to send udine out of the room to hear from the vige representatives. I was debating on what to do when I noticed Christelle silently mouthing something to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. ¡®Act sick.¡¯ The words she was mouthing were clear. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s grey eyes opened wide at these words that were impossible to misunderstand. She pointed to herself and mouthed back. ¡®Me?¡¯ ¡®Yes, act sick.¡¯ Christelle winked with her left eye and then her right eye. It was amazing. ¡®I can¡¯t wink with either eye.¡¯ ¡°Hmm.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth quietly scoffed. She was biting her lips as if it was awkward and embarrassing to suddenly put up an act. I became anxious as well as I looked at her. ¡°Oh. Suddenly. My. Stomach¡­¡­¡± ¡®Pfft.¡¯ I quickly grabbed a napkin and pretended to wipe my mouth so that I wouldn¡¯tugh. I saw the Imperial Prince fix the knife in his hand at this sudden act. ¡®Are you okay? You were shocked too, right?¡¯ ¡°Oh my, young Countess. Are you okay?¡± udine stopped exining about the food and asked Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. Our main character (MC) turned into master of ceremonies (MC) Christelle on cue. She brushed the young Countess¡¯s hair and cheek before catching rhythm with a sorrowful look on her face. ¡°Not only has young Countess Moutet protected his Royal Highness as the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard, she has done everything she could to support a weak person like me. Now that I think about it, she has not looked well since breakfast. I¡¯m sorry for being so inattentive. We need to send the young Countess up to her room and have an attendant help her to rx right away, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡®Wow¡­¡­ You can ad lib all of that?¡¯ I nkly dropped my jaw in shock when the Imperial Prince, who seemed to have a basic idea of what was going on, looked toward udine and nodded his head. ¡°The young Countess is my close friend, so I want you to personally look after her.¡± ¡°Excuse me? Yes, your Royal Highness. I will treat her as best as possible.¡± She seemed anxious for a moment but did not dare to talk back to the Imperial Prince. Someone who didn¡¯t know what was going on would think that Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s red face was a serious issue. udine immediately supported her and walked out of the dining area. Christelle, the Imperial Prince, Benjamin, Ganael, David, the two vige representatives and I were the only ones left. Ganael, who was standing behind me, whispered to me in an urgent voice. ¡°Your highness, did Georges leave just now because she really is sick¡­¡­¡± I turned to see that the young boy waspletely pale. ¡®Georges? Is he talking about Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth?¡¯ ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth is fine. It¡¯s not real so don¡¯t worry, Ganael.¡± I quickly consoled Ganael. His gold eyes slowly blinked a few times before he calmed down. His bright smile soon reappeared. ¡®I guess there¡¯s someone else who believed her acting.¡¯ I smiled back at him and then turned toward Christelle. ¡°¡­¡­Thank you for taking care of that, youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°It was nothing. Please treat Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth to something niceter. It¡¯s going to be difficult for her to stall for time.¡± Her blue-gray eyes were sparkling brightly. I continued to smile and turned toward our guests. The two middle-aged individuals were looking at us with nk expressions. ¡®Mm, I guess they would be shocked.¡¯ ¡°Morris has told us about the situation.¡± I started speaking without any hesitation. It was a speed battle from here. Chapter 46 Chapter 46 ¨C Live Twice (4) Chapter 46 ¨C Live Twice (4) ¡°udine looked as if she had venom flowing through her veins after her father was sent to prison.¡± ¡°She changedpletely. She was a very pure girl when she was younger.¡± The two vige representatives, Teddy and Marie, spoke with shaking voices. I peeked at their tes. It must be really ufortable for them as their main dish was getting cold because they had yet to touch the food. ¡°udine¡¯s father¡­¡­ He enjoyed gambling. He started small bets with his friends and eventually started inviting the vigers to the inn.¡± ¡°We heard about that. He would goad the vigers into betting their gifts from the imperial family or nobles and then cheat to take them all.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, your highness. That is correct.¡± Marie let out a big sigh and lowered her head. This was the gambling scam that Cardinal Boutier had seen ten years ago. The criminal spit at the vigers and shouted about how they were just as dirty as him while he was dragged away. Benjamin said that he still clearly remembered how belligerent the man had been. ¡°udine focused only on renovating the inn for a while after her father was taken away.¡± ¡°The vigers lived quietly as well. However, a Pair de Riester came through a few monthster. After his visit, udine started demanding that we pay her a portion of the gifts as a fee.¡± (TL: Pair de Riester, based on the Pair de France of the Middle ages, is a prestigious title and position held by the greatest, highest-ranking members of the Riester nobility.) ¡°Have the people of Lucas Vige ever tried resisting her demand?¡± Christelle asked Teddy. I was curious about this as well. Even if the Le Siffre inn was thendmark of Lucas Vige, udine would not have had a choice if the whole vige collectively rejected her demand. There seemed to be at least 1,000 vigers. The staff at the inn were vigers as well. On the other hand, udine, who was in her twenties at the time, would have been alone. ¡°Umm, we were all wondering what kind of nonsense she was spewing at first.¡± ¡°Most of the vigers ignored udine and did not pay any fee from the gifts bestowed upon us by the esteemed Pair de Riester until he left.¡± ¡°Then how¡­¡­¡± ¡°udine¡­ she gathered the vigers and lit the inn on fire.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°She lit the Le Siffre inn on fire?¡± Christelle and I raised our voices at the same time. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric¡¯s ga-like eyes fluctuated likeva. ¡°Yes, your highness. She talked about how we should all die together, and how the vigers should try to live as we had been without the inn¡­¡­ She was pouring gasoline on the front door and shouting like her father¡­that was when we realized that things were wrong.¡± Marie raised a fist and pounded her chest. She then took a few big breaths as if the beating couldn¡¯t relieve her frustration. ¡°We were the ones who stepped up to put out the fire.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°About a tenth of the inn was on fire. We jumped into the mes without any protection and doused it with water. udine didn¡¯t move at all. We were scared that high ranking guests would no longere to the vige¡­¡­ We were the ones who saved the inn.¡± ¡°udine just watched. It felt as if she was supervising us.¡± The two voices slowly became quieter. They looked as if they were either crying in defeat orughing in shame. I let out a deep breath. The vigers pretty much lost all power to udine that day. I got chills thinking about the story I had just heard and the gentle and warm look on udine¡¯s face I had seen until now. I knew that external appearance didn¡¯t always match the internal character, but it seemed rare to have the two sopletely different like this. ¡°We pretty much caused at least half of the issue.¡± Teddy med himself for it. I quickly shook my head. When udine¡¯s father first started scamming people, many of the vigers treated as if it wasn¡¯t their issue. Some of them even pointed fingers at the victims, scolding them for going to gamble. That is why this situation after udine inherited the inn is¡­¡­ ¡°Please don¡¯t say things like that.¡± I stopped him. It made no sense that the perpetrator felt no guilt while the victims felt so guilty. The middle-aged man was slightly shaking as he looked up at me. ¡°People are bound to act defensively if they believe that something they have had for a long time is about to suddenly disappear. Furthermore, this reaction is obvious when you consider that it is something that would affect your life and your ability to feed yourselves. You all put out the fire for your survival, so it is not something to feel ashamed about. The person who should be ashamed is udine. She used your lives to threaten you.¡± Marie had raised her head and was nkly looking at me. I felt my cheeks getting hot with four pairs of eyes looking at me. I still thought that I should finish what I had to say. ¡°The gambling scams are the same thing. The clear culprit is in prison, so I hope you don¡¯t me yourselves for it.¡± I stopped after saying that. I usually didn¡¯t talk this much but I always talked way too much like a busted dumpling whenever I got started. Teddy and Marie remained silent for a long time before they slowly nodded their heads and wiped their cheeks. The dining area was full of sniffling and mumblings of ¡®thank you very much¡¯ for a while. ¡°¡­¡­We will proceed as nned.¡± The Imperial Prince was staring right at me before he started speaking. No emotions were visible on his handsome face. The n he was talking about was using his authority as the Imperial Prince to arrest udine and send her to prison in the Lord¡¯s Castle. It was the simplest and most effective method. It was also the same decision Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique had made ten years ago. Last night, the Imperial Prince could not hide his difort at the fact that something his mother had taken care of was happening again. I slightly nodded my head at hisment. Now that we had figured out most of the situation, we needed to take care of it and prepare to leave. ¡°You may leave.¡± The Imperial Prince sent off the vige representatives. His order for them to get out might make him seem like Crapdric again, but I knew that he had given such an order because he was thinking about the two of them. It was such an ufortable lunch for them; it would be lucky if they didn¡¯t choke and they looked exhausted after sharing such a difficult situation and crying. Furthermore, udine might notice something if she saw them like this. The middle-aged duo got up from their chairs and bowed deeply. ¡°I have one question for you.¡± Christelle suddenlymented at that moment. ¡°If you could go back to that day when the inn was on fire¡­ Would you do the same thing?¡± ¡°No, of course not. Absolutely not, youngdy Sarnez.¡± Marie iled both hands around and said no. Teddy lowered his head and added on. ¡°There was a drought at the time as well, so we were very desperate. But now¡­¡­ We are at a point where we can all work together to make sure that nobody starves even without the gifts.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I see. I understand.¡± Christelle seemed to think hard about something before she answered. The two representatives soon left the dining area. I confirmed that the door was closed before speaking. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez, are you¡­¡­¡± ¡°I believe that the vigers need a second chance.¡± Christelle looked at me with her clear blue-gray eyes. Her eyes were so clear that I was temporarily at a loss for words. ¡°They did it to survive as you said, your highness. But they¡¯ve had to deal with things like what happened yesterday for ten years because their actions back then tied them down. Their immediate struggles might be resolved if the innkeeper is taken captive, but¡­¡­¡± It was rare to see her trail off like this. I could see her grip tightening on her cup. ¡°Taking udine down isn¡¯t going to release the grip in their hearts.¡± Christelle was shining like a single star in the night sky as she said that. I nked out a bit while looking at her. I knew that she was the main character of and that Eunse loved her character so much because I had heard about it too many times to count. I thought that she looked and acted like a main character from the moment I first met her. But¡­¡­ ¡°I wish to give the vigers of Lucas vige a new life as I have earned. I would prefer it to be one where they stand up on their own.¡± I finally truly experienced that she was the main character. Her unyielding goodness and inability to tolerate injustice made me feel that way. ¡°Your Royal Highness, what do you think about this n?¡± Christelle turned her gaze to look at the Imperial Prince. The man¡¯s thick eyebrows moved slightly. * The next morning¡­ The Le Siffre inn of Lucas Vige had been extremely busy since the early morning. The Imperial Prince and his envoy were leaving today. The employees knew that they would not get paid this month, yet they still hurried to move the expensive luggage and clean the building. udine Green, the innkeeper, always told them that the gifts they received from the esteemed guests were their sry for the month. This was the case even for udine¡¯s nephew, Morris. She was extremely cold even to her own family members, so they all knew that nothing would change even if theyined. As a result, the employees worked hard today as well. Living as captives of the inn was painful and sad but it was bearable when thinking about how their neighbors and family members were persisting through with them. ¡°There¡¯s too much dust on the carpet. How can his Royal Highness step on such a thing? Go get a new one!¡± ¡°Yes, Miss udine.¡± udine Green pushed her brows to stop herself from frowning. Every little detail needed to be perfect in order to satisfy such esteemed guests, but these stupid and useless vigers werecking in all aspects. However, they usually acted like human beings and not animals after she and her father had taught and supervised them for over ten years. They should be paying her a monthly fee for teaching them, so the fact that they wereining about her taking 40 percent of the gifts made her sigh. They were shaking in fear that they would starve to death without Le Siffre but didn¡¯t want to donate to the inn at all. It was stupid and pathetic. ¡°H, his Royal Highness is on his way.¡± One of the inn employees urgently walked down the stairs and announced. udine quickly made sure her hair and her clothes looked fine before motioning toward the employees with her eyes and hands to make them stand in two rows. They all made sure to look themselves over to confirm that they looked presentable. There didn¡¯t seem to be any issues. They heard heavy footsteps and light footsteps moving at the same time. ¨C Step, step, step. ¨C Click, click, click. An unbelievably beautiful pair of a man and a woman appeared atop of the new carpet. udine Green put on a warm and benign smile on her face the instant she saw the two of them. Her voice turned gentle as well. ¡°Your Royal Highness and youngdy Sarnez. I hope that the rest of your journey is smooth. Thank you very much for staying in our Le Siffre inn.¡± She then bowed deeply. Neither responded back to her but it wasn¡¯t shocking that the Imperial family or a Pair de Riester did not wish to converse unnecessarily with amoner. She locked her eyes on their backs as they ignored her and headed out the door. Thankfully, the situation she was worried about had not happened. She had been anxious when the Imperial Prince said he was going to have a luncheon with the vige representatives yesterday. Teddy and Marie were people who were, for ack of better word, respected by the stupid vigers. She was worried that those idiots would say useless things to the Imperial Prince while she was looking after the ill young Countess, but her warning seemed to have worked better than she had expected. After the luncheon, the Imperial Prince and the youngdy spent the evening walking around the backyard of the inn alone. They walked out of the inn linking arms this morning as well. It seemed as if they were too focused on their love lives to pay attention to anything else. It was a good thing for udine. ¡°It¡¯s a good time.¡± ¡°What is good?¡± udine turned her head in shock. An extremely radiant set of purple eyes were looking down at her. She scolded herself for her mumbling and urgently lowered her gaze. ¡°P, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡°Thank you for everything thest few days.¡± ¡°I am honored, your highness. It was an honor to be able serve the prince of the Holy Kingdom-¡± ¡°No, I was speaking to Morris.¡± The prince gently cut her off. udine became anxious and barely held herself back from biting her tongue. Morris, who was across from her, was frantically bowing to the prince. This pain in the ass had been responsible for the prince¡¯s room thest two days and she had heard that he was called up to be scolded multiple times. All of the harsh training she had given him up until now was useless. The prince walked out the door with his two attendants while she was thinking that she needed to scold Morris severely. The most important part of their stay was about to end without any issues. ¡°Three cheers for his Royal Highness! Three cheers for his Royal Highness!¡± ¡°Thank you very much for your Imperial benevolence!¡± All employees of the Le Siffre inn and the vigers of Lucas vige were shouting loudly in the za. There were many who were on the ground bowing as well. The imperial carriage envoy that consisted of ten carriages was slowly turning the corner with their guests on board. udine watched thest carriage disappear with satisfaction. It was at that moment. ¨C Bang! ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡± There was a loud explosion as the Le Siffre inn started burning. Chapter 47 Chapter 47 ¨C Live Twice (5) Chapter 47 ¨C Live Twice (5) ¨C Craaaackle! ¡°What the¡­¡­¡± udine Green nkly mumbled. The inn that she cherished like a family member and loved like her own child was burning up in mes. It happened so suddenly and was so unbelievable that it felt as if her brain stopped working. ¡°Inside, are you sure there is nobody left inside?¡± ¡°Morris, calm down! Everybody came out to bid farewell to his Royal Highness. It¡¯s okay!¡± She snapped back to reality after hearing a familiar voice. udine quickly turned her head. She saw the vigers nkly staring and the inn employees holding Morris back from jumping into the fire. She could also see the children and their guardians who had escaped to the other side of the za. The fire-like emotions in her heart finally started roaring. ¡°What the hell are you doing?! Hurry up and draw some water to put the fire out!¡± udine shouted at the top of her lungs. Some people flinched and peeked around at her thunder-like shouting. It was chaotic as some people stepped back while others took a few steps forward. ¡°Do you want to see the inn disappear? Are you going to lose all those imperial gifts and tips? Hurry up and move!¡± The woman¡¯s wide eyes were full of murderous intent. What she had said made sense. However, it was odd that nobody was doing anything. It felt oddly different from that winter ten years ago. She stomped her feet in frustration. ¡°Morris! Stop standing there like an idiot and go draw some water!¡± ¡°Auntie¡­¡­¡± ¡°Stop harassing your nephew.¡± Someone stepped in front of the young man at that moment. udine recognized the person. She was one of those so-called vige representatives. ¡°Marie.¡± ¡°Morris and the rest of us are not going to listen to you anymore. We mean it.¡± Although her voice was shaking, Marie¡¯s gaze was firm. udine started grinding her teeth. ¡°Are you all crazy?! Lucas Vige is done for if Le Siffre is gone! Done for!¡± ¡°No we¡¯re not. Our farming is going well and we have grains stored away.¡± Marie calmly responded. udine looked as if someone had smacked her in the back as she looked at Marie. She was so angry that acid reflux burned in the back of her throat. It was these people. She was certain these bastards were the ones who lit the inn on fire. ¡°You idiots¡­¡­ You fools! You don¡¯t know who has fed you and paid for the clothes you are wearing! You bastards are animals!¡± She screeched. She then stomped her way to the well. The people spread like the Red Sea everytime she took a step. Blood was dripping from her mouth as she bit down on her lips. Her outraged eyes looked almost crazed. ¡°You are even worse than animals! Even the stray dogs have more conscience than all of you!¡± udine continued to shout while drawing water. Water sshed on her fancy dress and her shoes became dirty, but she didn¡¯t care as she carried the buckets of water. People shuddered in fear of udine and their futures. But they clenched their teeth, closed their eyes tightly and held themselves back. They were fine because they were here together. Tomorrow should be fine as well. ¡°See what happens if I save the inn! I¡¯m going to be taking 80 percent of all gifts¡­¡± ¨C Ssh! udine dumped the water on the first floor of the inn. Something unbelievable happened at that moment. ¡°Huh¡­¡­?¡± The water that she had carried over slowly scattered before it even touched the me. The drops of water floated in the air before they slowly drifted back toward the well as if they were returning home. The children gasped after experiencing this miracle. ¡°W, what the hell? What the hell is going on?!¡± A screech echoed through the za. udine was huffing as she grabbed the bucket and ran toward the well again. ¡°udine, stop.¡± She quickly jerked her head toward the person who told her to stop. One of the thorns in her eyes, Teddy, the vige representative, was standing in front of the old and weak vigers in the za as if to protect them. ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Your father and you have both worked hard for a long time. However, the one you and your father took care of was not us.¡± ¡°I said shut up!¡± ¡°It was the inn. You took our money away and cherished the inn.¡± ¡°What the hell do you know?!¡± udine¡¯s face turned red as she continued shouting. She quickly filled the second bucket and ran toward the inn. She then raised it up to her chest and dumped the water again. ¨C Ssh! Float float¡­¡­ Large water drops floated in the air. They still did not reach the fire. udine had a nk look on her face as she stumbled. She didn¡¯t know what the hell these annoying and terrible vigers had done, but they seemed to have made up their minds to kill the inn. She would not be able to put out the fire like this. She plopped down in front of the inn. ¡°Who the hell do you think you are to ignore my father¡¯s contributions like this?! Who do you shitheads think you are?!¡± Shemented angrily. Veins were visible on her neck and her eyes were bloodshot. Her red face looked as if it would burst at any moment. ¡°Do you know how much my father and I did to expand this inn?!¡± ¡°A child you raise while harassing another¡¯s child is not really raising. It is ruining them.¡± She heard a clear and firm voice at that moment. udine and the vigers all turned toward the direction of the voice. Christelle de Sarnez, the youngdy in a blue jacket, was standing in the za. * ¨C Craaaackle! ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± I heard in advance that this was going to happen, but it was even more amazing seeing it in person. I tightly hugged Demy as I watched the scene in front of me. The red panda stretched out his two front paws and reached for the mes. ¡°My goodness, how¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s the will of the Almighty God, the will of the Almighty God¡­¡­¡± The vigers were mumbling nonstop. The fire around Le Siffre inn instantly disappeared the moment Christelle appeared like a proper main character and delivered a very main character-like line. It seemed more as if the fire had disappeared and less like it had been put out. The mes that disappeared as if they had been a mirage¡­¡­ ¡°My goodness!¡± ¡°Ho!¡± Did not damage the building at all! People couldn¡¯t help but gasp. The inn that should have been burnt ck was fine with the exception of a few small burn marks. Even the potted nts did not look burnt. I couldn¡¯t help but be shocked at this as well. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez, why did you buy such a magic tool?¡± A magic tool that explodes without any noise is one thing, but a magic tool for fake mes? It seems like the kind of thing someone would sell or buy with bad intentions. I seriously debated whether the Legault Central Commerce Center should be left as is. I was concerned that Christelle was trying to start a revolution or something in this second life. ¡®That red taste that slowly melts as you bite¡­¡­¡¯ (TL: Reference to a Red Velvet song https://.youtube/watch?v=-zUf2INebOc) ¡°Oh my, I feel dizzy after suddenly using ether like that.¡± She said something else instead of answering my question. ¡®Oh right, there¡¯s that thing.¡¯ ¡°Please give me your arm.¡± Christelle smiled and quickly offered her right arm. She had used her ether stealthily from a distance to stop udine from pouring water onto the inn. I grabbed her elbow with one arm and started delivering ether through our point of contact. ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem that serious based on herplexion. Is she the type who doesn¡¯t show fatigue much?¡¯ ¡°Good work, youngdy Sarnez. Huh?!¡± I suddenly felt as if the ground under my feet suddenly disappeared. I stumbled after feeling the oddly familiar sensation of a lot of ether leaving my body. Someone grabbed the back of my neck at the same time. ¡®No, did the ether leave after they grabbed my neck?¡¯ I anxiously turned around. ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Why the hell is this bastard so pale? Was he scared that Christelle would really destroy the inn?¡¯ ¡°Please let go of me. Why do you grab people by the neck whenever they stumble?¡± The Imperial Prince released my neck as if he was pushing it away. Christelle quickly apologized as well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry your highness. I must have absorbed too much ether because I was tired.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay, please be careful next time.¡± I gently responded. We had agreed that I would supply ether through physical contact because time was of the essence. It must not have been easy for Christelle to control herself, since she had never used this method before. ¡®Hold on, did I just agree to a next time?!¡¯ ¡°No! Young Countess-nim!¡± We heard someone shout. We turned our heads to see the owner of the voice. The vigers were already looking in that direction. ¡°udine Green. You will be a prisoner of Her Majesty, Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, for insulting the Imperial family and stealing the gifts bestowed on the vigers of Lucas Vige.¡± ¡°That is not true, young Countess-nim! I¡¯m innocent!¡± udine looked like a mess while being held up by soldiers. The Imperial Prince had contacted the Lord¡¯s Castle after yesterday¡¯s lunch for some manpower. The soldiers who had been hiding on the outskirts of the vige since dawn brought over the convoy carriage and tied udine up. ¡°Proof, there is no proof!¡± ¡°We have proof. Here, this is the fee payment book that your nephew Morris had on him.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What did you say?¡± udine¡¯s eyes opened wide. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth took a pile of old papers out of her pocket with no signs of a smile on her face. Her grey eyes were as cold as the tip of her sword. ¡°This is the record of the past ten years. We will need to get the handwriting appraised to be sure but I presume it is yours.¡± ¡°That, why is that¡­¡­¡± udine¡¯s lips were shaking. The smile she had on instantly disappeared. It was scary. ¡°Morris! I told you to burn those immediately!¡± ¡°Auntie, what you did was not right. You know that¡­¡­¡± ¡°You damn freeloader! You¡¯re going to drag me down until the end?! How can you even call yourself family?!¡± udine spit toward Morris. However, before the spit could reach Morris¡¯s face¡­ ¨C Ssh! Arge water drop sshed against udine¡¯s face. udine nkly looked forward after being sshed by the cold water and her spit. ¡°Miss udine, why are you trying to live like your father?¡± Christelle, who had gotten between the two of them,mented in a pitying tone. The inn owner looked at her as water dripped from her hair. ¡°I understand that the palm-sized world that your father created is important to you. I also understand that you are used to it, but it is a bit sad that you can¡¯t get away from its grasp. You¡¯re supposed to be thirty-two.¡± ¡°I, I¡­¡­¡± udine¡¯s voice was shaking. This was probably the first time in her life she heard something like this. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help butugh after hearing about what you did to these people at the night market two nights ago. People are the same no matter where you go. It also has to do with inheritance. Why are you using your one and only life like that?¡± ¡°My father¡­¡­¡± ¡°I hope you can consider this to be a second chance, Miss Green. It¡¯s a chance for you to be a new person when youe out of prison.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Christelle then turned around without any hesitation. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth quickly snapped back to her senses and motioned toward the soldiers with her chin. The soldiers ced udine on the convoy carriage and prepared to depart for the Lord¡¯s Castle. The face of the woman who had been the owner of the inn waspletely pale. It was the face of someone who had lost everything. The Imperial Guard asked the bystanders to move back and stationed themselves by the Imperial carriage again. Christelle walked toward us. She smiled brightly at the Imperial Prince and I who were nkly standing there. * ¡°You want me to go see his Royal Highness with you?¡± ¡°Well, if you want me to say it like that¡­¡­ Yes, your highness. Please do.¡± I blinked a few times. Christelle, who was standing in front of the carriage I was sitting in, was saying something unbelievable. udine had been taken away and the vigers were bowing toward us while crying. There was still the problem of running the inn and some political issues, but I couldn¡¯t do anything about those. We took care of the big issue without any problems so I thought that we just had to leave for the Duhem March, but the main character apparently had something to say to Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. ¡°¡­¡­I understand.¡± I motioned to Benjamin and Ganael that it was okay before getting off the carriage with Demy around my neck. I would normally have rejected her request and told her to go alone, but Christelle and the Imperial Prince had gotten quite close since we arrived at Lucas vige. It wasn¡¯t bad for me since helping them a bit might bring them over that edge to bing a couple. The two of them had discussed today¡¯s n while walking in the backyard yesterday. Seeing them doing something without me looked so nice. I gave it a five star rating. ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Your Royal Highness, Prince Jesse and youngdy Christelle request an audience.¡± We didn¡¯t have to go far since the Imperial Prince¡¯s carriage was right in front of mine. As soon as the door opened, his orange eyes red at me as if he had been waiting for me.. ¡®Calm down, it¡¯s not me.¡¯ ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± Christelle elegantly bowed. The Imperial Prince finally turned to look at her. ¡°Your request?¡± ¡°That, ahem. My suggestion¡­¡­¡± Christelle struggled to speak. I looked at her with an anxious gaze. I wondered if a matchmaker felt like this when setting people up. ¡°Thank you very much for listening to my suggestion. You could have immediately sent the innkeeper to prison but you gave the vigers a chance as I requested.¡± ¡°It is my duty to look after her Majesty¡¯s subjects.¡± He responded in a stoic low voice. ¡°And today¡­¡­ Thank you for working hard in many ways.¡± Christelle emphasized the ¡®working hard¡¯ part. The Imperial Prince then turned to re at me. ¡®Why the heck are you doing that?¡¯ Chapter 48 Chapter 48 ¨C The Imperial Prince Couldn¡¯T Sleep (1) Chapter 48 ¨C The Imperial Prince Couldn¡¯t Sleep (1) ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡± ¡°Yes it is, your Royal Highness.¡± Christelle responded brightly to the Imperial Prince¡¯s brusque question. They seemed like two Ebay users whopleted a deal for a used item. (TL: Raws had a Korean Ebay but changed so that it is easier for people to understand.) ¡®This isn¡¯t as romantic as I was thinking¡­¡­ Oh well, the two main characters of a romfan probably know better than a #foreveralone like me.¡¯ ¡°Then I shall interrupt you no longer and make my leave, your Royal Highness.¡± The Imperial Prince lightly motioned with his chin. Christelle quickly bowed and walked away from the carriage. I debated on going back with her before realizing that I needed to see the Imperial Prince too. I confirmed that Christelle was moving away before walking closer to the carriage. ¡°I also have something to tell you, your Royal Highness.¡± He silently raised one eyebrow. This punk really was skilled in bodynguage. I calmly continued speaking. ¡°I presume her Eminence, Cardinal Boutier, has told you about it, but I thought that I should still inform you myself.¡± The Imperial Prince should know that I agreed to cooperate with him. I didn¡¯t know whether I would be able to provide any meaningful assistance, but I had said that I would help him win the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts and earn the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star. However, I had never said anything to him. I thought it would be good to use this chance to make my motivations and intentions clear. I peeked toward the Imperial Prince¡¯s attendant, David, who was sitting across from him. ¡°Will it be okay for David to be here? It is rted to Sadie.¡± ¡°Cough, cough! Cough! Ugh!¡± David started coughing vehemently. He looked extremely anxious and took a handkerchief out of his pocket before covering his mouth and continuing to cough. ¡°David, are you okay? Should I call the Imperial doctor?¡± I was concerned after hearing the middle-aged man gasping for breath. He shook his head and barely managed to get some words out. ¡°I, cough! Am choking on spit, cough cough! Please don¡¯t wo-, cough!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about David since he knows.¡± The Imperial Prince spoke in a low voice. It made sense that someone who has attended to the Imperial Prince for so long would know that he had an illegitimate child. I nodded my head and looked left and right. Everybody was busy getting ready to depart so there happened to be nobody near the Imperial Prince¡¯s carriage right now. My voice became even quieter. ¡°I am officially attending the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts as a Confessional Priest but I hope that you will get the Sword of Wisdom, your Royal Highness. That divine item¡­¡­ I know you will use it for Sadie.¡± He immediately frowned. The Imperial Prince seemed as if he wanted to say something but he couldn¡¯t easily get any words out as if he was debating where to start. I felt ufortable and asked a question. ¡°Am I wrong, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°Theoretically, you are correct.¡± He answered in a low voice after what felt like an eternity. ¡®It¡¯s either right or wrong. What the heck does he mean by theoretically correct?¡¯ I clicked my tongue at his insincere response and said the most important thing. ¡°Then I will do whatever I can to help. I hope that your son is not in pain any longer, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°What did you just¡­?¡± ¡°Prince Jesse?¡± I heard a coachman looking for me in the distance. It really seemed to be time to go now. I didn¡¯t want the Imperial Prince to say that we were dyed because of me again so I bowed and started walking away. I saw that David had his face in his handkerchief so I was a bit concerned that he wasn¡¯t as okay as he said he was. * ¡°Your highness, I see the Lord¡¯s Castle over there!¡± ¨C Squeeeee. Ganael shouted in a bright voice. Demy was trying to crawl up the window, so I grabbed him by his ck belly to give him enough support to look outside. Benjamin turned his head following Ganael¡¯s finger as well. ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it very different from the Imperial Pce, your highness? Marquis Duhem¡¯s castle is respected for its extremely long history.¡± Benjamin was nice and exined it to me. This view made me gasp in admiration. Marquis Fran?ois Duhem¡¯s Lord¡¯s Castle boasted a noble and dignified appearance as the subtle fog wrapped around it like a cape. I could see arge mountain peak that looked as sharp as an animal¡¯s fang behind the brownish gray castle. The way the peak was surrounded by clouds made it look like a majestic folding screen. We finally arrived at the Duhem March after traveling for three days after leaving Lucas Vige. ¡°The Imperial Capital is t, but there are a lot of mountains to the East.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. There is arge mountain range in the direction of the border. Other than the southeastern tip with the river, most of the eastern part of the Empire has simr terrain.¡± Benjamin sounded like an experienced travel guide while exining it to me like that. He looked happy whenever he taught me something, so I always asked him whenever I was curious about things. ¡°The Sword of Wisdom should be stabbed right around there. I guess we can¡¯t see it from here because it is too far away.¡± He pointed toward the ins in front of the Lord¡¯s Castle. nts resembling reeds were fluttering in beat to the wind. I nodded my head and enjoyed the view of the Lord¡¯s Castle as we got closer. I couldn¡¯t help but think that it would have been better if Eunse and my brother were here to see it as well. ¡°You can rest in the Lord¡¯s Castle until tomorrow, your highness. Marquis Duhem is hosting a wee dinner tonight, but it shouldn¡¯t be too big because his Royal Highness does not like things like that. The Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts will start in the morning the day after tomorrow.¡± Ganael filled me in on the schedule. ¡°Since his Royal Highness was brought up¡­¡± I frowned slightly as I continued speaking. ¡°Hasn¡¯t he been a bit weird thest few days?¡± The two of them tilted their heads after hearing my question. ¡®Wait, there¡¯s no way that I was the only one to feel it.¡¯ ¡°He¡¯s normally like this as well but he seemed overly cold since about three days ago. He nagged at the owners of every inn we stayed at and he is swinging his sword in the yard every night.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡­¡± Their reactions weren¡¯t very confident. ¡°I can understand why His Royal Highness would look over the records of other vige inns or threaten the owners after what he experienced in Lucas Vige.¡± Benjamin calmly responded. I agreed with that aspect. The udine Green incident would be something uneptable for a future Emperor. He was probably worried that simr crimes would be happening elsewhere. However, the Imperial Prince¡¯s words and actions did seem much colder. ¡®Is the food not to his liking?¡¯ ¡°In addition¡­¡­¡± Ganael cautiously answered. ¡°His Royal Highness has always been that way, your highness.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, I believe he has been much more rxed since around the time you entered the Imperial Pce, your highness.¡± ¡®This is him being more rxed?¡¯ Benjamin added on after seeing my expression. ¡°There were not many people who could even make simple conversation with His Royal Highness. Her Majesty, Her Eminence, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and Mister David were probably the only ones. Even Marquis Duhem would calm down in front of His Royal Highness.¡± ¡°The even gave His Royal Highness a nickname. I think it was the Ice Prince or something¡­¡­¡± It made me cringe. I presumed it was the work of Lady Belliard since she liked toe up with weird nicknames. ¡°Oh, what perfect timing. I see Marquis Duhem over there.¡± Benjamin was pointing somewhere. I looked out the window again. There was a man whose light pink eyes were sparkling like cherry blossoms as he elegantly waved his arm to greet us. ¡®This guy never changes.¡¯ * ¡°I would like to wee His Royal Highness and all of you once again foring to my castle! Thank you very much!¡± ¡°Three cheers for his Royal Highness!¡± ¡°Cheers!¡± Marquis Fran?ois Duhem shouted refreshingly. He picked up his wine ss as thunderous pping and cheering burst out. The Marquis, who was a master of recreation, was able to keep everyone happy and rowdy even with the silent Imperial Prince at the center. ¡®I¡¯ve never seen someone like this before.¡¯ There were not many people at the wee dinner, as Ganael had mentioned. There seemed to be about 50 people including all of us in the Imperial Prince¡¯s envoy, the people from the House of Duhem, and their confidants. I was sitting at the end of the long VIP table in front of the banquet hall, utilizing my corner seat to overeat. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was sitting to my left. Marquis Duhem and Christelle were seated at the far right side of the VIP table and were already mixing drinks. ¡®They¡¯re mixing wine into beer¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Basically, it is simr to searching for treasure on the mountain.¡± ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, demonic beasts are not treasure.¡± ¡°However, your score goes up every time you catch one, and you win if you have the highest score. They are pretty much treasures.¡± The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard smiled brightly and sipped on her sherry. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who was finally able to get off work once we arrived at the March, was drinking while looking as refreshed as she had looked the day after the Spring Ball. She said that she had not attended the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts ever since she enlisted into the Imperial Guard, but she knew about the rules and methods, as is fitting of a noble of the Empire. ¡°You should have seen therge mountain range on your way here. There is arge cave at the lowest peak that we call the Duhem Dungeon.¡± ¡®Dungeon¡­¡­ This world really has everything.¡¯ I chewed on a soft piece of roast duck as I waited for her to continue. The duck was juicy and the bigarade sauce was so good. ¡°The demonic beasts in the dungeone out to attack the Lord¡¯s Castle and the nearby city every year around this time. Barriers are useless because different kinds of demonic beastse out every year. Some of those bastards definitely manage to escape the castle. That is the reason thepetition starts at the mountain but ends on the ins of the Lord¡¯s Castle.¡± I knew about that as well. There were demonic beasts that managed to escape to get to the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star even with numerous nobles and the Imperial family attacking them. Their instincts were making them feel repulsed by the divine item and guide them to attack it. ¡°The person who defeats the most demonic beasts is at an advantage, but they generally give extra points to the person who catches thergest and fiercest demonic beast. It is quality over quantity.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I responded to her and peeked to the Imperial Prince who was seated to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s left. There were no signs whatsoever of a smile on that pretty face. The punk who was usually only generally moody seemed super moody after havinge to the south. ¡°Do you think that His Royal Highness can win?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth responded immediately. ¡°It pains me to admit this but Her Majesty is probably the only person who could defeat His Royal Highness in physical strength.¡± ¡°His condition doesn¡¯t seem goodtely.¡± ¡°His Royal Highness¡¯s condition?¡± Her grey eyes opened wide and she turned to her left. The Imperial Prince felt our gaze and looked back at us. His still sharp gaze made me think that he was nervous from the pressure to win. I couldn¡¯te up with any other reason as to why he had been so sensitive thest few days. I easily ignored the orange gaze and took a sip of orange juice. ¡®Look at the little punk acting his age.¡¯ * ¡°¡­¡­He thinks that I am my son.¡± ¡°Ack! You finally found out?! Hahahaha!¡± ¨¦lisabeth screamed andughed at the same time. Sheughed so loud that her voice echoed in the noble reception room before stuffing her face in the couch cushion that David urgently handed her. Marquis Duhem mighte over wanting to know what was so funny if she was too loud. ¨¦lisabeth looked almost as if she was going to cry as she smacked David¡¯s arm. The attendant was able to endure her smacks thanks to the toughness he had developed over the years. ¡°Mister David, how did you manage to keep that to yourself? How could you not share such entertaining news?¡± ¡°I can honestly say that it was the hardest hurdle of my life, young Countess-nim.¡± ¡°Ah! What should I do?! Prince Jesse!¡± ¡°Georges.¡± C¨¦dric called her by her middle name with his voice boiling with rage. It was his way of telling her to control herself, but ¨¦lisabeth could not do so and buried her face in the cushion again. She had almost fainted fromughing when Prince Jesse had told her about the misunderstanding, but finding out that the person in question finally heard about it made her want to burst and die fromughter. This¡­ this was truly too much. Tears finally started dripping out. ¡°I, sob, I told you before. I would rather confess the truth than get this kind of misunderstanding.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Why does he not think that we are the same person?¡± ¡°What the heck are you saying?! Are you saying you want him to find out the truth?!¡± ¨¦lisabeth was now pointing as sheughed. The Imperial Prince looked down at his close friend with aplicated gaze. His mind had been quite chaotic for the past three days. He didn¡¯t know whether he should be angry at ¨¦lisabeth who had hidden such a misunderstanding from him or be heartless to the prince who dared to believe that he had an illegitimate child. However, he was the one who had not paid any attention to ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s hint. He was also the one who had taken advantage of the prince¡¯s goodwill. How could it end up being such an unfortunate and dishonest situation? This was no different from when he turned into a child. ¡°Ahem, ahem. But isn¡¯t it understandable? There are many symptoms of ether depletion but what you have is unique. It¡¯s not even mentioned in books.¡± ¨¦lisabeth let out some fake coughs before continuing to speak. ¡°Furthermore, it¡¯s a secret that you use ether. It¡¯s understandable why he would think you are different people.¡± ¡°In the end, you are saying it is my fault.¡± ¡°Ehehe, hehe. Sob.¡± The young Countess started crying inughter into the cushion again. The Imperial Prince let out a quiet sigh. Chapter 49 Chapter 49 ¨C The Imperial Prince Couldn¡¯T Sleep (2) Chapter 49 ¨C The Imperial Prince Couldn¡¯t Sleep (2) ¡°Do you like this Lord¡¯s Castle, your highness? Of course, it is difficult to not like this ce!¡± ¡®Why are you asking me if you¡¯ve already made a conclusion?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s amazing. It looks like it came right out of a painting.¡± ¡°Hahaha! I hear that a lot. You have excellent aesthetic senses, your highness.¡± I was currently walking in front of the Lord¡¯s Castle with the already extremely excited Marquis Fran?ois Duhem looking for the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star. The silvergrass-like nts that filled my view were swaying nonstop. The Marquis was chatting away at full speed as well. There wasn¡¯t much behind how I ended up in such a situation. After the wee banquetst night, I slept in until 10:30 a.m. and was leisurely eating and enjoying my rest when¡­¡­ ¨C Cruuuuuuuuu! ¡®Ah right, Demy. We need to go see your friends.¡¯ I finally remembered after seeing Demy begging me to hold him. One of the reasons I came here was to see Demy¡¯s red panda family, the other two divine beasts. I wanted to set up some time for Demy to say hi to them and make sure that they are doing well because it has been a long time. Benjamin and Ganael were nning to go with me, as expected, but I happened to run into Marquis Duhem in the hallway¡­¡­ After that, well¡­ It¡¯s pretty obvious as to what happened. ¡®Would you please give me the honor?¡¯ The Marquis said that he was the person who had the most contact with the divine beasts and that he would personally escort me, so I let the two tired-looking attendants rest in their rooms. That was how this awkwardbination was created. Of course, I was the only one feeling awkward while the Marquis seemed quite excited. ¨C Screeeech! ¡°Demy, you shouldn¡¯t fool around on top of a horse. Your horse friend is working.¡± ¨C ck, ck¡­¡­ I quickly grabbed Demy, who was trying to crawl onto the horse¡¯s head, and held him in my arms. It was my first time riding a horse, but miraculously, Prince Jesse¡¯s body remembered horsemanship. I avoided being a prince who couldn¡¯t even get on a horse at the age of twenty-eight. ¡®Howe he can do things like this but can¡¯t throw a dagger¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°They are putting up the tents so it would be better to go around this way, your highness.¡± ¡°Ah, I understand.¡± The Marquis pointed to the side with dramatic hand gestures. I didn¡¯t think that there were many people on the ins when we left the Lord¡¯s Castle, but I could now see that it was packed with people preparing for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts tomorrow. I followed the Marquis¡¯ guide and moved past the tents. Then, I saw something that made my jaws drop. ¡°¡­¡­Are these all seats for spectators?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Are you shocked, your highness? I¡¯m sure you are! Thispetition will be thergest one ever!¡± The Marquis¡¯ light pink eyes curled like crescent moons. I couldn¡¯t close my jaws while looking at the 10 level bleachers cutting through the ins on both sides. The two sets of seats were facing each other about 100m apart and they each seemed at least 300m long. Anybody would think that this looked like arge outdoor stadium. The white tents that should block the heat of the May sun seemed to cover not just the top of the seats but also the sides and the back. The area was full of people pulling the cloths taut, hammering stakes into the ground, shouting, and creating circles with their arms. A portion of them bowed after noticing the Marquis and me. I greeted them back and took a look at the mountain range and the stadium. ¡°You are herding the demonic beasts thate out of the mountain into the center of the two sides.¡± ¡°To be more specific, it is the demonic beasts that pull in the participants. The Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star is stabbed over there.¡± Marquis Duhem pointed toward the middle of the stadium. I could see something ck in the distance, sparkling from the warm rays of the sun. My mind nked out a bit and I moved my horse toward it. ¨C Squeeeee. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re here.¡± Demy must not have been able to hold himself back anymore as he climbed up my chest and sat on top of my shoulders. I held the little punk with one arm and got off the horse after seeing the Marquis get off. I focused my gaze on the grass and walked forward until the divine item appeared. I felt as if I had stopped breathing for a moment. The sword that was nonchntly stabbed into the dirt was pitch ck. It was as if no light could get through it. About half of it was buried in the ground, but the parts I could see werepletely clean without even a speck of dust. The hilt and the area under the de were all ck as well, except for the blood-red jewel at the bottom of the hilt. It looked extremely vibrant, as if it had been stabbed in there just yesterday, but it also looked extremely old, as if it was here before anything else. This was the divine sword that had been here for over 1,000 years and never took a master despite countless people trying to pull it out. This was the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star. ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s a ton of ether.¡± I finally shared my thoughts after a long while. The reason Demy had been chatty since morning and the reason I felt as if I was in front of arge bonfire right now were probably all because of this sword. It wasn¡¯t hot or actually making the area warmer, but I could feel the presence of the overwhelming fire attribute ether. It made me think that this was what a divine item was supposed to be like. Even their reason for existence was different from the items humans created and used for convenience. This was the manifestation of the Almighty God¡¯s will and ability. ¡°All priests say the same thing whenever they see the sword.¡± The Marquis continued speaking almost as if he was humming. ¡°Isn¡¯t it beautiful? The demonic beasts pass through here at least once to attack the divine item and the participantse down chasing after them. The Sword of Wisdom could be called the flower of thepetition.¡± He then looked to one side of the grass. Demy reacted quicker than I did. ¨C Squeal! ¨C Kyuuu! ¨C Pruu! Two red pandas jumped out. The Marquis must have been telling the truth when he said that the divine beasts always stay close to the divine item. Thankfully, both of them looked healthy. Demy was dangling on my right arm so I gently put him down on the ground. I couldn¡¯t help but smile after seeing these little guys meet again in this distant March. ¨C Cruuuuuuuuu¡­¡­ ¨C Squeeeee? ¨C Pruu! The three of them were in a ball, rolling on the ground the same way they had been on the day they said goodbye. I was looking at them with concern because I was worried that they would be cut by the Sword of Wisdom when the Marquis resumed speaking. ¡°I heard that you werepeting as a team, your highness. You are teaming with his Royal Highness, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, and youngdy Christelle.¡± I turned toward him. ¡®This is the first time I¡¯m hearing about it¡­¡­¡¯ It was an established fact that I was helping the Imperial Prince and that Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was probably doing the same, but I guess Christelle is in our team too because she is as likable as a side dish that goes well with anything. Of course, it was just a temporary alliance that will end once we return to the Imperial Pce. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± I gave an indirect response when he smiled and asked a different question. ¡°Do you think that I should trust you, Prince Jesse?¡± ¡°¡­What did you just say, Marquis Duhem?¡± I asked back. I realized that only his lips were smiling since some point earlier. His light eyes seem to hold faint traces of suspicion. ¡®I didn¡¯t know he was capable of such a look.¡¯ ¡°My apologies, your highness. I know that his Royal Highness and her Eminence chose you to be here. However¡­ I have sworn my loyalty to her Majesty, Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique. I cannot lower my guard around you until you have her Majesty¡¯splete trust.¡± The Marquis smiled elegantly with his eyes before lowering his head. It was a gesture to show his apology. I took a long look at him as I organized my thoughts. He was saying that unlike Cardinal Boutier and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, the Empress did not trust me yet. It was hard enough to ept that the damn Imperial Prince bastard trusted me but it felt a bit burdensome bringing the Empress into the discussion as well. I had not done anything for the Empress to see me in a good light. It was best for her to not see me in any light. ¡°Marquis Duhem, you are her Majesty¡¯s close confidant so I¡¯m sure you know about his Royal Highness¡¯s secret.¡± However, I still had no intentions of leaving any suspicion in the Marquis¡¯ mind. I was someone who could not make any enemies here. ¡°When you say secret¡­¡­¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t ignore a hurting child.¡± ¡°My goodness.¡± The adult¡¯s rxed face instantly stiffened. The Marquis raised a hand to cover his mouth while looking at me with his pupils shaking. ¡®So this guy does know about it.¡¯ ¡°I am not doing this because I want something from Her Majesty or His Royal Highness. I am simply helping because I wouldn¡¯t be at peace. You do not need to think about it with suchplication.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I didn¡¯t expect that you would know about that, your highness! My goodness!¡± ¡°I somehow ended up finding out. Please do not worry as I have not shared it with anybody else.¡± The Marquis quickly knelt down on one knee in front of me. I gasped and took a step back. ¡°What are you doing, Marquis Duhem? People are watching.¡± ¡°I understand now. There was a reason his Royal Highness relies on you, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡°Who relies on whom? Are we talking about the same Imperial Prince right now?¡± ¡°I had no idea that you were helping his Royal Highness withpletely pure intentions that don¡¯t even have a speck of dust on it¡­¡­ Please forgive me for being such a benighted fool!¡± ¡®Wait, wasn¡¯t the mood extremely cold like three minutes ago? I already knew about this, but why is this guy so extreme?¡¯ ¡°You were saying that you suspected me¡­¡± ¡°I will go to make a confession today. If I am asked about my sin, I will say that when I met with Prince Jesse¡­¡­¡± ¡°I am going to go touch the Sword of Wisdom while you reflect.¡± ¡®Ah, whatever.¡¯ I left the man who swayed from one extreme to the other and quickly grabbed the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star. I was nning on checking it leisurely but I could not do so because of that guy¡¯s silliness. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ * ¡°But the sword wouldn¡¯te out so I kicked it. I¡¯m sorry.¡± [I see. That was wrong for you to do, Sophie.] I answered as gently as possible. I could hear the child on the other side of the wooden window tapping her feet. I barely managed to hold myughter back as I thought about what to say next. I had heard many confessions until now but I had never had such a cute little penitent. I was currently fulfilling my ¡®duty¡¯ foring to the Duhem March. My job as the priest was to hear the confessions of the participants for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts but my schedule was pushed up half a day with the Marquis opening the Lord¡¯s Castle¡¯s Confessional earlier today. It worked out for me since I was going to be busy tomorrow. But the Marquis, he really¡­¡­ He looked normal but his brain was not normal at all. Thanks to him, the front of the small Confessional was packed since early in the evening. Pretty much every noble who came to the Lord¡¯s Castle as a guest were gathered in a line. The person who was currently in the penitent¡¯s seat was the soon-to-be-five-years-old Sophie. The girl who would be almost six in Korean age said that she came here with her mom, who was participating in thepetition. ¡®I remember when Eunse was this little.¡¯ ¡°Will I be punished now?¡± [It won¡¯t be a big punishment. Sophie is still young, so you should get a small punishment.] ¡°But I don¡¯t want even a little punishment¡­¡­¡± [To be honest with you, this uncle tried to grab the Sword of Wisdom earlier too and it didn¡¯t budge.] ¡°Did you kick it too, your highness?¡± [No, I couldn¡¯t do so because some mister was watching me.] The childughed at myment. I smiled bitterly. To be more specific, I was not trying to pull the sword out but to make a wish. I prayed to the Almighty God first in case the divine item didn¡¯t understand me and even channeled my ether into it with high hopes. I then tightly held the sword and prayed desperately. I prayed for it to let me go back home. And the results? Well, I¡¯m still here in this body. Yes. There was no way I would be able to go home that easily. [Sophie must eat all of her veggies for the whole week. You must also only kick balls outside and make sure that nobody is in the direction you are kicking. That is your penance.] ¡°Oo¡­¡­ But bell peppers don¡¯t taste good¡­¡­¡± The child sounded depressed at my stern demeanor. Sophie rustled around for a while and then left the Confessional before¡­ ¨C Clunk! ¡°Goodbye, your highness!¡± She urgently opened the door back and respectfully said goodbye. Her mother must have asked if she said goodbye to me. I was halfughing as I responded to the child. The outside sounded quite chaotic right after that. A new guest must have arrived. I thought that I would rest after one more person. ¨C Clunk! The door to the other side was mmed open again. I could hear someone¡¯s clothes rustling. ¡°Sophie?¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± A familiar low voice pierced my ears. I anxiously turned toward the window. ¡°Your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°Did you tell that Sophie person too?¡± ¡®What the heck is he talking about?¡¯ I quickly leaned my body and looked through the wooden window. I could see his orange eyes burning intensely through the tightly woven pattern on the window. Hisrge body was torturing the small chair. I could not understand why this bastard was here right now. Was it for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts tomorrow? ¡°Did youe to make a confession, your Royal Highness? By the way, did you just cut in line?¡± ¡°Even the Marquis knows about it now.¡± ¡°Know what, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric kept his mouth shut. Even that four years old Sophie was better at talking. He should confess if he came to confess, and he should speak if he had aint but the Imperial Prince was acting exactly like his son. This was clearly an obstruction of business. Chapter 50 Chapter 50 ¨C In The Empire, The Demonic Beasts¡­ (1) Chapter 50 ¨C In the Empire, the Demonic beasts¡­ (1) ¡°So what did you do, Prince Jesse?¡± ¡°I was honest with him. I told him to please leave if he was going to continue not saying anything.¡± ¡°Pffffffffft!¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth quickly took out a handkerchief to cover her face. Her condition seemed very good since morning as she would smile brightly orugh like this at everything I said. I slowly petted Demy¡¯s back as he pushed against my thighs. Marquis Fran?ois Duhem was in the front of the tform giving the opening speech to start the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, visitors of all ages, gender, and status! May your noble souls, full of spirit, that led you to the Clearance¡­¡­¡± ¡°Did his Royal Highness leave when you said that?¡± Christelle quietly asked from my right. I nodded my head. ¡°He must really not have needed anything. He barged out as quickly as he barged in. Iter saw that the door to the Confessional was half falling off.¡± ¡°Oh my, he messed with someone else¡¯s bread and butter because he was upset.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth quietly chuckled at Christelle¡¯sment. We were in the VIP section at the back of the tform with Imperial Prince C¨¦dric sitting at the highest seat, looking as stoic as a sculpture. I didn¡¯t know how his condition was but Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth told me multiple times that it was pretty much a guarantee that the Imperial Prince would win. ¡°For our esteemed guests, who havee to give endless encouragement and support to our participants, as well as my dearly beloved residents of our March! Wee!¡± Marquis Duhem made his finalments at that point, and¡­ ¡°Wooooooooooo!¡± ¡°Three cheers for his Royal Highness!¡± ¡°Victory! Victory! Victory! Victory!¡± Extremely loud cheering burst out, making my ears go numb. Christelle and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth sat up straight and made sure to pay close attention to their facial expressions. I had already gasped six times today as this was the first crowd of this size that I had seen since I transmigrated into this world. There were a lot of people in the Imperial Capital, but there were never thousands of excited people gathered in one ce like this. What I saw at the Legault Central Commerce Center was nothingpared to this. The fervor I felt from this crowd was like the passion visible in any Korea versus Japan sports matches. ¡°Duhem! Duhem! Duhem!¡± ¡°United! We stand! Divided! We fall!¡± Chants that I had no idea about echoed through the ins. The heat of excitement shot up to the clear May sky. The stands were full of color with people who brought posters the size ofrge doors, bouquets of flowers, and towels. There was so much energy that even I, someone who was only nning on making sure that Demy and I were safe until the end, was getting excited. ¡°Your Royal Highness and our esteemed VIPs. Please head down this way!¡± Marquis Duhem, who hade to the back of the tform at some point, was elegantly pointing to the stairs. The Imperial Prince got up first and moved with his guards around him. I walked with Christelle in front of me, and looked around without making it seem obvious. ¡°Long live the Riester Empire! Hooray! Hooray!¡± ¡°Three cheers for his Royal Highness! Hooray!¡± The two rows of spectators were split with nobles on the left andmoners on the right, but both sides were packed to the point that many people were standing. The cheering from themoners¡¯ side was generally louder and coarser in word choice, but it was surprising that the nobles weren¡¯t far behind. The swordsmen and mages were mostly of noble birth, so their family and close friends seemed to be used to this kind of atmosphere. There were many people already drinking and shouting as well. ¡°Over there, please head to the portal at the center.¡± The Marquis¡¯ long finger was pointed toward the center of the stadium. The spectators, who were seated on both sides of the approximately 100m in, cheered even louder after seeing us. I confirmed that the portal motion sickness medicine I ced this morning was still there. Around 100 temporary portals had been ced overnight for thepetition. The other participants were all already standing by their portals. Us arriving at the center portal would end the opening ceremony. ¡°The participants have finished their preparations!¡± ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡± The Marquis spoke into a long magic device that made his voice echo throughout the stadium. I wondered if it was okay for someone as high in status as a Marquis to be the MC, but I didn¡¯t think that this guy would allow someone else to do such a fun job. ¡°We meet again.¡± ¡°Hahahaha.¡± Christelle made a joke after entering the portal and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabethughed out loud. As mentioned before, the two of them, Demy, the Imperial Prince, and I were in one team. It was bothughable and unbelievable that people who had never coordinated with each other before were gathered together like this. ¡®Well, at least nobody should die.¡¯ ¡°Your highness, here is your bag.¡± Benjamin and Ganael, who had been seated on the first row of the Nobles section, hurried over and handed me some supplies. It was a leather bag full of simple foods, water, some medicine and other things. I put the straps over my chest and held the bag on my back. I looked around to see that the others were using this moment to check their weapons and food. ¡°Thank you very much. Please don¡¯t worry. I promise I will return safely.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. I will be praying for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the demonic beasts that have to worry. Good luck, your highness!¡± The two of them warmly cheered me on. I smiled and looked down at Demy. ¡°Demy, are you sure you don¡¯t want to get off? It¡¯ll be dangerous so you don¡¯t have to go with me.¡± ¨C Cruuuuuuuuu! The red panda gently bit down on my shoulder. His ck bean-like eyes were full of discontent. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll stop with the nonsense.¡± I rubbed between his ears. Ganael and Benjamin returned to their seats. ¡°Okay, activate the portals!¡± ¨C Ruuuumble! I heard what sounded like thunder from the mountains that cut the Marquis off. The ground then shook as if there was an earthquake. I even saw some participants stumble and fall. The spectators looked anxious and excited. ¡°¡­¡­There is the first mountain rumbling. The prophecy was urate! The charge of the demonic beast nears!¡± Marquis Duhem shouted in an even louder voice. ¡°Wooooooooooo!¡± ¡°Kill! Kill! Kill!¡± The stands felt like Spartans right before they departed for war. I gulped and tried to remember the information that I crammed into my head. The mountain rumbling was a precursor that happened before the start of the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts, before the demonic beasts starteding out of the dungeon. There were usually three mountain rumblings before the demonic beasts appeared and it was best for the participants to climb the mountain, set up, and prepare for battle before that happened. The part about the prophecy being urate was referring to how the mage who predicted that the demonic beasts would appear today was correct. ¡°Do we not need toe up with a strategy?¡± I opened my mouth. Mages were advancing toward the portal to channel their mana. We would instantly be teleported to a random part of the mountain, so I thought it would be best to discuss something in advance. Christelle and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth looked at me with serious gazes. ¡°Even if it is just simple things about how to handle monsters of different attributes¡­¡± ¡°Are you scared?¡± A low voice pierced through my ears. I looked up at the sun-like orange eyes on the other side. The first thing he said to me after disappearing like that yesterday was a provocation. ¡°No, your Royal Highness. I¡¯m actually a stronger priest than I may seem. I simply asked because I think that there might be someone in our group who cannot even say what they need to say.¡± ¡°Kehehehe.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s face scrunched up inughter again. The Imperial Prince slightly frowned. ¡°¡­¡­Then I guess there is nothing to worry about.¡± ¨C Ruuuumble! The second mountain rumbling shook the stadium and the stands. Thousands of whispers rippled through the crowd like waves. I looked around and saw that about half of the participants had already taken the portals and teleported to the mountain. A young mage behind me was peeking at me, looking as if he didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡®I guess this person will not have to work today.¡¯ ¡°Y, your Royal Highness. I will now channel mana into the porta-¡± ¡°No need.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, sir. Please go get some rest.¡± ¡°Excuse me? B, but¡­¡­¡± The mage¡¯s eyes opened wide at what the Imperial Prince and I said. The Imperial Prince bastard scattered his red and marvelous red mana without any warning. The small portal instantly fired up like a piece of metal thrown into a furnace. ¨C Ooooooong! ¨C Screeeech ¡°Sorry Demy. The ride isn¡¯t so good, is it?¡± I whispered loud enough for the others to hear while watching the red panda bury himself into my chest. Everything soon turned white. * ¡°There¡¯s nothing here yet.¡± The first thing I heard was Christelle¡¯s clear voice. She was carefully taking a step with a blue whip in her hand when I opened my eyes. The ground looked easy to slip on because there were many mossy pebbles. I carefully put Demy down and looked around. I could see a slightly sloping ground, a wide stream, boulders bothrge and small, and the shade created by trees. A cool breeze was blowing from the top of the mountain. We had been teleported to the valley. ¡°It¡¯ll make things easier for me because there is a lot of water.¡± ¡°I see, youngdy Christelle. Please take good care of me.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth responded cheerfully as she pulled out her sword. It truly was an advantageous situation for Christelle. She was extremely adaptable and didn¡¯t need to worry about ether because I was here. Being on a slope was a disadvantage but it shouldn¡¯t be an issue for the two sword users. ¨C Ruuuuuuuuuuuuumble! ¡°Ugh.¡± The third and final mountain rumbling mmed against my ears at that moment. It was extremely loud and fierce, iparable to what we had heard down in the ins. I frowned out of instinct and tried to maintain my bnce. The water from the valley sshed out in all directions and wet our boots while rocks and dust shot up as if they were dancing. The rumbling finally stopped when the intense shaking got so bad it almost made my head rock. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth gently shook her head. ¡°What a noisy way to start.¡± ¡°They¡¯reing.¡± ¨C Ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! I released my Holy Domain as the Imperial Prince mumbled. I couldn¡¯t detect the demonic beasts but I knew that the demonic beasts started their first charge after the third mountain rumbling because I had read about it. Demy raised his tail and opened his mouth. ¡°Everybody please stand inside the circle for now.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¨C Flutter! ¨C Caaaaaaaaaaaaaw! A group of wild animals charged toward us from the treetops at that moment. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth quickly stepped forward as our vanguard. ¨C sh! ¨C Babang! Her sword cut through the air without any hesitation. The sword aura that shot out so quickly that I couldn¡¯t even see it took care of tens of demonic beasts the size of my forearm in an instant. Monsters that resembled bats quickly plopped down on the ground. ¡°¡­¡­Something is weird.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth frowned while shaking her sword. I immediately understood what she meant. It was because¡­ ¨C Caaaaaaaaaaaw! ¨C Flutter! They were all rushing past us. They didn¡¯t even care that some of them had died. None of the seemingly endless number of demonic beasts flying toward us showed us any attention. The way they were rushing to the bottom of the mountain seemed as if¡­¡­ ¡°They are running away.¡± I quietly mumbled. Four pairs of eyes quickly exchanged nces. ¨C Boom! The ground shook again. But this was different. This was not a mountain rumbling, it was something heavy taking a step. For example¡­¡­ ¨C Boom! It reminded me of the noise from . ¡®Damn it.¡¯ ¨C Boom! ¨C Screeeech! Demy screeched and stood up on his hind legs. Thick thorny vines appeared around him. I created multiple ether orbs on top of my palm. Christelle was already creating thick strands of water in front of us when we made eye contact. ¨C Boom! ¨C ng! The Imperial Prince pulled his sword out with his left hand. I couldn¡¯t believe that I was using this time to figure out that he was left-handed. ¨C Crunch! ¨C Crack¡­.. I could hear the noises of trees nearby bending and being crushed. The enemy was right in front of us. A venus flytrap the size of a pot lid started growing from Demy¡¯s vines. I tried to do whatever I could to increase the range of my Holy Domain but 30m was still as far as I could go. ¡®Damn Bishop level power.¡¯ ¨C Boom! ¨C Rooooooooooooar! I heard a piercing roar before the bastard smashed through the forest and showed itself. Three people¡¯s jaws dropped on their own. What stood in front of us had a yellow body that was as tall as a four story apartment building. It had yellow, bloodshot eyes that were blinking vertically. Its thick hind legs and dangerous tail looked as if they could break my bones even with a gentle brush against me. Its terrifying cone-shaped teeth and short legs finished this anomaly that I would never be able to forget. Something was wrong. ¡°Is that a tyranno¡­¡­¡± ¡°Tyrant Electric Dragon.¡± Christelle was nkly mumbling when the Imperial Prince sternlymented. ¡°It¡¯s the beast that served as the sacrifice for Her Majesty¡¯s victory.¡± ¡®Your mother caught this golden T-Rex by herself?¡¯ ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense, your Royal Highness. This kind of demonic beast is only supposed toe out once every two hundred years. How could it show up again after just two¡­¡­¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s eyes were shaking violently. The Imperial Prince did not respond. There was no way to push a demonic beast back once it escaped the dungeon. ¡°It¡¯ll be bad to use water because it is an electric monster.¡± He looked back at the three of us, no, he was looking at me. ¡°We need a strategy.¡± ¨C Boom! ¨C Roooooooooooooar! The T-Rex, no the Tyrant Electric Dragon, started moving. I felt as if my brain was sweating. My mouth shared what was probably a typical sentiment for a Korean person in such a crazy situation. ¡°Do you really think this is the time for that you crazy bastard?!¡± Chapter 51 Chapter 51 ¨C In The Empire, The Demonic Beasts¡­ (2) Chapter 51 ¨C In the Empire, the Demonic beasts¡­ (2) ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re angry.¡± ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be angry at this-¡± ¨C Baaaaang! ¡®Ah, that scared me!¡¯ We quickly looked up at the sky. The Tyrant Electric Dragon¡¯srge chin had approached us at some point and was ruthlessly mming down against my Holy Domain. The monster was mercilessly chomping down with its teeth as if it was a child trying to take a figurine out from a snowglobe. ¨C Bang! Boom! ¡°Your highness¡­¡­ You truly are an extremely strong priest as I have heard.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth gasped in admiration. I had not noticed before because this was my first time being attacked from above, but a golden dome was sparkling at the top of my Holy Domain whenever the Electric Dragon mmed down. The circle worked as a shield both on the ground and in the air. The Holy Domain was a circle that blocked all attacks against the priest, however it was only omnipotent against opponents with weaker Divine Power. The Electric Dragon had to have lower Divine Power than me since it was a demonic beast. Furthermore, my ether was currently so full that it was overflowing. This was truly a relief. ¨C Bang! Baaaaang! Bang! ¨C Rooooooooooooar! The bastard opened hisrge mouth and roared, as if it was angry at the Holy Domain that wasn¡¯t even shaking. Demy curled up against my feet while all of us except the Imperial Prince covered our ears out of reflex. I thought that we might die from ruptured eardrums before this bastard could chomp or eat us to our deaths. ¨C Bang! Bang! ¡°Demonic beasts are weak against water and fire but will water not work on this one at all?¡± ¡°I will try!¡± I had to pretty much shout that question to the Imperial Prince when Christelle responded. Her blue-gray eyes were oddly excited. She cautiously moved her right fingertips. The water wall that had appeared around us earlier, as if to protect us, slowly rose up. The Electric Dragon was so focused on us that it didn¡¯t seem to notice it. ¨C Baaaaang! Boom! ¨C Chhhhhhhhhhhh! A torrent of water mmed against the Electric Dragon¡¯srge head. And then¡­ ¨C Chhhhhhhhhhh! ¨C Rooooooooooooar! There were enough sparks to easily roast four people and the Electric Dragon roared again. There wasn¡¯t even a scratch on its body once the waterpletely evaporated away. I felt my head getting cold with fear. ¡°¡­¡­I guess its electric attribute offsets its water weakness.¡± ¨C Baaaaang! Boom! Boom! The Electric Dragon must have gotten angry at the provocation as it was mming down quicker than before. My ears were hurting and the ground underneath my feet was shaking. The situation might be different if we had run into a smaller and more manageable electric attribute demonic beast. However, the Electric Dragon was a legendary demonic beast that usually only appeared once every two hundred years. I didn¡¯t know why it showed up after such a short time or why it appeared from the first wave of demonic beasts¡­¡­ There was one more thing for me to check. I looked toward Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. ¡°We should see how it reacts to metal.¡± His orange eyes glowed as if he understood what I was saying. And soon¡­ ¨C Pabat! The dagger that was attached to the side of his boot shot up into the air. The weapon that was urately flying toward the Electric Dragon¡¯s eyes¡­ ¨C Chhhhhhhhhhh! ¨C Rooooooooooooar! Was struck by a spark mid-air and burnt to a crisp. ¡°Haaaa.¡± ¡®So basically¡­ Going out of the Holy Domain with a sword in hand might cause us to get struck by lightning with a lightning rod in our hand.¡¯ Although water couldn¡¯t damage the monster, it could at least catch its attention or make it angry. We also had our MVP, our esteemed divine beast. ¨C Baaaaang! Bang! Bang! ¡°We should probably aim for its hind legs. The center of its weight should be there!¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth fixed her grip on her sword after I shouted. Christelle was saying something to me while the Imperial Prince just observed me with a calm gaze. As for me, I was thinking about my sister even in such a situation. That little punk¡¯s dream until she was seven years old was to be a Tyrannosaurus. * ¡°Demy, can you do it? You are our ace today.¡± ¨C Screeeeech! The red panda iled his two front paws with a savage look on his face. His white cheeks and his shaking whiskers were full of determination. I carried Demy in my arms and filled him with ether. Christelle checked on Demy and my situation as she slowly erged a water drop. ¨C Bang! Bang! Baaaaang! ¡°Hey! Over here, you giant chicken!¡± (TL: The Korean uses the term, yonggari tongphyuh, which 1. Would take a while for me to exin 2. Has no English equivalent, so just changed to giant chicken as a means to insult the beast) ¡®Giant chicken¡­¡­¡¯ She was shouting at it. The Electric Dragon seemed extremely upset at thatment as it opened its jaws wide and roared. Christelle smiled and used a thin strand of water to poke at its head from the left. ¨C Rooooooooooooar! ¨C Chhhhhhhhhhh! The beast turned its head to the left andunched a spark. ¡°Demy, now!¡± ¨C Screeeech! ¨C Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuumble! An extremelyrge Venus flytrap quickly grew in the dirt on the Electric Dragon¡¯s right side. Green vines about 2 m in diameter shot up into the air. A guaiacum tree was growing right next to them. Hearing the noises, the Electric Dragon turned its head to the other side¡­ ¨C Chhh! ¨C Rooooooar! Two water drops the size of exercise balls burst in front of the bastard¡¯s eyes. The Electric Dragon violently shook its head. Its eyes seemed weakpared to its hide. ¨C Chhhhhhhhhh¡­¡­ The house-sized Venus flytrap used that moment to open its jaws. It lookedrge enough to cover the Electric Dragon¡¯s jaws. I could feel Demy sucking out my ether and trying his best. After that¡­ ¨C Clench! ¨C Roooooooooooooar! The venus flytrap bit down on the Electric Dragon¡¯s head! The Electric Dragon iled and stumbled as its jaws and sight were blocked. It released sparks from its mouth but Demy persisted without losing. ¨C Chhhhhhhhhhh! ¡°Not so fast.¡± The sparks reached my Holy Domain as well. However, my circle was fine. I did not build up my toughness with Cardinal Boutier to be taken out by a damn demonic beast. The anxious Electric Dragon iled. Its front limbs were too short for it to pull the venus flytrap off. This was our chance. ¨C Tap! The Imperial Prince was a punk who did not need my signal. He instantly charged out of the Holy Domain and moved toward the Electric Dragon¡¯s left leg. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who charged out at almost the same time, was aiming for its right leg. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Christelle prepared the core skill for this attack. The Imperial Prince and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth slide away while shing their swords horizontally. The two sword rays were as cold as a woman¡¯s scorn that could cause frost in the middle of summer. ¨C sh! ¨C Bang! ¨C Rooooooooooooar! There were deep red sh marks visible on itsrge legs. The attackers quickly dodged the tail and retreated behind some trees. As the beast iled from pain and stomped around¡­ ¨C Chhhhhhhh¡­¡­ An actual field of frost appeared under its feet. This ice had appeared out of nowhere! The Electric Dragon lost its bnce on the suddenly slippery ground and stumbled. It felt as if its heavy body was falling in slow motion. Christelle finally took a breath and smiled. ¨C Boooooooom! ¨C Roooooooooooooar! It was shaking almost as much as the mountain rumbling. The fallen demonic beast roared as the ground shook. It was almost over. ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth!¡± ¡°Please give it to me!¡± I threw the guaiacum branch that Demy had grown to her since she wasparably closer. She grabbed the branch with her left hand and immediately jumped. As for the sword that was in the young Countess¡¯s right hand¡­ ¨C Stab! ¨C Rooooooar! It instantly pierced through the Electric Dragon¡¯s tail and stabbed into the ground. The demonic beast drooled and growled. She quickly released her sword and jumped up. ¨C Tatap! ¨C Chhhhhhhhhhh! The demonic beastunched a short spark as Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth jumped. The young Countess was calm despite the fact that she would have been electrocuted had she jumped a momentter. The guaiacum in her left hand seemed to flow like water as it moved to her right hand, and then¡­ ¨C Staaaaaab! ¨C Rooooooooooooooar! It quickly stabbed into the Electric Dragon¡¯s eye. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was using so much strength that the veins on her forehead were visible as she stabbed the branch deep inside. I tightly hugged Demy. I gulped, concerned that the Electric Dragon mightunch onest attack. And finally¡­ ¨C Grrrrrrrr¡­¡­ ¨C Boom! It growled onest breath and its head fell. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was breathing heavily as shended on the pebbled ground. Her forehead was a bit wet. ¡°You worked really hard, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth.¡± ¡°Ah, it wasn¡¯t much, your highness.¡± ¡°Hahahaha.¡± All the tension in my body released and I couldn¡¯t help butugh at this very ¨¦lisabeth-like response. I released my Holy Domain and put Demy down. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth suddenly asked me a question. ¡°Your highness, how did youe up with using guaiacum?¡± ¡°It is being used in the reconstruction of Juliette Pce. They usually use red sandalwood or ebony, but they said that they brought a sturdier wood because they thought I might destroy the room again.¡± Basically, this was the strongest type of wood I knew about. I only had praises for Demy who understood exactly what I wanted. Wood doesn¡¯t conduct electricity so I thought that it could be a safe weapon. I was relieved that Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was not hurt at all. ¡°It feels odd catching it like this. My dream when I was young was to be a Tyrant Electric Dragon.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabethughed out loud at Christelle¡¯sment and walked toward me. My mouth was stiff for a moment. It was at that moment. ¨C Rooooooooooooar! ¡°¨¦lisabeth!¡± The Electric Dragon roared and the Imperial Prince shouted at the same time. ¨C Craaaaaaaaaaackle! ¨C Bababang! Arge spark ball burst out of the fallen demonic beast¡¯s jaw. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s body was sent flying. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth!¡± Christelle and I quickly ran toward the fallen ¨¦lisabeth. It was hard to focus on anything. ¡°Are you okay, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m, okay¡­¡­¡± Christelle carefully turned her around. Thankfully, she was not bleeding. She did not get hit by the Electric Dragon¡¯s breath directly. She seemed to have been swept up in the aftershock while standing next to it. I finally managed to breathe. I could see some scratches on the young Countess¡¯s cheeks. She slowly put some strength into her lower body and stood up. ¡°His Royal Highness¡­¡­¡± ¡°I am fine so go to the bottom of the mountain. That is an order.¡± The Imperial Prince came over at some point and said in a low voice. His sword was drenched in the demonic beast¡¯s blood. I turned around to see that the Imperial Prince made certain that the Electric Dragon was really dead this time. ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m fine too.¡± ¡°Can you hold a sword with a broken arm?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth bit down on her lips. Christelle and I jumped in shock and inspected her right arm. We had not noticed until the Imperial Prince said something. My heart sank seeing that it was limp. I had memorized a few more healing circles for today but none of them could heal a fracture of this level. I clenched my teeth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. I am stillcking as a healing priest.¡± ¡°Not at all, Prince Jesse. It is my fault for letting my guard down.¡± The young Countess smiled. Her forehead had cold sweats for a different reason now. ¡°I¡¯ll call the Marquis. I don¡¯t want to hear your fianc¨¦ curse me with a grudge or something.¡± The Imperial Prince spoke again. His second sentence made Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth finally give the slightest of nods. She rummaged through her pocket with her left hand and pulled out a transparent orb. It was a disposable magic tool that all participants had received at the beginning of the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. Her left hand with the sparkling yellow diamond ring clenched the orb. ¨C Crack! The orb cracked and a red mana strand shot up into the air. I looked up following the light to see multiple red lights visible on the blue sky. That meant that there were a lot of participants giving up right now. ¡°My goodness, ¨¦lisabeth!¡± I then heard a familiar voice from the direction of the valley. Marquis Fran?ois Duhem, who used his specialty of teleportation to instantly appear, was approaching us with a concerned gaze. He was thepetition organizer and the only paramedic. ording to his younger brother, Captain Duhem, he trained his magic ability day in and day out waiting for today so that he could rescue people and descend the mountain. ¡°Why is your arm like that? My goodness! The four of you caught that monster?!¡± The Marquis¡¯ light pink eyes were shaking. He seemed unable to decide whether to be more shocked at the Electric Dragon¡¯s corpse or the unexpected patient. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth frowned. ¡°Old man, can you just take me down¡­¡­¡± ¡°Sure. We will need to hurry if we don¡¯t want to get in trouble with young master Camard. But to take down an Electric Dragon¡­¡­¡± The Marquis looked at each of us before putting his hand on Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s forehead. That contact seemed to be enough for both of them to teleport. Christelle grabbed the young Countess¡¯s hand for a moment, let go, and whispered that she would see herter. The Imperial Prince spoke up at that moment. ¡°Marquis.¡± ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± The Imperial Prince shook his sword once before pointing it at the tip of the Marquis¡¯s chin. His eyes were fluctuating like the surface of the sun. ¡°Your Royal Highness,¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± I tried to stop him but he shut me up. I was also curious about what was going on but thought that this bastard was quite vicious even with Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth being injured. ¡°The Legend-Grade demonic beast that was the winning sacrifice two years ago appeared at the first charge. Is something like thismon?¡± ¡°I ask for your understanding, your Royal Highness. This is the first time something has happened.¡± ¡°Then your thoughts on why this happened?¡± The low voice only asked extremely clear questions. The Marquis slowly closed his shaking eyes before opening them back. He was the most passionate person in the Empire when it came to demonic beast and magic tool research. He should at least have a theory about this. ¡°¡­¡­It is probably because there is more than one divine item here.¡± The exnation that came out of his mouth was something that nobody had expected. Chapter 52 Chapter 52 ¨C In The Empire, The Demonic Beasts¡­ (3) Chapter 52 ¨C In the Empire, the Demonic beasts¡­ (3) ¡°This is just a hypothesis, but¡­¡­ Your Royal Highness, divine items are different from magic tools. The power does not disappear forever simply because it was used once. A divine item¡¯s existence itself is the will of the Almighty God.¡± The Marquis continued speaking in a slightly shaking voice. I used that time to grab a painkiller made of ground medicinal herbs from my leather bag. We might as well reduce our patient¡¯s pain if the conversation is going to take a while. Christelle realized what I was trying to do and quickly created some water for me. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth silently bowed toward us and used the medicine. ¡®I hope it helps.¡¯ ¡°Are you talking about youngdy Sarnez?¡± ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness. The ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea¡¯ that was absorbed into the youngdy¡¯s body is using its abilities without disappearing. In that case, it¡¯s presence should remain as well.¡± The Imperial Prince and the Marquis turned toward our direction, specifically at Christelle. The MC looked back at them with a calm face while I was sweating internally. ¡®A divine item being in the body counts as a divine item? Then¡­¡­ That includes me too.¡¯ ¡°The Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star alone makes a ton of monsterse out of the dungeon every year full of aggression. Monsters like that Tyrant Electric Dragon appeared once every hundred or two hundred years. However, the Blessing of the Blue Sea is in this ce as well right now.¡± ¡®I¡¯m also here.¡¯ I gulped and did my best to focus my gaze on Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. The reason that I gained an immense amount of ether and the reason Christelle¡¯s mom had no choice but to use the Blessing of the Blue Sea was probably because the divine item in the Temple of Boundaries was used for me. So basically, there were three divine items here right now. ¡°I feel a bit better as the medicine is taking effect. Thank you very much, your highness.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth smiled toward me. She must have thought that she needed to console me in some way after seeing the serious look on my face. I smiled bitterly. Of course I was worried about Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, but I was thinking that this was very bad for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. I was too na?ve to think that things would be smooth because we had two strong MCs with us. I¡¯m sure that the MCs won¡¯t die and will figure out some way to gain glory in the end, but it was only normal for the leading roles to face some tribtion. ¡®Damn it, why didn¡¯t I think of that earlier?!¡¯ ¡°Did the second wave start?¡± ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness. Most of the demonic beasts are stronger than normal. Last year¡¯s winning tribute appeared on the other side of the valley. They thankfully seeded in killing it.¡± ¡°Any casualties?¡± ¡°There are around seventy injured people including ¨¦lisabeth. Thankfully, nobody has died. The warriors of the Empire are strong, your Royal Highness. Please don¡¯t worry too much.¡± My mind instantly cleared up. The Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star, Christelle, and I made this year¡¯s Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts more difficult than ever. A Legend-Grade demonic beast appeared in the first wave andst year¡¯s winning tribute appeared during the second wave that started while we were taking the monster down. If it continues like this, it wouldn¡¯t be shocking for another winning tribute to appear in the final third wave. The Imperial Prince¡¯s orange eyes calmed down. ¡°You may leave.¡± He withdrew the sword pointed at the Marquis. ¡®How vicious.¡¯ ¡°¡­Three cheers for his Royal Highness. Please be victorious.¡± Marquis Fran?ois Duhem respectfully addressed him. It was the first time I realized that he could have such a serious look on his face. The Marquis put his hand back on Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s forehead. It was really time to descend the mountain now. The young Countess looked up at the Imperial Prince. ¡°C¨¦dric, you want to trust his highness. Then do it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Me?¡¯ I was about to speak in shock when the Marquis and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth suddenly started glowing and then crumpled into pieces. The particles that resembled pollen scattered in all directions and disappeared. Only Demy, Christelle, the Imperial Prince, and I were left in the silent valley. ¡®Was she talking about me just now?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s a bit disturbing that things becameplicated because of me.¡± ¡°It changes nothing.¡± The Imperial Prince responded to Christelle¡¯sment. Honestly speaking, our MC did not look disturbed and the Imperial Prince didn¡¯t seem to care much about what had already happened. It wasn¡¯t as if they could cancel thepetition. The strong demonic beasts would break through the barrier, descend the mountain, and attack the Lord¡¯s Castle and the nearby city if they were not stopped here. ¡°Then shall we take a short break?¡± Both pairs of eyes turned toward me at thatment. ¡®Man, they look so scary when they do that.¡¯ ¡°We need to fill our bellies ande up with a strategy. Resting when we can rest is also an ability.¡± ¨C Pruuuu! Demy quietly screeched as if to show his agreement. ¡®See, even this guy is saying he¡¯s hungry.¡¯ * ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡± Fr¨¦d¨¦rique quickly put the coffee cup down. The strong coffee felt extremely hot, as if it was still boiling. Aur¨¦lie Boutier tilted her head after seeing the frown on her face. ¡°Why were you in such a rush to drink it?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be asking if I am okay?¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Aur¨¦lie¡¯s beige-colored eyes curled up as sheughed. The two of them were seated in the Empress¡¯s office as usual, going about their respective businesses. The Empress was reading a report about the incident in a small vige to the south while the Cardinal was finally catching up on the May 1st edition of the . ¡°I heard that those punks took care of it well. The daughter of the innkeeper from that time was dragged to the prison in the Lord¡¯s Castle.¡± ¡°Yes, it happened as you said it would.¡± The Cardinal nodded her head and slowly sipped her coffee. She was able to receive new information without much worry after working hard to brainwash herself that the children would be fine. She had learned this from her contractor, the Empress. Her movements were light as she flipped through the magazine. ¡°She took over forty percent of all the imperial gifts for ten years but has only spent 2 million Francs for the inn or herself.¡± ¡°That is a bit suspicious.¡± ¡°Yes, it looks like I¡¯ll need to badger the territory lord about it. I¡¯ll also need to make them search the inn again, including underneath it.¡± The Empress¡¯s cherry-colored eyes squinted as shemented. The situation had been quite simple when she and the Cardinal flipped Lucas vige over ten years ago. She had wondered what kind of grand scheme a person who dared tomit scam gambling at a ce the Imperial Family stayed would have, but that bastard did not have much nned out. However, it seemed a bit different this time. ording to the report, arge amount of cash seemed to have disappeared. ¡°Do you think that the territory lord would have received bribes from that woman? But we might need to look through the entire Empire if that is the case. I¡¯m sure there are many simr cases.¡± ¡°That is my job.¡± Fr¨¦d¨¦rique brusquely responded. Aur¨¦lie simply smiled as if she was a painting since she knew the Empress was right. It seemed better to change the topic. ¡°Oh, would you look at this? Lady Sarah Belliard was quite nice in this article.¡± ¡°That old hag is an old hag no matter how nice she is.¡± ¡°No, the contents of her interview with the prince¡­¡­ I don¡¯t think there is anything in there that will be a problem. Has something like this ever happened?¡± ¡°She must have be quite capricious with old age.¡± The Empress responded with annoyance. She had already heard on the day it was released that the exclusive interview with Prince Jesse hade out quite favorable. Although she had not personally read it, there seemed to be nothing talking badly about the Imperial family or mentioning their rtionship with the Holy Kingdom. That was enough. She brought the coffee up to her lips again. ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s still hot.¡± ¡°Drink it slowly. You¡¯re not good with hot things.¡± The Empress put her coffee cup back down on the desk. The Cardinal seemed quite concerned now. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique suddenly brought up a topic. ¡°I have a bad feeling.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Those punks. Do you think that they are doing a good job catching the demonic beasts?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you to worry about something like that, Yves. Are you angry because you have more work?¡± The situation seemed opposite of how it had beenst week. She had been the one who was anxious about the children back then but now it was the Empress thinking about her son and the others with concern. The Cardinalughed out loud before summoning the Chief of Staff. ¡°Let¡¯s ask for cold coffee instead. You should feel better with that.¡± * ¡°Here you go, please try it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric red at the beef jerky in my hand. ¡®People are going to think I poisoned it or something.¡¯ ¡°It was made in the Juliette Pce kitchen. Your stomach needs to be full for your condition to be good.¡± ¡°Can I eat that if you¡¯re not going to? It¡¯s really good.¡± Christelle¡¯s eyes were sparkling as she stood there alone. She seemed hungry even after finishing a third of the veal jerky Ganael packed for me. I couldn¡¯t me her since this was neither too salty nor too chewy. It stuck right in your mouth. Even Demy seemed interested in it. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to the youngdy if you don¡¯t want-¡± ¨C Tap! The bastard snatched the jerky from my hand so quickly that I couldn¡¯t even see him as he was moving. My fingertips were tingling. ¡°Feeding him is hard too.¡± I quietly mumbled. The Imperial Prince bastard either didn¡¯t hear or was pretending not to hear as he simply put the whole piece of jerky in his mouth and started chewing. I used to make train or ne noises with the spoon to feed Eunse when she would mess around at the table at the age of five or six but at least that was entertaining. ¡®How could she say this bastard wants to trust me?¡¯ ¡°Oh, they¡¯reing again! Demy, take a good look at your big sis.¡± Christelle snorted before shouting in a loud voice. Demy, who was eating a heart-shaped flower while in my arms, poked his head out to look up at her. There was something charging viciously toward us from the top of the mountain. ¨C Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuumble- ¨C Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw! A boar the size of a truck charged through the forest and appeared in front of us. To be more specific, it was a cannibalistic demonic beast that looked like a boar. A person would fall under a strong curse if they were bitten by this monster. I think that was why its name was the Cursed ck Pig. Usually, catching a demonic beast of this level would reward a lot of points. This was already our fifth one. ¡°Look at these delicious looking things acting out!¡± Christelle shouted as she swung her whip. ¡®Now that I think about it, I wonder if the Jeju ck Pig looks simr.¡¯ (TL: y on words. Curse is pronounced Juh-ju in Korean while this is Jeju). ¨C Ssh! ¨C Chhh! A white spray of water looked like arge fan as it swept up the Cursed ck Pig. The wavepletely covered its sight, making the demonic beast stomp its feet after losing its sense of direction. It really sounded like a dying pig. ¨C Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeal! ¨C Chhhhhhhhhhhh¡­¡­ It¡¯srge body lost power as soon as it touched the water and stumbled. The way its hide melted into red looked quite disgusting. The beast stomped around a bit before it fell to the ground. Christelle created a circr water drop and ced it over the demonic beast¡¯s head as if it was a helmet. ¨C Guuurgle, gurg, guuuuuurgle¡­¡­! ¡°I¡¯m finally getting the hang of this after doing it multiple times.¡± Shemented mischievously. The demonic beast drowned almost immediately after touching the holy power of water. This was the exact repertoire that was used earlier. Christelle and the Imperial Prince took turns getting up and taking care of the various demonic beasts that charged toward us. I just sat here with my Holy Domain released, giving the two people and one animal water and snacks whileing up with different strategies based on the attributes. However, there weren¡¯t many times for my strategies to be used. The beasts that appeared in front of us after the Tyrant Electric Dragon were all at about this level. Even one person was enough to instantly take care of them. ¡°Demy, how many points is that?¡± Christelle asked the red panda. There were two small apple trees at the end of the valley where the Cursed ck Pig had entered. The tree on the left had orange fruit while the tree on the right had blue-gray fruits hanging from them. ¡®Even if the colors are weird, would it still be delicious since Demy grew them?¡¯ ¨C Screeeech Demy waved the purple flower petal in his hand. Fruits quickly grew on a branch on the right apple tree. ¡°That was a three-point one? Thank you, that¡¯s the highest score.¡± Three new apples had appeared. Christelle elegantly moved her arms and legs to thank Demy. ¡°The two of you are finally tied.¡± I quicklymented. There were now 11 orange apples and 11 blue-gray apples. It was a bit subjective since Demy was the only judge, but¡­¡­ ¨C Crunch! The Imperial Prince stood up and pulled out his sword at that moment. I was slightly shocked and turned to look at him. ¡°Did you just hear that, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± Both of them seemed to have heard what I heard. ¡®It sounded like someone taking a bite of an apple¡­¡­¡¯ ¨C Crunch! One of the orange apples hanging on the tree disappeared, leaving just the stem. I couldn¡¯t help but gasp. I had not seen wrong. There was white mountain fog in all directions, but what I saw and what remained was too clear for it to not be real. ¡®Wait, mountain fog?¡¯ ¡°Since when¡­¡­ Your Royal Highness, where are you going?!¡± I grabbed the Imperial Prince¡¯s sleeves as he started walking out of my Holy Domain. Demy must have been ufortable when I suddenly stood up since he whined. ¡°Sorry Demy. I didn¡¯t do that on purpose¡­¡­¡± ¡°Father.¡± ¡®What?¡­¡­¡¯ I suddenly had an ominous feeling. ¡®Your father passed away.¡¯ I quickly stood in front of the Imperial Prince and looked at his face. ¡°Fuck.¡± His eyes that were always as focused as if they were burning were now oddly zed. I frantically pulled out a handkerchief and put it around Demy¡¯s face while covering my mouth and nose with my sleeve. This was no simple fog. Chapter 53 Chapter 53 ¨C Something You Shouldn¡¯T Let Go (1) Chapter 53 ¨C Something you shouldn¡¯t let go (1) ¡°What is it, your highness?¡± I heard Christelle¡¯s clear voice in my ear. I quickly looked away and checked on her. Her blue-gray eyes, which were as clear as usual, were looking right at me. ¡°Are you okay, youngdy Sarnez?¡± ¡°Excuse me? Of course I¡¯m o¡­¡­¡± She could not finish her sentence. The brightness was slowly disappearing from her eyes. I got chills from my back all the way down to my heels. She turned away from me and looked forward, as if she was a puppet on strings. It was as if there was somebody past the two apple trees. However, I couldn¡¯t even see a small bird, let alone a person, no matter how wide I opened my eyes and searched. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was no response. I gulped. There were two people in this foggy valley whose eyes were no longer focused while the screams and shouts of people echoed from the other side of the mountain. And¡­ ¨C Crunch! That damn noise. I clenched my teeth. There were only four apples left on the tree now. I was certain that this invisible apple thief was responsible for turning the two of them like this despite not having any evidence. The medium was probably this fog. ¡°Father. It was all my fault.¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric started walking while saying that. I quickly took one step in front of him. I didn¡¯t have any hands left because I was covering Demy and my faces, but I had to prevent him from leaving the Holy Domain even if I had to kick him to do so. ¡°Can you hear me, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°You should not have sacrificed yourself for me. It should have been me-¡± ¡°Please stop saying weird things.¡± I cut him off. His pale face and sunken eyes made me frown. I felt ufortable thinking about why this punk was having such a radical thought since he should have been very young when the Prince Consort left this world. ¡®He hasn¡¯t spent all this time thinking like this, has he?¡¯ ¡°Sis, why are you here?¡± I heard a shaking voice at that moment. I had an extremely ominous feeling as I turned toward Christelle. ¡°Sis, why are you here? You should be living happily after getting married like that. What are you doing here?!¡± Her voice was full of sadness and affection. I felt as if I could not breathe. Both of them seemed to be seeing family members who have departed this world. I could not leave them like this since I didn¡¯t know how much stronger the illusions and their emotions might get. I needed to at least temporarily wake them up- ¡°Go. Go to brother-inw because it is dangerous here! Hurry!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t leave, youngdy Sarnez!¡± ¡®Damn it!¡¯ I quickly extended my leg to stop her. My leg was shaking because the two main characters were standing pretty far from each other. [Both of you snap out of it!] I immediately released a Divine Oracle. Bright lights shot out from the Holy Domain that had been subtly releasing golden light to cover the two of their bodies. Divine Oracle is only effective against living creatures inside the circle, which was why I had no reason to shout when we were fighting the demonic beasts. I could not allow demonic beasts to get within 15m of me when I had no physical talents whatsoever. ¨C Shaaaaaaa- The holy light soon let the two of them go. I could see Christelle¡¯srge eyes blinking as the rays of light slowly disappeared. ¡®It worked.¡¯ I sighed in relief. ¡°Huh? Just now, just now, my older sister¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are you back to your senses? Please quickly cover your mouth and nose. What about you, your Royal Highness?¡± Christelle quickly pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket. Her eyes were red, but she must have realized what was going on as she did not say anything. As for the Imperial Prince¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± His orange eyes were burning up when our eyes met. He looked as if he would burn anything he set his eyes on. I couldn¡¯t help but feel an instinctual fear crawl down my spine despite knowing that his wrath was not directed at me. His conscience seemed to have returned but I wasn¡¯t sure whether or not he was in apletely rational state. The ether in my body fluctuated anxiously. ¡®Wait, is this really mine?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­How dare you.¡± ¡°Please calm down, your Royal Highness. You need to get a cloth before you see another illu-¡± ¡°A damn demonic beast dares to bring my father.¡± The young man¡¯s voice sank low. It was as if it would pierce through the ground. The tips of his ck hair were shaking like a bad omen. He was taking the ck glove off his left hand. My fingertips were numb with an unexinable sense of anxiousness. ¡°You cannot attack it right now, your Royal Highness. The monster is still hiding so it will be dangerous if you leave the Holy Domain. You will quickly see another illusion because of the fog. The youngdy has some magic tools that can cause explosions, so we should-¡± ¡°I will not forgive it.¡± He closed his left hand into the shape of a flower bud. ¡®I saw something like this before.¡¯ ¨C Snap! I heard him snap his fingers. Christelle retched and plopped down on the ground. The Imperial Prince and I made eye contact for a while. ¨C Craaaaaaaaaackle! Then there was a fire. The red me that burst out of the man¡¯s hand was furiously engulfing everything outside my Holy Domain. The fog, valley, trees, moss, grass, forest, and ground¡­ everything was quickly bing dyed red like blood. He seemed to be doing as he pleased, it was as if he was a child while being as ruthless as a tyrant. My head felt hot just watching him do this. I was sort of nking out because of the intense heat. ¨C Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! The demonic beast that had been hiding itself screeched in pain. ¨C Boom, booooom! I could hear somethingrge falling down. Someone¡¯s ether was pulsating violently. But that was not the end. ¨C Cruuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! ¨C Grrrrrrrrrrrr! Grrrrrr! ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! I jerked my head up. From the top, side, and foot of the mountain¡­¡­ There were demonic beasts writhing in the throes of death. Some of them seemed to being from quite far away, while others sounded quite close. The mountain peak, which was somewhat visible in the distance, was burning up as if a signal fire had been lit. The Imperial Prince¡¯s wrath seemed to havepletely dominated the Marquis¡¯ mountain range. The dry air was burning my throat. I was full of both shock and confusion. ¡®Why did he hide this kind of power until now¡­¡­¡¯ ¨C Scrreech, screech, screeeech¡­¡­ ¡®Oops.¡¯ ¡°Demy, are you okay?¡± I calmed the red panda that was burrowing into my chest and shoved the handkerchief into my pocket. My heart sank looking at the shaking Demy while I was unable to figure out what to do. ¡®He shouldn¡¯t be seeing an illusion since the fog was burned away. Is he maybe scared of the fire¡­¡­ Wait a minute. A red warning light shed in my mind a little bitte. I immediately turned my head. ¡°Your Royal Highness, please stop. It is dangerous if you use so much ether like this-¡± I heard a plop as a small body fell toward me. I grabbed the young boy out of reflex. At the same time¡­ ¨C Craaaaaaaaaaaaackle¡­¡­ The fires of his wrath that had been brutally gobbling up the mountain range scattered as if it had just been a mirage. I couldn¡¯t believe it even after having seen it with my own eyes. Billions of sparks rode the spring breeze and slowly disappeared in the sunlight. The small sparks filled my view. It seemed as if nothing big happened and it was all just a moment of capriciousness. All that was left in front of me was¡­¡­ ¡°It really makes no sense, even after seeing it again.¡± The lush mountain. Christelle seemed a bit out of it as she mumbled to herself. I didn¡¯t let go of the heated body that was leaning against my leg as I looked around. The fire ether that had only delivered its judgment onto the demonic beasts on this vast mountain disappeared after only roasting the gravel and rocks. I could not understand what I just saw. The power was tremendous, but the control he had over it was even more shocking. I could not close my open jaw. ¨C Screeeeech! Demy quickly jumped out of my arms and stuck to Christelle¡¯s leg. I finally looked down at the child who was burning up. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t breathe. My tongue felt so stiff that I could not say anything. The fainted kid should not open his eyes but I knew the color of this punk¡¯s eyes. His ck hair and his stubbornly closed lips were familiar. I carefully lowered him down. Therge clothes wrapped around the young boy fluttered. His forehead waspletely wet with dry sweat like I had seen before. ¡°¡­¡­Sadie.¡± I quietly called out the Imperial Prince¡¯s name. * ¡°My lord, the fire is disappearing!¡± ¡°My goodness, oh Almighty God¡­¡­.¡± ¡°The Almighty God is protecting the Empire!¡± ¡°My goodness, it is a miracle! My goodness!¡± The thousand of people in the stands were crying and shouting loudly. Both nobles andmoners were cheering and throwing things into the air. Apuse, whistles, praise and prayers, along with hugs andfort filled the ins. Fran?ois Duhem was looking toward the dungeon with a look of devastation. The unbelievable event that had just happened was clearly the Imperial Prince¡¯s power. He was certain about it because nobody else in the Empire had ever used fire attribute ether before. No, the Imperial Prince was the only person in the entire Empire who was born with the qualifications to be a Holy Knight. The fact that he publicly disyed his abilities was a joyous asion and an emotional event. However¡­ ¡°Huuuuuu.¡± His chest felt suffocated. The Marquis raised a fist and patted above his ribs. The precious young man should have turned into a child now. And the only person he could rely on right now was a royal priest from the Holy Kingdom, who was here as a Diplomatic hostage. Even if the Imperial Prince and Cardinal trust him¡­ even if he too, had chosen to ept the prince¡­¡­ The Marquis couldn¡¯t help but be anxious as a vassal now that the situation had turned like this. ¡°Maybe I should go back up-¡± ¡°Hey mister. Don¡¯t meddle with it and just sit down. You¡¯re making my head hurt.¡± He heard a distinct voice. He quickly turned around. ¨¦lisabeth, who was leaning against an outdoor bed, was looking up at him with a splint on her arm. ¡°¡­¡­How is your arm?¡¯ ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you speak with some sincerity since young master Camard is listening as well?¡± ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s spirit finally seemed to be subdued as she looked to the side. Ganael, who had not left her side from the moment she descended the mountain, still had tear marks on his face. She did not feel good thinking that she made him worry for no reason. ¡®It¡¯s not even a big injury.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­The healing priest put the bones back in their proper ces and said that I should heal quickly since I am healthy. The painkiller Prince Jesse gave me was quite effective too. You packed that for him, right?¡± ¡°Excuse me? Yes, yes I did.¡± Ganael¡¯s honey-colored eyes curled up. She was relieved that he was the type who could easily smile even when he had been crying. The young Countess continued speaking without any hesitation. ¡°Whatever is happening up there right now, all of it was done because his Royal Highness trusts Prince Jesse. That is why you should just calm down and watch, old man. This is the best seat, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ ¡°Seat?¡± ¡°We need to watch him pull out the Sword of Wisdom. I¡¯m going to grab Benjamin-nim to take your seat if you leave.¡± ¡°Y, you wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± The Marquis quickly sat his butt down on the chair. ¨¦lisabeth let out a quiet sigh. ¡®Is it really okay for someone like this to hold a Marquis position?¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s a signal up there in the sky. Please go rescue them.¡± * I feltpletely embarrassed. That was the conclusion I came to after careful deliberation. I wanted to die from embarrassment. ¡°Wow, I guess some people¡¯s bodies shrink from ether depletion.¡± ¡°It does seem that way¡­¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s a total angel when he¡¯s asleep. He¡¯s so pretty.¡± Christelle saw the sleeping Sad¡­¡­ Imperial P¡­¡­ Anyway, she poked the little kid¡¯s cheeks. I hadid the child down on top of the Holy Domain and was holding one of his elbows. The punk had used so much ether that even physical contact was not filling his ether quickly. ¡®Damn it, I need this punk to return to his normal size. I need to do that whether he continues with thepetition or descends the mountain.¡¯ I did my best to think as rationally as possible despite the situation making me want to go crazy. ¡°Did you know about this, your highness? Did you know that his Royal Highness uses ether?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I think this is my first time seeing it.¡± It wasn¡¯t a lie. I had only seen him use it in his young body before. Holy shit, is this or something¡­¡­ ¡°Then I guess I was really the only outsider who knew about this. I was wondering why he had so many conditions for using ether, but it must be because he turns into a child like this.¡± ¡®Why didn¡¯t you let me in on the secret too?¡¯ I kept that nonsensical grudge in my heart and maintained a calm look on my face. The Imperial Prince¡¯s secret that Christelle was talking about was ether. The situation would have been a million times better if I knew that and Christelle knew the secret that I knew. I was so sad that my throat felt stuffy. ¡°I guess he had no choice but to hide it. This child looks almost identical to his adult self. Anybody would be able to tell that this is his Royal Highness. It would have been a big weakness given his position.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I felt my ears getting hot from shame. ¡®Isn¡¯t it normal to think that two simrly looking people are family? Am I in the wrong?¡¯ ¡°People who don¡¯t know the situation¡­¡­ Might analyze it differently, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Mm. Maybe if their personality or their words and actions were different, but I don¡¯t think that his Royal Highness would put on an act like that.¡± ¡®Please stop stabbing the dagger deeper. I¡¯m going to die.¡¯ ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii. Demy was roaming around us, trying to talk to the sleeping child. ¡®Now that I think about it, Demy should have known about it as well.¡¯ ¡°Haaa¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡®How can I look him in the face when he wakes up? Should I just bite my tongue and kill myself? Would I be able to return home if I did that?¡¯ Chapter 54 Chapter 54 ¨C Something You Shouldn¡¯T Let Go (2) Chapter 54 ¨C Something you shouldn¡¯t let go (2) I was grinding my teeth but still carefully put my hand on the kid¡¯s forehead. At least it felt as if his fever had gone down a lot. His breathing seemed quite settled as well. ¡°You seem quite used to looking after a child, your highness.¡± Christellemented in a light tone. I was feeling embarrassed despite her seeming to not think much of it. An excuse burst out like a vending machine that had been fed some coins. ¡®This is not because I helped this punk out a few times already.¡¯ ¡°I have a younger sister.¡± ¡°Ah, I heard about it. You have one older sister and one younger sister.¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± I didn¡¯t think that Prince Jesse and the two princesses had a good sibling rtionship but it was the perfect excuse to cover up this situation. I mean, it was the truth that I have a younger sibling. I checked the young boy¡¯s condition with a side nce as I hugged Demy who was climbing onto myp. ¡°Now that I think about it, earlier¡­¡­ You seemed to be having a hard time. It was the same for Demy. Are you okay now?¡± I asked the question this time. I recalled how Christelle had retched and plopped down as soon as the Imperial Prince¡¯s fires burst out while Demy squirmed out of my arms and ran away to Christelle. The two of them seemed to have naturally recovered once the mes disappeared. ¡°Yes, I am okay, your highness. My stomach churned for a bit because his Royal Highness¡¯s ether overpowering was too much. It was probably something simr for Demy.¡± Ether overpowering¡­¡­ I read about there being such a concept between Holy Knights. I had only skimmed through it as it didn¡¯t affect me as a priest so I had no idea it would affect a divine beast like Demy as well. ¡®Do I need to read through it thoroughly when I go back to the Imperial Pce?¡¯ Christelle observed my expression before smiling and standing up. I did not stop her from walking out of my Holy Domain. The Imperial Prince had killed all of the demonic beasts on the mountain. ¡°The overpowering was so strong but his control is amazing to only kill the demonic beasts. It is lighting up mypetitive spirit seeing that his Royal Highness is so strong.¡± ¡®Apetitive spirit should be a good thing, right?¡¯ I nodded my head at herment. Some sort of emotion, whatever it may be, being the foundation seemed right if the two main characters were to start dating. They do say that the opposite of love is indifference. I would happily wee anything as long as they weren¡¯t indifferent towards each other now. ¡°Wow, it smells good too. Demy, you could even make your own orchard in the future.¡± Christelle admired Demy¡¯s work and pulled off the remaining four apples from the apple trees. The mountain waspletely fine and peaceful. I could even hear some birds chirping nearby. Nobody would believe that there had been a fire here if we got rid of the few rocks that had been charred ck. She returned to the Holy Domain with the apples and continued speaking. ¡°There is something I am curious about as well. You did not seem to have seen an illusion, your highness¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I find that part to be odd as well.¡± It was shocking that the circle that is supposed to nullify all powers did not have an air purification portion but the thing that I was more concerned about was the effect of the illusion. ¡°His Royal Highness was the first to react to the fog and you were next, youngdy Sarnez. Demy didn¡¯t have much reaction because I covered his face with a cloth¡­¡­ Or it might be different for him because he is a divine beast. However, it did not seem to have much effect on me. I¡¯m sure that I must have breathed in the fog as well. This is just my hypothesis, but¡­¡± Christelle pushed forward three apples. I broke one of the orange apples in half and handed it to Demy. He grabbed it with his front paw and started eating happily. ¨C Crunch, crunch. ¡°Thank you very much. Anyway, I wonder if having high mana sensitivity makes it easier to fall under that bastard¡¯s illusions.¡± That was the only thing I coulde up with that could exin the differences in the three of our reactions. My mana sensitivity was at the bottom, so it was possible that I could not see the illusion despite the demonic beast shoving it in front of my face. I should be relieved about it but it was a bit sad. ¡°That seems possible. His Royal Highness is a mage so¡­¡­ It is possible that his illusion might have been more vivid than mine. Then it makes sense why he became so angry.¡± She nodded her head and took a big bite of a blue-gray apple. ¡°What should we do if the same bastardes down again?¡± ¡°I doubt it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing saying it can¡¯t happen. That bastard¡¯s family or friends might chase after us for revenge.¡± Christelle pointed toward the end of the valley. A demonic beast that seemed to be a mix of a centipede and a scorpion was dead on its belly, scorched ck in between the two apple trees. It was the size of arge door even looking at it from here. I scowled and turned back to look at Christelle. ¡°I think it is best to temporarily push the fog back using your explosion magic tool, youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. However, it will probably be only for a moment. The magic tools being sold at the Legault Central Commerce Center have all been inspected and¡­¡­ They are all only for party use.¡± ¡°Excuse me? Party use?¡± ¡°It would be dangerous if they causedrge explosions. They do not sell weapons.¡± ¡®That¡­¡­ Seems weird.¡¯ ¡°Then what happened in Lucas Vige? You pretended to burn up the whole inn. You said that you bought a fake mes magic tool.¡± I scrunched my eyes. Christelle smiled and moved her shoulder back. I quickly looked down at the sleeping boy and then back at her. A thunderbolt-like realization smacked me in the back. ¡®These little punks!¡¯ ¡°Did his Royal Highness use his abilities at that time? Then the one who sucked out my ether that day¡­¡± ¡°Your highness, please listen.¡± ¡®No wonder the Imperial Prince grabbed my neck. No wonder it felt simr to when Sadie jacked my ether!¡¯ ¡°His Royal Highness said that he needed to receive your ether, your highness. He said it could absolutely not be anybody other than you. However, he also said that you must not find out that he was the one who took the ether. I wanted to help the vigers but our esteemed Royal Highness had so many conditions¡­ That was why I had no choice! I had to get in between the two of you and lie to you but it was with good intentions.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­¡± ¡®Listen to that damn glib tongue!¡¯ ¡°I was wrong to do that, your highness. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Haaaaa.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. What good would it do to get angry about it now? What good would it do to get annoyed? ¡°Is that why the two of you walked around stuck to each other the whole time? It was so that you coulde up with such a n?¡± ¡°We did not stick to each other the whole time. It is difficult for both of us when we are close to each other.¡± She had a serious look on her face. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m the one here having the most difficult time.¡¯ ¡°From now on¡­¡­ Please just tell me if you need ether. I will not ept any lies.¡± ¡°Yes sir! But please inform his Royal Highness about it as well. Why are you only saying that to me¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s sleeping right now.¡± I sharply cut her off. Christelle¡¯s blue-gray eyes blinked a few times as she nodded her head. I looked up at the sky because I felt frustrated. The clear and blue sky made me even sadder today. Was QNW a caretaker romfan? I didn¡¯t hear that the MC had a kid but why do I feel like I suddenly have two kids? ¡°I will put both of you to sleep with my Divine Oracle and descend the mountain, with the two of you on my backs if I have to, if that illusion demonic beast appears again. It is none of my business whether you dig out the Sword of Wisdom in your sleep or give up through sleep talking. I have no choice since I cannot fight. Please keep that in mind.¡± The divine item didn¡¯t grant my wish anyway and Sadie, the kid I wanted to help, was actually Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ I had no reason to care about thispetition anymore. ¡°That might be too heavy.¡± ¡°I am tall. I am also stronger than the average person.¡± ¡°It¡¯s three including Demy¡­¡­¡± Christelle looked as if it was unbelievable. I couldn¡¯t believe that she was talking back to me like this, as if she had already forgotten about her terrible deeds. It was at that moment. ¡°Your highness, his Royal Highness is¡­¡± I quickly turned my head to look at the little kid. Small golden pebbles were floating up from the young boy¡¯s body. It was the symbol of being fully charged that I was familiar with now. The little kid had always left my room balcony whenever it got to this point. ¡®Yes, no wonder he left right away. He couldn¡¯t let me see his body suddenly growing in size. Damn it.¡¯ Although the bastard who hid it was to me, the embarrassment was mine in the end. ¡®Would it have been better to ask if he had a hidden younger sibling instead of a son? Is that pretty much the same thing?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­Youngdy Sarnez.¡± I opened my mouth. ¡°Yes, your highness?¡± ¡°Umm, simr to how you have a secret with his Royal Highness¡­ Can we keep it a secret as well?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± She was staring at me. She seemed to not understand what I was saying. ¡°The fact that his Royal Highness turned into a child¡­¡­ I hope you can pretend not to know.¡± ¡°Oh my.¡± ¡°I am a Diplomatic hostage. Learning such an important secret of the Imperial family is a threat to me. The reason her Majesty lets me be is probably because I am a powerless prince.¡± The words simply flowed out of my mouth now that I had made up my mind. I slightly bit down on my shaking lips. The biggest reason I couldn¡¯t admit to knowing this was because I was embarrassed, but I absolutely could not share that part with Christelle. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s smiling face that had turned to tears was still vivid in my mind. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ ¡°So you¡¯re saying we shouldn¡¯t inform his Royal Highness about what happened today?¡± ¡°Yes, well. Just¡­¡­ How about we just say that he fainted from ether depletion and that I helped him?¡± I could feel both of my cheeks getting flushed. Even I could tell that this was a petty trick. Christelle tilted her head in confusion. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me since I am good at lying, but¡­¡­¡± ¡®Are you sure you should be so proud about that?¡¯ ¡°Will it be okay for you, your highness?¡± ¡°Yes, it will.¡± I responded confidently. I¡¯m adjusting pretty well to this transmigrated life so I should be able to lie if I shut up. Anything would be better than the Imperial Prince bastard sneering at me and looking at me with scorn. Our contact should cease again when we return to the Imperial Pce anyway. ¡°Then that sounds great. I¡¯m d I have a friend with whom I can share a secret.¡± Christelle shook her pink hair and smiled brightly. I got the chills hearing her use a term like friend. ¡®I didn¡¯t bring this up so that we can get close to each other¡­¡­¡¯ ¨C Bang! There was a loud noise at the top of the mountain at that moment. Christelle jumped up. I quickly gathered our things. After that¡­ ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± ¡°Ruuun, hurry!¡± I could hear otherpetitors screaming and warning others at a distance. Boom, plop plop. I heard something that sounded like rocks falling. ¡°It looks like the third wave has started.¡± Christellemented while grabbing her whip. I urgently looked toward the child lying down. ¡®His fever ispletely down¡­¡¯ ¡°Holy shit, he¡¯s fully grown.¡± I quickly pulled my hand off the bastard¡¯s cheek and rubbed it against my shirt. The ether pebbles in the air had disappeared as well. ¡®Damn it, when did he grow past 190cm again?¡¯ ¡°How is his Royal Highness?¡± ¡°His body has returned to normal but he is still unconscious. Will you be okay on your own, youngdy Sarnez?¡± ¡°Please just leave it to me.¡± Her water-colored eyes were sparkling. The whip that will always remind people of her was sparkling dangerously from the afternoon sun. Christelle mumbled in a low voice. ¡°They¡¯reing.¡± * ¡°Wow, he¡¯s so damn heavy. I¡¯m going to pull my back!¡± ¨C Screeeech The red panda pushed down on my shoulders with his front paws as if to cheer me on. I was stumbling with two healthy adults, one male and one female, on my back. I lowered my head to see therge green leaf that was wrapped around Christelle, the Imperial Prince bastard, and my waist. It was tied down with sturdy vines so there seemed to be no chances of it getting undone. The two others were asleep and I could only hear their breathing. I lightly scoffed, thinking about how long it had been since I had done this. Demy had created this baby carrier for me. ¡°The demonic beasts are the bane of all evil, the bane of all evil I tell you. They really made this happen.¡± I clenched my teeth. I confirmed that Demy¡¯s nose and mouth were covered properly with the handkerchief before starting our n. Things were hard to see because of the fog but the things around me were quite clear. Yes, it was this damn fog. ¡®Shit.¡¯ ¨C Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! ¡°You really showed up because I talked about it?!¡± I shouted at the demonic beast in front of me. The bastard was clicking itsrge ws and stood up in a threatening manner. I was safe because of my Holy Domain but still took a step back out of reflex. My stomach felt a bit off. It mainly looked like a scorpion but it looked more like a centipede the close it got to its tail. Its shiny dark brown body was about the size of a remicon mixer truck while it seemed at least 20m long even from the front. It looked as if it might be the parent of the bastard the Imperial Prince burnt to death earlier. The difference in their sizes was tremendous. ¨C Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! ¡°Okay, wait.¡± I mumbled and rummaged through my bag. If this bastard didn¡¯t show up, if it had not spread its illusion fog, if it had note with other demonic beasts¡­¡­ Something like this would not have happened. Two apples were soon in my hand. They were the two apples that were left for the Imperial Prince and me. Of course, it will be that bastard¡¯s snack now. ¡°You like apples too, right? Like the dead bastard over there? Isn¡¯t that why you came here?¡± I said some cruel things and lifted up the apples. ¨C Screech! Kiiiiiiiiiiiiooooooooooooo! The bastard¡¯s reddish brown eyes fluttered nonstop and looked all around. There was something white that looked like saliva on its mouth. I clenched my eyes shut before opening them back. I was scared but it was time to head down. ¡°Here¡¯s the bus fare!¡± I threw one apple high in the air. I then released my Holy Domain. ¡ª Chapter 55 Chapter 55 ¨C Something You Shouldn¡¯T Let Go (3) Chapter 55 ¨C Something you shouldn¡¯t let go (3) ¨C Bang! Booboom! Boom! ¡°Hey, a bit! More gentle! Go more gently!¡± ¡®Eek!¡¯ I almost bit my tongue. The speed was too fast and the slope of the mountain was much steeper than I had expected. Boom, boom! My body was bobbing up and down despite having Christelle and the Imperial Prince on my back. I was tightly hugging Demy with one arm while clenching the reins tightly with my other arm and lowering my body. ¡®Demy also made this with his vines¡­ holy shit. Isn¡¯t that a cliff over there?!¡¯ ¡°Left turn, left turn! Ahhh!¡± ¨C Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! The demonic beast¡¯s long tail and poison sting was shaking as it flew up in between the cliffs. ¡®You don¡¯t even have wings!¡¯ My brain felt as if it was floating, I got chills even in my eardrums, and my heart felt as if it fell under my feet. The T Express roller coaster in Evend was child¡¯s ypared to this. ¨C Screeeeech! ¡°Demy, it¡¯s okay. At least big bro will be going with you even if we die.¡± I knew that I shouldn¡¯t say things like that to a kid but the wordsing out of my mouth were not normal, probably because of the crazy situation. I looked down to see an endless and dark valley with its jaws open. I clenched my eyes shut and prayed internally to be saved. Swoosh. The valley wind touched us as it passed by. I could hear the two annoying pests breathing on my neck as they soundly slept. ¨C Baaaaang! ¨C Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! Our bus safelynded on the other side of the cliff! I didn¡¯t have any time to catch my breath as I grabbed the second and final apple. Things had gone ording to my n until here. At least my luck was extremely high thanks to having both MCs on my back. ¡°Here¡¯s the extra fare!¡± I threw the blue-gray apple to the front, which made the scorpion or centipede or whatever it is illusion beast elerate again. I gulped after feeling my body start to lean. This thing was crazy for apples. The bastard had charged at us in the valley as soon as I threw an apple at it, and¡­ ¨C Screech! Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! ¡®Wow, its shell is so slippery! I really don¡¯t like it!¡¯ ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii! It had followed the rolling apple like crazy until now. It had not paid any attention to the fact that Demy and I were on its back. The demonic beast charged through tall trees and grass at full speed, climbed up and down boulders while clicking its ws nonstop. At this point, I even felt some pity for its foaming mouth. ¡®Did generations of this monster get haunted by a ghost that died without being able to eat an apple? ¨C Kit, kit! Kiiiiiii! Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! The bastard suddenly showed a visibly different reaction from before and stopped. I peeked to the side of its body to see if the apple got caught in between two rocks or something. What I saw was thankfully something that was much better news. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± I could see tworge white tents at the edges of my foggy view. They were the thousands of spectators on the wide ins in front of the Duhem Lord¡¯s Castle. The Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star seemed to have finally stuck the demonic beast¡¯s nerve. I was certain that this bastard would charge straight toward the stadium with or without the apple now. That was good. The Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts was almost over. ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah¡­¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hooray! Hooray!¡± I could hear faint cheering from the distance. I had no way of knowing whether the spectators noticed us. I caught my breath for a moment and did my best to look behind me. I could see the demonic beast¡¯s tail and poison stinger that looked like the end of a brush shaking past the pink and ck hairs. ¡°Demy, we need to take care of that.¡± ¨C Squeeeee. I whispered to him. I was sure it was that. I had to make at least the minimum preparations before waking up the two MCs and definitely before this damn stupid scorpion turned thepetition into a mess. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¨C Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! Grrrrrrr! Grr! Kiiiiiit! My head jerked back. The bastard let out the most aggressive noises I had heard from it before charging forward. I tightly clenched the reins and did my best not to lose my bnce. I quickly rummaged through the bag with my other hand. * [Please wake up now, both of you.] He thought that he heard someone whispering those words. ¨C Plop! C¨¦dric Riester felt his whole body being stiff as he slowly opened his eyes. However, things looked hazy. He couldn¡¯t tell whether he was still dreaming or if he had regained his consciousness. Even where he hadst been or what he had been doing were not clear. Everything was quiet as if he was buried in a pile of ashes. He slowly moved his fingertips. ¨C Crackle¡­¡­ Flinch. The Imperial Prince jerked his body up as if he had been electrocuted. Small mes were crackling and disappearing nonstop at his fingertips when he looked down at his left hand. It was his bare hand. He did not see the strong magic tool that helped him barely block the unstable flow of his ether day after day. His fingertips were like craters that could release embers at any moment without his glove. He frowned. It was dangerous like this. He was too much of an ominous presence. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He could finally see his surroundings. His surroundings were opaque and foggy. He remembered that he had seen something simr to his before he fainted as well. To be more specific¡­¡­ ¡®Father. It was all my fault.¡¯ ¡®You should not have sacrificed yourself for me. It should have been me-¡¯ There was a person with long ck hair and eyes as dark blue as the deep sea. Prince Consort Alexandre looked the same and was wearing the same clothes he had been wearing on the day he left this world. The way his eyes curled up gently and his considerate words were full of affection for his young son. ¡®It¡¯s okay, Sadie. It¡¯s nice and warm thanks to your mes.¡¯ It was the way he always looked whenever he appeared in the Imperial Prince¡¯s nightmares until a few months ago. His instincts told him it was an illusion. It was some petty trick by a damn demonic beast. However, he had been unable to control his shaking emotions and raging wrath. ¡®¡­¡­How dare you.¡¯ ¡®A damn demonic beast dares to bring my father.¡¯ ¡®I will not forgive it.¡¯ Everything had turned red after that. The world had burnt up red and the inside of his head was boiling to the point that he could not tell anything apart. The Marquis¡¯nd and mountain waspletely covered in fire. The screams of animals and what sounded like someone trying to console him mixed together, making his ears confused. His cursed power had gone berserk. All because he couldn¡¯t hold in his stupid anger one time. He had killed numerous lives. Killing just his father had not been enough. However, there was fog once again. ¡°Haaa¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± He couldn¡¯t breathe properly. That painful illusion could return at any moment to turn him into a monster. It will do so until he burned up everything in the world until there was nothing left. It will do so until the valley that was now dry and only had dirt was covered in ashes as if it was snow. The Imperial Prince clenched his left hand. ¡°Your Royal Highness, I ask for your cooperation if you are done resting.¡± He jerked his head up. C¨¦dric looked up at the direction of the voice. ¡°Is your condition still not well? I¡¯m sure I gave you plenty of ether.¡± He could see blood on the white forehead of this person that was visible through gaps in his now messy golden hair. He looked into the purple eyes that were sparkling like amethyst. This guy was speaking in a concerned tone when he was the one who was injured. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The world suddenly turned chaotic as if everything had been a lie. His ears were finally working again. ¡°Wooooooooooo!¡± ¡°Your highness, I will take care of the entrance area!¡± ¡°Sarnez! Sarnez! Sarnez!¡± The cheering of thousands of people who were riled up by the excitement of the Great Clearance mmed against his ears. Then the sound of a heavy wave and Christelle de Sarnez¡¯s voice struck him from the front and back. It seemed as if he was at a crowded beach. He was at least certain that they were not at the mountain that he had melted away. It felt as if he had teleported. ¡°This is the stadium. We have descended the mountain. I am here so please feel free to use your powers as much as you like.¡± ¡°¡­¡­This fog.¡± ¡°It is just clouds that have fallen to the ground. It is just a normal fog. I cut off the scorpion demonic beast¡¯s poison stinger so it can¡¯t release that illusion f, damn it!¡± ¨C Bang! A demonic beast that cut through the fog attacked the prince¡¯s circle. The prince seemed quite shocked despite it not doing much damage. C¨¦dric watched him as he slowly got up. His bones ached as if he had rolled down a hill. ¨C Crackle, crackle¡­¡­ The prince must have heard the fire as he looked down at C¨¦dric¡¯s left hand. It made C¨¦dric¡¯s heart ache. ¡®This guy should know everything now too. He should have experienced the truth of the terrible curse I have happen right in front of his nose.¡¯ ¡°Are you scared?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just that¡­¡­¡± He had a concerned look on his face. ¡°I left your glove behind, your Royal Highness. Ipletely forgot to pick it up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a fire so I think it would be nice and warm in the winter. You¡¯ll never have to worry about your hands being cold.¡± The prince smiled and adjusted the divine beast in his arms. Bang! The demonic beast mmed against the Holy Domain once again. It looked to be a mix of a wolf and a lion. Its mana didn¡¯t seem strong, so it was probably one of the peons that reacted to the Sword of Wisdom¡¯s ether and came down. ¡°Demy, do you want to do it? Should we go, ¡®bad boy¡¯ and scold him?¡± ¨C Squeal! The divine beast raised both paws. The Imperial Prince silently observed green vines shooting up from the dirt of the ins. The demonic beast was coughing in pain as it was choked but he oddly felt as if his breathing was getting easier. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez will steal the victory from you if you continue to nk out and just stand there, your Royal Highness.¡± The princemented to him. C¨¦dric finally blinked once. ¡°Ohhhhhhhh!¡± The spectators were cheering with excitement. He could hear water pping around in the distance. ¡°Over there is the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star.¡± The prince pointed behind the Imperial Prince with his hand but he did not turn around. The presence of the Sword of Wisdom was so strong that he could feel it even with all five senses blocked. However, nothing would be purer than the ether in the te located in front of his eyes right now. ¡°I guess you really are not afraid.¡± ¡°I already told you that I am quite a strong priest when we were going up the mountain, your Royal Highness. I am not running away.¡± The Imperial Prince let out a small breath. It almost sounded like augh. He quickly reached his left hand out and clenched the prince¡¯s head. A warm me mixed with the bloody forehead. The prince sounded anxious at the sudden development. ¡°Hold on. What-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget.¡± The Imperial Prince ruthlessly pulled the prince¡¯s ether. The purple eyes were looking at him as if he was a madman. ¡°Why are you taking even more when I gave you a ton earlier?!¡± ¡°You were the one who said that you will not run away.¡± ¡®I won¡¯t let you go.¡¯ His orange eyes were fluctuating. This was hisst and only chance. * ¡°Seriously¡­¡­ That shithead is a total crazy bastard.¡± I was dizzy. It wasn¡¯t to the point of fainting, but I was certain that I had enough ether sucked out until right before a level where I would faint. I had tweaked my right leg a bit when I was sent flying from the scorpion demonic beast¡¯s back earlier, so it was almost too difficult to remain standing. I slowly lowered my body and sat down. ¡°Aigoo, my body aches. ¨C Scrreech, screech, screeeech¡­¡­ ¡°Big bro is okay. The problem is that the damn Imperial Prince¡¯s head is not okay.¡± The Imperial Prince¡¯s eyes definitely seemed crazy right before he left. Demy groaned and crawled up my chest. He seemed quite concerned that I couldn¡¯t help butugh. These injuries would be easily healed if a healing priest helped me. It was a bit disappointing that you could not use healing powers on yourself. ¨C Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! ¡°This is really the end!¡± Christelle¡¯s energetic shouts echoed throughout the stadium. I kept my legs stretched out and only turned my upper body to look toward her direction. I could see a figure energetically shoot up into the air in the middle of the dim stadium. Her blue jacket fluttered in the wind. There was an extremely long water spear floating to her right. Her target was the scorpion demonic beast that had already had its two ws melted away by holy water. ¡°Haa!¡± ¨C Screeeeeeeeeech! The floating Christelle vigorously flicked her whip toward the front. The spear shot forward at the same time. The moment thousands of spectators gasped with sweaty palms¡­ ¨C Ooooooong! The air shook a bit. ¨C Babababang! ¡°Ugh!¡± Then arge aftershock filled the stadium. I fell to the ground from my seated position. I could taste sand in my mouth. I hugged Demy out of reflex and curled up into a ball. ¡°Cough cough! Cough, cough!¡± Suddenly ingesting dust made me start coughing. I was dumbfounded as to what might have happened. Was it a demonic beast? But all of the other ones other than the scorpion demonic beast were weak. The Imperial Prince roasted all of the demonic beasts that hade from the first and second waves and only a small handful had made it down to the stadium¡­¡­ ¡°The Great Clearance is over.¡± A familiar low voice pierced through the crowd. I got up even with my body creaking and looked for the owner of the voice. I noticed that I could see clearly again. The earlier st seemed to have gotten rid of the fog. ¡°It¡¯s his Royal Highness! His Royal Highness, he¡­¡­!¡± One of the spectators broke the tense silence and shouted. The woman¡¯s voice was cracking with excitement. Astonishment, admiration, fear, and reverence spread through the audience like wildfire. The man was standing where the Sword of Wisdom had been, arrogantly looking down at the in. I nkly looked at the Imperial Prince. To be more specific, I was looking at the sharp and ck divine item in his left hand. ¡°Ho¡­¡­¡± ¡®Look at this bastard taking the prize even before he is dered the winner¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s cheating, your Royal Highness!¡± Christelleughed in disbelief as she shouted. She was rolling around on the ground as well. The Imperial Prince moved the hand holding the sword to his chest, showing no reaction as to whether he heard her or not. And then¡­ ¨C Craaaackle! The sword caught on fire from the bottom of the de to the tip of the sword. It was the exact same color as his eyes. Chapter 56 Chapter 56 ¨C Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester (1) Chapter 56 ¨C Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester (1) I predicted that it would have a special ability because it is a divine item, but I never expected the sword to light up with mes at the master¡¯s will. The me seemed more like a candle dancing in the wind than a burning fire, but that seemed to be the Imperial Prince¡¯s will as well. Without any hesitation, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric bent his left arm, moving the Sword of Wisdom that he was holding.. ¡°He¡¯s not nning on¡­¡­¡± I slowly felt as if I could predict his next action. The thousands of nobles andmoners were all silent as they focused their gazes solely on him. ¨C Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! ¨C Grrrrr, grr! The still-alive scorpion demonic beast happened to act up at that moment. The few remaining demonic beasts all snapped out of it as well and were shaking their heads. I noticed that there were a lot ofpetitors who had managed to safely make it down to the stadium. Christelle¡¯s eyes were sparkling with interest. ¨C Screech! Kiiiiiit! Kiiiiiit! Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! ¡°How loud.¡± The Imperial Prince shed his sword horizontally as he said that. And then¡­ ¨C Ooooooong! The air shook once again. I knew that his me would not attack me but I still lowered my head and hid Demy in my arms. The heated sword aura brushed past my hair. ¨C Baaaaaaaang! ¨C Craaaaaaaaaackle! It was in the form of a wave. This wave just happened to be made of holy me instead of holy water, with therge house-sized me quickly swallowing the stadium. However, water and fire were fundamentally different. As the fire quickly burned up the air¡­ ¨C Babababang! There was an aftershock. A typhoon-like wind burst to life on top of the crying ground. The spectators covered their heads and lowered their bodies. I could see things like hats and towels flying up into the air. I clenched my eyes shut. I, naturally, expected to fall and start rolling. ¡°It¡¯s okay, your highness.¡± However, I heard a warm voice at that moment. I opened my eyes to see arge shield in front of me. To be more specific, it was a wall of clear water. I could see the Imperial Prince¡¯s silhouette through the sshing surface of the water wall. No shock had managed to reach me at all. ¡°¡­¡­Youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°His Royal Highness seems excited. I understand, since I felt the same way when I first used my abilities.¡± It was an unbelievable speed. Christelle, who had almost instantly moved in front of me and cast the barrier, brushed back the few strands of hair that had fallen as she smiled. I was about to thank her when¡­ ¨C Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaw, kiiiiiiiiii¡­¡­ ¨C Grr, grr, grrrrrrr¡­¡­ The final cries of pain from the demonic beasts filled the stadium. I quickly turned my head and looked behind me. ¨C Boom! ¨C Thud! ¨C Baaaaang! Demonic beasts bothrge and small were swept up in the red me, falling to the ground one by one. Everything other than the demonic beasts were left untouched. The otherpetitors, who had been shocked by the Imperial Prince¡¯s overwhelming might, dropped their weapons and looked toward us. Their faces looked chaotic as they were filled with both awe and admiration. Nobody dared to say anything or even move. There was a moment of silence that could havested a few seconds or a few minutes, I couldn¡¯t tell. Christelle slowly deactivated her water wall. The Great Clearance was over. It was as the Imperial Prince had said. ¡°The winner of the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts for the year 1613 of the Holy Calendar is his Royal Highness, C¨¦dric Riester!¡± Marquis Fran?ois Duhem¡¯s shaking voice echoed through the territory. There was a short break before¡­ ¡°Wooooooooooo!¡± ¡°Three cheers for his Royal Highness!¡± ¡°Long live the Riester! Hooray! Hooray!¡± ¡°Victory! Victory! Victory! Victory!¡± The shouts of thousands of spectators fired up with excitement mmed against my ears. Their pping sounded like fireworks. I became excited even though it had nothing to do with me. Everybody was so excited that their cheeks were flushed red. Rain gently started falling from the spring sky. The Imperial Prince had walked up to me at some point and was silently looking down at me. A bouquet that someone threw from the stands fell right at my feet just as I made eye contact with him. ¨C Piiiiiiiiii! Demy recognized the person and started wagging his tail. I turned my gaze and looked toward the direction the bouquet had flown from. ¡°It¡¯s Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth!¡± Christelle shouted in a clear voice. Ganael and Benjamin were with the young Countess as well. The three of them were energetically waving their arms and smiling. Marquis Duhem, who was right behind them, was busy wiping his tears with a handkerchief. ¡°Hahahaha.¡± I startedughing. I could feel Demy¡¯s warm body around my shoulders and cheek. My whole body felt numb like I had been punched all around and my clothes were a mess, but I thought that it wasn¡¯t a bad first outing if it was just this. A single light pink flower petalnded in front of the Imperial Prince¡¯s boots. * I didn¡¯t even remember how we got back to the Imperial Pce. ¡°Ow¡­¡­¡± I barely turned my tired body over toy down on the other side. My bleeding forehead and sprained right leg were quickly healed thanks to a healing priest. However, we left the Lord¡¯s Castle the day after the Great Clearance ended, which was why my body was still full of fatigue. It will probably take a long time to recover from both the mental and physical stress I experienced in the past two weeks. I needed to do my best and quickly think about how I can get back home but I felt as if I wouldn¡¯t be able to think about anything for a while. ¨C Screeeech ¡°Demy, let¡¯sy here a little longer. It¡¯s only 10 a.m.¡± I moved the divine beast that was pushing down on my arm on top of my stomach. My arms and legs slumped down as the tension finally released after lying on my familiar bed for the first time in a long while. I officially received time off for the next week, so I nned to only eat and y every day on repeat. ¨C Knock knock. ¡°¡­¡­Come in.¡± However, the people around me were too diligent. I smiled at the two figures carefully walking into the room. ¡®I guess 11 hours is a long time to sleep.¡¯ My bed curtains were soon opened and Ganael¡¯s honey-colored eyes were looking at me with concern. ¡°Good morning, Prince Jesse. Are you perhaps not feeling well? Should I call the Imperial doctor?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just a bit tired. Good morning, Ganael.¡± ¡°I was trying not to wake you up but you¡¯ve been sleeping for over 12 hours, your highness¡­¡­ I came in because I was concerned.¡± The young boy¡¯s voice became quieter. I looked back at the clock in shock to see that it was long past 11 and not 10. Thest thing I remembered was washing up and falling on my bed as soon as I got home yesterday. I seemed to havepletely knocked out. ¡°Okay. I should get up now since my back might hurt if I sleep any longer.¡± I immediately sat up. Ganael smiled with a look of relief on his face. Benjamin, who had opened the window curtains, greeted me benignly as well. ¡°Did you sleep well, your highness?¡± ¡°I did. Did you sleep well, Benjamin?¡± The balcony door was soon opened. There was a cool breeze and thefortable spring rays of the sun brightened the inside of the room. After that, it was back to the regr life that I had desired. It was the start of the chaotic Juliette Pce brunch. ¡°It¡¯s so delicious. I¡¯m d that I am still alive.¡± ¡°Y, your highness! Why would you say something like that?¡± Ganael, who was seated across from me, gasped at myment. I smiled brightly and took arge bite of my omelet with caviar. The egg that might have felt greasy on an empty stomach mixed with the scent of the ocean and the sour cream to create a nice refreshing taste. The smoothness of it melting in my mouth without even biting down and the feeling of the eggs popping on top of it was amazing as well. The chefs at the Duhem March and Romero Pce were talented as well but nobody could match the skills of Laurence, the chef of Juliette Pce. It was simply perfectly adjusted to my preferences. ¡°But I really am d that you are safe, your highness. I was so shocked when you descended the mountain with his Royal Highness and youngdy Sarnez on your back.¡± Benjamin ced a piece of toast with a lot of ratatouille on top onto my te. I felt embarrassed and lowered my head. ¡°That¡­ I had no choice but toe down. I also had to put the two of them to sleep.¡± ¡°You came down on a demonic beast, your highness!¡± Ganael¡¯s voice had gone up a notch. The anxiety and excitement from that time seemed to be fused together in his gaze. ¡°You looked so cool but I was so scared, your highness. I was worried that something would go wrong¡­¡­ Oh right, everybody in the Imperial Pce wishes to meet you, your highness. Even the knights of the temple came by this morning to ask how you were doing!¡± The young boy moved his fork to stab the ham crepe. My eyes opened a bit. ¡°To see me? Why?¡± ¡°Well, the rumors spread while we were on our way back to the Imperial Pce. They¡¯re talking about how you came down with the clouds on a dragon the size of a fortress and awakened his Royal Highness and youngdy Sarnez with the power of love¡­¡­¡± ¡°It was not a dragon. I also didn¡¯t use that kind of power.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Youngdy Sarnez opened her eyes, and ssh! She used holy water to swipe the demonic beasts away. Then his Royal Highness looked so cool as he pulled out the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star and then¡­¡­ It created arge waterfall and a hot spring in front of the Duhem Lord¡¯s Castle! The Almighty God¡¯s joy had flooded down!¡± Ganael exined with excitement. The young boy¡¯s spoon moved vigorously, making Benjamin calmly reach his hand out and stop him from saying anything else. I looked back and forth at the two of them with shock. I couldn¡¯t even fathom how much the truth had be twisted in the four days we took to get to the Imperial Capital. ¡°Benjamin, what is he talking about?¡± ¡°I only understood this situation this morning as well, your highness.¡± He calmly wiped his mouth with a napkin. I wet my throat with some savory mistletoe tea. ¡°It was to be expected, but the story of how his Royal Highness was victorious and gained the divine item seems to have already spread throughout the Empire. They are saying that it is probably the greatest thing that has happened since his Royal Highness¡¯s birth. There are even rumors about how he will be named the crown prince during his birthday in August.¡± ¡°I guess the people of the Empire are not repulsed at the thought of a divine item being used for personal use?¡± I gently responded. ¡®Is it because he is the Imperial Prince?¡¯ ¡°His Royal Highness¡¯s poprity is one thing, but nobody had been able to pull the Sword of Wisdom out until now. People seem to firmly believe that his Royal Highness was chosen by the Almighty God. Furthermore, with him showing his abilities as a Holy Knight¡­¡­ I¡¯m sure there are many who believe it is only proper that he uses a divine item.¡± It was understandable thinking about it that way. I nodded my head and took a bite of my toast. The toast crunched, and I could smell the sweet scent of tomatoes as a plethora of vors coated the tip of my tongue. ¡°Furthermore, there is also a Holy Knight from the House of Sarnez, a Duke with the highest authority. A miracle that has not happened even once in the Empire for over 1,000 years urred twice in a day. It is not weird that rumors about these heroes are being spread.¡± Benjamin calmly finished his exnation. I savored the ratatouille in my mouth and quietly thought to myself. ¡®Isn¡¯t that still too much of an exaggeration¡­ This dish would probably be good even if it was cold¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°I had no idea that his Royal Highness had such Divine Power. All three of you looked like characters out of mythologies. Everybody was frantically trying to talk to you on our way back to the capital. Did you not notice it, your highness?¡± Ganel ced some mendiants on my dessert te as he chatted away. ¡®Did they really?¡¯ ¡°Thanks. I was sleepy the whole way back so I don¡¯t really remember.¡¯ I answered honestly. We did stop by a few inns on the way back but they were just rooms to sleep in for me. All I remembered was being made fun of because Christelle needed to escort me off the carriage once, drinking Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s medicine because I mistook it for tea, and opening the Imperial Prince¡¯s room door while I was half asleep and backstepping away. ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t think I was in a proper state of mind.¡± ¡°¡¯You have to go crazy to achieve things.¡¯ I learned that there is such a saying, your highness.¡± Ganael was looking at me extremely proudly. ¡®Is he talking shit about me to my face?¡¯ I heard some dull knocks on the door at that moment. ¨C Knock knock knock ¡°Come in.¡± I called out to them. ¡®I haven¡¯t had this in a while too.¡¯ I had not seen the faces of the other attendants at Juliette Pce for a while. ¡°Your highness, the Chief of Staff requests your audience.¡± ¡®The Chief of Staff?¡¯ I could only be happy to see this familiar face for a moment, as my mind turned cold. The Chief of Staff was someone who personally assisted Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique. She was one of the most influential people in the entire Imperial Pce. It was also someone I had never met since transmigrating into ¡®QNW¡¯. I peeked at Benjamin and Ganael¡¯s faces before nodding my head. A middle-aged woman appeared behind the young attendant. The woman¡¯s wheat-colored hair was twisted up without any strands sticking out and she gave off the overall demeanor of a stern and cold person. Her bow was overflowing with elegance as well. ¡°I greet Prince Jesse Viaan with the blessing of the Almighty God. My name is Laura Mendy from the Duke¡¯s House of Mendy, and I am the Chief of Staff who serves her Majesty.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Laura.¡± I calmly responded. There was only one reason that the Chief of Staff would personallye to Juliette Pce, the pce nicknamed the Cold Pce. It was the will of the Empress. I quickly started to recall any sins I may have caused until now. ¡®Did she find out that I called the Imperial Prince a crazy bastard? But that bastard deserves to be called that.¡¯ ¡°Our revered Majesty has officially invited you to the celebration of his Royal Highness, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric¡¯s Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts victory, your highness.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Her Majesty has shown great interest and attention to your performance this time and was deeply touched at your courage and good will to step up and assist his Royal Highness. As a result, she wishes to personally recognize you at the celebration with the Imperial family, the noble households, and important figures in attendance.¡± ¡®¡­¡­Personally?¡¯ Chapter 57 Chapter 57 ¨C Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester (2) Chapter 57 ¨C Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester (2) ¡°¡­¡­When is the victory celebration?¡± ¡°It starts two days from now at 7pm. We will have everything prepared so that you cane to the Empress Pce by 6pm, your highness.¡± ¡®Two days¡­¡¯ I had no justification for rejecting the offer as it was not today and the Empress had even sent the Chief of Staff to invite me. You have to be smart about when to use the sickness excuse and shoving it toward the person who controls my life and feeds me would only make them hate me. Not attending the once a month team dinner waspletely different from not attending the annual outing where thepany CEO would be present. I calmly settled myself. I just had to go, quietly eat, and thene back. She says that she wants to recognize me but the main focus of the celebration is naturally the Imperial Prince. I should be able to quickly return to Juliette Pce if I close my eyes and handle a few awkward moments. ¡°I understand.¡± I responded to her. Chief of Staff Laura Mendy looked calm, as if she heard the answer she was expecting. I was about to let her go before I thankfully remembered to ask the most important question. ¡°Are those peopleing over by chance?¡± ¡°By those people¡­¡­¡± ¡°The people for my outfit and preparation. I will need to prepare as well if they areing in the morning.¡± Benjamin and Ganael nodded their heads with looks that seemed to be praising me for asking that question. I needed to prepare my heart if the Empress was going to send the two bosses and their teams in the morning. I absolutely did not want them talking about personally washing me or braiding my short hair again. ¡°They will not be stopping by. It is a small celebration only with her Majesty and those close to her. Pleasee with a rxed heart and afortable outfit.¡± Laura spoke with a slightlyughing tone. I could only nkly nod my head. My fatigue and sleepiness flew away at this unexpected invitation from the Empress and my head was spinning quickly. ¡®What should I wear?¡¯ * ¡°Seriously, what should I wear?¡± Unfortunately, that was the question I had contemted until the day of the celebration. Benjamin, Ganael, and the other attendants who usually helped me out were gathered in the reception room to discuss the topic. The few final candidates and their matching shoes were on top of arge couch waiting for our decision. There were two hours until I had to leave. I had every desire to wear whatever but I didn¡¯t think that I could do that when it wasn¡¯t the Imperial Prince but the Empress who was personally presiding over the celebration. It was simr to how the term business casual sounds simple when you are going in for a low-level employee interview but you question the definition and types of business casual when it is for an executive position. I never even dreamt that I would once again experience the feeling that I felt a few years ago, jumping into the job market right after graduation, upon transmigrating into this romfan. ¡°Your highness, how about just sticking with purple? I am the prince of Viaan. Go for the I am the Moon of the Holy Kingdom type of feel.¡± One of the attendants who seeps my tea every so often pointed toward the purple formal attire with confidence. However, the other attendants gasped and started talking. ¡°Pierre, you know his highness doesn¡¯t like to stand out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, he¡¯s so handsome even without doing that¡­¡­ It might also seem too political.¡± Benjamin nodded his head while looking concerned after hearing the political part. Another attendant lifted up the golden formal attire next to him. I was familiar with him because he was the one who often changed my bedsheets and curtains. ¡°What about gold, your highness? It is a subtle gold color so it shouldn¡¯t catch much attention.¡± He then cautiously put it up against my body. I quietly stood there and received the gazes of the attendants. ¡®I guess this one¡¯s pretty good?¡¯ ¡°Aigoo, definitely not.¡± ¡°No, no.¡± I heard a lot of groans. I felt awkward and looked at Ganael who had quite theplicated expression on his face. ¡°It goes so well with your hair and your eyes, your highness¡­¡­ It makes you look like the main character.¡± ¡®Wow, that¡¯s a definite no then.¡¯ I quickly moved my body away. Another attendant lifted up a ck formal attire as if he had been waiting for this moment. It had gold and red decorations on it as well. ¡°ck is the way to go with formal attire. It is the standard no matter where you go, your highness. It is the safest option.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right, your highness. I¡¯m sure some of the nobles will be wearing ck as well, making it easy for you to hide with the crowd.¡± The attendant standing next to me added on as well. None of them seemed to find any issues with this ck formal attire. I was a bit confused as I responded. ¡°This definitely looks like his Royal Highness¡¯s style.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± The attendants gasped as if they had epiphanies. Wearing ck to a celebration with the Imperial Prince was like a wedding guest wearing white. At least it felt that way to me. Some of the attendants rubbed their faces in embarrassment. Was afortable outfit supposed to be so hard to choose that it puts me at a loss? The only contact I have had with Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique was seeing her from a distancest month at the Spring Ball while I was on the balcony of Strauder Pce. She had never personally summoned me since I entered the pce and I had not even received the simplest of hellos. The fact that two days ago was the first time the Chief of Staff came to Juliette Pce said it all. I have heard a lot of things about her, but I had no way of knowing what kind of person the Empress was, what she likes, or what she dislikes. The only things I could remember Jung Eunsementing about the Empress was, ¡®Take me, big sis,¡¯ and ¡®so cool! She¡¯s beautiful!¡¯ She was not helpful at all. ¡­¡­That¡¯s why this was so hard to the point it put me at a loss. I needed to not get on her bad side if I wanted to keep living but I also couldn¡¯t stand out too much. I should have just asked those nice bosses toe. ¡°Why don¡¯t we bring the white and red ones back?¡± ¡°Your highness, you¡¯ll look too much like a Saint if you wear white!¡± ¡°Red with blonde hair? You sound like the third prince of a kingdom who is fated to push aside the crown prince and be king.¡± ¡®Why the heck do they have such a specific story to share?¡¯ ¨C Knock knock. Someone knocked on the reception room door at that moment. I thought it was the attendant who went to get the blue formal attire. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Hi there, our little prince.¡± I heard an extremely familiar and weing voice. I turned around in shock. ¡°Your handsome face is half its normal size.¡± ¡°Your Eminence.¡± It was Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier. All of the attendants shut up as soon as she appeared, took one step back, and bowed deeply. It had been about half a month since Ist saw the Cardinal, but hearing her warm voice hit me right in the feels. She walked over with numerous attendants and gently grabbed my cheeks. She then made kissing noises as she put her cheeks on my cheeks. I was a bit bewildered at the French-style greeting I had only seen in movies, but I was happy to see her too. ¡°It must have been hard on you. How is your body?¡± ¡°I am okay, your Eminence. I pray that you have been well as well?¡± ¡°It felt empty without all of you here.¡± Her beige-colored eyes gently curled up. ¡°I couldn¡¯te see you because I was busy preparing for the official announcement and feast. But¡­¡­¡± She looked around at the attendants, me, and the outfitsid out all around the reception room couch. ¡°It looks like I picked the right time to show up.¡± I evaded responding by smiling. I was supposed to be at the Empress Pce by 6pm but I was struggling with my outfit when it was already past 4pm. I definitely looked lost. ¡°I am our little prince¡¯s chaperon today, so I guess I should help out.¡± The Cardinalmented and made a simple gesture toward her attendants. ¡®Chap¡­¡­ Excuse me?¡¯ * ¡°Will something like this really be okay?¡± ¡°Fr¨¦d¨¦rique doesn¡¯t say things she does not mean. She said afortable outfit so you can wear somethingfortable.¡± The Cardinal smiled warmly and stood in front of Juliette Pce. I was wearing a light yellow casual outfit that she picked out instead of formal attire, with cuff links fancier than usual and new boots. I was wearing a ne the Cardinal chose on top of it, which had a thin silver strap with a pumpkin-colored diamond. The few essories were extravagantpared to the casual outfit. ¡®Is this what they call dressed up but not really? Is it?¡¯ ¡°Demy, stay here and y with your friends. Big bro will just eat dinner ande back quickly.¡± ¨C Screeeech The divine beast screeched as if to respond before jumping out of my arms. The other red pandas that had been running around the garden came over and curled up with Demy. I waved at the three red pandas that were curled up together in a giant ball and got onto the Cardinal¡¯s carriage. Benjamin, Ganael, and the other attendants got in the carriage right behind this one. The wheels slowly started moving. ¡°We brought back those kiddos, but¡­¡­ Shouldn¡¯t we send them to a better ce?¡± I asked while watching Demy and his family slowly get farther away through the window. The two red pandas that had been at the Duhem March had lost a ce to go after the divine item they were protecting, the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star, had found a master. I didn¡¯t feel right just leaving them to wander the ins and brought them back with me. I experienced firsthand from the Great Clearance that divine beasts and demonic beasts werepletely different existences. Demonic beasts went on the offense after detecting ether from a divine item, no matter what shape it was in. However, divine beasts lose their calling and end up wandering around if a divine item chooses a master or disappears. That was why they were unable to detect the ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea¡¯ which was absorbed into Christelle¡¯s body and instantly seemed to lose interest after the Sword of Wisdom fell into the Imperial Prince¡¯s hands. They were called the messenger of gods and seemed more like Elementals than beasts. ¡°There are divine items to the North and East of the Empire as well. It might be good to send them to one of those ces if we have the chance.¡± The Cardinal seemed to be trying to console me. ¡°¨¦lisabeth heads north every June to escape the heat so it¡¯ll be perfect to send them with her.¡± I heard about her escaping the heat at the night market of Lucas Vige. I thought that I should take good care of them until they left and escorted the Cardinal. I was ranting about everything that had been frustrating me by the time we got off the carriage and were climbing the steps of the Empress Pce. ¡°I don¡¯t understand it at all, your Eminence. Holy Domain is supposed to nullify all powers, so why could it not stop the illusion-causing fog?¡± ¡°Because the Almighty God is capricious?¡± ¡°Your Eminence.¡± I grumbled back and the Cardinalughed out loud before guiding me to the first floor banquet hall. The attendants of the Empress Pce, who were dressed up more than usual, greeted us wherever we went. There was a long red carpet above the marble floor starting from the outside. The chandelier had been wiped clean and shined brighter than usual. ¡°It¡¯s probably because that fog had no intention of killing all of you.¡± ¡°What do you¡­¡­¡± ¡°If that fog was poisonous, the Holy Domain would have definitely blocked it. Poison is for killing. However, illusions only cause chaos and could even bring joy to some people. Then there is no reason to block it. The Holy Domain¡¯s judgment is arbitrary like that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The Holy Domain will not blockrge hails falling from the sky. That is just terrible weather, not something trying to kill the priest.¡± I slowly walked down the hallway lit by the sunset as if paint had been scattered all over it. It was difficult to understand but also understandable at the same time. The reason that the kid¡¯s dagger was able to brush past me despite having my Holy Domain open on the first day I met Sadie was¡­¡­ Because the punk was aiming not at me but at the decorative rope behind me. The reason that the aftershock from the Imperial Prince¡¯s Sword of Wisdom hit me a week ago was because it was not an ¡®attack¡¯ on me. ¡®Mm.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s confusing. I think that it will take me some time to get a feel for it.¡± ¡°That is what I meant by the Almighty God being capricious.¡± She was speaking almost as if she was singing. We were now turning the final corner. Over ten attendants were silently following behind us. ¡°Our Divine Oracles seem omnipotent but they are not able to take a life away.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± This was the basics of the basics written in chapter 1 of the . Priests could not borrow the Almighty God¡¯s words to order death. That was a decision only based on the Almighty God¡¯s will. ¡°It is the same with the Holy Domain. It protects you from all powers but it is not up to you to decide which things can hit you. That is up to the Almighty God.¡± ¡®Why is it soplicated?¡¯ Mages and Holy Knights were pretty much people with superpowers in the QNW world but it seemed only the priests had a lot of restrictions. There were a lot of things we needed to know how to do and a lot of things to memorize. I even questioned whether the author killed Prince Jesse because the second male lead¡¯s settings were tooplicated. ¡°Ah, my young Holy Knight is already here.¡± The Cardinal spoke in a happy voice at that moment. It made me look away from her and look forward. A man and his attendant were standing and looking toward us in front of therge banquet hall that reached up to the ceiling. His face looked perfect as if he was not even the slightest bit tired. ¡®It really was good I didn¡¯t wear the ck.¡¯ Chapter 58 Chapter 58 ¨C Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester (3) Chapter 58 ¨C Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester (3) ¡°Your Eminence.¡± ¡°Hi, C¨¦dric.¡± ¡°Hello, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± His shitty attitude held firm today as well. The Imperial Prince bastard looked at me once but did not even give me the shortest of greetings. It was not anything shocking, so I simply stood next to Cardinal Boutier and waited for our turn. The attendant, who was supposed to be checking the list of guests, motioned to the knights without bothering to look down at the list. Two knightspletely dressed in silver armor moved forward, mirroring each other like a Decaania pattern, and pushed therge door open. ¨C Click! ¡°His Royal Highness, Prince C¨¦dric, Her Eminence, Cardinal Aur¨¦lie, and Prince Jesse Viaan now entering!¡± I heard the doorknob turn as an attendant loudly announced our arrival. I started to feel tense again. I would meet the master of this Empire in about ten or twenty minutes. I couldn¡¯t help but take a peek at the Imperial Prince and the Cardinal¡¯s clothes. They were not dressed in formal attire either. ¡°It¡¯s okay, our little prince. Everybody has a positive interest in you.¡± The Cardinal must have noticed my uncertainty as she gently whispered someforting words into my ear. ¨C Creeeeeak¡­¡­ The door opened and the wide banquet hall filled my view. It wasn¡¯t something I could take in with just one nce. I tried very hard to close my jaw but it was dropping open on its own. It was also hard to not look all around. Everything was big and luxurious in the banquet hall, mimicking the style of the Empress Pce. There were over ten chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. The pirs supporting the ceiling on either end of the hall seemed to be made of marble. I could see an orchestra seated to y as well. The center of the hall was empty, perhaps acting as a dance floor. The atmosphere and size werepletely different from the wee banquet at the Duhem March. The entire interior was sparkling with white gold. ¡°They are all Pair de Riester who have a close or decent rtionship to Fr¨¦d¨¦rique.¡± The Cardinal whispered and elegantly smiled. We started walking side by side with the Imperial Prince in front of us. I could see the nobles getting up to show their respects beyond his cking shoes. There were about 200 people. It was a suffocating number for me, but it definitely seemed like a gathering of a small close confidants for the Empress. They were seated evenly across three long, wide tables. As expected, the Carrara marble tables and chairs were adorned with luxurious golden decorations. ¡°Don¡¯t be burdened; think happy thoughts. For example, what you can loot from Fr¨¦d¨¦rique.¡± ¡°Your Eminence.¡± The Imperial Prince quietly called out to the Cardinal. I knew that she was just saying that to calm me down so I justughed it off. We were now at the head of the center table. The nobles were still bowing deeply without making a peep. The Cardinal added on. ¡°It¡¯s your birthday soon. Isn¡¯t there anything you want?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡®It¡¯s almost my birthday?¡¯ My eyes opened wide at thispletely unexpected news. The attendants quickly came over and pulled out our chairs. The head of the table, which was clearly the Empress¡¯s seat, was empty. The Cardinal¡¯s seat was to the right and the Imperial Prince¡¯s seat was to the left. I was seated right next to the Cardinal. I was already getting dizzy at the fact that the Empress would be so close. ¡®I¡¯m at the same table as the boss. I can¡¯t escape.¡¯ ¡°Will you resume the music?¡± The Cardinal leisurely said into the air. A well-dressed attendant silently bowed and waved his hand. -????????? The orchestra¡¯s beautiful melody immediately surrounded us. It felt as if we pressed y on a paused ylist. The nobles all sat down simultaneously. It was so cohesive it looked prearranged. The hall immediately erupted in a rowdy atmosphere as if it had never been quiet. I wondered if it had been this lively before we arrived. ¡°Hello, your Eminence. Your Royal Highness. Prince Jesse.¡± I heard a familiar beautiful voice from the other side. It was the person who was seated next to the Imperial Prince today. She smiled beautifully. It looked as if she was in the spotlight with her hair gently fluttering. * ¡°That scorpion demonic beast¡¯s name is the Illusion Scorpion. It was the winning sacrifice for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts seven years ago. It almost got me good too!¡± Marquis Fran?ois Duhem, who was seated to my right, raised his voice to exin. There were slightly drunk nobles all around the banquet hallughing and talking loudly. It was already past 7, however the Empress showed no signs of showing up. Christelle was mixing brandy into the Marquis¡¯s stout like a pro. ¡®That¡¯s just a bomb¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Her Eminence believes that its illusion fog would not have been for killing.¡± I quickly spoke. I felt a need to resolve my questions while the Marquis was still coherent. Christelle, who pushed that bomb of a drink to the Marquis, turned to her left and started feeding Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth pieces of beef from the beef bourguignon dish. The MC truly was a good person. There was still a simple splint on the young Countess¡¯s right arm, but she said that it should heal cleanly if she is careful for another week or so. ¡°That is true. The illusion I saw was sad yet happy at the same time. One of my three younger sisters was bringing home a man to marry.¡± The Marquis pretended to cry as he spoke. ¡®He has three younger sisters? I didn¡¯t see them in the Duchy.¡¯ ¡°My brother loves his younger siblings very much. He cried for an hour after seeing that illusion.¡± ¡°Herv¨¦! How dare you lie in front of these esteemed individuals?! I cried for two hours.¡± Captain Herv¨¦ Duhem, who was seated to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s left,mented before the Marquis corrected him in a sharp tone. Iughed because it was so ridiculous. I thought it would be a dignified and difficult ce to be since the Empress was presiding over the victory celebration, but, unexpectedly, it was not that ufortable. There were a lot of familiar faces, likely because they put the people who participated in the Great Clearance near the head of the table. ¡°That beast¡¯s fog must have just been a way to cause chaos if you saw such a happy asion. It makes it easier for me to understand her Eminence¡¯s exnation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re a good student, my little prince.¡± The Cardinal warmly responded and scooped a bite of her Dauphinoise. The fragrance of the warm potato tickled my nose. ¡®That¡¯s going to be good for sure.¡¯ I nodded my head and reached my hand toward the Cassoulet at the center of the table. ¡°Since we are already talking about them, your highness¡­¡± ¡°Yes sir?¡± The Marquis turned toward me a bit. ¡°The oldest of my younger sisters is making a celestial covenant next week. Thanks to her Majesty¡¯s heavenly mercy, she is allowed to have the ceremony at the Imperial Temple.¡± ¡°I see, congrattions.¡± I put a bunch of kidney beans, pheasant meat, and goose meat on my spoon and took a bite. I then enjoyed how it melted away like gratin in my mouth as I thought about the meaning of a holy covenant. The official name of a celestial covenant was the Covenant of Paired Stars, the contract that the Riester Imperial family and their coteral line made with priests. This was where two people vowed in front of the Almighty God that they would be soulmates, officially bing Religious Partners. The Imperial family takes influential priests as partners to solidify their religious influence and support while the priest gains wealth, fame, and special privileges by being partnered with a member of the Imperial family. I read that that was the case, at least in recent history. I heard that the Marquis¡¯s House of Duhem was part of the Imperial family¡¯s coteral line, so it wasn¡¯t weird that she was making a celestial covenant with a priest. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique and Cardinal Boutier were connected by a celestial covenant as well. Of course, the two of them seemed to have had a close friendship since before that. Contractors of a celestial covenant could supposedly feel each other¡¯s emotions and hear one another¡¯s voices, but¡­¡­ I had no idea if it was true. Anyway, that was how it was portrayed in a romance novel being published in the . ¡°However, we arecking a witness. The covenant requires a noble at a minimum of the Marquis level, and two priests at a minimum of the Bishop level.¡± The Marquis continued to speak. I nodded my head and scraped everyst bit of Cassoulet off my te. The talk about the celestial covenant must have been interesting, as Christelle and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth were looking at us as well. ¡°If you are avable, could you please be that final witness, your highness?¡± ¡°Me?¡± I blinked a few times. It wasn¡¯t hard to be a witness if I didn¡¯t have to go out of the Imperial Pce, officiate the ceremony, or be the moderator. The people involved in the celestial covenant were the two people, not their families or the parish, so there shouldn¡¯t be anyter headaches for being the witness. The House of Duhem was one of the Empress¡¯s close confidants, but the fact that Eunse never mentioned them must mean that they don¡¯t y a big role in QNW. I turned toward The Cardinal. I had nothing to lose. If she gave permission, I would do it. If she said no, I would just ck off. ¡°I think that it would be a good experience for our little prince. I approve.¡± She calmly responded. ¡°Then I am fine with it as well.¡± The Marquis became extremely excited and covered his face with both hands after hearing my response. Captain Duhem thanked me with a bright expression on his face as well. ¡°For the esteemed royal priest to be the witness, Antote would be very happy.¡± ¡®I guess his sister¡¯s name is Antote.¡¯ This family was quite dramatic in many ways. The Marquis¡¯s voice went up a notch. ¡°Is there anything you would like in return, your highness? I heard that your birthday is on the 31st. I will give you whatever you ask for as a present as long as it is something that this lowly Marquis can do for you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± I now learned that May 31st was Prince Jesse¡¯s birthday. I had not even thought about it, since my birthday is in February. I felt that there was too much that I did not know about the prince. I now knew his birthday,but his middle name was still a nk. ¡®I¡¯m sure he has one.¡¯ ¡°Your highness, please ask him to send you on vacation.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth gently interjected at that moment. I turned my head toward her. Christelle and the young Countess were seated next to each other, looking at me with sparkles in their eyes. I looked away after feeling too awkward but made eye contact with the Imperial Prince this time. ¡®This is a really bad seat.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think it is the Marquis¡¯s jurisdiction on whether I get to leave the Imperial Pce or not.¡± ¡°That is true. But I will make a sincere request to her Majesty if that is what you wish.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t you think that doing that would have the opposite effect instead?¡¯ ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I need a vacation.¡± ¡°June in Riester is very hot, your highness. Please think about it carefully.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth smiled brightly and shook the ss of green apple juice in her hand. ¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not as hot as the Korean summer where it feels like the asphalt is melting.¡¯ ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and I are scheduled to go y up north when the June heat blows in.¡± Christelle sounded excited. I thought that the two of them became really close through the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. I guess I was right, since they were already nning their summer vacation together. In that case, I had even more reason to keep myself hidden away in the Imperial Pce. ¡°Or maybe you should ask for a pce. You yed a big role this time.¡± Christelle went ¡®oh my, oh my¡¯ and pped Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s back after hearing her quietment. The young Countess peeked toward the Imperial Prince with a mischievous look on her face. ¡®What is up with these people?¡¯ ¡°The mustard is quite spicy. I think you would like it, youngdy Sarnez.¡± I tried to change the topic. Christelle had a skeptical smile on her face but quickly received the te ofmb ribs I handed her after hearing that it was spicy. This MC is mean but at least she should keep my secret. I didn¡¯t know how much the Empress and the Cardinal knew about the situation, but I had absolutely no reason to admit that I found out the Imperial Prince¡¯s true identity. ¡°What is it, your Royal Highness?¡± I ended up making eye contact with the Imperial Prince who had quite a serious look on his face. ¡°¡­¡­Do you really want a pce?¡± ¡®Wait, why is your train of thought off inland all by itself? ¨C Click! ¡°Her Majesty is now entering!¡± I heard an energetic shout from the direction of the seat with the greatest seniority. The orchestra stopped ying. The rowdy room instantly froze over. All of the nobles quicklyposed themselves and stood up. The Cardinal seemed to be the only one here who was rxed. I quickly wiped my mouth with a napkin and stood up following the Cardinal. After that¡­¡­ ¡°Looks like you are all having fun.¡± A slightly low and husky voice cut through the silence like an iceboat. It was not the same direction from which we hade. I raised my head half way to look forward. The heavy marble wall behind the head seat was slowly opening. There was a middle-aged woman standing slightly crooked at the center. ¡®Who knew that there would be a door there too?¡¯ ¡°As you all know, my son was the winner of the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts.¡± She sounded tired. I could see a long and nimble sword through the gap in her pearl-colored jacket. She was the only person who could carry a weapon in the Empress Pce. Her short silver hair sparkled under the light. For some odd reason, I had to manually remind myself to breathe. ¡°So, keep on drinking. Don¡¯t even think about leaving early tonight.¡± Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique made that promation before ring like a wasp. Her sharp cherry-colored eyes pierced right through me. I got chills on the back of my neck. ¡®I guess I¡¯m not making it back before the day is over.¡¯ Chapter 59 Chapter 59 ¨C Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester (4) Chapter 59 ¨C Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester (4) ¡°Sit.¡± As soon as Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique made thatment, everybody in the hall moved in unison. Some people seemed drunk but I guess they were jolted out of it with the Empress in front of them. I could only give mad props to Cardinal Boutier, who was subtly smiling in such an atmosphere. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time for a toast.¡± The Empress, who had approached our table,mented in a low voice. Seeing her up close, even the loosely ced cufflinks and the crow¡¯s feet by her eyes made her seem difficult to approach. I gently grabbed my ss of aloe juice. Chief of Staff Laura Mendy filled the Empress¡¯s cup with a newly opened bottle of ros¨¦. ¡°For the endless prosperity of the Riester Empire and for evesting peace for my son.¡± ¡°Cheers!¡± The energetic shouts of almost 200 people echoed through the banquet hall. The orchestra immediately resumed ying. The hall instantly became lively again. The nobles picked up their sses and were moving around, talking loudly. It seemed as if they had never been fading away earlier. It reminded me of high school when the lunch bell rang. ¡®Her Majesty is usually rxed with the nobles. She believes that it will annoy her less to do so.¡¯ I recalled something Benjamin once told me. ¡®Is this a way of being rxed with them?¡¯ They do seem to have listened well when the time called for it. ¡°I greet the sun that has descended to the ground!¡± ¡°I told you to sit, Fran?ois.¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡± Marquis Duhem jumped up and quickly sat back down. The Empress took a seat at the head of the table, holding her ss in her right hand as she slowly looked around at us. The air felt stuffy despite it not being the rainy season. The people at the two tables adjacent to us were simply enjoying themselves after offering us up as sacrifices. ¡°Good job to all of you for spending time in that punk¡¯s territory. Eat a lot and have fun before you go.¡± ¡°Thank you for your Imperial benevolence, your Majesty.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s words of gratitude were perfect. Christelle and I bowed as well. Silence soon returned as people resumed eating. The Imperial Prince and his mother said a few things to each other here and there. There were no issues of the conversation jumping to us. Christelle, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, the Duhem brothers, and I had silently agreed to fill our stomachs and leave them to have their bonding moment. Nobody tried to drag it out any longer than necessary. ¡°I heard that a Holy Knight from the Vatican has arrived at the Sarnez Duchy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes, your Majesty.¡± The Empress suddenly addressed Christelle at that moment. I silently cut a piece off my cordon bleu while listening to the information flowing to my ears. ¡°When will your education start?¡± ¡°Thising Monday, your Majesty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fast. I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± The Holy Knight that the Cardinal had requested to be dispatched for Christelle¡¯s education seemed to have finally arrived at the Empire. That meant that there was no need for her to take lessons with me anymore! I barely calmed the corner of my lips from curling up. Christelle was a good person and had excellent potential, but I still didn¡¯t want to be mixed in with her. I put therge piece of cordon bleu in my mouth. The familiar yet new taste enveloped my tongue. My mood lifted up instantly. The Emperor continued to speak. ¡°If you are okay with it, I hope that my son can learn with you.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡­ Are you talking about his Royal Highness?¡± ¡®Jackpot.¡¯ I raised my head and saw Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth working hard to move her philtrum back and forth. It must have been quite funny for her. I quickly looked down because I was worried that I would burst withughter as well. Christelle¡¯s hand stopped midair while holding a palmier. ¡°Yes. There is nobody in the Empire who does not know that the Imperial Prince has used the abilities of a Holy Knight. The Imperial family will request that they dispatch another Holy Knight, but wouldn¡¯t it be good to learn together until then?¡± ¡°Mother.¡± ¡°I know that you are not interested in being appointed as a Holy Knight. However, do not think you can avoid the lessons to use your powers properly.¡± The Empress sternly rebuked the Imperial Prince. I bit my lips so that I wouldn¡¯t be openly smiling. Not only would Christelle stop taking lessons with me, she would be doing group lessons with the Imperial Prince. ¡®Am I dreaming?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­It would be my greatest honor to learn together with his Royal Highness.¡± She responded as calmly as possible. Though, thatst part sounded almost like gibberish. Despite the fact that it was stated as a request, the Empress¡¯s words were basically an order. Christelle broke the heart-shaped palmier in half with two hands. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As for the Imperial Prince, he looked ready to butcher the pork in front of him with his knife. I was looking on the other side of the table at the two of them with a new mindset. They were both being extremely rude in front of an adult, but it felt so good to see the two of them seated next to each other like this. It felt as if the author was finally trying to actively connect the two of them together. It did seem like the right timing, since they had been building up their rtionship through the Spring Ball and the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. The time I spent suffering in between the main characters shed before my eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t fight again and focus. Now that people know that the two of you are Holy Knights, pretty much every noble priest in the Empire will ask to make a celestial covenant with you. The House of Sarnez is not a coteral line of the Imperial family, but there are not many religious figures who will ignore the power your family holds.¡± The Empress gulped down her wine as she said that. The Cardinal told her to drink slowly but she pretended not to hear and got a new cup before getting up. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to pummel the other tables too.¡± She also did not forget to leave such a magnificentment behind. * 11pm. Marquis Fran?ois Duhem died. ¡°Marquis Duhem, you can¡¯t sleep here. You need to go home. Where are you staying?¡± I shook his shoulder. The Marquis, who had his head on the table, waspletely wasted from Christelle¡¯s bomb-drink attacks. The distilled liquor that the Empress sent around earlier was only like vodka, but he just gulped it down because Christelle mixed it with grapefruit juice¡­¡­ ¡°Should I call your attendant over?¡± ¡°Puuuu¡­¡­¡± I almost identally said an Uber. (TL: Korea has these driver services where peoplee and drive your car home, but it isn¡¯t a thing elsewhere, so Uber it is) I looked around. Christelle was at the table on the left with her parents. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was also there taking care of her drunk mother while Captain Herv¨¦ Duhem was sleeping in the exact same position as the Marquis. They didn¡¯t seem to be alike at all other than their hair and skin color, but seeing them like this definitely made them seem like siblings. ¡®I should grab any attendant passing by to take care of them and get out¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°I am thankful that you helped my son.¡± I flinched and turned my head. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, who had returned to the center table at some point, was looking at me. She was still holding a ss of wine but she did not seem drunk at all. The Imperial Prince had not moved at all since the beginning and was still in his seat drinking water. ¡°He said that you yed a big role in his getting the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star.¡± ¡°I am honored, your Majesty.¡± I bowed toward her. ¡®Is this the recognition she was talking about?¡¯ I was relieved that it was not a big ordeal with me standing in front of everyone. ¡°I¡¯m thankful too, my little prince. My godson has found at least a little bit of peace thanks to you.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t much, your Eminence.¡± The Cardinal, who had been sitting there like a painting,mented as well. The peace she was talking about was the fact that the Imperial Prince¡¯s ether depletion symptoms were a bit better. I thought that the strong ether of the Sword of Wisdom should have been quite helpful for him. ¡®Does that mean that Sadie¡­¡­ Will he not turn small like that again?¡¯ ¡°Do you know how C¨¦dric pulled out the Sword of Wisdom?¡± ¡°I did not see it but I believe that he would have channeled his fire attribute ether, which matches the attribute of the divine item, your Majesty.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The Empress sounded as if she was chuckling as she took a sip of wine. I wanted to go home. ¡°And how much do you know about my son?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I raised my head to see ¡°Fr¨¦d¨¦rique.¡± ¡°I must hear his answer.¡± The Empress remained firm despite the Cardinal¡¯s dissuasion. I didn¡¯t even need to think about the meaning of this. She was basically curious about how much I, the prince of an enemy kingdom, know about the Imperial family¡¯s internal secrets. My survival instincts and intuition gave me my answer. I had to only say what she wanted. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything, your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± The response came not from the Empress but from the Imperial Prince. I could see him slightly frown. ¡°I do not know anything other than the fact that his Royal Highness uses fire attribute ether.¡± ¡°Haaaa.¡± The Empress sighed. I maintained my calm. Only an idiot would b to the person who controls whether you die or not about their precious child¡¯s secrets. The Holy Kingdom already cast me out so nothing would happen even if she killed me. That was why I had to act clueless if that was what the Empress wanted. In addition¡­¡­ I was nning on feigning ignorance anyway because I felt so embarrassed. A short moment of silence swept through the table. ¡°You still have a long way to go, C¨¦dric.¡± The Empress squeezed her son¡¯s shoulder once before letting go. The Cardinal quietly sighed. ¡®Did the conversation topic suddenly change?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s not easy to earn trust. Work harder at it.¡± The middle-aged womanmented in a mischievous tone. I peeked to the side to see that the Imperial Prince¡¯s orange eyes were ring at me as if he wanted to roast me on the spot. It scared me even more because I knew that he was capable of doing that now. ¡®What¡¯s the issue now?¡¯ ¡°We owe you a debt of gratitude so I will give you the opportunity to request anything you wish. I heard it is your birthday soon.¡± The Empress resumed speaking to me. It seemed as if everybody but me knew about my birthday. ¡°Thank you very much, your Majesty.¡± ¡°You may return to rest now. It iste.¡± ¡®Awesome.¡¯ I had to work hard to prevent my cheeks from going up in joy. I thought that I would only be able to leave after spending all night here so it was great luck to be able to leave before midnight. The Cardinal had a bitter smile on her face after seeing me so happy. It seemed as if she wanted to leave with me but could not do so. I called over a passing attendant to take care of the Duhem siblings, respectfully said goodbye to the three people left at the table and left. The only thought on my mind was regarding my birthday present. It wasn¡¯t really my birthday but I had to use this opportunity well since it was rare for a diplomatic hostage to have a chance to get something. Nobles holding hands were spinning around the hall dancing. The calctor in my head was spinning around as well. * On the eastern part of the continent of the rising moon¡­ The Viaan Holy Kingdom. A man was angrily tapping the end of a folding fan. There were endless tapping noises in the wide pce room. The attendants gathered nearby were warily looking at the man without knowing what to do. They looked tense because they didn¡¯t know when a chair or vase mighte flying. Their handsome master was like an angel at times but was more frequently like a devil. The urgent news that came across the border today was enough to turn him into thetter. ¡°Why is he still alive?¡± He was not asking the attendants. Vicious wrinkles filled the face of the man whose face was smooth despite being over fifty. The man now opened and closed the fan over and over. It was a violet colored fan that suited his faded light purple hair. ¡°Not only did the Imperial Prince get a divine item, the daughter of a Duke became a Holy Knight. And in between them is that dirty bastard child¡­¡­¡± ¡°Y, your Royal Highness. We must be misinformed about Prince Jesse¡¯s great performance¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¨C Baaaaang! ¨C ng! The man ended up flipping over the tea table. The attendant who had spoken curled his shoulders forward in fear. Hot tea sttered on the wallpaper, floor, and the attendants¡¯ clothes but nobody dared to move. The Prince Consort of the Holy Kingdom, Werner, brushed back some hair and calmed himself. ¡°He did not die back then and made me extremely angry. Is he nning on building his influence in the west?¡± ¡°How would he dare to have such thoughts, your Royal Highness? The Empress of the Empire is no pushover. I¡¯m certain that she will not just sit back and let the prince be popr.¡± The Prince Consort red at the attendant with a vicious gaze. ¡®Oops.¡¯ He should not have used the word, popr. ¡°You bastard¡­¡­!¡± ¨C m! ¡°Royal Father!¡± A small figure opened the door without knocking and entered at that moment. The Prince Consort looked flustered for a moment. The attendants used this opening to quickly start cleaning the floor. The attendants who came with this uninvited guest looked pale. Barging into the Prince Consort¡¯s bedroom like this would usually result in severe punishment. ¡°Princess.¡± ¡°Did you hear the news, Royal Father? They said that my brother rode a griffin the size of a mountain! He then awakened the Imperial Prince-nim and youngdy with kisses¡­¡­¡± ¡°They are just lies.¡± The Prince Consort instantly cut his young daughter off. Seven years old second princess Cornelisse did not know how to control her excitement yet. The child with rosy cheeks shook her small head side to side. The man picked his daughter up. The pieces of ss on the floor were crushed under his shoes. He supported the princess with his arm and headed toward the window with a peaceful look on his face as if nothing had happened. The child¡¯s ivory-colored hair sparkled in the sun. ¡°Elder brother said that he woulde back if I slept 100 nights. But I didn¡¯t know that he would have adventures there too!¡± ¡°Adventures¡­¡± The Prince Consort chuckled. His chocte-colored eyes became as dark as the night. ¡°Adventures are always dangerous, my little princess. You have to bet your life on them.¡± Chapter 60 Chapter 60 ¨C Leave Him To Enjoy It (1) Chapter 60 ¨C Leave him to Enjoy it (1) I received my first ¡®birthday present¡¯ a weekter. To be more specific, it was Cardinal Boutier willingly epting my request, but¡­ It was a great gain for me! ¡°Right this way, Prince Jesse.¡± An attendant of the Empress Pce respectfully opened the door for me. The knights in silver armor protecting the entrance respectfully bowed as well. The entire Empress Pce except the main entrance and the lobby was a giant maze. The ce I am visiting today was also a new ce for me. ¡°I¡¯m sure her Eminence has already informed you about it, but please let me guide you through it one more time. There is an old ether barrier in the deepest part of the Imperial Family Library to the far left. Only a direct descendant of the Imperial family can enter through it. You may ess any other bookshelf here, however, it will be difficult to leave with a book. The library is open all year so please visit at your convenience whenever you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡± ¡°I hope that you find the books here to be informative. Please let me know if you need any assistance.¡± The attendant bowed with disciplined movements and walked away. I couldn¡¯t help but smile. I couldn¡¯t enter the library let alone the Empress Pce when I first transmigrated here, but now I cane here whenever I like. Building a rtionship with the Cardinal and helping out Imperial Prince C¨¦dric was worth it. Furthermore, this was the Imperial Family Library. ¡°We will be waiting outside as well, your highness.¡± ¡°Good luck, your highness.¡± Benjamin and Ganael warmlymented. I called an attendant over so that they could prepare a ce for the two of them to rest. I waved at them, and turned around. I then looked at therge room in front of me. A ton of information was waiting for me. There was so much that I was worried whether I could use them properly. ¡°I¡¯ll need to use them well if I want to go home.¡± I mumbled to myself and took one step forward. Luxurious windows reaching the ceiling filled the wall across from the entrance. The scent of old books filled my lungs and dust scattered like paint in all directions as the rays of thete spring sun filtered through. The right wall was full of books, stacked three stories high. The first two stories were essible by adder while the third story was like an attic with a ce to sit. The left side resembled a University Library with closely lined up ebony bookshelves. It reminded me of a movie set. I gulped. I pulled my notebook out of my pocket. ¡°The first thing to look for¡­¡­ Divine item.¡± I started with the shelves on the left. All the books Ganael brings me are ones out on the market, so they were easy to read and informative. However, they sometimescked the most important bits of information. It was because the things I wanted to learn were either extremely sensitive or secret information. For example, information on the divine item at the Temple of Boundaries. The Temple of Boundaries was the Pope¡¯s territory, so normal people had no way of learning about it. They had no reason to know about it either. However, I was sure it was different for the Imperial family of the Empire. I was curious about the power that made me transmigrate into this ce. ¡°Here it is.¡± It took me a while to find a thin, yet old, book. It had a lovely cover that did not fit the grandiose name of the Imperial Family Library. I took a look inside and¡­¡­ ¡°It¡¯s a fairy tale.¡± I started smiling. Fairy tales and cartoons were the best mediums for tackling difficult concepts. I flipped through it to see that the book was a collection of stories about a young girl and her adventures with the divine items of the Empire, the Temple of Boundaries, and the Holy Kingdom. Each page was full of handwritten text and hand drawn images. I was quite interested and looked at the back cover. There was beautiful cursive handwriting. ¡®Written by Archduke Yvelines for his beloved child. Archduke Yvelines.¡¯ I didn¡¯t know who that was, but I had a feeling that he was a good father. I held the book and found a desk to sit my butt down. I decided that this would be the book for my research today. * I spent the morning taking lessons from the Cardinal alone before having lunch with her. I then stopped by the Imperial Family Library alone, and returned to Juliette Pce to rx. This was heaven. This was exactly what I wanted for my transmigrated life. I had such happy thoughts as I flipped through my notebook. It was the page with my notes on Archduke Yvelines¡¯ masterpiece, . ¡°Ahhh! His Royal Highness is being pushed back!¡± ¡°Shh, Pierre! He¡¯s going to hear you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a humid day today. I¡¯m certain that youngdy Sarnez will win.¡± Of course, that happiness I talked about was just for me. The two main characters seemed to be in a different situation. ¨C Babang! ¡°Wow, I couldn¡¯t see the sword just now!¡± ¡°Did the youngdy dodge that? Really?¡± The reception room balcony was quite chaotic, as it had been all week. The attendants of Juliette Pce were gathered there, looking out at the outdoor training ground with sweaty hands. I was going through the information in my notebook but raised my head every so often to observe the attendants. Their reactions were quite entertaining and great for keeping my sleepiness at bay. ¡°His Royal Highness is so handsome. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s human.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still certain that the youngdy will win today. I¡¯ll bet 500 Franc on it.¡± ¡°Why are you so angry?¡± I sighed. ¡®Is this how people feel when they watch those reaction videos on Youtube?¡¯ To exin the situation, Christelle and the Imperial Prince started their group lessons with the Holy Knight from the Vaticanst Monday. The lessons were taking ce at the Imperial Pce at the Empress¡¯s request; however, the interior training ground was still under repair. That was why the outdoor training ground behind Juliette Pce ended up as the ssroom. Anybody who wanted to watch was allowed to watch, as they had no reason to hide the fact that the two of them were Holy Knights. That evening, rumors about how my reception room balcony was the ideal spot to watch had spread throughout the entire Imperial Pce. ¡®Wow, your highness¡­ If you would permit it¡­¡­¡¯ The attendants of Juliette Pce really wanted to watch the Imperial Prince and the noble youngdy¡¯s sparring. They even finished their night tasks early beforeing to beg me to let them watch. They must have thought that they needed to get my permission to watch the sparring since their superior, me, was sitting in the reception room studying. I had chuckled because it was cute seeing adults act like this. ¡®Please enjoy. I don¡¯t mind.¡¯ ¡®Woooo!¡¯ ¡®Thank you for your grace, your highness!¡¯ A few dayster, the balcony was full of attendants whenever it was time for their lesson. There were so many people, there was no more room left. I enjoyed a peaceful evening through the loud white noise. Demy was napping on my nap, the delicious fennel tea was warming me up, and I had some olive oil cake. All of this created the perfectbination. ¡®Eunse and big bro should experience such luxury too.¡¯ ¡°I brought more snacks, your highness.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ganael smiled brightly and put down a second tter of olive oil cake. I smiled back and returned to my notebook. ¨C Crackle! ¡°My goodness, firees out of his right hand too!¡± ¡°It looked as if the youngdy was going to use her fist¡­¡­¡± What I learned about today was the Paten of Wishes. That was the name of the divine item in the Temple of Boundaries. ording to Archduke Yvelines¡¯ exnation, the paten looks like arge silver tray filled with Holy Water. However, this is not regr water like what Christelle controls; it is divine material that has been in the paten for ages. ¡®Yves, you can¡¯t drink that. This is not water.¡¯ ¡®Then what is it?¡¯ ¡®It is the cleanest form of ether. It is a noble and pure form of the Authority of the Almighty God.¡¯ ¡®Bullshit.¡¯ The main character of the fairy tale, ¡®Yves,¡¯ had quite the personality. Her friend in the story, Nikky, worked so hard to exin divine items to her but she treated most of it as fake and ignored it. Of course, I was not nning onining about Nikky¡¯s exnations. ¨C The divine item that was stolen from the Temple of Vignce. The Paten of Wishes. ¨C Possibility that it did not disappear and that someone used it: ?. ¨C Who made the wish? Uncertain. ¨C Do other divine items have the power to grant wishes as well? No. Confirmed through the Sword of Wisdom. ¨C Effect on me: Transmigration, regression, turned into an ether colossus. ¨C Special Trait: Grants wishes made through blood but can only be used by the Pope. This was the problem. I poked thest line of my notes with the quill pen. stated that the only person who could make a Wish of Blood on the paten was the Pope. But¡­¡­ ¡°Ganael, how long has the Pope¡¯s position been vacant again?¡± ¡°Mm, I don¡¯t know the exact number of years, your highness. Holy Queen Elene epted Emperor Romero¡¯s promation, so¡­¡­ Probably at least 100 years?¡± I couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡®Who had used the divine item to have me transmigrate here if there was no Pope? How does this make any¡­¡­No, is it possible that a future Pope used it? Is that too far-fetched? Was Archduke Yvelines really bullshitting?¡¯ ¡°But your highness, shouldn¡¯t you stop them?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°His Royal Highness and youngdy Sarnez are¡­¡± ¨C Baaaaang! The noise of an intense explosion echoed into the room as well. The attendants on the balcony covered their ears or mouth in shock. I peeked at them before looking back at Ganael. The young boy looked quite concerned. ¡°If they end up getting hurt¡­¡­¡± ¡°It should be fine since it is a spar. The teacher from the Vatican is there with them. I¡¯m sure that he will take care of things.¡± ¡°I thought so at first as well, but I don¡¯t think that the teacher is capable of handling them.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just think of it as them growing while fighting. Eventually, they¡¯ll be friends, and then husband and wife¡­¡± ¡°Oh,e on, your highness¡­¡­¡± Ganael looked at me with a gaze that seemed to be saying that something like that would never happen. I felt a bit wronged. The two of them were fated to be together and anybody can see that they are a picturesque couple, so why was he reacting as if this made no sense? ¡°Anyway, there is no need for me to go out there. They even have a priest who came to supplement their ether.¡± ¡°That is true, but¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. You can rest here for a bit too, before you go.¡± I smiled and patted an empty chair. It was great not seeing the two main characters for a whole week, so there was no need whatsoever for me to be the one breaking that flow. I have not even gone near the balcony whenever they were having their lessons. Ganael hesitated before sitting down like a good boy. ¡°Marquis Duhem¡¯s younger sister¡­ Was her celestial covenant at 11?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. They asked if you could pleasee to the temple by 10:30am.¡± I nodded my head. The Covenant of Paired Stars that I agreed to be a witness for was already happening tomorrow. I took a big bite of the cake. The saltiness of the salt from the North Sea on top rekindled my enthusiasm for studying. ¨C Chhhhhhhhhhhhhh! ¨C Craaaaaaaaaackle! ¡°Ohhhhhhhh!¡± The background music was Christelle¡¯s Water Show, the Imperial Prince¡¯s Fire Show, and the noise of the spectators. * The next day. ¡°Wee, your highness! Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day.¡± ¡°Hello, Marquis Duhem.¡± Marquis Fran?ois Duhem, who was supposedly staying in the Imperial Capital this month as well, came out of the Imperial Pce Temple to greet me. Ipletely ignored his hand and got off the carriage. His light pink eyes sparkled, not even the slightest bit hurt from my action. He would not stop talking the whole way to the temple door. ¡°Did you decide what you would like from me as a birthday present, your highness? May I ask what you requested from Her Majesty?¡± ¡°Not yet. I am still thinking about that one as well.¡± ¡°You are quite the careful person, your highness. I am extremely excited about what you will ask for!¡± The Marquis made an extremely exaggerated gesture and opened the temple door. This heavy door usually required two knights to open it, so I was surprised that he was able to pull it open with such a skinny frame. Benjamin and Ganael, who were following behind us, seemed shocked at his energy as well. ¡°Antote! Prince Jesse has arrived. This esteemed sir is the one who will be a witness for your ceremony!¡± It sounded like some dialogue from a musical. ¡°Holy Almighty God. Brother, I have no regrets even if I die now!¡± The response that came from a distance was even more dramatic. I smiled looking a bit bewildered. The woman standing at the center of the low tform seemed to be my age and had the same ck skin and light pink eyes as the Marquis. Her long brown hair was tied up high. The Marquis pretty much pulled me up to the tform as she quickly pulled her dress and bowed. ¡°Hello Prince Jesse Viaan, I greet the Moon of the Holy Kingdom. My name is Antote Duhem!¡± ¡°Hello, youngdy Duhem. Congrattions on your celestial covenant.¡± I greeted her back. The woman became excited and thanked me over and over. I didn¡¯t know her very well, but seeing the Marquis and everybody this happy made me think that it was a good decision toe. I gave short greetings to the priestess who was the youngdy¡¯s partner for the celestial covenant and the other priest who came as a witness. Unlike a marriage, a celestial covenant did not have any guests other than the two covenant makers, witnesses, and attendants. ¡°Then will we be starting right away?¡± ¡°No, one of the witnesses has yet to arrive, your highness.¡± The Marquis nonchntly responded to my questions. ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡°You are not the witness, Marquis Duhem?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, I am the emcee.¡± I was slightly confused. I had expected that Marquis Duhem would be the witness since it had to be a noble who was at least a Marquis. I thought about the faces of the other Pair de Riester who the Cardinal introduced to me at the celebration. ¨C Clunk! ¨C Screeeech¡­¡­ The temple doors opened on both sides at that moment. The knights must have done this as usual. Everybody instantly turned toward the door. The Marquis shouted in a happy voice. ¡°Ah, thest witness has arrived. Your Royal Highness!¡± ¡®?¡¯ Chapter 61 Chapter 61 ¨C Leave Him To Enjoy It (2) Chapter 61 ¨C Leave him to Enjoy it (2) ¡®Right.¡¯ I had no reason to be shocked or flustered. I managed to look calm while greeting and being ignored by the Imperial Prince. Even if I wanted to avoid him, I couldn¡¯t do anything about idental meetings like this since we lived in the same area. All sorts of incidents were fated to happen when multiple families lived under one roof. There were plenty of stories in the media about it. , , ¡­¡­ ¡°Your highness.¡± ¡°Yes, Marquis.¡± Marquis Duhem, who had been preparing for the ceremony, came over and whispered to me. ¡°His Royal Highness asked me to deliver a message.¡± ¡®A message?¡¯ I peeked toward Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, who was standing at a distance. He had his usual annoying stoic expression on his face. The Imperial Prince and I were separated by the other priest who came as a witness. The two who were making the Covenant of Paired Stars were at the center of the three witnesses who surrounded them in an arc. ¡°They asked me to be a witness first.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°That is what he said¡­ 30 seconds ago.¡± ¡°Did anybody ask?¡± ¡®Oops, I identally said that out loud.¡¯ I quickly wiped my face as if I didn¡¯t say anything. The Marquis blinked a few times. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°No, nothing. You don¡¯t need to deliver my message.¡± ¡°I see. I understand.¡± His light pink eyes gently curled up as he walked away. I looked at him and the Imperial Prince in disbelief. The anxiety in my heart from the Imperial Prince¡¯s sudden appearance calmed down. ¡®So what if you were invited first?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t believe there was a punk who asked to deliver such petty remarks. I also couldn¡¯t believe there was a punk who actually delivered the message after being told to do so. ¡°Then, we will nowmence the Covenant of Paired Stars. This is not the joining of two humans but two tes bing one sacred vessel. The witnesses will guarantee the contractors¡¯ faith while the Almighty God will test the contractors¡¯ faith. First, Antote Duhem, daughter of the Almighty God, step forward¡­¡­¡± The Marquis smoothlymenced the ceremony. I was pretty sure that he didn¡¯te up with the words as it was a holy ceremony, but it was amazing that he memorized all of it and didn¡¯t need to look at anything even once. I cast out my random thoughts and watched the Marquis¡¯ sister, Antote¡¯s, celestial covenant. One of the Marquis¡¯ attendants cautiously walked up and ced a single flower in between the two contractors. The purple tulip was quite eye-catching. An image brushed through my mind for a moment. ¡®The royal gardeners are very busy right now because it is almost tulip season. I wanted to show you a purple tulip since you are from the Holy Kingdom, but¡­¡­¡¯ That was probably about a week after I transmigrated here. A gardener for Juliette Pce had said that to me with an extremely disappointed expression. I had not thought much about it back then, but it seemed as if the purple tulips had a religious meaning and were used in the celestial covenant. The celestial covenant was something that only existed in the Riester Empire. There was no such thing in the Viaan Holy Kingdom. Now I understood why the gardener wanted to show me the tulip. ¡°Please swear in front of the will of the Almighty God.¡± The Marquis spoke. Antote knelt down by the priestess¡¯s foot.The priestess then created a small Holy Domain just big enough to fit the two of them. I heard that the two contractors were childhood friends who had known each other since they were four years old. That might exin why they were chuckling whenever they made eye contact despite this being a celestial covenant. It must have been funny to act serious around each other when they have seen all sides of one another. ¡°Ahem, ahem. The eldest youngdy of the Marquis¡¯ House of Duhem, Antote Patrick Duhem, requests a celestial covenant with you.¡± The tips of Antote¡¯s almond-shaped eyes twitched. She looked embarrassed and ashamed. ¡®I guess you reveal your middle name during the celestial covenant too.¡¯ ¡°You will be my Holy Guardian Being and I will walk down the same path as your soul for all eternity.¡± ¡®Ahh!¡¯ She could only mouth how painful it was for her to say that. The priestess who was listening to her seemed to be in pain as well as her fingers were twitching. It made sense, since hearing or saying such things to your best friend would be extremely embarrassing. Even I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°¡­¡­Even on nights you cannot sleep and days you cannot run.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± The priestess receiving the vow covered her face with both hands. ¡°Marielle, don¡¯tugh!¡± ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t help it.¡± The priestess, Marielle, responded in a shaking voice. Marquis Duhem smiled and continued with the ceremony. I heard that the celestial covenant was an extremely holy ceremony, but the mood was quite light since the two of them could not be serious. ¡°Antote Duhem. As the Master of the Covenant, do you promise to do everything in your powers for the well-being of the Holy Guardian Being?¡± ¡°Of course. Simr to how I have filled Marielle¡¯s hungry belly until now!¡± ¡°Antote?¡± ¡°I promise.¡± Antote bit down on her lips. I thought that she would be simr to Marquis Duhem since she spoke just as dramatically, but she seemed to know about shame, unlike her brother. It was funny how she was saying whatever she wanted with a flushed face. I read that the priest of the two contractors in the celestial covenant is called the Holy Guardian Being, or Holy Guardian for short. The Imperial family and their coteral line are called the Master of the Covenant, or just Master. The power in the rtionship leans toward the Imperial family, so the titles seemed to reflect that. However, the contract itself could not be created without the priest¡¯s approval and it is only the Master who suffers if the distance between the two contractors bes toorge. It oddly bnced itself out. ¡°Please stand up now. Will both of you close your eyes¡­¡­¡± We were now reaching the end of the celestial covenant. I was told it would be short. True to word, it seemed to have only been about 20 minutes. It was nice that I didn¡¯t have to give a gift or go to a banquet. ¡°I now proim that the two of you have be Religious Partners. May the Almighty God bless you both.¡± The Marquis proimed with an excited look. Priestess Marielle channeled her ether on top of her Holy Domain. And then¡­ ¨C Shaaaaaaa- The purple tulip started breaking into small pebbles of light. This was the most shocking thing I saw today. Unlike Holy Knights, priests could not kill any living being with ether nor could they give Divine Oracles to anything not alive. However, a fresh tulip just disappeared from within the Holy Domain. I quietly watched the golden pebbles of light rise up to the sky. Then this¡­¡­ ¡°The Almighty God has approved of your covenant. Congrattions, my dear sister. You too, Marielle.¡± The Marquis¡¯ warm voice wrapped around the two contractors. I couldn¡¯t help but gasp in shock after realizing what had happened. This tulip was a way for the Almighty God to show her will. The QNW world had a single god and her authority was shown throughout the entire continent on a daily basis through ether. However, knowing that concept and seeing this invisible and omnipotent power epting the tulip feltpletely different. It gave me the chills. I had never thought about it before, but the Almighty God was real. I looked up toward the sky with that thought on my mind. The symbol of the church of the Almighty God, the downward arrow, filled the space on the ceiling. ¡°It¡¯s the first time we meet in here.¡± I heard a familiar voice at that moment. I snapped out of my thoughts and turned my head. The Duhem siblings and Marielle were hugging each other while the other priest who served as a witness had said his goodbyes and was getting ready to leave. The Imperial Prince and I were the only ones left on the tform. His orange Fanta-like eyes were observing me. ¡°Yes, your Royal High¡­¡­¡± ¡®No, that¡¯s not true.¡¯ I slightly frowned. It was my first time seeing him in his grown form but I had met ¡®Sadie¡¯ here multiple times. Why would someone who knows that say something like this¡­¡­ It was obvious. He¡¯s probably testing me since I stated that I know nothing about his Royal Highness. ¡®What a persistent little punk.¡¯ ¡°It is. But it does not feel very different even seeing you in the temple, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I will make my leave first, your Royal Highness.¡± I left the tform without even looking back. I thought that the Imperial Prince might be clenching his fists but I was probably just imagining it. Violence was forbidden inside the temple. ¡°Your highness, thank you very much for being a witness in today¡¯s celestial covenant. Our Marquis¡¯ House of Duhem will never forget your blessing!¡± Marquis Duhem showed me respect with a face full of gratitude. Antote and Marielle bowed to thank me. The two friends seemed to find something quite funny as they were smiling nonstop. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a difficult request. As for the two of you¡­¡­ I hope you have a happy life of faith.¡± I did my best to say something fitting the asion. Benjamin and Ganael, who were waiting for me in the pews, were getting ready to head back. I saw something extremely amazing. Plus, the three of them, the Duhem siblings and Marielle, looked very happy, so I thought it was a worthy way to spend a weekend morning. I lightly greeted David and the rest of the Imperial Prince¡¯s attendants sitting on the other side of the pew and walked out of the temple. * ¡°Holy Knight, Holy Knight, Holy Knight¡­¡­¡± I was crouched in a part of the Imperial Family Library, searching through the books. I undid two of my shirt buttons because the days seemed to be slowly getting hotter. My sleeves werepletely rolled up. I got enough information about the divine items of the continent through , so I was nning on looking up books about Holy Knights today. I couldn¡¯t ignore this information now that the two MCs of QNW had awakened as Holy Knights. ¡°It¡¯ll probably be faster to ask Ganael for it. There¡¯s nothing here.¡± I sighed. There were numerous books and quite a lot of information in the Imperial Family Library, but there did not seem to be many that suited my needs. It was not because this was not a good library; it was because this was the Riester Empire. No Holy Knights had been born in the Empire until recently. Priests were an organization with a different authority, for ack of better words. Furthermore, it had been about 30 years since the Empire¡¯s rtionship with the Viaan Holy Kingdom had been severed. Books regarding the education and growth of Holy Knights or the rtionship between Holy Knights and priests were extremely difficult to find. The fact that the Book Ganael worked so hard to find for me, , was released in the Holy Kingdom 40 years ago said it all. ¡°Ha¡­¡­¡± I plopped down on the ground. I debated many times about asking the librarian, but I didn¡¯t want to inform the people of the Empress Pce about my interests. ¡®I think I¡¯ve been looking for about two hours. Why can¡¯t it just magically fall out or something?¡¯ ¨C Thud! ¡°Eek.¡± I raised my head in shock. There was a thin book by my feet. ¡®Did I say that out loud just now?¡¯ ¡°A fairy tale¡­¡­¡± I took a closer look to see that the book looked quite familiar. I slowly picked it up. ¡®What is up with the title? Is it a giarized book?¡¯ ¡®Written by Archduke Yvelines for his beloved child.¡¯ The handwriting on the back cover was the same. I sat up and flipped through the pages. Therge text so that it would be easy for a child to read and the neatly colored cute pictures¡­ Everything seemed the same as the book about divine items. However, this book¡­ ¡®Yves, Holy Knights need a priest partner.¡¯ ¡®Bullshit.¡¯ ¡®No, it¡¯s true. It will be difficult for them because they will becking ether if they don¡¯t have a partner.¡¯ It had information about Holy Knights! It was so focused on the topic that I felt bad for thinking it was a giarized book. I quickly looked toward where the book fell. ¡®Did I not look over here?¡¯ ¡°Hello, your highness.¡± ¡°Ack!¡± My heart felt as if I was on a Drop Tower ride. I gasped and moved back until I hit my head on the bookshelf on the other side. Boom! ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Oh my, you must have been quite shocked.¡± Christelle sounded extremely apologetic. ¡®Of course I¡¯m shocked! There was a blue eye on the other side of the bookshelf!¡¯ ¡°My apologies, your highness. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so freaked out¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I, I was not freaked out.¡± ¡°Yes, whatever you say, your highness. I thought that you were looking for books on Holy Knights so I pushed a book I rmend.¡± She answered in a jovial tone. I rubbed the back of my head and did my best to calm my breathing. ¡®I knew that you can¡¯t trust romance movies on TV. Meeting the MC in the library like this and having your heart beat wildly was something that could not happen.¡¯ I thought that my heart would just stop. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez, ahem. You are allowed to enter the Imperial Family Library as well?¡± ¡°Sincest Monday. Her Majesty allowed me to do so in order to be a great Holy Knight.¡± Christelle walked around the bookshelf to approach me as she answered. Her pink hair that was pulled up in a bun that looked like a donut. It looked as if she was wearing a hat. Her blue-gray eyes were refreshingly sparkling as usual. I realized that I was so excited about the title of the Imperial Family Library that I forgot an important fact. The Imperial Prince, and now Christelle, could alsoe and go as they pleased. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, your highness. Have you eaten?¡± ¡°Yes. And yourself, youngdy Sarnez?¡± We asked about each other¡¯s stomachs as if it was to be expected. Talking about books came after that. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were interested in Holy Knights, your highness. You haven¡¯t observed his Royal Highness and my lesson even once.¡± ¡®¡­¡­Why does it sound like she has a bone to pick with me?¡¯ Chapter 62 Chapter 62 ¨C Leave Him To Enjoy It (3) Chapter 62 ¨C Leave him to Enjoy it (3) ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing to know about it.¡± I was as defensive as possible. Christelle lightly nodded her head. However, it felt more like an, ¡®if you say so,¡¯ than her actually believing me. I hoped I was wrong about that. ¡°I thought that you hated his Royal Highness and me or something.¡± ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t say hate¡­¡­¡± I became flustered and did not finish the sentence. I absolutely did not want to get close to the two MCs and end up getting dragged out to war and be ced in danger of death, but it wasn¡¯t that I thought that the two of them were bad. There was no way I could hate characters that Jung Eunseo loved so much. (TL: Author posted both Yeseo and Eunseo as the official spelling so Imented in ch 1 with Jesse/Yeseo, the same name business doesn¡¯t work in English) That was the case even though that Imperial Prince bastard was a bit annoying. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Christelle¡¯s face lit up a bit. I thought about how I could change the topic before lightly shaking the fairy tale in my hand. . ¡°Thank you for the book rmendation. Did you read it?¡± ¡°Yes, I had the librarian help me but this was the only book I could find rted to Holy Knights. I think, if I studied here, I would be a good historian instead of a good Holy Knight.¡± She was right. I smiled bitterly and walked out of the area between the bookshelves with her. I then headed toward a bookshelf on the opposite side. I received her help finding the book, so I wanted to return the favor. ¡°Here is a fairy tale about divine items. It was also written by Archduke Yvelines.¡± ¡°He must have loved his son quite a lot. He personally wrote fairy tales for him.¡± ¡°Yes. He seems to have drawn everything himself as well.¡± She received the I handed her. She looked through it before thanking me. Now that she decided to be a Holy Knight, gathering precious information was good for her growth. Then, she might be able to meet a decent priest partner too. ¡®By the way, did she just say his son?¡¯ ¡°Oh right, your highness. Is there anything you would like?¡± ¡°Why are you suddenly asking that¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Your birthday ising up.¡± Everybody and their grandmothers seemed to be considerate of my birthday. Although getting a present from the Empress or Marquis Duhem was one thing, I could not ept the MC¡¯s sincerity. I couldn¡¯t just receive a gift and call it done. I would have to give her a gift on her birthday too, but doing that and getting closer to each other was burdensome. ¡°Everybody seems to be talking about my birthday.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that everybody in the Empire knows your birthday because the listed that your birthday is on May 31st.¡± ¡®So that¡¯s what it was? No wonder every noble I met at the celebration knew about it!¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Her Majesty takes such good care of me, I don¡¯t really need anything.¡± ¡°Ohe on, your highness. You don¡¯t receive birthday presents because you need them. You receive them to feel good.¡± I had never thought of it that way. I smiled awkwardly and she let out a short sigh. ¡°I am heading north with Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth tomorrow. I won¡¯t be back until about June.¡± ¡°You are talking about taking a summer vacation.¡± I nodded my head. Christelle and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who became quite close through the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts, were going to go rx up north during the June heatwave. It seemed a bit early since it was still May, but the MC leaving the Imperial Capital was great news for me. ¡°Yes, your highness. We were originally nning on leaving in June, but the mages¡¯ prophecy apparently changed. They said the heatwave will start tomorrow if it is early and the day after even if it iste.¡± Benjamin told me something simr this morning. The Empire had a mage advisory team that prophesized things like demonic beast attacks, and the weather in the Imperial Capital. Their prophecy suddenly changed yesterday. They said that the heatwave would arrive at the Imperial Capital over a week earlier than usual. It seemed more like a telecast than a prophecy. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be cool up north. Please enjoy your time.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. I think that it will be fun. To be honest with you, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth is going up to inspect the territory. This is apparently when the pirates show up in the North Sea.¡± ¡®Wait a minute. Hold on.¡¯ ¡°Did you say pirates?¡± ¡°Yes! I hope that I can see them. I heard that they don¡¯t show up every year. They apparently roam both the territorial waters of the Viaan Holy Kingdom and the Empire¡­¡­¡± Her blue-gray eyes sparkled like stars with anticipation. Christelle continued to ramble away. However, I could not focus on what she was saying because I was trying to keep myself from nking out. Eunseo¡¯s voice rang like heavy rain during the rainy season in my mind. It sounded extremely clear as if she was speaking right next to me. ¡®Chris was abducted by pirates not too long ago and readers were fighting about whether to get off and stop reading.¡¯ ¡®But you didn¡¯t stop.¡¯ ¡®Why would I stop when it¡¯s entertaining? It wasn¡¯t that much of a sweet potato either. (TL: Sweet potato is Korean ng for extremely slow progression in a story) Jesse and Crapdric worked together to save her so it progressed quite quickly. And how can we expect things to be cider every time? (TL: Cider is when things are extremely easy) There needs to be danger like that too.¡¯ ¡®This is¡­ This is that storyline I know¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Your highness?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t hear what I said.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry. I nked out a bit because it is hot today.¡± ¡°Oh my. I see that you¡¯re sweating a bit too.¡± Christelle pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket with a pitying gaze. ¡°You must not do well with the heat, your highness. It¡¯s not even that hot yet¡­.¡± She continued to sound worried. I had my own handkerchief, but I was too busy organizing theplicated thoughts in my mind and I couldn¡¯t even reject it. I wiped my sweat drenched forehead with her silk handkerchief. Christelle had been abducted by pirates in the original QNW. I didn¡¯t know what happened before that. All I knew was what Eunseo had told me while pretty much grumbling about it. However, Christelle just mentioned pirates and she was leaving for an area by the sea tomorrow. It sounded as if that episode was about to start. Of course¡­¡­ ¡°Thank you for the handkerchief. I will wash it and return it to you.¡± ¡°Of course, your highness. Thank you very much.¡± She probably won¡¯t be abducted this time. I watched Christelle turn around as I concluded my thoughts. She was not the Christelle in the original anymore. Their character was not very different, but this Christelle, who had absorbed the Blessing of the Blue Sea and now possesses an immense power of water, would never lose to anybody in the sea. In fact, it was probably the pirates who should avoid her. ¡°I will bring you your present when you return the handkerchief, your highness.¡± ¡°Youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°We are friends. I know we are not that close yet, but we are still friends.¡± Christelle looked up at me. I could not say anything to that. I was the one who asked her to keep a secret in the valley of the Duhem March during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts regarding the unconscious ¡®Sadie¡¯. It was also me who did not say anything when she said that we were friends. ¡°¡­¡­I just need a small souvenir.¡± Ipromised. ¡°Souvenirs are great. I will get you one, your highness.¡± Christelle smiled so brightly that it could light up the whole world. I firmed my resolve once more while looking at her face. If this was the process of the MC influencing the people around her, I will be the first andst supporting cast to not fall for it. ¡°Please be cautious of the pirates.¡± ¡®Mm, but just in case.¡¯ ¡°Are you telling me to be careful, your highness?¡± ¡°Who knows how things will go with people?¡± Sheughed out loud this time. I quickly sent her back because she said that she needed to take the portal tomorrow morning. I was thankful that she must have felt my difort, as she did not ask me to go with her. I had Archduke Yvelines¡¯ fairy tale in one hand and Christelle¡¯s handkerchief in the other as I was left alone in the library again. * The day after that was peaceful. But now, it was difficult to ¡®enjoy¡¯ it. ¡°Is it very hot, your highness?¡± ¡°This is bad. The heatwave hasn¡¯t even arrived yet¡­¡­¡± Ganael and Benjamin looked anxious while standing next to me. I had a pair of thin pajamas on while lying on new bed sheets that were supposed to feel cool. The other two people in the room did not seem very hot, but I felt as if I was dying. I had wondered if this was the case, but Prince Jesse¡¯s body really was weak against the heat. I never expected things to be like this because extreme temperatures never bothered me. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say that, your highness. If it is difficult for you to go to sleep today, you may really need to go away.¡± Ganael fanned me with an extremely concerned look as he said that. I had instantly rejected Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s offer to go on vacation with her about 10 days ago, but the young boy¡¯s suggestion sounded great now that I was in such a state. People truly were capricious. Christelle and her instructor from the Vatican left to head north this morning. I heard that Imperial Prince C¨¦dric was traveling to some Duchy tomorrow, when the heatwave was officially supposed to start. I wasn¡¯t too sure about that because I just happened to hear some attendants talking about it. Cardinal Boutier told me about her ns to go to the Summer Pce with the Empress during my morning lesson. As a result, in two days time, I would be the only one in the Imperial Pce. I could have enjoyed a nice hotel staycation in this big pce on my own if it wasn¡¯t for this damn heatwave. No, if it wasn¡¯t for this damn body of mine. ¡°How long did you say that the heatwave is supposed tost? A week?¡± ¡°A week if it is short and 10 days if it goes long, your highness. Most of the shops in the Imperial Capital close during this time. Themoners stop working as well.¡± ¡®Damn it.¡¯ I could only swear internally. This would have been nothing if I was in my own body, but I was not confident about surviving for a week in this Prince¡¯s weakass body. Furthermore, the heatwave had not even started yet. ¡°Once the heatwave passes, the summer will feel more like spring, your highness. It¡¯ll be a bit hot in the morning but the evenings will be cool.¡± Ganael exined to me. I wanted to just close my eyes andtch onto the Cardinal until then. It seemed wrong to be the third wheel in the Empress and the Cardinal¡¯s vacation, but¡­¡­ ¡°How about I go to sleep today and we can talk about going away tomorrow if I can¡¯t handle it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you are willing to discuss it, your highness.¡± Benjamin ced a basket of letters on the bed with a benign look on his face. They were messages from the Riester nobles to celebrate my birthday, which was now just around the corner. The presents went directly into the Imperial family safe, but the Empress¡¯s benevolence allowed me to receive these cards. I didn¡¯t care if I got cards or not, but Benjamin and Ganael seemed rather in awe at this action. ¡°Then we will withdraw for now, your highness.¡± ¡°Please sleep well, your highness. Please call us if it gets too bad, even if it is the middle of the night.¡± ¡°Thanks Ganael. Both of you rest well too.¡± I waved my hand to the two attendants who were heading out while looking concerned. Demy, who was at my feet, slowly crawled on top of my stomach once the door closed. It was painful to have his warm body on me when I couldn¡¯t sleep because of the heat, but I couldn¡¯t tell an animal that could not speak to go away. I petted his ears and started opening the envelopes. A golden cart was next to the bed. On top of it was a block of ice that was doing its best to cool the room. ¡°Damn, I really wish they had air conditioning here.¡± ¨C Screeeech Demy screeched as if responding to me and rubbed his head against my chest. He was so cute that I chuckled. He seemed fine now, but I thought that I might need to consider leaving tomorrow once the heatwave starts, at least for Demy¡¯s sake. ¡°This is a card from Marquis Duhem. This is from Margrave Moutet¡­¡­ It¡¯s from Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s mother. As for this one¡­¡­¡± ¨C Plop. A piece of paper folded into a ddakji fell out of the luxurious basket of cards. (TL: If you watched squid game, you know what ddakji is. The red and blue papers that were used to recruit yers.) I became a bit flustered and blinked a few times. ¡®What is that and why is it here?¡¯ ¡°Demy, look at this. Someone sent something like this.¡± ¨C Squeeeee. The tip of the divine beast¡¯s nose twitched as he sniffed the ddakji. He soon plopped down without interest , so I guessed there weren¡¯t any suspicious auras around it. I cautiously opened the paper. I wondered if one of the attendants¡¯ love letters got mixed in. ¡®My beloved Losna. I have faith that you are doing well. I hope that we can see each other again. Happy birthday. Usil.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­I guess this doesn¡¯t sound like a love letter.¡¯ I sat up with a stiff expression on my face. Demy slid down to my crossed legs. I tried flipping the letter over to inspect it. I even took it near a candle just to be sure, but there were no hidden texts to be found. It was written in a firm yet neat handwriting. It seemed like it was meant for me since it mentioned birthday, but I did not know the name of the sender or the receiver. I had an odd feeling about this. ¡®Maybe¡­¡­¡¯ ¨C Craaaackle! The table at the center of the bedroom caught on fire at that moment. ¡°Holy shit!¡± I held Demy and the suspicious letter in my arms as I quickly jumped off the bed. Thankfully, the fire was only the size of a fist. There was no need to hesitate. I grabbed the vase on top of the table and quickly poured water onto the fire. ¨C Chhhhhhh¡­¡­ ¡°What the hell is going on now?!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but shout. The fire was quickly put out. I was feeling off because of the suspicious note, but the handkerchief on the table spontaneously caught on fire¡­¡­ ¡®Eek, this is the one that Christelle lent me.¡¯ ¡°The stench of water was disgusting.¡± I heard an all too familiar child¡¯s voice at that moment. I flinched and turned around. ¡°You¡­¡­¡± Orange eyes were ring at me. It felt as if the bedroom caught on fire again. Chapter 63 Chapter 63 ¨C Leave Him To Enjoy It (4) Chapter 63: Leave him to Enjoy it (4) I ended up scolding him. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯ll pee your pants at night if you y with fire?¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± Sadie scowled as if what I said was preposterous. But I was the one who was in disbelief. If he had something to say, he should have openly walked through the door during the daytime. Why the heck did he have to sneak in at night and cause a fire indoors? ¡®Who taught you about respect? How can you call yourself the Imperial Prince?¡¯ ¡°I told you toe to my room if you needed help. I never said to treat my room as your room.¡± ¨C Knock knock. There were some urgent knocks on the door at that moment. I quickly motioned to Sadie with my eyes. I mouthed some words. ¡®Hide under the bed.¡¯ The only reaction the young boy showed was the tip of his eyebrows rising ever so slightly. ¡®I know this punk understands what I am trying to say!¡¯ ¡°Your highness? Are you okay?¡± I heard a concerned Ganael¡¯s voice outside. He must have heard me shout when I was putting out the fire. He was concerned that I would not be able to sleep because of the heat when he left earlier, so knowing his personality, it was normal that he would have roamed around my bedroom. ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m okay. It¡¯s just¡­¡­¡± ¡°Should Ie in, your highness?¡± Ganael quickly asked. We were moments away from getting caught. I put Demy on the ground and ran over to Sadie. I could see the child¡¯s eyes opening wider. What else could I do but personally hide this ¡®I¡¯m too important to hide under a bed¡¯ punk? ¡°Just deal with it for a bit, huff.¡± I raised the child into the air. He was lighter than I had expected. ¡®I feel like Eunseo was heavier when she was this age.¡¯ ¡°You dare-¡± ¡°Shh!¡± I quieted the kid and quickly moved to the balcony. The young boy with a terrible personality was kicking me as I moved. He was pretty strong. Enough so that I thought I would end up with bruises. ¡®My poor life.¡¯ ¨C Click. I could clearly see the doorknob turning. I closed the balcony curtains and urgently shouted. ¡°You don¡¯t need toe in, Ganael! Umm, there was a mosquito!¡± ¡°A mosquito? My goodness¡­ Should I catch it for you, your highness?¡± ¡°No, I caught it. I just caught it.¡± I answered and turned my head to see the young boy¡¯s orange eyes ring at me as if he wanted to burn me to death. I know I shouldn¡¯tpliment myself, but it seemed like a greatparison. Hees in and out as he pleases and sucks out my ether, so how was he any different from a mosquito? ¡®Well, I guess I did give it to him voluntarily.¡¯ ¡°Go get some rest, Ganael. Sorry to inconvenience you like this.¡± ¡°I thought that you might have had another nightmare, your highness.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. There¡¯s no need to worry.¡± Sadie¡¯s expression changed subtly after hearing the word, nightmare. This punk probably got great nights of sleep thanks to my ether roaming around the Imperial Pce, so he probably never expected that I would have such terrible dreams. ¡°¡­¡­Then I will be on my way now. Please call me if you need anything, your highness.¡± ¡°I will. Thank you.¡± I quietly stood in ce for another minute or so after Ganael left. I raised my head, thinking that Ganael should have left by now, to see that the child, who had stopped kicking me, was now staring at me. It was already hot, so getting riled up like this made me feel hotter. I took some deep breaths and gently ced Sadie on the balcony chair. Demy hade out at some point as well and had wrapped his tail around my ankle. ¡°Why are you acting all tough? What will you do if you get caught?¡± ¡°Why are you having nightmares?¡± The young boy ignored me and said something else. I smiled bitterly. ¡°Priests can¡¯t use healing power on themselves. It¡¯s simr to that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I heard that everybody around here had had wonderful dreams and slept well since I got here. Unfortunately, that effect did not work on me. But it wasn¡¯t as if I was having nightmares every night. It was only what the average person might have, but there was one time when Benjamin and Ganael ran over in their pajamas because I was having a nightmare and screamed. It was an embarrassing experience. ¡°How about you tell me what is wrong with you? Why¡­¡­ Why are youcking ether?¡± I chose my words wisely. I could not ask him why his body turned small when he had the Sword of Wisdom. ¡°I¡¯ve seen this handwriting before.¡± ¡°Are you going to keep changing the subject like that? Wait, when did you take that?¡± I became scared. Sadie had that suspicious letter in his hand. I tried to take it away but my hand was too slow. The child hid the letter in his pocket and instantly jumped onto the balcony railing. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ ¡°Losna must be your middle name.¡± I closed my mouth. I had the same assumption as well. However, I could not be 100% certain, and even if it was, I did not want to let this punky Imperial Prince know. Sadie¡¯s eyes turned dark at that moment. ¡°Are youmunicating with this Usil person?¡± ¡°Like hell I am.¡± I quickly responded and then gulped. The child in front of me was a kid that I took care of every so often, but he was also Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. It would not do me any good to earn unnecessary suspicions. I looked at the young boy¡¯s forehead,which was damp with cold sweat, and released my Holy Domain. ¨C Ooooooong! The balcony started glowing radiantly with a gold light that was even brighter than the moon. Demy squealed and grew some flowers that I didn¡¯t recognize on top of the circle design. ¡°If you aremunicating with the Holy Kingdom-¡± [I never had nor do I have any ns to do so in the future.] I sternly cut him off. Sadie seemed a bit shocked at the sudden loud voice. [I am pretty much a dead person in the Holy Kingdom. I also died aftering here as well. I¡¯m not going to do anything reckless when I am already in danger while simply living a quiet life.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± [I swear.] ¨C Shaaaaaaa- I promised with my Divine Oracle and the Holy Domain lit up for a moment before releasing the silver and white ether. I stood there as the ether poured over me as if I was taking a shower. A light bright enough to make everything seem white seemed to hug me once with a general warmth before disappearing. I opened my eyes to see the young boy barely standing still on the railing, looking down at me. ¡°You are giving me your word.¡± The child started speaking. His face was stoic but he seemed somewhat satisfied and happy? It gave me an ominous feeling. ¡°Is there a need for you to prove anything to the illegitimate child of the Imperial family?¡± ¡®Damn it¡­¡­¡¯ I scowled as much as possible. I was wondering why he didn¡¯t bring that up but the words revealing my dark past made my ears turn hot from embarrassment. I cut off the ether I was giving him and Demy and quickly deactivated my Holy Domain. The balcony instantly turned dark as if I turned off the light. ¨C Screeeech ¡°Sorry, sorry. Let¡¯s go to sleep now.¡± I hugged theining Demy. The red panda tightly grabbed my shoulder with his ck front paw. ¡°You should stop speaking nonsense and go back too.¡± The young boy didn¡¯t even blink at my stern order for him to get out. ¡®Wow, he acts the same one hundred times out of one hundred. Why had I been so sure that he was the son? But isn¡¯t it normal and rational to think that he is the son?¡¯ I started walking toward the bedroom to push out these two opposing thoughts. Thinking about it would only give me a headache. At that moment¡­ ¡°You will end up submitting first.¡± The little punk said such words to my back. I became angry and quickly turned to look at the railing. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± However, there was nobody there. The white moonlight, the darkness of the night, and the slowly blowing heatwave were the only things there. ¡®I was already hot but getting angry made it even hotter.¡¯ * ¡°You made the right decision, your highness! Leaving to avoid the heat is a wise decision!¡± ¡®I feel like dying.¡¯ ¡°Marquis Duhem¡­¡­ I¡¯m sorry but could you please lower your voice?¡± At this point, I might die from the heat instead of the war and log out. ¡°I understand. But your highness, her Majesty¡¯s office is this way. You are headed toward the window and are about toplop to the ground.¡± I struggled to focus through my dizziness and stumbled. Benjamin and Ganael, who were following behind me, became shocked and helped support me by my arm and shoulder. Thanks to the bag of ice that I had been holding against my forehead since early this morning, I was just barely able to maintain consciousness. The Imperial Capital was like hell once the heatwave started blowing. ¡°You are very weak against the heat, your highness. To be honest with you, this isn¡¯t that bad of a heatwave!¡± ¡°Please be quiet¡­¡­¡± I tried my best not to get annoyed at the person who came all the way here to give me my birthday present early in the morning at my request. Neither Marquis Duhem nor the attendants were struggling much with the heat, so being the only one to suffer so badly felt unfair and made me hate the author. What kind of webnovel supporting character suffers from heat during the night and ends up like this? They usually cough up blood from using too much of their power, take a knife for the main character and faint, or something like that. Even if it is painful or difficult, there is a reason behind it and they look cool¡­¡­ ¡®Maybe it¡¯s better to just suffer from the heat¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°We¡¯re here, your highness.¡± The Marquis spoke as if to console me. Laura, the Chief of Staff, hade out near the Empress¡¯s office to greet us. She looked at me with quite the concerned gaze before knocking on the door. ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Your Majesty, Prince Jesse and Marquis Fran?ois Duhem have arrived.¡± ¡°Send them in.¡± I stood up straight and fixed my clothes. I had no idea how my hands were moving, but what mattered was that I got it done. I then took a step in as soon as the door opened. ¡°Jesse Viaan, Prince of the Holy Kingdom, greets the sun that has descended to the ground.¡± ¡°It looks worse than I heard about. He¡¯s pretty much dead.¡± Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique responded cynically. I somehow managed to bow before plopping down on the couch with someone¡¯s hands guiding me. The cool and dry leather against my skin made me feel a bit better. I finally recognized that it was Cardinal Boutier who had guided me here. Her beige-colored eyes were full of concern. She touched my cheek with her cool hand. I felt as if all the strength was leaving my body as the couch tried to swallow me. My head was throbbing and felt heavy. ¡°Your Eminence¡­¡­¡± ¡°Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, I think we need to send the little prince up north immediately. He¡¯s going to pass out like this.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the prince can only use a portal once a day? How far would he be able to go with that body?¡± The Empress clicked her tongue. I thought about Eunseo and my older brother as my mind nked out. ¡®Will I be able to go home if I die like this? I hope it doesn¡¯t just make me start over from the beginning.¡¯ ¡°Your Majesty, Your Eminence. I will vouch for Prince Jesse¡¯s identity. Please send him to the Summer Pce.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good with it. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique?¡± The Marquis asked and the Cardinal immediately asked the Empress for her opinion. I couldn¡¯t see the look on her face very well because my eyes were half-closed. The bag of ice kept dropping to my face. ¡°We cannot allow an outsider into Yvelines.¡± ¡°Fran?ois said he would vouch for him. We will soon head up there too.¡± ¡°Aur¨¦lie¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t hear the conversation after that. I either rxed next to the Cardinal and momentarily fell asleep or fell unconscious. However, I was certain that the Empress allowed me to head to the Summer Pce surprisingly quickly. The mood was much better when I opened my eyes again. ¡°Laura, send a message to Duke Yvelines. Let him know that Prince Jesse will be traveling through the Imperial family¡¯s portal today as well.¡± ¡°I understand, your Majesty.¡± That was what I heard. After hearing the name Yvelines¡­ I thought that it must be the territory of Archduke Yvelines who wrote the series. The Archduke was probably part of the Imperial family, so it wasn¡¯t weird that they had a pce over there. Of course, my hypothesis could bepletely off as the Empire had quite a lot of nobles, but¡­¡­ Anyway, I was saved once again. This time, it was from this damn heat. ¡°Tell the prince¡¯s attendants toe in. They need to take him out of here so that he can get onto the portal.¡± The Empress gave the order. The Cardinal put a cup of ice water to my lips while that happened. I did my best to smile and thanked her when Benjamin and Ganael entered the office, bothpletely pale. The two of them showed their respects to the Empress first but she waved them off as if it was unnecessary. She must have meant for them to quickly take care of me first. ¡°Excuse me, there is one more thing. There is something I wish to say, your Majesty¡­¡­¡± I barely sat up with Ganael¡¯s help as I spoke. The end of one of the Empress¡¯s eyebrows lifted up. I wondered who that damn Imperial Prince bastard had learned such an expression from, but apparently, it was his mother. Having such useless thoughts made me feel as if my mind cleared for a moment. I cleared my throat and looked right at the Empress. ¡°Your Majesty, you bestowed upon me a chance to ask for anything I want during the celebration not too long ago.¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°If you would allow it¡­¡­ I wish to make that request right now.¡± The Empress scoffed. It made sense that she was in disbelief at the fact that the punk who had been half-unconscious until moments ago suddenly opened his eyes wide and said that he had something to request. However, it was an issue of my survival in the future for me. There was something I realized during my chat with that punk Sadiest night and right now was the time to make it happen. The Cardinal closed my hand around a cold cup. Benjamin and Ganael were looking at me with shock. ¡°I will allow it. Speak.¡± The Empress had one hand supporting her temple and her cherry-colored eyes sparkled as she smiled. I calmly started speaking. Chapter 64 Chapter 64 ¨C The Territory Of The Grand Duke Of The North (1) Chapter 64: The territory of the Grand Duke of the North (1) ¡®It feels so cool.¡¯ ¡°Little prince? Are you feeling better now?¡± It was afortable and pleasant temperature. I smiled slightly and slowly opened my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re awake. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, look at this child¡¯s eyes.¡± ¡°Why are you acting like you haven¡¯t seen them many times before?¡± I saw an unfamiliar ceiling. No, it really was unfamiliar this time. I blinked a few times while looking at the ceiling that seemed oddly close before realizing that it was gently shaking. I felt odd the more my mind focused. I was definitely lying on a bed, but the ceiling was moving and I heard the sound of horses¡¯ hooves and a coachman¡¯s voice every so oft¡­¡­ ¡°Eek.¡± I quickly sat up. The cool nket and the three red pandas that had been on top of my stomach fell like chestnuts of off trees. ¨C Screeeech ¨C Screeeech ¨C Squeeeee! ¡°Oh no, sorry. I didn¡¯t know you were all there.¡± I apologized and helped the curled up red pandas to stretch out again. Demy seemed happy to see that I was awake and jumped into my arms. Feeling his warm body and petting his tail made me truly feel that my condition was better. I was neither hot nor cold anymore. I was inside a moving carriage. ¡°It looks like he doesn¡¯t even know that the Cardinal and I are in here.¡± I immediately turned my head. I could see two people sitting on the long velvet couch next to the white bed. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique was sitting with her legs crossed while giving me a slight scowl while Cardinal Boutier was smiling with relief. I gasped and showed as much respect as possible. I then started thinking about why I was in a carriage with them and why I was lying down while these high ranking women were sitting down. ¡°I greet the sun that has descended to the ground and your Eminence.¡± ¡°No need for greetings. How is your body?¡± ¡°It is so great that it could not be any better¡­¡­ Thank you very much for your Imperial benevolence, your Majesty.¡± The Empress snorted at my response. It seemed to be her way of telling me, ¡®as long as you know.¡¯ The Cardinal then started speaking gently. ¡°This is a special carriage with cold air preservation magic. There was only one we could use right now so we are in the same carriage with you, our little prince. We ask for your understanding.¡± ¡°Not at all, your Eminence. I am the one inconveniencing such esteemed individuals. Thank you very much for taking me into consideration.¡± ¡®So this is a premium Imperial family carriage with AC and a bed.¡¯ I bowed deeply to thank them. I slowly started to remember. I was on my way to meet the Empress with Marquis Duhem to ask about going away¡­¡­ ¡®I wish to make that request right now.¡¯ ¡®I will allow it. Speak.¡¯ The Empress had smirked as if she was entertained at my request. I had not ced any hope on her allowing me to ask, but, to my surprise, she had allowed it without any issues. It probably had more to do with the fact that I helped her son, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, and less with her trusting me, but¡­¡­ Either way, it was good for me. ¡®Benjamin, please put this in my safe¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®I understand, your highness.¡¯ My mind had not been stable because of the heat but I stored the birthday present the Empress gave me in the deepest part of my room. There wille a time when I will have use for it. I must have fainted after having that thought and feeling relieved. ¡°Do you remember how you got on the carriage?¡± ¡°I remember you mentioning we were headed for the Legault Central Commerce Center, your Eminence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We used the Imperial family¡¯s exclusive portal there toe to Yvelines. The image of the Marquis putting the motion sickness medicine on me flew through my mind. ¡°When you say the Imperial family¡¯s exclusive portal¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a portal only Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, C¨¦dric, and I can use. It goes directly to Yvelines. Even among our attendants, only those close confidants whose identities have been confirmed cane with us.¡± I nodded my head. To sum it up, I had gotten onto the portal half-unconscious and was in Yvelines at the north of the Empire instead of the Imperial Capital. I looked out the window to see a forest full of conifers. There was arge mountain beyond the carpet-like green trees that looked as if it had a white snow hat on its head. There were fluffy clouds ying hide and seek to escape the sun up in the clear blue sky. I looked back to see two carriages following behind us. I presumed that Benjamin, Ganael, and other attendants were in them. ¡°You must have left early because of me. I¡¯m very sorry for the inconvenience.¡± I had to apologize this time. Exclusive portals only worked when an approved person was there. It meant that the Empress and Cardinal had purposely gotten on the portal at that time to send me to Yvelines. It was extremely kind treatment since I was a diplomatic hostage. ¡°It wasn¡¯t much. We were nning on leaving in the evening anyway.¡± The Cardinal smiled elegantly and handed me a gold ss bottle. Gold-colored tea with ice sloshed inside. The Empress mumbled something but I couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°It is tea made by boiling hawthorn berries. It is a bit sour so it should get your appetite going.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, your Eminence.¡± I had been feeling parched. I opened the lid and gulped the tea down, making the curious red pandas grab my arm and tilt their heads. I quietly chuckled and rubbed all three of their noses. They were also unexpected fellow passengers. ¡°I had been wondering why Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth left these guys behind.¡± ¡°I told her that I would take them. The divine item of the north is in Yvelines, so it is much closer than the Moutet County.¡± The Cardinal exined. I observed the three divine beasts squealing and rolling around before raising my head. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that the divine item was in Yvelines.¡± It had been over two months since I transmigrated to QNW, but there were significantly more things that I did not know than the things I knew. I only had the bits and pieces I heard from Eunseo and had to learn most things of this world through books, and even that was mostly done through cramming. When I first got here, I had to even memorize the order in which I use the fork and knives during meals. ¡°I heard that the Ark of the Wind Deity was in the northern part of the Empire, but it did not exin that it was in Yvelines.¡± I quicklymented. That was the same in Archduke Yvelines¡¯ as well. Based on what I remember¡­¡­ ¡®There¡¯s a divine item in our backyard too, Yves.¡¯ ¡®I told you to cut the bullshit, Nikky.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s true. It is the wings of the Almighty God called the Ark of the Wind Deity.¡¯ ¡®Mm. Was ¡®our backyard¡¯ talking about the territory? Then I have no excuse.¡¯ ¡°Yvelines is a pretty new territory. Do you happen to know about Archduke Yvelines?¡± The Cardinal asked in a sly tone. I answered honestly. ¡°I read some fairy tales written by Archduke Yvelines. However, I do not know who it is.¡± ¡°Fairy tales?¡± Her beige-colored eyes opened wide. She immediately turned to look at the Empress. Her cherry-colored eyes slightly frowned. ¡°Is it that Yves¡¯ Great Party or whatever?¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty. It is the Yves¡¯ Great Adventure series and they were in the Imperial Family Library.¡± ¡°Hahahaha.¡± The Cardinalughed out loud. The Empress peeked at her for a moment before turning back at me. She did not seem to want to talk about the fairy tales anymore. ¡°Enough about the book. You don¡¯t know who Archduke Yvelines is?¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty. My apologies for myck of knowledge.¡± ¡°No need to apologize. That name was only used in the territory anyway. It would be weird if the prince of the Holy Kingdom knew who it was.¡± The Empress pulled off her cravat as she said that. I used the information gathered from the two of them to try to piece things together like a puzzle. Archduke Yvelines was a part of the Imperial family but his territory was pretty new. She said that the title of ¡®Archduke Yvelines¡¯ was only used here, so there had to be another name he was known by. He had written some fairy tales for his child and both the Empress and Cardinal seem to know something about it. ¡®¡­..I have no idea. There are too many possibilities. There are over a million nobles and Imperial family coteral line in the Empire. Prince Jesse¡¯s family tree was causing me enough headaches that I didn¡¯t have the room to figure out the Imperial family¡¯s family tree as well. ¡°Then you don¡¯t know who Duke Yvelines is either?¡± The Empress asked. I nodded my head. ¡°I do not, your Majesty. But if he is the Duke, he must be the Archduke¡¯s child.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A corner of her lips curled up. I had an ominous feeling for a different reason from when Christelle¡¯s eyes were sparkling. The three red pandas jumped into my arms as if they were a bouquet. ¡°The Duke should currently be on the outskirts of the territory catching pirates. You should be able to meet him in a few days. That should be entertaining.¡± ¡®What? What is entertaining?¡¯ ¡°Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, don¡¯t tease this innocent child.¡± ¡°I never did such a thing. Teasing would be something like this.¡± The Empress brushed back her silver hair and smiled tiredly. The wrinkled cravat was in the Cardinal¡¯s hand now. ¡°Starting from this moment, nobody is allowed to inform Prince Jesse about Archduke Yvelines and Duke Yvelines. This is an Imperial Decree.¡± * ¡°Youngdy Christelle! To the left!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Christelle shouted loudly and charged her horse forward. ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s dark green hair that was fluttering on the other side seemed to be a part of this ce. The two of them cut through the northern forest that was full of trees above their heads and brown pine needles under their feet. Their prey was running with everything it had between the two of them. It was a demonic beast. ¨C Piiieeeeeeeeeeh! It looked like a normal elk at first nce but its metal horn was as sharp as a de. The regr soldiers covered their ears in pain whenever it screeched. It was inevitable that ¨¦lisabeth, a Grade 8 swordswoman, and Christelle, a Novice Holy Knight, stepped in. The demonic beast was extremely quick and released the annoying sound waves to annoy people. The skilled archers from the County, ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s dagger, and even Christelle¡¯s water could not hit the monster on the first try. All that was left for them to do was to drive it to a specific location. ¨C ck, ck, ck! ¡°Doria, big sis is going to use water soon. Don¡¯t be scared.¡± Christelle warmly whispered and petted the horse¡¯s head. She did not forget to release a quiet stream of water next to the horse¡¯s ear so that it could get used to it. The high quality horse, Doria, slightly moved its head at the ticklish ssh. Christelle looked forward again. She could see the North Sea that was extremely blue. There was a steep cliff right in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m going to withdraw now, youngdy Christelle!¡± ¡°Okay, please leave it to me!¡± ¨¦lisabeth slowly decreased her horse¡¯s speed and blocked the demonic beast¡¯s exit route. ¡®Eek!¡¯ Christelle¡¯s threatening shout had shocked her. The demonic beast did not realize that the young Countess was gone from its left side and sped up even more. It seemed to have gotten anxious after feeling threatened. Ash-colored saliva was dripping from its mouth. -Piiieeeeeh, piiiieeeeeeeh! sh! The forest ended and the wide ocean revealed itself. The demonic beast became shocked at the sudden change and raised both paws into the air. As it was about to use its sharp hooves to quickly change directions¡­ ¨C Chhhhhhhhhhhhhh! An avnche-like wave descended upon the demonic beast. It had nowhere to dodge. It had all happened in an instant. ¨C Pruuu, piiiieeeeeeh! ¨C Chhhhhhhhhh! Christelle struck down with her whip in the air and the ocean water followed the direction of the whip and started freezing one after another as if they were dominoes. The demonic beast turned into arge block of ice without being able to resist in any way. Doing this allowed her to instantly kill it while also making sure that its body fluids did not seep into the ground or spread around. It wasn¡¯t as thorough as a job as a fire-attribute knight but Christelle liked this finish quite a bit. ¡°Great job, youngdy Christelle! It was a clean finish this time as well.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. You worked hard as well, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth.¡± The young Countess who had quickly arrived on her horse smiled brightly. Christelle smiled as well while feeling a thorough sense of release in her heart. The open sea, the cool and salty breeze, the subtle scent of pine and a good friend. She did not have many fun moments like this since transmigrating here. She could see the knights of the County running over in the distance. The people of the House of Sarnez were too careful around her and half of them still looked at her with pitying gazes. Such attention was nice but also burdensome for someone like Ham Ga-in, who had no memories of receiving love from her parents. Everybody around her was nice and affectionate to the point it felt forced and was even scary or chilling at times. She felt as if she had joined a cast of a y. The people were natural but unnatural at the same time and there was an odd sense of stoic dryness amidst the kindness. There were only a few people who didn¡¯t give her such awkwardness. For example, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth over here, her mother, Margrave Moutet. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique. Cardinal Boutier. Her fellow student, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. Prince Jesse who has extremely pure ether¡­¡­ The Imperial Prince and Prince Jesse were very special cases even without that group. To exin¡­ ¨C Baaaaang! There was a loud explosion. Christelle quickly turned her head and looked toward the ocean. The young Countess shouted before she could figure out what was going on. Pirates! Inform the Margrave immediately. Gather the troops down at the beach!¡± Chapter 65 Chapter 65 ¨C The Territory Of The Grand Duke Of The North (2) Chapter 65: The territory of the Grand Duke of the North (2) There was a ship floating in the distance out on the ocean. It was quite far, so the g was not very visible. However, they were sure that they heard a cannon exploding. ¡°Evacuate all civilians by the shore! Tell them to take only their valuables and run to the Count¡¯s Estate!¡± ¡°Yes, young Countess-nim!¡± The knight seemed familiar with such a situation. Almost none of them were shocked to hear the word ¡®pirates¡¯. In fact, their formation and gazes became firmer. Christelle watched the Margrave¡¯s soldiers moving in perfect order before calling out to ¨¦lisabeth. ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, I will help out too.¡± ¡°I would be most grateful, youngdy Sarnez.¡± The young Countess¡¯s grey eyes curled up as she smiled. Her tone was the same as usual. She did not show any signs of urgency or anxiety, probably because she had faced pirates plenty of times before. However, she did seem to be a bit calmer now. ¡°Please call Instructor Johann and the priest-nim as well. We may need their help.¡± Christellemented. ¨¦lisabeth quickly nodded her head. ¡°Deliver the youngdy¡¯s message as well. Gabriel, you go!¡± ¡°Yes, young Countess-nim!¡± The knight who was designated as messenger quickly left toward the Count¡¯s Estate on his horse. Christelle watched him leave and started thinking. Johann Geens was the instructor sent from the Vatican to train her and the Imperial Prince C¨¦dric as Holy Knights. The man seemed uninterested in everything. He even seemed to find eating annoying. Though, he was not the type of person who would sit back and do nothing while his student was fighting against pirates. The Clergy level priest he came with was necessary for her to replenish her ether as well. This priest¡¯s ether was like junk foodpared to Prince Jesse¡¯s extremely pure ether, but¡­¡­ It was better than nothing. ¡®Prince Jesse.¡¯ Christelle smiled as the ocean breeze blew across her face. The prince was one of the two people who gave her the most sense of life in this world. She didn¡¯t know the reason behind it as it was such a subjective sensation that she couldn¡¯t even exin it properly to herself, but¡­¡­ Everything felt clear and fresh when the Imperial Prince and the prince were by her side. The feeling of being alive was stronger than ever. She did get simr feelings from Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and Cardinal Boutier as well, but she had never met anybody who gave her ¡®special¡¯ feelings like the two of them did. Of course, the feelings each man gave her werepletely different. Her rtionship with the Imperial Prince was one where they shed against each other to relieve their anger and stress. Using all of her strength when sparring against him gave her a release that was unique to Holy Knights and made her feel good. She felt an instinctual repulsion against him, but he was perfect as a sparring partner. Plopping down on the ground after fighting with him made the sense of life in her body be clear. Prince Jesse was a bit peculiar. For example¡­¡­ ¡®Please be careful of pirates.¡¯ She had smiled in disbelief when he said that. He was an odd person. He was nice to her but seemed to be keeping his distance. He was clearly a warm person who pretended to be cold. He had never exchanged blows with her like the Imperial Prince had done, but his existence alone gave off an unbelievable amount of life force. It was as if he was living in a 4K world when the rest of the world was still in HD. Did it feel that way because of his immense amount of ether? ¨C Baaaaang! ¨C Chhhhhhhhhhhh! They heard another cannon explosion. A strand of water shot up from the shores not too far from them. Nobody else was happy?smiling? but Christelle had a sparkling smile on her face. Dwelling on something she could not understand was not Ham Ga-in¡¯s style. She stopped thinking about the two pretty boys and fixed the grip on her blue whip. She nned on doing anything and everything she wanted to do, as long as it did not bring harm to the owner of this body. And today¡¯s goal was¡­¡­ ¡®I just need a small souvenir.¡¯ ¡®Souvenirs are great. I will get you one, your highness.¡¯ ¡°I woooooonder if a pirate shiiiiiip could be considered a sooooooouvenir.¡± She extended her words and hummed to herself. The bright sunlight of early summer was shining down on thendscape of white cliffs and blue water. She had never used her abilities from such a distance before, but they were near the ocean. It was worth trying. * ¡®I¡¯m not curious at all. Who cares who Grand Duke Yvelines and Duke Yvelines are? I have no interest whatsoever. It doesn¡¯t matter if nobody tells me.¡¯ I was busy enough dealing with my own issues. I didn¡¯t need to worry about someone else¡¯s inws or second cousins or whatnot. I decided to think only about the important things as I got off the carriage and stomped away. Demy, who was on my shoulder, and the other two red pandas, who were in my arms, were squealing with each other. Benjamin and Ganael grabbed some bags and followed behind me. ¡°It¡¯s been two years since we¡¯ve been to this remote pce. It should be a nice retreat.¡± Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, who was walking in front of me, must have enjoyed making fun of me as her smile had not left her face since earlier. At least Cardinal Boutier was next to me saying things like, ¡®she¡¯s acting like a child,¡¯ and ¡®this is so embarrassing.¡¯ She was truly thest conscience of the Empire. ¡°It is our family¡¯s honor to be in your presence, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you as well.¡± The Chief of Staff of the Grand Duke¡¯s Estate greeted the Empress and the Cardinal and then respectfully greeted me as well. Once we arrived at Grand Duke Yvelines¡¯ home after the two hour carriage ride, the attendants and servants all came out to stand in a single file line. The Grand Duke¡¯s Estate wasrge enough to fit the name of the Summer Pce, but there weren¡¯t as many staff members as I had expected. They must limit the number of staff because this was the Empress¡¯s remote pce with strict guidelines for who could enter. ¡°I heard about your great deeds at the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts, your highness. I¡¯m sure that you will receive the Almighty God¡¯s infinite blessings.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do much at all.¡± I lightly smiled and looked around. This Summer Pce was a memorable mansion with orange walls and a dark blue roof. There were splendid gold decorations here and there and the walls had exquisite sculptures and magic lights made of silver. The main entrance to the Summer Pce had tworge staircases on either side, which made itlook as if the building was curling its arms to wee its guests. There was a steep slope of grass and a fountain full of all sorts of jewels in the front of the building. The fountain seemed to shoot up at least 200m tall. It was wide enough for some small boats. ¡°What a beautiful ce.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The Chief of Staff bowed as I gasped in admiration. Unlike the Imperial Pce, where the Imperial family¡¯s dignity and authority could be felt, this remote pce truly seemed to be designed for rxation. It was smaller than the Imperial Pce but bolder in color. I heard that it gets very cold here in the winter, but the cool breeze felt nice right now. I felt a bit awkward for intruding in the Empress and the Cardinal¡¯s retreat, buting here made it easy to handle that awkwardness. ¡°Duke, ahem. His Royal Highness, Duke Yvelines, usually reads on the grass over there.¡± ¡°The Duke?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. I heard that you like to read, so¡­¡­ I thought that I would rmend a fitting ce.¡± The Chief of Staff bit down on his lips. Seeing him holding back hisughter while talking about Duke Yvelines must have meant that the ¡®Imperial Decree¡¯ had already been delivered. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡®She gave such a childish order to make fun of a single prince¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Thank you very much. Would you please show me my room first?¡± ¡°Yes, of course, your highness.¡± The Chief of Staff motioned to the attendants of the remote pce with his eyes. The Empress and Cardinal must have already gone to their rooms as I did not see them anymore. I started walking up the sleek granite steps with the others. ¡®But why is the Duke referred to as his royal highness? I guess it is because he is the Grand Duke¡¯s child and part of the Imperial Family. No, I¡¯m not curious at all.¡¯ * ¡°Wow, this is the best. It would be great to live here.¡± ¡°I agree, your highness. It¡¯s my first time in Yvelines but it is so wonderful.¡± ¨C Screeeeech! Ganael, the three red pandas, and I were all lying down on a mat, rolling around. Benjamin was smiling while pouring some cold honeybush tea for me. The bright sunlight, cool grass, refreshing shade of the tree¡­ People close to me and these cute divine beasts¡­ Everything was perfect aftering to the Summer Pce. It would be great if I could just maintain my life like this before going home. The Empress left to hunt something for dinner and the Cardinal naturally went with her. They said that Duke Yvelines should be back in a few days after taking care of the pirates. I was on my own in this wonderful remote pce. ¡°But why are outsiders not allowed to enter Yvelines? Is there a reason for that?¡± I asked a question that popped into my mind. Ganael¡¯s gold eyes were filled with aplicated gaze. ¡°That, your highness. Mm¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yvelines was originally privatend belonging to the Imperial family. It has not been very long since it was given the Yvelines name and separated from the Imperial familynd. It was an area specially given to the Grand Duke, so only close family and guests are able to enter.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Benjamin was able to resolve some of my curiosity without revealing the identities of Grand Duke Yvelines or the Duke. It made him seem amazing. I nodded my head and sat up. I then grabbed a peach in one hand and opened my notebook with a quill pen in the other. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not interested in the Grand Duke or the Duke.¡± ¡°¡°That¡¯s very random, your highness.¡± Ganael sounded confused at what I just said. I quietly reached the peach out and Demy quickly came over, grabbed my sleeve, and started biting on it. The other two didn¡¯t seem interested in it. I maintained that position before writing some ¡®truly important things¡¯ in it. ? Sadie and the suspicious letter That was the most concerning right now. I had found a mysterious ddakjist night among the birthday cards given to Prince Jesse. It was a note from a Usil to a Losna, but it was clearly someone from the Holy Kingdom asking about how I was doing. That punk Sadie snatched it away, but it was short enough that I memorized what was on it. The thing I was curious about though¡­¡­ ? Sadie and the suspicious letter ¨C Who is Usil? ¨C Is Losna my middle name? ¨C What did that punk Sadie do with the letter? Those were it. ¡°Usil, Usil.¡± I quietly mumbled to myself. Based on the contents of the note alone, there seemed to be someone in the Holy Kingdom concerned about Prince Jesse, unlike what I originally assumed. The tone did not make it sound like a lover, so it was most likely a family member or friend. I had no way of knowing who it was if it was a friend, but I had some people in mind if it was a family member. ¨C Who is Usil: A friend I don¡¯t know, Queen Christanne, crown princess Elise. I bit the end of the quill pen for a moment before letting it go. ¡®Would the Queen have a reason to send such a secretive note?¡¯ She was in a position to send an official letter to her son whenever she wanted and didn¡¯t seem to have a reason to hide it. But the crown princess¡­¡­ ¡®They say that the crown princess does not agree with what the Prince Consort is trying to do.¡¯ ¡®You are saying some dangerous things.¡¯ I recalled the interview I hadst month with Lady Sarah Belliard, the Managing Editor of the . I was sure that was what Lady Belliard had said. The sh between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom at the border was crown princess Elise¡¯s doing. The crown prince and Prince Consort Werner had opposing opinions. He frowned once he thought that far. ¡®What if it was the crown prince who was stealthily sending me a message while avoiding the Prince Consort¡¯s eyes? What if the sibling rtionship between them wasn¡¯t bad?¡¯ ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± It was a usible hypothesis but it would be dangerous to confirm it as true. What Lady Belliard told me was just a rumor and the author of the note could have been someone I don¡¯t even know exists. It was not enough to say that the crown princess was on my side or that I had allies in the Holy Kingdom. I was careful to make sure Demy did not eat the peach seed before looking down at the next sentence. I could see that Ganael had fallen asleep. ¨C Is Losna my middle name? I heard a familiar young boy¡¯s voice at that moment. ¡®Losna must be your middle name.¡¯ ¡®I guess so.¡¯ I grumbled internally. There was no way for me to prove or disprove that without Prince Jesse¡¯s family or best friending to confirm it. Eunseo didn¡¯t mention the middle names of the QNW characters either, and even if she did, I probably wouldn¡¯t have remembered. The conversation I do remember is¡­ ¡®The Grand Duke of the North. If there are many male lead candidates in a Romfan, you always have to choose the Grand Duke of the North.¡¯ ¡®Not the West?¡¯ ¡®There isn¡¯t something like that in the west, big bro. There is an Imperial Crown Prince, the King, the Grand Duke of the North, and the Magic Tower Master. Don¡¯t ask anything, don¡¯t question anything, just go for the Grand Duke of the North.¡¯ ¡®Why? Isn¡¯t the north dangerous because of a lot of invasions? What if I die during my wedding day?¡¯ ¡®Stop watching Game of Thrones.¡¯ ¡­¡­That was the conversation. This was a ¡®Romfan¡¯ world in the territory of a ¡®Grand Duke¡¯ of the ¡®North¡¯! I quickly sat up straight again. Benjamin, who had been putting a Meringue in my mouth, flinched. I wasn¡¯t that curious about it, but my right hand started moving as if it was possessed by Jung Eunseo¡¯s mouth. ? Traits of the Grand Duke of the North ¨C Man of few words ¨C Serious ¨C Handsome ¨C Usually wears fur (might not in the summer) ¨C Cold ¨C Warm to his lover? ¡°¡­¡­I have absolutely no idea.¡± I quietly mumbled. There are so many possible people. If it is just like this, even the Imperial Prince could be the Duke of the North. ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Oh poor Jesse. Chapter 66 Chapter 66 ¨C The Territory Of The Grand Duke Of The North (3) Chapter 66: The territory of the Grand Duke of the North (3) Dinner time arrived without me being able to solve the mystery of the Grand Duke of the North. Of course, not knowing this information did not affect me at all. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, who returned from hunting as the sun set in Yvelines, smiled beautifully and said that dinner was on her. I was wondering why she was saying something like that when dinner was always on her, but there really was a reason for it. ¡°Wow, this really is the best vi.¡± I quietly mumbled. The Grand Duke¡¯s vast Summer Pce had many leisure areas set up, one of them being arge grass garden where you could have a campfire and barbecue meat. Following an attendant, we saw the SUV-sized Elk the Empress had brought back. To be more specific, it was an Elk-like demonic beast. ¡°To be able to eat demonic beast meat that her Majesty personally caught¡­¡­ This is an honor that will be forever remembered in the history of the Viscount¡¯s House.¡± Ganael¡¯s gold eyes sparkled like LED lights. My jaws dropped with amazement. The chef of the Summer Pce and his assistant were busy taking apart the animal. I could see servants nkly watching as well. ¡°You can eat demonic beasts. I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°The Moutet County and other territories in the north suffered a lot from ack of food because the winters would be so long. That was why themoners started working together to capture and eat demonic beasts. The recipes then started spreading to the nobles.¡± Benjamin pulled out a chair by an outdoor table for me as he exined. It was an interesting story. ¡°Thank you very much. How do you take care of the demonic beast¡¯s poison and bodily fluids?¡± ¡°If you look over there, you will see that they have gloves on, your highness. However, unlike the south-central region, the poison is not strong in the northern demonic beasts. Most usually disappear after roasting over fire.¡± I nodded my head. Hearing things about people¡¯s lives makes me forget about the fact that this is inside a novel. There was arge bonfire at the center of the garden cracking with an orange me that allowed me to see people¡¯s faces every so often. It was nice that I could eat with Benjamin, Ganael, and the attendants of the Imperial Pce. It was something that did not happen frequently unless I requested it or was eating in my room. The hierarchical restrictions definitely seemed looser at the Summer Pce than the Imperial Pce. That was what the Empress wanted. I¡¯ve been feeling this way since the victory celebration, but she was a really easy going person. ¡°It¡¯s so good. It just melts in your mouth. It doesn¡¯t have any oily smell either.¡± ¡°Right, your highness? The stock is sweet.¡± ¡°I never knew that the Iron Crown Deer¡¯s meat would be so luxurious.¡± The chef did use some spices, but even without them there wasn¡¯t much stench. I was unable to hide my shock as I enjoyed the smooth taste of the demonic beast. The attendants at the other table were chatting, eating, and drinking as well. Two red pandas were sleeping under the table while Demy was off on his own, wrestling with a plum. It was such a peaceful and heartwarming atmosphere that my body rxed. I suddenly wondered what Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric must be doing right now. I was a supporting cast. The QNW world would continue fine even without me, but that was not the case for the two of them. They were probably going through some explosive growth or doing something amazing somewhere. I felt a mysterious sense of anticipation. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I took a sip of the sparkling water and apple jam drink to suppress this odd feeling of excitement when I made eye contact with the Empress, who was at another table. Her cherry-colored eyes that resembled mes were asionally glowing orange. Seeing them made me think of Sadie and the suspicious letter again. I gently bowed and avoided her gaze. ¡®Would that punk have handed the letter to the Empress?¡¯ ¡°Try it with the remode, your highness. It¡¯s spicier than the one at the Imperial Pce and goes very well with the demonic beast meat.¡± ¡°Uhh, thanks.¡± I looked into the sauce boat that Ganael pushed toward me. ¡®No, then the Empress would have summoned me for interrogation.¡¯ I didn¡¯t know her very well, but I was certain that she would not be sitting back like this if she knew about it. ¡®Then is the letter still in Sadie¡¯s hand? Why? What is he thinking? ¡­¡­Can I trust the Imperial Prince?¡¯ ¡°Hello, little prince. Does the demonic beast suit your tastes?¡± A familiar voice echoed in my ear. I snapped out of my thoughts. I turned my head to see Cardinal Boutier standing in front of the table, smiling with a te and a ss of champagne in her hands. Her attendant Natalie wasn¡¯t even with her. Benjamin and Ganael urgently stood up. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I came because I wanted to join your table for a bit.¡± She gently shook her head. The two attendants awkwardly sat back down. I greeted my teacher with a smile. ¡°It was delicious. Did you eat a lot as well, your Eminence?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m so full because Fr¨¦d¨¦rique kept feeding me.¡± The Cardinal sat down next to me with aplicated gaze. Her te only had some simple desserts and fruits. I cut a piece of the demonic beast meat and dipped it in the remode. ¡°So, did you find out who Grand Duke Yvelines is?¡± She asked in a mischievous tone. I couldn¡¯t help but scowl. It felt as if my emotions that had been suppressed because of Sadie and the letter instantly roared back up. ¡®It¡¯s not like I¡¯m an idiot.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m not sure about it, but there is someone who is number one on my list of potential candidates.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Her beige-colored eyes opened extremely wide. She was saying that the Empress was being immature and that it embarrassed her just a few hours ago at lunch time, but she must have been influenced by the Empress out in the hunting grounds as she was clearly teasing me. I thoroughly chewed the demonic beast meat and swallowed before calmly continuing to speak. ¡°Mm, I believe that it is probably Prince Consort Alexandre.¡± ¡°Eek.¡± ¡°My goodness.¡± ¡°Oh my, my little prince.¡± Ganael, Benjamin, and the Cardinal gasped one after another. Even the attendant who was walking by with a champagne ss stopped and looked at me. All of them looked as if their eyes would burst out. ¡®Damn it, I guess I¡¯m wrong based on the current atmosphere.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­I guess I was wrong.¡± ¡°My goodness.¡± The Cardinal¡¯s eyebrows sank a little. Benjamin and Ganael looked as if they expected this from me as well. I cautiously asked. ¡°If it is not disrespectful¡­¡­ May I ask what kind of person his Royal Highness was during his life?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± She smiled bitterly. It didn¡¯t seem as if she was trying to avoid the question; she seemed to be recalling a moment from the past. I was about to say that it was okay to not answer if it was too difficult, but the Cardinal spoke first. ¡°He was someone who was gentle to everyone.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡± ¡°He was honest, wise, and always responded with a smile no matter what Fr¨¦d¨¦rique did. Ah, he was the same when I caused trouble as well.¡± ¡°You caused trouble, your Eminence?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I was always with Fr¨¦d¨¦rique. Even the smallest of incidents would snowball into something bigger. I¡¯m pretty sure Alexandre was dealing with the aftermath of our issues even when he was just the young master of the Estate.¡± Sheughed out loud. The Empress¡¯s husband seemed quite different from the Grand Duke of the North of a Romfan that Jung Eunseo so passionately described. He seemed more like a warm and loving man than a stoic ice prince. I thought that the Empress¡¯s husband would be the likely candidate to be the Grand Duke, but, at this point, I think he¡¯s more likely to be a cousin or an uncle or someone like that. ¡°He was also an amazing mage.¡± ¡°I heard about that.¡± I quickly responded. The Prince Consort, who had the nickname, ¡®The Thrilling Archmage¡¯, was said to be the Empire¡¯s greatest mage while he was alive. He was victorious in the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts as well. Even the Empress, who was a swordmaster, did not win against him very often when they sparred. He had two specialties unlike most mages. ¡°He also loved C¨¦dric quite a bit.¡± The Cardinal was speaking almost as if she was singing. I recalled how the Imperial Prince had exploded in anger during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. He was unable to contain his wrath and lit the whole mountain range on fire after seeing an illusion of his father. Even without knowing much about them, I could tell that their rtionship had been quite close. The conversation stopped for a moment. The Cardinal was humming what sounded like a children¡¯s song and drinking her champagne while Benjamin, Ganael, and I focused on our meat again. I peeked at her, wondering if I shouldn¡¯t have asked that question, but the Cardinal just smiled warmly and told me that cutting the meat vertically would make it even softer. ¡°Now that I think about it, you¡¯ll be able to learn the Grand Duke¡¯s name tomorrow.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°We¡¯re scheduled to go to the Bell Tower with the divine item.¡± That was true. We were resting because today was the first day of our vacation, but we are scheduled to take the red pandas to see the divine item tomorrow. The Ark of the Wind Deity, the divine item of the North, was stored in the Bell Tower of Yvelines. It was unlike the Sword of Wisdom that was stabbed in the fields of the ins or the Blessing of the Blue Sea that was stored in the Sarnez Lord¡¯s Castle. The location of it seemed quite unique. The Cardinal continued speaking. ¡°The Bell Tower is where the Grand Duke wasid to rest.¡± * ¡°Your Royal Highness, we should be able to return by tomorrow morning.¡± The Knight Captain gave his report. The man, Duke Yvelines, who was looking at a map, silently motioned with his chin. The campsite was silent and serious all the time, simr to the master of this Knights Brigade. There were gamboge-colored bonfires scattered throughout the forest. Knights sat around each one, resting while drinking coffee or hot cocoa. The Duke¡¯s eyes slowly moved as he organized the areas he patrolled today. His gloved finger gently tapped Moutet County, which was located to the right of Yvelines. Margrave Caroline Moutet was one of the Empire¡¯s few Grade 9 sword users, a sword master. She and Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique had been quite the rivals in the past, but they became extremely close as they aged. There was no reason for their rtionship to be bad since the Count¡¯s House of Moutet had a long history of being extremely loyal to the Imperial family. Her territory had the Empire¡¯s border to the east and the pirate-filled North Sea to the north. Most pirates were stopped by Margrave¡¯s knights. A pirate ship had only made it to Yvelines twice in the past 25 years. However, there were always the rascals who would hide in the County¡¯s forest beforeing past the border into Yvelines. Their goal was simple. Yvelines was a mysterious territory, so they all had these wild imaginations about how it must be filled with expensive treasures. The experienced pirates knew not to enter Yvelines, but there were always the ones whocked experience and brains. There were even punks who secretly built mud huts and settled in Yvelines with the items they plundered because there were no taxes or required military service here. The young Duke Yvelines rarely stayed in the territory, but he would immediately mount a horse and take care of such fools whenever he arrived. If there ever came a day when this territory became open to themoners¡­ If such a day was toe¡­ The Duke wanted Yvelines to be the most peaceful territory in the entire Empire. ¡°The pirate sweep seemed to go quicker than previous years, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it is thanks to the Margrave¡¯s hard work.¡± The Duke responded to the Knight Captain in a low voice. It was rare for their sweep to end in a day, however, there were an extremely low number of pirates this year. It was a positive sign. Young Countess ¨¦lisabeth should soon be helping out as well, so everything should progress even better. The Duke stood up with elegant movements. ¡°Shall I get things ready to head to the Bell Tower when the sunes up?¡± ¡°I will visit Her Majesty and her Eminence first.¡± He moved and his cape made of demonic beast fur fluttered like the night sky. The Captain bowed deeply. ¡°Prince Jesse of the Viaan Kingdom will be heading to the Bell Tower tomorrow. I was informed that her Majesty and her Eminence will be going as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Duke¡¯s beautiful eyes blinked once. That cliff had the temple, the Bell Tower, the ¡®Air¡¯ attribute divine item, and his father¡¯s tomb. That was why they could not send the prince alone. He thought about something for a moment before speaking in a low voice again. ¡°In that case¡­¡± ¡°A pirate ship! It¡¯s a pirate ship!¡± The knight on guard shouted loudly. The campsite instantly became rowdy. The knights moved efficiently to put out their bonfires and got into formation. The Duke moved to the front of the formation without hesitation. ¨C ng! His quaint sword let out a clear sound as the man pulled it out. He started walking, maintaining a steady gaze forward. The boundary of the forest instantly disappeared like a veil that had been lifted and a cliff surrounded in darkness appeared. The Duke¡¯s boots stepped onto the salty dirt. ¨C Swish, swish, swish. Numerous spears shot out toward the ocean over the heads of the knights in formation. However, nobody was shocked about this. The Duke scrunched his eyes and looked toward the horizon. The light from the pirate ship was rising up like the sun through the dark horizon. It was far but he was sure about it. This was not a regr ship, nor was it a noble¡¯s yboat. ¡°There is no need for her Majesty to learn about this.¡± The Duke proimed. ¡°We will finish them off here.¡± His glove was already gone. The Vice Captain waved his binocr fortified with magic stones at that moment. ¡°Your Royal Highness, I see a white g! Those bastards have a white g up!¡± Chapter 67 Chapter 67 ¨C There Are No Evil Divine Items In The World (1) Chapter 67: There are no evil divine items in the world (1) I experienced something like this when I was working for apany. I resigned while stating that I would never work for apany like that ever again. I never expected to have a simr experience after transmigrating into a Romfan. It was still early in the morning, but I couldn¡¯t help butugh in disbelief. ¡°Then the border inspection should proceed as nned.¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no reason to push it back.¡± I tried to catch my breath while looking at the two people in front of me. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique and Cardinal Boutier were walking while quietly chatting about the Empire¡¯s affairs. The Empress had her hands behind her back, holding a bouquet of flowers while the Cardinal had nothing. I had two red pandas on my shoulders and held a third with my left arm. I had arge pic basket in my right hand as I followed behind them. Attendants were not allowed to approach the Bell Tower, as that was where the Grand Duke¡¯s tomb was said to be located. I didn¡¯t want to make the old people suffer, so I offered to hold the stuff, but this was heavier than I expected. Furthermore, the red pandas didn¡¯t want to leave me for some odd reason. I didn¡¯t know what was going on, since they should be getting excited about the divine item that is nearby. ¡°They told me it was a light trek, so that¡¯s what I expected. I got on the bus to find out that they were all mountaineers.¡± ¨C Screeeech I mumbled to Demy. It was the story about thatpany I used to work for. It was a decentlyrge corporation that had been around for a long time, so I wanted to stay there and build up experience if possible. Unfortunately, it was quite a brutal ce for a new employee who was straight out of college. ¡°There were about 27 people in the department, but they wanted me to prepare all of the snacks and drinks for the hike. They told me to send an invoice to thepany at the end of the month for the cost. I had to spend my time and money every two weeks doing that.¡± The slope of the forest became steeper the closer we got to the Bell Tower. My voice and my breath were mixed together whenever I opened my mouth. Demy must have understood what I was saying since he was whining in a slightly pitying voice. Thepany hike happened every other Saturday. I had to pick up food for people and carry it since I was the newest employee. ¡°That¡¯s all in the past. Thepany I moved to was better. I just suddenly thought about it.¡± I smiled and tapped my forehead to Demy¡¯s head. This bit of exercise is nothingpared to that time. The wine bottle was heavy but there were quite a lot of things for me to eat and drink as well. ¡°Is it very heavy, my little prince?¡± A warm voice entered my ear. I turned my head and looked forward. The Cardinal and the Empress, who had stopped walking, were waiting for me at the boundary of the forest. ¡°I¡¯m okay, your Eminence.¡± I responded back with a smile. The prince¡¯s physique was simr to mine. Hecked any sense of athletic ability and struggled quite a bit in the heat, but his stamina and strength weren¡¯t too bad. The Cardinal still came down toward me and picked up one of the red pandas. ¨C Squeeeee. ¡°Thank you very much, your Eminence.¡± ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be enough even if he increased his stamina some more. Why are you helping him?¡± The Empress grumbled. ¡®Lady, isn¡¯t it enough that I walked an hour from the Summer Pce like this?!¡¯ ¡°Our little prince is not C¨¦dric. We can¡¯t let him struggle when he came here to rest.¡± The Cardinal smiled warmly toward me and started walking again. I became distraught again after thinking about the Imperial Prince. We slowly started to exit the forest. ¡°Oh right, what happened with that issue? The swindling of imperial gifts at the inn the children stayed at.¡± ¡°I told Simon to deal with it. The investigation seemed like it would go on for a while.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The owner of the inn buried the money in the mountain, but the report said that it was already gone when they arrived.¡± ¡°How troublesome. Do you think it was a bandit?¡± The Cardinal asked. Simon was probably Duke Simon de Sarnez, Christelle¡¯s father. He must be taking care of the incident from before in Lucas Vige. It made sense that the Empress of an Empire would not have the time to personally lead a long-term investigation. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± The sky became visible as soon as the Empress said that. The forest ended and everything became bright. I raised my head and looked forward. ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but be mesmerized. It was a white coastal cliff with bright green grass. nkly, I stored this sight into my memories. The cool and salty ocean breeze made the grass wave back and forth. The North Sea and the sky beyond the cliff were splitting the world in half. There was a small temple and arge Bell Tower at the center of this scenery. It was an extremely exotic and beautiful image. ¡°That must be it.¡± ¡°Yes. You should be able to let the divine beasts go now.¡± The Cardinal gently responded. I looked at the white building and its dark blue roof before slowly putting the red pandas down by my feet. However, they showed no signs of leaving my side. It made sense since I tamed Demy, but the other two looked as if they couldn¡¯t detect the divine item. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ ¡°It looks like I need to go closer to the Bell Tower, your Majesty.¡± I addressed the Empress. The Empress looked at the divine beasts who were twisted together like a twisted doughnut and nodded her head. Herplexion did not look very good. * ¡°¡­¡­Is that the divine item?¡± ¡°Yes. It is the air attribute divine item, the Ark of the Wind Deity.¡± I frowned slightly while listening to the Cardinal¡¯s exnation. There was arge dull thing floating at the top of the Bell Tower. In the book, the Blessing of the Blue Sea was a beautifully cut sapphire and the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star was a magnificent sword that had manifested on the ins. But this¡­¡­ ¡°It looks like a rusted almond.¡± I shared my honest thoughts. The ark looked like a crumpled piece of aluminum foil at best. The only thing I could make out was was its long shape. This seemedpletely different from the images I saw in the book about the divine items that Ganael got for me or even in . The divine beasts were busy ying and pulling at each other¡¯s tails. I couldn¡¯t feel any ethering from the ark either. It was odd. ¡°Let¡¯s first go in and check.¡± The Cardinal smiled bitterly. The Empress silently pulled a key out of her pocket and unlocked the Bell Tower¡¯s door. ¨C Click ¨C Screeeech¡­¡­ Therge door opened easily. They must have done something special to it as the wood hadn¡¯t rotted or shriveled despite being hit by the ocean breeze for so long. I followed the two adults into the Bell Tower. ¡°Wow, Demy. Look up there.¡± ¨C Whimper There was nothing blocking our view of the ceiling all the way at the top of the tower. The stairs that spiraled up against the wall seemed to connect all the way up to the bell and the divine item. The inside was quite bright. It was because sunlight was shining through the small gaps of the Bell Tower¡¯s stone walls. There was a wide rectangr te board at the center of therge round floor. A bouquet was ced on top of it. The flowers had withered, but they weren¡¯tpletely dry. It seemed as if they had been there for about a day. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Empress walked toward it. She then ced her bouquet next to it. This was Grand Duke Yvelines¡¯ tomb. ¡°It¡¯s okay, our little prince. You cane close.¡± The Cardinal, who had grabbed the Empress¡¯s hand for a moment, called me over in a warm voice. I carefully walked toward the two of them. I ced the pic basket by the door so that it would not seem disrespectful and whispered to the red pandas to be good and stay there. I could soon see some writing engraved onto the t tomb. ¡®Loving husband, considerate father, great mage. Alexandre Nicole Riester 1564 -1600.¡¯ ¡°Huh?¡± My eyes felt as if they would burst out. My mouth opened and closed as too many thoughts suddenly rushed into my mind. The Empress chuckled after seeing my face. ¡°Yes, Grand Duke Yvelines is my husband.¡± ¡°That¡­¡­¡± I quickly said the first thing that came to mind. Thankfully, I did not bite my tongue. ¡°My apologies, your Majesty. I should have prepared a bouquet as well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. The only people to ce flowers here are my son and I.¡± She really didn¡¯t seem to care, but I felt the tips of my ears turn hot. ¡°It was quite fun to tease you. You could have snuck into the Grand Duke¡¯s study to find out.¡± ¡°I would not dare to be so disrespectful when I am being allowed to stay here, your Majesty.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t threaten the attendants either.¡± ¡°Making threats is no joke, your Majesty.¡± I responded to question after question. I was so anxious that I looked toward the Cardinal. I felt as if sweat was pouring out of my head. ¡®She could have told me I was right when I guessed it correctlyst night. Then I wouldn¡¯t have only brought food with me!¡¯ ¡°Will you give a short blessing?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I did not expect the words that came out of the Cardinal¡¯s mouth. ¡°Alexandre never met a royal priest before.¡± She gently smiled. I quietly blinked a few times. It sounded as if she just wanted me to greet him. I looked toward the Empress who moved her chin to tell me it was fine. I slowly knelt down on one knee in front of the tomb. Alexandre Nicole Riester. The engraving even had his middle name. ¡®Was the Grand Duke the Nikky who appeared in the series?¡¯ I felt emotional after having that thought. He had written these one-of-a-kind fairy tales with boundless affection for Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. I ced one hand on top of his name. ¨C Paaaat! Golden ether came out of my fingertips and lit up like a light bulb. A simple circle surrounded the tomb and me. It was at that moment. ¨C Ooooooong! ¨C Baaaaang! I heard a loud noise from the ceiling. An intense shock struck the first floor at the same time. ¨C Ruuuumble! ¡°Ah!¡± The ground shook, causing the Cardinal to lose her bnce and start to fall. The Empress moved quickly to catch her before she fell. I hugged the red pandas that ran toward me and ttened myself against the ground. The ground stopped shaking. It was as if nothing had happened. ¡®Shit, what was that just now?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­My goodness. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, I think the divine item woke up.¡± The Cardinal said something I could not understand. I slowly raised my head with my Holy Domain activated. An intense light was shooting down from the ceiling. ¨C p! p, p! I could hear something pping its wings. * Duke Yvelines was standing on the front of a ship. He could see the white cliff and the Bell Tower slowly getting closer. ¨C Shaaaa, shaaa, shaaaa¡­¡­ It was beautiful to wee the morning over the ocean. The cool sounds of the waves echoed in his ears. The transparent rays of the sun shone down against the water and the air was extremely fresh. It felt as if his lungs were getting cleansed every time he took a breath. The young man took a deep breath and turned around. ¡°What kind of idiot thinks about abducting a pirate ship?¡± He then asked in an aggressive tone. His fur coat fluttered as if it was angry as well. It was extremely disrespectful to have a member of the Imperial family spend the night aboard a pirate ship. He didn¡¯t even try to suppress the intimidating force he released toward the youngdy in front of him. This woman wasn¡¯t going to be intimidated by him anyway. ¡°Please ept my deepest apologies, your royal Highness. I didn¡¯t expect them to pull out the helm saying that we would all die together if they were going to die.¡± Christelle pitifully blinked a few times as she responded. Her teary eyes made it seem as if she was reflecting on her actions, but, after taking a closer look, he could see that she was trying her best not to yawn in front of someone of higher standing. The Duke debated if it would be okay for him to fight against the youngdy right here. She had a pirate¡¯s hat on top of her pink hair as well. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s been so long since I slept aboard a ship. Good morning, C¨¦dric. Did you sleep well, youngdy Sarnez?¡± ¨¦lisabeth, who came out of a cabin at the corner of the deck, was stretching left and right while greeting them. C¨¦dric Riester, the Duke of Yvelines, red at her with fire in his eyes. ¡®If you¡¯re going to be causing incidents like this, you should be doing it in your territory. Why the hell did you bring this person to my territory?¡¯ His gaze seemed to be scolding her. The young Countess awkwardly smiled. She was very interested in teasing C¨¦dric and ying with Christelle, but she had no confidence in her ability to arbitrate for the two of them and their issues. This was a moment where she desperately wished that Prince Jesse was here. ¡°I exined it to you yesterday. Youngdy Sarnez tied this ship down with waves and we got on, but those bastards talked about how they could never lose this ship and destroyed the helm. Pirates sure are vicious these days.¡± ¡°So all of you ended up as castaways?¡± ¡°Youngdy Sarnez¡¯s ether has limits too. It was extremely difficult pushing the ship tond. The sea and the wind were not working with us and your instructor said he was tired and went to sleep. Oh right, shouldn¡¯t you change your priest? That person seemed to have too little ether.¡± ¨¦lisabeth lowered her voice at the end. The young Duke and the youngdy both scowled at the same time. There were many reasons why they were not satisfied with the priest from the Vatican already. He was only a Clergy level priest, so his ether te was small. His ether also wasn¡¯t as pure as Prince Jesse¡¯s. ¨C Ooooooong! ¨C Baaaaang! They heard an extremely loud explosion from the shore at that moment. All three of them looked toward the cliff at the same time. The top of the Bell Tower with the blue roof was shining as bright as a lighthouse. ¨C Ruuuumble! ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaa! They then heard the ground shake. The waves became more violent C¨¦dric and Christelle¡¯s gazes moved around before they made eye contact with each other. Both of their instincts could feel what was within that explosion just now. It was the Prince¡¯s ether. Chapter 68 Chapter 68 ¨C There Are No Evil Divine Items In The World (2) Chapter 68: There are no evil divine items in the world (2) Cardinal Boutier, Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, and I looked at each other nkly for a short moment. We continued to hear somethingrge pping its wings. ¨C p, p! ¨C Screeeech! Demy reacted first. The little punk was sticking his head out of my arms, trying to get out. ¡°Demy, no. It is a divine item, but it is still dangerous.¡± I tightly held onto Demy. The Cardinal said that the divine item seemed to have awakened. Divine items were physical manifestations of the Almighty God¡¯s will and authority, gifts she personally gave to the continent. I was pretty sure that a divine item wouldn¡¯t suddenly change its mind and try to eliminate humanity or anything but¡­¡­ It was a different story now that this divine item was moving. We needed to be careful since we didn¡¯t know what might- ¨C Ruuuumble! ¡°Ugh!¡± The ground shook intensely once more. It was shaking so much in all directions that my knees almost buckled. The other two red pandas used that opening to quickly move away. ¡°Come here!¡± ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii! They were extremely intelligent. I could tell that by the fact that they started climbing the spiral staircase without anybody telling them about it. Seeing the divine beasts reacting like this when they had been quiet just moments ago made me believe that the presence of the divine item must have gotten stronger. Scraps of rocks were falling from the ceiling. The rumbling eventually stopped. ¡®Is there a set duration of rumbling? If not¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Aur¨¦lie, go outside.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll go up with you.¡± The Empress and Cardinal were quickly chatting. I was already running up the stone stairs with Demy. Even if the divine item was not my responsibility, I needed to make sure that the two divine beasts were safe. ¡®Those little punks! I would have scolded them if they were even a bit less cute!¡¯ ¡°Your Eminence, please do as her Majesty said. I do not think that it is desirable for both of you to be in a dangerous ce together.¡± I basically shouted to her from above the stairs. The Cardinal looked at me with shock. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine. We will go back down soon, your Eminence.¡± The Empress was a sword master and I was a strong priest. I was pretty certain that we wouldn¡¯t die, but to prepare for the worst, one of the two authority figures of the Empire had to be in a safe location. The Cardinal should know that as well. She calmly nodded her head and got up. The Empress confirmed that the Cardinal walked out of the Bell Tower before sticking a rock underneath the open door to hold it in ce. She must have done this in case it wouldn¡¯t open. ¡°Demy, try calling your friends over.¡± I whispered to him while climbing the stairs two or three steps at a time. Demy groaned as if it put him in a difficult position and pushed down on my shoulders. It was understandable since I could feel the strong air attribute ether as well. It must be difficult for a divine beast who is drawn to and made to protect divine items to resist it. ¨C Tap! A gentle jump and the Empress, who was on the first floor,nded right in front of my eyes. Her jumping abilities were unbelievable! ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Should I carry you?¡± ¡°No, not at all, your Majesty. I will run.¡± The Empress chuckled and ran up the stairs first. I could hear wings pping again from the top of the Bell Tower. The bright light that originally appeared was not visible anymore. ¡°Why the heck are these punks so agile?¡± ¡°I think that they are riled up, your Majesty. It would probably be quicker to coax them intoing down.¡± The Empress grumbled. She must have failed to capture them even after instantly catching up to the two troublemakers. It must be difficult for her to catch divine beasts who had made up their minds to do something as she did not have ether. Red pandas that even a sword master could not catch¡­¡­ ¡°Huff, huff.¡± Thankfully, the Bell Tower wasn¡¯t as high as it seemed from downstairs. I stopped with the top floor in front of me. The Empress had a hand on her scabbard while waiting for me. ¨C p, p! p! The pping noise was louder and clearer now. The Empress and I peeked our heads into the top floor to assess the situation. ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii! ¨C Sqeeeeeeal The two red pandas, who were making these two humans work so hard, were lying down with their bellies up as if they were full of joy. And¡­¡­ ¨C p! A wing. It was arge wing the size of an adult man. I couldn¡¯t help but gulp. ¡°That¡­¡­¡± ¡°This was its original appearance.¡± The Empress responded in a low voice. I couldn¡¯t help but drop my jaw at this extremely unrealistic sight. This divine item, the Ark of the Wind Deity, was shaped like a single wing. It looked as if it was made of some sort of sharp metal, but I was certain it was no ordinary metal. Instead of a clunking metal sound, it sounded like a bird pping its wings. It was transparent silver in color and faintly glowed purple whenever it moved from sunlight reflecting off of it. The tip of the wing joint had arge jewel that was shining purple like a morning glory. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®this was its original appearance¡¯, your Majesty?¡± I looked at the red pandas as I asked. They did not show any abnormal signs. ¡°I mean that this is what the Ark of the Wind Deity looked like until my husband left this world. That rusted almond you were talking about was the appearance it took after Alexandre passed away.¡± My eyes opened wide. My thoughts quickly processed like a spinning wheel. The divine item that was so lively when Prince Consort Alexandre was alive had curled up its body and slept when he passed away. It was as if it waspletely disconnected from the world. That was why even the divine beasts could not detect it. ¡°Did his Royal Highness frequentlye in contact with the Ark while he was alive, your Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes. This punk was one of my husband¡¯s research materials.¡± ¡®Research material?¡¯ ¡°Was he perhaps a Holy Knight or a priest?¡± ¡°No. He had less ether than a rat¡¯s ass. He was just a mage.¡± ¡°Then why-¡± ¨C Baaaaang! I flinched and poked my head out. ¨C Screeeeech! ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± My emotions overtook my rationality. Everything turned red after seeing a red panda roll away after being struck by the Ark¡¯s wing. ¡®There¡¯s nowhere to hit on that tiny guy!¡¯ ¡°Calm down. Didn¡¯t you say that we would coax the divine beasts to us?¡± Tap. The Empress tightly clenched my shoulder to stop me from jumping out. I felt as if I was calming down while looking at her calm cherry-colored eyes. I caught my breath and nodded my head. Getting riled up here would not help at all. We could have gone down if the divine beasts and the Ark were coexisting peacefully, but I needed to pull the two of them away now that the Ark has shown itself to be violent. ¡°Let¡¯s go up, your Majesty.¡± Imented to the Empress. She moved silently and stepped over thest step. I climbed to the top behind her to see that the only things up there were the four pirs supporting the roof. Taking two wrong steps would mean falling to the ground. The top of the Bell Tower had no railing or safety precautions. There was an ill-tempered divine item, three divine beasts, and two humans barely managing to stand. ¨C Swoooooooosh! ¨C Ring, ring¡­¡­ The wind was stronger now that we were high up. The bell that was hung high up in the ceiling quietly rang. I knelt down on one knee for safety. ¨C Paaaat! I then immediately released my Holy Domain. The golden circle lit up the top of the tower. I could see the Ark flinch. My voice sank low while looking at the divine beasts who were whimpering while holding onto one of the pirs after being shocked by the divine item¡¯s attack. I quietly said the names that I hade up with for them a while ago. [Rhea, Perry. Come to big bro.] ¨C Sqeeeeeeal ¨C Screeeech! The biggest of the three was Rhea while the secondrgest with ck ears was Perry. Their names were because Rhea was the mother of gods and Persephone fit the ck ears with her darker concept since she lives in the underworld. The two divine beasts soon trotted over to me. I quickly reached my arms out and hugged the two of them while the Empress kept her eyes on the divine item. I quickly sighed in relief. [Are you okay? You¡¯re not hurt, right?] ¨C Squee ¨C Sqoo [You guys have to listen to Demy from now on. Demy is the boss.] ¨C Screeeeech! Demy screeched energetically. His gaze seemed to understand that with great poweres great responsibility. ¡°Then we can go down-¡± ¨C Baaaaang! I quickly lowered my body. The Ark¡¯s wing was shaking. I could see that one of the pirs was dented by the p of the divine item¡¯s wing. The Empress did not wait any longer and pulled out her sword. ¨C ng! ¡°Wait, your Majesty!¡± ¡°Let go of me.¡± ¡°That is a divine item. It will not break no matter what. You know that to be true as well, your Majesty.¡± ¡°It might destroy the Bell Tower if I leave it alone.¡± I clenched my teeth. She was right. We could not leave the divine item like this considering that Alexandre, Grand Duke Yvelines, was resting below. However, the Empress was a sword master and based on my understanding, sword masters in the QNW world were strong enough that a single one could take down an entire brigade. ¡°Your sword aura is too dangerous, your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It would be great if it receives your attack and retreats or moves elsewhere, but that is only an incredibly lucky situation, your Majesty. What if it releases its powers to fight against you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Tsk.¡± The Empress clicked her tongue and sheathed her sword. The rumbling in the air instantly died down. I suddenly realized that she was just like me a moment ago, unable to ovee her emotions. The Empress herself almost ended up destroying the Bell Tower. ¨C p, p! ¡°I¡¯m certain that there must be a way to calm it down, your Majesty. Divine items are not demonic beasts; there is no way that they would harm the living.¡± I quickly organized the thoughts in my head as I said that. First was the clue that the Empress mentioned. The Prince Consort was a mage, but researched divine items during his life. His subject was none other than the ark. The divine item had gone into a deep slumber, almost as if it was dead, once the Prince Consort passed away. It probably woke up because of my ether. My power was not normal; it came from the divine item, the Paten of Wishes, and the Holy Water in it¡­¡­ ¡®It is the cleanest form of ether. It is a noble and pure form of the Authority of the Almighty God.¡¯ ¡®Bullshit.¡¯ It was the crystallization of pure ether. I recalled what Grand Duke Yvelines, umm, what Prince Consort Alexandre wrote in . I remembered it well since I read it recently. ¡°Your Majesty, is there a reason his Royal Highness was buried here?¡± ¡®I¡¯m sure there is.¡¯ I leaned against one of the still undamaged pirs and looked right at the woman who was leaning against the pir on the other side. I was certain that there had to be a story behind why the Empress¡¯s husband was buried at the edge of a cliff. ¡°This was his territory.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you understood the meaning behind my question, your Majesty. What is the reason he was buried in the Bell Tower and not the Summer Pce?¡± ¡°¡­¡­It is because of that divine item.¡± She frowned as she responded. Her face made me think of Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. ¡°He wasn¡¯t a priest but Alexandre managed to tame that thing.¡± ¡°He tamed it?¡± My eyes opened wide. My arms must have tightened from the shock as Demy and his family all grumbled. ¨C Screeeeech! ¡°Sorry, sorry. I¡¯ll be careful. Is that possible, your Majesty? No, please wait.¡± A page suddenly popped into my mind at that moment. I silently recalled the words on the page. ¡®Okay, Yves. Caress the divine item and sing it a luby please.¡¯ ¡®Bullshit.¡¯ ¡®Aren¡¯t you tired of that word by now? The Ark of the Wind Deity is like a free bird. You must win its heart if you want to make it yours.¡¯ A thunderbolt-like realization struck the back of my head. I felt chills all the way down to the back of my knees as I looked at the divine item in front of me. What ¡®Nikky¡¯ exined to ¡®Yves¡¯ about the divine item was not a figure of speech or a story. It was based on his own experiences. ¡®How did someone who didn¡¯t even have ether¡­¡­ No, that¡¯s not important right now.¡¯ ¡°We need to caress the Ark and sing it a luby.¡± ¡°What?¡± She frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t understand such bullshit.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± ¡®So you¡¯re Yves.¡¯ Realizing that made meugh even in such a situation. How romantic was the backstory of the parents who became main characters in a fairy tale for their loving son? ¡°That is what it said in your Majesty. The Ark of the Wind Deity is like a free bird and you have to win it over for it to listen.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ho.¡± ¡°It is one of your husband¡¯s best sellers. Have you not read it, your Majesty? It¡¯s a masterpiece.¡± I smiled and took one step away from the pir. I had the three red panda musketeers in my arms go to the Empress. She scrunched her eyes. ¡°You.¡± ¡°I must do it, your Majesty. I¡¯m not sure how daddy guardian managed to tame it, but I believe it woke up this time because of me.¡± ¡°Daddy guardian?¡± The Empress mumbled. I took another step forward and before taking a peek behind me. ¨C Shaaaaaaa- shaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­ I could see waves crashing against the sharp cliff. It was as if they wanted to pull the Bell Tower down. I debated asking Demy to use some vines to create a harness for safety. However, doing so might lead to the destruction of the Bell Tower or the foundation of the Bell Tower. Doing so may even lead to the cliff breaking down. If I was super unlucky and hit a rock I¡¯d be dead, however, I should be able to survive if I fall in the water. ¡®¡­¡­Let¡¯s just not fall off.¡¯ I observed the divine item again. I then reached my hand out very slowly. [Mm, hello.] ¨C p¡­¡­ The Ark slowly pped its wing once. It seemed to have calmed down a bit, as I spoke to it while using my Holy Domain to slowly release ether. My hand was getting closer to the divine item. [It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t harm.] ¨C Pow! My body floated up. I was no longer looking at the Bell Tower. I was looking at the clear sky. ¡®I meddled a bit too much.¡¯ Chapter 69 Chapter 69 ¨C There Are No Evil Divine Items In The World (3) Chapter 69: There are no evil divine items in the world (3) ¡°No!¡± ¨C Screeeeech! Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique shouted. Demy screeched in despair. ¨C Swooooooosh! ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± I was falling fast and could hear the wind in my ears. I could see Demy creating vines with my half closed eyes. I feared for the Bell Tower before I finally felt fear for myself. I wanted to look behind me, but at the same time I was too scared to do so.. The Bell Tower quickly became distant. I clenched my eyes shut. ¡®Please let it be the ocean behind me. Water, please let it be water.¡¯ ¨C Ssh! I felt cool water on my back. And¡­ ¨C Boooom! ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Ow, my hips!¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± I frantically rolled around the ground. ¡®Wait, this shouldn¡¯t be ground¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Ow, aigoo.¡± The impact was so strong that I couldn¡¯t help but groan. I didn¡¯tnd in water but I also didn¡¯tnd on a boulder. My mind was not working properly because this situation did not make any sense. Something hard yet soft and ck filled my sight. ¡®Is this a vision of my present and future? Or is it a sign that I am already dead?¡± ¡°Move.¡± ¡°Are you okay, your highness?¡± My eyes opened wide after hearing some familiar, no, some extremely familiar voices. I sat up out of reflex. Two extremely angry yet beautiful orange eyes were looking up at me. ¡°Holy shit, why here¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t speak properly. My forehead was throbbing and my mind was a mess. I must have mmed my head into the damn Imperial Prince bastard¡¯s iron-like Adam¡¯s apple. I rubbed my forehead and did my best to turn the rush of thoughts in my mind into words. ¡°I fell off a cliff?¡± ¡°I caught you.¡± ¡°I actually caught him first, your Royal Highness. I used water to slow his descent.¡± The Imperial Prince responded to me with annoyance, but the lively voice exined what happened. I quickly turned my head. ¡°¡­¡­Youngdy Sarnez?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness! But could you please move for a moment? My legs are stuck between the two of your legs.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± I quickly got off of the human mattress. Christelle quickly pulled herself out as if she was a squirrel. She groaned a bit about how her back hurt before creating an ice sculpture in the shape of a pain relief patch and putting it on her back. ¡®She must be a genius. No, that¡¯s not what is important right now.¡¯ ¡°Thank you very much to both of you. You saved me.¡± I said what I needed to say before anything else happened. My breathing was still heavy from the extremely shocking ordeal I just experienced. My body was aching and my forehead felt as if it would soon start to swell. However, right now, the most important thing was figuring out what happened. The Imperial Prince got up with elegant movements. I slowly looked around. People. A mast and a sail. A deck made of wood. The sky, visible past it all. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s a ship.¡± It was a ship floating in the air. ¡°It¡¯s a pirate ship.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I remembered how you told me to be careful of pirates, your highness. I was careful as you said and it ended up like this.¡± ¡°You were careful and ended up hijacking a pirate ship?¡± I was worried that she would be captured, but she ended up being the captor. Who knew she would change things like this? ¡°I¡¯m sure things like this happen all the time in life. How is your body feeling, your highness?¡± I heard another familiar person¡¯s voice. I nked out a bit and turned my gaze. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth came over with her short dark green hair fluttering in the wind before picking up a pirate hat on the ground, brushing off some dirt, and cing it on Christelle¡¯s head. ¡®Is this the Pirate Queen and her right hand woman?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m fine. But did you perhapse all the way here from the Moutet County on this pirate ship?¡± I had to ask. My mind was slowly regaining its rationality. Christelle and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth had definitely left for summer vacation separately from me. Furthermore, this was Yvelines, a territory where outsiders could not enter. They must not have been able to approach from thend even though Moutet County was right next to Yvelines. ¡°That, your highness. It¡¯s quite a lot to exin. There was a reason we ended up drifting¡­¡­¡± ¡®Drifting?¡¯ ¡°What the hell happened at the Bell Tower?¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric cut Christelle off and asked his question. He was ring at me as if he wanted to pierce a hole through me. My mind suddenly became alert! ¡°The divine item. The Ark of the Wind Deity woke up, your Royal Highness. However, it is extremely scared of strangers. I was struck by the Ark¡¯s wing and fell out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It must have woken up because of your ether.¡± ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness. It is not using its abilities, but it is showing enough aggression for the pirs of the tower to be in danger of destruction at any point. The Bell Tower may be in danger if we do not calm it down.¡± I quickly turned my body and looked up at the Bell Tower. The Empress was looking down at us andughing in disbelief while the three red pandas were down by her feet. I felt as if I had fallen at least 100 meters but it was actually only about 20m. I gently waved my hand to show that I was ok- ¡°Ugh.¡± Subconsciously, I clutched my stomach. The sudden movement made the area underneath the pit of my stomach ache. ¡°Did you get hurt from the fall, your highness?¡± ¡°No, I am okay, youngdy Sarnez. This was from his Royal Highness hitting me.¡± ¡®Shit, I said the wrong thing.¡¯ I immediately closed my mouth. I had a bruise from the spot Sadie kicked me a few days ago and the divine item¡¯s attack just now happened to strike the same spot. But the Ark seemed to have controlled its strength as nothing was broken or fractured. ¡®¡­¡­Or maybe it had no intentions of hurting me. Was that not an attack?¡¯ ¡°My goodness.¡± Christelle mumbled in a low voice. She was looking at the Imperial Prince as if she was looking at trash that could not be recycled. The Imperial Prince frowned. ¡°I never did-¡± ¡°A knight hit an unarmed priest?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth didn¡¯t even speak respectfully to him. Her grey eyes were full of scorn. ¡°Did you forget all about honor?¡± ¡°¨¦lisabeth.¡± ¡°I deserved it, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. It is more important to earn the divine item¡¯s trust right now.¡± I mediated the situation between the three of them. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth gasped while Christelle brushed the back of my hand with an extremely disappointed look on her face. ¡°You deserved to get hit? Please don¡¯t say something like that. You¡¯re not the punk who did something wrong.¡± I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything. I couldn¡¯t say anything about being kicked because I put my hand on Sadie¡¯s body without his permission. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have the time nor the method to clearly exin the whole situation. ¡°Yes, his Royal Highness was in the wrong. Either way, the divine item is the more pressing issue. Both of you have read , right?¡± ¨C Baaaaang! A loud explosion burst above my head. We all looked at the Bell Tower. The Empress waved her arm to say that it was okay. I then saw some pieces of rocks fall down. ¡°How do you know about that book?¡± The Imperial Prince lowered his head as he asked. I exchanged nces with Christelle. ¡°I found it in the Imperial Family Library, your Royal Highness. You should remember the contents since it was a fairy tale written for you. The Ark is like a free bird so you have to pet it and sing it a luby to win it over.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Was that perhaps just figurative? I took it literally, but is the luby referring to a special incantation or poem?¡± ¡°No, it is exactly as it says.¡± His eyes zed over as if he was thinking about the past. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who had been quietly listening, quickly made a decision. ¡°It looks like we need to raise the ship higher. Sir Geens!¡± ¡®Sir Geens?¡¯ ¡°This is already so difficult¡­¡­¡± I heard a voice I had never heard before. I turned around to see an unfamiliar young man appearing between randomly piled wooden barrels. His long white hair, tied not very well around his neck, was a mess. The hair on the top of his head stuck out while there were stubbles on his chin from not shaving properly. His mint-colored eyes were full of fatigue and annoyance. The sour look on his face seemed to bury his handsome facial features. ¡°Oh, sir, you must be Prince Jesse Viaan.¡± He looked at me and then bowed deeply. It was not the way people from the Empire greeted others. His eyes seemed to have clouded over but his gaze was rxed again when he stood up straight. ¡°My name is Johann Geens, and I am the Holy Knight from the Vatican.¡± ¡°Ah, of course. I¡¯ve heard many things about you sir. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re making you work very hard.¡± I responded to him. This was the guy who was in charge of Christelle and the Imperial Prince¡¯s education since the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. He was still young, but his fate seemed quite¡­ turbulent. ¡°Excuse me for asking this during our first meeting, but¡­ Sir Geens, are you the one keeping this ship afloat?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. I am an air attribute Holy Knight.¡± ¡°Then will you be able to raise it higher if I provide you with ether, Sir Geens?¡± His eyes opened wide before quickly returning to normal after hearing myment. ¡°As you wish, your highness.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I immediately released my Holy Domain. Christelle mumbled to herself about how it was rare to see her instructor so enthusiastic. Sir Geens looked at the golden circle as if he was trying to melt it away. He then received my ether extremely slowly. He looked as if he was making sure to chew his meal properly. The pirate ship then floated up. ¨C Swooooooosh! A peculiar flow of air, different from the ocean breeze, rose up against the ship. The ship soon gently lifted up like an elevator. The white cliff passed by in front of my eyes. ¡°This is amazing no matter how many times I see it.¡± Christelle smiled brightly while enjoying what was happening. This was only my second time meeting an air attribute Holy Knight since transmigrating into QNW, but I didn¡¯t know they had such amazing abilities. The opaque breeze looked tangible as it brushed past my hair. The front of the ship almost instantly arrived at the end of the Bell Tower. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Sir Geens calmlymented. The Empress, who was now at the same level as us,ughed in disbelief. ¡°I was wondering who the hell dared to bring a ship into Yvelines. It¡¯s Duke Yvelines, who has be a hostage, and a pirate brigade of nobles.¡± ¡°We greet the sun that has descended to the ground.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth went first. Everybody on the ship followed her lead and bowed respectfully as well. I was with her until just a few moments ago, but I still bowed with the others. A floating pirate ship, a white Bell Tower at the end of a cliff, the encounter between the people standing on both¡­ It felt like some kind of surrealistic painting. ¡°We¡¯vemitted a terrible sin, your Majesty.¡± ¡°I will hear you punks¡¯ excuse back at the Summer Pce. So, what is the next n, Royal Priest?¡± The Empress leisurely sat down on the edge of the Bell Tower. My face started boiling at the fact that I ended up like this after acting up without any fear despite only being a supporting character. I first reached my hand out. Demy, Rhea, and Perry ran over one by one before grabbing onto my leg like cicadas. I peeked to see that the divine item¡¯s wing was slightly shaking. It even seemed a bit afraid. ¡°Another attempt, your Majesty. His Royal Highness informed me that the luby has no other meaning. I failed so it might be better for someone else to try.¡± I calmly responded. Christelle slowly raised her hand. ¡°I¡­ am a decent singer.¡± Everybody turned to look at her. The Empress, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, and Sir Geens all gasped. Something Jung Eunseo told me shed through my mind. Most of my memories only popped up whenever simr situations arose. ¡®Our Chris is perfect¡­¡­ She¡¯s beautiful, tall, a total fashionista, and sings well.¡¯ ¡®The novel has a singing scene too?¡¯ ¡®There was just a short phrase about her singing. but it said that Crapdric smiled after hearing her sing. Totally kills that Ice Prince vibe, doesn¡¯t it?¡¯ ¡°Then why don¡¯t you be the first to challenge it, youngdy Sarnez?¡± ¡°Challenge!¡± Christelle cheerfully shouted before walking onto the Bell Tower. She must be quite skilled if even the cold Imperial Prince smiled after hearing her sing. I didn¡¯t know how this problematic divine item issue turned into an audition program, but Christelle was the main character of QNW. She was the person who has the best chance of resolving such an incident and the person whom the author invested the most into as well. ¡°Impossible.¡± The Imperial Prince spoke from my left. I didn¡¯t know why he was so full of distrust, but he had his left hand on the Sword of Wisdom. I widened my Holy Domain so that it could surround Christelle and the divine item and then responded to him while letting ether flow through it. ¡°I¡¯m sure the youngdy will do a great job.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± Christelle was slowly reaching her hand toward the Ark. The light brown wing was shaking. The Imperial Prince¡¯s low voice sounded quiet and serious. Christelle started singing at the same time. ¡°The Grand Duke was tone deaf-¡± ¡°Okay! Gooooo to sleeeeep! Liiiiittle baaaaaaaaby? Goooooo to sleep! Sleep! Liiiiiiitle baaaa! By!¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡°Rooooockabye? Baby! Don¡¯t cryyyyy!¡± ¡°Dear lord, what do we do¡­¡­¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who was behind us, plopped down on the deck. I could see that her neck was red from holding back herughter. I blinked a few times as I was at a loss for words. The red pandas were whimpering to one another. The Empress, who was leaning on a pir, was biting her fist. ¡°Our! Babyyyyy! Sleeeeeeeeep? Don¡¯t wake? Up!¡± ¡®Is this some kind of system error? How can someone have no sense of rhythm at all and be so tone-deaf?¡¯ ¡°¡­I guess it was an unnecessary fear.¡± The Imperial Prince quietly mumbled. ¡®Why are you saying somethingpletely useless in such a cool way that it is making me feel like I can rx?¡¯ ¨C p, p¡­¡­ The divine item started moving carefully after hearing Christelle¡¯s ¡®luby.¡¯ I was tense thinking that the furious Ark might cut her hand with its sharp feathers or attack her with its air abilities. It was at that moment. ¡°Aww, what a good boy.¡± The divine item wrapped its wings around Christelle and hugged her. My jaw dropped so much I thought it might touch the ground. Chapter 70 Chapter 70 ¨C There Are No Evil Divine Items In The World (4) Chapter 70: There are no evil divine items in the world (4) ¡®Please take a good look. It looks as if the divine item is trying to choke the youngdy¡¯s neck.¡¯ I was so shocked by the author¡¯s method of dealing with the problem that I said those words to the Imperial Prince. The bastard didn¡¯t know that I was speaking nonsense out of shock and responded seriously. ¡®No.¡¯ ¡®Why are you so stern? Are you a sternum?¡¯ ¡®What kind of nonsense are you talking about?¡¯ I felt as if I might have said something random because I was shocked by Christelle¡¯s singing. ¡®Unfortunately, the youngdy is unable to be with us any longer.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s great.¡¯ The cold North Sea breeze rustled my hair as if it was trying to tease me before disappearing. ¡°Seriously¡­¡­ How does this make any sense?¡± I was sitting on a mat on top of the grass while looking up to the top of the Bell Tower. I couldn¡¯t help but scoff in disbelief. The white cliff was peaceful as if nothing had happened and the divine item had never caused a problem. Christelle, who had calmed the Ark of the Wind Deity, didn¡¯t seem to care much about the results. She was seated across from me, eating a cr¨¨me caramel with a refreshed look on her face. ¡®Her mental fortitude is strong. Is this because she is the main character?¡¯ ¡°You must have been quite shocked.¡± Cardinal Boutier, who was sitting next to me, pulled out a ss bottle from the pic basket. It was spearmint tea. ¡°Thank you very much. Are you okay, your Eminence?¡± I asked her. Honestly speaking, I was the one who was the most shocked no matter how you looked at it. The Cardinal had the peace of mind to grab the pic basket while exiting the Bell Tower earlier. She had ced the mat on the grass and was waiting for us by the time we calmed down the divine item and returned to the ground. I was anxious because I thought that Christelle might be hurt badly or have some kind of amazing awakening, but I guess I was the only one being serious. ¡°I trusted the two of you. But I didn¡¯t expect you to bring his Royal Highness, the Duke, and a whole band of pirates with you.¡± The Cardinal gently responded. I couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smile. The main character having an adventure out on the sea while I was hiking the nearby cliff with two adults was quite the coincidence. However, I knew this was what the author had arranged to happen. Even though I was trying to get some rest away from the main characters; even though I moved without the two of them, I still ended up getting mixed up in their epic story. Furthermore, the two of their appearances were important in the group safely getting out of the Bell Tower. Although I was fated to eventually die because of the two of them, I had survived this time because of them. My mind was asplicated as a maze. ¡°¡­¡­Will the divine item be okay like that, your Eminence?¡± That was why I changed the topic. The Cardinal lifted her beige-colored eyes to look at the Bell Tower. Therge wing, sparkling in a light purple color, was gently swaying with the wind. Divine items are not living creatures, but this one seemed to be happy. The Ark has been swaying like this since it tightly hugged Christelle and then let her go. It showed quite the interest in the Imperial Prince as well, and it was calm when I reached my hand out toward it again as well. It was quite a shocking change. ¡°I think so. We will have to keep our eye on it for a few more days though. That child had spent a long time on the cliff without choosing a master.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t have a master?¡± The Cardinal understood the meaning behind my gaze. She took a sip of her coffee and continued to exin. ¡°Alexandre was, how do I exin it¡­ He was like a friend to the Ark. Even Fr¨¦d¨¦rique and I were unable topletely understand their rtionship. How could there be something like that in this world?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The Ark is different from the other divine items. The Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star and the Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life have high standards when choosing their masters as well, but this child is a bit peculiar.¡± I savored my tea and quietly recalled . It made sense if the expression about it being like a free bird was talking about the divine item¡¯s unrestrained personality. It seemed to mean that even if a human earns the Ark¡¯s heart, they would not be its eternal master. The proof of that was how the Ark did not follow Christelle to the ground nor stick to her anymore. ¡°But I was shocked that it reacted to the youngdy¡¯s voice.¡± ¡°Yes, that was unexpected. I could hear the luby from down here. Even Alexandre sang better than that.¡± ¡°Are you talking about me right now?¡± The noble youngdy of the bad world, who was eating a baba au rhum, looked at us with her blue-gray eyes wide open. ¡®Yes, even the main character can be tone-deaf.In fact, that might have been quite charming to most of the QNW readers.¡¯ I still had chills on my back from how bad it was, but Jung Eunseo was not here to hear my grumbling. ¡°We were talking about how great your singing was, youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I have heard that quite often. Thank you very much, your highness.¡± Christelle looked a bit embarrassed as she looked for an Iced Americano. It seemed as if she had no idea that she was tone-deaf. I quietly nodded my head and looked at the Bell Tower again. ording to the Grand Duke¡¯s book, the Ark was here from the beginning of time. The Bell Tower was built muchter by the Empire in order to serve the divine item. The temple next to it was built at that time as well. There were even legends about how the Ark enjoyed the prayers of the people and used storms to defend the Empire from approaching pirates and enemies. If it wasn¡¯t as capricious as the Almighty God, this punk should be able to calmly perform its duties. ¡°Anyway, it all worked out.¡± I quietly mumbled. It had closed the door to its heart for a long time after its close friend had left this world. It had iled around after waking up to my ether because unfamiliar people approached it. But this divine item finally calmed down after hearing a luby from someone who was tone-deaf like its friend. It had the title of being the Authority of the Almighty God, but it was acting like a puppy or a child. It was a bit sad too. I picked up a profiterole and threw it in my mouth. My mind cleared up after eating something crispy and sweet. ¡°Where did Demy go?¡± I finally realized that one of the red pandas was missing. I slowly looked around. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth seemed to have left earlier to take care of the pirate ship issue. The young Countess had to report on the details behind how the pirate ship ended up adrift, barged into Yvelines, and ended up with Duke Yvelines on board. Someone else had caused the trouble, but the confidant had to deal with the exnations. The small group of knights who had been on board were dragged along as well, looking like a bunch of sausages in line. ¡°Not there¡­¡­¡± Off to one side, I could see the instructor of the two main characters, Sir Johann Geens, sleeping on the grass in the distance. I turned my head to the other side. Rhea and Perry were near the forest with the Imperial Prince. They had been pestering him for a while now. It seems they finally managed to get him to y with them. ¡®What is that? Is it a ball?¡¯ ¡°His Royal Highness even knows how to create toys out of mes it seems.¡± Christellemented in awe. She said that she had no idea he could do such a thing since he onlyunched attacks at her. The Imperial Prince, who had been inspecting the area to see if there were any traces of demonic beasts around his father¡¯s grave, threw two me balls at the red pandas before focusing on his task again. The divine beasts frequently showed their friendliness to the Imperial Prince like this. They must have enjoyed going to the Sarnez Duchy with him. ¡°By the way, why is his Royal Highness wearing a fur coat during his vacation?¡± I suddenly asked. To be more specific, I was wondering why he was focusing on the concept of the Grand Duke of the North when that wasn¡¯t even his title. ¡°It¡¯s a keepsake from Alexandre. He got cold easily when he was alive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. It makes me want one as well.¡± I quickly added on. The Cardinalughed out loud. ¡°Call him Duke Yvelines while you are here. That was a deal we made with him.¡± ¡°I see. I understand.¡± I quietly gasped. It wasn¡¯t awkward to connect the Imperial Prince as Duke Yvelines as I had considered the fact that Prince Consort Alexandre was Grand Duke Yvelines. It was just embarrassing. ¡°Then will the Duke-nim be the Grand Duke in the future?¡± ¡°That is not the case.¡± The Cardinal received a profiterole from me and smiled. ¡°No?¡± ¡°Alexandre is the only Grand Duke of the Empire. It was Fr¨¦d¨¦rique¡¯s decision.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Christelle and I both stared at the Cardinal. There was something that slowly came to mind. The once mentioned that the Grand Duke was someone who ¡®threw away his title of Duke and chose love.¡¯ It was possible that he had cast aside his family to be the Prince Consort. ¡°The Duke¡¯s House of nquer is a household of mages who have a long history in the northern part of the Empire.¡± The Cardinal could not win against our gazes and started speaking with a smile on her face. This lesson for the diplomatic hostage, who was clueless about the situation of the Empire, and the youngdy, whose memory was not ¡®fully recovered¡¯ continued. ¡°As you know, the inheritance of wealth and titles on the continent gives priority to the eldest child. Alexandre was the eldest child of the House of nquer and was a promising mage. The Beau Monde frequently talked about him being a genius who would take the Duchy to new heights. Even the coteral line of the Duke¡¯s House rose up toin when it was revealed that he had secretly be engaged to Fr¨¦d¨¦rique.¡± ¡°I guess they didn¡¯t want to lose a precious family member to the Imperial family.¡± ¡°Yes, but Alexandre was extremely stubborn. He packed his things and ran away from home the day before he became the young Duke.¡± ¡°Wow, how romantic.¡± Christellemented. The Cardinal smiled bitterly. ¡°It was foolish too. After that, Fr¨¦d¨¦rique pushed his Majesty, the former Emperor, to have the wedding. What could he do when the two of them said they love each other?¡± ¡°Then what happened to the rtionship with the Duke¡¯s family?¡± I asked. It was fascinating. There was a reason the main character of the series had the family name of nquer. ¡°The House of nquer and the Imperial family had maintained a good rtionship for a long time. Support and aid from the Imperial family was necessary because the nquer territory was on the border with the Holy Kingdom. The Duke and his wife were not foolish enough to forget about that. That was why they did not put up any serious objections once the marriage date was set. However¡­¡­.¡± The Cardinal took a sip of her coffee. Christelle and I waited for her to continue as if we were caught watching an ad in the middle of a Youtube video. ¡°They disowned Alexandre. They cut off all rtionships with him. They erased his name from the family tree and made it so that he could not contact any of his family members.¡± ¡°Why¡­¡­¡± ¡°Who knows? Maybe it had to do with the family¡¯s dignity and pride? I¡¯m not sure. I wouldn¡¯t have done that if it was me.¡± She quietly responded. My pity for the situation rose like the tide. No matter how important the family¡¯s authority might be, I would never understand isting a beloved member of the family. ¡°That was why Fr¨¦d¨¦rique gifted Alexandre hernd. She gave him the most beautiful of the Imperial family¡¯s private property with the best view and gave him the name of Yvelines. She didn¡¯t hesitate at all even though it was a ce that had a divine item. She gave him the title of Grand Duke once she ascended to the throne and proimed that nobody else would be allowed to be a Grand Duke as long as she was alive.¡± bb¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± Christelle and I dropped our jaws at the same time. Christelle looked as if she was half in love with the Empress. ¡°That is why C¨¦dric cannot be Grand Duke. At least for now.¡± The Cardinal then stopped speaking. I looked at the Imperial Prince with a different feeling. That was the reason he was a Duke instead of a Grand Duke despite receiving his father¡¯s territory. ¨C Pruuuuuu I heard Demy¡¯s voice right behind me at that moment. I quickly turned my head. ¡°Demy. Where did you g, huh?¡± He spit something out of his mouth. It was moving. My body froze for a moment. ¨C Beep, beeeeeep! I stared at the tiny little creature. A round brown ball of fur was huffing and puffing while chirping. ¡°Oh my, did you catch a bird, Demy?¡± ¨C Screeeech! Christellemented as if she was humoring Demy. Demy looked at me and purred with pride. ¡°Demy, did you capture the bird for this big bro?¡± ¨C Screeeech ¡°I see.¡± ¡°You shouldpliment him first, your highness. Getting flustered or rejecting it might hurt him.¡± Christelle quickly whispered. ¡®Isn¡¯t that what they say about cats?¡¯ I was extremely close to saying that before I calmed down. Demy had never hunted anything until now. Divine beasts were able to live on ether alone; Rhea and Perry didn¡¯t even consume any human food. Demy was peculiar in that he liked fruit or flowers, but he never ate meat. ¡®What is going on all of a sudden¡­¡­?¡¯ ¡°Uhh, good job. Our Demy is the best. You¡¯re so cool.¡± ¡°You should hug him. Hug him, your highness.¡± ¡°Come here.¡± I quickly opened my arms following Christelle¡¯s suggestion. Demy¡¯s nose twitched before he jumped into my arms. I petted his white ears and observed the hunted animal. It resembled a sparrow but I didn¡¯t think it was one. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t seem hurt. It was odd that it was tilting its body side to side and observing Christelle and I instead of flying away. ¡®Is it a divine beast?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s a chimney bird.¡± The Cardinal, who had been quietly observing the situation, slowlymented. Unlike red pandas, it seemed to be a creature that originally existed here. Christelle proimed with confidence at that moment. ¡°Why don¡¯t we call it Ttukbaegi?¡± ¡®Maybe¡­¡­ Is it because it is a chimney bird?¡¯ (TL: Chimney bird in korean is ¡®gulttuksae¡¯. ¡®Ttukbaegi¡¯ is an unzed earthenware bowl. The name is based on the shared ¡®ttuk¡¯ character. I tried my best toe up with an English equivalent of the pun but I couldn¡¯t) Chapter 71 Chapter 71 ¨C As Long As It Is Not Me (1) Chapter 71: As long as it is not me (1) ¡°¡­¡­Youngdy Sarnez, I think we should find this guy¡¯s nest first.¡± I calmly responded. Demy wasn¡¯t the type to do something like this, but it was possible that he looted a bird¡¯s house and abducted this chimney bird. It was only right to return it back to its home if it wasn¡¯t injured. Our tone-deaf and rhythmcking MC, who also seemed to have a terrible naming sense, finally gasped and nodded her head. ¡°I guess that shoulde first. I became too excited because it was so cute, your highness.¡± ¡®You think it is cute but you want to give it a name like ttukbaegi?¡¯ ¡°I admit that it is cute.¡± I said that and carefully reached my hand toward the chimney bird. It rapidly blinked its ck eyes, opening and closing its yellow beak. Itstill did not seem wary of humans at all. It was likely not a pet since Yvelines did not have any residents. ¡°I¡¯ll take you back home.¡± ¨C Piiiiiiiiiiruuuuuuuuu, pipi! The chimney bird surprisingly jumped onto my palm. At this point, I wondered if Demy had befriended the bird instead of abducting it. I asked for Cardinal Boutier¡¯s understanding before slowly getting up from the mat. Christelle also stood up. Her blue-gray eyes were sparkling like stars. It was as if she was not tired at all. ¨C Piiiiiiiiiiiiruuuuuuuuuuut ¡°Demy, where did you grab this chimney bird from? Let¡¯s go back there.¡± ¨C Screeeech Demy, who understood exactly what I wanted him to do, slithered out from my arms as if he was made of noodles. Christelle and I walked behind Demy. I could see Imperial Prince C¨¦dric peeking over to see what we were doing. My whole body was tense because the warm creature in my palm was so small and soft. I felt as if it would die if I put even the slightest amount of pressure into its body. As for the chimney bird itself, it didn¡¯t seem to have a care in the world. The punk looked at me and tilted its body side to side before moving backward. That must have been too much for it, as it turned around and faced forward. ¡®It¡¯s smart.¡¯ ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii. ¡°¡­¡­Here?¡± At the end of the green grassy field, on top of the white cliff¡­ We didn¡¯t have to walk far to arrive at the hot potato of today, the Bell Tower. Demy energetically approached the Bell Tower, probably thinking that I might mistake the location. He then raised his body on his hind legs to stand up before patting the outside of the Bell Tower. He seemed to be saying that he was certain this was the ce and that I had better not get it wrong. ¡°Is it really a divine beast?¡± I looked down at the chimney bird and mumbled to myself. Of course, it could also be a regr bird that lives in the Bell Tower. It wouldn¡¯t be weird if it made its nest underneath the sharp roof. The problem was when Demy could have gotten up there¡­¡­ ¡°You just need to check it.¡± A cool low voice pierced through my ears. Christelle must have known that he wasing as she didn¡¯t seem shocked at all. Only I, the extremely normal human being, flinched. ¡®Make some noise when you walk!¡¯ ¡°Is there a way to confirm if it is a divine beast, your Royal Highness?¡± I calmly asked the Imperial Prince. He slightly lowered his head and his orange eyes were oddly sparkling. I was wondering what he was thinking when he took off his glove without any hesitation and reached his left hand toward the chimney bird. He was right about to create a me! ¨C Pi pi piiiii? ¡°Hey! The bird is going to die!¡± I moved like a sh of lightning to hide the chimney bird in my arms. The Imperial Prince bluntly opened his mouth. ¡°It will block my attack if it is a divine beast.¡± ¡°Why are you thinking about attacking it, your Royal Highness? It¡¯ll be terribly injured if it is a regr chimney bird.¡± He raised one eyebrow at myment before he returned to his original spot and put his glove back on. ¡®This is one crazy bastard.¡¯ There was a reason Jung Eunseo had stopped liking this guy. He looked like a beautiful sculpture, but his personality was shit. Christelle seemed decently shocked as well. ¡®Duke-nim, repent¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°However, the Bell Tower is closed. Nobody can enter until the repairs arepleted.¡± He warned. That was also true. The Imperial Prince had used his authority as the Duke of Yvelines to order the Bell Tower closed. ording to the Cardinal, although the Bell Tower has received some minor repairs, it has never had any significant work done to it since it was built. It seemed like he was nning to renovate it since multiple ces were destroyed by the divine item¡¯s problematic actions. Besides, it was time for some repairs anyway. ¡°Then what about Sir Geens?¡± I asked. Christelle looked up at me and the Imperial Prince looked down, silently asking for an exnation. ¡®I really can¡¯t get used to these two.¡¯ ¡°I feel bad asking him again, but Sir Geens should be able to check the inside and top of the Bell Tower without touching it.¡± ¡®He can easily make a pirate ship float so why would he not be able to lift his own body?¡¯ I thought that we might be able to figure out where the chimney bird came from if their instructor, Sir Johann Geens, stepped in. If there was a nest in there, he could even help move it. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The two main characters stared at Sir Geens, who was sleeping on the grass. They seemed to agree with me since they didn¡¯t say anything, but they seemed discontent. * It was time for dinner. ¡°Being able to eat in the Summer Pce¡­this is the greatest honor of my life that could never be beaten.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who came down in clean new clothes, sounded slightly excited. Everybody had washed up and arrived with new clothes. I looked at the members around the round table with a new kind of feeling. The head of the table, the Empress¡¯s spot, was empty while the Imperial Prince, Christelle, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, and I were sitting clockwise around it. The Cardinal was scheduled to sit in between the Empress and me. I felt as if everybody here except me deserved to be scolded. That was the reason Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth looked a bit tense. Everybody was allowed to stay in the Summer Pce with Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique and Duke Yvelines¡¯s consent, but it was definitely a sin to drag a pirate ship into the Imperial family¡¯s territory. That remained the problem despite the Duke himself having been on the ship. ¡®C¨¦dric was in the wrong for not actively trying to stop them.¡¯ That was what the Cardinal said on our way back to the Summer Pce. Although his friend and an acquaintance were onboard, it was careless to allow a ship, especially one he had no idea about its true intentions, into the territory. I had nodded my head, as it soundedpletely reasonable. ¡®Yes, the main character and his friend should be scolded since they caused an incident.¡¯ ¡°What would you like as an ap¨¦ritif, young Countess-nim?¡± ¡°Just water, please.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth responded sincerely to the attendant¡¯s question. She must have thought that she would get scolded more if she was drinking alcohol. Christelle smartly asked for water as well. The Imperial Prince didn¡¯t say anything since he had been drinking water from the beginning. The two of us made eye contact for a moment. I immediately thought about the suspicious letter. I wondered if I should have tightly grabbed Sadie and taken it away from him, but I could not be so rude to him when he looked like a child. I could not change this about myself, as it was something that had been ingrained in my mind since forever. The Empress still didn¡¯t seem to know about the existence of the letter, so I debated bribing him with ether when he became small again. The fact that he didn¡¯t tell his mother might mean that he was open to making a deal with me. ¡°Your highness, what about ttukttak?¡± I was drinking my buckwheat tea and organizing my thoughts when Christelle said that terrible name with her beautiful voice. ¡°When you say ttukttak¡­¡± ¡°The name for the chimney bird.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was silent because I could not figure out a good response. It was hard, but we managed to wake Sir Geens up to take a look at the Bell Tower. However, we were unable to find the chimney bird¡¯s nest. I also wondered if it was unable to fly from the shock of being in Demy¡¯s mouth, but that wasn¡¯t the case either. It flew over, sat on the Imperial Prince¡¯s shoulder, and pecked at his fur cape on our way back to the Summer Pce. It was currently ying hide-and-seek with the three red panda musketeers in my room. ¡®Is it just a bird that ran away from home¡­¡­ Is it a delinquent?¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t you think that ttukttak iscking some love? It was really pretty when I saw it earlier. How about a name like Leticia or Aymeric?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth gave some suggestions. They were great suggestions, but I thought that they were too long. The three of our gazes naturally turned toward the Imperial Prince. ¡°¡­..What is it?¡± He slightly frowned. It was at that moment. ¨C Click. ¡°Her Majesty and Her Eminence, Cardinal Boutier now entering.¡± We quickly turned our bodies and stood up. We heard some dignified footsteps following the gentle scraping of chairs. I quickly bowed toward the two adults. Soon, the Cardinal was seated to my left while the Empress took her ce at the head of the table. ¡°Sit.¡± She gave an Imperial order. Everybody sat down without making a peep. That was the signal for the attendants to quickly bring out the food. The Empress didn¡¯t like conversations getting cut off because food was being delivered, so all of the food, excluding the desserts, were ced on the table at once. A soul-suppressing silence continued. Everybody seemed to be awkwardly staring at different parts of the tablecloth. ¡°We hope that you have a wonderful time, your Majesty. Please ring the bell if you need anything.¡± Nobody looked to be having a wonderful time, but the Chief of Staff of the Summer Pce gave such ament before walking away. The Empress motioned with her hand; her attendant, Laura, and the Cardinal¡¯s attendant, Natalie, also left. Only the six of us were left in the dining area. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± The Empress picked up a spoon. Once she and the Cardinal started, everybody slowly picked up their cutlery. I first picked up a canap¨¦. I took a big bite and the stack of mascarpone and sprouts gently mixed on the tip of my tongue. It was extremely fresh. The adorably ced roasted seeds and pickled onions on top added savoriness to the dish. I inspected another canap¨¦ because I wanted to know where the fragrant and salty taste wasing from. It seemed to be wine salt. It definitely stirred my appetite. ¡°Delicious.¡± ¡°Eat a lot.¡± The Cardinal warmlymented. I smiled and ced the second canap¨¦ in my mouth. ¡°C¨¦dric. Your decision today was reckless.¡± ¨C Crunch, crunch. ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡± I stopped chewing. It was too loud when I was chewing on the canap¨¦. ¡°Would you have made the same decision if there were residents on the coast? I know that ¨¦lisabeth and the little Sarnez girl are trustworthy children, but someone who wishes to be the Emperor in the future should have considered the what-ifs.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was hard to eat using just my tongue. I just stopped moving and waited for the conversation to end. ¡°It was also reckless for you to get on a pirate ship as the Imperial Prince. Your body does not belong to you, it belongs to the Empire.¡± ¡°I will keep that in mind, your Majesty.¡± The Imperial Prince responded in a low voice. The Cardinal nced at me before whispering that I could eat in peace. I nodded my head. ¡°As for you, little Sarnez girl.¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡± ¨C Crunch. ¡°I said that I would support you to be a Holy Knight. I never said that I would support you to be a pirate. Do you remember that?¡± ¡°I remember, your Majesty.¡± ¨C Crunch, crunch. I stopped chewing again. This really seemed wrong. I wasn¡¯t the one being scolded but I still felt as if I was sitting on pins and needles. I knew that it was part of the punishment, but doing this at the dining table was something my cultural values could not understand. ¡®They basically only had snacks for lunch too. Can¡¯t you scold them after feeding them?¡¯ ¡°¨¦lisabeth.¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡± ¡°I said this to you earlier in the day, but I must emphasize it again. You are the Margrave heir¡­¡­¡± I peeked around the table to see that the three of them had not eaten anything. I pitied them as I picked up my share of the duck breast. ¡®This should be safe to eat since it shouldn¡¯t make a lot of noise.¡¯ The meat was so soft that the knife didn¡¯t even scratch the te. ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on saying this, but you punks are too energetic. Maybe it is because it is time for you all to get married.¡± The Empress clicked her tongue. ¡®Wow, we finally have a holiday atmosphere.¡¯ I gave the three troublemakers my deepest condolences internally while taking a big bite of duck meat. I heard that you could usually respond to that kind of statement with ¡®will you help us furnish our house¡¯ or ¡®will you help us get a house¡¯, but the problem was that the Empress could easily do both. ¡°Aur¨¦lie just happens to be quite busy right now. You know that the Main Church of Riester has their annual prayer meeting next month, right?¡± ¨C Crunch, crunch ¡®Ha¡­¡­ It was almond sauce on top of the duck.¡¯ I silently sighed before I stopped chewing again. Each of the almond slivers were sweet yet bitter, probably because they were coated in sugar and slightly burnt. It was so delicious but I was sad that I could not enjoy myself as I ate it. ¡°C¨¦dric, and little Sarnez girl. The two of you will participate in the prayer meeting to look for a decent partner. ¨¦lisabeth, you will be in charge of security for the event. That is your punishment.¡± ¡°Mother.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, please kill me instead.¡± The Imperial Prince and Christelle¡¯s faces were totally stiff. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth waspletely pale as if the bisque in front of her was poison. The situation seemed serious. ¨C Crunch. Well, that was none of my business. Chapter 72 Chapter 72 ¨C As Long As It Is Not Me (2) Chapter 72: As long as it is not me (2) ¡°You should know that her Majesty cherishes the three of them a lot, your highness. She would not have ended their punishment there if she didn¡¯t.¡± Benjaminmented in a jovial voice. His movements were cautious as he ced ice in my warm hydrangea tea. The resting areas in the Summer Pce were exactly to our liking. Everything was just right to rx, organize our thoughts and information, and have tea time. There was a small, well-maintained forest in the back of the Summer Pce. It felt like arge mansion. There were even some pavilions with white tiles and orange roofs within the forest. The couches and chairs were so clean that they looked new and the potted nts looked as if they had just been nted. It was amazing. It was shocking that underneath the roof was decorated like the indoors when taking a single step out of the tile would ce us within grass and trees. ¡°It is obvious because his Royal Highness is her Majesty¡¯s only child. She looks kindly towards Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth because she is his Royal Highness¡¯s closest friend. Youngdy Sarnez is Duke Simon de Sarnez¡¯s precious daughter and was going to be his Royal Highness¡¯s fianc¨¦e at one point.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I also thought that the punishment was quite light.¡± I nodded my head and picked up a bei. Today¡¯s beis were filled with boiled down cherries and cranberries with sugar powder on top. It smoothly melted on my tongue as soon as it entered my mouth. Both the shape and taste made it feel like a French doughnut. ¡°Furthermore, the way the three of them caused so much trouble like that¡­¡­ It might have reminded her Majesty of her younger days.¡± The middle-aged man gently added on. I responded. ¡°I have heard that her Majesty and her Eminence, Cardinal Boutier, went around causing a lot of trouble back then.¡± ¡°That is true, your highness. Grand Duke Yvelines had to clean up after them. I¡¯m certain that she must have been secretly pleased at seeing the three of them like that.¡± ¡®That must be why she acted that way.¡¯ The dinner with the Empress and the Cardinal four days ago had continued in the extremely tense atmosphere. However, the punishment for Christelle, the Imperial Prince, and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth had been quite light inparison. By the end of it, it was so rxed that everybody, except the Imperial Prince and myself, took multiple shots of absinthe. ording to Ganael, he would have been ced in the underground prison without any mercy if he had been the one to do such a thing. ¡°If it was someone from a household that has a terrible rtionship with her Majesty, they could even be charged with trying to cause a rebellion.¡± The young boy chatted away while seated on a small couch. It would be weird if anything else happened if someone brought a pirate ship into the Imperial family¡¯s territory. I chuckled and took a sip of my hydrangea tea. The Summer Pce had been extremely quiet for the past three days. The Empress and the Cardinal had onlye here to get away from the heat and not for a true vacation, so they were in their respective offices looking after the Empire¡¯s affairs. The knights were busy going back and forth between the Imperial Capital and Yvelines as messengers. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth left for Moutet County the day after dinner. She said she had a lot of things to confirm, such as whether or not the Margrave¡¯s Knights Brigade sessfully captured the pirates they had thrown into the water as well as how the aftermath clean up was going. Christelle and her instructor, Sir Johann Geens, remained at the Summer Pce. There was an Imperial Order for her to study with the Imperial Prince here for a while. The two of them did not go all out when sparring against each other like they did back in the Imperial Pce. Furthermore, the Imperial Prince was busy as the Duke of Yvelines, taking care of issues in the Duchy that had been stacking up. It was nice that I was alone in peace. ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­ The northern breeze brushed past the leaves and grass. I couldn¡¯t help but smile, feeling refreshed. Benjamin and Ganael confirmed that I was eating and drinking well before opening up some books. This has been how I spend my past few days. I slept well too. I opened my notebook and picked up a quill pen, as I always did. ? Avoid vs Get involved The two options I wrote yesterday were clearly visible. I stared at the two options as if they were my worst enemies. Based on my abilities, I might not be able to avoid getting tangled in Christelle¡¯s epic story forever. That was what this experience had taught me. Until now, I had thought that I would find a way to survive if I did my best, stayed focused, and avoided the two main characters. However, I was a bit skeptical after being in Yvelines with the two of them to spend the summer. If the author of QNW needed me for Christelle¡¯s story and was nning to stick me in there once again against all odds, my resistance was futile. Furthermore, the two of them had saved me when I was falling off a cliff. I rubbed the spot on my forehead that had mmed into the Imperial Prince¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple. ? Avoidvs Get involved ¨C Pros of getting involved: Easy to gather information. I added that sentence before staring at the paper again. The main character was bound to be at the center of new information. Christelle was lively and full of curiosity, so there was no better partner than her when it came to gathering new information about QNW. I might even find some clues about returning home. Things that I would not be able to learn through books or lessons should be plentiful in her adventures. However¡­¡­ ¨C Pros of avoiding them: Can live until the war. I felt my throat burning and crunched on an ice cube that was floating on top of my hydrangea tea. My concern stemmed from this point. If I avoided the two of them and did not interfere in the original storyline as much as possible, the war was likely to happen as it did in the story. I didn¡¯t think that the author would trash an important event where the extremely popr second male lead passed away. In this case, there was only one thing for me to do in order to survive. Limit contact with the two main characters as much as possible and stay in a safe ce until the end of the war. ¡°Haaa¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± However, if I did not resist getting involved with them and ended up being with Christelle and the Imperial Prince in theing days¡­ The original QNW might disappearpletely. The two of them were both Holy Knights and I was a real priest, which meant that all of our sses had changed. Adding someone like me, who contributed to the uncertainty, was too risky. I was a regr person unlike the two of them. I frequently made mistakes, my athletic abilities were the lowest of the low, and I could not make decisions like the main characters or Imperial family. If I got involved and the story took an unexpected turn; if it rippled from there to elerate the time in which I die¡­¡­ ¡°That¡¯ll be quite the headache.¡± I quietly mumbled. Survival. Survival was more important than anything else. If I had transmigrated as the Empress or Cardinal and had to save Prince Jesse, I would have set the foundation from the beginning in order to prevent the war. Unfortunately, I was the prince himself and a diplomatic hostage. There were only a few things I could do, and staying submissive was the only way to survive when I could be in danger at any moment. I did have a trump card already prepared, but¡­¡­ It would be great if I had other ways to guarantee my safety. ¡°¡­¡­A deal.¡± I suddenly recalled what I had thought of while looking at the Imperial Prince a few days ago. I quickly turned the front page of the notebook. ? Sadie and the suspicious letter I had a note to get back from the little kid. I was thinking that the only thing I could give the kid in return for it was ether. Thinking about it that way, that was the same for the Imperial Prince and Christelle. I could offer the two of them the same condition. The problem was that the two of them probably didn¡¯t care about me as much. I can proudly say that my ether has the highest quality of all the ether in the continent, but¡­¡­ ¡°Benjamin, excuse me.¡± I ended up calling out to Benjamin, who was seated on a couch across from me. I needed an adult¡¯s counsel. He immediately raised his head to look at me. His imposing gaze made me calm down a bit. ¡°What should I do if I want to make a deal with someone but the cards I have are not very good?¡± I asked. Benjamin tilted his chin a bit. ¡°My product is extremely high quality. I can confidently say that it is the best. However, the product itself ismon¡­¡­ So the other party can easily find a recement basically anywhere.¡± The Imperial Prince could probably order an Archbishop toe and give him ether if he wanted to do so, and Christelle wasn¡¯t much different. She did try to get me to partner with her twice, but that was because it was right before the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts and she was in a rush. The Duke¡¯s House of Sarnez was a house with enough ability to search through every temple within the Empire if she was to leisurely look for a partner. ¡°But you are saying that there is no product anywhere better than yours, your highness.¡± ¡°That should be the case. At least I believe so.¡± ¡°Then that means that you have the greatest card in your hand, your highness.¡± Benjamin responded in a calm voice. Ganael, who eventually looked up from his book, blinked a few times as he listened. ¡°Anybody who is making a deal with you about it is probably in a high position. Such people have no interest in subpar products. Their minds are set on getting their hands on things that are as precious and rare as themselves. They will ept any request you may have, your highness.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I had never considered it in that aspect. I was just thinking about saying things like, ¡®ether is all about quality over quantity, esteemed customer¡¯. ¡®I guess this is how pincette marketing works.¡¯ ¡°If I may say something else¡­¡­¡± ¡°Of course, I will listen.¡± I sat up straight as I responded. Benjamin smiled benignly. ¡°Nheless, the most important thing is trust, your highness. There needs to be mutual trust in order to make a deal.¡± He was speaking as if he saw right through me. I smiled bitterly and lowered my gaze to the table. I could see a Brioche Vend¨¦enne that had been luxuriously braided like Christelle¡¯s hair. ¡°Is it hard for you to trust the other party, your highness?¡± Ganael quickly put his book down and sliced some brioche for me, most likely thinking that I wanted to eat some. Iughed once the warm piece of bread was ced in my hand. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Thank you.¡± At least Christelle seemed trustworthy. She was Jung Eunseo¡¯s favorite character and seemed to be a righteous person. She might do whatever she needs to do in order to be a shield if I asked earnestly. On the other hand, the Imperial Prince¡­¡­ ¡°I think I want to trust him.¡± ¡°Then how about giving him a chance, your highness?¡± The young boy looked at me and innocently asked. ¡®A chance. A chance is something I can only give if I¡¯m in a position to give it.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. The brioche is delicious. You should eat it while it is warm too.¡± I ced a piece of bread in Ganael and Benjamin¡¯s hands as well. I had no ns on suggesting a deal right away anyway. A supporting character like me with a time limit had to watch the flow and be smart about where to take the next step. * ¡°Today is special ether training. Big bro is going to rip his Holy Domain up.¡± ¨C Screeeech! Demy seemed to be extremely disciplined despite his guardian being in pajamas. The room I was staying in within the Summer Pce was about twice the size of my room in Juliette Pce. It was a relief that my circle would not extend past the door even when I extended it as far as possible. The attendants were making a fusste into the night because it was my birthday tomorrow. I had no desire to add even more chaos. Everybody was walking on their tippy-toes and whispering because the Empress, Imperial Prince, and Cardinal were resting, but it was still chaotic. It made me wonder if it was even okay for them to treat me so well when I was a Diplomatic hostage. ¡®Well, I don¡¯t mind it. I guess I¡¯m thankful that the Imperial Prince gave permission for them to do this too¡­¡­¡¯ I was a bit apologetic that there was nothing I could give in return. ¡°Should I take some confessions tomorrow?¡± ¨C Screeeech I could at least do that much. I had not properlypleted my duties as a priest after the first two days in Yvelines. Nobody was forcing me to do it, but I felt guilty not doing it and rxing since I was the one who said that I would do it. Rhea could not wait any longer and pushed down on my foot. She was telling me to quickly release my ether. ¡°Yes, Korean people like it fast-fast.¡± (TL: The faster pace in life (exemplified in technology, construction, and delivery industry) isrgely reflective of the general Korean culture for instant replies and fast progress. This might have stemmed from the rapid economic growth the country experienced within such a short period of time, which gave rise to the phrase.) ¨C Paaaat¡­¡­ I lowered my gaze and opened my Holy Domain. I felt a tiny amount of ether leaving my body and a golden light lit up the inside of the room. The ceiling, and a part of the wall that was painted blue as an ent, were glowing green. The gold decorations sparkled even more radiantly. The three red pandas jumped up and down with excitement. I looked at the kiddos and recalled what Cardinal Boutier had told me. ¡®I¡¯m sure you know about it after reading the books, but there is only one way to upgrade your ether circle. Use it frequently- circte it frequently and apply it frequently.¡¯ She said that that also depended on whether someone had the talent for it. If the te they were born with was small or they only had a small amount of ether, a priest would remain at the same level forever. ¡®You can be a good Cardinal, my little prince. So don¡¯t give up and y around with your ether.¡¯ She was setting her disciple¡¯s goal for bing a Cardinal when this was a world where a priest retiring as a bishop was already considered the greatest honor of someone¡¯s life. I would probably die in the war before reaching that level, but it was a good thing for my teacher to be ambitious about my potential. ¨C Piruuuuuuuuuu The chimney bird that had been nodding off on a pillow flew over andnded at the center of my circle. ¡°You¡¯re not asleep yet. Did youe to watch?¡± ¨C Chhh! The Holy Domain shook for a moment. My eyes opened wide. It reminded me of radio signals being jammed. Chapter 73 Chapter 73 ¨C As Long As It Is Not Me (3) Chapter 73: As long as it is not me (3) ¡°Just now¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t call that sensation a delusion. I looked down at the chimney bird that was seated at the center of the circle tilting its body side to side. The Holy Domain was in the shape of a full circle as if it never shook. However, I was certain that I saw it. The golden circle shook like a broken TV screen as soon as the bird sat on it. ¡°Little kid. Are you really a divine beast?¡± ¨C Pipipipi The little bird nonchntly chirped. The three red pandas had rushed over and were hiding behind my legs. ¡®Are they scared? Or are they still just shy around the bird?¡¯ ¨C Screeeeech Demy bravely stepped forward and stood in front of me. He then opened and closed his small mouth while trying to look threatening. He was the smallest of the trio but he seemed to be acting like the leader I imed him to be. I couldn¡¯t help butugh because I was proud of him and because he looked cute. ¡°Demy, it¡¯s okay.¡± I calmed him down. I had no proof but I had an odd feeling that this chimney bird was not trying to harm me. I was sure that it was no ordinary animal. I felt more curiosity than uncertainty in my mind. [Should I give you some ether?] My voice sounded as if I was speaking into a microphone. The bird was not shocked at all. Demy made a palm leaf the size of my body appear at the tip of his foot. I guess he was nning on using it as a shield if necessary. I quietly took a deep breath before slowly releasing some ether to deliver to the chimney bird. I was able to control the amount leaving my body while imagining myself giving it a half spoon of cough syrup. However¡­ ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s not eating it.¡± To be more specific, my ether was not being absorbed into the bird¡¯s body at all. I became a bit flustered and pushed even more ether toward the chimney bird. However, the ether simply came back to me. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be like this.¡± This bird had caused a disturbance on the Holy Domain even if it was only for a moment. However, it was not reacting to the ether as if it was a regr person or animal. I sat down cross-legged on top of the circle and reached out my hand. ¡°Come to big bro, good job.¡± ¨C Piruuuuu, pipi The chimney bird jumped about two times toward me and tilted its head side to side before pping its wings a few times. It looked extremely rxed getting onto my palm and situating itself. ¡®Are you moving in or something?¡¯ Demy, Rhea, and Perry finally seemed relieved as they crawled through my legs and sprawled out. A handful of chimney bird and a bucketful of red pandas. ¡°You don¡¯t like ttukbaegi or ttukttak either, right?¡± ¨C Pipi! Pipipi! It responded quite loudly. It must loathe the names that Christelle suggested. The bird surprisingly understood what I was saying and seemed to enjoy being in my hand unlike normal birds. I even wondered if it was the baby of a divine beast. That might exin why it was bad at absorbing ether. Of course, I didn¡¯t know whether divine beasts could reproduce or if the Almighty God sent this one in this not fully grown state. Unlike the red pandas who usually stayed with me in my room, the chimney bird flew around quite a lot of ces thest three days. It was sitting on Christelle¡¯s shoulder two days ago and I thought it was gone all day yesterday and it seemed to have spent the day in the Imperial Prince¡¯s room. It was a free spirit. It didn¡¯t seem interested when I offered it some food and water too. I thought that it must have been eating some bugs outside, but¡­ ¡°Christelle seems focused on having ¡®gul¡¯ or ¡®ttuk¡¯ in your name.¡± (TL: Chimney bird is gulttuksae in Korean) ¨C Piiiii The bird seemed sad. Christelle even came up with names like gulbi when I saw her at the dining room this morning. (TL: Gulbi is Korean for yellow corvina) She might evene up with something like guldari tomorrow if we couldn¡¯t settle it for something with ttuk. (TL: guldari is underpass in Korean) [What about ttukshim?] (TL: Ttukshim is perseverance in Korean. Henceforth the bird¡¯s name will be Percy as a short for perseverance and to go with the rest of the Greek names.) I cautiously asked in a Divine Oracle. This seemed to be the best name I coulde up with that had ttuk in it. I thought that Sylphie might be decent because we met this little kid at the windy cliff and I even considered calling it ¡®Nan¡¯ so that it would be a great bird, but¡­ (TL: Nan or Luan in Chinese is a mythological bird in East Asian mythology) Christelle was trying hard at it so I couldn¡¯t ignore her efforts. [It¡¯s not bad, right? Your name is Percy so that you live with perseverance wherever you go.] The bird¡¯s ck eyes blinked rapidly. ¡®Sorry, I know that this isn¡¯t the best.¡¯ ¨C Pipipiruuuuuuut! The bird opened its yellow beak to energetically respond. It seemed to not hate it since it wasn¡¯t pecking at my palm. Was it saying something like, ¡®I will ept it because your efforts were praiseworthy?¡¯ ¨C Flutter Percy¡¯s short wings pped as he flew down. He then buried his body in the three red pandas¡¯ chubby tails as if it was a nest. Demy, who was getting sleepy, grumbled at that moment. ¡°Go night night first. Big bro is going to sleep after running my ether for 50 rounds.¡± I whispered to him. I knew that my legs would go numb soon because of the divine beasts but I decided to treat this as a form of training as well. Taking care of myself was part of it, but it was only right to be a strong priest in order to take care of these little kiddos. My gold ether spread to the corners of the Holy Domain with a paaat noise. * May 31st was a day with a nice breeze and bright sunshine. ¡°Happy birthday, Prince Jesse!¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Happy birthday, your highness. May the glory of the Almighty God be with you always.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. Please have a nice day.¡± No matter where I went in the Summer Pce, attendants and royal servants rushed over to greet me. I received each and every one of their birthday greetings with a bright expression on my face. Everybody I met today was saying such nice things that I felt bad and sorry that the real Prince Jesse could not hear any of this. The busy Empress sent a card and a bouquet through the Chief of Staff. Cardinal Boutier came to my room on her way to work and gave me a kiss on my cheeks and left. ¡°Your highness, these are some canel¨¦s we personally baked early this morning. We made about 100 of them because we heard that you like them.¡± ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s so many¡­¡­. I will enjoy them very much. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness! We will deliver them to your room soon.¡± Some of the kitchen royal servants lowered their heads so far that it almost reached the floor and walked away. Everybody was so generous that I wondered if people in the north were all this generous. I received a birthday breakfast so vast that the dining table legs looked as if they would break and it took close to two and a half hours to eat it all even with Benjamin and Ganael¡¯s help. ¡°Your highness, I think you have received enough food today to eat for a year.¡± Ganaelughed in awe while following behind me. I nodded my head and received another attendant¡¯s greeting. Although I didn¡¯t have a bad rtionship with Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, I couldn¡¯t have an official birthday party because I was a Diplomatic hostage. And as usual, gifts of value were not possible either. I didn¡¯t like anything shy or burdensome anyway so I thought that was good. But then it ended up like this. People I didn¡¯t know gave me a ton of food they personally made wherever I went and I tried every bread and dessert I received as I was taught that you don¡¯t reject sincerity. Everything was delicious but I probably won¡¯t even be able to have ate lunch because I¡¯ll be so full. ¡®How wildly did the incident at the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts get exaggerated?¡¯ ¡°Happy birthday, your highness! You¡¯re wearing some fancy clothes to match the asion.¡± I heard a familiar voice at that moment. I could see Christelle quickly approaching from the other side of the corridor. Her hair was up as usual but it was rare to see her wearing a dress. She smiled like an angel and handed me a small package. ¡°It¡¯s a book. To be honest with you, I had prepared a pirate ship to give to you, your highness, but¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just joking! Anyway, I¡¯m sure that you will like this book because I heard that it is the best selling book in the Imperial Capital right now. I asked her Eminence and she said that books were always allowed as presents.¡± Her blue-gray eyes were sparkling cheerfully. I smiled and thanked her. I ended up receiving a present from Christelle in the end. ¡°Thank you very much, youngdy Sarnez. I will have fun reading it.¡± ¡°It was nothing, your highness. Did you receive a gift from the esteemed Duke as well?¡± ¡°No.¡± Forget a present, I had not even run into him today. It must not be easy to pay no attention to the birthday of someone living in the same house. Well, I wasn¡¯t upset since there wasn¡¯t anything I was looking forward to getting from that Imperial Prince bastard anyway. Christelle¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock. ¡°That¡¯s weird. I thought that he would prepare an amazing gift that met the standards of an Imperial family member.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like we are very close, youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°Ohe on, your highness. You know everything you need to know about him.¡± Christelle winked with her left eye and then her right eye. ¡®This is amazing every time I see it, but wait a minute. Why are you phrasing it like that?¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s something you know as well, youngdy Sarnez. To be more specific, that is a secret between you and me.¡± ¡°That is true, your highness. Where are you headed?¡± Christelleughed as if she couldn¡¯t win against me and changed the topic. I responded that I was going to receive some confessions and she said that she would escort me. ¡®It¡¯s a service to the main character for today!¡¯ She sounded happy as she said that. I slowly started walking with her and Benjamin and Ganael seemed oddly happy. ¡°By the way, I gave the chimney bird a name. It¡¯s name is Percy.¡± ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s totally my style! That is a great name.¡± It was pretty nice seeing other people happier than me on my birthday. * [Please rx and confess once you are ready.] ¡°Yes, yes, your highness¡­¡­¡± The man standing outside the Confessional took some short breaths with a shaky voice. I quietly waited for the penitent to start speaking. In my hand was the travel book Christell gifted me, Chapter 74 Chapter 74 ¨C As Long As It Is Not Me (4) Chapter 74: As long as it is not me (4) [When you say pig out¡­¡­] ¡°It¡¯s exactly as I mentioned, your highness. They frequently request ether and want too much at once. It¡¯s reeeeeally difficult¡­¡­ I talked to them about it because I couldn¡¯t handle it anymore and the youngdy just asked why I couldn¡¯t even do this much while his Royal Highness just sighed. Sob¡­¡­¡± Sand buried his face in my handkerchief. I closed my eyes for a moment, not knowing what to say. Basically, Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric were treating this young Clergy level priest terribly as if he was a public charger and bullying him. I couldn¡¯t believe it. They openly did something so terrible but acted as if nothing was wrong when I saw them in the pce? [That, mm. Have you spoken to her Eminence, Cardinal Boutier about it?] I realized that I made a mistake after asking the question. Of course Sand would not have been able to tell her. A Cardinal was called a ¡®Royal Son or Daughter of Faith¡¯ and had authority in the Vatican, however, Aur¨¦lie Boutier was more importantly the Imperial Prince¡¯s Godmother and the Empress¡¯s partner. Even if we set aside the extremely distant level of authority between a priest and a Cardinal, Sand would never have been able to go up to her to tell her that her godson was a shithead. ¡°Sooob, how could I¡­¡­¡± Sand¡¯s eyes sank low in sorrow as he looked at me. I awkwardly patted his shoulder while feeling apologetic. [I understand. Sir Geens just sits by and lets it happen?] I had to ask. Sir Johann Geens was the Holy Knight teacher for Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. If they were doing something inappropriate as Holy Knights, he should have stepped in before anybody else. It is supposed to be a partnership between theHoly Knight and a priest, not one side exploiting the other. ¡°S, Sir Geens, during the lessons¡­¡­. He doesn¡¯t seem very interested in his job¡­¡­¡± Sand¡¯s gaze quickly fell as he trailed off. I suddenly recalled a conversation I had with Ganael in the Juliette Pce¡¯s reception room. ¡®It should be fine since it is a spar. The teacher from the Vatican is there with them. I¡¯m sure that he will take care of things.¡¯ ¡®I thought so at first as well, but I don¡¯t think that the teacher is capable of handling them.¡¯ I could see the situation quickly forming in front of my eyes. I had to speak up about this potential situation. I thought that this was something that others shouldn¡¯t hear and deactivated my Divine Oracle before lowering my voice. ¡°Then, the two of them just spar everyday, suck out the ether they need from you and Sir Geens just sits there and watches?¡± ¡°Sob, yes, your highness¡­¡­¡± Sand sniffled and quietly responded. I couldn¡¯t help but frown. I couldn¡¯t understand why they had not said anything despite him not actually teaching them. ¡°I never heard about that while in the Imperial Pce. Has the Duke-nim or the youngdy spoken up about it?¡± ¡°It has not been very long since Sir Geens or I got here¡­¡­ They seem to think that he would eventually teach them when the time is right. And the two of them¡­ seem to enjoy sparring?¡± The priest, who was maybe twenty at the oldest, tilted his head before wiping his eyes with the handkerchief. I barely held myself back from sighing. I didn¡¯t know what Sir Geens was thinking, but the two of them can not be allowed to continue like this. As someone in the same profession, I did not feel good seeing a priest being treated like this. ¡°Ah, your highness¡­¡­ The reason I came to confess¡­ It is because I wanted to run away. I even packed my bags in secretst night. Sniff. I know that I shouldn¡¯t do that, but¡­¡­¡± Sand changed the topic to focus on the sacrament. I quietly nodded my head and listened to his story. However, I couldn¡¯t stop the difort filling up inside of me. It was one thing if I lived with my ears closed forever, but it was hard for me to fake ignorance now that I heard what was going on. There seemed to be a limit to ignoring things, even if they weren¡¯t happening to me or were my issues. * Christelle de Sarnez roamed around the Summer Pce aimlessly after escorting Prince Jesse to the temporary Confessional. It would have been fun to chat with his attendants, but she had a strong urge to get some fresh air today. That was the reason she had walked toward the small forest at the back of the Summer Pce. She was feeling more free than ever because the attendant who came with her from the Duke¡¯s Estate was left behind at the Moutet County. The Prince¡¯s pure and warm ether still felt as if it was roaming around her. That was probably the reason she didn¡¯t notice C¨¦dric Riester already sitting in the pavilion that she was headed toward. ¡°I greet his Royal Highness, Duke Yvelines.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Christelle became a bit anxious in front of him, which was rare for her, but hid her anxiety as she respectfully greeted him. The young Duke received her greeting with a gaze, as he always did. This man always used his pretty face to its max value every time she saw him. He seemed to have brought some documents from his office to read outside. He must have needed a change of pace as well. She had no choice but to change directions to the pavilion on the other side. Neither of them were the type to suppress their ether in consideration for the other. ¡®Why should I when he/she doesn¡¯t?¡¯ That was their thought process. As a result, avoiding each other outside of their lessons was the best way to maintain peace. They couldn¡¯t cause another incident when the Empress scolded them not too long ago. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡®I hope that the other pavilion has a long couch as well so I can take a nap.¡¯ Christelle, who was having that thought, oddly stopped walking. It was because she suddenly recalled the conversation she had with Prince Jesse earlier. She slowly turned her head to look at the Duke. That beautiful face of his seemed quite serious while reading that piece of paper. She had no interest in bothering someone who was working, but today was the Prince¡¯s special day. She couldn¡¯t hold in her curiosity. ¡°Your Royal Highness, did you perhaps forget that it is Prince Jesse¡¯s birthday today?¡± Her pretty voice did not have even the tiniest amount of malice behind it. However, the Dukepletely ignored her as if it was normal. ¡®Ahhh, this extremely rude son of a bitch.¡¯ ¡®Ham Ga-in¡¯ swore internally before turning around. She managed to prevent anything vulgar froming out of her mouth, but a bit of her temper ended up bursting out. ¡°He might start to hate you if you keep going like this.¡± There was a bit of malice behind her voice this time. She knew that Prince Jesse would not hate the Duke. He was kind-hearted by nature, and was weak toward animals and children. The Duke was usually an animal and could turn into a little kid when he iscking ether, so she was certain that there would never be a day when the Prince would truly treat him terribly. However, Christelle wanted to say something to this little punk. She didn¡¯t care if it was childish. She was this kind of person. ¡°I have no need to appease him because I have his weakness.¡± She was about to leave before she became even angrier when the man gave such a strange response. To be more specific, it only sounded weird to Christelle. She turned around to see that the Duke¡¯s face was stoic as usual. ¡°You have his highness¡¯s weakness?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Duke turned toward his documents as if there was nothing else to add. Christelle was in disbelief and could not remain silent. ¡°You don¡¯t think that you can use that as an excuse to treat someone as you please, do you, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I can at least make him submit.¡± ¡®Wow, fuck. Look at how this bastard is talking.¡¯ Christelle quickly walked over and sat down on the couch opposite to the Duke. C¨¦dric scowled at this disrespectful act, but she ignored it as easily as water flows down. ¡°I thought you trusted Prince Jesse, your Royal Highness. Wasn¡¯t it pretty nice during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts? I felt the same way.¡± She didn¡¯t want to admit it, but it was fun. The Prince, the Duke, and she seemed to work pretty well together. Her condition always being good because of the Prince¡¯s ether yed a part as well. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that has to do with anything.¡± Christelle cked her teeth together. It was a subconscious reaction that happened whenever she thought that something or someone was hopeless. Basically, the Duke trusted the prince, but came up with a shitty method to keep the Prince in his grasp. Honestly speaking, she wanted to leave the Duke as is and get up. She had a positive rtionship with the Prince while the Duke seems to be on track for a negative rtionship with the Prince being disappointed in him. However¡­ ¡®Oh right, the Ark of the Wind Deity. It waspletely different from the keychain version I got at the Night Market, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯ ¡®I do recall it at least being in the shape of a wing. I will go to my room and check.¡¯ ¡®You brought it all the way here, your highness?¡¯ ¡®I put it on the handle of my travel bag.¡¯ Prince Jesse was someone who had even kept the cheap essory she won at the dagger throwingpetition. Something like that was probably just junk to a man who grew up as a prince, but he was surprisingly easygoing and kind. Christelle thought that it wasn¡¯t right for someone like that to be hurt by someone¡¯s ipetence and immaturity. That was all. ¡°Please listen carefully, your Royal Highness. I will only exin it once.¡± ¡°What?¡± Christelle spoke while gritting her teeth. She knew that this guy was so young that the ink was probably not even dry after adding him to the family tree, but she never expected that she would need to teach him how to make friends. ¡°Prince Jesse is a person. In fact, he is a very good person. You will not be able to win him over with such methods.¡± ¡°Are you,¡± ¡°The divine item in the Bell Tower. It is not even human but it was very difficult for you to calm it down, wasn¡¯t it? It would have been terrible if I wasn¡¯t there, right? How do you think you would farewith a person instead?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Prince Jesse is a kind person who easilyunderstands when you talk to him. You know that well, your Royal Highness.¡± The Duke¡¯s orange eyes sank down. Christelle continued to speak. ¡°He¡¯s already a Diplomatic hostage. He will only feel anxiety and fear if he is threatened. Do you really want to return Prince Jesse¡¯s goodwill with that, your Royal Highness?¡± She ended on a happy note. ¡°Please show him your sincerity. Then you will be able to get closer.¡± She then brushed off her dress before getting up. She thought that she seemed quite cool today. She felt proud after giving a twenty-four year old a life lesson while feeling frustrated. Shewondered how this bastard grew up like this. ¡°Then I will make my leave now, your Royal Highness.¡± Christelle bowed elegantly before walking away. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The clean breeze of the north brushed past the forest, the grass, and the man¡¯s ck satin-like hair. He looked down at the document in his hand for a moment. And then the paper lit on fire. * ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel good to wash? It feels refreshing, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¨C Screeeech ¨C Pipipi I smiled while talking to the divine beasts. It took an hour and a half to bathe them and myself. Unlike Demy, who likes water, Rhea and Perry were pouting quite a bit right now. Percy¡¯s feathers were wet, so he looked quite skinny, but I guess it wasn¡¯t a bad experience since he was busy running around chirping. I loosely tied the strap of my robe before drying each of them with a towel. They were always clean, maybe because they are divine beasts, but cleaning them made them seem even cleaner. ¡°Perry,e here. I¡¯m not done wiping your tail.¡± ¨C Whimper Perry¡¯s ck ears twitched before he ran away from me. Rhea started following behind him as well. ¡®The night air in the north is cold, so I need to dry them properly to make sure that they don¡¯t catch a cold¡­¡­ Huh?¡¯ ¡°Did I leave the door open when I went in?¡± I saw that the balcony door waspletely open. I left the divine beasts alone and approached the balcony with it¡¯s fluttering curtains before closing the door and making sure to lock every lock. Percy must be nning on staying with me, since he was in my room all day. ¡®Is it a special birthday favor?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­How should I deal with things tomorrow?¡± I quietly mumbled. I had thought about a lot of things after hearing Sand¡¯s confession today. That was the reason I headed directly to the Cardinal¡¯s office after hearing people¡¯s confessions for about two hours. I thought that it wouldn¡¯t be bad for me to bring it up to the Cardinal now that I knew about it, especially since Sand could not do so. However¡­ ¡®Your highness, I am extremely sorry but her Eminence has stated that she has too much work right now. Would it be okay for you toe back in a few hours? I will personallye to escort you.¡¯ ¡®I see. That is okay. I wille again next time.¡¯ That ended up being my conversation with the Cardinal¡¯s attendant, Natalie. She was concerned because the Cardinal wasn¡¯t even able to eat properly. Natalie did not look good either. I chose to send some of the canel¨¦s I received as a present to the Cardinal¡¯s office instead of going to visit her. She was so busy preparing for the Prayer Meeting next month that she couldn¡¯t even close her eyes. To tell such a person that their children were working together to bully another family¡¯s precious child was a bit¡­¡­ ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii. ¡°What is it? Do you want to go down?¡± Demy, who had climbed on top of the bedroom table, was whining. I was picking him up by his belly, like I always did, when I saw an unfamiliar box where Demy was seated. There was a small card next to it as well. The box and the card were both heavily decorated with jewels and sparkled excessively. I became extremely anxious but calmly opened the card. The message was short. ¡®Always keep it with you. -C. R.¡¯ Chapter 75 Chapter 75 ¨C Lesson Observation (1) Chapter 75: Lesson Observation (1) If the initials are C.R. then¡­ There was only one person who popped into my mind. Furthermore, that bastard was also the only person who could make such a fancy present suddenly appear in my room at this time of night. I thought about the balcony door that was wide open when I came out of the restroom with the divine beasts. That attitude of his that makes him to go in and out of another person¡¯s bedroom as he pleases, was still the same. ¡°¡­¡­I guess he does give birthday presents though.¡± He could have easily asked his attendant, David, to deliver it, so I wasn¡¯t sure why he did it personally. The card didn¡¯t have any congrattory words on it but I folded it back up and stored it away. Then I looked at the golden box that was sparkling so much that my eyes hurt. ¡°Demy, look at this. I could probably get enough money to feed us for the rest of our lives if I sold this box.¡± ¨C Screeeech Demy loudly screeched in agreement. Rhea, Perry, and Percy had also gathered around the table, showing their curiosities toward the box as well. I ced Percy on the table, since he couldn¡¯t fly with his wet wings, and slowly opened the box lid. The item inside was hard to look at because it was shi from the bright light of the bedroom. My jaw dropped because it was not something I had expected at all. ¡°Wow. A cup? No. A bell? It¡¯s a bell. How pretty.¡± The crystal that waspletely clear to the point that I could look through it, was an borately and splendidly crafted bell. It was small enough for the whole thing, including the handle, to fit in my hand. The light reflected through the crystal, lighting up the ceiling and the walls as I held it and turned it around. There were jewels the size of my pinky fingernail all around the waist of the bell. They all seemed as expensive as diamonds or beryls. The colorbination made them look like prettier versions of the infinity stones. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t have a pper.¡± I mumbled while shaking the bell. I looked inside because I didn¡¯t hear anything. It really didn¡¯t have a pper. It¡¯s only use seemed to be as an essory. ¡®Is it maybe a magic tool?¡¯ ¡°Huh?¡± I put my hand into the bell, in shock. The Imperial Prince seemed to have hidden something deep inside of it. Only I would have been able to see it. My fingertips touched what felt like paper. I quickly took it out and opened it. ¡®Is it a manual?¡¯ ¡®My beloved Losna.¡¯ It was that note. The suspicious note from Usil that Sadie had taken from me in the Imperial Pce had been returned. It was hard to believe, even though it was in my hand. I read it multiple times and even flipped it over. It really was that problematic note. Getting a present was one thing, but I couldn¡¯t close my jaw. I had not expected to get the note back as well. Why? Well, it was a good thing, but¡­ He did say something like, ¡®You will end up submitting first.¡¯ ¡®What has gotten into him?¡¯ ¡°Is it because I gave him my word?¡± ¨C Pipipi Percy crawled into the empty box and curled up into a ball. I recalled what I had said to the young boy using my Divine Oracle. I had not been in contact with the Holy Kingdom and I would not contact them in the future. I gave my word in a Promise of Ether. A priest giving their word was an act of borrowing the Authority of the Almighty God to prove their sincerity. It was well known that a priest who didn¡¯t stay true to their word would suffer losses. He might have decided that it was okay to return the letter to me because I did that. Figuring out where the note came from was probably a lot of work too. It was hard to tell whether it got mixed with the birthday cards in the Empress Pce, if someone in Juliette Pce stealthily snuck it in, or if some noble hid the note in their card from the beginning. Perhaps he decided to let it be and see what happens since it was only a note checking in on me. Though, it was a bit unexpected that he had not told the Empress or Cardinal about it. ¡°¡­¡­Does he really trust me?¡± That was a relief. Trust was much more useful to my survival than suspicion. Unlike Jung Eunseo¡¯s perception of him, the Imperial Prince didn¡¯t seem like that terrible of a person in my eyes. Of course, I had not expected to share a secret with not only Christelle, but also with the Imperial Prince too. ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s sleep. Let¡¯s sleep and then think about itter.¡± I carried the divine beasts, who were slowly falling asleep, and left the table. The note mentioned always keeping the little bell on me, so I left it on the bedside table and put the note in my pocket before lying down. This way, I took care of both things. * I felt a bit restless the next day. Benjamin and Ganael seemed a bit shocked at my unusual promation, but they quickly calmed down and did what they needed to do. Ganael went to the Cardinal¡¯s office to inform her of my decision while Benjamin got the Summer Pce staff to help him set up a pic basket. Percy must have gone somewhere this morning since I didn¡¯t see him, but the red panda trio were ready to head out. ¡°Your highness, is there a reason you suddenly changed your mind?¡± ¡°I just thought that since I¡¯m familiar with the two of them¡­ It wasn¡¯t respectful topletely ignore them.¡± I just mumbled some random excuse that came to mind. Ganael and Benjamin were usually very supportive of my hermit lifestyle but they were always super happy when I brought up going out. Walking down to the first floor and through the open corridor seemed to calm me down. The two main characters had their lesson at 11am. I should be able to make it right on time if I left right now. ¡°The Summer Pce¡¯s training ground is to the right, Prince Jesse.¡± An attendant at the Summer Pce guided us after hearing what was going on. I nodded my head and followed her. I was only doing this to help out poor Sand and objectively assess the situation. It wasn¡¯t fair to only listen to what Sand had to say. Furthermore, Sir Johann Geens was a Holy Knight from the Vatican. I was certain that I might be able to pick up on some useful information if I went today. ¡°I did receive a present, so I should go thank him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true your highness. That bell seemed like quite the treasure.¡± Ganael energetically nodded his head as he responded. The young boy and the middle-aged attendant seemedpletely stunned after looking at the box that the Imperial Prince left. They gasped about how it was enough to buy twenty houses withkes in the Imperial Capital and praised the crystal bell, talking about how it seemed more precious than most other gifts. They even questioned whether or not it was an Imperial Treasure. Benjamin must have been concerned that I would actually go out and sell it since he informed me very seriously that I cannot ever sell a present from an Imperial family member. Iughed, since it had been a while since I had seen Benjamin look so serious. ¡°We are here. Right this way, your highness.¡± The attendant informed us. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked forward to see the wide outdoor training ground on the west side of the Summer Pce. The cool northern breeze brushed past us as if to greet new guests before moving away. The grass was cut short, as this ce was used for physical activity. The trees around the training ground created a rectangr barrier around it. There wererge couches made of crocodile leather sitting in the shade, making it seem like a nice spot to watch the sparring. ¡°P, Prince Jesseeeeee!¡± I heard a familiar man¡¯s voice. I turned my head to see priest Sand, who was standing in a corner of the training ground, bowing toward me. Sir Geens, who was tying his hair up while standing next to Sand, seemed shocked but quickly moved to show his respects as well. I greeted them back and turned my gaze slightly to the side to see the main character, who was smiling so bright that she seemed to be glowing, and a guy whose pretty face did all the work for him. ¡°You finally came to watch, your highness!¡± Christelle waved her arm high in the air as she greeted me energetically. A few strands of her pink hair that fell to the side of her ear and were fluttering. The Imperial Prince simply looked at me stoically as usual. I was about to bow as usual when¡­ ¡°Wait, why is he here?¡± ¡°Eek.¡± I saw something on top of the Imperial Prince¡¯s head that should not be there. Ganael was the one who gasped. I quickly walked over and reached my hand toward him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your Royal Highness. I¡¯ll hold him.¡± Percy, who had his eyes closed while on top of the Imperial Prince¡¯s head, chirped. He seemed to be greeting me. ¡®I know the view up high is nice, but you can¡¯t do that to someone with such a high peerage.¡¯ I clicked my tongue internally and quickly grabbed the little punk with both hands to bring him down. Thankfully, there were no signs of annoyance in the Imperial Prince¡¯s orange eyes. ¡°Then, please focus on your studies. Both of you.¡± I did not care what I said as long as it changed the subject, so I just said whatever came to mind and smiled indifferently. * ¨C CLANG! -SCREEEEEEEECH¡­¡­ A sharp ice sword smashed against a ck me sword. The Imperial Prince was physically much stronger, but Christelle made an ice tform behind her to support her body. Instead of the expected embers, bright water drops dripped down on top of their boots. The water and fire colored swords shed intensely against each other, leaving only a small gap in between them. Christelle could never defeat the Imperial Prince with a sword. The fact that she still created such a weapon must mean that she was trying provoking him. ¨C Tatap! ¨C Bababang! She somersaulted in the air just as the Imperial Prince shed the Sword of Wisdom horizontally. Red mes created an arc as they burst toward Christelle. It was a dangerous situation because she was in midair. At that moment¡­ ¨C Crack, crack, crack! Stepping stones made of ice appeared in the air. Christelle quicklynded on the ice and then, tap, tap. She moved back one step at a time. The Imperial Prince¡¯s me instantly appeared by her foot and melted the ice. Christelle swung the whip in her right hand. ¨C Ssh! ¨C Baaaaaaaang! A wave taller than the Imperial Prince appeared on top of the green grass. A rich imagination was necessary for these people who could handle these formless powers of water, fire, air, and earth. I heard that the Holy Knights¡¯ weapons helped them with this ¡°imaging¡±. Christelle¡¯s whip was a highest-grade magic tool purchased at the Legault Christelle, so it was sturdy, light, and, to a certain degree, moved ording to its master¡¯s will. She couldn¡¯t put her ether into it, but it was the best support for her. ¡°Ahh, I don¡¯t think his Royal Highness will be able to dodge that!¡± Ganael was stomping his feet with anxiety. I was unable to take my eyes off the Imperial Prince as I mumbled. ¡°He¡¯s just not dodging it.¡± I could see joy sh past his sunset colored eyes. He wasn¡¯t smiling, but I could tell. The Imperial Prince was calm despite the wavesing at him in all directions. ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaa! The moment a drop of water touched the tip of his pitch ck hair¡­ ¨C Baaaaang! ¨C Chhhhhhhhhhhh! There was an intense explosion and clouds of steam filled my view. It was an unbelievable ether explosion. Sand covered his mouth with both hands. Before we could figure out what happened¡­ ¨C Pabat! The Imperial Prince cut through the fog and charged toward Christelle. My eyes opened wide. He had pulled out the maximum amount of me at that moment to instantly evaporate the wave. It should have been a difficult method for normal fire-attribute Holy Knights to attempt. It was not advantageous because the humidity in the area went up too much. However, he was the versatile male lead. ¨C Baaaaang! ¡°Huu.¡± Christelle, who had created an ice wall between the Imperial Prince and herself, let out a quiet breath. The Imperial Prince was a scary swordsman even if he couldn¡¯t channel his mes at this moment. His Sword of Wisdom stabbed into the ice and created a deep and long crack. The ice then crackled as it wrapped around the body of the sword. Christelle immediately pushed out her right hand. A sharp ice spike pierced through the ice wall and toward the Imperial Prince¡¯s abdomen¡­ ¨C ng! ¡°Ha, because of this again.¡± Christelle¡¯s mumbling stopped there. A sharp dagger was floating in the air pointed at the back of her neck. This was the work of the Imperial Prince who could control metal. We all gasped on the couch. We were so focused on the two of them going against each other that none of us noticed the dagger moving. ¡°¡­I lost, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Both of you did great. Please go get some ether first.¡± Sir Geens, who had been watching the two of them with his arms crossed, calmly announced once Christelle admitted defeat. The Imperial Prince and Christelle walked toward us as soon as Sir Geens finished speaking. I was standing up with Ganael and Benjamin, pping. It was an interesting spar. Christelle¡¯s growth seemed amazing and the two of them seemed much more in sync with each other than during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. ¡®They might really end up dating at this rate.¡¯ ¡°I enjoyed it very much. Both of you were so cool.¡± Christelle smiled brightly at myment. The Imperial Prince grabbed the water bottle in front of me and drank it. ¡®That¡¯s Demy¡¯s¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°T, then I will provide you with ether to his Royal Highness first.¡± Sand, who had been warily looking at us, spoke in an extremely quiet voice. I responded since I felt pity for him. ¡°Priest-nim, wouldn¡¯t it be easier to give it to them at the same time?¡± Sand looked as if I had said something that would kill him and hisrge body squirmed. ¡°I might die if I do that¡­¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me? Based on how much they just used, both of them should recover quickly.¡± Sand seemed extremely anxious after hearing my response. ¡°Quickly? Is the ¡®quickly¡¯ you are talking about perhaps one hour, your highness?¡± ¡°No, it usually only took about five minutes¡­¡­¡± My words trailed off. I felt as if this conversation was going in circles. The Imperial Prince, who was stoically looking at Sand and me, opened his mouth. ¡°Then you can show him an example.¡± ¡°As expected of the esteemed Duke, your Royal Highness. That is truly the Imperial way.¡± Christelle quickly added on. ¡®They¡¯re so in tune with each other. How much should I give them as a wedding gift?¡¯ Chapter 76 Chapter 76: ¨C Lesson Observation (2) Chapter 76: Lesson Observation (2) ¡®No, this isn¡¯t it.¡¯ ¡°I came to observe today, so please do as you would normally do.¡± I smiled as I responded. My main reason was to observe Sand¡¯s situation. I won¡¯t be able to determine Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric¡¯s behavior if I immediately step in. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Imperial Prince red at Sand with an extremely discontent gaze. He seemed to be telling Sand to hurry up and hand over his ether or else he would tten the Priest like a squid. Poor Sand curled his round bear-like body into itself as he released his Holy Domain. I thought that my Holy Domain was extremely shabbypared to Cardinal Boutier¡¯s Holy Domain, however, Sand¡¯s Holy Domain was much smaller and dimmer than even mine. The designs were also extremely simple. This seemed to be the difference between a Bishop and Clergy level priest. ¡®But they shouldn¡¯t be mean to him because of this.¡¯ ¡°Too slow.¡± The Imperial Prince growled in a low voice. Sand¡¯s body twitched. The Imperial Prince seemed to be unsatisfied with the flow of ether. I held my tongue and looked at Christelle. The MC was frowning at the Imperial Prince. Her expression looked extremely familiar. I spent some time trying to remember whereI had seen this expression before, until I realized it was simr to one of Jung Eunseo¡¯s expressions. Little Eunseo¡¯s face would look just like Christelle¡¯s when listening to the cries of the children before her while waiting at the dentist. ¡°Since you said you came to observe, I would like to hear your thoughts, your highness.¡± I heard a man¡¯s voice speaking to me. It was higher than that of the Imperial Prince, but lower than mine. I raised my head to see Sir Johann Geens, whose snow white hair was tied in a low ponytail. There was a faint trace of curiosity in his mint colored eyes as he looked at me. He still had not shaved and his hair still had pieces sticking out, but he seemed less tired than when I saw him on the pirate ship. He didn¡¯t seem to care that the priest who apanied him was being treated so terribly. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m not sure.¡± There was something that I felt, but what I really wanted to do was talk about how three Holy Knights were bullying a priest. ¡°Please feel free to say whatever is on your mind, your highness.¡± I don¡¯t know how Sir Geens interpreted my silence, but he made thatment before closing his eyes for a while and opening them again. The breeze in the training groundpletely stopped. ¡°Huh? Just now¡­¡­¡± ¡°I closed an air door. Only the four of us will be able to hear your voice now, your highness.¡± I blinked my eyes. He must have used his abilities as an air attribute Holy Knight to create a transparent private domain that blocked the flow of sound. Benjamin, Ganael, and Sand were with us in the training ground, but could not hear our voices. Ganael must have noticed my gaze, as he smiled and said something. I could only see his lips moving and could not hear anything. It felt as if someone had pressed the mute button. ¡°The air attribute is amazing.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but gasp in admiration. It really was mysterious. Sir Geens gently smiled. His smile made him seem much more handsome. ¡°Your highness, what did you think of the spar?¡± Christelle naturally joined the conversation. Her gaze was cold while looking at Sir Geens. I guess they are not that close yet. I cautiously started speaking. ¡°Mm, in my humble opinion¡­¡­ Your growth was quite remarkable, youngdy Sarnez. However, you still seem to need some practice handling ice. For example, when you did the flip in the air tond on the ice staircase¡­ You could have distracted the Duke-nim if you sent them flying to the other side instead of making them disappear. And if you immediately froze the steam when the Duke-nim blew up the waves, you would not have missed the timing.¡± ¡°Mm. You¡¯re right, your highness. There is an extra step to changing the ether when turning water to ice, so¡­¡­ My decisions end up being slower.¡± Christelle bit down on her lips. Sir Geensmented with his arms crossed. ¡°It takes some time to get used to using special types of ether. There is no need to be impatient. You are already doing very well, youngdy Sarnez. You¡¯ll be able to do it with your eyes closed if you practice regrly.¡± ¡°Really? I should be able to do that, right?¡± Christelle¡¯s face lit up. I agreed with Sir Geens as well. She had used the freezing ability without any guidance during the ¡®Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts.¡¯ ording to Grand Duke Yvelines¡¯s book, the ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea¡¯ that she absorbed was, as the name stated, a divine item that bestows a blessing. If that was true, the blessing not only transmigrated her here, it also turned a regr person into a Holy Knight and gifted her the intuition and talent for dominating ether. In short, she was now a munchkin who should be able to improve significantly no matter what she does. (TL: Munchkin is a Korean term for extremely strong character) ¡°As for the Duke-nim¡­¡­¡± I turned my gaze toward the Imperial Prince. He raised one eyebrow while still receiving ether from Sand. He seemed to be saying something like, ¡®my condition isn¡¯t that great right now, but let¡¯s see what the hell you have to say.¡¯ ¡°It is likely because you are skilled in both magic and the sword arts, but you have a tendency to use too much ether in each attack. I read that using ether efficiently was a coreponent of being a Holy Knight¡­¡­ I think that you should be careful and n ahead in case you be unable to use the Sword of Wisdom in battle.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t re at me like that. That¡¯s what it said in the book your dad wrote. Plus, if youck ether¡­¡­ It puts you in a difficult situation.¡¯ ¡°You are right, your highness. I was wondering what kind of person you were as a priest but you have quite the insight.¡± As soon as Sir Geens said that, I felt my surroundings open up. The cool northern breeze brushed past my forehead. He had released the private domain of the air door and returned the flow of sound. I couldn¡¯t help but scoff in shock. Ganael quickly ran over to me. ¡°Your highness, just now¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, Sir Geens used his abilities for a moment. We were chatting.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The young boy gasped. Benjamin seemed impressed after experiencing an air attribute Holy Knight¡¯s powers for the first time as well. We all sat down after finishing our conversation and Benjamin opened the pic basket to prepare snacks and drinks. It was break time. Only Sand, who was still not finished giving the Imperial Prince ether, was struggling. I was thinking that his recovery was taking too long, but maybe it was normal for someone only at the Clergy level. ¡°The reason we have had sparring-oriented lessons was because I was trying to see what rank the two of you will receive when you officially be Holy Knights.¡± Sir Geens was having some of the liquorice tea I brought as he spoke. ¡°Holy Knights usually start their lessons as squires at an extremely early age and slowly rise up from the Deacon level. However, it is a different story for the two of you. In my opinion¡­¡­ You will both be at the Bishop level, maybe even the Archbishop level, as Holy Knights if you are lucky.¡± ¡°When you say lucky¡­¡­¡± ¡°The Holy Knight appointments are up to the Cardinals. At least, that is the case right now, as we do not have a Pope.¡± Sir Geens gave a light response to my question. Unlike priests, whose ranks were easily divided by the growth of their ether circles, there was no way to clearly distinguish the abilities of Holy Knights. It bes even moreplex when the differences of each attribute are taken into consideration. That was probably what he was alluding to when mentioning the Cardinals¡¯ decisions about the ranks. ¡°Of course, you can immediately rise to Cardinal level if you unleash your stigmata. Well, as long as you are not ofmoner birth, that is.¡± Sir Geens¡¯ gaze was extremely cold despite the soft droop of his eyes. His voice sounded weak, as if he was sleepy, though it seemed weak for a different reason. ¡°How long does it take for the stigmata to open?¡± The Imperial Prince asked. The stigmata, if I use gaming terms to describe it, is like a Holy Knight¡¯s personal unique skill or ultimate special attack. I was told that there were a lot of theories behind it, but I didn¡¯t read into them because it had nothing to do with me. Not all Holy Knights were capable of opening their stigmata as it requires a lot of effort along with the grace of the Almighty God. But the Imperial Prince was acting as if he already had that. I found it to be annoying, since I knew he wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°The youngest Cardinal level Holy Knight in history was her highness, the Viaan Holy Kingdom¡¯s Crown princess Elise. She opened her stigmata when she was twenty six. I believe she received the Clergy level appointment at the age of six.¡± Then, the Imperial Prince bastard turned toward me. Crown princess Elise was Prince Jesse¡¯s older sister. I was flustered, because I knew that she was a Holy Knight but I did not know that she was such an amazing person. There was no information I could give him no matter how much he red at me. ¡°The bell?¡± ¡°Bell? Ah, I have it, your Royal Highness.¡± The Imperial Prince suddenly changed the subject. I brought it with me in my pocket because he told me to have it on me at all times. ¡®Now that I think about it, I need to thank him for it. I also need to ask him how to use it.¡¯ ¨C Plop! ¡°Priest-nim!¡± Ganael jumped up in shock. One side of the table suddenly became rowdy. Sand had fainted, and was slumped on the ground looking like a bag of rice. I felt my head turning cold and quickly sat down next to him. I opened my healing circle to confirm that he had simply lost consciousness and had no other issues. I didn¡¯t know whether that was good or bad for him. This was a typical symptom of ether depletion. ¡®But this quickly?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s not that priest Sand is especiallycking. It is just that his Royal Highness and the youngdy seem to require a lot of ether.¡± Sir Geens calmly exined as if he was narrating for a documentary. Benjamin, Ganael, and I seemed to be the only ones who were agitated. I immediately turned toward the Imperial Prince. ¡°Duke-nim, did you perhaps make contact with the priest-nim?¡± He frowned as if he heard something extremely disgusting. However, his picturesque position did not change at all. ¡°I have no interest in putting my hands on another person¡¯s body.¡± I immediately scowled. ¡®What the hell is this ether pig saying? Does that mean that I am not a person?¡¯ * ¨C Creeeeeak The door opened. A light as bright as the sun seeped into the dark bedroom. The intruder moved carefully, worried that the child might wake up. The magic light, turned on tobat the second princess¡¯ fear of the dark , was giving off a dim light next to the bed. The person picked up the toys and dolls on the ground one by one. The reason they were not already cleaned up was not because the royal attendants were undisciplined. It was because she ordered them not to do so. The middle child had personally cleaned up the youngest¡¯s toys at the end of every day, even until the day right before he left the pce. The reason was simple. He said that doing this allowed him to know what his younger sister yed with that day, what she liked the most and which toys she was tired of ying with. Elise Viaan had taken over that heartwarming task now. She never forgot about it, no matter how busy or tired she was. She did not want her youngest sister to feel the emptiness of her brother¡¯s absence even more. ¡°Your highness, I will help.¡± The crown princess¡¯s attendant, who had quietly followed behind her, helped her clean the messy room. A familiar silence fell between the two of them. Soon, the box was full of all sorts of toys. Elise quietly sat at the corner of the bed and looked at the pig sculpture on top of the toy box. That was something Jesse had gifted to Cornelisse. ¡°Has there been no contact from Sir Geens?¡± ¡°Correct, your highness. But there has not been bad news either,l so I presume that it has been delivered properly.¡± The attendant quickly responded to the crown princess¡¯s question. Elise nodded her head once before looking at the sleeping Cornelisse. Seven years old. It was an age where she didn¡¯t know anything. The crown princess wanted to make everything right before her youngest sister had to face the scary and horrible reality of the world. However, the most urgent thing was protecting her younger brother. Even if it required siding with the Vatican and spending over half of her secret funds. She needed to create this sword for her younger brother. Elise was the crown princess of the great Holy Kingdom, however, the things she could do were outnumbered by those she could not. Her mother was slowly going insane from the loss of her lover, and losing her sense of judgment as a result. Whenever that happened, her father acted as regent to increase his foothold and authority. She thought that she might actually lose her younger brother if things continued like this. Elise had watched Jesse faint from being poisoned by her father and when he was almost hit by an arrow. The reason her father acted like this was not rational judgment, butplete lunacy stemming from an inferiorityplex and jealousy. She had no choice at all. That was the reason. That was the reason she came up with the idea to send him off as a diplomatic hostage. At least he could stay alive that way. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry too much, your highness. I¡¯m sure that his highness is well.¡± ¡°I heard that the Imperial Prince awakened as a Holy Knight. The daughter of a Duke as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°And my brother as well. Didn¡¯t you say that he released ether over there? Miracles like that are notmon.¡± The crown princess lowered her head. Her long and sparkling dark gold hairnded on the sheets. Elise gently kissed her sleeping youngest sister¡¯s forehead. ¡°I have a bad feeling about this¡­ I feel like the Almighty God might have arranged for that child to be in the Empire.¡± ¡°Your highness.¡± She needed to safely ascend the throne if she wanted to bring her brother back. The three of them had to meet in the Holy Kingdom again. That was Elise, Jesse, and Cornelisse¡¯s promise. If their rtionship sours because of the Almighty God¡¯s capriciousness or the Empire¡¯s refusal to release him¡­¡­ ¡®No.¡¯ ¡°I will definitely get him back.¡± The crown princess whispered to herself. A bright yellow me appeared on her fingertips before quickly disappearing. Chapter 77 Chapter 77 ¨C A Knight¡¯S Honor And Middle-Aged Romance (1) Chapter 77: A Knight¡¯s Honor and Middle-aged Romance (1) ¡°The Duke-nim and youngdy Sarnez are the type who require a lot of ether?¡± I suppressed the sharp rebuke that was about toe out of my mouth and asked an appropriate question. Sir Johann Geens nodded his head. ¡°The youngdy absorbed a divine item, so she will probably not be satisfied with a regr priest¡¯s ether. As for his Royal Highness, the Duke¡­¡­¡± He made a small hand gesture in the air. A transparent private domain appeared around the four of us again. His mint-colored eyes were keenly sparkling. ¡°He is quite a peculiar case. The Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star seems to be replenishing his ether, but it seems to me as if he has some foundational kind of depletion.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I felt chills at his sharp deduction. I could feel the air around Imperial Prince C¨¦dric get heavier. I quickly avoided Sir Geens¡¯ gaze and inspected the unconscious Sand. Weid the young priest on a mat that Benjamin had quickly ced on the ground. I opened a healing circle for mental and physical stability. It was one of the basic circles that was easy to memorize, so I did not make any mistakes. However, my mind was aplicated mess even as I used my healing power on Sand. Maybe it was obvious that Christelle, the main character of QNW and someone who was on the munchkin route, would feel hungry for more after getting ether from a Clergy level priest. However, the Imperial Prince was different. I didn¡¯t know the details, but he turned into a young boy whencking ether. Even after getting the Sword of Wisdom, he came to me for help after turning into a kid that one time. I thought that the Imperial Prince wanted a divine item to fix that issue, but it must not be fully resolved yet. ¡®Foundational depletion¡¯ might be an urate way to describe his situation. ¡°Will the situation be a bit better when the Duke-nim¡¯s instructor and priest arrive?¡± I asked. Technically speaking, Sir Geens and Sand were only here for Christelle. They are not in charge of the Imperial Prince¡¯s education. ¡°The Vatican is currently minimizing the transfer of personnel. Gathering together is necessary right now because of the Pope¡¯s absence.¡± Sir Geens brushed his fallen hair out of his face as he said that. ¡°I do not believe that another instructor will be dispatched. As for a priest, well¡­ I doubt that they will send any priest higher than Bishop level for a Holy Knight who has yet to be appointed.¡± I bit down on my lips for a moment before letting them go. Sir Geens was basically saying that he would continue to teach the two of them because no one else woulde. Even if another priest was likely to arrive, they would only be Clergy level like Sand. That would only mean that there would be an extra victim. I raised my head and looked toward the Imperial Prince. He met my gaze, as if he had been waiting for me to look at him. The reason he, or ¡®Sadie,¡¯ has not chosen a priest partner until now was clear. He was the Imperial Prince, someone who would be the Emperor in the future. Ether depletion that could not be cured with a divine item was too big of a weakness, so it was probably hard for him to trust an outsider priest. Cardinal Boutier could not give him ether either, as she was already the Empress¡¯s Religious Partner. I¡¯m sure there are ways to build a decent connection with a nice Archbishop and make them swear an oath of secrecy, but¡­¡­ ¡°Is there something you wish to say?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I doubt he would have wanted to keep anybody by his side with that terrible personality of his. ¡®Don¡¯t touch me.¡¯ I remembered how sharply Sadie had responded to me when I first met him in the Imperial Pce¡¯s Confessional. He was the type to suffer because he couldn¡¯t get past his stubbornness. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh quietly. ¡°The two of you are participating in this month¡¯s annual prayer meeting, correct?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Christelle calmly responded to my question. The sharp Christelle seemed to have noticed that the mood around me had changed. ¡°Her Majesty ordered the two of you to look for a priest partner there.¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± She nodded her head. Sir Geens was looking at us with an amused gaze. I stopped for a moment before slowly enunciating my every word. ¡°Then until then, I will help supply ether for the two of you.¡± ¡°Eek, jackpot.¡± Christelle suddenly covered her mouth with both hands. Her big round eyes looked as if they might start crying. The Imperial Prince¡¯s orange eyes widened slightly in a rare show of surprise. I almost scoffed while looking at their reactions, but I held myself back. I spoke with the most serious expression I could make on my face. ¡°In return, I have some conditions.¡± ¡°Speak.¡± The Imperial Prince responded immediately. I finally said the things I had been holding in. ¡°I cannot stand the way priest Sand has been treated. A Holy Knight and a priest are in an even cooperation rtionship, it is not a rtionship where one side has to sacrifice or volunteer themselves for the other.The two of you, your actions have been wrong. The priest-nim is working for you two and suffering because of it. Even if it is hard for the two of you as well, how could you ignore his health like this? No priest would want to be by your sides if you continue acting like this.¡± ¡°That-¡± Christelle opened and closed her mouth, not able to say anything. Based on the look on her face, she seemed to know she was in the wrong. ¡°My ether stomach was so empty that I became extremely sensitive¡­¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°This is not something you should be apologizing to me for. Please properly apologize to Sand when he wakes up.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± She quickly responded. I turned my gaze toward the Imperial Prince. ¡°Yield a little. Can you do that, your Royal Highness?¡± He scrunched his eyes. ¡°What else do you want?¡± ¡°¡­¡­My safety.¡± I calmly responded. I looked to the side and noticed that Ganael was smiling while looking at the serious expression on my face. My heart felt a little lighter after seeing him. It seemed like he was on my side despite not knowing what we were talking about. I recalled the conversation I had with the young boy a few days ago. ¡®I think I want to trust him.¡¯ ¡®Then how about giving him a chance, your highness?¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­If it is only for a short period of time¡­ Then giving the two of them an extremely small chance shouldn¡¯t put me at a loss either. Probably.¡¯ ¡°Please promise that I will not be threatened by anybody in any way while I am supplying you two with ether.¡± ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°Who would mess with you, your highness¡­¡­ No, I promise too!¡± The two of them quickly answered. I couldn¡¯t help but quietly chuckle this time. This was a ¡®deal¡¯ where my safety would be guaranteed in return for helping the two of them. This was the decision I made after a long period of deliberation, but the two main characters¡¯ easy agreement made it feel like all that deliberation was wasted. ¡°How interesting. I guess the story I read about the three of you in the was not all fabrication.¡± Sir Geens, who had been silently watching us,mented. I turned toward him and slightly scowled. ¡°I know that I may be stepping out of bounds here, but you need to reflect on your actions as well, Sir Geens.¡± ¡°Oh my, I guess I wasn¡¯t an exception.¡± ¡°You traveled such a long way with the priest-nim from the Vatican. Aren¡¯t you neglecting yourpanion too much? You knew that the Duke-nim and the youngdy¡¯s actions were not just.¡± ¡°I ept that. However, I did that in order to understand how much ether they used and how much they needed, so¡­¡­ Please forgive me this one time.¡± His drooping eyes gently curled up as he smiled. I sternly responded. ¡°Please apologize to the priest-nim. Think about how much he must have been suffering alone.¡± ¨C Tap. Tap. Ganael gently tapped the back of my hand at that moment. The moment I turned my head to see what was going on, the air opened up. I heard a weed voice as soon as Sir Geens¡¯ private domain disappeared. ¡°Prince Jesse¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay, priest-nim?¡± I quickly sighed in relief. I attentively looked at Sand¡¯s round face. He thankfully did not have a fever or any cold sweats.His nausea must have also disappeared since he sat up immediately. The blue particles of ether floated up from the healing circle and surrounded him. Sand blinked a few times before speaking anxiously. ¡°Did I, did I faint again? I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, there is nothing for you to be sorry for, priest-nim. These three people over here are the ones who should be sorry.¡± I calmed him down and peeked at the terrible Holy Knights. Sand still seemed a bit out of it. ¡°I will continue to observe the lessons for a while. I will also help with supplying ether.¡± ¡°Y, your highness¡­¡­¡± The young priest must have gotten emotional, as he started to tear up. I smiled bitterly and patted his shoulder a few times. There was a time I bought a bag of chips for a twenty-years-old new recruit when I was a sergeant. I sat by him, allowing him to eat it in peace without any of the other senior soldiers giving him any issues. However, the kid suddenly stopped chewing and started crying. I asked him if it was because of me and he talked about how he didn¡¯t think I would treat him so well. He cried, saying that he wanted to see his family. Seeing the teary Sand made me a bit emotional thinking about that kid. ¡®I haven¡¯t been able to contact him for over a year. I wonder if he is doing well.¡¯ ¡°First, youngdy Sarnez has something to say to you, priest-nim.¡± Imented. Sand, who was slowly taking out the handkerchief I let him borrow, flinched and looked up at her. Christelle was heading toward us with an extremely apologetic and embarrassed look on her face. I was sure that the person inside was the same age as me but she frequently had this child-like innocent look, potentially because she transmigrated into the body of a neen year old. ¡°Umm, priest-nim. I¡¯m sorry. I was irritable and¡­¡­¡± Christelle slowly started speaking. Seeing her honestly asking for forgiveness was nice to see. The cool breeze of the north brushed past her pink hair and all of our clothes. Benjamin smiled gently and poured a cup of liquorice tea for Sand. His tears slowly dried up. Summer in the Summer Pce was not too bad. * Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, the Cardinal, and the Imperial Prince returned to the pce after their summer retreat. The prince of the Holy Kingdom was with them as well. ¡°It was that good? I¡¯m sure it was good. Your smile almost reaches to your ears. People are going to think that you got a girlfriend.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The attendants, who were quickly and busily walking down the hallway of the Empress Pce, slowly raised their heads to peek at the Imperial Prince after hearing ¨¦lisabeth¡¯sment. He was the same as usual. His uniform had absolutely no wrinkles and his cold, emotionless face suited his nickname of Ice Prince. They couldn¡¯t see how his mouth looked as if it was going to reach his ears. It must be something that only his childhood friend could see. The lowly attendants quickly started moving again, acting as if they never peeked at the esteemed Imperial Prince. ¡°I heard that you went all the way down to the beach? Ganael told me all about it. Did you go into the water?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t, so control yourself.¡± The Imperial Prince responded stoically. However, ¨¦lisabeth continued to rattle on. ¡°It must have been fun. I also want to y with youngdy Christelle, Prince Jesse, and our Ganael. I was all by myself, being scolded by my mom¡­¡­¡± The young Countess moved her hands to soothe the phantom pains in her back. ¡°Have you ever been smacked in the back by a sword master? I thought that I was going to be sent flying all the way to the Imperial Capital.¡± She continued grumbling. C¨¦dric quietly listened to herints. It was because he knew what his friend, who was quite chatty today, was concerned about. The reason he was not stopping her, despite thinking that he was past the age for her concern, was maybe because he had gotten used to a certain person¡¯s nature after the past few months. He scowled after feeling this odd sensation. They turned a corner to get to their destination when they heard a ruckus on the other side. ¡°How does this make any sense? The prince is a diplomatic hostage. Who in the world would believe that he came here as a Confessional Priest? Even a peddler passing by wouldugh at that.¡± ¡°Young Duke nquer, please lower your voice. This is the Empress Pce.¡± ¡°Why do I have to do that when I am speaking the truth?¡± The Imperial Prince stopped walking. ¨¦lisabeth, David and the other attendants stopped as well. The voice continued to speak. There was a riled up young man and a couple of people trying to calm him down. The Imperial Prince¡¯s gaze sank low like cooledva. ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that the prince had all sorts of scandals even in the Holy Kingdom? Her Majesty and her Eminence are being fooled.¡± ¡°Young Duke. I understand your concern, but during the ¡®Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts,¡¯ the prince¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that it might have all been part of his scheme. He¡¯s trying to earn her Majesty¡¯s trust in order to infiltrate the Riester Imperial family.¡± The man seemed to have an answer for everything. The young Countess frowned. ¡®What is that trash from the House of nquer up to now?¡¯ ¡°It ispletely uneptable that he is helping his Royal Highness with his ether supply. Even if he is the son of the Queen, his father was amoner. How dare he, someone whose father is a priest with such an unclear background¡­¡± ¡°Enough.¡± They heard a cold, low voice. The Imperial Prince moved without any hesitation to appear in front of them. The trio, who had been causing the ruckus, bowed respectfully. Their voices were shaking. They stuttered as they greeted the Imperial Prince. However, only two of the three lookedpletely pale. The Imperial Prince looked down at the son of Duke nquer, Robert nquer, the only one of the trio who still looked confident. He then pulled off one of his ck gloves and threw it down at Robert¡¯s feet. Chapter 78 Chapter 78 ¨C A Knight¡¯S Honor And Middle-Aged Romance (2) Chapter 78: A Knight¡¯s Honor and Middle-aged Romance (2) ¡®I am trying to leave young master Heathcliff¡¯s side now.¡¯ Mm. ¡®Catherine, you know that I love you.¡¯ ¡®Yes, but that is why I cannot be with you.¡¯ Hmm? ¡®I don¡¯t understand. Our hearts are connected as one.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s good. I will be able to feel young master Heathcliff¡¯s warmth no matter where I am.¡¯ ¡°What the heck is going on?¡± I quietly mumbled. This week¡¯s chapter of the Riester Empire¡¯s most talked about work, ¡®Reason, Sensibility, and Holiness,¡¯ ended there. I slowly closed the June 1 volume of . I had to wait until returning to Juliette Pce in order to read thetest volume because there weren¡¯t many copies in the Summer Pce. But Heathcliff still was unable to keep Catherine with him. ¡®Terrible bastard.¡¯ ¡°Are the two of you done reading? I cried after reading thest line¡­¡­¡± Sand sounded as if he was crying on the other side of the reception room couch. After watching Sand for the past week, I could tell that he was an emotional 18 year old who was full of tears. I was worried that he would have some mental trauma from his suffering until now, but he became much brighter after receiving apologies from two of the three Holy Knights and an expression of regret from one bastard. He often spoke first to Christelle and me like this too. ¡°The best thing abouting to the Empire is that I can read ¡®Reason, Sensibility, and Holiness¡¯ as soon as ites out.¡± ¡°He is an otaku.¡± Christelle mumbled while sitting next to me. I smiled and pretended not to hear. It was an understandable sentiment, as someone who read the from the first day I transmigrated into this world. The magazine not only had the newest information on the Empire¡¯s Beau Monde, there were also all sorts of articles, interviews, beautiful artwork and novel series like this one. Reading a few volumes to catch up could easily pass a whole day, basically making this the Empire¡¯s version of Netflix. I heard that ¡®Reason, Sensibility, and Holiness¡¯ was extremely popr, even amongmoners, who found it hard to ess publications. ¡°The main characters do not talk enough with each other.¡± ¡°I had the same thought! It¡¯s so annoying. I want to grab Heathcliff by the cor.¡± I shared my thoughts about thetest chapter and Christelle strongly agreed. Sand looked at us with a slightly wronged expression. Benjamin smiled as he poured me some tea. ¡°Sob, but Catherine is young master Heathcliff¡¯s one and only true love. I believe that it will work out well between the two of them.¡± ¡°It does seem like that is how it will end up, but I think that the young master is being too wishy-washy with Jane and Catherine. If his feelings for Catherine are true, shouldn¡¯t he break his engagement with Jane? I understand Jane¡¯s reaction as well.¡± Sand¡¯s broad shoulders curled a bit at myment. ¡°That, that is true, your highness¡­¡­ But! The young master personally watched Jane insult Catherine. I feel like there has to be some sort of conclusion in the next chapter!¡± ¡®Can you really call that insulting her? She only stated facts. I guess even if it was true it could be considered defamation.¡¯ I nodded my head and received a cup of moringa tea from Benjamin. A taste simr to green tea gently wrapped around the inside of my mouth. Christelle grumbled about how Jane and Catherine should just date each other. ¡®Reason, Sensibility, and Holiness¡¯ was a love story about young master Heathcliff, a man caught in conflict between his Political Partner, youngdy Jane, and his Religious Partner, priestess Catherine. He was physically engaged to Jane while he was mentally together with Catherine through the celestial covenant. Jane was demanding that Catherine leave him because she recently learned that there were romantic feelings between Heathcliff and Catherine. ¡®You are amoner so you are unable to satisfy the young master¡¯s political needs. Please leave if you are not simply cultivating a religious rtionship.¡¯ The way she said that to Catherine was surprisingly calm. It made sense that she was the character representing ¡®reason.¡¯ It was a typical love triangle found in fiction, but the author seemed to be a really good writer as you couldn¡¯t help but keep reading. I had not even read the ¡®QNW¡¯ that my sister praised so much before I transmigrated here, so it was a bit ironic that I was reading a romance novel now. ¡°I hope a Holy Knight appears in the sequel as well.¡± Sir Johann Geens, who had been quietly listening, chimed in. He had been focused on origami for about an hour now. ¡°A story about a Holy Knight who was obsessed with a priest¡¯s ether and the priest who ended up loving that Holy Knight sold very well in the Holy Kingdom. Of course, ReSeHo has its own charms.¡± I had wondered what ReSeHo was, but it was just ¡®Reason, Sensibility, and Holiness.¡¯ ¡®What an interesting thing to shorten the title.¡¯ ¡°Wow, teacher. You¡¯re so good at origami.¡± Christelle gasped in admiration after watching his hands move. Sir Geens gently smiled and handed her the finished work. It looked like the Tyrant Electric Dragon we took down at the ¡®Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts,¡¯ so it was basically an origami T-Rex. ¡°Please keep practicing, youngdy Sarnez. Imagination is just as important as ether to a Holy Knight. You need to be able to quickly conjure up all sorts of shapes and forms in your mind to stay focused in battle.¡± Christelle nodded her head at his exnation and moved her hands to her origami paper. She has only been able to fold cranes and origami fortune tellers so far, but it seemed as if she was going to attempt something else this time. The way Sir Geens taught the two MCs changed greatly since I started observing their lessons. The amount of sparring definitely decreased. Instead, they started devoting some time to circting a Holy Knight¡¯s special ether and meditation techniques, along with activities like this to increase their imagination. Christelle had suggested watching an opera, but it was not possible because it was difficult for me to leave the pce. ¡®The three of them could have just gone without me.¡¯ ¡°Your highness, there is apparently going to be an interview with the author of ReSeHo in the next volume.¡± I was giving Demy, who had just climbed onto my knees, a piece of origami paper when Sandmented with excitement. ¡°There will even be a Q & A section based on questions from the readers. I¡¯m so excited!¡± ¡°I am curious about that. Wouldn¡¯t everybody take youngdy Jane¡¯s side?¡± ¡°Aww, your highness¡­¡­¡± ¡®Honestly speaking, I¡¯m team Jane.¡¯ I smiled and started making some origami. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric had some work today, so it was just us spending time together. Now that the heatwave was over, the weather at the Imperial Capital was simr to spring or fall, as Ganael mentioned. It was nice and cool whether you were indoors or outdoors. I even had a short lesson with Cardinal Boutier in the morning. She told me that my Holy Domain didn¡¯t seem ready to evolve just yet. ¡®You need to break the egg ande out, my little prince.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t as if this was an egg or . It was the kind of teaching that I thought I could understand, but couldn¡¯t. ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Come in.¡± Someone knocked on the reception room door at that moment. I raised my head to see a pale Ganael rushing into the room. ¡°What is it, Ganael? Did something happen?¡± ¡°His Royal Highness, he¡­¡­ Huff.¡± He must have ran a long distance, as the young boy¡¯s forehead was full of sweat. Benjamin handed him a handkerchief. ¡®Did the Imperial Prince get hurt or something?¡¯ ¡°Thank you very much, sir. Umm, he challenged someone to a duel. The whole Imperial Pce is in uproar that his Royal Highness challenged young Duke nquer to a duel!¡± ¡®Oh, he was nning to hurt someone else.¡¯ Christelle threw the origami paper that was in her hand. I was wondering what she had been so focused on making, but turns out it was just a paper airne. ¡°My goodness, he ditched ss and went to do something more entertaining. How fun!¡± ¡°But that¡­¡­¡± Ganael had a ratherplicated look on his face after seeing the genuinely jealous gaze in Christelle¡¯s eyes. His golden eyes then cautiously turned toward me. ¡°Apparently the reason his Royal Highness requested a duel was because of you, your highness.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Exin it in detail.¡± Benjamin politely urged him to speak. The young boy gulped and resumed speaking. ¡°Apparently, young Duke nquer publicly spoke ill of his highness at the Empress Pce. His Royal Highness heard it while passing by and immediately threw down his glove. Young Countess Moutet, who was with him, is serving as witness. Numerous attendants of the Empress Pce saw the young Duke pick up the glove. Although his face seemed calm his hand was shaking quite a bit.¡± ¡°What¡­¡­¡± I was dumbfounded. I couldn¡¯t understand why such chaos was happening after it had been so peaceful. ¡°ording to the attendants of Romero Pce, his Royal Highness was making the young Duke pay for the sin of daring to insult a guest of the Imperial Family¡­¡­¡± ¡®A guest?¡¯ I quietly thought about the Imperial Prince¡¯s logic. I was not in charge of Juliette Pce; the master of Romero Pce was in charge. It wasn¡¯t a stretch to say that I was a guest of the Imperial Prince by staying here. I didn¡¯t care what the young Duke had to say about me, but it felt odd that the Imperial Prince responded like that. I was a bit thankful. ¡®Is it okay to feel thankful?¡¯ ¡°His Royal Highness is a good student. He learns ten things when I teach him one.¡± Christelle smiled proudly. ¡®There must be something only the two of them know¡­ Wait a minute.¡¯ ¡°Isn¡¯t the House of nquer the Prince Consort¡¯s family?¡± I urgently asked. If I am remembering correctly, Prince Consort Alexandre was the eldest child of the Duke¡¯s House of nquer, a family of mages with a long history. Benjamin responded with a disturbed look on his face. ¡°That is correct, your highness. The current Duchess nquer is thete Prince Consort¡¯s younger sister. Young Duke nquer is her son, and thus, his Royal Highness¡¯s cousin.¡± ¡®Wait a minute¡­¡­ Should he really be fighting his cousin?¡¯ * ¡°My godson is quite hot-tempered to request a duel with his cousin the day the Chambre des pairs is called up.¡± (TL: French term for the meeting of the upper house of parliament) ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It also seems like you have gotten much closer to our little prince. It makes me happy.¡± Aur¨¦lie Boutier leisurelymented before sipping her coffee. C¨¦dric Riester was listening to her without even touching his cup of coffee. He did not regret throwing down his glove. He was a knight before he was the Imperial Prince. Anybody would have acted like that. ¨¦lisabeth, who was with him, had been unable to hide her anger as well. The nobles who were trying to stop the young Duke looked as if they expected something like that to happen. However, he could not avoid this discussion with his godmother. ¡°We will discuss the confirmation of your session at the Chambre des pairs as nned. Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± The Imperial Prince lightly nodded his chin. There had been a smallmotion at the Empress Pce prior to the advisory meeting of the Pair de Riester because of his confrontation with young Duke nquer. Thankfully, the duel was scheduled for this evening, evading any important events. The reason ¨¦lisabeth had been talkative earlier was because she didn¡¯t want her friend to be nervous when facing the Chambre des pairs. His status as the heir to the Riester throne was solid and nobody doubted the Imperial Prince¡¯s legitimacy. The Chambre des pairs confirming his session as the Imperial Crown Prince was just a nominal procedure. C¨¦dric was used to acting like the ¡®perfect Imperial Prince¡¯ since he was very young. However, nothing decreased the amount of pressure he felt. Aur¨¦lie quietly observed the young boy who was now barely twenty-four-years-old. ¡°Young Duke nquer is not a good match for you attributepatibility wise. Will you be okay?¡± She sounded concerned. Although Robert nquer was frequently called trash in the Beau Monde, he was still a skilled mage. Robert was a Grade 8 mage, which was one level higher than C¨¦dric, a Grade 7 mage, but his attribute also put C¨¦dric at aplete disadvantage. He stoically responded. ¡°I will at least make sure he doesn¡¯t die.¡± ¡°You truly are your mother¡¯s son.¡± Aur¨¦lieughed out loud. Now that things were like this, that battle was just between the two young men. She did not say anything else and changed topics. ¡°How is your body?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I cannot beplete with the Sword of Wisdom.¡± The Cardinal slowly nodded her head. As expected a te in the te itself was difficult topletely cover up even with a divine item. It was rare for the Imperial Prince to suffer from ether depletion after acquiring the Sword of Wisdom, but he also could not maintain his best condition. What the Sword of Wisdom supplied him with was not pure ether, but fire attribute ether. His primitive thirst for ether as a Holy Knight was not satisfied with his powers alone. It was obvious that he would prioritize pure ether from a priest. ¡°Have you not turned into ¡®Sadie¡¯tely?¡± The Imperial Prince slightly frowned at the meaningful question. There was only one person who called his young self Sadie. But just now¡­¡­ ¡°I know about the little prince¡¯s misunderstanding as well. He¡¯s such an interesting child. Has all that been resolved?¡± The Imperial Prince closed his mouth. He didn¡¯t know how to exin that the misunderstanding was never resolved because the involved party has feigned ignorance since the victory celebration. He didn¡¯t even know where to start. He changed directions to deliver necessary information. ¡°I emptied the ether in my body on purpose and tested letting go of the Sword of Wisdom, your Eminence.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And I immediately turned into a child.¡± ¡°Oh my.¡± The Cardinal¡¯s beige-colored eyes opened wide. She thought about something for a moment before looking at him and tilting her head. ¡°That means you can control when you turn into a child. It won¡¯t happen as long as you have the Sword of Wisdom on you. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± The Imperial Prince silently ced his lips on his cup of ck coffee. He had never thought about it like that. However, he couldn¡¯t refute that statement because he had considered how he could use that body for his benefit. Chapter 79 Chapter 79 ¨C A Knight¡¯S Honor And Middle-Aged Romance (3) Chapter 79: A Knight¡¯s Honor and Middle-aged Romance (3) Will QNW be okay like this?¡¯ ¡°Benjamin-nim, here is your mail. You have a lot these days.¡± ¡°Thank you. Sit down and have some juice.¡± ¡°Thank you very much sir. Are you perhaps seeing someone?¡± Benjamin and Ganael were happily chatting away in a side of the indoor training ground while I was full of concern. I watched Benjamin open the colorful envelopes while organizing my thoughts. Yesterday, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric challenged his cousin, young Duke Robert nquer, to a duel. It was because the young Duke spoke ill of me. They had their lesson with Sir Johann Geens today as well, so I hoped to speak to the Imperial Prince in person. I was thankful that he stepped in on my behalf but it bothered me that he was fighting his cousin. Even if their rtionship was worse than normal cousins and they have not had contact since the Prince Consort was kicked out of the family, they still shared the same blood. Unfortunately, the Imperial Prince skipped the lesson once again. That incident was not the only issue that happened yesterday. ¨C Piruuuuuuuuuu ¡°Is it too stuffy in here, Percy? Should I let you out?¡± The chimney bird that had been on my knees gently flew up. He didn¡¯t seem to find it too stuffy because we were indoors. The little bird pecked at my chest with his small beak and pped his wings. The way he was tilting his head side to side made me think that he wanted me to take out the thing in my pocket. He seemed to have be curious after seeing Ganael hand it to me a few moments ago. ¡°It¡¯s an invitation. An invitation to the Imperial Crown Prince confirmation.¡± I chuckled and responded. I pulled the card out of my chest pocket and Percy¡¯s sunflower seed chocte-like eyes sparkled as he chirped at me to open it. The had the fancy Imperial family crest and was decorated in gold as it listed the date of the confirmation and a short message. The Chambre des pairs, the advisory assembly of the Pair de Riester, was held yesterday. The Imperial Prince¡¯s session to the Imperial Crown Prince position was unanimously approved during the assembly. He was scheduled to be the crown prince at his uing birthday. ¡°His Royal Highness¡¯s position seems quite firm for the invitations to have been made in advance.¡± Sir Geens, who had approached at some point,mented. He had started shaving and keeping his white hair neatly tied down. I looked behind him to see Sand and Christelle in the distance holding hands doing the ¡®Friendship Test.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I watched Christelle teach Sand this hand gesture-based activity that I had not even seen Eunseo do since she was a freshman in high school. Using such short moments of contact to have ether delivered seemed to reduce the burden on Sand¡¯s body thanks to the small gaps in the moments of contact. ¡®Although it seems like she¡¯s doing it because she thinks it is fun.¡¯ ¡°His Royal Highness is an only child. He also does not have any major faults to prevent it either.¡± I thought about ¡®Sadie¡¯ as I said that. I was pretty sure that the reason he was unable to rise to the position of crown prince until now was because of his issue of turning into a child, but I didn¡¯t know how it was now. He was probably doing it because having the Sword of Wisdom made it easier to deal with. ¡°Of course. May I sit next to you, your highness?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± It wasn¡¯t my training ground anyway. Sir Geens sat down on the light purple couch that was made from cutting down onyx. I then felt my surroundings close off. I became slightly shocked and turned toward him. Christelle, Benjamin, and Ganael were all far away from me. The three red pandas must have noticed my anxiety as they quickly jumped onto my thighs. ¡®Sir Geens.¡± ¡°Please rx, your highness. I just wanted to ask you something.¡± Percy quickly flew up and pecked the back of Sir Geens¡¯s hand with his beak. It must not have hurt the Holy Knight at all as he looked at me with a tired look on his face. ¡°I was simply wondering if you received the letter I delivered, your highness.¡± ¡°What¡­¡­ No way.¡± Sir Geens had never personally delivered something to me. However, there was something that came to my mind as soon as he said that. I raised my hand and put it over my chest. I could feel the crystal bell and the suspicious note from Usil in my pocket. ¡°You put that in the pile, Sir Geens?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. It was a request from crown princess Elise. It seems that you have read it.¡± His mint-colored eyes slightly curled up. I barely held myself back from feeling suffocated. The Holy Knight who came from the Vatican was one of Elise Viaan¡¯s people. Usil really was the crown princess. Numerous questions and situations rushed into my mind. I calmly asked the first question. ¡°It was not an order but a request?¡± ¡°You are quite sharp, your highness.¡± ¡°Please answer my question, Sir Geens.¡± He looked pleased at my response. ¡°Yes, your highness. It was a request. I am not loyal to her highness, I am loyal to the money she has paid me.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you are a Holy Knight but working as a mercenary?¡± His voice became lower. ¡°I don¡¯t really care about things like a Knight¡¯s honor, your highness. I am quite famous in the underworld in this aspect.¡± There was a short moment of silence. A famous mercenary. The fact that he was not Elise¡¯s loyal subordinate but connected to her through money might be advantageous for me. He wouldn¡¯t know how the real Prince Jesse would have acted in the past. ¡°Is that all? Was the request simply to deliver the letter?¡± ¡°There were two things, your highness. One was to deliver the letter to you without anybody noticing, and¡­¡­¡± Sir Geens moved like a breeze and grabbed the teapot on the table. He poured himself some noni tea into an empty gas and caressed my teacup with one hand. It was an odd movement. ¡°It is expected, but there is no poison, your highness. My task is to protect you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Holy Knight checked his fingertip before speaking happily. He watched him put some honey into his tea before sternly speaking. ¡°I cannot respond to her highness.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I didn¡¯t get paid to do such a thing, your highness.¡± He smiled like a beautiful painting as he sipped his tea. I felt my ears clear and the air started flowing properly again. The private domain had disappeared. Demy immediately whined and dug into my chest. I slowly patted his back. Hugging Rhea and Perry as well made me feel as if my anxiety was going down. I made a Promise of Ether with the Imperial Prince that I would not contact the Holy Kingdom. I was relieved that I wouldn¡¯t end up breaking that promise in any way. Then there was only one thing for me to confirm. I gathered the ether in my body and Percy flew over to my sleeve and started chirping, as if he was counting down. ¡°Your Holy Domain will not work, your highness.¡± Sir Geens, who noticed my intentions,mented. It cut my flow of movement. ¡°I am an Archbishop level Holy Knight. My apologies but you will not be able to determine the truth to my words with your current level of Divine Power, your highness.¡± His eyes were awkwardly smiling as we made eye contact. He was saying that using ether as a lie detector as I did for confessions would not work on him. I became a bit dejected and sighed. I subconsciously turned my gaze and made eye contact with Christelle who was looking this way. Her bright smile made it seem as if she was saying that everything would be fine. But I was in aplicated situation. * The main character was unbelievably sharp. She could probably put a nket down at the Imperial Capital¡¯s central market and do well. ¡°Did you have an argument with Sir Geens, your highness?¡± ¡°Excuse me? No.¡± I immediately said no as I did not argue with him. Her pink hair shook a bit as she tilted her head with suspicion. She squinted her blue-gray eyes. The cking of horse hooves could clearly be heard. ¡°You two seem quite awkward with each other yesterday and today though.¡± ¡°We are not close.¡± I smiled bitterly. Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t know how to treat Sir Geens after our conversation yesterday. Percy chirped, ¡®pii po pii po¡¯ while seated on Christelle¡¯s shoulder. It sounded like he was telling me that I was terrible at lying. Maybe what I had right now was a feeling of inferiority. ¡°It is understandable since you seem to be more on the shy side, your highness. It took you a long time for you to get close to his Royal Highness and me as well.¡± Christelle thankfully seemed to have epted my excuse. I thought that there was some debate as to whether we were close, but Benjamin and Ganael had recently said simr things. Furthermore, I was headed to the outskirts of the Imperial Pce with Christelle right now. The Imperial Pce¡¯s duel with young Duke nquer was about to start soon. He was fighting on my behalf for my honor and we each knew a secret about each other. Were we really something simr to friends now? ¡°I¡¯m kind of excited. I want to see how his Royal Highness will punish the young Duke.¡± ¡°Youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°He apparently said that he would not kill the guy, but he never said anything about cutting off some limbs.¡± ¡®Holy shit.¡¯ My jaw dropped in shock and sheughed out loud. I was not feeling good because I had not managed to see the Imperial Prince. I¡¯m sure he acted that way after having thought things through, but suddenly being the cause of a duel between members of the Imperial family was quite the dynamic incident after living my whole life as a typical Korean person. It made me quite nervous. ¡°Now that I think about it, Benjamin-nim is quite suspicious these days too.¡± ¡°Benjamin is suspicious?¡± Christelle clicked her tongue as I blinked in shock. She was probably trying to change topics on my behalf, but even I could tell that my reaction was boring. ¡°He¡¯s been receiving a lot of letters. Do you think that he is seeing someone, your highness?¡± Benjamin has been in frequent contact with someone even when I first entered the pce. I was thinking that he was sending letters to his family.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± She tilted her head. She thenmented about how the atmosphere was quite odd. The envelope I saw yesterday was quite pretty but I kept my mouth shut because that was not enough to make an assumption. Benjamin, Ganael, and Sir Geens were in the carriage behind ours. There were a lot of things I was curious about as well if Benjamin was dating. But it didn¡¯t seem right to ask about his personal life like that if he didn¡¯t mention it first. Personal life¡­¡­ ¡®Speaking of personal life¡­¡¯ I quietly observed Christelle as she looked out the window. I heard that a lot of nobles woulde watch the duel as well. However, nobody would be able to shine like a star as she does. Her fancy baggy pants, white boots, luxurious cravat and sparkling broach were all clearly made of the highest-grade materials. She had a cute hat on her head and opera sses in her hand, making her seem like the perfect spectator. Not only did she seem like she was used to life after transmigrating, she seemed quite happy. I was curious about her thoughts. What was the goal the main character was moving toward while Sir Geens appeared in front of me, the Imperial Prince challenged his cousin to a duel, and his confirmation as crown prince was being determined? I thought that it would be okay to ask since she considered me to be a friend. Maybe I could even get some hints about the future. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez, what are your hopes and dreams for the future?¡± ¡®Wait, why did ite out like that?¡¯ I put too much emphasis on how to ask my question after deciding to suddenly ask a serious question. Christelle¡¯s eyes opened wide as she turned toward me. I awkwardly smiled. ¡°That¡¯s very random, your highness.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I, mm. Are you getting along with his Royal Highness?¡± ¡®Haaa, this isn¡¯t it either¡­¡­¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but let out a deep sigh through my nose. I was curious to know whether Christelel was getting interested in the Imperial Prince like in the original novel. It was true that I wanted to know whether QNW was moving along properly because there were so many changes already. Of course, I wasn¡¯t nning on throwing a fastball like this. ¡°You are asking some entertaining questions out of the blue, your highness. You¡¯re such a bundle of charm.¡± Christelle responded as if she was quite amused. My ears felt hot from embarrassment. She patted her opera sses and continued to speak. ¡°His Royal Highness and I¡­¡­ At first it felt like we were studying together simply because my choice was to do that or go and die, but it¡¯s sort of decent now. It is notfortable, but I have gotten used to it. We have you with us as well now, your highness.¡± I nodded my head. It felt as if a wedding invitation wouldn¡¯t be too far away. ¡°As for my hopes and dreams for the future, I¡¯m not quite sure, your highness. I want to try a lot of things without any regrets until my memories return. Of course, I have no ns onmitting any crimes or evil deeds since I don¡¯t want to be in aplicated situation when that timees.¡± She was speaking in a roundabout way but I understood what she meant. She was preparing for when her transmigration would be released and the real Christelle would return. She would freely use her wealth and abilities right now but she would control herself to not cross the line in order to not harm the young girl. ¡®But she even abducted a pirate ship¡­ Is it okay because it was for a just cause?¡¯ ¡°Oh right. I want to see the remaining divine item. I have one, his Royal Highness has one, and I got to touch the Ark of the Wind Deity in Yvelines.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡®Divine item. That might be the hint I was looking for.¡¯ I quietly started to think. The main character gathering divine items as if they were Dragon Balls didn¡¯t seem too bad as a story if I was the author. It would be easy for the readers to understand and the ability earning process would be quite intuitive. ¡°Ah! Prince Jesse¡¯s carriage has arrived!¡± I heard a too familiar voice. I jerked my head up. The carriage slowly came to a halt. ¡°Just now¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s the MC of the people, the MC of the people!¡± (TL: A Korean term for emcee who has earned the love of people all over Korea) Christelle shouted with excitement while looking outside the window. I couldn¡¯t help butugh in disbelief. ¡®Has Marquis Duhem just cast aside his own territory?¡¯ Chapter 80 Chapter 80: ¨C A Knight¡¯S Honor And Middle-Aged Romance (4) Chapter 80: A Knight¡¯s Honor and Middle-aged Romance (4) It was chaotic as soon as I got off the carriage. I could see close to a hundred people. I cut through the crowd of people whispering and greeted Marquis Fran?ois Duhem. ¡°Hello, Marquis Duhem.¡± ¡°Your highness! I¡¯m d to see that you are well. How are you feeling right now?¡± The biggest thought on my mind was for him to let go of me. The Marquis¡¯ light pink eyes were full of excitement and joy despite the duel not havingmenced. I had no idea why someone who should be looking over his territory in the south was at the Imperial Capital again. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I hope there are no major idents.¡± ¡°As expected of a royal priest. However, the cost of mocking his Royal Highness¡¯s honor is not light! Wee, youngdy Sarnez. Your hat is magnificent.¡± ¡°Thank you, Marquis Duhem. Your jacket is quite desirable as well. Are you the emcee today?¡± ¡°Of course! I couldn¡¯t miss such an opportunity.¡± ¡®Why is someone who is a Marquis trying to be at every single event in the Empire?¡¯ Benjamin and Ganael got off the rear carriage and walked up to me as the two drinking buddies happily chatted away. Sir Geens was with them as well. The nobles seated in the stands were fanning themselves while looking at me while I tried my best to pretend that they were not there. There were some Pair de Riester I met at the victory celebration, but most were people I had never met before. ¡°Is this area exclusively reserved for duels?¡± Benjamin nodded his head. ¡°To be more specific, it is the area for duels of the royalty, your highness. This ce was created in the outskirts because magic cannot be used in the Imperial Pce other than at the training grounds. It is because the training ground is reserved for the Imperial family and the opponent may feel significantly threatened if they duel in the Imperial Pce. ¡°That is true.¡± Even I wouldn¡¯t want to do that. Dueling against a member of the throne was burdensome enough. My spirit would be dead long before the duel if it happened in the royal family¡¯s home ground as well. I slowly took in the duel location. The battle ground was located to the Northwest of the Imperial Pce, in an extended area of the mountains behind Juliette Pce. Large lush trees in the rear created a good amount of shade as they formed a wall. There wererge stadium-like stands to the left but they were decorated with expensive mosaics that only nobles would feelfortable sitting there. The right side was the wall at the boundary of the Imperial Pce. ¡®You¡¯re that good at fighting? Follow me to the roof.¡¯ This seemed like a perfect recreation of that clich¨¦ line if you changed the roof to the Imperial Pce. ¡°Pleasee this way, your highness! I will personally escort you to your seat.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The Marquis stepped in to personally escort me despite there being attendants from the Imperial Pce. The rest of the group and I silently followed him as we couldn¡¯t even fathom the thought of defeating this powerful celebrity. I took a closer look to see that the VIP area at the center of the stands was empty. I didn¡¯t want to ept it, but that seemed to be our seats. ¡°Marquis Duhem, are there usually this many spectators for a duel in the Empire?¡± I asked. The duels that I read about or saw in movies usually had the two participants and a few witnesses but there were too many spectators today. ¡°This is the first imperial duel in about twenty years. Most of the nobles sent their attendants to stand in line since early this morning.¡± ¡®So it¡¯s basically chaos.¡¯ I had that thought as I nodded my head. I was relieved that I did not bring the red pandas to such a chaotic and scary ce. I couldn¡¯t stop Percy because he came and went like the wind. ¡°Is young Duke nquer strong?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. He is one of the best in the Empire as he is a Grade 8 mage. It is not like the nquer blood disappeared. However, he will not be able to defeat his Royal Highness.¡± He winked and flicked his fingers. His use of dramatic gestures had not changed. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t die. His Royal Highness is not the type of person to take his cousin¡¯s life and the young Dukes of the House of nquer have received the blessing of a divine item for generations. Longevity is that family¡¯s specialty.¡± ¡®What?¡¯ ¡°A divine item?¡± I questioned my hearing and asked back. There were a total of four divine items in the Empire and Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric possessed one each. The Ark of the Wind Deity in Yvelines did not choose a master and remained in the Bell Tower. Then that only left one. ¡°There are divine items to the North and East of the Empire as well.¡¯ Cardinal Boutier¡¯s voice brushed through my mind. Yvelines was the North she mentioned. ¡®The Duke¡¯s House of nquer is a household of mages who have a long history in the eastern part of the Empire.¡¯ ¡­¡­And the Duke¡¯s territory was in the East. ¡®This is how things are progressing?¡¯ ¡°Do you mean that the Duke¡¯s House of nquer is guarding the divine item?¡± ¡°That is correct, your highness. It is called the Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life. It is famous for giving a long life to those who serve it.¡± I knew about that because I read the fairytale by Grand Duke Yvelines, Prince Consort Alexandre. However, nowhere in the book did it mention that the divine item was in the territory of his family, the House of nquer. The book with the map of the divine items was not very helpful either because it just showed the location of the divine item. The Sarnez territory was listed inrge letters not because it was a Duke¡¯s Castle but because it was a famous ce. That was not the case for the other territories. ¡®Damn it. Is it okay to have a bad rtionship with such a family? Is the progression okay?¡¯ ¡°I hope you enjoy the duel.¡± Marquis Duhem escorted us to the empty seats before smiling elegantly and walking back down the stairs. Benjamin and Ganael slowly started opening the pic basket. Christelle stopped receiving snacks from the two of them and observed my expression. ¡°You have quite the serious look on your face, your highness. Please don¡¯t worry. Nobody will die.¡± She smiled as if to console me and handed over a small basket the size of my palm. I could smell the aromatic fragrance of popcorn. My eyes became even clearer after taking a bite. I recalled a conversation I just had with Christelle in the carriage. ¡®That¡¯s right. I want to see the remaining divine item.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­Is it just a coincidence? Can I just ignore this? Is it a positive flow of events for the male lead to sh against the heir of the family guarding the final divine item just as the main character showed interest in it?¡¯ ¡°It looks like all of the important guests have arrived. We will now start this sacred duel!¡± I was almost scared by the loud pping and fans tapping as soon as Marquis Duhem said that. It wasn¡¯t as intense as during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. However, it still filled the area and sounded as if the tension could be cut at any moment. A man walked out from the left side of the battlefield at that moment. Anybody would be able to tell that this was young Duke Robert nquer. I thoroughly observed the man. I remembered something Eunseo told me in the past. ¡®Second bro, anybody who is handsome has an important role. You need to pay attention when you read.¡¯ ¡®They could have an important role even if they are not that handsome.¡¯ ¡®No, ugly people are frequently extras.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯ ¡®But there is no way for a handsome dude to be an extra. Handsome dudes are at least good at something.¡¯ Her theory did not seempletely wrong. For example, look at Christelle and Sir Geens seated on either side of me. Christelle was the main character of QNW while Sir Geens was a mercenary moving at crown princess Elise¡¯s request. I frowned. ¡°¡­¡­He¡¯s handsome.¡± Young Duke nquer, who seemed to be around the Imperial Prince¡¯s age, was tall, slim, and handsome. It was the type of guy Eunseo would have been like, ¡®what is his name and where does he live?¡¯ He had that pretty face she liked. He didn¡¯t seem like the type who would receive a serious injury or log out in a ce like this. The stands became loud as I was deep in my thoughts. ¡°My goodness, his Royal Highness looks amazing as usual.¡± ¡°I thought that the sun had risen from the west. It was just his Royal Highness.¡± All sorts of praises poured out from behind the fans covering the nobles¡¯ mouths. The problematic man appeared from the right. His hair that was as dark as dusk before the sun rose was fluttering in the wind. His orange eyes that were glowing like jewels were only focused forward. His face was extremely handsome at a different level and the presence he was giving off made it seem as if this bastard had already won. The number of swords around his waist were, one, two, three¡­¡­ ¡°Wait, why does he have four swords?¡± ¡°Maybe he is nning on chopping off a limb with each sword, your highness?¡± A noble seated behind me whispered to me. I smiled bitterly and turned around. ¡°Thank you for the exnation, madam.¡± ¡°It was my honor, your highness. It is nice to be in your presence again.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Lady Belliard.¡± My eyes opened wide. The old woman wearing the dark jade-colored dress with her white hair elegantly done was definitely Sarah Belliard, the Managing Editor of the . It had been about two months since Ist saw her. My reaction made the group turn their heads toward me. Everybody other than Benjamin seemed a bit shocked. ¡°I needed to watch such a precious duel in person.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing you are going to write an article about it.¡± ¡°Of course. The three of you left for the Imperial Capital immediately after the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. It was so disappointing.¡± She waved her opera sses as she responded. The reason we headed up to the Imperial Capital immediately after the Great Clearance was to avoid her tenacious interview request. Everybody at the time knew that Lady Belliard had personally traveled down to the Duhem March. I quietly gulped. A giant in the media world was watching, the Imperial Prince looked as if he was going to pummel someone to the verge of death, and his opponent was from the family with the Empire¡¯s final divine item. Furthermore, the main character had been diligently building connections with divine items until now. Although she didn¡¯t know about it, I also had a divine item after having absorbed the divine item in the Temple of Boundaries. ¡°It looks like the witnesses are now entering. His Royal Highness¡¯s witness is Vice Commander Moutet as rumored.¡± Lady Belliard sounded entertained as she leaned back. I looked forward again. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who was wearing formal attire instead of the Imperial Guard uniform, was standing next to the Imperial Prince. She had a calmly sunken look on her face. I¡¯ve never read romfans before but anybody would be able to tell that this was not a good sign. Even if she could not stop the duel in the middle, she needed to be able to give the Imperial Prince some advice. I felt that things would get quite twisted if he severely injured the young Duke. ¡°Oh my, who is that? A healing priestess?¡± ¡°That is the young Duke¡¯s younger sister, youngdy Eva nquer. I heard that she will be receiving the bishop ordination next week.¡± I heard the nobles seated in front of me whispering. I turned toward the direction as well. I saw a girl in a priestess robe who seemed to be in her teens tying her scarf to the young Duke¡¯s scabbard. ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯ ¡°Youngdy Sarnez, could you please lend me your handkerchief?¡± ¡°Again?¡± Christelle¡¯s eyes opened wide but she still pulled out and handed over a sky blue handkerchief. It was only then that I remembered borrowing one in the Imperial Family Library. ¡®Sadie burned that one up though.¡¯ ¡°Thank you very much. Please request his Royal Highness return both of them.¡± I stood up from my seat. I could feel everybody looking at me but I took a deep breath and pretended not to notice. ¡°I will do so, your highness.¡± The main character must have understood my intentions as she smiled and responded. I nodded my head once and quickly descended the staircase. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if I was unnecessarily acting out again. However, ominous feelings tend to never be wrong. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to be cautious. * ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± ¡°Giving you some encouragement, your Royal Highness.¡± I stared at the swords dangling on the Imperial Prince bastard¡¯s sword belt before starting to tie the handkerchief on the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star, since I had seen it many times and had gotten attached to it. My hand moved as slowly as possible in order to buy myself some time. I could feel the Imperial Prince ring at me with discontent above my head. I did not beat around the bush and got right down to what I needed to say. ¡°You cannot severely injure the young Duke, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°The reason?¡± ¡°You might not know this, but Lady Belliard is here.¡± ¡°I have no reason to be wary of her.¡± The Imperial Prince sharply retorted. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who was standing next to us as if to protect us, was looking at me with an amused look on her face. ¡°I know, your Royal Highness. But the Duke¡¯s House of nquer is in the east of the Empire and borders the Holy Kingdom. The young Duke will have that important role in the future. Is there a need to leave a serious injury that cannot be healed?¡± ¡°It will be a detriment to the Empire.¡± He scowled once I added that part. ¡°You speak as if you have be a person of Riester.¡± Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t think that what he said was wrong. ¡°The young Duke mocked you and your father.¡± His low-pitched voice sank low. I slightly frowned. It wasn¡¯t really my father, but the young Duke was definitely in the wrong. ¡®He does deserve to be punished.¡¯ ¡°As the master of Romero Pce, I cannot overlook this.¡± ¡°But you can finish it quickly without torturing him, your Royal Highness. I thought you said you were overwhelmingly strong.¡± Imented. I tried my best to take my time to tie the handkerchief but my hand didn¡¯t slip because I had plenty of experience after being in charge of little Eunseo¡¯s hair every morning. Christelle¡¯s initials, C. S., were clearly visible on the handkerchief. It was perfect. ¡°Thank you for requesting a duel on my behalf, your Royal Highness. However, I hope that you will control yourself considering the future. I am saying this for the two of your benefit.¡± ¡°Two?¡± He was as sharp as a ghost. ¡®Oops, I can¡¯t bring Christelle up right now.¡¯ I immediately pulled out an excuse. ¡°The young Duke is someone who will protect the border and you are my friend, your Royal Highness. What I am trying to say is that I hope there is no trouble afterwards.¡± Chapter 81 Chapter 81 ¨C A Knight¡¯S Honor And Middle-Aged Romance (5) Chapter 81: A Knight¡¯s Honor and Middle-aged Romance (5) I came back up after saying everything I needed to say, but it was a mystery as to whether Imperial Prince C¨¦dric would act as I wanted. He simply let out a low snort and did not react in any other way. The nobles were endlessly whispering away while looking at me. I did my best to avoid them and received a ss bottle from Ganael. Looking at the pomegranate ade and the pieces of lemon floating in it made my mind feel a bit more rxed already. Christelle¡¯s eyes were sparkling as she asked me a question. ¡°Your highness, what did you say to his Royal Highness? ¡°I told him to go easy.¡± ¡°Oh my. I would have asked him to properly crush him.¡± I took a sip of the ade and smiled awkwardly. I would have normally left the Imperial Prince to do as he pleased, but I felt as if I had no choice this time because I had an extremely ominous feeling. From where I currently am, I could clearly see Christelle¡¯s handkerchief tied to the hilt of the Sword of Wisdom. ¡°The duel will continue until one side announces their defeat. Two witnesses will be observing from the side. His Royal Highness, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, is a Grade 7 mage, a Grade 8 swordsman, and a fire attribute novice Holy Knight. His opponent, young Duke Robert nquer, is a Grade 8 mage!¡± Marquis Fran?ois Duhem was standing in front of the stands as he started hismentary, never identally biting his tongue even once. Hearing it like this made it clearly sound like the Imperial Prince¡¯s strength was overwhelming. He was a scam character who was good at everything, as expected of the male lead. He might becking inparison to the young Duke when ites to mana, but it seemed like the fightwas already over unless the young Duke was skilled in sword arts as well. I peeked at the young Duke. He had a wooden staff about 50cm tall in his right hand. The sword strapped around his waist seemed more for decorative purposes. His face seemed to be twitching. ¡®Mm.¡¯ ¡°This won¡¯t end in like five seconds or something, right?¡± Christelle whispered. Sir Geens, who had been quiet this whole time, was the one to respond. ¡°Just like with Holy Knights, attributes are very important for mages. It might be difficult if his Royal Highness¡¯s mana attribute is a bad match withthe young Duke¡¯s.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth pulled out her sword and stabbed it into the ground at that moment. ¡°And it is starting!¡± ¨C Wiiiiiiiiiiing! The young Duke released his mana circle, the magic formation, as soon as Marquis Duhem said that. A red square started spinning clockwise as soon as it appeared under his feet. It then duplicated itself until there were eight spinning squares. ¨C ng, ng, chhh! ¡°Ooh!¡± The spectators gasped once the magic formations that fanned out gathered together. Watching a mage form their magic formation was an interesting show for me as well, since I had only seen the portal magic formations until now. The Imperial Prince had never given me such a show because he didn¡¯t need magic formations to use his special ability. I didn¡¯t have any time to observe other mages during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. It looked simr to a priest¡¯s ether circle but upon closer inspection, it was not a round circle like the ones I could make. It was actually eight separate squares borately ced in a pattern. Eight magic formations was the reason he was a Grade 8 mage. ¡°The flow of his mana is quite stable. Those of the nquer bloodline are truly different.¡± Sir Geensmented. The young Duke, who finished trying to supress the Imperial Prince¡¯s spirit, released his circles before swinging his staff without any hesitation. Dust shot up from the dirt on the ground. ¡®What the¡­¡¯ ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Wow!¡± My mumbles were lost under the shouts of shocked nobles. It was neither dust nor fog. ck particles floated up, causing an elegant whirlwind. The particles reflected the sunlight as they moved, shining here and there. The Imperial Prince simply stood there silently and watched, not even pulling out his sword. A short burst of understanding sprung in my mind. ¡°Maic force.¡± The young Duke¡¯s mana contained maic force. The iron powder in the sand was gathering and scattering at hismand. ¡®Wait a minute. The Imperial Prince¡¯s mana reacts to metal.¡¯ ¨C Swoooosh! Young Duke nquer smirked as he swung his staff with greater force. Chhh! The iron filings charged toward the Imperial Prince, making a loud noise and they moved. It looked as if the Imperial Prince disappeared for a moment before returning back into view. ¨C Baaaaang! A sword aura instantly shot out, cutting through the iron veil. The reason it looked as if he disappeared for a moment was because his movements were too swift to follow. I couldn¡¯t keep up with my eyes. The Imperial Prince shot forward without dy. He was using a different sword than the Sword of Wisdom. He instantly arrived in front of the young Duke. ¨C Ooooooong! It then sounded as if the air was crying. ck powder stuck to the Imperial Prince¡¯s sword like a swarm of bugs. His gloved left hand stopped in midair as if it was nailed down. I could see the tip of his sword shaking. My jaw dropped at this unexpected development. The spectators gasped. A Grade 8 mage¡¯s mana was dominating a Grade 8 swordsman¡¯s weapon. ¡°Is this because his Royal Highness¡¯s mana is weaker than the young Duke¡¯s?¡± I urgently asked. Sir Geens calmly responded. ¡°I¡¯m sure that is ying a role, but it seems as if the young Duke¡¯s special ability is more intricate. His Royal Highness¡¯s special ability stops at moving metal. It is like a form of psychokinesis.¡± That was true. Even during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts, the Imperial Prince simply sent daggers flying forward or back to him and did not use it for anything moreplicated. I thought that his ability was already amazing enough, but there was a bastard who was even more amazing. The young Duke could imbue maic force into metal and his ability was so focused that it could even control the metallic powder hidden in the sand. It was basically as if the Imperial Prince¡¯s special ability was sealed. ¨C ng! The Imperial Prince cast aside his first sword without any hesitation and retreated. The sword that was covered in ck dust fell to the young Duke¡¯s feet. ¡®That must be why he brought multiple swords with him.¡¯ ¨C ng! The Imperial Prince¡¯s shadow disappeared as soon as he pulled out the second sword. ¨C Boooom! There was a loud noise and the iron filings floating in the air fell to the ground. The second sword was also stopped in midair. However, this time it was not because of maic force. The attack was so swift that the young Duke released his special ability and cast a defensive magic formation. Red mana burst out of the Imperial Prince¡¯s sword. ¡°He can¡¯t multicast.¡± Christelle analyzed the situation. I nodded my head. Multicast, as the name implies, is when a mage is able to use more than two spells at the same time. It wasn¡¯t surprising that the young Duke couldn¡¯t do it as I heard that it was an ability only an extremely few high-ranking mages were able to use. He was unable to use his special ability and the defensive spell at the same time. ¨C Chhhh! The young Duke¡¯s boots were pushed back. His brown hair and the tip of his staff were shaking. The Imperial Prince¡¯s mana and physical strength were pressuring him quite a bit. Red mana from both men shot up like smoke. ¨C Screeeech! ¡°My goodness!¡± There were gasps all around the stands. The Imperial Prince¡¯s sword was slicing through the barrier. I clenched my fists in shock. His orange eyes seemed to be on fire. However, his expression was surprisingly calm. ¡°Ugh.¡± The young Duke groaned while clenching his teeth and reached out his empty hand. He then tightly clenched the Imperial Prince¡¯s sword. Ganael, who was seated in front of me, quickly covered his mouth. ¨C Crack! ¨C ng! ¡°Uhh, uhh?!¡± The second sword was broken in half as soon as the magic formation was released. The nobles were screaming in astonishment. The Imperial Prince threw the hilt of the sword to the side as if he had expected this. Christelle, who had long since cast aside her opera sses, gently hit my forearm. ¡°That¡¯s that, isn¡¯t it your highness? Mas!¡± ¡°Yes, he seems to have pushed maic force of the same pole into the sword and¡­¡­¡± ¡®Broken it in half.¡¯ I knew that he must be confident in his special ability, but to release his defensive magic formation with the Imperial Prince¡¯s sword right in front of his eyes¡­ This guy had balls. The Imperial Prince pulled out his third sword as quickly as a sh of lightning without moving back. He still didn¡¯t seem to want to use the Sword of Wisdom. ¡®What is he thinking?¡¯ ¨C Pabat! ¨C ng! A broach that flew up from the young Duke¡¯s jacket was stopped by the Imperial Prince¡¯s dagger. The two metallic items were shaking against each other in the air before they crumpled into one metallic ball and fell to the ground. The young Duke used the opening to pull the sword out from his waist and stabbed toward the Imperial Prince. ¨C Ooooooong! The two swords were unable to touch as they shook like two mas being pushed against the same maic pole. The Imperial Prince pushed back with strength. He had to do so with such an opponent. The young Duke was clenching his teeth and his left hand was bleeding while the young man¡¯s picturesque face showed no signs of hardship. ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡± The young Duke shouted with all of his strength and swung the staff in his right hand. ¨C Ooooooong! The air roared and the two men¡¯s bodies were unable to ovee the maic force and were pushed back in opposite directions. The young Duke¡¯s sword flew up and stabbed into the dirt. The Imperial Prince¡¯s sword left his hand as well. It was as if an invisible force had taken both of their weapons. ¨C Swoooosh! ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± People screamed. A long sword swung like a propeller and was flying toward the stands. I felt as if my eyes would burst out. It was aiming right for me. ¨C Baaaaang! A barrier activated as soon as I opened my Holy Domain. There must be a spell here to protect the spectators as there had been at the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. The sword that was stopped by the barrier slowly slid until it fell by my feet. I was still breathing heavily as I looked toward the battlefield. ¡°We need to get a coffin for that son of a bitch. That was one hundred percent on purpose.¡± Christelle mumbled viciously. Everybody gathered here, as well as the Imperial Prince who hadnded gently, were looking this way. His eyes grew dark after understanding the situation. ¡®Uhh¡­¡­ This is a bit dangerous¡­¡¯ ¨C ng! The Sword of Wisdom was pulled out. I didn¡¯t even have time to calm myself down. The Imperial Prince switched his grip on the inky ck sword and threw the sword toward the young Duke?! ¨C Ooooooong! The bizarre sound of maic force moving could be heard. The Sword of Wisdom was also a metallic weapon. Even this weapon from god seemed unable to escape the grasp of a Grade 8 mage¡¯s power. The young Duke smiled fishyly as he moved his staff to his left hand. He then reached his right hand out with a triumphant look on his face. The handkerchief created a sky blue arc in the air. ¨C Shhh! ¡°I will happily take it since you offered it to me!¡± The moment he grabbed the sword¡­ ¨C Craaaackle! ¡°Aaaaaaaaaak!¡± The Sword of Wisdom burst in mes. The young Duke screamed in pain and let go of the divine item. Christelle¡¯s handkerchief turned into ashes. The spectators all stood up from their seats. ¡°How dare you.¡± I could hear the Imperial Prince¡¯s low voice. We had no choice but to stand up as well as we couldn¡¯t see anything anymore. I calmed Percy, who was intensely pping his wings, and raised my head. The young Duke¡¯s palm had burned so much it was melting. ¡°Ooo, aaaaaah!¡± It didn¡¯t seem to be a regr burn. He was crying while holding his right wrist with his left hand. The metal filings scattered everywhere were twitching while reacting to him. The Imperial Prince moved toward him step after step. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off of him. ¨C Swoooooooosh! He reached his left arm out and the Sword of Wisdom gently flew over andnded in his hand. The ck sword was sleek as if it had never burst into mes. He had taken off the glove on his right hand at some point. The Imperial Prince flicked his finger in the air with a haughty look in his eyes. ¨C Snap! ¨C Baaaaang! ¡°Aaah!¡± The young Duke¡¯s body was flung back like a bullet. A portion of the spectators fainted. I gasped and quickly looked at what had just exploded. The broken swords from earlier were viciously sparkling under the June sun. The ones stabbed into the ground weren¡¯t too bad. But the young Duke was bleeding in multiple ces with pieces of swords stabbed all over his body. I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything. Basically, the first sword that was covered in iron powder that he had cast aside¡­ He seemed to have pushed some fire into it to explode it like a bomb. The now red metal filings were sizzling as they burned the young Duke¡¯s clothes and created holes in them. I quickly looked at the Imperial Prince. He had not received even the slightest of burns since he had the protection of an intense fire attribute ether. He seemed to have used his mana to stop the pieces of metal that flew toward him. I could finally sigh in relief. I could hear the young Duke¡¯s voice that sounded as if he might die at any moment. ¡°Wait, your Royal Highness¡­¡­ I, I admit defeat.¡± ¡°You will even regret your regret.¡± ¨C Snap! ¨C Baaaaang! The Imperial Prince flicked his finger again and a piece of metal that had rolled over to the young Duke¡¯s head exploded. I shouted in shock. [Stop, your Royal Highness!] ¨C Gooooooooong! Time then stopped. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°My goodness¡­¡­¡± I could hear someone¡¯s gasp-like mumbling. I quickly caught my breath and looked at the Imperial Prince. The bundle of the broach and dagger that was exploding with his me was a sphere as red as the sun but had stopped mid-explosion. It looked like something done with CG. The young Duke was unable to stand the intense heat by his neck and groaned as he rolled his body back. He had not died. The Imperial Prince had stopped it mid-explosion. [¡­¡­You did well, your Royal Highness.] I simply said whatever came to mind. My legs felt weak and I had cold sweat down my back but I couldn¡¯t plop down. The nobles were still looking at the Imperial Prince and me. The person who thankfully broke the ice-like silence was Marquis Duhem. His voice was shaking as well. ¡°Young Duke nquer has announced his defeat. His Royal Highness, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, is the winner of the duel!¡± ps burst out as if they had been waiting for this. People then started fiercely chatting with one another. I fiercely petted Percy¡¯s small head with the tip of my index finger. ¡®It¡¯s okay. It seems to have ended okay.¡¯ The young Duke had both his arms and legs, his eyes, and although he was bleeding, he was still conscious. As for the mental damage¡­¡­ I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll figure that out himself. He brought this upon himself anyway. Yes, that¡¯s right.¡¯ Chapter 82 Chapter 82 ¨C A Knight¡¯S Honor And Middle-Aged Romance (6) Chapter 82: A Knight¡¯s Honor and Middle-aged Romance (6) The exploding bundle turned into ash that scattered like flower petals in the wind. ¡°That was so refreshing!¡± ¡°The nquer trash ended up like this in the end.¡± ¡°He probably wouldn¡¯t be alive if he went up against her Majesty.¡± ¡°His Royal Highness truly is strong. He truly is the small sun of the Empire.¡± I could hear the nobles chatting as they gave a standing ovation. A couple healing priests were running toward young Duke nquer. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth had pulled her sword out of the ground and was walking toward Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. The Imperial Prince was fine, but he probably needed a check-up just in case. Ganael and Benjamin quickly packed our stuff while Christelle left first, saying that she was going to help the healing priests. She must be thinking that they might need clean water. The spectators pped their fans and slowly called their attendants over. ¡°The two of you can head down as well.¡± I addressed Benjamin and Ganael. I watched the two of them nod their heads and descend the stair-like stands beforelooking back. Sir Johann Geens was quietly standing next to me. It was almost as if he wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Lady Belliard.¡± ¡°¡¯The duel was so refreshing, like a ss of ade with pomegranate jam and lemon slices.¡¯ There were quite a lot of newsworthy things. I think that I will be able to fill the magazine for a month with what happened today.¡± The olddy behind me closed her notebook and smiled. She must have figured out what I had been drinking. I smiled bitterly and reached an arm out toward the Managing Editor of the . She quietly gasped before happily receiving my escort. The hem of her jade-colored dress started to move. Sir Geens also silently followed behind us. ¡°How is your grandson doing?¡± I cautiously asked. Based on the story I heard in the Imperial Pce¡¯s templest time, Lady Belliard had a young grandson who had lost consciousness and could not open his eyes. Her green eyes opened a bit wider as she looked at me. She seemed shocked at what I had asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you would be curious about that, your highness.¡± ¡°I was unable to ask you about it at thest interview, Lady Belliard.¡± Her face looked quite odd at my response. Her wrinkled lips seemed to be carefully choosing what to say. ¡°He is the same as usual, your highness. But for a royal priest to personally care about him like this¡­¡­¡± Her voice became quiet and she did not say anything else. I did not ask either and walked the steps with her. Our surroundings were extremely chaotic with attendants urgently rushing over to escort their masters, attendants looking after fainted nobles, and people excitedly talking about the duel. I could feel some gazes and whispers directed toward me, but Ipletely ignored them. I turned my gaze toward the location of the duel to see a pair of ga-like orange eyes looking at me. ¡®You did so well.¡¯ I smiled at the bastard who quickly turned his gaze. ¡°His Royal Highness seemed to have listened to you, your highness.¡± Lady Belliard put her notebook in her pocket and changed the topic. I did my best to drag out a response. ¡°¡­¡­His Royal Highness is wise. I¡¯m sure that he knew that there was no need for an unnecessary murder.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that, your highness. Based on the young Duke¡¯s attitude, it would not have been weird for him to die today. I¡¯ve known for a long time that he was trash, but I didn¡¯t know he would be so arrogant in front of the Imperial family as well. There are rumors about how he acts like he is the Imperial Prince when he is in his territory. They seem to be true.¡± She had quickly regained her usual voice as she sharply continued speaking. The short steps wereing to an end. ¡°I n to choose between two directions with this article. There is a limit to the number of pages each volume of our magazine can have, after all. One will put the focus on his Royal Highness while the other would probably put the focus on you, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Which would you prefer, your highness?¡± The old woman smiled and looked up at me. The small sses on the bridge of her nose was letting me know that she was still in ¡®reporter mode¡¯. I wasn¡¯t nning on appeasing her or defeating her from the beginning, so I simply smiled back. Even if I managed to convince her to write the article in a way that was favorable to me, that would not be an act of goodwill, but a trade. I didn¡¯t want to have such a tricky rtionship with the media. ¡°I wish to be far from people¡¯s interests, but¡­¡­ That is for you to decide, Lady Belliard. I can only wait as a reader.¡± I stood on the ground and waited for her to descend thest step. Lady Belliard was smiling as she looked at me. Her expression seemed to be saying that I was quite an entertaining little punk. ¡°Please be safe on your way home, Lady Belliard. I will pray that your grandson gets better soon.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, your highness. I pray that you are full of blessings as well.¡± Lady Belliard¡¯s attendant immediately walked over to attend to her. The two of them bowed respectfully before walking away. Sir Geens and I then quickly walked to the duel area. ¡°Are you okay, your Royal Highness?¡± The bastard seemed to be implying that it was to be expected and didn¡¯t respond There was not a single scratch on his pretty face. There weren¡¯t even any on the back of his hand. ¡®Right, who the heck was I worrying about?¡¯ Percy, who had been on my shoulder the whole time, flew over to his shoulder. ¡°We should be asking if you are okay, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡°Yes, I am okay. There was a barrier there.¡± I immediately responded to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s question. Ganael had not gone to the carriage, and was standing next to her. His face looked much more haggard than before the duel started. The young Countess was personally calming the shocked young boy. ¡°As for the young Duke¡¯s condition¡­¡± ¡°You son of a bitch, you¡¯ll regret the fact that you did not die today.¡± I stopped mid sentence and gasped in shock. Our main character was seated next to young Duke nquer, who was being assisted by the healing priests, while whispering threats into his ear. It looked as if she hade not to help with the healing but to slow it down. The way she was pointing with her opera sses seemed quite thuggish. Nobody seemed to be able to step up and stop Christelle as the Imperial Prince was remaining silent on the matter. Furthermore, she was the only child of Duke Sarnez, one of her Majesty¡¯s favorite vassals. The bloodied young Duke lying on the ground groaned and opened his mouth. ¡°Oo, ugh¡­¡­ Youngdy Sarnez¡­¡­¡± ¡°Does it hurt? It hurts me too. Seeing shit like you gives me a headache thinking about the Empire. A damn kid, who has barely just stopped drinking breast milk went out into the world and only learned how to be a shitty jackass. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s future hubby almost fainted because of you.¡± ¡®Future hubby?¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s enough, youngdy Sarnez.¡± I gently ced my hand on her arm. Christelle finally raised her head, saw me, and smiled brightly. ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re here, your highness! I was telling the young Duke that I hope he returns home safely.¡± ¡®You looked more like you wanted to escort him to the afterlife instead of his house¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s head to the carriage. We might be the snack for the nobles¡¯ teatime and then their dinner drink if we stay here any longer.¡± ¡°As you wish, your highness.¡± She gently stood up. The Imperial Prince showed signs of leaving as well, making the healing priests all get up to respectfully bid him farewell. It was definitely a coincidence that one of the priests and I made eye contact in the process. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Her curly red hair that looked as if it was on fire was fluttering under her robe. The clear sepia eyes were ring at me with a grudge. I became anxious at the woman¡¯s intense emotions toward me and could not say anything. I missed a few beats before remembering who she was. ¡°Youngdy nquer. Please return home safely.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I will see you next time, your highness.¡± It was Eva nquer, the young Duke¡¯s younger sister and the one who had tied the scarf to his sword earlier. She was a beautiful girl who would make anybody turn in shock at her beauty, but her gaze toward me was so vicious that words could not describe it. I presumed she was quite upset that her brother ended up like this. I thought that he brought it upon himself, but no family member would be happy about this matter. ¡®¡­¡­There should be no hidden meaning behind seeing me next time, right?¡¯ ¡°Okay then.¡± I nodded my head toward the young Duke who was bleeding all over his body and started walking. I had no sympathy toward the person who threw a sword at me, but I hoped for his recovery because I didn¡¯t want Christelle and the Imperial Prince¡¯s future to be hindered because of this bastard. The Imperial Prince and his attendant, David, were walking in front. Christelle, Ganael, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, and Sir Geens were walking with me. ¡°¡­¡­Kind of rtionship?¡± ¡®Hmm?¡¯ I stopped walking for a moment. I looked back, thinking that I heard a weird question, but Eva was turning away from me without hesitation. She bent down to inspect her brother¡¯s condition again. ¡®Did I hear wrong?¡¯ ¡°I heard that the young Duke¡¯s right hand will never be able to feel anything again. Holy fire burnt everything down to his nerves, so healing powers are unable to restore them.¡± Christelle exined in an extremely satisfied voice. The nobles all respectfully greeted the Imperial Prince as we headed toward the carriage. I didn¡¯t know that the Sword of Wisdom would be so picky about who held it. ¡®It was calm when I was tying the handkerchief on it though. I guess it¡¯s basically an ego sword.¡¯ ¡°All of the des that were stabbed into him were heated with fire, so he will also have a lot of scars and burns. He might limp for the rest of his life if he is unlucky.¡± ¡°You seem quite happy about that, youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°Is it that visible, your highness? Am I smiling right now?¡± ¡°Yes, you look like the happiest person in the world right now.¡± Christelleughed out loud at myment. There seemed to be some good feelings in her eyes as she looked at the Imperial Prince¡¯s back. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who arrived in front of the two carriages we arrived in, kissed Ganael¡¯s temples and opened the door. ¡®The two of them are really close.¡¯ ¡°Eek!¡± Ganael looked inside the carriage before taking a step back in shock. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who also looked inside after seeing the young boy¡¯s reaction, also seemed astonished. I quickly walked to see what was going on. ¡°Why are you¡­ Lady Belliard?!¡± My body moved before my mind and I too took a step back. Even the Imperial Prince, who was about to walk past us, also flinched. Lady Sarah Belliard, whom I had just left moments ago, wasing out of the Juliette Pce¡¯s carriage. ¡°Why are youing out of there, Lady Belliard¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hohoho, shall I call it a middle-aged romance? I will really be making my leave now. Goodbye, your Royal Highness and your highness.¡± Her white hair fluttered as the old woman elegantly bowed and walked away. I nked out for a moment as I watched her leave. Her demeanor and movement were so natural that none of the nobles looked toward us with any suspicion. ¡®What the hell did she do in an Imperial family carriage? Do we need to capture her?¡¯ I was having such thoughts when Ganael, who was tightly holding the carriage door, looked inside and asked. ¡°¡­¡­Benjamin-nim, what were you discussing with Lady Belliard?¡± ¡®Who?¡¯ * ¡°This is huuuuuge! You put an outsider in an Imperial family carriage, so you have to tell us everything!¡± ¨C Pipipipi! Christelle, who was seated to my right, quickly talked away. Percy, who was on her knee, chirped in agreement. Benjamin, who was seated across from us with Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth to his left and Ganael to his right, smiled awkwardly. There was a pretty and colorful envelope in his hand, simr to the one I saw a few days ago. ¡®Wow, was she being serious when she said a middle-aged romance¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any reason for me to be here.¡± ¡°Your Royal Highness, I agree with you but I think it is too difficult for you to get off now.¡± The Imperial Prince bastard, who was seated to my left, grumbled with an arm on the window. It was extremely cramped with six people inside a four-person carriage. The Imperial Prince was also very tall with long legs, so it would be even more ufortable for him. However, it was always difficult for the person seated by the window to get in and out of the carriage. The Imperial Prince¡¯s body was hot and Christelle¡¯s body was cold, so my body temperature was quite uneven, being stuck between them. About two minutes ago¡­ Christelle and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth shared a look that seemed to say they found something juicy before abducting Ganael, the Imperial Prince, and I, pushing us into this problematic carriage. I snapped back to my senses to find us in the current situation. The middle-aged man sat in this oppressive formation with five people and one animal surrounding him. This carriage was acting like an interrogation room on wheels. I could see Sir Geens and an anxious David outside the window. ¡°If you have that kind of rtionship with Lady Belliard, we will not ask anything more about that¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that, youngdy Sarnez.¡± Benjamin gently cut her off. His always benign face looked awkward for a bit before his face rxed as if he had given up. He slowly handed the envelope in his hand to me. ¡°Benjamin?¡± ¡°Please open it, your highness.¡± He calmly responded. I gulped. My respect for his privacy warred with my curiosity as I contemted my next action. He said that I could open it, which fueled my indecision. However, I thought that lightsabers might shoot out of Christelle¡¯s sparkling eyes if I just sat here. I clenched my fingertips for a moment before calmly taking the content out of the envelope. Neatly printed words revealed themselves. ¡®Questions from the readers to the author of .¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­Huh?¡¯ Chapter 83 Chapter 83 ¨C To Call Her A Viiness¡­ (1) Chapter 83: To call her a viiness¡­ (1) ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wow, holy shit!¡± Christelle shoved in from the side while I sat there broken. With that single envelope between us, three people¡­boop! ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Bumped heads. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric slightly frowned while Christelle and I rubbed our foreheads. I felt as if bells were ringing in my ears. ¡®You guys only hit my head but my head hit both of yours so it hurts so mu-¡¯ ¡°Benjamin-nim is the author of ?! Really?!¡± Ganael, who pushed his body forward to understand the situation, shouted in a loud voice. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s jaw dropped. Christelle was mumbling things like ¡®oh my gosh¡¯ and ¡®what do we do¡¯ as she gently hit my shoulder. After that, well, there was pandemonium inside the carriage. * ¡°Benjamin-nim, then is the thing you send every week somewhere the manuscript?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I said I wanted to grab young master Heathcliff by the cor. Can you at least ssh some water on the young master¡¯s face?¡± ¡°I honestly had no interest in romance novels, but¡­¡­ I will read from the beginning when I get home. The punks in the Imperial Guard are all crazy about ReSeHo these days.¡± Ganael, Christelle, and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth responded one after the other. I felt like they must have each said a hundred things by now. Benjamin smiled looking a bit embarrassed and it was new seeing this kind of expression on his face. Being my attendant and overseeing Juliette Pce was no easy task. But it was amazing that he was able to write and send a manuscript on a biweekly basis as well. I couldn¡¯t help but smile as it reminded me of my big brother back home. The situation was quite different for Mr. Jung Hyunseo (32 y/o, webnovel author) who had a daily release of a martial arts novel, but it was amazing and nice to have an author by my side even after transmigrating. ¡°I waspletely shocked, Benjamin. I would have given you time to write if you let me know in advance.¡± ¡°That is why I didn¡¯t tell you, your highness. I knew that you would definitely try to be considerate of my situation.¡± The middle-aged man calmly smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t need to put too much thought into it as this is just a hobby, your highness. In fact, I should be punished for putting an outsider inside an Imperial family carriage. I have no excuses for doing it. Please ept my deepest apologies, your Royal Highness. Prince Jesse, please ept my deepest apologies as well.¡± Benjamin apologized to the Imperial Prince and me with an extremely sincere demeanor. I turned to look at the Imperial Prince. I was a bit anxious. He revealed something of the Imperial family to not just any noble but a journalist like Sara Belliard and I also had no idea whether attendants in the Imperial Pce were allowed to hold other jobs. Christelle, Ganael, and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth all looked toward the Imperial Prince as well. He turned his stoic face toward the window and gave a short response. ¡°He is your attendant so you make the decision.¡± ¡°Me?¡± I blinked at the unexpected response. ¡®Wait, you are the person in charge of Juliette Pce, not me.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s great, Benjamin-nim!¡± Christelle smiled brightly with joy. My expression lit up as well thinking that things were resolved well. ¡°I¡¯m okay with it, Benjamin. I know that Lady Belliard can be a bit pushy. However, please make sure something like this does not happen ever again. I will be cheering you on.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Thank you very much, your highness.¡± Benjamin bowed one more time. The other three beside the Imperial Prince and I grabbed onto him and continued to ask questions. ¡°How did you start writing? Was there some sort of inspiration?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been interested in writing since I was young, youngdy Sarnez. I started writing for my oldest niece. That child enjoys love stories quite a bit.¡± ¡°Wow! Then is ReSeHo your debut?¡± ¡°My debut¡­¡­ I wrote some essays once.¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious about the title.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called young Countess-nim.¡± ¡®Hmm?¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s the book Ganael brought for me on my first day at the pce.¡± I butted into the conversation. The famous collection of essays full of religious confessions that I had been curious to know whether the author had made the title rhyme on purpose was Benjamin¡¯s work. Ganael covered his mouth in shock at myment. Benjamin had multiple pen names. ¡°That was my first book. It was difficult to write despite writing things I wanted to write about.¡± Benjamin calmlymented. I nodded my head. I could understand it since it was the same for my brother. My brother, who had been obsessed with martial arts even from back in the days of video rental, could not let that obsession go even as he started working for apany. He started writing on the side before bing a full time author, but he often said it was difficult to write despite writing about things he wanted to see. However, his condition was pretty stable after starting a long-running series. ¡°Then how is writing for other people?¡± I asked. Benjamin thought for a moment before responding. ¡°It is just as difficult, your highness. However-¡± ¨C Knock knock. Someone knocked on the carriage at that moment. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who was seated by the door, looked at all of us once before opening it. An all too familiar handsome man was standing outside. ¡°My goodness, you¡¯re all gathered here!¡± ¡°Is there an issue, Marquis Duhem?¡± ¡°Ah, your highness. It¡¯s not a big deal, but¡­ Could you please move your carriage if you don¡¯t mind?¡± I startedughing. Benjamin held the young Countess back from kicking Marquis Duhem. Christelleughed out loud while the Imperial Prince let out a low sigh. ¡°¨¦lisabeth, I¡¯m being serious! It is difficult for my carriage to get past because it is too wide!¡± He was probably the only person in the world who would look for the owner of an Imperial family carriage. * ¡°Benjamin-nim, everybody is going wild! How could you think about such a development¡­¡­¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ganael was unable to calm himself down and continued to rattle on as we headed toward the Imperial Pce temple. Benjamin gently covered the young boy¡¯s mouth. I smiled while walking in front of them. It had already been a week since Benjamin revealed the truth about his side job to us. Of course, it was a secret to Sir Geens and Sand who were not in the carriage that day. But Sand was unable to control himself after reading this week¡¯s . The Author¡¯s Q&A with ¡®Didier Hurmic,¡¯ Benjamin¡¯s pen name was interesting, but¡­¡­ ¡®Young master Heathcliff requested a duel with Jane! My goodness, this must be the end!¡¯ It was because of the newest content where the young master requested a duel with Jane, who mocked his beloved Catherine. Jane was unable to maintain her calm at her fiance requesting a duel with her and sshed him with the water she was drinking. The next episode teased a battle between the man and woman who were both Grade 6 swords people. Christelle had said the following after reading the episode. ¡®What a historic level of ridiculousness. But it¡¯s so entertaining. The author even took my suggestion into consideration. I should send some sponsorship money.¡¯ Only I seemed shocked at the fact that Benjamin was basically writing on the go since he was able to immediately use feedback in his work. I gently bowed toward the knights opening the temple door for me and continued walking. ¡®Well, I guess my brother didn¡¯t have much stock either.¡¯ ¡°Please sign my collection of essays next time.¡± I whispered to Benjamin. He smiled and agreed to do so. ¡°Demy, big bro is going to work. Be a good boy and wait for me.¡± ¨C Screeeech I handed Demy, who was in my arms, to Ganael before heading into the Confessional. For some reason, Demy iled and signaled ¡®No.¡¯ despite never having acted like this before. He must have been upset because I left him at the pce during the Imperial Prince¡¯s duel because I didn¡¯t want him to see any blood. Rhea and Perry were still curled up in my room sleeping, but Demy, unlike them, seemed to like being outside. I had no idea where Percy went since he was gone this morning. ¡®I hope he¡¯s not in the Imperial Prince¡¯s bed pruning himself.¡¯ ¡°What is it? Do you want to go in there with me?¡± ¨C Squeeeee. ¡°Can you be a good boy? You can¡¯t say anything when peoplee in.¡± ¨C Screeeech Demy responded as if he understood. He looked so desperate reaching both front legs at me that I had no choice but to give up and take him back. I grabbed the basket of snacks from Ganael and walked into the Confessional to see the clean wooden window and the sliced decorative rope. ¡®When are they ever going to change this?¡¯ ¡°This should be your first time in here, Demy.¡± ¨C Screeeech! The area was a bit dark but Demy still responded energetically. I chuckled and patted his back. I had my lesson with the Cardinal in the morning, had lunch and observed the Imperial Prince and Christelle¡¯s lesson, and was here to take confessions now. There were a lot less penitents recently, potentially because I made sure to do this sacrament whenever I had time. A lot of people were already busy because of the Imperial Crown Prince¡¯s confirmation in August. ¡°Should we read a book until someone gets here? There¡¯s a novel written by Uncle Benjamin too.¡± ¨C Squeeeee. Demy quietly responded and ced himself on my knees. I opened the that I had not finished reading yet. I released my ether circle instead of turning on amp and the red panda created a bellflower at the tip of his tail as if he was extremely satisfied. ¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯ ¡¸??????That was how young Duke Robert nquer¡¯s splendid travel came to an end. ording to my sources in the East, the young Duke¡¯s injuries are permanent, but not serious. The Ducal House of nquer did not respond to our request for theirments on the matter. However, Duchess nquer is believed to be ashamed of her heir¡¯s disrespectful act. It is also rumored that the Duchess¡¯s husband sent his son a message about how he should be thankful for his Royal Highness¡¯s mercy.¡¹ I thoroughly read through Lady Belliard¡¯s article about the Imperial Prince and the young Duke¡¯s duel. Thankfully, there was nothing that suggested that the Imperial Prince didn¡¯t kill the young Duke because I told him not to do so. The article was focused on the Imperial Prince¡¯s beauty and generosity, as well as his Holy Knight abilities he showed in front of the nobles of the Imperial Capital. Lady Belliard had put an article that was advantageous for me once again. I¡¯m sure she only did it after calcting the benefits, but still¡­ ¡°Phew.¡± ¡¸On another note, the performance of three certain esteemed individuals was quite eye-catching. His Royal Highness, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, youngdy Christelle de Sarnez, and Prince Jesse of the Viaan Holy Kingdom seeded once again in gathering everybody¡¯s attention at this duel. From here on, they¡­¡­¡¹ ¡®There¡¯s nothing like that. I have no future ns with the two of them. Probably.¡¯ I scowled a bit and rubbed my chest area. I could feel the small crystal bell in my pocket. The note from ¡®Usil,¡¯ umm, crown princess Elise, was immediately burned after I copied the note in my notebook. Now that I knew who sent it and why, having it on me only increased the danger of it getting lost. ¨C Click. I snapped out of my thoughts. A penitent seemed to havee in while I was focused on the article. I heard the quiet noise of sleeves brushing by as I naturally deactivated my Holy Domain and closed the book. Demy slightly raised his tail after detecting an unfamiliar person, but he did not make a noise. ¡°Wee, beloved believer. When was yourst confession?¡± ¡°I am not here to confess.¡± The imposing tone made me click my tongue out of reflex. ¡®I guess business is going to be bad today if my first customer is like this.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sorry but please leave if you are not here to confess. I will need to listen to the story of another believer.¡± ¡°However, I have a question. Do you n on having his Royal Highness in one hand and youngdy Sarnez in the other as you toy with their feelings?¡± ¡°Ah, what?¡± I stopped speaking respectfully in disbelief. I rubbed my face a few times and shook my head. ¡®This isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯re seeing a crazy person at the confessional, Jung Yeseo. Don¡¯t be shaken.¡¯ ¡°Oh esteemed believer-nim, this is a holy temple. Please refrain from spreading rumors.¡± ¡°Why else would a youngdy without a partner reject a meeting with an Archbishop while his Royal Highness stops his attack at a singlement from you? I am suspicious of your intentions, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡°I will not respond anymore. I will summon the temple knights if you do not walk yourself out.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± The young and soft voice was shaking. It sounded like a voice I had heard before, but I wasn¡¯t sure because I had listened to so many penitents. At least the woman seemed to n on walking out on her own as I could hear her get up. I felt thirsty. I pulled out a ss bottle and gulped down the corn tea that Ganael had packed for me. As I handed Demy a piece of sugar pickled rose petal¡­ ¨C m! The Confessional door mmed open. The person who had walked out of the other side had barged into mine. My eyes opened wide in shock. Red hair curly like ramen, cheeks flushed from being unable to contain her anger, dark brown eyes slightly filled with tears¡­ ¡°¡­¡­Youngdy Eva nquer?¡± ¡®It¡¯s the young Duke¡¯s younger sister?¡¯ ¡°I cannot be the Duchess nor can I marry his Royal Highness. But myst chance to seed was blocked because of you, Prince Jesse. I don¡¯t like you!¡± The young girl was shaking as she spoke. I could only open and close my mouth as I didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Umm, first.¡± ¡°Drink this and get away from his Royal Highness and the youngdy!¡± Eva thrust the bottle of water in her hand toward me. ¡®Did you read the most recent chapter of ReSeHo too?!¡¯ ¨C Ssh! ¨C Screeeech! However, Demy used arge leaf to block the water! Chapter 84 Chapter 84 ¨C To Call Her A Viiness¡­ (2) Chapter 84: To call her a viiness¡­ (2) ¡°A divine beast¡­¡­¡± Eva¡¯s eyes opened as wide as a te after noticing Demy. The red panda opened and closed his mouth in a threatening manner, making her take about two steps back anxiously. I quickly stood up. ¡°Demy, big bro is okay. Youngdy nquer, you just caused a ruckus toward a priest in a temple. This is extremely disrespectful.¡± I calmlymented. Eva flinched and looked up at me before the anger returned on her face. ¡°I know that, your highness. I am a bishop like you now. I too¡­¡­ I will definitely take you away, your highness!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you said that correctly.¡± ¡°Ah. I am going to take his Royal Highness and the youngdy away from you!¡± ¡°Your highness?¡± Benjamin and Ganael, who were in the priest¡¯s office, must have heard the ruckus as they urgently opened the door and came out. I smiled bitterly and looked toward them. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll make them worry for no reason.¡¯ ¨C Tatap! Eva must have had no desire to have her insolent act seen as she quickly pulled her robe over her head and started running toward the door. I now noticed that she was wearing the heavy and luxurious formal attire of a bishop. ¡®That attire should be reserved for special asions¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®That is the young Duke¡¯s younger sister, youngdy Eva nquer. I heard that she will be receiving the bishop ordination next week.¡¯ The voice of a noble I heard at the dueling ground brushed through my mind. It has been a week since then, so maybe Eva became a bishop today. ¡®She came to the Imperial Pce temple on her own to meet me on such a happy day?¡¯ ¡°Ahhh!¡± Eva tripped on her formal attire and fell! I quickly started to mo- ¨C Tap! ¡°¡­¡­Youngdy nquer? What did you do?¡± I heard a reliable voice. Eva raised her head in shock. A mature woman, who was much taller than the youngdy, was holding Eva¡¯s body with a sturdy hand to prevent her from falling. The woman¡¯s short dark green hair slightly fluttered at the movement. ¡°Young Countess Moutet, why are you here¡­¡­¡± ¡°His highness informed me of an emergency situation.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth smiled and made eye contact with me. I gently waved my hand and smiled. Eva jerked her head and red at me. This was the first time I pulled that decorative rope in the Confessional. Of course, I never expected a little youngdy like this to be the cause. * ¡°Youngdy Eva nquer. Did you know that your actions could be considered an attack toward the Riester Imperial family?¡± Eva¡¯s face turned white at Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s stern questioning. We were sitting on one side of the empty pews to chat. To be more specific, ¨¦lisabeth was interrogating the suspect, Eva, as the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard. The temple was closed off with knights and Imperial Guard members standing at the door. Benjamin and Ganael confirmed that I was fine two times before returning to the priest¡¯s office. I poured the olive leaf tea that Benjamin had given me into three cups. The light and savory fragrance rose up. ¡°I, that, why is that?!¡± ¡°Prince Jesse is a royal priest who has entered the pce to receive confessions from the Imperial family. He is also a guest of Romero, who is staying in Juliette Pce. You must have been aware that disrespecting Prince Jesse was insulting his Royal Highness, Prince C¨¦dric. We just had the issue with the young Duke, after all.¡± The young Countess¡¯s grey eyes scarily sank down. Eva started huping once her brother, young Duke Robert nquer, was mentioned. ¡®Aigoo.¡¯ ¡°Hup. This is weird. Prince Jesse is a diplomatic hostage. Hup. ording to my brother, Prince Jesse is bewitching the Imperial family and the Pair de Riester, hup. That is what he told me.¡± ¡®I would have taken control of the Empire a long time ago if I had such skills.¡¯ ¡°Youngdy nquer, I know this may seem rude, but may I ask your age?¡± I spoke as gently as possible while handing Eva a tea cup. She urgently took a gulp of the olive leaf tea. I rmended that she stand up, curl her body forward and swallow the tea. The little girl obliged without any hesitation. ¡®She doesn¡¯t seem to have a bad personality.¡¯ ¡°Your hup has stopped, right?¡± ¡°Amazing¡­¡­ No, I am sixteen, your highness. I had mying-of-age ceremonyst week.¡± Eva started with an innocent mumble before finishing with a sharp re on her face. If she turned sixteenst week, she was basically born yesterday holding hands with Ganael. She also seemed to be acting much younger than her age because she grew up as a noble with nobody telling her that she ever did anything wrong. I let out a short sigh before exchanging nces with Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, I would like to handle this issue with the youngdy on my own if possible.¡± ¡°Will that be okay, your highness? I suggest that you inform her Majesty and give her an official sentence.¡± ¡°No, she is too young.¡± ¡°I am not young, I am an adult. Please don¡¯t talk like my brother!¡± Eva scowled and red at me with her brown eyes. ¡®I¡¯m experiencing all sorts of new things after transmigrating here. Eunseo was a good girl and didn¡¯t act like this during puberty.¡¯ ¡°You are an adult by age. However, I am saying this because your mind has yet to mature, youngdy nquer. You don¡¯t seem to be able to take responsibility for your actions yet.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I motioned toward the door with my eyes. Some buff young men were standing firm, waiting. They looked like grim reapers. The child urgently turned away. ¡°Why did you do such a thing? I believe I have the right to at least know the reason.¡± I quietly asked. Eva clenched the tea cup as if she wanted to crush it. Her red curly hair shifted down toward the ground. ¡°¡­¡­I already informed you, your highness. It¡¯s because I hate you. I cannot be the young Duchess as I am the second child and I cannot marry his Royal Highness because I am his cousin. But¡­¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°The position of Religious Partner with his Royal Highness or youngdy Sarnez seems difficult as well.¡± I closed my mouth for a moment. Too many thoughts filled my mind at once. There were about a hundred things I wanted to say on the tip of my tongue but most of it went back down my throat. ¡°First of all, his Royal Highness is twenty four years old. He will be twenty five soon. Even if you were not cousins, I don¡¯t think it is appropriate for a sixteen year old to marry a twenty four year old.¡± I answered. Christelle was only neen as well, but I decided to consider her an exception since an office worker who quit her job had transmigrated into her body. She was an official couple with the Imperial Prince as well. ¡°Aren¡¯t sixteen year olds considered adults in the Holy Kingdom as well?¡± ¡°It is still not right. A twenty four year old marrying a sixteen year old? That twenty four year old is trash.¡± Eva¡¯s eyes opened wide at myment. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who had been silently drinking tea, immediately spat it out. ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, there is a waterfall pouring out of your mouth.¡± ¡°Ahem. M, my apologies, your highness. I¡­¡­¡± The young Countess then spoke some gibberish before taking out a handkerchief and wiping her mouth and her uniform. Thankfully, she seemed to be okay. She then mumbled something about how she was the one who received the proposal. I had no idea what she was talking about so suddenly. I started to scold Eva again. ¡°Furthermore, I have no interest in being his Royal Highness and youngdy Sarnez¡¯s Religious Partner.¡± ¡°Liar.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the truth. It doesn¡¯t sound practical at all. As you mentioned, I am a diplomatic hostage. What member of the Imperial family would want to make such a rtionship with someone like me? It is the same for the House of Sarnez. A family with their level of power and influence has no reason to wee such a problem. There are plenty of talented Archbishops in the Empire.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Then¡­ Then what about what is happening right now? There is nobody in the Imperial Capital who does not know that you went to the Summer Pce with his Royal Highness, her Majesty, and her Eminence. I also heard that you are currently supporting the two esteemed Holy Knights with ether right now your highness.¡± Eva argued back in a quiet voice. ¡®Mm.¡¯ ¡°That¡­¡­ That is because I am friends with the two of them. However, it is only temporary-¡± ¡°I knew it would be like this, your highness. I was told that it all starts with being friends. Friends then go on to be Religious Partners!¡± The youngdy teared up again and shouted in anger. I had to retort that it wasn¡¯t always the case, but there were only two situations I was aware of. One was of the Cardinal and the Empress, while the other was of youngdy Antote Duhem and priestess Marielle. Both of them were cases of best friends bing Religious Partners. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ ¡°That, ahem. Youngdy nquer, is there a special reason you want to be so sessful?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who had sessfully cleaned the tea off of herself, asked. Both Eva and I looked toward her at the same time. ¡°The Ducal House of nquer is a wealthy family. Not receiving the title would bring you a lot of benefits as well. Being the Religious Partner of an Imperial family member and a Pair de Riester will be no easy task. Although I am very satisfied with my life as a young Countess, not all heirs will be the same as me.¡± It was a calm and mature tone. I quietly looked at Eva. Eva was silent for a moment before biting on her lips and breaking the silence. ¡°I wish for power.¡± ¡®Oh.¡¯ ¡°I just thought it looked cool ever since I was young. My mother always said that the higher the position, the harder it was, but I wanted to rise as high as possible. I also have a desire to do well. However, I cannot be the young Duchess as my brother is there¡­¡­¡± The little girl frowned. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and I exchanged profound nces. ¡°Youngdy nquer, then was the reason you red at me after the duel¡­¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Was it because I prevented his Royal Highness from killing the young Duke? Were you angry that you lost an opportunity to push your brother out of his position?¡± ¡°I, I am not such a cruel person!¡± Eva raised her voice. She seemed to feel extremely wronged. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and I got swept up in the mood and immediately apologized. ¡®Sorry, I¡¯ve seen too many shady tactics in politics.¡¯ ¡°Although my brother is mean to me, he is still my brother. Yes, there are many times where he embarrasses me and I feel that his actions are shameful, but he will be scolded quite a bit by our parents when we return to the territory.¡± ¡°Your brother is mean to you?¡± I immediately asked back. The youngdy had aplicated look on her face for the first time sinceing here. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, your highness.¡± ¡°No, please tell me. I won¡¯t tell anybody else.¡± ¨C Squeeeee. Demy, who had been lying down on the ground, wagged his tail and tapped my leg at that moment. He seemed to be bored. I lifted him up and ced him on my knee before noticing that Eva was staring at him. She seemed to be curious about the divine beast since she was a priestess before she was a noble. ¡®Demy is super cute, so I¡¯m sure she is extremely curious.¡¯ ¡°He likes it when you give him either. Imagine that you are making a flower blossom at your fingertip.¡± Eva hesitated before reaching out her small hand. She probably wanted to talk to Demy, but her pride prevented her from asking first. ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­ ¨C Screeeech An ether orb the size of a candy rose up around the youngdy¡¯s fingertip. I supported Demy¡¯s warm belly as he stood up on his hind legs. He pushed at Eva¡¯s finger, which was glowing gold, with his front paw. ¡°Isn¡¯t he cute? He also eats fruit and flowers.¡± ¡°My goodness.¡± Eva innocently gasped in admiration. Right now, she lookedpletely innocent unlike when she was talking about wanting power. I gently smiled as the little girl looked at Demy and I before biting down on her lips. ¡°It really is no big deal, your highness. It¡¯s just that¡­ My brother just teases me for being wicked.¡± ¡°The young Duke says that about you?¡± ¡°It started when I was four years old. You¡¯re wicked so you can be mean to the servants. You are wicked so you don¡¯t need to apologize. You are wicked so everybody will listen to whatever you want if you scream. Things like that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I slowly reached my hand back and grabbed Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s arm. She looked ready to pull her sword out and kill the young Duke at any moment. ¡°Did your parents not say anything to the young Duke?¡± I barely managed to feign calmness as I asked. ¡°Our parents are always busy, so they are not very close to the two of us. However, I think that my brother must have seen correctly, since he is nine years older than me.¡± Eva¡¯s voice sounded a bit weak. The young girl was looking at the now empty bottle she had tried to ssh in my face. ¡°I also believe that I am wicked.¡± I clenched my teeth. ¡®How long did that son of a bitch brainwash this kid for?!¡¯ * C¨¦dric Riester and Christelle de Sarnez were seated across from each other in the Romero Pce reception room at that time. A single sentence was spreading like wildfire throughout the Imperial Pce. The Imperial Prince had never weed an unfamiliar noble into his pce. Sir Johann Geens, his Holy Knight instructor, priest Sand, and even Prince Jesse Viaan, whose honor the Imperial Prince went out of his way to protect. had never been invited to Romero. This was getting the attendants of Romero Pce extremely riled up. David, the Chief Attendant, sternly scolded them, telling them to stop talking nonsense and wake up, but they were too busy talking in the distance about how this was an auspicious day for the Empire. They were wondering when the wedding would take ce. All of this was taking ce because they did not know the true rtionship between the man and the woman. ¡°What is it that you have to say?¡± The Imperial Prince asked in a low voice. He didn¡¯t even go through the formalities of offering her a drink, but Christelle didn¡¯t seem to care. David was tactful in his ce, bringing her and the Imperial Prince a ¡®light coffee with ice¡¯ and a hot ck coffee respectively. Christelle slowly started speaking. ¡°I stated that I came to get my handkerchief, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°The real reason.¡± ¡°The Annual Prayer Meeting.¡± The pair of orange eyes on the other side sparkled sharply. The main character smiled in a refreshing manner. ¡°How about the two of use to an agreement before going there, your Royal Highness?¡± Chapter 85 Chapter 85 ¨C To Call Her A Viiness¡­ (3) Chapter 85: To call her a viiness¡­ (3) C¨¦dric Riester buried his body in the couch. Christelle continued without any hesitation, as this was his way of telling her to continue. ¡°I did some research, your Royal Highness. Of course, it took some time because, as you know, my memories are not fully back.¡± The blue-gray eyes sparkled with intelligence. Naturally, she did not study with just her own abilities. Prince Jesse seemed to enjoy reading and found it awkward to make the people around him do things for him, however, she was different. Christelle nagged the House of Sarnez¡¯s private teacher the attendants until she sessfully received the information she was looking for. She did not want to sit in the library and rummage through books all day. ¡°A Religious Partner is a rtionship created between one member of the Imperial family and one priest through a Covenant of Paired Stars. This is a tradition only found in the Riester Empire. Once the contract is formed, the Holy Guardian is unable to share their soul with anyone other than the Master. Basically, they be unable to share their ether with anybody else.¡± ¡°Did you think that I wouldn¡¯t know that?¡± ¡°However, there is no quantity limit to a Holy Knight pairing with a priest.¡± The Imperial Prince¡¯s sunset-like eyes squinted a bit. His sun-like gaze observed the youngdy across from him as if he would melt her away. Christelle smiled and wet her lips with the Iced Americano David had brought for her. The coffee in Romero Pce was truly delicious. Maybe it was because the man who was obsessed with espressos lived here. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A suffocating silence descended upon the reception room. Christelle sighed internally. She didn¡¯t expect him to urge her to talk but she was surprised that his overbearing attitude would not let out even one bit. The man¡¯s fire attribute ether was as vicious as ever, but it didn¡¯t show any signs of wanting to attack her, at least not yet. Christelle maintained a smile on her face as she continued to speak. ¡°I looked into some historical documents from the Warring Era, your Royal Highness. There were some records of it, despite being pretty rare. There were records of Holy Knights from the Viaan Holy Kingdom having two priests as partners.¡± The Imperial Prince slowly started drinking his coffee. ¡°It is normally reserved for two people to be a pair but it can change when an urgent situation calls for it. There are no special contracts or soul restrictions to be partners. Practicality is the top priority in that rtionship.¡± ¡°Holy Knights and priests have different positions.¡± C¨¦dric sharply responded. There was some logic in his words. A Holy Knight on the battlefield was in danger of his ether depleting at any moment, so it wasn¡¯t weird for him to have two priest partners. However, one priest partnering up with two or more Holy Knights¡­¡­ ¡°Julite.¡± Christelle¡¯s clear voice echoed through the room. The Imperial Prince¡¯s movements immediately stopped as he was putting the coffee to his lips. He only raised his eyes to look at her. Christelle de Sarnez felt the Imperial Prince¡¯s ether overpowering for the first time sinceing into Romero Pce. The air heated up as if invisible mes were surrounding them. At least it was extremely restrained. She created some white snowkes at her fingertips to endure the pressure. Getting riled up right now might lead to the two of them destroying a part of the pce. ¡°I am talking about the woman who betrayed his Majesty, thete Emperor Romero, and allowed the Holy Kingdom¡¯s army into the Imperial Pce. The priestess who was in charge of Juliette Pce. I learned that the Empire calls her the rare viiness?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°ording to the records, Julite had Holy Knights on either side of her when she came through the Imperial Pce portal. One knight dered that he saw her giving ether to both of them. The three of them must have been partners.¡± ¡°It was only one person who said that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, your Royal Highness. But isn¡¯t it better for the two of us than not having any?¡± If there was a precedent, it was easy to have it happen again. The Imperial Prince did not respond. Christelle crunched on some ice. She didn¡¯t want to be like most nobles and beat around the bush while hiding her true intentions, at least about this topic. That was something she experienced enough in her ¡®past life.¡¯ Her sparkling eyes looked right at the Imperial Prince. ¡°To be honest with you, your Royal Highness, I want Prince Jesse to be my priest partner. His highness treats me well without any greed for his own benefits. He is a good person and a good friend.¡± Silence. ¡°Furthermore, his ether is so amazing. Even the Archbishops do not have such clear and delicate auras.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You feel that way too, don¡¯t you, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°The prince is as loud as ark and eats like a squirrel. He¡¯s not fun to be around.¡± ¡®What is he saying?¡¯ Christelle frowned. The man¡¯s ether had calmed down at some point. ¡°Then are you saying that it is fine for me to request to be Prince Jesse¡¯s part, ah!¡± Christelle shouted in annoyance. She had no intentions of openly being angry at the Imperial Prince. But this was too much! ¨C Crackle¡­¡­ ¡°This is already the third handkerchief. How will you be making it up to me, your Royal Highness?¡± Christelle picked up the remains of the handkerchief in her jacket pocket. Her frost-covered fingers were fine despiteing in contact with the red heat. She scrunched her eyes. ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t want me to be partners with Prince Jesse.¡± And that meant that the Imperial Prince, as expected, also was considering Prince Jesse as his partner. Christelle¡¯s mind was a mess, contemting whether she should pity herself for being able to somewhat understand the way this bastard conversed with people or be proud that she had figured it out. That was why she just decided to say what she wanted to say. ¡°Then I will understand that we are only attending the Annual Prayer Meeting as a formality. We are going to be together when we ask Prince Jesse to be our partner. No meeting him separately to appeal to him, okay, your Royal Highness?¡± She knew that this bastard of an Imperial Prince wasn¡¯t the type to lower himself and go ask Prince Jesse. However, it was better to be on the same side than to bepetitors. Christelle convinced herself and reached her right hand out. A pinky promise seemed too much and a handshake¡­¡­ She would be annoyed by it since that was arge surfaceing in contact with this guy. After contemting for a bit she formed a fist and extended her hand. The Imperial Prince frowned as he did not understand what she was trying to do. * ¡°¡­¡­Youngdy nquer, don¡¯t have such thoughts.¡± I said that and stopped. I was being careful. Eva was a child who had suffered from her terrible older brother¡¯s evil brainwashing since she was four years old. Based on what I had seen, she didn¡¯t even seem to realize that it was brainwashing. I was worried that saying even one thing wrong would hurt her. I held Demy and organized my thoughts when Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who had been listening to my conversation with Eva, asked with indifference. ¡°Youngdy nquer, do you have any thoughts about gaining your independence?¡± ¡°Independence?¡± ¡°I thought that it might be good for you to get a house and stay in the Imperial Capital. I¡¯m sure it is frustrating in the territory.¡± I jerked my head up. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was right. Our top priority was getting this little youngdy out of the trashy young Duke bastard¡¯s hands and releasing her to a free environment. I observed Eva¡¯s face. A slightly sullen child¡¯s face instantly lit up. ¡°I already have a house!¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s voice cracked a bit. ¡°The nquer residence in the Imperial Capital is mine. It was supposed to be my brother¡¯s but I whined andined for them to at least give me a house since I can¡¯t be the young Duchess.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± I gasped in admiration. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who nced to quickly make eye contact with me, looked shocked as well. The youngdy seemed to have found ways to get her share of things despite being under the viin¡¯s brainwashing. I was proud of her innovative thought process. Eva smiled and her legs dangled as the young Countess patted her shoulder to praise her. ¡°Will you be with the young Duke when he heads back to the territory?¡± ¡°Yes, that has always been the case. Our parents were wary of leaving me, a minor, alone at the residence here. It¡¯s silly since I would have the attendants and knights with me.¡± The young girl pouted at my question. I quietly put two and two together. Duchess nquer and her husband were not close to their children but seemed to at least take care of the basics. They also seemed to be big spenders who were willing to give their house in the Imperial Capital at their daughter¡¯s tantrum. I thought that the situation would get much better if we managed to get her away from the evil Young Duke, who said such terrible things to his nine years younger sister instead of lifting her up. ¡°I guess that can change now that you became an adultst week.¡± Imented. Eva looked at me and blinked. ¡°You said that you wanted power, youngdy nquer. The Imperial Capital is the center of power. If you stay here, you¡¯ll be able to get information on the nobles in the Imperial Capital almost immediately while also experiencing the newest trends. It will also make it much easier to participate in the Beau Monde.¡± The little girl¡¯s mouth opened wide in shock. ¡°I, I too had that thought. However¡­¡­ I don¡¯t think that my older brother will leave me here. He said that the other nobles would sneer if someone like me was left here alone.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth jumped up from her seat. I quickly grabbed her arm to hold her back. The two of us quickly whispered to each other. ¡®I¡¯ll be back after stabbing him just once, your Highness.¡¯ ¡®Please refrain.¡¯ ¡®Then I will only stab him twice.¡¯ ¡®The number increased.¡¯ I barely managed to sit Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth back down while thinking about something Christelle once said. ¡®I wish to give the vigers of Lucas vige a new life as I have earned. I would prefer it be one where they stand up on their own.¡¯ I wasn¡¯t stopping Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth because I thought fondly of the young Duke bastard. I even wondered if I should have let the Imperial Prince kill the bastard during the duel. However, someone stepping in now would only result in them being charged with murder or assault. Christelle was right. Eva needed to personally make the young Duke bastard pay for her scars. She had no idea what had happened to her right now, but she will one day figure everything out. Even a Diplomatic hostage like me should be able to look after this child until that time. Furthermore, I was not alone. I had Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, Ganael, Benjamin, and even Cardinal Boutier. ¡®¡­¡­Christelle and the Imperial Prince also won¡¯t brush it aside if they learn about her situation.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but smile. I opened my mouth to speak. ¡°Nobody will sneer, youngdy nquer. There is also nobody who thinks that you are evil. Nobody will have such thoughts as long as you don¡¯t do anything bad.¡± ¡°But my brother¡­¡­¡± ¡°The reason the young Duke said such things is because he is that kind of person.¡± Demy buried himself into my arms as I said that. I slowly petted his back. ¡°There are many people who, once they learn that they arecking in some way, choose to attack those around them instead of working hard to fix it. They fill their sense of self by cutting down others or controlling them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I do not know what you are saying, your highness. It is difficult to understand.¡± Eva frowned. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and Iughed out loud. ¡°It is fine for you to slowlye to understand it. You are still young and you will make new friends while residing in the Imperial Capital.¡± ¡°I will?¡± The child looked at me with confusion. I gently smiled. ¡°You must be punished for your act of violence against me. Did you think that we would forget about that?¡± ¡°Eeeeeeek¡­¡­¡± Her voluminous curly red hair seemed to sulk. I happily continued to speak. ¡°Reside in the Ducal residence at the Imperial Capital and show up to the Imperial Pce for work. You can inform your parents that you are assisting her Eminence and me. You will have to be in charge of cleaning the temple for a while.¡± ¡°Cleaning? I¡¯ve never cleaned anything in my life!¡± ¡°There is a first time for everything. You spilled so much water on the floor like that so you should see how it feels to be the person to clean it up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I hate you, your highness. You have the face of an angel but you are a tyrant!¡± The little girl¡¯s shoulders sulked as she had a look of pain on her face. But she was at least a good girl since she didn¡¯t say that she wouldn¡¯t do it. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth looked at me and said that I was a champ at handling children. It was hard to stop myself fromughing. ¡°Is there anything else you are good at? Or maybe something you want to do in the Imperial Capital?¡± I asked almost in a teasing way. Eva¡¯s brown eyes rolled from side to side as she contemted things. ¡°There are many things I do well, your highness. I am good at ying the vi and am a decent dancer. I have no talent for magic, but¡­¡­ My ether is the best in the family.¡± I nodded my head. She definitely had the talent of a genius if she was able to be ordained as a bishop at the age of sixteen. It was surprising that she was bad with magic since she came from the famous house of mages, but gics don¡¯t always follow a certain set of rules. ¡°I saw the Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life with my own eyes in the forest within our territory when I was four years old. The divine item. It had no reaction when my brother touched it, but it shined brightly when I touched it!¡± ¡°¡­¡­What did you say?¡± ¡°My brother¡¯s face turned pale and I remember him throwing a fit. He shouted at me not to tell anybody and that he wouldn¡¯t leave me alone if I did. He was so loud.¡± I immediately looked up. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s grey eyes also seemed to be full ofplication. Chapter 86 Chapter 86 ¨C The Phantom Of The Pas De Trois (1) Chapter 86: The Phantom of the Pas de Trois (1) ¡°Then that kid is the young Duchess. Not that brother of hers.¡± Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique dropped the bomb. My jaw dropped. ¡®I was wondering if that was the case, but for real?¡¯ ¡°Are you saying that youngdy Eva nquer is the young Duchess, your Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes. The fact that the Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life glowed means that it has chosen its master. It gave the blessing of longevity to the little kid when she touched it.¡± The Empressmented as if it was not a big deal and sipped her coffee. The way she said it was hot and scowled was pretty identical to her son. I grabbed a pair of tongs and grabbed an ice cube from the te with my share of ice cubes and ced it in her cup. Cardinal Boutier smiled at me. My mind was aplicated mess, putting together the pieces of information I have recently learned. ¡®The young heir of the House of nquer has received the blessing of the divine item for generations. Longevity is that family¡¯s specialty.¡¯ It felt as if I could hear Marquis Fran?ois Duhem¡¯s voice right next to me. The divine item guarded by the Ducal House of nquer, the Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life, is said to bless the future head of the family with a long life. I had presumed that the divine item would give the blessing as an after-the-fact service once the eldest child was officially named the heir. However, it looked as if the order might be the reverse. Eva was selected immediately by the divine item when she happened to approach it by chance. Then it meant that Eva was to be the person who looked over the House of nquer. ¡°Young Duke Robert nquer must have prevented his younger sister from talking in order to hide the fact that he was not chosen. He constantly bullied her after that because he was worried that she would gain confidence and speak up.¡± ¡°Based on the information, that seems to be the case. He probably didn¡¯t want to lose his position. He was born with a strong magical aura, so he probably thought that he would be able to gain the position as long as the little girl remained quiet.¡± ¡°It is not surprising knowing that bastard¡¯s personality.¡± The Cardinal and the Empress responded one after the other. My hands were heating up from anger after thinking about how that poor girl must have suffered all alone. I tightly clenched the cold ss cup. The dark orange Fragrant Olive flowers and ice were decorating the surface of the water. I calmed down, as it reminded me of Eva¡¯s curly red hair. ¡°What is it? Are you thinking about cing Eva nquer in the position of Duchess so that you can y with power as the puppet master behind her?¡± The Empress threw a scary question at that time. I raised my head in shock. Her cherry-colored eyes were turning dark and cold. ¡°I wonder if I put my guard down too much with the prince of an enemy kingdom right in front of my eyes.¡± ¡°No, not at all, your Majesty. I simply asked because I want to help Eva.¡± ¡°Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, that¡¯s enough. You said that you will stop teasing the little prince once we left the Summer Pce.¡± The Cardinal gently squeezed the Empress¡¯s arm. The Empress snorted and took another sip of coffee. I finally realized that this was her unique way of joking. The chills all over my back slowly disappeared. ¡®Her making a joke like that two times would probably kill me¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Thank you for your response, your Majesty. I had no intention of asking for your thoughts on the matter as I know you are extremely busy. Please ept my apologies for the inconvenience.¡± I spoke as calmly as possible. The Empress, who was seated on the couch across from me, simply flicked her chin once. The Cardinal smiled warmly on the Empress¡¯s behalf. Now that I think about it, she basically created this situation. It was already two days ago that I met Eva, the girl who wascking about 98 percent of what it took to be a viiness. The youngdy epted Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s invitation that day and has been staying at Countess Moutet¡¯s residence in the Imperial Capital. She has basically gained the young Countess¡¯s protection until the young Duke bastard left the Imperial Capital. She starteding to the temple for an hour of janitorial work yesterday, but needed help from an imperial servant because she couldn¡¯t differentiate between the rags and the towels. Agnes, the Imperial Pce¡¯s mountain keeper, came to show off a Chinese fringetree flower to me and ended up being dragged in as Eva¡¯s teacher. My mind was aplicated mess for my own reasons. I read through Prince Consort Alexandre¡¯s after hearing the young girl¡¯s story, but the book was oddly unfriendly. The Prince Consort referred to his territory, Yvelines, as ¡®our backyard¡¯ and did not write anything about his family when exining the Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life. There were more fantasy elements than facts because it was a fairy tale written for children. There was even a wacky exnation in the chapter about the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star, iming that you needed a fire-like personality to pull out the Sword of Wisdom. ¡®¡­¡­I guess it is notpletely wrong since Imperial Prince C¨¦dric was the one who pulled it out.¡¯ Anyway, it was difficult to find clear answers in books regarding mysterious existences such as divine items and divine beasts. ¡®I guess all of the divine items in the continent would have masters already if something like that existed. It also wouldn¡¯t be so difficult to see a divine beast.¡¯ ¡®Your Eminence. I have a question before we get started.¡¯ ¡®Your gaze looks serious. This feels interesting.¡¯ That was why I sought out the Cardinal¡¯s help as soon as my lesson started. The Cardinal, who made time for me for every lesson despite being busy preparing for the Annual Prayer Meeting, looked quite amused after hearing about Eva¡¯s situation. After that¡­ ¡®I have never seen the Sacred Bow in person either. The House of nquer is quite closed off. However, there is someone who knows about that household.¡¯ She sounded kind of suspicious. She then called her attendant, Natalie, and¡­ ¡®Will you tell Fr¨¦d¨¦rique toe here for a moment? Let her know that it is an extremely urgent matter.¡¯ She then said such unbelievable words. That was how I ended up using the Empress of the Empire as if she was Wikipedia. Prince Consort Alexandre was kicked out of his family the day before he became young Duke nquer because he chose to run away for love. ording to the Empress, the reason the Prince Consort was able to make such a decision was because he had nevere in contact with the Sacred Bow until that point. ¡°Out of the three of us, Alexandre was the person with the greatest sense of responsibility. He probably would have given up on marrying you if he had received the blessing of longevity, don¡¯t you think?¡± The Cardinal sipped her coffee after asking that question. The Empress nonchntly nodded her head. She didn¡¯t seem upset at all despite being called to the Cardinal¡¯s office out of the blue and being falsely told that it was an urgent matter. ¡°Whether the little girl from nquer bes the young Duchess or not is up to her own will.¡± She looked right at me as she said that. I nodded my head and wet my throat with the cool Fragrant Olive tea. The thick fragrance of flowers seemed to poke at my brain. The session of title and wealth prioritized the first born child. In other words, both title and wealth only fell to the second child if there were any issues with the eldest child, or alternatively, if the eldest child did not want it. Although the parents determined whether a child was qualified to be the heir, siblings could challenge that qualification. Basically, Eva could inform her parents about her legitimate im to the title at any time. ¡®I should go tell her as soon as this lesson is over.¡¯ ¡°It will be easy to pull him down in rank since he dared to mock my son recently.¡± ¡°That is true. Would C¨¦dric benefit at least a little if the little girl bes the Duchess in the future?¡± The Imperial Prince¡¯s mother and godmother were already discussing potential benefits. I awkwardly smiled and looked away. ¡®People in politics sure are scary.¡¯ ¡°May I ask what that is in your hand, your Majesty?¡± That was why I said whatever came to mind. It didn¡¯t matter if the Empress didn¡¯t answer. If she did answer, then I would have an answer to something I was curious about. ¡°Oh right, there was this thing.¡± The Empress mumbled and handed a gold card to the Cardinal. Her eye under the monocle opened wide. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°An invitation to the opening of the opera. Do you have some time in two days?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± They were tickets to a show. The two of them just started casually chatting. I had felt this at the Summer Pce as well, but the two of them seemed more like regr siblings than the Empress and Cardinal, who were two people in great positions of power, whenever they were like this. I gently smiled and looked at the desserts that Natalie left on the table. My intense lesson would resume once the Empress leaves, so my n was to fill my snack stomach prior to that. ¡°It¡¯s probably good for me to show my face. The Imperial family is sponsoring it after all.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you deliver it earlier by sending it with Laura?¡± ¡°I was going to talk about it in person but I got busy and forgot. June is always such a hectic month.¡± A puffy purple souffl¨¦ filled with grape pur¨¦e¡­ A Tarte Tatin with golden caramel andrge slices of apple piled on top of each other¡­ An ?le flottante with strawberries and mango slices on top¡­¡­ ¡°I guess it isn¡¯t that important if you forgot about it like that.¡± ¡°Yeah. But it is toorge of an event to ignore.¡± ¡®Large? Thergest thing here is the tarte. Okay, I choose you.¡¯ I nodded my head and started to cut the dessert with a knife. The sweet fragrance was already tickling my nose. ¡°I guess I have no choice. Let¡¯s send C¨¦dric.¡± ¡°I guess so. He should have no ns this month other than the Prayer Meeting.¡± ¡°Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, wait. There are two tickets.¡± I cut off a piece of apple pie and put it in my mouth. The chewy thick apples were the first to melt away on my tongue. The pie must have been baked in a special way, as the crunchy texture was extremely satisfying. I crunched on the pastry pie bottom that crumbled and filled my cheeks. The strong savory vor of butter had a subdued fragrance mixed in along with the bitter taste of caramel, whichpleted the taste. It was so delicious that the corners of my lips curled up. ¡®I wonder if I can pack these to go.¡¯ ¡°Little prince.¡± ¡°Yes, your Eminence?¡± ¡°Do you want it? Should I give it to you?¡± ¡°I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you very much, your Eminence.¡± I smiled brightly as I responded. The Cardinal responded with a ¡®thank goodness.¡¯ The Empress raised one eyebrow as if my response was unexpected. ¡°Good. Pay the price for making the Empresse and go.¡± ¡®¡­¡­Wait a minute. What are they talking about?¡¯ * I ended up getting mixed up in something with the male lead because I was too focused on food. I couldn¡¯t even tell anybody because I was so embarrassed. ¡° is the biggest show right now!¡± Ganael looked extremely excited as he said that. His round golden eyes were sparkling like chandeliers. I smiled bitterly as the boutique staff attended to my formal attire. I told them that I didn¡¯t need any makeup or fancy outfits but they put me in an awkward position by bringing seven pairs of ¡®in¡¯ formal attires. ¡°Your highness, I heard that you eat very well, but you are not gaining any weight. There¡¯s so much room left in the chest area!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I didn¡¯t know whether this was something I should apologize for, but I did it anyway. The head of the boutique clicked his tongue and stuck some pins into the clothes. Benjamin brought a booklet and was reading to me as I awkwardly stood there. The red panda trio were roaming around the floor like robot vacuums, seeking my attention. Percy was sprawled out on the chair in my ce. ¡° is the main repertoire of the Attal Opera Company, which is sponsored by the Imperial family. It opens every year around this time. It is about Daphnis, a member of the corps de ballet of the Pas de Trois theatre, who grows to be a famous ballerino thanks to the guidance of Chloe, a phantomposer hiding underground. Chloe bes Daphnis¡¯s prisoner and the story ends when her old friend, Giselle, rescues her.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I closed my mouth. I didn¡¯t know what a ¡®corps de ballet¡¯ was, but I got an odd feeling after hearing about it. ¡®Could this be that? Seriously, it is the same, even down to the title.¡¯ ¡°Does the phantomposer¡­¡­ Come out wearing a white mask that covers half her face?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. You know about it as well.¡± ¡®How could I not know? We have a Blu-ray of the 25th year live performance celebration of at home whichEunseo bought.¡¯ ¡°The show sells out every year, so even getting a seat on the fourth floor is like getting a star out of the sky. However, it is even more of a big deal right now because of something big that happened a few days ago.¡± Ganael then carefully picked Demy up to clear the path. The attendants, who were busily moving around, bowed after seeing the divine beast. As for me, I couldn¡¯t hide my shock at the QNW author¡¯s endless use of parodies. ¡®I knew that there must be a reason Eunseo enjoyed this novel so much, but this is a bit¡­¡­ Isn¡¯t itcking sincerity? Is this okay?¡¯ ¡°Something big?¡± ¡°A real phantom appears at every rehearsal and sucks the souls out of the actors, your highness.¡± ¡°Ganael.¡± ¡°But Benjamin-nim. They almost canceled the shows because of it!¡± Benjamin tried to stop the young boy. I turned to look at Benjamin. I doubted that they would raise the curtains with such danger lurking when it was obvious that the Empress and the Cardinal would be there. ¡®No, maybe they are proceeding with the show because the Imperial family is showing up?¡¯ ¡°It is just a rumor with no foundation, your highness. The Guards of the Imperial Capital searched the ce but could not find any traces of a demonic beast. I can¡¯t help but think that this is a way for them to promote the show.¡± The middle-aged man calmly answered. ¡®As I expected.¡¯ I nodded and touched a piece of paper that was tucked away in my sleeve. It was a letter that Eva wrote to her parents after hearing my story two days ago. She gave it to me for review, but I felt odd because it seemed as if she wanted feedback from me. I assumed that I would be able to read it during the intermission. ¡®Am I sitting alone in the box seats? At least then I won¡¯t have to see that Imperial Prince bastard¡¯s face.¡¯ Chapter 87 Chapter 87 ¨C The Phantom Of The Pas De Trois (2) Chapter 87: The Phantom of the Pas de Trois (2) ¡°This is my first time at the opera. I¡¯m extremely excited.¡± Christelle de Sarnez, who was seated on the other side of the carriage,mented with a bright smile on her face. Johann Geens nodded his chin once before smiling. She might have watched the opera at the Lord¡¯s Castle prior to her illness, but it seemed to be her first time since losing her memories. She had happily gifted one of the two tickets, which had been delivered to the Ducal Estate in the Imperial Capital, to her instructor. Johann opened his mouth. ¡°I was surprised that you invited me.¡± ¡°It is difficult for Prince Jesse to leave the Imperial Pce and I¡¯m sure Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth is busy standing guard.¡± Christelle answered honestly and smiled. That meant that Johann was third in line, but even that was quite shocking in his opinion. He had only known Christelle for about a month. However, she didn¡¯t even offer the tickets to her parents in the Sarnez Duchy. He had not heard any news about her having a bad rtionship with her parents. Johann recalled the information he had received when he was in the Vatican. Had their rtionship deteriorated because her memories were not fully there? It was possible. ¨C ck, ck¡­¡­ For a moment, the cking of hooves was the only thing that could be heard through the silence. Johann¡¯s mint-colored eyes shifted from the window to Christelle. His tired eyes became sharp. The woman¡¯s bright gaze was busy looking outside. He thought that she was somewhat wary of him but that was apparently not because he found the foreigner from the Vatican to be suspicious. She probably didn¡¯t like the fact that another Holy Knight appeared in front of Prince Jesse. The corners of the man¡¯s drooping eyes slightly curled up. He thought about when Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier informed him about Christelle¡¯s condition before her lessons started. This person had absorbed the divine item the ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea.¡¯ Basically, Christelle¡¯s power of water was much purer than that of the water attribute Holy Knights who were born and raised in the Holy Kingdom. It was understandable that she and the fire attributed Imperial Prince C¨¦dric shed against each other so much. She seemed to have been concerned about him while busy being wary of the Imperial Prince. It was because she probably wanted to be partners with Prince Jesse. The mercenary created a small breeze at his fingertips. It was understandable that the Imperial Prince and this youngdy were both drawn to Prince Jesse. However, Johann had never had anything substantial within his grasp even when he was a very little boy. After he became a Holy Knight of the Vatican, his life became one that was half led by his own desires and half led by the desires of others. That was the reason he could control himself despite knowing that the prince¡¯s ether was clean and precious. ¡®Prince Jesse.¡¯ ¨C Swoooooooosh¡­¡­ A few strands of Johann¡¯s stray white hair gently fluttered. It was important for him to get close to not just the prince, but the Imperial Prince and the youngdy as well in order to fulfill the ¡®request¡¯ he had received. He needed to earn their trust not just as their instructor, but as a person. ¡°I think that we are almost there! The theatre is so big. It¡¯s so pretty.¡± Christelle quickly leaned toward the carriage door. He didn¡¯t understand why she was gasping so much while looking out the window when she must have grown up with only precious things around her. Johann chuckled and nonchntly looked out the opposite side window. The sun sette these days, brightly lighting up the streets despite it being almost 8pm. He witnessed an extremely weird sight at that moment. A young boy who, dressed in the errand boy uniform of the Opera, was sneaking into a narrow alley with a woman. The two of them smiled brightly, looking at each other before starting to kiss. The errand boy¡¯s face turned stiff almost immediately. His eyes opened wide as his face turned pale. He soon lost consciousness and fell to the ground. The face of the woman who kissed the errand boy then changed. It was the same face as the errand boy. She was actually a demonic beast. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Johann felt chills and sat up straight. He reflexively turned his head to follow the movement of the demonic beast, however, the carriage was still moving and there were too many people for him to keep track of it. The bastard quickly hid himself in the crowd. He must have been nning toy low for a while, as Johann did not hear any screams or shouts. He scrunched his eyes. ¡°I think that it will be fun. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Christelle sought out Johann¡¯s thoughts. He flinched and turned his head. The carriage was already in front of the theatre. ¡°I heard that the title is the , but I don¡¯t know what Pas de Trois means. Do you think it is just a proper noun?¡± She mumbled as she grabbed her small purse. She must not have seen what he had, as she was too busy looking at the luxurious building on the street. Johann thought about something before he smiled. It really felt as if it would be fun. He responded to her. ¡°A dance where three people be one. That is the Pas de Trois.¡± * ¡°Hello Prince Jesse Viaan, I greet the Moon of the Holy Kingdom. We will escort you to Box Seat 5 on the second floor.¡± The owner of the theatre personally escorted us. It was not as luxurious as the Empress Pce, but the Opera Theatre of the Imperial Capital had its own kind of beauty. I walked down the corridor with Benjamin and Ganael. The Imperial Guard members were standing like sculptures, equidistant from each other. There must have been a separate entrance for the Imperial family, as we did not go through the lobby or meet any other nobles as we walked. The employees who saw my formal attire or the color of my eyes gasped as if they would faint before bowing deeply. People outside of the Imperial Pce always acted like this. ¡®I really can¡¯t get used to this.¡¯ ¡°Please call for an errand boy if you need anything at any time, your highness.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡± I answered as the owner knocked on the doorbeled number 5. She then grabbed the door knob and cautiously turned it. I thought that I would see the seat immediately, but there was a red curtain blocking my view. She opened the curtain a bit and whispered to a person inside that Prince Jesse Viaan had arrived. A familiar middle-aged man walked out of the box seats. ¡°Wee, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡®¡­¡­So it¡¯s like this.¡¯ ¡°Hello David. Is his Royal Highness inside?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. Pleasee in.¡± The attendant smiled and gestured. I barely managed to smile. ¡®Yes, this is not very shocking. This invitation was sent to the Empress, so there is no reason for the box seats to be separated. She would havee with her partner or her son.¡¯ We followed him into the box seats. ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± My jaws dropped on their own. I immediately grabbed the ledge and nked out while looking at the inside of the theatre. The high ceiling and the dividers between the seats were all sparkling gold. The embroidery on the curtains and the decorations of all of the Emperors and Empresses of the past were all gold as well. I would only be slightly exaggerating to say that the chandelier dangling from the top was the size of a house. Dark red velvet covered all the seats and the stage. The first floor was already so full of nobles that they barely had any room to move. The box seats on the second and third floors werepletely full as well. I raised my head to see that the building also had a full fourth floor. I could intermittently hear the orchestra tuning their instruments through the nonstop chatter. ¡°Basically everybody in the neighborhood is here.¡± ¡°That expression is insolent toward the Imperial family.¡± I heard a low voice. I quickly turned around. The person who was in box seat 5 before me was seated and looking up at me. His eyes that sparkled underneath his ck hair resembled Aldebaran in the night sky. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have to watch the opera with this bastard if it wasn¡¯t for that tarte Tatin.¡¯ However, I would not be able to give that tarte up even if I turned back time, so I just decided to ept reality. Furthermore, this was just payment for the meal. I agreed to take the Empress¡¯s ce here in return for her help with figuring out that Eva was the rightful young Duchess. ¡°When did you arrive, your Royal Highness? My carriage was the only one when we left the Imperial Pce.¡± ¡°You may discuss my schedule with David.¡± ¡®I¡¯m not trying to meddle with your schedule¡­¡­¡¯ I held back a sigh and sat down, leaving one seat between the Imperial Prince and myself. There was a total of six seats in this box seat. It felt quite full once the three attendants sat down as well. ¡°Did you eat, your Royal Highness?¡± I calmly asked the Imperial Prince. He must be hungry since he frequently consumes other people¡¯s words without saying anything back. ¨C Plop! A cold drop of water touched my cheek at that moment. I raised my head in shock. ¡®Is the roof leaking?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­Christelle.¡± I quietly mumbled. I could see someone waving at me from the box seats on the other side of the theatre. Her pink hair was twisted high up, the blue jacket, and this water drop dancing in front of my eyes. These were clearly signs of our main character. I waved back in confusion. The person standing next to her was Sir Geens. I could recognize him even if I was riding on the Super Rapid Train. ¡®I guess she was talking about the opening of the when she talked about going to the opera together.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the fact that I saw the two of them here. ¡°Can youe here?¡± Imented. To be more urate, that seemed like what she was trying to say. She pointed to herself with her finger then gestured to me. I would be more than happy to have her here. The female lead and the male lead sitting side by side, watching the opera in a dark box seat? That would be what you call a dramatic development. ¡°Ether.¡± The Imperial Prince mumbled in a voice so sharp I thought it might pierce through the ground. I looked at him. ¡°What did you say, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°I¡¯mcking.¡± His dark, sunken red eyes and annoyed face made it look as if his condition had hit rock bottom almost instantly. I had no idea why he was like this all of a sudden. ¡®Is this usually the sign before he turns into Sadie?¡¯ It was hard to understand this guy. He didn¡¯t talk much about himself, so it was hard to understand the situation. I saw a sword leaning against the wall. ¡°Is the Sword of Wisdom not helpful?¡± Imented before opening up a small Holy Domain. It was a relief that this was happening before the show. A circle of yellow light surrounded the box seat. The Imperial Prince absorbed ether without giving any response. ¡®Eunseo talks so much shit about you because you only say the minimum of what you need to andpletely ignore everything else.¡¯ ¨C Knock knock. ¡°I¡¯ll answer it.¡± Ganael got up after someone knocked. I nodded my head and looked forward. I did not see Christelle on the other side of the theatre. ¡®Wait, really? Already?¡¯ ¡°Youngdy Sarnez. Hello.¡± ¡°Hello, future groom. I brought delicious food. I want to share it with his highness and everybody else.¡± I could hear Ganael and Christelle¡¯s voices by the door. I sighed, leaned my head and observed the situation. ¡®It¡¯ll beplicated if the Imperial Prince doesn¡¯t allow it.¡¯ David and Benjamin were looking toward us, as if waiting for the Imperial Prince to answer. I tried conveying some signals to him once the Imperial Prince and I made eye contact. Beep beep. Snap out of it, you punk. Let her in. Do good from now on. She¡¯s your future girlfriend. Your future wife. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± She looked away first and looked forward. The only visible change on his face was a slight scrunch of his eyebrows but even I could analyze this much by now. It was a sign of approval! ¡°Pleasee in, youngdy Sarnez.¡± David greeted her. Christelle smiled even brighter than the chandelier as she entered the box seat. I thought that I smelled something delicious a few moments ago. I could now see that tthe source was from the box of fries in her hand. ¡®Wow, our MC¡¯s abilities are crazy¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Your loyal subject greets our Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Hello, youngdy Sarnez. Are you allowed to eat something like this in the opera?¡± ¡°Hello, your highness. I guess so. Children were selling it on the first floor.¡± ¡®Hooray for fictional worlds!¡¯ I happily received the paper box from Christelle. It was full of french fries that were still nice and warm. I snapped out of it to realize that I was being the stupid third wheel between the two of them again. ¡®Should I just pretend to go to the restroomter and ask her to scoot over when Ie back?¡¯ I was having that thought when the Imperial Prince opened his mouth. ¡°Why is there sauce on it?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it easier than dipping each one, your Royal Highness? We won¡¯t be able to see it soon because it will be dark.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you liked soggy fries.¡± Christelle responded and the Imperial Prince sassed her back. ¡®Hey guys, don¡¯t fight over food.¡¯ ¨C Creeeeeak Click! The theatre door closed and it turned dark. I could see the errand boys scattering to the wall and hiding in between pirs. It looked as if the show was finally going to start. I gently deactivated my Holy Domain and handed the Imperial Prince and Christelle each a fork. ¡°If youngdy Sarnez eats the top with the sauce and then his Royal Highness eats the ones on the bottomter¡­¡­¡± ¨C Ring. I heard something simr to a wind chime. I tilted my head, thinking that I heard incorrectly. The theatre waspletely dark now. The chatting audience were silent as well. ¡®Is that the sign to say that the show is starting?¡¯ ¨C Ring, ring¡­¡­ The clear ringing filled box seat 5. It was not just my imagination. Furthermore, the source of the noise was very close to me. Christelle and the Imperial Prince were looking at me. I felt the guilt of someone whose phone went off in the movie theater as I looked around. ¨C Ring, ring. ¡°What is it?¡± I quickly rummaged through my pockets. ¡®Why is such a noiseing from me when I don¡¯t even have a phone here?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­This.¡± I quickly pulled out the thing I grabbed. The small and beautiful crystal bell was glowing white and making the noise. Both Christelle and I heard the Imperial Prince¡¯s low voice. ¡°There¡¯s a demonic beast here.¡± ¡ª Chapter 88 Chapter 88 ¨C The Phantom Of The Pas De Trois (3) Chapter 88: The Phantom of the Pas de Trois (3) ¨C Ring! ¡°Why would a demonic beast be here, your Royal Highness? No, more importantly, this¡­¡­¡±¡°It¡¯s a magic tool that detects the mana of demonic beasts.¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric whispered in a low voice. He reached a gloved hand toward the bell I was holding before releasing a thinyer of red mana. Christelle and I watched without making any noise. The Imperial Prince¡¯s strength became infused in the magic tool. The bell, which had been glowing white, calmed down as if nothing had happened. It did not make any other noises or shine any longer. I turned to look at the Imperial Prince in shock. I couldn¡¯t help but smile despite it not being the right situation to do so. ¡°Thank you very much, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you gave me such a useful thing, your Royal Highness. I will put it to good use.¡± I was already thinking that I should thank him at some point but this was more precious than I had imagined. It was an essential magic tool for someone like me, whose mana sensitivity was at the bottom. ¡°Did you receive that as a birthday present, your highness?¡± Christelle¡¯s eyes were sparkling in the darkness as she whispered to me. I nodded my head and changed the topic. There was something more important than that right now. ¡°The Imperial Capital¡¯s guards searched the theatre but they were unable to find any traces of a demonic beast. Even now, it is very quiet.¡± I gently motioned with my chin. The curtains had risen and the stage of this opera theatre was shining brightly. Boards with delicately painted backgrounds were moving in from both sides. The inside of the theatre waspletely peaceful, without any signs of chaos. ¡°I don¡¯t sense any suspicious mana.¡± ¡°Me neither. We would have noticed right away if there was a demonic beast here.¡± The two of them spoke one after the other. I gently frowned. Simr to how demonic beasts could not infiltrate the Imperial Pce because of the barrier, demonic beasts also could not enter the Imperial Capital, as the outskirts were guarded by the Imperial troops. Most demonic beasts were killed before they could get past the barrier. Then¡­¡­ ¡°Your Royal Highness, where did you buy this? Is it possible that you were scammed?¡± Christelle whispered in a serious voice. She pointed to the bell in my hand and offered to go with me if I wanted to go get a refund. The Imperial Prince red at her with a burning gaze. ¡°My father made it.¡± ¡°It truly is a scam. A magic tool with a scam-like unbelievable ability.¡± She made a U-turn in herment without a single change in her expression. I observed the two of them, one after the other. The small bell that quietly rang after reacting to a demonic beast¡¯s mana and the main characters who couldn¡¯t detect the demonic beast¡­ However, it was extremely unlikely that the magic tool was wrong since it belonged to the Thrilling Archmage, Prince Consort Alexandre. I felt the coldness of the crystal in my hands before starting to speak. ¡°Do you think that maybe the demonic beast is too weak?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I put the bell carefully back into my pocket. I thought that I should take better care of it from now on since it is a keepsake of his father. ¡®Even if we are friends, is it really okay for me to receive something like this?¡¯ ¡°It made it into the center of the city without being caught by the Imperial troops and it is not getting caught by the two of your mana sensitivity. Couldn¡¯t that only mean one thing? It must have an extremely low amount of mana.¡± Our three gazes quickly intertwined. The only issue we know of that was potentially rted to demonic beasts in the Imperial Capital was the rumor about a ghost appearing in the theatre. Basically, this demonic beast was not strong enough to threaten humanity or cause arge incident. I peeked behind me. Benjamin, Ganael, and David¡¯s gazes were not focused on the stage, but on us. They were probably curious about why we were putting our heads together and whispering so much. ¡°We should probably evacuate the spectators-¡± ¡°Wee! Thank you very much to our esteemed guests who havee to the opening performance of the .¡± A middle-aged woman appeared on the stage at that moment. I stopped talking and looked at her. It was Viscount Andr¨¦, the owner of the theatre who had escorted me to Box Seat 5. Her face looked extremely bright, unlike the serious look on my face. ¡°The Attal Opera Company has been giving it their best everyday- of course, including today -to satisfy your noble eyes and ears. They might even be a bit too nervous.Ah, half of the cast is still in the restroom and the other half is still unconscious after fainting. What am I going to do?! It¡¯s so hard to wake them up!¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± The nobles pped their fans andughed out loud. I was curious as to how much of thosements were just a joke. The viscount continued to speak. ¡°Now then, please enjoy our dancers¡¯ magnificent performance before we meet with Daphnis and Chloe. This is from Act 3¡­¡­¡± She flipped through the script she brought with her and smiled brightly. I thought that her thin lips and her voice was trembling ever so slightly. She was clearly stalling for time. ¡°This is a group performance of the corps de ballet. This extra show ispletely free!¡± The orchestra started to y as they received loud cheers and apuse. Dancers wearing ballet outfits appeared on stage. The Imperial Prince stood up from his seat as someone knocked at the door of our box seat, almost as if it was a coincidence. David, who noticed that the situation seemed odd, quickly greeted the guest. The light of the hallway shone into the box seat. An employee with whitish hair was standing by the door- ¨C ng! ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± I gasped and jumped up from my seat. The Imperial Prince had pulled out the Sword of Wisdom and pointed it at this person¡¯s neck! ¡°You should know of your sins of making a fool of the Imperial Family like this.¡± ¡°Y, your Royal Highness. That, that¡­¡­¡± The man plopped down on the ground lookingpletely pale. Christelle was hugging the fried potatoes and quickly eating the ones covered in sauce. She seemed to have as little of a desire to stop the Imperial Prince as the tiny amount of fat Percy had on him. I was the one who ended up stepping in. ¡°Please calm down, your Royal Highness. We should listen to the theatre¡¯s side of the story first. It won¡¯t bete to punish them if their sins are revealedter.¡± I understood why he was angry. Their sins were too severe if they knew about the demonic beast¡¯s existence and still proceeded with the performance and even invited the Imperial Family. However, we didn¡¯t know about any of that right now and this man was not the person in charge. ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth is outside as well. Please let the Imperial Guard do their job.¡± Imented. The Imperial Prince red at the employee as if he would roast him alive before slowly withdrawing his sword. I quietly sighed in relief. It was at that moment. ¨C Knock knock. Another guest knocked on the already opened door before bowing his head and observing the inside of the box seat. I made eye contact with the mint-colored eyes. ¡°Sir Geens?¡± ¡°Hello, your highness. Your Royal Highness. I came to bring youngdy Christelle¡¯s bag.¡± His white hair fluttered. I gently smiled and pointed to the small purse. Christelle swallowed a fry before shouting. ¡®Oh right!¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­We should be able to take down a demonic beast with these members, right?¡¯ * ¡®Of course.¡¯ I had that thought as I nodded my head. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who heard the news and rushed into the theatre, sent most of the Imperial Guard members she brought with her into the stands. We didn¡¯t need them to guard us anyway. The patrons were too busyughing and watching the dancers that they seemed to have no idea about what happened. ¡®The reign of Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique was said to be an age of peace. It must be nice not having any worries.¡¯ ¡°It is all my fault, your Royal Highness.¡± The owner of the theatre got down on one knee in the wide office on the back side of the theatre. Her white cravat that was folded into a butterfly was shaking. The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard spoke instead of the Imperial Prince. ¡°Viscount Judith Andr¨¦. Is it true that there is a demonic beast inside the theatre?¡± ¡°That¡­¡­ Even we are not sure about that, ma¡¯am.¡± The middle-aged woman sat up a bit straighter as she answered. I could see some cold sweats on the viscount but she was extremely calm. I could feel the years of experience from running into all sorts of incidents while running the theatre. Of course, it was probably the first time something this big has happened for her too. ¡°The reason we pushed the start of the performance back is because both main members of the cast lost consciousness. However, whether that is because of a demonic beast¡­¡­¡± ¡®Both of them? This is really suspicious.¡¯ ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a rumor going around? I heard that there was a ghost that appeared and sucked out the souls of the cast.¡± I asked. Viscount Andr¨¦ looked at me and gulped. ¡°You are correct, your highness. Some members of the cast did go unconscious during the rehearsals. However, we just thought that people who failed at maintaining their conditions fainted. It can happen if they are too stressed out. They were all fine without any issues once they woke up.¡± The owner exined. Christelle chimed in. ¡°Then why was there a rumor about a ghost? Was it just a publicity stunt? I heard that the show sells out every year even without something like that.¡± ¡°That¡­¡­¡± The viscount pulled a handkerchief out of her ck jacket pocket and wiped her forehead. ¡°There was never a witness whenever the actors lost consciousness. I think that that might be the reason such baseless rumors started spreading.¡± ¡°Madam Viscount. The young kid-¡± ¡°Eric!¡± The middle-aged man who had plopped down on the ground in front of the Imperial Prince earlier in the box seat cautiously chimed in before the viscount shouted at him. I squinted. ¡®There¡¯s definitely something there.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m guessing your name is Eric? Please exin what happened.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth calmly asked. Her eyes were sharp and her voice was about a half tone lower, giving her a solemn demeanor as she was in full Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard mode. The man bowed in front of her. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, that¡­¡­ There were about three times when actors went unconscious during rehearsals. Two of those times, there were no witnesses. But one time¡­¡­ A new errand boy said that he saw something scary.¡± ¡°Please continue.¡± ¡°He went to the changing room to deliver an outfit when he saw a man and a woman kissing. It felt so personal so he quickly closed the door, but¡­¡­ He saw the woman going unconscious and the man transforming through the crack in the door.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I tilted my head in confusion. Eric seemed a bit hesitant. ¡°¡­¡­I know that it soundspletely unbelievable, your highness. The man who kissed the woman apparently transformed to look like the woman. The errand boy screamed and ran down the corridor toe find me.¡± ¡°Where is that child now?¡± ¡°He quit four dayster and went back to his hometown.¡± The viscount, who had listened to Eric say all of this, sighed. It was definitely something that would be bad for the image of the theatre. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth motioned with her hand after observing the Imperial Prince¡¯s face and the Imperial Guard members exited the office with Viscount Andr¨¦ and Eric. The three attendants slowly sat down on the couch. They seemed to already know that our conversation would be long. Christelle, the Imperial Prince, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, Sir Geens and I stood around in a circle. ¡°I think that it will be safer to believe that there is a demonic beast.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabethmented. I nodded my head in agreement. ¡°It is weak enough that none of you can sense them and only the magic tool can do so. Based on the fact that it changed appearance after a kiss, I think that it is probably sucking out their mana and making it its own.¡± I didn¡¯t think that it would be ether. Holy ether was like poison to demonic beasts. However, no matter what its goal was, the mana from the bodies of regr people and not a mage was probably not enough for it. ¡°It could have been starving. Or maybe it is injured or young.¡± I listened to Christelle¡¯s hypothesis and fell deep into thought. I had read about a simr demonic beast in the not too long ago. It was when I was going through the book because I was concerned that Percy might be a demonic beast in disguise. There were an extremely low number of demonic beasts that could change their appearances, and there was one that resembled a Pokemon that seemed quite simr to the one we were dealing with right now. ¡°It¡¯s at the tip of my tongue but I can¡¯t remember it. This demonic beast is ck and round and floats around while absorbing mana from living beings. I heard that they live deep in the forests.¡± ¡®What was its name again?¡¯ It had been a while since I was frustrated at not having a status window or a memory skill. Hey author person! Send me an ability if you really want to help the prince! ¡°It must be an Esprit. This demonic beast ismonly seen in the rural viges in the mountains of the Holy Kingdom as well. The main body is so weak that even regr people can take them down.¡± Sir Geens exined gently. My eyes opened wide. ¡°That¡¯s right. That was exactly what I saw. I heard that they eat the food leftover by other demonic beasts and even the carcass.¡± ¡°Why is a demonic beast from deep in the forest in the Imperial Capital?¡± The silent Imperial Prince finallymented. ¡®How the heck would I know when you don¡¯t even know?¡¯ ¡°It is likely that its home was destroyed or it lost its herd. Wasn¡¯t there arge clearing of demonic beasts in the mountains recently?¡± Sir Geens smiled brightly as he said that. Four pairs of eyes all headed toward the Imperial Prince at the same time. The orange pair of eyes squinted. ¡°So you are saying that it is my fault.¡± I smiled bitterly. It was a good thing that the Imperial Prince scorched the entire mountain during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts down south, but none of us could have expected such a chain reaction. Who would have expected a demonic beast that survived toe to the capital? ¡°It is a relief that it doesn¡¯t hurt people, but how do we catch it?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth asked. Four pairs of eyes turned to look at Sir Geens this time. I totally did not expect the future thirty minutes from now when I saw his eyes curl up as he exined the answer to us. Basically, I didn¡¯t expect the Imperial Prince and Christelle to be just about to kiss or to suddenly push forward so much in their rtionship. ¡®I wish I had a camera! Jung Eunseo!¡¯ ¡ª Chapter 89 Chapter 89 ¨C The Phantom Of The Pas De Trois (4) Chapter 89: The Phantom of the Pas de Trois (4) ¡°Like most demonic beasts, Esprits like the darkness. They usually feed on the carcasses of demonic beasts, but they consume loud noises and mana too.¡± Sir Geens exined. I nodded my head while listening to his exnation. ¡°The theatre is probably the best ce if they feed on darkness and loud noises. They would be able to hide among the spectators and absorb the music and apuse.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. It might have evacuated here because it was difficult to find carcasses of demonic beasts in the Imperial Capital. It probably consumed the mana from the actors when it was in dire need.¡± Christelle¡¯s eyes sparkled while listening to Sir Geens and I. ¡°Should we just wipe it out? I think it¡¯ll be done if I wash the entire theatre out with water. His Royal Highness could light it on fire too. We will have enough ether since his highness is with us.¡± ¡°That will be a bit difficult, youngdy Christelle.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was the one to respond. She smiled awkwardly at her friend. ¡°This is the Imperial Capital. It is different from the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts where the field was set to hunt demonic beasts. You will bring fear into the hearts of the residents of the Imperial Capital if you use amazing abilities to catch a demonic beast in front of a crowd. Our target is a low-grade demonic beast so I would rmend against using such extreme methods.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Christelle put a hand up to her chin. ¡°Furthermore, his Royal Highness will rise to the position of Crown Prince in two months. It is best not to have the nobles talking about him, regardless of the reason, until then.¡± Her response was fitting for the heir to a Count¡¯s House who has been the Imperial Prince¡¯s best friend for her entire life. I peeked toward Imperial Prince C¨¦dric who was standing like a statue. A Holy Knight appearing in the Empire was definitely a blessing. However, causing a fire in a theatre located in the center of the capital waspletely different from using his holy powers to beat down thugs and having a sprite shower. Many would praise him as a hero but a portion would be afraid of him. Even someone who will be the Emperor should not want that. ¡°Can we evacuate the spectators first?¡± I asked. All four people stared at me this time. ¡°I know that the beast can transform into a human. It is likely that it will escape through the crowd if we simply evacuated everybody without thinking much about it. But is there really no way to detect it?¡± Our best chance was to keep it within the theatre and capture it. However, how can we find it when we have no idea who it has transformed to? Furthermore, even if we were stealthy with our movements, we couldn¡¯t keep so many civilians in our strategy room. ¡®What a headache.¡¯ ¡°It is a demonic beast so it shouldn¡¯t be able to speak the humannguage.¡± Christelle¡¯s sunken head jerked up again. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and my mouths were open in shock. ¡®That is true.¡¯ Although it could copy a physical appearance, it could not speak the humannguage. It should not be able to respond to us even if we talked to it. ¡®Mm, but that¡¯s not enough.¡¯ ¡°There is a way to know for sure.¡± Sir Geens, who had been quietly watching us, chimed in. The corners of his eyes, which curled down naturally, seemed oddly mischievous. He looked back and forth at Christelle and the Imperial Prince before speaking extremely gently. ¡°It may be a bit difficult, but my esteemed students should be able to find it.¡± * ¡°I¡¯m nervous.¡± ¡°Please calm down, your highness. I¡¯m sure that they will all do a great job.¡± Sir Geens sounded as if he was trying to console me. He made an emphasis to call me your highness when it was just the two of us. It seemed to be his way of saying that he was from the Viaan Holy Kingdom despite giving up his nationality to be associated with the Vatican. I tried to think about something else and red at the stage. Sir Geens and I were in the back of the first floor, against a wall where nobody tended to look toward. The orchestra¡¯s magnificent ying ended and the dancers started to exit the stage. A red curtain slowly covered the stage before instantly spreading to both sides. It was finally the start of Act 1. I could barely hold myself back fromughing at what was happening in front of me. ¡°Pfft.¡± No, I did not manage to hold myself back. It was because the actor on stage was¡­¡­ ¡°Oh! My beautiful Daphnis. Is the reason for your death-like slumber to plead for me to wake you up? Or is it truly that cold-hearted Almighty God, what was it¡­ Trying to take you away from my arms?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but drop my jaw in shock. ¡®She already memorized all of it?¡¯ Our main character, whose face was covered in a white half mask, was showing off some amazing acting abilities. She did stumble a bit in the middle, but her performance was so amazing it was hard to believe that she was a beginner. Christelle plopped down on the ground without being able to hold in her sorrow and looked down at Daphnis, who was lying inside apletely ck coffin. My palms were getting sweaty. Act 1 of the { Phantom of the Pas de Trois } starts off with Daphnis and Chloe¡¯s dramatic separation. The ballerino, Daphnis, takes his own life hostage in order to turn Chloe, who has been guiding him and writing songs for him since he was young, into hisplete prisoner. He falls asleep after taking a mysterious medicine that allows him to fake death, but Chloe believes that Daphnis really died because of her. This was the result of the hotpot between the { Phantom of the Opera } and Shakespeare. ¨C p! Christelle reached her hand in and basically pped the man in the coffin. I flinched. ¡®You¡¯re supposed to caress it!¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re so cold. You are like the ciers in the North Sea! No, I refuse to believe this!¡± Most of the spectators did not seem to notice because they were fully drawn in by her acting, but I definitely saw it. Daphnis, who was buried in flowers inside the coffin, well, the Imperial Prince, clenched his fists! ¡°Ah ah. How annoying, no. How infuriating. I want to destroy the wheels of fate that have taken you away! However, I need to destroy myself first in order to do that¡­¡­¡± Christelle grabbed both of the Imperial Prince¡¯s cheeks and started to shake. Some of the audience was already groaning in sorrow. However, it seemed to be as if she was struggling quite a bit with the next line and action. ¡®Is it that much? But he¡¯s so handsome.¡¯ ¡°The end¡­¡­ If this is the end, then let me give you a final¡­¡­ Kwish¡­¡­¡± The word she struggled so hard to say was kiss. Her mouth moved again after that but I couldn¡¯t hear what she said. Christelle then slowly lowered her face into the coffin. I could see the Imperial Prince¡¯s picturesque side appearance, but nobody seemed to believe that it was the real Imperial Prince. Her pink hair fluttered down and intermingled with his pitch ck hair. I quickly covered my mouth with both hands. ¡®Jung Eunseo, are you watching this?!¡¯ ¡°Ack!¡± Christelel shouted and jerked her body up just as the tips of their noses were about to touch. The audience gasped. ¡®What a missed opportunity!¡¯ ¡°Mm. This is enough. Now, the songs¡­ Between you and I, our lo¡­¡­ Logistics filled music.¡± ¡®Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be love?¡¯ Christelle naturally didn¡¯t care about me finding it odd and quickly started to sing. She seemed to want to brush past the dialogue and get to the song. It was the most important thing in order to find the demonic beast. An ear-screeching loud noise, a mage¡¯s strong mana, and a divine item that could pull out a demonic beast¡¯s attacking nature¡­¡­ The two of them were a perfect pair with all the baits. -????????? The orchestra¡¯s tragic and mournful melody echoed through the theatre. The audience seemed to easily get drawn into the y and epted the flow of things despite the two of them not sharing a goodbye kiss. ¡®That¡¯s a relief, but¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Ahem, ahem.¡± Christelle came up to the front of the stage and cleared her throat. That was the signal. Sir Geens and I turned our heads and exchanged nces. After that¡­ ¡°Noooooow! When you gooooooo! When will youe? Baaaaaaack?¡± ¡®Wait, isn¡¯t this song?!¡¯ My eyes opened wide. It was an unfamiliar sentiment and lyrics for the QNW world. Chloe was singing a funeral hymn instead of a love song for Daphnis. The nobles started mumbling as her beat and notes werepletely off from the orchestra¡¯s melody. It was just a relief that her voice was loud. ¡®The demonic beast should show a reaction!¡¯ ¡°The day you will? Come back?! Let! Me! Know?¡± The MC enunciated the lyrics as she scanned the dark theatre with herrge eyes. ¡®Not on the fourth floor, third floor, second floor¡­¡­¡¯ I could feel Sir Geens¡¯ upper arm tensing with anxiety. Christelle¡¯s loud voice filled the theatre. ¡°The path! To the afterliiiiife? They said it is! Far! First floor section A! Row H seat 13 it is!¡± ¨C Baaaaang! Sir Geens ran toward the coordinates as soon as she said that. A white breeze brushed my hair back. I quickly released my Holy Domain and started to walk. A circle with a 30m diameter surrounded numerous people in the audience and released a radiant gold light. ¡®It¡¯s a fight against time now!¡¯ [Everybody calmly stand up and head toward the door in a single file line. After that, follow the lead of the Imperial Guard until you go home!] ¡°Y, yes sir!¡± ¡°We understand, your highness!¡± The nobles nodded their heads and stood up. Divine Oracles were truly powerful. The people outside the Holy Domain were in chaos but the people who heard my voice calmly standing in line calmed the others down as well. ¨C Bang! ¡°We are from the Imperial Guard! Please evacuate the theatre!¡± ¡°A low-grade demonic beast has appeared! We are taking care of it so please evacuate!¡± The doors to the second and third floor box seats as well as the fourth floor opened as well. I could hear Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth guiding the crowd from a distance. I scanned the areas where I could see children and continued to give Divine Oracles. [Please don¡¯t worry. Everybody will be safe. Please calmly leave in an orderly fashion!] ¡°Wahhh!¡± [I know, it¡¯s scary. Don¡¯t worry. Nothing will happen.] I gently hugged a child crying from shock and smiled. The little kid quickly stopped crying after sensing my ether. The parent urgently bowed to thank me. I gently handed the child over and turned around to see that the stage was in front of me. Christelle threw her mask while looking at the people walking out like the tide. ¡°Instructor!¡± She looked toward Section A and shouted loudly. But Sir Geens¡­ ¡°It copied him.¡± There were two of them! The Imperial Prince walked out of the coffin and immediately pulled out his Sword of Wisdom. I gasped while looking at the two men fighting as their white hair fluttered. They lookedpletely the same without even a single difference. It was as strong and fast as Sir Geens after copying all of his physical stats. However¡­¡­ ¨C Boom! The Imperial Prince¡¯s shadow shot forward like a bullet. The theatre floor sunk down. There was lighting in from the seats but the Imperial Prince already knew the hint to tell the demonic beast apart. It was the same way Christelle figured out its location. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¨C Baaaaang! ¨C Haaaaaaaak! The Imperial Prince¡¯s sword pierced deep into the spot where Sir Geens quickly jumped away from. The demonic beast dodged the attack as well and made a threatening noise. The speed of this Archbishop level Holy Knight copy was unbelievable. Its eyes sparkled like glow in the dark stickers. That was it. It was a creature that released light in the darkness while responding to food. That was the reason it was called esprit or a ghost. ¨C Swoosh! It charged toward the Imperial Prince so quickly that I couldn¡¯t even see it. This was the end. It shouldn¡¯t be able to go up against the Sword of Wisdom with its bare hands if it could only copy a person¡¯s body and was unable to use ether or mana¡­¡­ The demonic beast discovered me at that moment. ¨C Shaaaaa¡­¡­ ¡°Why that little!¡± I shouted. It took my appearance and smiled. The Imperial Prince¡¯s movements seemed off bnce for a moment. He dodged the punch but used his scabbard to attack the beast unlike his usual self. ¡®Are you an idiot?!¡¯ ¨C Pow! ¡°Then it¡¯s my turn! It¡¯s easy if it is the prince!¡± Christelle said such a sad thing so cheerfully as she attacked the demonic beast rolling on the ground. I clenched my eyes and bent down underneath a chair. I decided to justplete the task I was assigned. I need to check to see if there is anybody left- ¡°Ow, you son of a bitch!¡± Christelle shouted in anger at that moment. I stood back up in shock. My jaw dropped at what I saw. The Imperial Prince had one arm around Christelle¡¯s waist, his other arm was holding her wrist and his lips were getting close¡­¡­ ¡°Wow. It¡¯s almost the same as the illustra-¡± ¨C Pow! The MC headbutted his chin. I heard what sounded like a watermelon breaking. ¨C Haaak, haaaaak! The demonic beast, which was copying the Imperial Prince¡¯s appearance, iled in pain and retreated. Its appearance repeatedly became scattered like a mirage and then firm. It couldn¡¯t stumble around for long. Christelle, who seemed extremely angry, pulled a long ice spear out of her hand and¡­ ¨C Puuk! ¨C Stab! Stabbed it deep into the beast¡¯s left eye. A ck tip of a sword came out of its right eye at the same time. The ck-haired man, who was just as angry as she was, had stabbed the Sword of Wisdom from the back. ¨C Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaak! The demonic beast screamed. The Imperial Prince mercilessly pulled his sword out and the appearances of the people it had copied until now appeared above it as if the TV channel was changing. I checked thest seat on the first floor and gulped. ¡®It should be good now.¡¯ I heard that the fluorescent eyes of an esprit were its most vital points. Once its vulnerable true body appears¡­¡­ ¨C Bang! There was a cartoon-like sound effect and a ck will-o¡¯-the-wisp appeared in front of the two of them. Christelle did not hold back. ¨C sh! A sharp ice sword sliced the ghost in half. Her pink hair fluttered. At that moment¡­ ¨C Ping! I heard something that sounded like a bullet ricocheting. Something small and white charged toward my heart. Chapter 90 Chapter 90 ¨C He Has A Secret (1) Chapter 90: He has a secret (1) ¨C Puuk! I couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. I nkly watched as the person who blocked me and his white hair slowly fell to the ground. ¡®What just happened?¡¯ ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Sir Geens.¡± My voice came out faster than my brain could think. Sir Johann Geens plopped down on the theatre floor. I grabbed his shoulder out of reflex and inspected him. An anxious Christelle was quickly headed over. The appearance copying demonic beast, the Esprit, was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Sir Geens, you¡¯re bleeding.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, your highness.¡± ¡°You do not look okay at all.¡± The side of his white shirt was quickly turning red. Both my voice and my fingertips were slightly shaking. I immediately closed my eyes and drew the hemostasis healing circle I had memorized in my mind. I thought that I might not seed on the first try because I was anxious, but thankfully that was not the case. I didn¡¯t forget to recite the incantation either. [I dere that the fountain of the Almighty God will not dry.] ¨C Shaaaaaaa- A blue ether circle appeared. The full circle that surrounded Sir Geens and I slowly started turning clockwise and creating sky-blue colored particles. The particles then gathered at Sir Geens¡¯ side. Christelle quickly crouched in front of him. Herrge eyes were wet with guilt and astonishment. ¡°Oh no, instructor. It¡¯s all my fault. Oh no. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, youngdy Sarnez¡­¡­ I just forgot to inform you all about it.¡± Sir Geens leaned against a seat. The blood must have stopped properly as the stain on his shirt did not get any bigger. However, sweat was visible on his forehead. ¡°It was my first time seeing an Esprit since I was very young. Ipletely forgot that they have teeth. We need to be careful when killing them¡­¡­¡± ¡°What the heck? It¡¯s not like its squid teeth¡­¡­¡± Christelle scowled andmented, looking both as if she was smiling and crying. I gently patted her shoulder. ¡®It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not your fault.¡¯ ¡°Then are the teeth embedded in your body right now? Is it poisonous by chance?¡± I asked as calmly as possible. I just needed to open the Detoxification circle if that was the case. It was only a low-grade demonic beast, so even the beginner-level one that I memorized¡­ ¡°It is not poisonous. But, mm¡­¡­¡± He smiled awkwardly. Pain was clearly visible in his mint-colored eyes. ¡°It is slowly digging into my flesh. I think it is nning on goingpletely through me.¡± Christelle and my jaws dropped a bit. ¡°¨¦lisabeth Is your father as the Count¡¯s Estate here?¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric¡¯s voice was the one to break the silence. I urgently turned my head. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who hade in at some point, was standing next to the Imperial Prince and assessing the situation. She answered her friend with a stern gaze. ¡°He is. Let¡¯s go to my house.¡± * ¡°Sir Geens, the Moutet Count¡¯s Estate is apparently only five minutes away from the theatre. It is much closer than the Imperial Pce. Please hold on for a little bit.¡± I quickly got on the carriage as I said that. I was still maintaining the hemostasis healing circle. The bleeding seemed to stop at first but the teeth were digging into the patient¡¯s body, continuously creating new injuries. Sir Geens, who was lying down on the carriage, was surprisingly quiet despite the pain probably being intense. Ganael, who was sitting next to me, handed over some painkillers he brought for emergencies. It probably wouldn¡¯t do much for an injury this big, but it was better than nothing. ¡°Ganael, I need to stay here and take care of the incident.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth stood outside the carriage door as she spoke. Thankfully the front of the theatre was not chaotic because of my Divine Oracle. However, the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard was not done with her job yet. Ganael calmly nodded his head. ¡°I will inform them properly at your home. Please don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± The young Countess and the young boy held hands for a moment. She then silently bowed toward Sir Geens and I before quickly closing the door. The carriage started to move as if it had been waiting for that. I ced some painkillers onto a small spoon and fed Sir Geens before slightly raising his head and pouring some water in. ¡°Here are some painkillers.¡± ¡°It¡¯s bearable without it, your highness.¡± ¡°Not anybody can be an Archbishop level Holy Knight.¡± He chuckled at myment. He always looked a bit tired but he looked extremely pale right now. I peeked out the window. The Imperial carriage with the Imperial Prince was in front of us and the carriage from the Duke¡¯s House of Sarnez was behind us with the others and Benjamin. I could even see a carriage in the back with some guards for us. ¡°I did not know that Margrave Moutet¡¯s husband was a doctor.¡± Sir Geens mumbled. I nodded my head in agreement. Healing priests were not the only ones to use medical arts in the QNW world. There were regr doctors, such as the Imperial doctors at the pce. Mostmoners sought out regr doctors because they did not have the status or funds to meet a healing priest. Although the doctors could not heal them instantly like the priests, they could at least heal them. I quietly looked down at the patient and opened my mouth. ¡°Thank you, Sir Geens.¡± ¡°For what, your highness?¡± ¡°For saving me. I saw the demonic beast¡¯s teeth flying toward my chest.¡± The corners of his eyes curled up. ¡°I just did what needed to be done, your highness.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but scowl at his response. What needed to be done symbolized his duty to protect me at crown princess Elise¡¯smission. ¡®It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t know that, but¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°I still hope you will be more careful with your body.¡± Imented. His eyes opened a bit wide as if this was unexpected. It was probably because in this western-style world, a knight risking their life to save someone was an honorable action. I also knew that I might have died if he did not get in the way. That was why saying something like this had some serious inconsistencies. However, I was a regr Korean person from the 21st century. Honestly speaking, I was scared of someone else getting hurt and being in pain in my ce. I was also extremely sorry about what happened. Even if this is inside a novel¡­ ¡°I am not a knight and don¡¯t have many experiences seeing blood. It is okay if you think that I am fainthearted. I am not making a stupid request like asking you not to protect me. However¡­¡­ I hope that you can be healthy in the process as well, Sir Geens.¡± I stopped talking after that. Even I didn¡¯t know what I was trying to say. My mind was chaotic. ¡°¡­¡­Your highness, you are just as I have heard-¡± ¨C Neeeeeeigh! A horse¡¯s neigh cut Sir Geens off. I looked out to see that the grand Moutet Estate was glowing brightly even in the darkness of the night. I felt the carriage slow down before I heard some iron gates opening. The carriages soon arrived inside and stopped moving. Ganael, who was seated by the door, opened it immediately. One of the knights of the Count¡¯s Estate approached us. ¡°May we ask what the Imperial family is, young master Camard?¡± ¡°Yes, it is me. Please inform father that there is a patient who needs surgery. His Royal Highness is in the carriage in front of us.¡± ¡°Y, yes sir. I will escort you immediately!¡± The knight bowed respectfully before quickly turning around and disappearing. Ganael looked at me and smiled. ¡®I thought that he was close to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth but I guess they are basically like siblings.¡¯ * Sir Geens was ced on something as soon as he got off the carriage and carried right away to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s father, Sir Michel Moutet¡¯s office. Sir Michel could not greet us personally as he was preparing for the surgery, but the Imperial Prince didn¡¯t mind. I sighed in relief and received the greetings from the attendants of the Count¡¯s Estate. They all seemed very close to Ganael. ¡°Prince Jesse?¡± I heard a familiar voice at that moment. I turned my head to see Eva nquer, who was currently a guest at this ce, standing there in her pajamas with a gown over it. I finally remembered the existence of this young Duchess. ¡®Wow, how out of it must I have been?¡¯ ¡°Have you been well, Eva?¡± She asked me to be not so formal with her, but I couldn¡¯t do that so we agreed that I would just call her by her name. Eva responded energetically to me. ¡°Yes, your highness. It is nice and quiet without my brother. But why are you here instead of Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡­¡­ Eek!¡± Her brown eyes opened so wide they looked as if they might pop out. ¡°Y, your loyal subject greets our esteemed Royal Highness! Hello youngdy Sarnez¡­¡­¡± The child¡¯s face turned bright red and she bowed without knowing what to do. I didn¡¯t know why she looked so embarrassed despite having seen them at the young Duke¡¯s duel, but she was fidgeting and touching the sleeves of her gown and the waistband. The fact that she managed to maintain a poker face on the day of the duel was surprising. She did mention wanting a position as a Religious Partner, and it seemed as if she truly longed for them. ¡°Hello, youngdy nquer. I couldn¡¯t greet you properly the other day. I didn¡¯t know you were staying at the Count¡¯s Estate.¡± Christelle smiled brightly and returned the child¡¯s greeting. I was a bit worried since she showed a lot of malice to the young Duke, but she thankfully didn¡¯t seem to have such emotions for his younger sister. ¡®Well, it makes sense if you consider Christelle¡¯s personality I guess.¡¯ ¡°S, should I go change? I will be back after I change.¡± ¡°No, you are going to sleep soon. You are fine as you are. It¡¯s cute.¡± Eva turned into a roasted sweet potato at the MC¡¯sment. The Imperial Prince silently headed toward the reception room. He must have been here often as he looked as rxed as if he was in his own house. We followed him and sat down on a couch. The attendants brought coffee and refreshments for us. About 30 minutes passed after that. ¡°I guess I was too riled up. I shouldn¡¯t have sliced it in half like that.¡± Christelle mumbled while ring at the coffee cup. I gently grabbed her hand to stop her from picking at her nails. ¡®It¡¯s going to bleed if you keep doing that.¡¯ ¡°Please rx and have a taste of this, youngdy Sarnez. They said that it was a simple surgery. The braised chestnut is delicious.¡± I ced two pieces of braised chestnut and a slice of fraisier on an empty te and handed it to her. She poked at the chestnuts with her fork and put both of them in her mouth. Her cheeks puffed up on both sides. ¡®I guess she¡¯s the type to eat a lot when she is stressed.¡¯ I smiled bitterly. Even I would feel guilty if I was in her shoes. Even if I didn¡¯t know about the existence of the teeth and it wasn¡¯t intentional, someone would have gotten hurt because of my actions. Christelle is an affectionate person, so she will probably worry about what happened today for a long time. ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Come in.¡± The Imperial Prince responded immediately to the knocking. A middle-aged man appeared behind the attendant who opened the door. He had short dark grey hair and deep grey eyes. It was rare to see the Imperial Prince standing up to greet someone but him doing so made us get up as well. ¡®This must be him.¡¯ ¡°Sir Michel.¡± ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± The two men shook hands. Sir Michel Moutet bowed a bit too, but the way he patted the Imperial Prince¡¯s hand with his other hand made it seem as if they were close. ¡°The surgery went well, your Royal Highness. I immediately burned the teeth we removed. Thankfully, he had no injuries to his organs and the patient has a strong body so he should recover soon.¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± The Imperial Prince gave a short response. Christelle and I sighed loudly in relief. ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ ¡°His injuries are something that should heal in about three to four days if you use your healing powers. Prince Jesse.¡± Sir Michel looked at me with a polite gaze and bowed. I bowed back and thanked him. ¡®Let¡¯s aim for three days.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s see, it looks like my future son-inw is here too.¡± Sir Michel then extended his arm behind me. ¡®Excuse me?¡¯ ¡°Father.¡± Ganael responded. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ ¡°Yes, it looks like you¡¯ve gotten a little taller.¡± Sir Michelughed gently and gave Ganael a hug. He also gave him a kiss on each cheek. ¡®¡­¡­Huh?¡¯ * ¡°You¡¯re certain you saw that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± C¨¦dric did not respond. ¨¦lisabeth knew that this was his way of showing agreement. It was midnight when she returned home after turning the owner of the Opera and her secretary to the Imperial Capital¡¯s guards, sending the Imperial Guard to get witness statements, and cleaning up any loose ends. Sir Geens staying here was expected as he was a patient, but she did not expect C¨¦dric, Prince Jesse, and youngdy Christelle to all be staying at the Count¡¯s Estate. It was nice since she had not had so many friends over at her ce in a long time but also quite entertaining. Watching the opening performance of the opera should have been no big deal so how did things end up like this? ¡®C¨¦dric, the prince, and Christelle. There is always an incident when the three of them are together.¡¯ ¡°How thoroughly should I dig?¡± ¡°From his birth to the present.¡± ¡°What? Is it that serious?¡± The Imperial Prince looked out the window instead of adding on. The bright moon was warmly shining down on the Count¡¯s Estate. He clearly remembered what he saw at the theatre. The white teeth that were hit by the youngdy¡¯s sword and the abnormal trajectory it took¡­ The direction it flew in was odd and the Holy Knight¡¯s action after that was suspicious. An air attribute Archbishop level Holy Knight using his body as a shield? Was he nning on saying that his body reacted faster than his natural instincts of ether? He was someone who could m the teeth to the corner of the theatre without even flicking a finger. The shocked prince and youngdy didn¡¯t seem to care about something like that, but the Imperial Prince was different. The son of Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester was not someone who could pretend not to see something he saw. ¡°It¡¯s suspicious.¡± He said in a low voice. It looked as if he would not be able to sleep peacefully tonight. Chapter 91 Chapter 91 ¨C He Has A Secret (2) Chapter 91: He has a secret (2) ¡®Everybody knew about it? I was the only one who didn¡¯t know?¡¯ ¡°Your highness¡­¡­ Would you like some more Tarte Normande?¡± Ganael warily asked. I was still for a moment before suddenly looking up at the young boy. ¡°Hmm? No. I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m full.¡± ¡°But you only ate one tray¡­¡­¡± The child had been frequently checking on me sincest night. As for Benjamin, who was calmly standing there, he seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit today. I did my best to smile and shook my head. ¡®It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s understandable that I didn¡¯t know. Ganael and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth have quite an age difference and neither of them told me about it. So it is not weird that I didn¡¯t notice. It¡¯s not like I need to know about his personal life. That¡¯s up to the couple and the adults of the households.¡¯ ¨C ng. ¡®¡­¡­No, but seriously.¡¯ I put my fork down. ¡°Ganael.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± The young boy stopped mid-action and stood up straight. I stared at Ganael. ¡°Are you happy? Fi¡­¡­ Your fianc¨¦e treats you well, right?¡± ¡°Excuse me? Yes, I am very happy. I¡¯ve enjoyed every single day of this year.¡± His honey-colored eyes gently curled up. ¡°Of course, I was not happy when you fainted or during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts, your highness.¡± He followed up with thatment. ¡®Why are you only telling me that you are happy? I also asked if your fianc¨¦e is treating you well.¡¯ I nodded my head and suppressed this ominous feeling building up inside me. I couldn¡¯t even remember how I washed and went to sleep at the Count¡¯s Estate after hearing Sir Michel call Ganael his future son-inw. Breakfast was over by the time I snapped back to my senses. ¡®Let¡¯s quickly get past this shock.¡¯ I quietly consoled myself. I will have to use my healing powers on Sir Geens soon. I also need to talk with Eva about how to fight for the young Duchess position. I didn¡¯t need to worry about Ganael. ¡®Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth is cool and mature, so she should be a good s, spouse.¡¯ ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Come in.¡± I responded to the knock. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth appeared through the door. ¡®Someone who can¡¯t be a noble¡­¡­¡¯ (TL: This is a Korean saying about a person who appears when their name is called. Basically, the servants had toe whenever their masters called for them, so the fact that she showed up when he thought about her is what made him say it. A more mon¡¯ phrase is ¡®even a tiger shows up when you talk about it.¡¯) ¡°Did you sleep well, your highness?¡± ¡°Hello, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. We ended up being in your carest night. I¡¯m sorry for the inconvenience.¡± ¡°Not at all, your highness. It was an honor for the Count¡¯s Estate to host you. And¡­¡­¡± She smiled brightly and opened the door. I heard a noise that made meextremely happy. ¨C Screeeech! ¡°Demy?¡± Demy and the entirered panda trio rushed into the room. I was shocked but still managed to hug the little cuties that crawled up my knees. I couldn¡¯t believe that they were here because Rhea was scared of everything and Perry was shy. Demy pushed against my chest with his paws and stood up. He seemed upset about something. ¨C Sqeeeeeeal! ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sorry. Big bro stayed out the whole night without telling you. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii! ¡°Oh my, I did something super terrible. I didn¡¯t even give Demy histe night snack.¡± ¨C Cruuuuuuuuu ¡°Should I stick by Demy¡¯s side all day as an apology?¡± The little punk was quite thorough while sharing his feelings. I grabbed Demy¡¯s front paw to give a handshake of apology and rubbed all of their backs. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabethughed out loud. ¡°A Royal priest truly is different, your highness. I heard that priest Sand suffered quite a bit. Percy is in youngdy Christelle¡¯s room.¡± ¡°Did you bring all these kiddos from the Imperial Pce to the Count¡¯s Estate?¡± My eyes opened a bit wider. I raised all of them and gave them their names, so it was probably not easy to lead them anywhere even if Sand released his ether. ¡®Why would she do that when we are heading back soon?¡¯ ¡°¡¯Stay out for a few days since you went out together. It is nice to have the Imperial Pce so quiet.¡¯ That is a message from her Majesty.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked, wondering what I had just heard. She then came over to my table and handed me a luxurious golden card. The Empress¡¯s seal was on the outside in a cherry colored sealing wax. I repeatedly read the card that stated the same thing Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth just told me. The handwriting was rough and carefree. ¡®Is this perhaps¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Have I been kicked out?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the opposite, your highness.¡± Benjamin, who has had a smile on his face all day, exined. He didn¡¯t forget to refill my half-empty cup of pine needle tea. ¡°It seems as if her Majesty has given you some free time as she trusts you to a certain degree, your highness. His Royal Highness is by your side as well.¡± ¡®Free time as a diplomatic hostage?¡¯ The two things did not seem to go together. I wondered if I should rx and enjoy it, but a part of me was thinking that there wasn¡¯t much to do outside since I was mainly a homebody. ¡®I would be super happy if she finally realized that I am a guy with no ambitions whatsoever.¡¯ ¡°You can consider it a reward for capturing the demonic beast at the theatre.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabethmented. That seemed to make more sense. I nodded my head and she respectfully saluted, saying that she will be on her way now. She then gently smiled at Ganael. ¡®Wow, wait a minute.¡¯ ¡°Vice Commander ¨¦lisabeth Moutet.¡± I called out to her. ¡°Yes, your highness?¡± ¡°Pleasee here and take a seat.¡± I couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. I patted an empty chair next to me. Ganael¡¯s face turned pale. * ¡°Your highness. You see¡­¡± ¡°You stay quiet, Ganael.¡± The young boy shut his mouth at myment. I was quietly looking at Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who was seated across from me looking extremely ufortable. The two attendants were seated on either side of me. The only person who seemed rxed was Benjamin, who was enjoying a cup of coffee. ¡°Umm¡­¡­ I apologize for calling you trash before.¡± I opened my mouth. I definitely remember saying something like that when I was scolding Eva at the Imperial Pce temple. I said that a twenty-four year old marrying a sixteen year old was trash. I didn¡¯t know Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s situation back then and it wasn¡¯t directed at her, but I didn¡¯t want to hurt her because of a difference in culture. Her cat-like grey eyes opened wide. ¡°Excuse me? N, not at all your highness. That¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t think it is weird for suchments to be made.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth smiled bitterly and waved her hand. I could feel Ganael getting antsy to my right. The young Countess calmly continued to speak. ¡°Ganael became sixteen back in February. Just like you are thinking, it is notmon for someone in the Empire to get engaged as soon as they be an adult. I know that Ganael is young-¡± ¡°I confessed, your highness!¡± ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Ganael suddenly interjected. I looked at the young boy in shock. His gold eyes were sparkling with desperation. The red panda trio clenched onto my shirt as if they were nervous. ¡°I asked Vice Commander Moutet to marry me when I was six years old. She told me that I was ten years too young, so¡­¡­ I proposed again ten yearster.¡± Benjamin¡¯s shoulders started to move up and down. I was dumbfounded as I looked back and forth at Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and Ganael. The young Countess quicklymented. ¡°But I really didn¡¯t know that he would propose to me again ten yearster. It¡¯s the truth, your highness.¡± ¡°My family, the Viscount¡¯s House of Camard and the Count¡¯s House of Moutet have been close for hundreds of years. That is why I have been close to Vice Commander Moutet since I was young. Margrave Moutet and Sir Michel were against it because I was too young, but¡­¡­ I was okay with it. Because I like her!¡± My face turned red at the young boy¡¯s words that seemed toe straight out of a romance manga. For about the next thirty minutes after that¡­ I had to be attacked by Ganael¡¯s TMI bombs without being able to say anything. I knew that the young boy liked to chatter, but I didn¡¯t know that he was such a logical and eloquent speaker. Ganael¡­ 1. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth has treated him well since he was young, 2. She is quite talented, being both intelligent and skilled at sword arts, 3. Such an amazing person was his first love, 4. Marquis Fran?ois Duhem warned him that the brave ones get all the beauties, 5. Officially proposed the day of hising-of-age ceremony, 6. And even mentioned the specific socioeconomic benefits of their marriage. His flow of speech, from the introduction to the development, climax, and conclusion, was so good that I couldn¡¯t even cut him off. ¡®Why is the Marquis involved in everything? He¡¯s like an extremely well-known brand that appears in millions of movies.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­Okay. Congrattions. I¡¯ll pray for you to have a beautiful love.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, your highness!¡± The young boy smiled as brightly as an evening primrose. I felt as if I was shriveling because my mental strength had been used up. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who needed to go to work soon, also looked as if she waspletely exhausted. She seemed extremely embarrassed and ashamed. The fertile hen. I must catch the fertile hen for Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡­¡­ (TL: In Korean history, each family used to have one fertile hen that would give them eggs/chicks. Usually this very important hen was caught and served to the son-inw when he came to get their daughter. So it is a symbol of serving an extremely important person) ¡°Are there any other secrets I should know by chance?¡± I rubbed my face with my hands as I asked. Demy started to fall asleep in myp. Three pairs of gazes looked toward me. ¡°I¡¯m not asking for you to tell me your secrets. I just want to know if there is anything else that ismon knowledge to everyone but me.¡± Benjaminughed out loud. I couldn¡¯t help butugh as well because it was rare to see himughing like this. * ¡°That is why I hope to push my brother aside and be the young Duchess of nquer.¡± ¨C Piruuuuuuuuuu! Pipipi! Eva energetically spoke as she stood holding the hem of her dress. Percy sat on the Imperial Prince¡¯s shoulder, adding sound effects, while Christelle quietly cheered. I almost pped because I was swept up in the mood. The red pandas, who were curled up together and napping on a warm rock, wagged their tails to show agreement. The greenhouse at the Moutet Count¡¯s Estate had high and wide ceilings. There was arge greenhouse at the Imperial Pce as well, but I had never been there because it was quite far from Juliette Pce. This one seemed good enough to take its ce. Sir Geens was supposed to stay in bed until today, so it was hard for him toe out. I decided to be thankful that I was able to try out most of the healing circles I¡¯ve learned on him. ¡°Anybody can be the heir if will alone was enough.¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dricmented while drinking his espresso. Eva started to frown. I gently pulled at the Imperial Prince bastard¡¯s clothes. He looked at me with a disgruntled gaze. ¡°She does not only have a will for it, your Royal Highness. Eva has received the blessing of the divine item. She has legitimacy as well.¡± ¡°You¡¯re calling the youngdy by her name.¡± ¡®Are you even listening to me?¡¯ I held back a sigh. Eva said that she would go with Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth when she headed out for work. It was so she could go clean the Imperial Pce temple. She was amendable child with a good sense of responsibility. I held the young Duchess back and created this setting with the Imperial Prince and Christelle. Sir Michel called it a ¡®small reception for the development of friendship among youngsters¡¯ and provided a ce for us. It wasn¡¯tpletely wrong. ¡°I think that it would be good for the three of you to build a rtionship with each other.¡± The orange eyes scowled at myment. Christelle tilted her head as if she was amused. ¡®Basically, it seems as if the three of you could¡­¡­ Use each other very well.¡¯ It sounded weird but it was the truth. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique and Cardinal Boutier seemed to look forward to the fall of the trash young Duke. They also seemed to think that the Imperial Prince would benefit in the future if he helped out with it. I internally clicked my tongue at them saying that they were true politicians, but, after thinking it through once more, that was also a good thing for the progression of QNW. ¡°If Eva can be the young Duchess with help and support from the two of you, you would be getting a reliable alliance with the person in charge of the territory by the border, your Royal Highness. The House of nquer is a well-reputed mage household, so it would also help you out with your political position.¡± If things continued like that, the Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life would basically be in the main couple¡¯s hands. This calction would not make sense to most people, but it was possible because they were the MCs. As long as Christelle wanted the divine items, it was normal for the Sacred Bow to stand on her side. Even if she couldn¡¯t be chosen as its master like with the Ark of the Wind Deity, at least the chosen master would be on her side. ¡°For Eva, it is her chance to get the power that she has always been dreaming about.¡± ¡®She¡¯ll also be able to reconnect the House of nquer¡¯s connection with the Imperial family.¡¯ I was just a supporting character and a diplomatic hostage, so it was difficult for me to be very helpful to Eva. But I could at leasty down the bridge that would connect her to others. ¡°What do you all think about this?¡± ¡®Maybe the reason I prevented him from killing Robert nquer at the dueling ground was to create such a connection¡­¡­ Mm. Let¡¯s not take it too far. I can¡¯t inte my ego too much. I just want to use a good opportunity and maximize the gains. Preferably in a way that is beneficial to the two main characters that Jung Eunseo cherishes so much.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Imperial Prince and Christelle silently looked at me. ¡®Don¡¯t do that, it¡¯s scary.¡¯ ¡°Furthermore, Eva is a talented priestess. She¡¯s only sixteen and already a bishop. She could fill the two of your ether if you need-¡± ¡°As I expected.¡± The Imperial Prince sharply cut me off. His irises seemed to be on fire. ¡°Are you nning on abandoning your duty?¡± ¡®What the heck is he talking about? Why are you suddenly moving it forward so much?¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know about his duty, but Prince Jesse¡¯s eyes were sparkling. I wonder if you like this fight for power, your highness. Should I be a young Duchess as well?¡± Christelle supported her chin with both hands as she smiled. ¡®And why did your thoughts go astray like that?!¡¯ ¡°P, please don¡¯t fight because of me. This is good for me, but still!¡± Eva seemed to tear up as she shouted. Percy tilted his whole body. ¡®What a mess.¡¯ Chapter 92 Chapter 92 ¨C He Has A Secret (3) Chapter 92: He has a secret (3) It took about twenty minutes or so to calm the situation. I had to promise to the Imperial Prince that I would not pass on the duty of providing him with ether to another priest until the Annual Prayer Meeting ended. I had to tell Christelle multiple times that I was just a homebody who had no political desires whatsoever. I could understand her acting like a teenager because she was in the body of a teenager and people treated her as such. However, I was concerned about the Imperial Prince, who acted so immaturely every so often despite being twenty-four years old. ¡®Is Sadie the real body perhaps?¡¯ ¡°I do have a desire to assist youngdy nquer. The young Duke son¡­¡­ Ahem, I believe that the current young Duke should not be in that kind of position. Furthermore, he deserves to be punished after treating his younger sibling that way. We need to take away the thing that he cherishes the most.¡± Christelle spoke while gritting her teeth. She seemed to be trying her best not to curse out young Duke nquer in front of his sister. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure you already did a lot of that during the day of the duel though¡­¡¯ ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to help her.¡± ¡°Umm, I have a letter that I wrote that I was nning on sending to my parents.¡± Eva responded with a nervous look on her face. I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out the folded letter. I had received it from Eva prior to the show but had not opened it until now. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, who took the letter from me, read through it before passing it to Christelle. It was hard to figure out his thoughts as there was no change to his expression. ¡°What do you think, your Royal Highness, youngdy Sarnez? Do you think it is enough to convince her parents?¡± ¡°Hmm. One moment please.¡± Christelle looked through the letter and answered my question. Her blue-gray eyes were sparkling with sincerity. ¡°It looks like we will need to decide our course of action. We need to decide whether we will go for a certification of contents or if we want to aim for a letter of plea to get her parents to tear up. The current letter is not very organized.¡± ¡°What is a certification of contents?¡± Eva tilted her head in confusion and asked Christelle. I tensed up and looked at the Imperial Prince. I wondered if this world had a concept like certification of contents as well. The Imperial Prince seemed to find it a bit odd as well. ¡®I guess there isn¡¯t something like that here.¡¯ ¡°That, mm. It is like an official document. Official letters have a different format than personal letters.¡± The exnation was eptable. Eva looked at us and cautiously spoke. ¡°My parents and us siblings are not very close¡­¡­ They do listen when I throw tantrums, but I want to properly earn my ce like an adult this time.¡± She sounded very mature. I gently smiled and poured somevender tea into the young Duchess¡¯s cup. The child smiled as the fragrance spread through the air. Christelle caressed Eva¡¯s curly red hair. ¡°Then, just leave it to this auntie, no. Leave it to this big sis. This big sis is very good at writing official documents.¡± ¡°B, big sis¡­¡­¡± Eva¡¯s cheeks turned red with joy. This was probably the first time she was treated so warmly as a little sister because that bastard of an older brother never did his job properly as a good older brother. I handed the quill pen I brought with me to her and Christelle started writing something new on the back of the parchment. I pushed the opera cake toward her so that she could easily eat it while writing. As for Eva, I handed her a Poire Belle H¨¦l¨¨ne with a dessert spoon. The first sentence was beingpleted. ¡®1. I pray for an endless development of you and your territory.¡¯ ¡®Wait, it really is an official document.¡¯ I held myself back fromughing and ced a chouquette on the Imperial Prince¡¯s empty te. Unlike Christelle who liked a lot of vors in her food, this punk preferred things that were a bit nd. ¡°Will it be okay to send it like that, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°No.¡± The Imperial Prince responded immediately. He was ring at the chouquette. ¡®I didn¡¯t put any poison on it.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m certain that the bastard ced his people in the family once he became the young Duke.¡± I nodded my head. He was right. Even if the Lord¡¯s Castle belonged to the ducal couple, it was unlikely that the young Duke did not have his subordinates there. It was possible that Eva¡¯s letter would not be delivered immediately to her parents or that it might disappearpletely. I looked at the two focused youngdies and plotted away. ¡°The Imperial Crown Prince confirmation.¡± The Imperial Prince made eye contact with me while chewing on the chouquette. ¡®It was hard to even feed him a jerky in the past. He¡¯s grown quite a bit.¡¯ ¡°I heard that the invitations for the nobles were being sent this week. What if we used that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It will be a precious letter delivered with the Imperial family crest. Attendants and the young Duke would not be able to open it. The ducal couple will be the first to open it for sure. What if we add the youngdy¡¯s message to it?¡± He seemed to be thinking for a bit before he swallowed the chouquette and responded. ¡°They could think that the Imperial family is controlling her.¡± ¡°However, it is also true that the young Duke mocked you, your Royal Highness, and brought dishonor to his family. The ducal couple are equally unaffectionate to both children, so they probably would not try to protect their son if they learned that Eva has the justification for the position.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It is not a bad idea.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, your Royal Highness.¡± I smiled. Although his response was short, he was saying that he will help make my ne to fruition. I was certain that he calcted helping Eva and pushing the young Duke out was a win for him as well. Things went well. Now that decision was up to the ducal couple. I started eating a rice pudding with caramel on top. The people at the Count¡¯s Estate were skilled as well. ¡®¡­¡­Now that I think about it, this is my first time at a friend¡¯s house since I transmigrated here. The situation made it so that I couldn¡¯t even bring a housewarming gift.¡¯ ¡°Should we have a pajama party tonight after finishing this? Only the two of us and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth.¡± ¡°What is a pajama party?¡± ¡°Oh my. ying together at night while wearing our pajamas. We can gossip, drink, and even have a pillow fight?¡± ¡°Wow. That sounds fun!¡± Eva¡¯s eyes started to sparkle after hearing Christelle¡¯s exnation. It was nice to see. ¡®It really was a good idea to connect the two of them together.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s go shopping tomorrow. I heard that the Legault Central Commerce Center already has new outfits for Fall and Winter. I¡¯ll teach you how to go on a spending spree first.¡± ¡°That sounds great!¡± ¡®What are you teaching the kid?!¡¯ I choked on some pudding and coughed. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez, please guide Eva to be a good young Duchess.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t worry. I will also teach her the joy of spending money on others, your highness.¡± ¡®Will it be okay like this?¡¯ I smiled bitterly. I couldn¡¯t separate the two of them now so I¡¯ll just get some help along the way. ¡°Umm¡­¡­ If it is okay with you, could you buy something for me as well?¡± ¡°Oh my. This is unexpected from you, your highness.¡± Christelle¡¯s face lit up with joy. I remembered how even Benjamin and Ganael had headaches figuring out what to get me for my birthday because I usually did not want anything. However, what I needed this time was not something for me. ¡°This is my first time at the Count¡¯s Estate but I couldn¡¯t even prepare a proper gift. I will give you the money for it.¡± ¡°Ah, you are looking for a housewarming gift.¡± She instantly had a look that seemed to be saying that she knew it would be something like this. Eva looked back and forth at Christelle and I before asking. ¡°You cannot go buy it yourself, your highness?¡± ¡°I cannot leave the Imperial Pce.¡± I answered. Eva looked even more confused. ¡°But this is already outside the Imperial Pce. I heard that you will be staying here for a few days, your highness. Doesn¡¯t that mean that it is okay for you to go out with us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. That¡­¡­¡± I smiled awkwardly and looked at the Imperial Prince. Christelle and Eva looked at him as well. I was silently eating thest chouquette. Where I could and could not go was a decision solely for the Riester Imperial family. It would be nice to look at the items myself and hear some information about it before buying it, but it was highly likely that I could not go, which was why I asked her to buy it for me. The Imperial Prince elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin. ¡°I¡¯ll be getting up first.¡± He then gave thatment before standing up. He looked like someone who was done with things here. All three of our eyes opened wide at this unexpectedment. Percy, who had been on his shoulder, flew over andnded on top of Christelle¡¯s head. ¡°So sudden, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The man ignored Christelle¡¯s question and walked toward the greenhouse door. Rhea and Perry woke up from their naps and slowly crawled off the rock. It looked as if they were going to follow the Imperial Prince for the first time in a long while. I petted their backs as they walked past me. It was my way of telling them not to cause too much trouble. ¡°I guess it is true that he really is an Ice Prince.¡± Eva mumbled in a slightly dejected voice. There was quite the difference between his looks and his personality, but at least he didn¡¯t get angry and shout at me or something to say that I can¡¯t leave. ¡°I am okay. I enjoy being indoors. It is burdensome to be in crowded areas.¡± ¨C Squeeeeee I spoke in a way to console her and Demy, who hade up to me as well, rubbed his head against my calf. The little youngdy pouted a bit. ¡®I¡¯ll just organize my notebook tomorrow.¡¯ * ¡°Eva considered his Royal Highness as a candidate for marriage? Not to fight him?¡± Christelle, who had been drinking quite a bit, raised her voice. ¨¦lisabeth was unable to hold herughter back and buried her face in a pillow. Her new friend said such funny things whenever she opened her mouth. There were apparently people who pointed fingers at her saying that she was not like this before she got sick, but ¨¦lisabeth liked the ¡®new¡¯ Christelle quite a bit. The youngdy was a hero who got rid of numerous demonic beasts and was quite the easy-going and delightful person. ¡°They can¡¯t get married anyway since they are cousins.¡± ¡°But still, a sixteen year old and a twenty four year old? She¡¯s basically his daughter!¡± ¡°Pffft!¡± She also frequently said things like this that did not suit her age to make herugh. Elizabeth seemed to havepletely forgotten about the fact that the age gap Christelle was talking about was applicable to her as well as sheughed. They were both cheery from drinking right now. Christelle sipped the cognac that had been heated by her body temperature. The two of them, who were sprawled out on arge bed, and a little girl, who had gone off to dreand, were enjoying this pajama party. ¡°The baby fell asleep after a single ss of vin chaud.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she must have been tired from writing the letter for her parents.¡± ¡°I think I was too intense when teaching her how to pillow fight.¡± Christellemented. ¨¦lisabeth brushed the sleeping Eva¡¯s hair behind her ear while Christelle poured some dry gin into the young Countess¡¯s empty cup. ¡°Sixteen is an age to do everything she wants to do. She can think about marriageter. She can get some power if she wants power, learn things if she wants to learn things, and travel. She should make a lot of friends too.¡± Her friend was sounding like an adult again. The young Countess received the ss from Christelle and chuckled. Christelle suddenly pointed her index finger. ¡°Of course, your future hubby is an exception. He¡¯s a different breed. How can you beat a kid who has been thinking about marriage since he was six?¡± ¨¦lisabeth burst intoughter as she got off the bed. Talking about how sixteen year olds should be made her want to show Christelle something. She stood bare feet on the ground and started to rummage through a drawer in the bedroom. Christelle, who was tilting her ss and observing the multiple colors of the cognac, looked toward her friend who was noting back. ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth?¡± ¡°Ah, I found it. Please look at this, youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¨¦lisabeth returned to the bed and pushed a small bag toward Christelle. It was full of old cards and letters. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°These are letters I exchanged with my friends when I was younger.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Christelle opened the colorful letters one by one. The crooked letters and grammatical errors were cute and funny. The contents were childish, as expected of letters between children. However, it was cute that they signed their names as fancy as possible at the end, trying to look elegant as children of noble families. ¡°This one is from C¨¦dric. Let¡¯s see, it was when he was eleven.¡± ¡°His Royal Highness knows how to say hello?¡± ¡°Hahahaha.¡± ¨¦lisabethughed out loud. Christelle also chuckled and read the card. The words were hard to read, potentially because she had been drinking quite a bit. She clenched her eyes shut before looking at the bottom. She had done so without giving it much thought but¡­ ¡°¡­¡­This, is this his Royal Highness¡¯s middle name?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s grey eyes slowly opened wide at Christelle¡¯s question. The two of them turned sober also instantly. The young Countess urgently inspected the card. She could see an elegantly written word in between ¡®C¨¦dric¡¯ and ¡®Riester.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m right.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a secret¡­¡­¡± ¨¦lisabeth brushed her face with her hands andid down on the bed. She then started to groan. Christelle gasped because she could not believe what she just read. This was something that only close family, best friends, and lovers should know. ¡®Looking to purchase a brain that has not seen this info.¡¯ ¡°His middle name is so ironic.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°It is so funny that he has such a name with his personality. Is it something like ¡®Open Church Closed¡¯ or something?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¨¦lisabeth asked with her eyes half closed. Her jaws had just dropped in shock before sheid down ,but she must have gotten sleepy once her head hit the pillow. It made sense since she had worked full time today. Christelle felt her eyelids getting heavier while looking at her as well. She kept chuckling because of the ironic nature of his name, but her head was still tilting to the side. She didn¡¯t resist and immediatelyid down. Thest thing she saw was ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s ss on top of the drawer. ¡®She left that over there¡­¡­ But is that really his middle name? Such a name for a bastard who has his highness imprisoned?¡¯ Chapter 93 Chapter 93 ¨C Backfire (1) Chapter 93: Backfire (1) The next day was peaceful as well. ¡°You may head out now.¡± ¡°Yes, yes sir.¡± The attendants of the Moutet Count¡¯s Estate became shocked but started to move at Benjamin¡¯sment. I smiled and looked toward them. Some of the ones who made eye contact with me even nked out for a moment and ran into each other. I looked at my notebook because I thought that I would be a bother if I kept looking at them. The summer breeze of the Imperial Capital blew inside from the open balcony. The breeze was kind of hot but eating a bite of the sweet and cool p¨ºche melba made it perfect. I thoroughly went through the information I had written into the notebook until now. ¡°Mm.¡± First of all, I knew about the ability that I possessed. I absorbed the power that was in the divine item, the Paten of Wishes, and thanks to that, I have arge amount of the purest quality of ether. However, I face ether depletion the same way other priests do if I overexert myself. Just like everyone else, my body cannot handle ether overload. I know because I fainted both times I used too much ether. I drew arge arrow with the quill pen. The reason why I transmigrated into QNW is because someone made a wish on the Paten. That was why I tried praying to another divine item, the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star, to send me back home. Of course, nothing happened. The author seems to have no intentions of letting me go until Prince Jesse¡¯s survival is guaranteed. The pen drew another arrow in the opposite direction. Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. I had made up my mind to not get involved with the two of them the first day I transmigrated here. It was because the two of them were QNW¡¯s official couple. Prince Jesse originally sacrificed his life for their love. The top priority for my survival was to avoid the main characters. However¡­¡­ ¡°They seem to be curious of the stories about your adventure with your friends, your highness.¡± Ganael said that as he closed the door. I awkwardly smiled while looking at the young boy. Unlike the attendants at the Imperial Pce who were thoroughly educated, the attendants of the Count¡¯s Estate seemed frantic at the chance to speak to me. Gazes full of interest and curiosity followed me all day. Basically, this was the problem. Friends. I ended up bing friends with the main characters without meaning to do so. ¡°Mm¡­¡­¡± I filled my cheeks with abination of peaches boiled in syrup and vani ice cream. The back of your head is supposed to chill and help you focus when your mouth gets cold, but thinking about the two of them prevented that from happening. At least it was still delicious. Despite trying my best to avoid them, this was the result. I even tried to act rude. Unfortunately, the Imperial Prince was my senior in this department and held a firm position on being the one who is rude. It was difficult to get rid of a personality that you have had forever. I tried to only take care of the people in my immediate area, but by the time I snapped back to by senses, the situation had already grown out of control. ¡°Do I seem close to the two of them?¡± ¡°You have gotten very close to them, your highness.¡± ¡°Yes sir! Very much!¡± Benjamin and Ganael both responded, despite me not exining who ¡®the two of them¡¯ was referring to. I could not figure out a fitting response. I knew very well that it would getplicated if I became friends with the people here, especially the main characters. I didn¡¯t want either side to get hurt when I eventually need to go home. However, I am an extremely normal person, so this seemed unpreventable. I was a regr human without a skill for mental fortitude or emotion depletion. ¡°This is difficult.¡± I quietly mumbled. I needed to go back home to Eunseo and my brother, but I could no longer think of any methods. But I could not give up. I ate everything on my spoon and turned to a new page in the notebook. I had promised the two of them that I would be with them until the Annual Prayer Meeting. In that case, I needed to prepare at least a little bit for what would happen after that. ¡°Benjamin. Could I get what I requested please.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. Here it is.¡± Benjamin pulled a piece of paper out of his inner pocket. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Please call for me at any time should you need more details on anything, your highness.¡± I nodded my head and put the paper he handed me in between the pages of my notebook. It was a simple outline of a weekly schedule for the second half of the year. Of course, a diplomatic hostage like me did not have a set schedule. However, knowing about the public ns of the Imperial family or the annual events of the Empire in advance should help me in some way. Who knows? Reading about these things might make me remember something from QNW that Eunseo told me. ¡°Then shall we slowly head down?¡± I spoke as brightly as I could. Now that I have finished lunch and organized my notebook, it was time to go use my healing powers on Sir Geens. I could probably rest a bit aftering back and memorize a new healing cir- ¨C Tap, tap, taaaap I thought that it suddenly started to rain. It was something tapping on the open balcony door. We quickly turned our heads. ¡°Percy, what are you doing over there?¡± The little chimney bird was pping his wings and harassing the window with his beak. I put my notebook in my pocket and rushed over to the balcony. ¡®I thought he would be out in the field with the red pandas.¡¯ ¨C Tap, tap tap. ¡°No, the window is going to go owie. You¡¯ll also get hurt if it breaks. Come here.¡± ¡®I petted him a lot this morning. Why is he suddenly acting like this?¡¯ I reached one hand toward him. Percy tilted his head before jumping onto my index finger and then flying down to the ground. He seemed quite capricious¡­¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± I blinked my eyes. I could see the convoy of the Imperial family¡¯s carriage right outside the building. And¡­ ¡°Why is he there?¡± An exaggeratedly handsome man with ck hair was looking up at the balcony. His orange eyes were even more radiant than usual thanks to the sunlight of early summer. Percy, who was now seated on top of his head, was chirping as if he had no idea about what was going on. ¡®Did the Imperial Prince tell him to call me out?¡¯ The Imperial Prince¡¯s mouth moved as I stood there wondering if he wanted us to return to the pce immediately. ¡®Shopping.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­What?¡¯ * The four of us were the only patrons at the extremely vast Legault Central Commerce Center. It was because the Imperial Prince had rented out the whole ce for the afternoon. ording to his attendant, David, the Imperial Prince had used his money to do so, making my jaws drop to the floor. Christelle quietly gasped in admiration and mumbled something about how this was an action that matched his name. I didn¡¯t expect to meet a personal shopper here, since it was something I had not seen even back in Korea. ¡®Is this the VVIP shopping that I have only heard about?¡¯ ¡°Please give me everything from here to over there!¡± ¡°Good job, Eva. You know ten things after I teach you just one.¡± Christelle warmly caressed Eva¡¯s curly hair. Eva seemed to like thepliment quite a bit as she ordered the staff at the Commerce Center with her hands on her hips. The employees could not even rest as the noble youngdy continued to order them around. Eva, who couldn¡¯t suppress that two percent of viiness nature inside of her, would say things like, ¡®Why are your hands so slow? Did you eat escargot today?¡¯ or ¡®You can just tie it with silk if you have no string.¡¯ Of course, she was saying them without any malice. Apologizing and covering up for her was my responsibility. ¡°This is for you, your highness. It¡¯s because you are white and blonde.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you very much. I¡¯ll use it and wear it well.¡± Eva, who finished paying at the fifth shop, handed me arge paper bag. One of the employees following us will end up carrying it, but I needed to personally check what it was. The youngdy then handed the Imperial Prince arge bag as well. She seemed to find this extremely difficult. ¡°And this¡­¡­ This is just a small token of my sincerity, your Royal Highness. I picked this because you dazzle brightly like Betelgeuse in the night sky and have eyes like ake with a sun setting over it.¡± ¡®Isn¡¯t the difference in description too much?¡¯ I had that thought for a moment but still happily opened the gift from Eva. There was a golden banquet outfit with sparkling diamonds and multiple white satin shirts. There were a handful of essories as well. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be able to show it to the head of the boutique even if I took it to the Imperial Pce. ¡°Then shall we take a look over there at shoes and boots now?¡± ¡°Yes, that sounds great!¡± Eva responded energetically to Christelle¡¯s suggestion. The child said that she had never been shopping in her entire life. It was her brother, the young Duke, who mostly used money in the House of nquer, and the things that Eva needed were always bought in advance by the ducal couple. She was rumored to be the little viiness out east and had yet to make her Beau Monde debut, so she didn¡¯t even have friends to exchange gifts. The two youngdies departed toward the shoe store. I spoke to the Imperial Prince, who was seated next to me on the long couch. ¡°Thank you very much for not mentioning the Imperial safe to Eva, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He slightly frowned as he looked at me. ¡®He¡¯s always like this despite knowing what I mean.¡¯ ¡°Normally I am not allowed to receive gifts like this.¡± It was obvious. All of the gifts and letters that nobles had sent me until now all went to the Imperial safe. I could at least pretend to receive these gifts from Eva today because the Imperial Prince didn¡¯t openly mention it to her. I wondered if he was being considerate of the child¡¯s feelings. ¡°¡­¡­Pack it yourself.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°There is not enough room in the safe.¡± He looked away while saying that. I looked at the Imperial Prince in shock before looking at David, who was standing behind him. The middle-aged man was biting his lips as he shook his head. ¡®Wow, the safe really must be full. I guess it helps that the Imperial family is so wealthy.¡¯ ¡°I understand, your Royal Highness.¡± I answered. I didn¡¯t have much materialistic greed, but it was nice to be able to keep a gift. I thought that this was the right mood and asked the Imperial Prince another question. ¡°Your Royal Highness, did you get up like that yesterday in order to prepare for today¡¯s shopping?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®That totally was it.¡¯ I chuckled and observed the Imperial Prince¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t show it on the outside and made it seem as if he didn¡¯t like Christelle, but I was pretty certain that he was actually pretty close to her now. That was why he rented out the entire Commerce Center to help her shop and even let us use the imperial family¡¯s carriage. I even heard that he invited her to Romero Pce. I was feeling a bit proud of this guy who was progressing their rtionship little by little like a proper Romfan male lead. It was worth all of the effort I¡¯ve put in until now to push the two of them today. ¡°If I may make a suggestion, youck presentation skills, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are doing so well, but¡­¡­ The way you express it in words is a bit¡­ disappointing?¡± This must have been one of the reasons Eunseo cussed this bastard out every other day. It was also the reason I felt so frustrated about the cast of . ¡°¡­¡­¡± It must have been difficult for the Imperial Prince to receive criticism. He red at me as if he would burn me up before getting up and walking away. ¡®I¡¯m only saying it for his benefit. Did I sound too much like an old fart?¡¯ * ¡°Today was so much fun. Thank you very much, your Royal Highness. Prince Jesse. Youngdy Christelle.¡± Eva stood in front of the building and respectfully thanked us. The employees of the Commerce Center and the attendants who came with us from the Count¡¯s Estate were busy loading things into the carriages. It was all items that were purchased today. The Imperial Prince nodded his chin once as Eva got on the carriage first. I ordered a custom me resistant formal attire in Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s name and bought a magic stone sprinkler that could be installed in the greenhouse at the Count¡¯s Estate. The former was something I picked because the young Countess seemed to burn her clothes quite a bit while sparring with the Imperial Prince, and they said that they would make it immediately once shees to get measured. Thetter was for Sir Michel Moutet, who enjoys taking care of the greenhouse. ¡®I hope the father and daughter both like my gifts.¡¯ ¡°Then shall we get on as well?¡± Christelle asked in a pleasant voice. She didn¡¯t seem tired at all despite shopping for over four hours. It happened as I stuck my tongue out and opened the carriage door. ¡°Olddy, you can¡¯t do that here. We have some esteemed guests right now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push me. You know that I can¡¯t see.¡± I heard a weak woman¡¯s voice through the chaos. Christelle, the Imperial Prince, and I all looked at each other. Christelle was the first to move. The Imperial Guards, who were forming a circle around us, took about two steps to the side as she approached. I quickly followed behind her. ¡°Grandma, are you unwell?¡± Christelle asked. The olddy who appeared seemed long past ny. Her small murky grey eyes were looking at the air without focus. It was hard to tell where she might be having difficulties as she was wearing a long and old robe. The Commerce Center employee who was talking to the old woman became shocked after seeing us and bowed. ¡°Please ept my deepest apologies, your Royal Highness. This olddy is a street fortune teller¡­¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± The employee flinched at my question. I¡¯ve seen this clich¨¦ of the main character running into a mysterious fortune teller or a seer in many novels. ¡°That, she would not listen to us despite being paid a day¡¯s wage to take the day off. Please forgive me.¡± Basically, he meant that they tried to remove the ¡®unsightly things¡¯ from the streets before the Imperial Prince and his group showed up. I scowled at his exnation. I gently grabbed the swaying olddy¡¯s arm to support her when she started to speak. ¡°Sir, you are not from here.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I felt my heart drop. Well, it was obvious. Anybody who knows that I am the prince of the Holy Kingdom could say that. However, her words sounded very odd. The olddy didn¡¯t respond to my question and slowly raised her head. Her nk eyes were directed toward the Imperial Prince. ¡°And it looks like our esteemed sir will lose a connection once again. How pitiful¡­¡­¡± ¡ª Chapter 94 Chapter 94 ¨C : Backfire (2) Chapter 94: Backfire (2) ¡®Our esteemed sir will lose a connection once again. How pitiful.¡± ¡®I wonder what she meant by that. Does it mean that the Imperial Prince will break up with Christelle? There¡¯s no way.¡¯ There was a tone of sympathy in the old woman¡¯s voice. I was even more concerned because she did not seem to be exaggerating. I would probably have ignored her if I was someone from this world, thinking that she was a fraud. However, anybody should be able to tell that this was a device set up to foreshadow future development. Regardless of the status of this person, the nuance of the situation seemed that way. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric turned around without much reaction and got on his carriage. I asked the coachman for his understanding as I held the carriage door¡­¡­. *** ¨C Squeeeeee ¡°What is it? Are you nervous? Don¡¯t worry. The other bishops won¡¯t touch you guys.¡± I snapped out of my thoughts and picked up Demy, who was roaming around my feet. Demy, who has been enjoying the ¡®airne rides¡¯ that I have been giving him, really liked me lifting him up high. He opened and closed his mouth as if he was satisfied once I gave him a few rides. I put him down on myp and watched Rhea and Perry ying hide and seek with Percy before falling back into my thoughts. ¡®Are you okay, your Royal Highness? You don¡¯t need to take her words to heart-¡¯ ¡®Do I look like I am?¡¯ The Imperial Prince, who had been looking out the window, turned to look at me. His orange eyes showed no signs of disturbance. He truly looked as if it did not affect him at all. ¡®The Fleur-de-lis had prophesized my death.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®That old woman¡¯s nonsense means nothing.¡¯ ¡°Fleur-de-lis.¡¯ I quietly mumbled. They were the Empress¡¯s personal mage advisory team and the ones who urately predicted the date of the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts and the start of the June heatwave. It was the respected and only responsibility of the Fleur-de-lis to predict both the small andrge issues of the Empire. It was an honorable position that could only be gained by being invited by the Empress and only high-ranking mages who specialized in foresight could be a part of it. Of course, they weren¡¯t 100 percent urate and sometimes the opposite of what they said happens as well, but¡­ ¡°They prophesized his death.¡± I mumbled to myself as I petted Demy. I didn¡¯t know when they made that prophecy, but I thought that it might be rted to the Imperial Prince turning into Sadie every so often. Sir Geens had said that his ether status was close to foundational depletion. ¡°Is something troubling you, my little prince?¡± I heard Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier¡¯s voice. I quickly raised my head. The Cardinal, who hade over from Priest Office 1 which was right next to me, was standing there in a luxurious formal attire. The attendants all withdrew to the next room after she gestured to them. Her mitre was sparkling like a jewel as it received the light of the magic light. Her face looked a bit skinnier, probably because she had been preparing for today¡¯s Annual Prayer Meeting for over a month. I immediately stood up. ¡°It isn¡¯t a big deal, your Eminence. It¡¯s just¡­¡­¡± ¡°Just?¡± The Cardinal¡¯s beige-colored eyes followed me. Teacher Au was so sharp that she was able to know how I was feeling despite being so busy. I debated saying something else but chose to be honest. I didn¡¯t want to lie to her and there was nothing to gain by doing so either. ¡°It was when the four of us went to the Commerce Center, your Eminence.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re talking about when C¨¦dric rented out the Commerce Center with a day¡¯s notice and caused a ruckus throughout the Imperial Capital.¡± ¡®It caused a ruckus?¡¯ I smiled bitterly before continuing to speak. ¡°We met a fortune teller that day. She said something ominous but his Royal Highness did not seem fazed by it at all. He then said that the Fleur-de-lis prophesized his death before.¡± ¡°Did he?¡± She fixed my cor for me. I was not used to wearing formal attire as it had been a while. I didn¡¯t know that I would end up at the Annual Prayer Meeting as well, but at this point, it would be weirder if I didn¡¯t get involved somehow with what the main characters were doing. ¡®At least both of them should find new priest partners after today.¡¯ ¡°It happened when that child was very young. Maybe one years old?¡± The response came without any warning. I quietly looked at her. ¡°His ether depletion has been quite severe since he was born. It was almost natural for such a prophecy like that toe out. Of course, it didn¡¯t change the fact that we were hurt by it.¡± ¡®So it did happen.¡¯ I subconsciously looked down while thinking about it. The Cardinal smiled gently and grabbed my cheeks. ¡°How kind of you. That is why he is trying to rely on you.¡± ¨C Knock knock. The Cardinal¡¯s attendant, Natalie, knocked on the open door at that moment. She silently bowed toward me as well. ¡°Your Eminence, it is time. All preparations have beenpleted.¡± * ¨C Screeeech! ¡°Yes, it is really big.¡± ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii! ¡°Yes. This can¡¯t bepared to the temple at the Imperial Pce at all. If that is a yground at an apartment, this is Lotte World.¡± Demy, who was in my arms, wagged his front paws to share his shock. I made sure to respond to each of his screeches. Rhea and Perry were moving back and forth while Percy must have gone somewhere again as I couldn¡¯t see him. I was sure that this was an amazing sight for him as well. I tilted my head up to look at the high ceiling. The mural that personified the sun, moon, water, fire, wind, and earth looked as if it was alive and moving. I couldn¡¯t help but gasp in admiration. ¡°Rhea, look over there. They even prepared a cushion for the nap you love so much.¡± ¨C Pruu The Central Temple of the Empire was located in the Imperial Capital¡¯s central area and itsrgest street in the Legault district. It was close to the Commerce Center and the Opera Theatre with the . I thought that the temple at the Imperial Pce was prettyrge since it could fit hundreds of people, but now I could tell that that temple only had the minimum necessities. I gasped while looking at the close to 2,000 bishops already filling the dimly lit Central Temple. And this was with them sitting pretty far from each other. They could probably fit twice as many people if they sat shoulder to shoulder. The divine beasts and I entering the temple caused people to start whispering. ¡°Perry,e over here. It¡¯s dangerous over there because of the candle.¡± ¨C Whimper Perry, who was curious about the holy fire lighting up the tform, whimpered before walking back. There was a simple reason that I was invited here despite not being part of Riester. The bishops, who were curious about the divine beasts residing in the Imperial Pce, had sent quite a lot of messages to the Cardinal since about two months ago. The contents could be shortened to three lines. ¡®Please bring the esteemed divine beasts with you, your Eminence. I¡¯m turning sixty this year. I¡¯m going to die if Demy is not there.¡¯ That is how I ended up participating in this as the children¡¯s guardian. ¡°You can sit over there, your highness.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I arrived at the back side of the tform and an attendant wearing a while veil guided me to my seat. Anybody who was not a religious figure had to wear a veil like that when a ritual was taking ce in the temple. I ignored the people staring at me and headed toward my seat. ¡°Wee, your highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Youngdy Sarnez?¡± Someone was there already. I didn¡¯t notice it was her because it was dark in the temple and her face was covered by a long veil. I looked at the man seated next to Christelle but with one seat empty in between them. It was hard to read his face because he was also wearing a white mesh. They must have to cover their faces like the regr believers because they had not officially been anointed as Holy Knights. ¡®They look like newlyweds. It¡¯s nice to see.¡¯ ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± I greeted him. I could feel his firm gaze from behind the mesh. I sat down at the empty seat in between them and both of them let out deep sighs. ¡°We will nowmence the 1048th Annual Prayer Meeting of the Bishops in the Riester Empire.¡± Someone¡¯s voice boomed through the temple. The thousands of candles gently lighting up the temple gave off a solemn and mysterious feel. Cardinal Boutier, who was standing at the center of the tform, started to speak. [I pray to the great Almighty God of the continent.] ¨C Paaaaat! The inside lit up brightly once her Holy Domain was released. I felt as if my eyes would burst out. ¨C Squeeeeee! Kiiiiiiiuuu! No. This was not a Holy Domain. ¡°Holy Land¡­¡­ Holy Ground.¡± My mind was almost nk as I mumbled that. A Holy Domain was the lowest level of ether circle that any proper priest would be able to release. Of course, the deacon level, the lowest level in the hierarchy of the Church of the Almighty God, generally couldn¡¯t release Holy Domains because they were still in training. However, it was necessary to release a Holy Domain in order to be a priest. The Holy Domain became even bigger once someone reached the Bishop level. A priest who received the Almighty God¡¯s blessing to reach the Archbishop level would be able to release the second level of ether circles. That was the Holy Land, which was at apletely different level of refinement than a Holy Domain. A Holy Domain could be at max 30 meters wide while a Holy Land could reach 100 meters. My first goal was to refine a Holy Land as well. ¡°My goodness.¡± And the third circle, the Holy Ground, was something that only a Cardinal level priest could call forth by borrowing the Authority of the Almighty God. The widest area recorded in the Holy Text for a Holy Ground was 500 meters. ¡°Take a look at this, your highness. The designs on the circle are moving.¡± Christelle whispered to me. Her finger that was pointing toward the ground was dyed gold. I nodded my head and observed Cardinal Boutier¡¯s magnificent Holy Ground. The endless golden lines seemed to dance in all directions as they stretched out like the tip of a paintbrush drawing on a paper. Some parts even shot up like dolphins shooting out of the water and scattered light throughout the hall. It was marvelous and entertaining that I couldn¡¯t help butugh. I earned that Holy Land and Holy Ground were not to be revealed except in special situations, and there truly was a reason for that. Even the Cardinal¡¯s Religious Partner, the Empress, probably detected the flow of ether from the Imperial Pce since it required so much ether. ¡°It is disappointing that it is so beautiful but I can¡¯t feel the ether itself.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°The Celestial covenant is a contract to share one¡¯s soul with a single person. It is hard for his Royal Highness or I to sense it if it is not a healing circle.¡± Christelle exined. It seemed to be different for Holy Knights who were sensitive to the flow of ether. [Thanks to the Almighty God¡¯s endless love and overabundance of grace, two Holy Knights have finally appeared in the history of the Riester Empire.] The Cardinal, who was standing in front of us, continued her prayer. I finally peeked toward the rest of the seats. All of the bishops had their eyes closed and their mouths were moving in prayer. ¡°Should we pray as well?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to pray, your highness. That fortune teller granny told me somethingst time.¡± Christelle whispered in a mischievous voice. I leaned my body toward her in reflex. ¡°She said I had such a great facial feature. She also said that my aura was so clear. She said something about how I was so close to the center of the world.¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± I quickly covered my mouth with my sleeve. I had been quite tense thinking about that olddy until moments ago, but I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle after hearing Christelle¡¯sments. It was definitely something I had heard many times before. She smiled as beautifully as the stars underneath the veil. It was as if she was telling me not to worry for no reason. ¡°But she was so funny. It is one thing to be the center of the world, what is just being close to it?¡± I silently shrugged my shoulders. Demy, who was on myp, pushed down on Christelle¡¯s leg. ¡®He must think that she bothered me.¡¯ ¡°Quiet down.¡± The Imperial Princemented. I let out a fake cough and looked toward him and almost burst out inughter again. ¡°Why are all the children with you, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°I want to ask the same thing.¡± Rhea, who had been indifferent to the cushion, had her tail wrapped around the Imperial Prince¡¯s ankle. Perry had taken over a part of his chair and was already sleeping. Percy was on his shoulder pecking at his epaulet. ¡°It looks like the Town Musicians of Bremen.¡± Christelle mumbled. I bit down on my lips not to say anything. * [ Here is the first question, esteemed Chairman!] The person spoke loudly. I woke up in shock and boom! ¡°Ugh! I¡¯m sorry, your Royal Highness.¡± The side of my head hit the Imperial Prince¡¯s shoulder as I nodded off. He seemed to have been hit by my mitre but he didn¡¯t openly grumble. I suddenly sat up, and Christelle¡¯s forehead hit my shoulder since her head was tilted toward me. ¡°Ow.¡± My shoulder de felt as if it would break. It was fitting for the main character¡¯s head that was strong enough to make a demonic beast nk out with a headbutt. ¡°Slurp¡­¡­¡± Christelle wiped her drool with the veil in front of her and sat up straight. Percy had squished himself into her jacket pocket at some point. I petted the red pandas that were curled up together in my arms and asked the Imperial Prince. ¡°Is the prayer finished now?¡± ¡°The sermon and confession of faith is over as well.¡± He answered cynically. ¡®Yes, yes, you worked so hard listening to all of that on your own while we were sleeping.¡¯ ¡°Then now¡­¡± [Your Eminence!] I blinked my eyes. An unfamiliar Archbishop was standing in front of the tform now. He seemed to be Chairman of the Riester Bishops. The Chairman called out loudly to the Cardinal, who stood at the center of the tform and responded without any hesitation. [ I had a meeting with her Majesty, Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, regarding the Imperial Affairs this morning. The n is to have a dinner meeting with the bishops of the Archdiocese of the Imperial Capital after the Annual Prayer Meeting is over.] I had no idea what was going on. Everybody had their Holy Domains open and were delivering Divine Oracles. ¡®Why are they suddenly going through the schedule? Are they asking about the secr Imperial affairs with the Cardinal standing there?¡¯ [Archbishop Tourcoing!] The Chairman called out for someone. The person named Tourcoing jumped up and started speaking. [Your Eminence, what do you think about the unified suggestion from the twenty Archdioceses regarding pulling forward his Royal Highness, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric and youngdy Christelle de Sarnez¡¯s appointment as Holy Knights to next month?] ¡®He¡¯s speaking so militantly¡­¡­ Wait, next month? Today is the 30th.¡¯ ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Jesse always talking about them looking like newlyweds or whatnot but whenever he has a chance, he thinks Christelle¡¯s smile is as beautiful as the stars, eyes as pretty as whatnot etc. He secretly has a big crush on Christelle, doesn¡¯t he? Chapter 95 Chapter 95 ¨C Backfire (3) Chapter 95: Backfire (3) [It is true that C¨¦dric and Christelle were different from normal Holy Knights from the start. In both cases, their natural powers meshed together with the Almighty God¡¯s blessing.] Cardinal Boutier exined. The bishops of the Empire all quietly listened to her words. [ording to Sir Johann Geens, who has been dispatched here from the Vatican, both of them would be at least at the Bishop level even if they were to receive their appointments immediately.] ¡®She knew about that too, as I expected.¡¯ The Central Temple became rowdy after the Cardinal¡¯s exnation. The bishops were lowering their bodies to whisper to one another, nodding or shaking their heads, creating a rather heated atmosphere. I looked to both my sides at the Imperial Prince and then at Christelle. Based on what I could see through their veils, they both looked calm. ¡®They¡¯re so simr in times like this.¡¯ [Your Eminence, the numerous citizens of our Riester Empire are aware of the two of their extraordinary circumstances. The people who watched the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts and the nobles who observed his Royal Highness¡¯s duel all sang their praises. Such holy abilities cannot be covered by the title of novice!] Archbishop Tourcoing, who was standing, shouted so desperately that he was spitting. It reminded me of the British Parliament. [That¡¯s right!] [We second his opinion!] The bishops shouted from all of their seats. ording to Sir Geens, it took a minimum of a year to be appointed as a Holy Knight. Not to mention, that was already him decreasing the time estimation due to the talent of the two main characters; it usually took five to ten years for a single Clergy level Holy Knight to appear. That was because it included their training period as squires. [Crown princess Elise of the Viaan Holy Kingdom became a Clergy level Holy Knight at the young age of sixteen. It is because they epted her exceptional talents. I apologize for saying this in front of Prince Jesse, but do you really think that she went through a year or more of intense training to be appointed? I do not believe so, your Eminence!] One Archbishop jumped up and proimed, making the bishops start to whisper more. Almost two thousand pairs of eyes all turned toward me. I hugged the red pandas so that I wouldn¡¯t get scared. The Imperial Prince and Christelle also showed difort. They were basically saying that the crown princess of another kingdom was appointed at sixteen because of her talents, so why couldn¡¯t our Imperial Prince and our noble youngdy do the same. It was hard to call their actions unreasonable since there was a precedent. Their reaction was understandable considering that this was an issue of the Empire¡¯s pride. ¡®They might even be more sensitive about it because these two are the first in the Empire.¡¯ ¡°Why are they picking on someone who is just quietly sitting here?¡± Christelle mumbled in a low voice. I quietly chuckled and told her that I was okay. [I thoroughly read through the request from the twenty Archdioceses. The argument was a valid one.] The Cardinal responded. Her voice was as calm as usual. It was as if she had expected the meeting to go like this. [Are there any opposing opinions?] The room becamepletely silent. The bishops were all looking up at her with intense gazes. It was hard to imagine that anybody here would oppose it. The Cardinal started to speak again. [Then what about sending the two of them to the Vatican?] The silent room became rowdy almost instantly. It sounded like something had exploded. The appointment of Holy Knights was one of the Pope¡¯s sacred duties, so people who wanted to officially be Holy Knights had to go to the Vatican to receive their titles. However, the holy position had been empty since the death of Pope Elene, so the Holy Knights who came after her death were all appointed by Cardinals. ¡®Mm, it definitely helps to have read the history.¡¯ [We are also against that, your Eminence. Crown princess Elise had received her appointment with the blessing of the Cardinals in the safety of the Holy Kingdom¡¯s pce. There is no reason for his esteemed Royal Highness and youngdy Sarnez to travel such a long distance!] [That¡¯s such a great way to put it!] It was a pretty young bishop who shared his opinion this time. A couple bishops nodded their heads and pped. ¡®It seems more like a general assembly than an Annual Prayer Meeting at this point.¡¯ [I see. Any other opinions on this matter?] Silence descended upon the room again as if someone had poured water over everyone. It was sort of funny how it would repeatedly get rowdy and then silent whenever the Cardinal said something. I smiled and turned my gaze when I caught a figure gently waving from the front of the pews. ¡°¡­¡­Eva?¡± My eyes opened wide. The young girl, who was wearing arge mitre and seemed to be buried in the heavy formal attire, was smiling in our direction. I had forgotten that Eva was a recently ordained bishop. Most of the bishops seemed to be at least in their forties, so it was pitiful, yet praiseworthy, to see a sixteen year old child sitting among them. Christelle and I waved back. ¡®She said that the letter to her parents was properly delivered. I hope it goes well.¡¯ [Archbishop Castex!] The chairman called out in a loud voice. ¡®They must have moved on to the second question.¡¯ ¡°I guess that the earlier issue was resolved well, your Royal Highness?¡± I whispered to the Imperial Prince. He answered back in a low voice. ¡°They said that they will request that the Vatican send some Cardinals over.¡± ¡®It ended up like that as I expected.¡¯ I nodded my head. These days, Holy Knights were tested by three Cardinals. They are appointed if at least two of the Cardinals approve. Cardinal Boutier has been the only Cardinal in the Empire until now, so it was amazing that three of them would being over. There truly seemed to be nothing that could hinder the narrative of our main characters. [Your Eminence, what is your perspective on the matter of his Royal Highness and youngdy Sarnez not yet having confirmed priest partners?] ¡®The most important question is finally here.¡¯ Some attendants brought over some drinks and snacks for us at that time. They must have thought that the meeting was getting too long. ¡°What¡¯s in there, your highness? I can¡¯t really see it.¡± ¡°The drinks are coffee for the two of you and Rooibos for me. As for snacks¡­¡­¡± It was a bit hard to exin in words so I asked for Christelle¡¯s understanding and lifted her veil to show her the coussin de Lyon and the croustade. Christelle must have been hungry, as she picked up the warm goose croustade. I then pulled up the Imperial Prince¡¯s veil and was having him pick something to eat when¡­ [Prince Jesse is a person of Viaan. Although he is capable of supporting them, we find it difficult for him to act as a permanent partner.] ¡°Bullshit.¡± One bishop made thatment about me, and¡­ Christelle swore back while taking a big bite of bread. I was smiling bitterly when I made eye contact with the Imperial Prince. His orange eyes were as dark as sunspots. ¡®Wait, this bastard has a dangerous gaze going on right now.¡¯ ¡°Please eat this candy, eat the candy, your Royal Highness.¡± Imented almost as if to console him. The Imperial Prince picked up two or three coussin de Lyon and threw them in his mouth as if he was nning on eating them anyway. The way he crunched on them sounded vicious. I pulled his veil back down and added on. ¡°You¡¯re going to ruin your teeth like that, your Royal Highness. Please be careful.¡± ¡®It¡¯ll be sad if the male lead of a Romfan needed imnts.¡¯ [The rtionship between a Holy Knight and a priest is very special. That is the case even if they don¡¯t make a celestial covenant. Everybody in the Empire is aware of the fact that Prince Jesse has built a special friendship with the two of them during his time here, but having them rely on the prince for ether might lead to an issue of national security¡­¡­] ¡°He is trying so hard to present the case that he wants to be the priest.¡± I could hear Christelle sighing under her veil. I picked up the Iced Americano and whispered to her. ¡°But that is true. It will make thingsplicated politically if you pair with a diplomatic hostage.¡± Of course, not all of the bishops here were saying this because of their patriotism. Most probably wanted to get involved with the Imperial Prince or Christelle for personal gain. The Riester Bishop Meeting was arge and powerful organization. ¡°Then what do you think about it, your highness?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Putting aside those other issues, just focus on how you feel about it, your highness. Is it ufortable being with us?¡± Christelle looked at me right in the eyes and asked. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The temple did not feel dark at all at that moment. The rowdy room seemed to instantly disappear. Her blue-gray eyes were giving off a clear light. I turned my head to the other side, looking into them like that made me feel as if I would suffocate. A quietly burning gaze grabbed me by the cor. ¡°Hmm.¡± I cleared my throat. I felt like I should respond, however, I did not want to lie to the two of them. I also had no talent for quickly changing topics. I remembered how Eunseo would read QNW and say, ¡®Dude, express yourself! How would anybody know if you keep your mouth shut?!¡¯ She even smacked her phone a few times while saying that. That had been directed at both the Imperial Prince and Prince Jesse in the original story. It was also the case in Benjamin¡¯s , where the characters only vaguely expressed their true feelings andplicated things even more. I did not want to create such a development with my words. ¡°I think that both of you are good people. I think that you would both be decent as partners as well. However, to be honest with you, I am scared that it will bring me harm. You might think that I am a coward, but I cannot do anything about it because I have always been like this. I have even had an assassination attempt on my life.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± As the second male lead with a time limit to figure out what I was going to say, this was the best answer that I could give right now. I felt a bit awkward because they didn¡¯t say anything back. ¡®I thought this would be a polite way to reject them.¡¯ Percy climbed onto my palm and I petted his chest. [I don¡¯t think that this is something that I can answer. Wouldn¡¯t the opinions of the people involved be the most important?] The Cardinal¡¯s easygoing voice echoed over the tform. Christelle immediately jumped up from her seat. Her voice was unexpectedly bright as she looked toward the Imperial Prince and spoke. ¡°I will go, your Royal Highness.¡± The Imperial Prince bastard flicked his chin. ¡®You gave the okay so quickly, do you even know what she is going to do?¡¯ ¨C Click, click. I could hear her moving very energetically. Christelle, who walked up behind the Cardinal, bowed respectfully before whispering something in her ear. The Cardinal smiled and took a step to the side. Our MC tightly gripped the altar, which was decorated with purple tulips, as if she had been waiting for this. She then immediately took off the veil that had been getting in her way. [My goodness!] [What in the world?] A portion of the bishops sat up straight and gasped. I flinched as well. ¡®What a great way to suppress thepetition.¡¯ ¡°Thank you to all of the esteemed bishops for your heartfelt advice and concern but as her Eminence mentioned, choosing our partner is our decision to make. To be honest with you, we have already made up our minds. So there is no need to have such a pointless argument.¡± ¡®Wait a minute¡­¡­ What is she talking about?¡¯ I blinked in confusion. The clear voice echoed through the room even without a microphone. The bishops whispered to each other with shocked faces. Christelle¡¯s momentum did not stop and she continued to charge forward. ¡°His Royal Highness and I will not partner with any of the bishops here but with that esteemed individual.¡± [Excuse me, youngdy Sarnez. It sounds like you are talking about a single person¡­¡­ Is that right?] The Chairman, who had been silently observing the situation, looked toward Christelle and asked. He looked as if he heard something wrong. I felt the same way. ¡®There is no way that she let that euphemistic rejection go in one ear and out the other while only remembering the good things I said, right?¡¯ ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Cough, cough!¡± I gasped and then coughed. I immediately covered my mouth with my sleeve. ¡®Hey, Eunseo! I did as you said but the result is still the same frustrating development. What the heck?!¡¯ [But something like that has never happened in the history of the Empire!] ¡°Isn¡¯t all of this a first in the history of the Empire? Holy Knights appearing, them being appointed, and them choosing partners, all of this. That is why you all decided on it today. You decided to push forth our appointment to next month and you also opposed sending us to the Vatican. I thought that all of our esteemed bishops decided to start a backfire and follow the Holy Kingdom¡¯s example in the event that a precedent exists.¡± [¡­¡­] She was so persuasive. ¡®Even I might take her side if I keep hearing this.¡¯ ¡°There is precedent of three people bing partners. The records state that Julite, his Majesty, thete Emperor Romero¡¯s lover, was partnered with two Holy Knights.¡± The red pandas and I dropped our jaws in shock. ¡®When did she investigate that? Was I the only one who didn¡¯t know?¡¯ I urgently turned to look at the Imperial Prince but he showed no emotions at all. ¡®I really was the only one who didn¡¯t know!¡¯ ¡°I do not have apetitive spirit toward the Holy Kingdom, but I have no choice but to use them as an example as our esteemed bishops have brought them up with every issue. I will not take any refutes.¡± The bishops were rowdy but nobody said anything to her. Although they were not happy about it, they could not say anything since Christelle said that she would not hear any rebuttal, despite mentioning Julite, or Juliette as they called her. I gasped because that was so funny to me. ¡°Thank you very much. Have a safe trip home, everyone.¡± She used an extremely Koreanment to finish her speech before respectfully bowing toward the Cardinal and returning to her seat. She didn¡¯t even forget to pick up the veil that she threw and put it back over her face. Her showmanship was thorough and she was following the rules. ¡°I leave the political thing for you to take care of, your Royal Highness.¡± Christelle stood in front of the Imperial Prince, made thatment, and held up a fist. The Imperial Prince stared at her hand for a long time before finishing the fist bump. ¡°What the¡­?¡± My thoughts subconsciously came out of my mouth. ¡®What did they do just now? What are the two of them nning?¡¯ ¡°There is no need for you to pay any attention to it. Starting from now, you are¡­¡± The Imperial Prince looked at me with his eyes that resembled sparks in the darkness. The way he told me to not pay any attention sounded very odd. ¡®Is he trying to suppress me by keeping me out of the loop?¡¯ ¡°To seriously consider naturalization.¡± ¡®¡­¡­Sorry, I was thinking about something else. What did you just say?¡¯ Chapter 96 Chapter 96 ¨C The Royal Family¡¯S Counterattack (1) Chapter 96: The Royal Family¡¯s Counterattack (1) ¡®So basically they are touting the fact that they are the main characters. I¡¯m just a supporting character who is informed after they make the decisions on their own.¡¯ My anger had not subsided by the next day. I couldn¡¯t even manage to fall asleep untiltest night. ¡°Are you okay, your highness?¡± ¡°Excuse me? Yes. I am okay.¡± I raised my head after hearing Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s voice. She was seated across from me with a concerned look on her face. To be more specific, she seemed shocked because my notebook had turned ck from the ink of my quill pen. Iughed it off and turned the page. The pic area that had been prepared in the corner of the Imperial Pce¡¯s outdoor training ground a while ago was upied by me and some guests. The training ground was rowdy despite Sir Geens¡¯ lesson being already finished. ¨C Ruuuuuuuumble! ¡°Demy, wait! Are you twisting your big sis¡¯ leg right now? Ahh!¡± ¨C Screeeech! This was because our main characters, Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, have been serving as ¡®ysitters¡¯ for the red pandas for the past two hours. Vines the size of telephone poles wereing out of the ground and wrapping around the two of them. Christelle was weak against the earth attribute because she had the water attribute and the Imperial Prince was helpless against Rhea and Perry¡¯s attacks of love. ¡®You two need to reflect on your actions.¡¯ ¡°Are you very angry, your highness?¡± ¡°I am not angry. It¡¯s just¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t finish my sentence at the young Countess¡¯s question. If she was asking wether or not I was ced in an awkward position because of the two of them, that was not the case. The clever and wise Christelle did not say my name even once at yesterday¡¯s Annual Prayer Meeting. ¡®His Royal Highness and I will not partner with any of the bishops here but with that esteemed individual.¡¯ That was right. She only said esteemed individual. She never specified that it was me. She simply proimed that the two of them had decided on a priest partner and that they would not let anybody meddle in their decision from now on. Thanks to that, the bishops were in chaos but could no longer argue about me anymore. I thought that it was a bit much if they were just covering their eyes and pretending not to know it was me. However, what I heard from the Cardinal this morning was different. ¡®Christelle¡¯s backfire was quite effective. Even the bishops who attended the dinner meeting couldn¡¯t figure it out.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­They couldn¡¯t figure it out?¡¯ ¡®Yes, Christelle didn¡¯t tell them the name of their partner or their title. There are talks that it must be you, but many believe that it could be a nameless priest.¡¯ My jaws dropped on their own. I didn¡¯t know that opinions would be split like that. I imagined that they were all being quiet despite knowing it was me. ¡®Holy Knights are naturally inclined to protect their priest, so they are suspecting that she is using anonymity to protect a partner of lower position. It was entertaining.¡¯ ¡®Protect, yes. The two of them phrased it like that to protect me.¡¯ Their intentions were to make it so that other people would not talk about me and then take care of things legally afterward. The thing that made me angry at myself was the fact that I could understand their logic despite being mad at them. It would be one thing if I couldn¡¯t understand them at all, but it was hard to scold them when I could oddly understand their reasoning. I was ring at the map that David handed me. A portion of the Empire¡¯s vast territory was highlighted in red. ¡°His Royal Highness told me to consider naturalization. He told me to choose one of these ces.¡± ¡°Pffft, my goodness.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who had been drinking kiwi juice, covered her mouth with a napkin after hearing myment. Her face showed both astonishment and conviction after looking at the map. ¡®See, I knew it would be like this.¡¯ ¡°Certainly¡­¡­ It is the best way to protect you, your highness.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± ¡°If you give up your identity as a person of the Viaan Holy Kingdom and be a Riester noble, not only would his Royal Highness and her Eminence protect you, her Majesty would actively protect you as well.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabethmented. I nodded my head. It was not a bad decision if I only considered my survival. No, there may be no better decision in that case. I could be in one piece and live peacefully even during the war if I chose a rural territory far from the border. However, there were a lot of things for me to consider. I took a sip of cool chamomile tea and returned to the front of the notebook. ? Avoid vs Get involved ¨C Pros of getting involved: Easy to gather information. ¨C Pros of avoiding them: Can live until the war. Those are the notes I took when we went to the Summer Pce. The second line was the important one. I had thought that the war would start as expected if I avoided the two MCs and didn¡¯t interfere with the original storyline very much. However, I had all sorts of thoughts now that the situation was like this. Was the war going to start because of me? It was toote for me to back out now, but what if the war started because of my naturalization? ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s eva.¡± (TL: This is ng in Korean for too much.) ¡°Excuse me? Are you talking about youngdy Eva?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± I waved my hand and smiled. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth smiled back before turning around to watch Christelle and the Imperial Prince¡¯s struggle. I could hear Demy¡¯s excited cry over sound of two people who seemed as if they were close to dying. ¨C Squeeeeee ¡°Big sis is so tired, Demy¡­¡­ Can we take a five minute break?¡± ¨C Whimper, kiiiiiii! ¡°Aww fine, herees a sprinkler!¡± ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaa! ¡®The war is happening because of me?¡¯ This was extremely self-centered and at odds with the things I had heard from Eunseo. Based on what I knew, the Imperial Prince and Prince Jesse were the typical rivals. ¡®It¡¯s nice if handsome dudes get along, but it is just as nice to see them fighting. That is why I have noints.¡¯ My little sister¡¯s voice echoed in my mind. I didn¡¯t know what she meant by it being just as nice to see them fighting, but it was probably simr to how I felt so proud while watching Christelle and the Imperial Prince. Either way, the two men of QNW were now close enough to offer or consider naturalization. That was why it was extremely unlikely that the war originally started for this reason. ¡®There must have been some political reasons.¡¯ ? Naturalization ¨C Is that the cause of the war? : doesn¡¯t seem that way, at least not in the original ¨C Then is it okay to be naturalized? ¡®This¡­¡­¡¯ I tapped the paper with my quill pen. I could not even lie to say that Prince Jesse¡¯s family was harmonious. It was a family where the crazy Prince Consort was even willing to send assassins to another country to kill his adopted son. Crown princess Elise seemed like a decent person since she hired a guard for her little brother and secretly sent a letter. However, the entire Holy Kingdom was dangerous territory for me as long as the Prince Consort was around. I was already safe residing in the Imperial Pce right now, but I would have apletely different sense of security if I became naturalized. The Prince would be at peace here even when I go back home in the future. ¡°Mm.¡± ¡®But changing nationality seems to be too big of a change.¡¯ I was concerned that the prince would not be able to see his older sister ever again. ¡®And his younger sister too¡­¡­ I wonder if they had a good rtionship.¡¯ This was difficult. There had been many difficulties since I transmigrated here, bothrge and small, but this was really difficult. ¡°Demy, Rhea, Perry.¡± I called for the children. The red pandas, who had been ying with the two MCs as if they were dolls, trotted over to me without releasing the vines. They dragged the now pale Christelle and the Imperial Prince, whose hair was disheveled, over with them as well. ¡°Was it fun ying like that for the first time in a long while? Are you happy?¡± ¨C Cruuuuuuuuu! I used a wet napkin to wipe their feet. The divine beasts were very smart and knew that my body could not handle their strength. That was why they only grew flowers or used thin vines with me. It should have been quite a while since they could openly release their powers and y like this. I looked toward Christelle who was breathing heavily. She flinched. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your highness. Please forgive me.¡± ¡®Look how automatic this reaction is.¡¯ ¡°Do you know what you did wrong?¡± ¡°I was so happy when you said you liked us and considered us qualified enough to be your partners that we reported it as us already having a partner without even discussing it with you first. Plus, something like this had happened in the past too. It was when we caused the fire at the Le Siffre inn. You were hurt when you found out about itter because his Royal Highness and I nned without including you. I¡¯m sorry that I made you feel as if your thoughts were not respected again.¡± ¡®Wow¡­¡­¡¯ I was stunned by the clear apology. Even I didn¡¯t know why I was so angry, Christelle pointing it out like that made my mind feel as clear as the purest water. Our conversation flowed without any difficulty in situations like this. I wiped my face and held back a scoff. ¡°Someone who is so aware of themselves acted like that?¡± I was a bit annoyed as well. ¡°I won¡¯t do it ever again. I mean it.¡± Christelle urgently added on. She then gently kicked Rhea¡¯s vine that was wrapped around the Imperial Prince. She was telling him to quickly apologize as well. The Imperial Prince bastard scowled. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯mcking ether.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Christelle looked up at the sky in anger. I bit down on my lips. It was so funny that I thought I would burst outughing. That was why I quickly lowered my body and hugged each of the red pandas. I also didn¡¯t forget to thank Percy for the random branch he brought over. ¡®I¡¯m sure he¡¯scking ether. They had to deal with the three energetic divine beasts for two hours.¡¯ ¡°There will be no ether today. The partnership is temporary as well.¡± ¡°Excuse me? But¡­¡± ¡°I never confirmed that I would be your partner. I¡¯m sure that you will follow my decision if you respect me.¡± Christelle closed her mouth after hearing my stern voice. The Imperial Prince¡¯s orange eyes scowled with discontent. ¡°I will also think more about the naturalization issue and let you know, your Royal Highness. It is not something I can decide on right away.¡± ¡°Why-¡± ¨C Thud! Christelle kicked the vine around the Imperial Prince again as he tried to talk back. I bit my tongue to hold back from making a noise. I could see Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who was plopped over on the table crying. ¡°Demy, go y with your friends again. The two of you have fun.¡± ¡°Am I in Pororo or something¡­¡­¡± Christelle nkly mumbled. The red pandas ran over to the center of the training ground as soon as I said that. The two MCs were dragged and disappeared from in front of me as the vines moved. ¡°¡­¡­They probably need a notary to get married here too.¡± ¡®Should I get a marriage certificate printed and cover the text to trick the two of them into signing it so that they are married?¡¯ I quietly chuckled while thinking about a revenge that would never happen. ¡°Ahem, ahem. Thank you very much for the housewarming gift, your highness.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who barely managed to contain herughter, changed topic. ¡°I¡¯m d that you liked it.¡± ¡°The uniform I am wearing right now is the one you purchased for me, your highness. I received it yesterday and am showing it off today.¡± She extended her arms saying that she tested it in her kitchen and it really did not catch on fire. It had already been nine days since I ordered the special fire resistant outfit for her at the Commerce Center. I became excited seeing her so happy about how I gave her two sets so she could wear them interchangeably. The young Countess continued to speak. ¡°My father was shocked to see how the magic stone sprinkler moved. He is not aware of new inventions like that because he is getting up there in age. I almost fainted after seeing that it was made by Mister Fran?ois.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know either, your highness?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s grey eyes blinked a few times before she smiled. ¡°I¡¯m talking about Marquis Duhem. He is very interested in portal research and inventions because his specialty is teleportation. I heard that he has recently been creating these daily necessities as well. He definitely doesn¡¯t miss out on any way to make money, that¡¯s for sure.¡± She continued to exin. The magic stone sprinkler that the Marquis invented was like a small portal as well. Putting one part of it in the water tank and installing the other part in the greenhouse would move water from the tank to the greenhouse whenever the magic formation was activated. They had exined it briefly to me at the Commerce Center but I had never expected it to be the Marquis¡¯ creation. ¡®Is he a genius?¡¯ ¡°The Marquis really¡­¡­ Is active in many areas.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even get me started, your highness. He suddenly appears in the east and then in the west. I met him at the Imperial Capital a few days ago and he is apparently creating some kind of crystal board.¡± ¡°A crystal board?¡± ¡°Yes sir. Apparently it is a set with an orb that¡¯s created by cutting down a magic stone¡­¡­ Anyway, he says that he is going to make people¡¯s faces appear on arge crystal board. I have no idea where such a thing could be used though.¡± My eyes opened wide. I gulped. ¡®This must be that thing that Eunseo talked about¡­¡­ Kiss time. No, kiss cam. Is this it?¡¯ * An uninvited guest burst into my bedroom that night. I urgently hid the notebook with my ¡®details of the operation¡¯ into my pajamas. ¡°How long are you going to be sulking?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I then red at the child who walked in through the balcony without any hesitation. ¡®Do you think that I would sumb because you came to me looking like this?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯mcking ether.¡± The little kid, Sadie, looked right at me as he said that. It was the same as what he said earlier today. His entire forehead was covered in sweat. His cheeks and neck were so pale that they had no color. When I did not respond, the kid lowered his head as if he was angry. His little body staggered. ¡°You.¡± I quickly sat down and grabbed him. ¡®Ow! Seriously? This¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°You damn fire fox.¡± I grumbled. He was acting like a fox, but he uses fire, so he was a fire fox. I grabbed the child¡¯s arm and slowly started to release ether. I was sighing becauseI had no other choice since the punk¡¯s breathing was unstable. It sounded almost as if he was chuckling. Chapter 97 Chapter 97 ¨C The Royal Family¡¯S Counterattack (2 Chapter 97 The Royal Family¡¯s Counterattack (2) The breathing noises of the sleeping divine beasts spread throughout the room. The ether also gently started to seep into the little boy¡¯s body. ¡°I was shocked because the Count¡¯s Estate was muchrger than I had expected. It was a bit disappointing that we had to urgently return to the pce. I feel like I didn¡¯t get to say goodbye to Sir Michel properly.¡± Prince Jesse rattled on. ¡®Sadie¡¯ let him say whatever he wanted to say from the other side of the table. His voice wasn¡¯t annoying to listen to and he would be the one left wanting if he left right now. It was true that he had beencking ether all day. However, the Imperial Prince simply chose to take this appearance for a smooth collection of ether. ¡°But I was told that he liked my housewarming gift. That was a relief.¡± And the effects were better than he had expected. The royal priest was looking down at his golden Holy Domain and smiling gently. He was someone who could not raise his voice or get angry at a child. Furthermore, this prince was aware of his true identity. ¡®Sadie¡¯ didn¡¯t know how long he nned on continuing this facade of not knowing that wasn¡¯t even funny. Even him calling the gifts a housewarming gift was unbelievable. He could just bestow some imperial gifts if he wanted to take credit. Why does the member of a royal family think like amoner on the streets? ¡°Eva is being well-cared for thanks to Sir Michel. Sir Geens ispletely healed as well.¡± Sadie frowned and gave a warning after hearing that. ¡°Keep some distance from Sir Johann Geens.¡± The prince looked a bit shocked and blinked. ¡°Why? Did something happen?¡± ¡°¡­¡­He is someone who is difficult to trust.¡± Sadie stopped after saying that. He was certain about what he had seen in the theatre that day. However, he had no proof and the situation was not very good to interrogate a Holy Knight with just that. The instructor was a patient who was injured while trying to protect the prince and had both the prince and youngdy Sarnez looking at him in a good light. Furthermore, that man had already passed his godmother¡¯s internal investigation when he entered the pce. There was nothing he could pick at. That was the reason he had requested information from Margrave Moutet through ¨¦lisabeth. She might have gathered new intelligence as she had frequent contact with the Holy Kingdom while protecting both thend and sea borders. ¡°I was suspicious of Sir Geens at first as well.¡± The prince broke the silence. This was unexpected. ¡°But he seems like a decent persontely. He takes good care of Sand and youngdy Sarnez and is nice to the divine beasts and the attendants.¡± ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ He really didn¡¯t like this. ¡®Can¡¯t he suspect that the man is putting on a mask?¡¯ ¡°Not everybody is like you.¡± Sadie retorted back. He believed it would be difficult to have that kind of suspicion with this prince¡¯s personality. The prince saw Sir Geens as someone who had saved his life. Although nobody knew how the prince had interpreted the little boy¡¯sment, he chuckled as he responded. ¡°He even touched my teacup once. He said he was checking to see if there was any poison.¡± ¡°What?¡± The little boy¡¯s eyes lit up with anger. ¡°I¡¯ll send the Imperial doctor soon.¡± The purple eyes opened wide after hearing that. ¡°That was already a month ago. I would have died already if he put poison in it.¡± ¡°Get the check up.¡± The child spoke almost as if he was giving an order. The prince nodded his head as if he couldn¡¯t ovee the child¡¯s stubbornness. The child found it annoying that this prince chose to trust rather than suspect others and always treated them well. ¡°Should I give you some warm milk?¡± The prince asked as he got up. It was this kind of action that was the problem. ¡®Is he going to treat Sir Geens the same way if he came to see him despite whatever he may be plotting?¡¯ He said something mean because of the frustration. ¡°You are acting like a wet nurse.¡± ¡°Did you have a wet nurse?¡± However, the prince didn¡¯t seem to receive any kind of damage at all from thatment. In fact, he looked as if he was holding back hisughter. ¡°I guess it would be weird if you didn¡¯t?¡± The little boy heard him mumble. The prince picked up a kettle that was remaining warm by a candle, poured milk into an empty cup and stirred some honey into it. ¡®Warm milk at night time¡­¡¯ He had not had something like this since he was nine years old. ¡®Wait a minute.¡¯ ¡°Does that mean that you did not have a wet nurse?¡± The child squinted as he asked. The prince looked as if he said something he should not have said. He smiled bitterly and returned to the table with the cup. Sadie clicked his tongue internally. He had heard the rumors about how the prince had received Prince Consort Werner¡¯s hatred since he was born and that he had not been treated properly in the Holy Kingdom. But to have grown up even without a wet nurse¡­ ¡°That, mm¡­ You know, the Fleur-de-lis?¡± The prince sat down and changed topics. The new topic must not have been an easy one as well as his eyes were gently shaking. Sadie let out a deep sigh through his nose. It was because he was reminded of how the prince had been frequently checking his expressions since they heard some old hag¡¯s nonsense in front of the Commerce Center. The prince looked as if he was trying his best not to be noticed while doing it, but he was terrible at hiding emotions of gratitude or concern. It had been that way since the little kid first met the prince. ¡°Would you be satisfied if I banished all fortune tellers from the Imperial Capital?¡± ¡°No, why are you trying to make people unemployed?¡± He urgently shook his head. ¡°I was just curious. I can¡¯t see the rted records but I heard that the mages¡¯ prophecies are sometimes reversed.¡± ¡°They frequently change their words or cancel their prophecies if they call for a specific death and the person does not die.¡± He was asking vaguely about the Fleur-de-lis, the mage advisory team of the Empire, but it was clear what the prince was curious about. The prince couldn¡¯t just look past the fact that they had prophesized his death. His white face seemed to be in pain after hearing the answer. He was like this despite not being his own issue. ¡°How irresponsible. What about the people who are hurt by their prophecy?¡± ¡°They are simply doing their jobs.¡± Sadie responded that way before getting up. Golden pebbles were floating up from his small body. The little boy looked at the cup of milk in front of him before picking the cup up and drinking the whole thing. The Fleur-de-lis were about eighty percent urate. ¡°And I survived.¡± The Imperial Prince was a part of the twenty percent. The only thing necessary for an unpleasant remark like that was to turn it into a lie. The Almighty God was capricious but his fire might also not be an ominous power. He walked toward the balcony. It was time to head back. * The little boy who had milk all over his mouth had left and the next day arrived. The summer garden of Juliette Pce was full of guests. It was right after Sir Geens¡¯ lesson had ended. They had not seen Imperial Prince C¨¦dric because he had been busy since the morning. ¡°You must be happy, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth.¡± ¡°Yes, I am very happy. I thought it was a miracle that I was still alive after the Annual Prayer Meeting ended but to receive a vacation as a reward after that¡­¡­¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth looked emotionally moved as she responded to Christelle. Ganael, who was seated next to her, congratted her on that as well while Benjamin smiled benignly and poured some cidre into her cup. It was very rare to see her drinking in the middle of the day in the Imperial Pce. It was possible because although she was the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard yesterday, she had entered the pce as young Countess Moutet today. ¡°I had heard in advance but the prayer meeting had so many people when I went. I know this iste, but you worked very hard, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth.¡± I made ament about it as well. I recalled how she had received the task of guarding the Annual Prayer Meeting when we were at the Summer Pce. ¡®It was because of the pirate ship abduction incident that Christelle had caused.¡¯ ¡®¨¦lisabeth, you will be in charge of security for the event. That is your punishment.¡¯ ¡®Your Majesty, please kill me instead.¡¯ There was a reason Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth had given such a serious response at the time. The Annual Prayer Meeting was the first event that the young Countess had taken out without Captain Duhem¡¯s help. I knew that it was quite the task for the Imperial Guards to protect Cardinal Boutier, the Imperial Prince, and me in the middle of the Imperial Capital. However, I didn¡¯t know that she had to take care of the confrontations with the garrisons of the Imperial Capital who were guarding the Central Temple as well. I learned that the Imperial Guard and the garrison were weirdly at odds with each other. She had to pay full attention to make sure that there was no useless friction between the soldiers. ¡°Thank you very much, your highness.¡± ¡°Have you made any ns for your time off?¡± I asked. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was a talented knight with great leadership. It was amazing that the event waspleted without any of the two thousand bishops getting injured. It was a pity that she had toe to work yesterday in uniform even after the event had ended, but she said that the Empress had given her an unexpected week of time off starting today. ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ ¡®I n on getting a good rest at the Count¡¯s Estate for a few days first. And next week¡­¡­¡± ¡°Apparently Marquis Duhem has a polo match. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth received tickets too!¡± Christelle¡¯s blue-gray eyes were sparkling. An odd premonition brushed past my back. Sir Geens, who had been quietly listening, chimed in. ¡°When you say Marquis, is it the person who was in charge ofmentating on his Royal Highness¡¯s duel? He seems to have a lot of interest in sports.¡± ¡°That is true but he is personally participating this time.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth responded. I immediately asked. ¡°Is he participating as a rescue team member as he did for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts?¡± ¡°No. Old man Duhem has always liked polo. He alwayspetes with the nobles he is close to whenever hees up to the Imperial Capital. But it looks as if he is nning on increasing the scale of it starting this year.¡± ¡®So basically, a person who had been a member of the morning ser club is nning on starting a team.¡¯ I nodded my head and fell deep into thought. The voices of the five men and women became distant and I could see Sand who was ying with the divine beasts between the shrubs in the distance. ¡®He jumps from event to event in the Empire, maintains his territory, enjoys participating in exercise and the Beau Monde while also inventing¡­¡­¡¯ Yes, Marquis Fran?ois Duhem was the great figure who even invented things. ¡®He is apparently creating some kind of crystal board now.¡¯ ¡®He says that he is going to make people¡¯s faces appear on arge crystal board.¡¯ It made me think about the Marquis¡¯ new invention that Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth exined about yesterday. That was definitely the item that would work like an electronic disy in the QNW world. There was a reason I was so sure of it. It was because Eunseo had been so intense when shemented about it while rolling around on the couch that I still remembered it. ¡®Kiss him!¡¯ ¡®She scared me.¡¯ ¡®Wow, that¡¯s crazy. They really did it. What do I do, oppa? Our kids were caught in the kiss cam and their lips really touched.¡¯ I had not been able to understand what she meant by kiss cam at the time. Just looking at the cover illustration of QNW had let me know that it was a medieval European fantasy with knights and princesses. But something that captures couples in the stands of a baseball stadium and urges them to kiss appears in such a novel? ¡®Are you watching a drama?¡¯ ¡®No, I¡¯m watching my kids. But hubby Jesse kissed Chris. Eek! He did it when everybody was watching!¡¯ That was right. The point was that it was not the Imperial Prince but Prince Jesse who kissed Christelle. Eunseo¡¯s uselessment about how she was so happy that she could not read or concerns about if it was okay for the second male lead to kiss the main character was none of my business. It didn¡¯t matter to me if Christelle was toying with boy men in the original. The problematic kiss time¡­¡­ ¡®Will probably start with Marquis Duhem revealing thepleted crystal board at his polo match.¡¯ ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t feel good.¡± ¡°What is it, your highness?¡± Ganael responded to my mumbling. I drank my cool lemon tea and waved my hand to show him that I was okay. Christelle looked at me and smiled brightly. ¡°¡­¡­¡± This was definitely not right. ¡®We are friends. I have no intentions to kiss her nor should I kiss her so a kiss is definitely a no-no.¡¯ I did my best to look toward the divine beasts as naturally as possible. Christelle¡¯s first kiss was not with the Imperial Prince but with Prince Jesse. And based on what I knew, the Imperial Prince, who witnessed the Prince share a kiss with Christelle, felt jealousy for the first time in his life. That served as the motivation to understand his own feelings. ¡®Stupid idiot. Eunseo always talked bad about you because you can¡¯t figure anything out without some kind of stimulus.¡¯ ¡°Huuuuuu.¡± But it was okay. I didn¡¯t know that the Marquis¡¯ kiss cam debut would be so fast, but I hade up with a n after hearing Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s story yesterday. I pushed against my chest. I could feel my rectangr notebook and the crystal bell in my pocket. ¡°Umm.¡± I started to speak. The people who had been talking about naturalization stopped talking and looked at me. ¡°I would like to go watch the Marquis¡¯ polo match. Do you think that her Eminence will let me go if I asked?¡± This was probably the first time that I said that I wanted to leave the Imperial Pce. * That evening¡­ A gentle breeze blew into the Cardinal¡¯s office. ¡°So, I requested that they send Cardinals to test them for their Holy Knight appointments. The Vatican should respond quickly because it is about appointments. The Cardinals will probably be here in about two weeks if they are quick.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Johann Geens gently responded. The corners of his eyes drooped down and he was smiling so he looked gentle, but his mint-colored eyes had an oddly cold feel to them. However, it would not make sense if a Holy Knight did not have some kind of de internally. They were born to be like that. Aur¨¦lie Boutier looked at him for a moment before continuing to speak. ¡°Do you think that your lessons can be finished by then?¡± ¡°Of course, your Eminence. As mentioned before, it would not be shocking if the two of them received the Bishop level right away. Lessons on the proper attitude and fostering their te can continue even after their appointments.¡± The Cardinal smiled as beautifully as a painting as if his response was satisfactory. Johann looked at her and modified his ¡®n¡¯ in his mind. Chapter 98 Chapter 98 ¨C The Royal Family¡¯S Counterattack (3) Chapter 98: The Royal Family¡¯s Counterattack (3) ¡°Should we keep it up for thirty more seconds?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± The two circles crashed against each other. They screeched, sounding like metal against metal. Golden sparks flew everywhere. ¨C Chhhhhhh! I clenched my teeth and used every ounce of strength I had. Cardinal Boutier¡¯s Divine Power was overwhelming and her Holy Domain was strong. I slowly increased the size of my Holy Domain as I tried to pressure her circle from getting bigger. It was theplete opposite lesson from the first day I entered the Cardinal¡¯s office. It was her who had pushed me away from the center at that time. But today, the goal was to push her as far toward a corner as I could. ¨C SCREEEEEEEECH! ¡°Good. Maintain that focus you have right now.¡± ¡°Mmph!¡± I opened my eyes wide and red at the boundary between the two circles. It looked like the gears of a clock. Thanks to all of the ether leaving my body, my circle was ever so slightly getting bigger. ¡®A little more like this¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°You need to be desperate if you want to release a Holy Land. Think about something you desperately want.¡± ¡®Jung Yeseo!¡¯ ¡®Oppa!¡¯ I heard the voices of my brother and Eunseo as soon as the Cardinal said that. I lost all tension in my jaw at that moment. ¡°Ah.¡± ¨C Paaaaat! The Cardinal did not miss that short instant of an opening. It was already toote for me to recover. I felt an ether that was not mine strongly pushing down inside my mind and¡­ ¨C Baaaaang! ¡°Ugh!¡± Her Holy Domain instantly expanded and sent me flying. My body couldn¡¯t handle the strong impact and mmed against the bookshelf before I fell to the ground. There was now only one golden circle lighting up the office. ¡°Ow¡­¡­¡± I groaned as I raised my head. My back and knees were hurting but I didn¡¯t seem to be injured. It was going to be a faint bruise at most. The Cardinal¡¯s bright light that wasing out of the ground gently wrapped around me and started to turn clockwise. She walked up to me and offered me her hand. I got up with her help. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so impatient, my little prince.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°You have talent. Your Holy Land will open when the time is right so let¡¯s just think of it as making your flow of ether as smooth as possible until then.¡± She was kindly encouraging me. I nodded my head. I knew that I was a talented priest even if I didn¡¯t get any stronger. But I wanted to give it everything I had since I never knew what might happen at any moment. It was good to have reliable people around me but getting stronger myself was naturally beneficial to my survival. It would also be good for the divine beasts to have a reliable guardian as well. ¡°That ends our lesson for today. Catch your breath.¡± The Cardinalmented. I immediately buried myself on the couch while she sat in front of her desk. ¡°Is there anything you are curious about?¡± The Cardinal¡¯s beige-colored eyes faintly sparkled under her monocle. ¡®Mm.¡¯ There was one thing I really wanted to ask. However, I decided to save it forter. ¡°Are the three Cardinalsing from the Vatican all Holy Knights?¡± I started to speak. I heard that Cardinal Boutier had officially requested for Cardinals to be dispatched for Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric¡¯s Holy Knight appointment. If I am lucky, I might even get to see an Earth attribute Holy Knight. The corners of my teacher¡¯s eyes curled up mischievously at my question. ¡°It is random. The judges are chosen randomly to maintain fairness. However, only two people will being.¡± ¡®Hmm? Didn¡¯t they say that you needed two out of three Cardinals to approve an appointment?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m the third.¡± ¡°Teacher?¡± ¡°When else is power useful? Something like this is nothing for our children¡¯s future.¡± She smiled elegantly. Her unique and mysterious demeanor suddenly felt dark, giving me the chills. Basically, although the Cardinals were supposed to be randomly selected, the Empire¡¯s money and power were able to secure one of the seats. My jaws dropped on their own. ¡®Is this okay? Even if there is no Pope right now, isn¡¯t this too corrupt?¡¯ Furthermore, she wasn¡¯t even associated with the Vatican. ¡°The Vatican has a much closer rtionship with the Holy Kingdom than the Empire, so shouldn¡¯t they at least do this much to maintain bnce? There may have been three Cardinals with negative feelings for the children if I just sat back and watched.¡± Her purple eyebrows curled down as if she was sad. It was a silent pressure that told me she would be very sad if I took this negatively or thought it was weird. I did my best to smile. ¡®Yes, it is good if things go well for the main characters.¡¯ ¡°Is there anything else you are curious about? Or maybe something you want to get permission for?¡± She asked explicitly. I wanted tough. Benjamin and Ganael¡¯s reactions had been quite exaggerated.They looked like they were on the verge of crying when I said that I wanted to go watch the polo match. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and Christelle had been quite happy as well. Everybody in Juliette Pce knew about it by dinner time. It was not shocking at all that the Cardinal knew about it as well. ¡°Marquis Duhem¡¯s polo match, may I-¡± ¡°I want to go too. Can C¨¦dric and I go with you too?¡± The Cardinal quickly asked. I nodded my head andughed out loud. I had honestly been anxious that they would say no but I can finally rx now because I could feel that she and the Imperial family trusted me. It was my first time actively interfering with the events of QNW, but I was confident. ¡®I just need to sit away from the two of them.¡¯ * Juliette Pce was pretty rowdy in the afternoon. The Imperial doctor, a healing priest, and their aides filled up two rooms. The Imperial Prince, ¡®Sadie,¡¯ was a person who did what he said he would do. They had already been examining me for an hour. I had been relieved because they told me there was no need to fast but it was quite serious. I could see Christelle sitting in the other room through the crowds of busy people. She had followed me after Sir Geens¡¯ lesson had ended. I was curious why she stayed here instead of going to the Moutet Count¡¯s Estate since Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and Eva were there. ¡°Overall, you are healthy, your highness. However, I would rmend that you gain some weight.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already eating as much as I can.¡± ¡°The flow of your ether is stable as well. It is spread evenly throughout your body without any blockage.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The Imperial doctor and healing priest finished their diagnoses. Thest step was to get some blood. This world did not have syringes, so they used a disinfected de to make a small cut on my finger to draw blood. My stomach couldn¡¯t handle it so I looked elsewhere. Christelle gently smiled when we made eye contact. ¡®A bit¡­¡­ She looks a bit down. Am I right?¡¯ ¡°We have to take your precious blood for a more urate examination, but I believe that no poison will be detected because the color is so vibrant, your highness.¡± ¡°I agree with you.¡± A couple people chuckled at myment. I was being serious. Sadie¡¯s eyes had been on fire but it was hard for me to believe that Sir Geens had poisoned my teacup. Benjamin, Ganael and the attendants hurriedly started to move once the Imperial doctor and healing priest started to pack up. The red pandas quickly trotted over, knowing that the thing they could not interrupt had ended. I hugged the three of them and approached Christelle. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°Ah, yes your highness. Is it over?¡± Christelle smiled as she got up. Something seemed weird about her today. Nobody has to be happy all of the time but she seemed oddly weak with a nk gaze. She had been weird in other ways too. The normal Christelle would have made all sorts of jokes while watching my examination but she had been quiet today. ¡®She seemed fine yesterday.¡¯ ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Me? No, nothing at all, your highness.¡± ¡°Then are you not feeling well?¡± ¡®Is it hard with just Sand¡¯s ether?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m fine, your highness. You know I am super healthy.¡± That was a relief but her smile still seemed fake. It didn¡¯t seem like something to discuss with her mother, Duchess Isabelle, since she had not gone back to the Duke¡¯s Estate in the Imperial Capital. I closed my mouth for a few seconds. I didn¡¯t have to contemte it for a long time. ¡°Shall we go for a walk?¡± * ¡°I guess there is a benefit to having a concern. You offered to go on a walk with me, your highness.¡± Christelle joked. ¡®So she does have a concern.¡¯ I smiled bitterly and walked through the flower bushes while matching her pace. This ce, which was both the garden for Juliette Pce and the rear garden for Romero Pce, was where I came whenever I had to organize my thoughts. I thought that it might be helpful to her as well. The sunlight at the Imperial Capital was still hot in July but there wererge white clouds moving around, giving us a decent amount of shade. ¡°I am happy to listen if you are okay sharing with me.¡± I cautiouslymented. I couldn¡¯t ignore the MC when she was walking around with an ¡®I¡¯m upset¡¯ sign shing on her forehead. Her happiness was directly rted to Eunseo¡¯s happiness. And most importantly¡­ ¡°We are friends.¡± Christelle¡¯srge blue-gray eyes looked at me. She seemed shocked at myment. I rubbed the back of my neck because I was embarrassed. ¡°Your reaction is quite weak even though you said we should be friends first.¡± ¡°No, that¡­¡­ I was just touched that you are using this moment to throw that at me, your highness.¡± She wiped the tip of her nose. She walked in silence for a few more steps when I heard her speak in her usual voice. ¡°To be honest with you, it really isn¡¯t a big deal. In fact, I feel a bit embarrassed to bring it up.¡± ¡°Are you sad because you haven¡¯t been able to see his Royal Highness for two days?¡± ¡°That has actually increased my happiness meter, your highness.¡± Christelle raised her voice. I quietly chuckled. The Imperial Prince had to miss lessons here and there, as he did yesterday and today, because he had to handle Imperial affairs. Percy flew over to my shoulder. I petted his wing as I waited for her to continue. ¡°I just wonder if I can live like this.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I was very happy at first. I didn¡¯t have my memories but I got an amazing ability. My family has a lot of money and power and I am still young. I was very happy because I could do anything if I set my mind to it. That still applies. However¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Everybody around me seems to have goals. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth has a solid career, is the heir to the family¡¯s title and even has a fianc¨¦. Eva, who is only sixteen years old, is already working hard to be the young Duchess. Apparently she is analyzing where it would be most effective to make her Beau Monde debut. Even His Royal Highness¡­ Seems loyal to his life and duties. I am envious of that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I thought that I shouldn¡¯tplicate things and just live as a cker since this is a second life for me, but¡­ I became anxious seeing others working so hard to live. It makes me wonder if it is okay for me to be like this. It makes me wonder if I need totch onto something and work hard for it. Even though I am tired of trying and being broken down¡­¡­¡± She smiled while saying that her workaholic habits seemed to be stabbed deep into her soul. She said that thinking that I would question her mental state. Maybe she thought that this was better than grumbling with her head against a wall. However, I understood everything Christelle said. I understood everything including the very minor emotions she was feeling right now. ¡°You must not have that cker mentality since you are like this when you have been awake for less than half a year.¡± ¡°Apparently so. I feel like it was just yesterday when I told you that I wanted to try everything I wanted to do, your highness. Now I am anxious because I don¡¯t have anything solid in my hand.¡± Christelle moved her fingers as she said that. ¡®Did she get troubled watching Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth being so active yesterday?¡¯ There are times when I have simr thoughts as well. My ¡®goal¡¯ was to get back home but there seemed to be no method of doing that so far. That was why it was more urate to say that I had a desire to go home. However, the reason I couldn¡¯t give up on calling it a goal was because I dodn¡¯t know when my heart might be shaken if I don¡¯t set it in stone like that. People who have firm goals and those who don¡¯t have very different attitudes toward life. Christelle knew that as well, which was why she was starting to get frustrated at herself for not having any specific goals. She probably had to il a lot to survive in the past. That was probably why Eunseo liked her. ¡°I believe that you will find a cool goal eventually, youngdy Sarnez.¡± Even I could tell that what I said was cheesy. The tips of my fingers started to get warm from embarrassment. ¡°You¡¯re so lively that even if you don¡¯t look for it, your goal wille find you first, youngdy Sarnez. Furthermore, there are a lot of people around you who like you. Even if it takes a while, I¡¯m sure that everybody will cheer you on and wait with you.¡± Just as I told her not to be so anxious about it, I recalled hearing something simr from the Cardinal earlier this morning. Christelle looked back at me and smiled brightly. I felt as if I was seeing the milky way in the middle of the day. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°I just said some obvious things.¡± ¡°Still. I don¡¯t think there is anybody who could respond like that right away to suchints.¡± ¡®That¡­¡­ Was true.¡¯ I could understand her because I knew her situation and had also transmigrated. Christelle stood up and waited for me while I said goodbye to the red pandas dangling on my legs. ¡°Do you have any concernstely, your highness? I will lend an ear as well.¡± ¡°Me? I¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t finish my sentence. Thinking about both the naturalization and being the temporary partner of the two of them gave me headaches. However, there was another issue that had been grinding against my mind for thest few days. I debated on whether or not to tell Christelle before starting to speak. I thought that it would be better to inform the MC about it since it was someone the male lead was wary about. ¡°It is regarding Sir Geens.¡± Chapter 99 Chapter 99 ¨C The Royal Family¡¯S Counterattack (4) Chapter 99: The Royal Family¡¯s Counterattack (4) ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to enjoy this meal, your highness.¡± ¡°Great, me too.¡± Sir Geens thanked me for the meal and I responded with a smile. Things were proceeding very quickly. I had shared a concern of mine after listening to Christelle¡¯s concern yesterday. It was more like a small thorn stuck underneath my fingernail than a concern but I decided that there was no harm in the MC knowing about it. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric was clearly wary of Sir Geens. However, he had not given a proper response to my question about if something had happened. That meant that he had no proof to back his suspicions. However, it was difficult to pretend that I did not hear his warning. The Imperial Prince was the male lead of QNW. I didn¡¯t want to be the clich¨¦ idiot who ignores the main character¡¯s advice and ends up as the first sacrifice. It was true that Sir Geens had saved my life but I needed to address it if there was something he might be hiding. ¡®His Royal Highness told me to keep a distance from Sir Geens.¡¯ ¡®His Royal Highness did?¡¯ ¡®Yes. I feel ufortable after hearing that but to suddenly distance myself from Sir Geens¡­¡­ I feel sorry and awkward to do that. He¡¯s a nice person.¡¯ ¡®That is true. I haven¡¯t felt anything weird from the teacher either.¡¯ Christelle responded. She and I quietly drifted off into our thoughts in the middle of the flower field. ¡®What can I do to make it not awkward while drawing out his inner thoughts¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®Why don¡¯t you share a meal, your highness?¡¯ ¡®Should I set up a meal?¡¯ Christelle and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and solemnly nodded our heads. It was necessary to feed people if you want to get them to talk. ¡°The croque madame is amazing. It is the best sandwich I have ever had.¡± ¡°Laurence is the best. I¡¯m d that it is to your liking.¡± I quickly pulled out of my thoughts and responded to Sir Geens¡¯ment. The backyard of the Imperial Pce temple wasn¡¯t as beautiful as the Juliette Pce garden. However, it was perfect to have a private conversation as nobody came here and it was quiet. Benjamin and Ganael were waiting inside the temple as I had asked them to do so in advance. I could see the temple knights in the distance standing there to guard me. ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful day.¡± ¡°Yes sir. It is pretty hot in July back at the Holy Kingdom but the Imperial Capital is bearable other than during the heatwave. Maybe it is because the air is dry.¡± Sir Geens¡¯ downward curling eyes curled up as he responded. The way he held his fork and knife, the way he ate so neatly, he seemed like the epitome of an elegant noble Holy Knight. A couple strands of his white hair fluttered in the wind. I took a bite of the crunchy bread, melted cheese, hot ham and fried egg at once as I debated what to say. Gulp. ¡°Sir Johann Geens.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡­ May I ask how you got started as a mercenary?¡± His eyes opened a bit wide. His smile did not disappear but his face seemed bothplicated and sorry. ¡°I guess I haven¡¯t said much about my story at all. I made you prepare something like this for that¡­¡­¡± I calmed myself with a fragrant cup of camellia tea as I waited for Sir Geens to continue. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and started to speak. ¡°I was a mercenary even before I awakened as a Holy Knight.¡± I raised my head. He tilted his head as he continued to speak. ¡°I have been one since I was very young. Being a mercenary was the best paying job and it was also something I was good at. That was why I didn¡¯t stop even after receiving my appointment.¡± I wondered why he needed money so much but I thought it would be rude to ask. I knew that I had to dig into his story but it was hard to do so. The Empire had a lot of poor nobles as well. Even the children of Viscount Beng, the ones who were murdered by the twin assassins, had to ride a carriage instead of using a portal because they were poor. I silently held onto my teacup. ¡°I have a son to look after.¡± Sir Geens seemed to have read my mind. He and I made eye contact. ¡°He¡¯s a child who needs to eat medicine every day. I had no choice in order to pay for his medicine.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, your highness. It is not a terminal illness.¡± He spoke as if to console me. I had no idea what kind of expression I had on my face for him to say that. I tried to see my reflection in the tea but a camellia that was as red as blood covered my view. Sir Geens¡¯ tone was the same as usual. ¡°It just hurts and he is in pain if he doesn¡¯t have the medicine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It is normal for you to be curious, your highness. Even I would find someone like me hard to trust.¡± He then stopped speaking. His tone was the same as when he praised Christelle for her reflexes getting better. His face looked as tired as usual as he put some whipped cream on the croissant. I still could not verify whether he was lying or not because of the difference in his and my Divine Power. ¡°Is there anything else you would like to know, your highness?¡± Sir Geens was the first to speak again. My resolve was getting weaker but going at this weakly would only turn me into a pushover. I needed to get proper answers since I created such a meeting ce for it. I carefully started to speak. ¡°Sir Geens, you said that you were hired by the crown princess to protect me. You also gave me a letter from her.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± That letter was most likely not something Sir Geens made up. I had considered multiple scenarios when he revealed his identity to me. One of them was that Sir Geens had written the letter himself and imed it was from the crown princess to get my guard down before stabbing me in the back in the future. However, what Sadie said made it difficult to believe this was the case. ¡®I¡¯ve seen this handwriting before.¡¯ The young boy had said that the handwriting seemed familiar that night when he took the note away from my hand. The crown princess had personally been involved in the negotiation to have Prince Jesse be a diplomatic hostage. It wouldn¡¯t be weird for the Imperial Prince to be familiar with her handwriting if he saw the negotiation documents between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom. It was highly likely that the note really was from the crown princess. ¡°Did you lie about a portion of themission?¡± I asked. Sir Geens ced the croissant down on the te. ¡°Which part?¡± ¡°Did the crown princess order you to kill me after delivering the letter?¡± ¡°No, your highness.¡± The response was firm. I took a sip of tea as I organized my thoughts. I wondered if the crown princess wanted to have me put my guard down before assassinating me but there were a lot of issues when thinking it over. There was no need to send a letter to remind me of her presence if she really wanted to kill me. It would be more effective to strike without warning like when the Prince Consort sent those young assassins. In that case¡­ ¡°Is there anothermission that you have not told me about?¡± ¡°Like what for example, your highness?¡± ¡°I am asking if you also received money from Prince Consort Werner.¡± My voice was calmer than I expected. I made eye contact with him. Sir Geens was the first to close his eyes. [Let me make a Promise of Ether.] ¡°Excuse me? Wait-¡± His voice changed to a Divine Oracle. I became anxious and raised my voice. Holy Knights were not capable of making a Promise of Ether. No, to be more urate, no Holy Knight would want to take on such a danger. A priest who breaks a Promise of Ether receives divine punishment of loss. The range of what that loss could be was vast. There were times when a priest would lose a family member or a lover but some people would lose small amounts of money or even minor memories. However, a Holy Knight could only lose one thing. A Holy Knight who breaks a Promise of Ether would have their power sealed. That was the reason that Promises of Ether were basically nonexistent between Holy Knights. [I have never received any money from his Royal Highness, the Prince Consort. He is not my client.] Sir Geens¡¯ easygoing voice echoed through the temple yard. He was swearing to me with all of his ether on the line. The cool breeze fluttered my hair once before moving away. [The only thing her highness the crown princessmissioned me for was to deliver her message and to protect you, your highness. I promise.] There was no circle lighting up the area underneath his feet because he was Holy Knight and not a priest. Instead, the silver and white ether that shot out of his heart wet his white hair and poured down to the ground. He would lose his powers forever for swearing a lie while borrowing the Authority of the Almighty God should the Promise of Ether be broken. He would be stripped of his honor and title as a Holy Knight and live the rest of his life with people pointing their fingers at him. ¨C Shaaaaaaa- The man¡¯s ether finally disappeared. He slowly opened his eyes. ¡°Your highness, are you okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I can¡¯t believe I heard a Holy Knight¡¯s Divine Oracle.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± My voice was a bit strained. He gentlyughed. ording to the holy text, there were only two reasons a Holy Knight could make a Divine Oracle. One was to make a Promise of Ether like right now while the other time was when a Cardinal level Hannah revealed their stigmata. The former was something that any sane Holy Knight would never do. There were only six Cardinal level Holy Knights in the continent so most people would never heard thetter either. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to see a stigmata soon as well, your highness.¡± ¡°I believe so.¡± I answered. Two Cardinals would arrive at the Empire in two weeks. I would be able to see a precious sight if there is a Holy Knight among them. ¡°Then does this mean that I pass?¡± ¡°How could you not? You even made a Promise of Ether¡­¡­¡± I took a big bite of scrambled egg with truffle oil. My mind was chaotic. A person who has a son to look after made a vow to me while putting his stable job and the blessing of the Almighty God on the line. I had no choice but to trust Sir Geens now. ¡®Why the heck did Sadie say something like that?¡¯ ¡°However, please be cautious of the Prince Consort. Well, I¡¯m sure you are more aware of that than I am, your highness¡­¡­¡± Sir Geens smiled bitterly. ¡°He is a scary person. He uses any and all means necessary.¡± * At the same time, the Viaan Holy Kingdom¡¯s pce was quite rowdy. The ever so precious second princess had not been eating for two days. ¡°Your highness, please take just one bit for this old handmaid¡¯s sake.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to. Big brother is not here¡­¡­¡± The child, who was seated alone at arge table, shook her head. Herrge light green eyes were tearing up. She had a pig sculpture in her hand. The attendants were anxious as they roamed around the princess. Cornelisse had grown up like a nt inside a greenhouse and was only seven years old. It would be extremely bad for her health if she continued to reject food like this. The princess¡¯s chief attendant held back a sigh. She didn¡¯t want to say anything vicious to this princess she had raised like his own daughter. However, that would be better than letting her starve again. The Prince Consort did not evene to see the princess today because he was busy attending some royal priest¡¯s party. That was why she was certain that even her highness, the crown princess, would support her decision. ¡°Then would you like to go see her Majesty? Should I request her to have dinner together with you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Royal Mother is ill, if I go¡­¡­¡± The child¡¯s small face scowled. Queen Christanne¡¯s insanity had gotten so serioustely that she did not even recognize the daughters she loved so much. To be more specific, she was in pain because she saw the Prince Consort in her daughters¡¯ faces. Cornelisse was young but she knew that her mother found it difficult to look at her. She wanted to throw a tantrum about how she didn¡¯t want to eat alone and that her brother had broken his promise but she had to hold back. Her older sister was very busy today. That was why she would be alone untilte at night. ¡°Then just one bite¡­¡­¡± ¡°Great decision, your highness.¡± The attendants quickly started to move the utensils and ripped some bread so that the princess wouldn¡¯t need to use her cute little hands. The child could not eat quickly even though she should be hungry after only having water and juice since yesterday. They couldn¡¯t tell whether it was because she was sad or because her stomach had shrunk from not eating. It was probably a mix of both. ¡°Why has big brother note back even though it has been over 100 days?¡± ¡°His highness will definitelye back if you eat well and sleep well, your highness. He never breaks his promise with you.¡± ¡°But¡­¡­ It is close to 120 days now. I¡¯m very good at counting.¡± The skillful attendants praised her saying that she was amazing. It had been four months since Prince Jesse left. The princess, who had found math to be difficult untilst year, could now urately count the days on her own. He would be extremely happy about this and lift his younger sister high into the air if he saw her. However, the cruel person had not returned to the Holy Kingdom even after the 100 nights he had promised her. He couldn¡¯t because he had be the diplomatic hostage of the Empire. ¡°Can¡¯t I go?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± The attendants asked in shock at the princess¡¯s question. ¡°Can¡¯t I go to the Empire since big brother cannote here?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to do that.¡± A low voice echoed through the dining room at that moment. The attendants surrounding the princess all turned around and bowed toward the visitor. They didn¡¯t even need to check who it was nor why that person was here. The person¡¯s dark blonde hair reached the floor and her blue eyes sparkled. ¡°Youngest sister.¡± ¡°Big sister!¡± Cornelisse quickly jumped off her chair and into Elise¡¯s arms. She was happy to see her older sister who hade many hours earlier despite telling her that she would bete. The crown princess¡¯s face had a rare moment of joy as she tightly hugged her younger sister. She must have run here because her breathing was heavy and there was some sweat on her forehead. ¡°I am in charge of the Imperial Prince¡¯s examination. So I will personally go.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Her youngest sister tilted her head. Elise grabbed the child¡¯s cheeks and whispered with delight. ¡°I¡¯m going to the Empire and will meet Jesse.¡± Chapter 100 Chapter 100 ¨C Target (1) Chapter 100: Target (1) The Imperial Pce was extremely peaceful for five days after that. Honestly speaking, it was generally like that around me. My daily schedule consisted of eating, sleeping, studying, and receiving confessions as long as I didn¡¯t suddenly get pulled into something because of Christelle or Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. It was pretty busy because I had to y with the divine beasts and go to the main characters¡¯ lessons. As for today, the front of Juliette Pce and Romero Pce was busy for the first time in a long while. Benjamin, Ganael, David, and the attendants were packing bags onto the carriages. Most of the luggage was a pic basket and simple things. The sun was shining and the garden was beautiful, making it impossible not to be happy. ¡°Your highness, my mother came up to the Duke¡¯s Estate yesterday! She said she had a lot to think about after receiving my letter.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Eva, who wasing with us to Marquis Duhem¡¯s polo match, grabbed my arm and shook it around, making her dress flutter as well. I opened my eyes wide and looked down at the youngdy. Christelle and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth must be hearing about this for the first time as well as they both focused on her too. Eva hade out of the Moutet Count¡¯s Estate and was staying in her family¡¯s Duke¡¯s Estate at the capital as young Duke nquer had returned to their territory a few days ago. But I didn¡¯t expect there to be a response already. ¡°Is your mother looking positively on you bing the young Duchess, Eva?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. My mother is an amazing territory lord, but¡­¡­ She has not chatted with me very much throughout my life. I¡¯ve only managed to greet her so far.¡± Eva¡¯s curly hair sank down. It seemed as if the Duchess was a mother who was stoic and only took care of Eva¡¯s basic necessities. She truly didn¡¯t seem to have much affection for her children. ¡°At least the fact that she personally came shows that she has a desire to discuss it with you. It should mean that she is trying to assess the situation.¡± The child raised her head after hearing myment. Christelle warmly caressed Eva¡¯s hair. ¡°Prince Jesse is right. Don¡¯t worry because everything will work out.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± The way her mood quickly recovered reminded me of a little poodle. It reminded me of the look on her face when she had finished cleaning the temple for two weeks and was waiting for my praise. I gently smiled and walked toward the garden. Demy, Rhea, and Perry, who had been bothering Sand, all came over and dangled on my arms. ¡°You can¡¯t go with me today. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii! ¡°They said it¡¯s not possible because the horses are sensitive. How about we go somewhere better next time?¡± I had to rub the sulking red pandas quite a bit to console them. I wanted to take them with us but I was told that I could not do so because the horses on the field would already be tense even without them there. I gave one final hug to Demy and got up. Sand bowed respectfully toward me. ¡°Please take good care of the little ones, priest-nim. You don¡¯t need to give them too much ether. They are little whiners.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. I remember.¡± The young boy smiled innocently as he responded. Sand was a nice person and had a gentle personality, but he was very shy and found it difficult to talk to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth or Eva. He also found it difficult to be inrge crowds, which was why he was not going with us to the polo match. I gently petted Percy once he flew onto my shoulder and turned around. Sir Geens was looking at me and smiling. ¡°You have many precious friends, your highness.¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡­ It ended up that way.¡± I smiled awkwardly. Hisment made me be embarrassed after thinking about what I decided to do on the first day I ended up in this world. ¡®I remember talking about how I wasn¡¯t going to get involved with the main characters or the nobles.¡¯ Everybody had gathered together today because I brought up wanting to watch the polo match. ¡°The Duke¡¯s House of Sarnez to the west, the Count¡¯s House of Moutet to the north, the Marquis¡¯ House of Duhem to the south and the Duke¡¯s House of nquer to the east. These four grand noble households of the Empire are famous even in the Holy Kingdom.¡± ¡®What are you talking about? Hello author? Was I going around collecting the Shikon no Tama or something¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Your highness, you have a friendship with all four of them and you are close to the Imperial family as well. You are amazing.¡± Sir Geens was saying that as apliment but it felt oddly as if he was mocking me. It was probably because I was booing myself for everything. It had only been four months since I transmigrated here. ¡®Jung Yeseo, you sure got involved with all of the main families in that time.¡¯ ¡°Looks like we are being dyed.¡± I made eye contact with a pair of orange eyes. The Imperial Prince gave a short remark about how he was disgruntled. I had no idea when he started leaning on the carriage and trying to look cool. He looked cool no matter what he did because he was the damn male lead. ¡®Doesn¡¯t that hurt your back?¡¯ ¡°There are a lot of people and luggage, your Royal Highness.¡± I approached him and responded. I confirmed that Sir Geens was a good distance away before lowering my voice. ¡°Did you hear the results of the examination, your Royal Highness?¡± I nodded his chin while looking as if the results were not as he desired. A high-ranking mage and a healing priest took my blood and ran all sorts of tests on it but there was no poison detected at all. It felt odd because he seemed upset when it should be a good thing that I was healthy. ¡®Why are you still grumbling when I got the examination because you told me to do so?¡¯ His sharp gaze was looking at Sir Geens, who was currently talking to Christelle. ¡°Where do you n on going next time?¡± The Imperial Prince bastard asked. He must have heard me telling the divine beasts that we should go y somewhere even better next time. ¡®His hearing sure is good.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that, your Royal Highness. Am I allowed to go out again as I want?¡± ¡°Depending on the destination.¡± He responded with a sharp sword-like low voice. I chuckled. I would never ask to head toward danger. The reason I said that I wanted to see the polo match was because it was obvious that I would end up going there anyway. No matter how hard I tried not to, something would have happened to make me follow the original development. That was why I was taking the initiative to do what I can to change things. Some people might click their tongues saying that I was trying so hard to avoid a kiss, but I was serious. Moving one step ahead in a world where I didn¡¯t have much knowledge about was quite the adventure for me. ¡°Little prince.¡± I heard Cardinal Boutier¡¯s voice at that moment. I turned around in shock. Her carriage was supposed to meet us at the gate to exit the Imperial Pce because the Empress Pce was pretty far from Juliette Pce. However, the Cardinal had changed directions and came here instead. The Imperial Prince grabbed her hand and escorted her. The situation must have looked serious as Christelle and the others, who were gathered together and chatting away, approached us as well. ¡°I came to let you know because it is something you should know first. I just received this information as well.¡± She then reached her hand out and caressed my cheek. The Cardinal¡¯s calm beige-colored eyes looked at me. ¡°Crown princess Elise of the Holy Kingdom will being to the Empire. She will being as a Cardinal judging C¨¦dric and Christelle¡¯s Holy Knight appointments. Will you be okay?¡± ¡®¡­¡­What?¡¯ * The Cardinal could not leave the Imperial Pce in the end. She had to discuss the protocols for the crown princess. I couldn¡¯t even remember how we got to the Duhem Marquis¡¯ Estate located in the suburbs of the Imperial Capital. I was still in a daze as I got off the carriage and the attendants of the Marquis¡¯ Estate guided me to the stadium that was full of greenery. I only snapped back to my senses after hearing a familiar voice. ¡°Prince Jesse! Thank you very much foring.¡± ¡°Hello, Marquis Duhem.¡± ¡°I heard that you gathered quite the audience and even prepared a seating n, your highness. I didn¡¯t know you loved polo that much. This Fran?ois Duhem is full of admiration at your divine benevolence and consideration!¡± The Marquis noisily iled his arm and bowed. His other arm was holding the yer¡¯s hat with a brim. I was happy to see him as he pushed aside my thoughts. The pink vest, coat with a long tail, white pants, and ck boots suited the Marquis very well. It felt fresh seeing him in a restrained outfit like this because his attire was always exaggerated. I could finally see the field. The horses and yers were out getting used to the short cut grass. There was a low white wooden fence on the other side and it looked as if he made it in consideration for the attendants andmoners toe watch. There was a stand that could seat about fifty people on this side. It was splendid as it was made with blue magic stones and zinc, but it was surprisingly simple. The Marquis made some elegant motions as he escorted us. ¡°There is a look of sorrow on the face of a beauty. Was your ride here notfortable, your highness?¡± ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± I almost scolded the Marquis because he was so cheesy. Seeing me respond seriously made him take a step back and shamelessly retort. ¡°I am relieved to hear that nothing happened, your highness. I just simply made ament as everybody seems to be catering to you. Right this way, your highness.¡± He motioned to the seats of honor at the center. I finally looked at the people next to me. The Imperial Prince was stoic but Christelle, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, and the others were all looking at me. They must have been looking to make sure that I was okay since hearing that the crown princess wasing. I felt sorry that I couldn¡¯t pay attention to those around me because of my shaken up state. I smiled bitterly andmented. ¡°I am okay. I was just a bit shocked. Shall we sit?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. We will sit as you informed us yesterday!¡± Ganael responded energetically. Eva quickly sat down next to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. ¡°I brought a tea that is a specialty of the Holy Kingdom. Would anybody like some?¡± ¡°Me!¡± Christelle raised her hand at Sir Geens¡¯ offer. I was relieved to see that the atmosphere seemed to have gotten better. * ¡°Your highness, look at this. The tea is glowing!¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s pretty.¡± ¡°You can drink it now.¡± Ganael and Benjamin, who were seated to my left,mented while looking at the specialty tea. I received a cup of tea from Sir Geens to my right. I could only drink it thirty minutes after Benjamin checked it with a silver utensil and tasted it first because it was not something made by the Imperial family¡¯s kitchen. The tea was sweet and gave off a wonderful scent. It looked quite splendid as the tea was transparent but there were white specks of light floating in the water. I felt as if I was drinking some water from the fountain of fairies. ¡°It is a tea made of dried moon halo weed. It is difficult for people in the Empire to try it because it only grows in the forest of the Holy Kingdom.¡± Sir Geens exined in an easygoing tone. I nodded my head and took a sip of the moon halo weed tea. I liked how it had a savory yet gentle taste. It felt as if my heart, that had been a roaring whirlwind after hearing about the crown princess, had calmed down a bit after drinking it. ¡°Marquis Duhem sessfully scores right in front of our eyes! It is now 6 : 1 everyone.¡± I could hear youngdy Antote Duhem, who was thementator for the match. I raised my head and looked forward. The spectators gently pped and some of them whistled to cheer. The Marquis on the horse spun his mallet two times as he smiled brightly. He looked normal and cool for once. He didn¡¯t look like the quack who made the portal motion sickness medicine you stick under your ear, the magic stone sprinkler, and the crystal board that was generations ahead of the world. Christelle, who was seated behind me, tapped on my shoulder and whispered. ¡°He looks like a regr handsome guy like this, don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°I felt my heart thumping just now.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I looked back at her in shock. Christelle smiled at me. ¡°He¡¯s handsome, rich, and decently athletic. Should I make him mine?¡± ¡°Youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay with the age difference. We will just end up saying our final goodbye a bit earlier than most couples.¡± ¡®Do you know how hard I worked to get you here seated next to the Imperial Prince?!¡¯ I opened and closed my mouth a few times without being able to make any noise. She quietly chuckled after seeing the look on my face. ¡°Now you¡¯re acting like the Prince Jesse I know.¡± She then leaned back against her seat. I looked at the Imperial Prince wondering if he heard what she had said but his sculpturesque face was focused on the match. ¡®Absolutely not.¡¯ I wet my throat with the moon halo weed tea. They said that they would bring the crystal board into the stands around Round 5, so the two main characters will soon have their intense physical contact. My heart was already thumping quickly thinking about it. * ¡°Eight to five! The point gap is decreasing!¡± ¡°Wooooooooooow!¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± I let out a short groan and curled forward as youngdy Duhemmentated and the spectators cheered. My body¡¯s condition had been weird since a bit earlier. My shocked heart thumped endlessly, my head felt as if it would break and my insides were rumbling. I tried pressing down with my palm in different spots to find the cause but I had no idea because I had been healthy since I transmigrated into this world. ¡®Is it too much stress? Is it because I was stressed out while contemting how to act when I see the crown princess¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Are you okay, your highness?¡± Benjamin, who was the first to notice, put his hand on my back and whispered. I groaned for a while before shaking my head. Beeeeeeeeeep- My ears were ringing. This definitely did not seem okay. I needed to forget about the crystal board and go back to the Imperial Pce to see the Imperial doctor right away. I thought about all of the food I had today but Ganael and Benjamin had eaten everything as well. The two of them looked fin- ¡°Eek.¡± I gasped after feeling like a nail stabbing into my brain. It felt so real that I got chills from being scared. ¡°I, I think I need to return to the pce.¡± ¡°I understand. I will prepare right away.¡± Benjamin was calm. He did not shake although my face and voice was probably terrible. I could hear him say something to Ganael next to him. I clenched my fists and my eyes shut. Sir Geens¡¯rge and cold hand came over from my right and grabbed my shoulder. ¡°I will escort you back, your highness.¡± I felt as if all strength left my body. I nodded my head. Chapter 101 Chapter 101 ¨C Target (2) Chapter 101: Target (2) ¡°Your highness, are you not feeling well?¡± Christelle and C¨¦dric were naturally the first in the back seats to realize something was wrong. It was because Prince Jesse¡¯s ether was shaking. It was quite different from depletion or overload, but he was definitely unstable. Benjamin took the teacup from the Prince¡¯s hand and quickly started to pack. Ganael had run to the gate to prepare the carriage. He seemed to be moving quietly so as to not cause chaos in the stands. ¡°I think that I am a bit stressed. I should be fine once I see the Imperial doctor¡­¡­¡± The prince¡¯s voice quieted down. His usually rosy cheeks were pale as well. The Imperial Prince red at the moon halo weed tea that Christelle was drinking as if he would make it evaporate. She felt his gaze and urgently looked toward Eva on the other side. They had been drinking the same tea, but the youngdy looked fine like the rest of them. The tea did not seem to have a special effect against priests. It really seemed to be an acute reaction to stress or some form of allergy. The child realized the situation a bitte and looked shocked. ¡°Cousin. Can you use your healing power?¡± The Imperial Prince¡¯s low voice echoed around them. Eva became shocked after realizing that he was talking to her using the title of ¡®cousin¡¯. ¡°N, no, your Royal Highness. I apologize for my inability. I am not a healing priestess¡­¡­¡± ¨¦lisabeth consoled the child saying that it was okay. C¨¦dric clicked his tongue. He had known since a while ago that this prince was a special case. The path of a healing priest was a difficult one; most priests did not study the healing circles unless they made up their minds from the beginning to be a healer. Sir Geens soon stood up while supporting the prince. The Imperial Prince stood up at the same time. ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± No, he tried to stand up. However, a cold aura of water grabbed his right arm. ¡°Let go.¡± ¡°It will be rowdy again if we leave with him, your Royal Highness. It will be burdensome for the prince.¡± Christelle¡¯s blue-gray eyes were looking right at him. The Imperial Prince stopped moving. ¡°There have been many eyes on Prince Jesse since the Annual Prayer Meeting. You know that as well, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± His orange eyes grew dark and sank low. He knew that this prince had to deal with all sorts of fabricated rumors simply because he was a diplomatic hostage in a hostile nation. There were a lot of people who admired him but there was also a good amount of people who were wary of him. The lesson that the Imperial Prince and Christelle learned at the prayer meeting was that they could not push forward all the time if they wanted to protect their partner. The two of them had to consider their status. They could not let the prince receive even more attention. Sir Geens silently bowed toward them before supporting the prince out of the stadium. ¡°Over there. That is the doctor of the Marquis¡¯ Estate.¡± ¨¦lisabeth pointed at a person. The doctor, who had been waiting at the side of the stadium, was running over after Antote Duhem motioned for him toe. ¡°Send him back.¡± The Imperial Prince ordered in a low voice. It would be most efficient for the prince to be seen by his godmother back at the Imperial Pce because it was an ether issue. They could not take away the only doctor here unless they nned on stopping the match. C¨¦dric looked toward his close friend. ¡°How many knights came with you?¡± ¡°Two Grade 7 swordsmen and two Grade 5 mages came with me.¡± ¡°You stay here but send the rest of them with the prince.¡± ¨¦lisabeth nodded her head before calling an Imperial Guard member over to give the order. The Imperial Prince was quick with his decisions. Johann Geens was an Archbishop level Holy Knight. It should not be too difficult if the two Grade 7 swordsmen gave everything they had and the Grade 5 mages helped out. ¡°He made a Promise of Ether. It should be fine, your Royal Highness.¡± Christelle calmly whispered. The two of them had heard that Sir Geens had made a Promise of Ether to the prince. They didn¡¯t know the details about it but it was certain that Sir Geens had made a vow using the holy power of the Almighty God. Margrave Moutet had not sent any new information either. That was why there shouldn¡¯t be any issues. They needed the situation to have no issues. * ¡°Oo¡­¡­¡± I quietly groaned and opened my eyes. The Imperial family carriage was traveling through the suburbs of the Imperial capital. I was worried that I would get nauseous, but thankfully my condition seemed to be getting better. My head definitely hurt less and my stomach seemed to have calmed down as well. My ears were still ringing but it was bearablepared to how it had been back at the stadium. ¡®Was it really because of stress?¡¯ ¡°How are you feeling, your highness?¡± I heard a gentle voice next to me. I turned my head to look at Sir Geens. ¡°You came with me.¡± ¡°Someone had to protect you, your highness. Many members of the Imperial Guard are here as well.¡± I nodded my head and looked out the window. There was nobody around other than the people in this carriage in the forest out in the suburbs. Our surroundings were full of summer trees. I could feel the knights and soldiers following behind us. ¡°Benjamin?¡± I finally noticed Benjamin seated across from us. However, he¡­ ¡°¡­¡­He¡¯s sleeping.¡± He had his eyes closed. Ganael also had his eyes closed next to him. That was a bit weird. It was normal to get some rest if they were tired, but the two of them were not the type to fall asleep with a patient in front of them. An ominous feeling made my fingertips tingle. ¨C Neeeeeeigh! ¨C Neeeeeeigh! The horses leading the carriage oddly cried at that moment. They then slowed down. My condition was not fully back to normal but my mind was slowly starting to wake up. ¨C ck, ck. The carriage soonpletely stopped. Sir Geens started to speak. ¡°There must be a wild animal or something. I will go check it out, your highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It is quite the adventureing out of the Imperial Pce.¡± I answered. Sir Geens looked calm as he alighted from the carriage. I could faintly hear him and the hooves of the horses of the Imperial Guard members. I immediately put a hand on Benjamin and Ganael¡¯s necks. Thankfully both of them were breathing normally. I sighed in relief. ¨C Pow! ¡°Ugh!¡± Flinch. Someone outside sounded as if they were in pain. I immediately grabbed the doorknob. An intense ominous feeling sent chills down my spine. I was sure that something was happening outside. My mind didn¡¯t quicklye to a decision. ¡®Should I open the door right now and run? No, what about Benjamin and Ganael? Do we all stay here and fight?¡± ¨C m! A strong force pulled the door from the other side. I was pulled out without even being able to resist at all. The man on the other side of the open door was smiling. However, his mint-colored eyes were filled with pain. ¡®Why?¡¯ ¡°Adventures are always dangerous, your highness.¡± Johann Geens continued to speak. I felt a fresh breeze blow by. ¡°You have to put your life on the line, your highness.¡± ¨C Puuk! A sharp sword made of air stabbed into my heart. ¨C Puuk! ¡°Gasp.¡± It was then instantly pulled out. My body started to fall forward. He did not catch me. ¨C Plop! I fell to the ground. I could not breathe properly because of the fear and shock. I clutched my chest and started to crawl forward as if I had gone crazy. Beeeeeeeeeep! It sounded like sirens as my ears continued to ring. I could see that the Imperial Guard members were sprawled out behind the carriage. I did not see any blood. It was an overwhelming difference in strength. The coachman¡¯s head was drooping down. ¡°Huff, huff¡­¡­¡± I covered my mouth with one hand and tried my best to calm my breathing. Johann Geens was an air attribute Holy Knight. He must have suppressed and suffocated all of them. He must have done the same with Benjamin and Ganael. ¡°You are not bleeding, your highness. Are you wearing a stab proof vest inside? Or maybe it is a magic tool?¡± He asked in a cold voice. I finally realized that there was no blood on my hand. I quickly looked underneath the ripped shirt. ¡°Haaa¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± The notebook that had a deep dent in the middle was glowing red and releasing mana. This item that I always had on me¡­ The only personal item that Prince Jesse had brought from the Holy Kingdom¡­ ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll make sure that it doesn¡¯t hurt, your highness.¡± The man standing above memented. His voice sounded as if he would crumble at any moment. ¡°Sir Geens. Why-¡± ¨C Swoooooooosh! An air de came out of his hand. ¨C Kakakakaaaaaaang! My golden circle blocked the Holy Knight¡¯s attack in the air. He was not using his full strength as an Archbishop. The headache that seemed to have disappeared made a reappearance once I used my ether. ¡®What the heck did he do to me?¡¯ ¡°It is Prince Consort Werner¡¯s orders. He told me to kill you and bring back any piece of you.¡± ¡°That makes no sense. You made a Promise of Ether to me.¡± ¡°Yes, I said that I never received any money from him. He is not a client.¡± His voice was shaking at the end. ¡®Then maybe?¡¯ ¡°The Prince Consort is holding my son hostage.¡± I instantly got chills. A stronger de attacked the top of my Holy Domain. [Stop!] ¨C Baaaaang! My Divine Oracle and his attack shed against each other. There was a short sh of light. ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiiii, screeeeeeeeeeech¡­¡­ The golden dome was painfully opening. His long and sharp de had managed to pierce through my Holy Domain. This was the cruel difference between the Bishop and the Archbishop level. He reached for me through the sharp gap. I moved my upper body back out of reflex. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to use this method. I didn¡¯t want you to experience something you had already experienced once before, your highness.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± I urgently grabbed my neck. I felt the vivid pain of being unable to breathe. It was a feeling I had pushed to the side of my mind and never wanted to recall again. It was a sight I saw every so often in my nightmares. The twin assassins. ¡°I apologize for making you drink the tea. The moon halo weed does not have any poisonous property. There is just the side effect of making ether unstable when mixed with the sap of sun halo weed.¡± ¡°Ugh, groan¡­¡­¡± ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help butugh at myself for thinking that at least the others would be okay despite being in such a dire situation. Tears formed as a physiological effect of being strangled, making everything blurry. ¡°I put some sap of sun halo weed on your teacup when I touched it back then.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°It has no color or odor so it is difficult to notice. Just a tiny amount of it is enough. It remains in your body for six months¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ugh, groan¡­¡­.¡± ¡®Am I really going to die like this in the end? Did the author decide that I would die by suffocation no matter what?¡¯ My whole body was shaking and my head felt as if it would explode. I pushed the dirt with my boots and iled. I saw Eunseo, my brother, and my mom¡¯s faces before some familiar images appeared in my mind. Fluttering pink hair, mes surrounding a forehead¡­¡­ ¡°Of course, it is something only themoners in the countryside know about.¡± ¨C Flutter! I heard some wings fluttering before a small creature charged in. A brown ball of fluff attacked Sir Geens. ¡°Ugh!¡± He scowled and retreated. His firm ether became disheveled and I could breathe again. ¡°Huff! Cough, cough! Cough cough!¡± I took a big breath and then coughed. I quickly wiped my mouth and looked around. ¨C Piruuuuuuuuuu! Pipi! ¡°Percy.¡± ¡®No.¡¯ My eyes opened wide. The chimney bird that I left back in the Imperial Pce had flown in front of me to peck at Sir Geens¡¯ face. ¡®How did he know I was here?!¡¯ [Cough! Come here, stop it!] I stumbled but managed to stand up. This little bird, the punk that had not even awakened as a divine beast, would not be able to fight an Archbishop. Percy had no abilities. I needed to stop him. Sir Geens viciously swung his arm. ¨C Pipipi! Pipipi! [Percy!] ¨C Swoooooooosh! There was a thud and the chimney bird was hit. I couldn¡¯t even scream. I urgently crouched down toward the bird that was on the ground. [No, no¡­¡­] ¨C Pii, piiiii¡­¡­ The bird weakly chirped. I extended my shaking hand and gently scooped him up. He was so small and light that his warm body felt as if it could be blown out of my hand at any moment. His left wing had mmed against the ground and seemed to bepletely broken. Percy moved his right wing a bit and looked at me. His ck eyes were half closed. ¨C Piiii, piiii. [Why did you do that? Why did youe all the way here¡­¡­] I clenched my teeth. My lips were shaking and my throat seemed to be on fire. [What the hell are you doing?!] ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your highness.¡± Sir Geens apologized. I was so angry but I didn¡¯t know what kind of expression I should have because his voice sounded muddled. My heart seemed to be fluctuating between rage and sorrow. ¡°I¡¯m sure that the Almighty God will curse me if I murder a royal priest and a divine beast.¡± [¡­¡­] ¡°However, my son is stuck in prison and barely surviving day by day without any of his medicine.¡± [¡­¡­] ¡°This kind of life is basically already cursed, your highness.¡± The man¡¯s face was wet from the wind and rain. He cut through the air without any hesitation and pulled out an opaque sword. I did not give up and released my Holy Domain again. ¨C Ooooooong! [There has to be a way to save your son. Stop it!] He pulled back his arm that was holding the sword. I kept Percy as close to my chest as possible and curled forward. I had not heard any ringing in my ears for a little while now. I could only hear my heart thumping and the weak breathing of this small animal. ¨C Piiiii Percy had to survive. This young bird didn¡¯t know or do anything wrong. I moved my mouth close to his beak and whispered. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Big bro will protect you. Run away. Run toward the forest.¡± ¨C Shhh! The wind de cut through the Holy Domain. I clenched my eyes shut. After that¡­ ¨C Baaaaaaaang! A piercing noise shook the whole forest. I felt something overwhelm my senses and my eyes opened wide. ¨C Paaaaat! An explosive gold light burst out from my body and the ground around me. I could slowly see Sir Geens being iled away. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± I could see an extremelyrge and magnificent circle. My second circle, which was almost 200 meters in diameter. My Holy Land. Chapter 102 Chapter 102 ¨C {Target (3)} Chapter 102 {Target (3)} Thump. C¨¦dric flinched. His orange eyes that looked as if they were on fire turned toward the direction of the Imperial Pce. It was only for an instant, the presence was too clear for him to question his senses. It was the explosion of an ether that was clear and powerful. It did not seem to be signs of overload as the flow did not continue. However¡­¡­ ¡°Just now¡­¡± Christelle¡¯s words brought him out of his thoughts. The Imperial Prince only moved his eyes to look at her. Those blue-gray eyes of hers were slightly shaking with anxiety. ¡°Was I mistaken, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Wooooooooooow!¡± The stands burst into cheers the same time he responded. Marquis Duhem¡¯s polo team managed to score again. The two of their gazes sunk down amidst the calm whistling and pping. It might not be anything bad. For example, they might have run into a wild animal while traveling through the forest and the Holy Knight needed some ether¡­¡­ ¡°Daddy?¡± They heard ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s shocked voice at that moment. The two of them turned their heads to look at the young Countess. They looked toward where she was looking to see Sir Michel Moutet. The Imperial Prince stood up without any dy, making the others in his group stand up as well. The middle-aged man was quickly approaching them without even any escorts. He looked like a mess once they could see him better. The cor of his jacket was quite wrinkled as if he rushed out of the Count¡¯s Estate. His dark grey hair was disheveled and his neck was full of sweat. It meant that whatever he needed to do was not something he could have a messenger deliver. ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Sir Michel.¡± ¡°I received some words from Margrave Moutet.¡± He was talking about his wife. The Imperial Prince had an ominous feeling. ¡°She received a statement from the leader of the pirates ¨¦lisabeth and youngdy Christelle captured while interrogating them. That person apparently fought against a young Holy Knightst year in the Holy Kingdom. His opponent¡¯s eyes were the color of jade and he controlled the wind.¡± ¡°Please continue.¡± ¡°She was told that they could not defeat him even when about a hundred pirates attacked him together so she mocked them saying that there was no way that mere pirates could take on an Archbishop when¡­¡­¡± Sir Michel soon continued to speak. ¨¦lisabeth tightly squeezed her father¡¯s hand. ¡°They responded that it wasn¡¯t that kind of issue. The sky split and the wind and waves became so strong that their ship was broken into pieces once the white-haired Holy Knight said an incantation.¡± Christelle gasped. The Imperial Prince had a rare look of perplexion as well. ¡°She confirmed the story with other pirates who were captured in the forest. Your Royal Highness, Sir Johann Geens is not an Archbishop¡­¡­¡± The middle-aged man sounded scared. He quietly whispered. ¡°He is a Cardinal who can use stigmata.¡± ¨C Baaaaang! Christelle and the Imperial Prince¡¯s shadows burst onto the field. The horses became shocked and screeched but the two of them did not care. A ck glove violently grabbed Fran?ois Duhem¡¯s cor. Johann Geens had tricked them about his rank. That was enough reason to move. * ¡°I really thought I was going to d¡­¡­¡± I mumbled in a hoarse voice. I was still coughing every so often. Of course, my life was not guaranteed as Sir Geens was still alive. However, he has been sted away and unable to stand back up. I at least overcame the crisis. At least that was what I thought as I slowly stood up. I then inspected the magnificent golden circle. The size and pattern werepletely different from the Holy Domain. The second circle had much fancier and more geometric patterns. In addition, it was at least two times the size of thergest Holy Land recorded in history. ¡®I don¡¯t know what happened, but¡­¡­ ¡°I¡¯m relieved.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but talk to myself. Thanks to its size, Benjamin and Ganael inside the carriage as well as the Imperial Guard members and the coachman fainted nearby were all within my circle. I couldn¡¯t fight against Sir Geens but I could at least protect them. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to reach the Archbishop level in a ce like this.¡¯ ¨C Piiiii ¡°Percy.¡± I became shocked and looked down at the warm body on my palm. The chimney bird was slightly moving its right wing. It was alive. I choked up for a moment. I ced my forehead against its head and whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some ether. Take it in.¡± ¨C Pii¡­¡­ Percy sounded as if it could die at any moment. Unfortunately, the little guy still did not absorb my ether. I gulped while looking at Sir Geens staggering as he got up outside the circle. I felt as if my legs were about to give out. I wanted to get on any of the horses and run away. However, I could not do so nor should I do so. I had to protect the people here until the main characters arrived or at least someone who could suppress Sir Geens arrived. ¡®Persist.¡¯ I clenched my teeth. ¡®I need to do what I can even if I am scared.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­Sir Geens.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± He responded from a distance. I did my best to make sure my voice was not shaking and that I did not avoid his gaze. ¡°I will help you find a way to save your son. I¡¯m sure his Royal Highness can help us.¡± ¡°I already told you, your highness.¡± He weakly smiled. I could see through his white hair that was covered in dirt that his face was drenched. ¡°The Prince Consort uses any and all means necessary. You should know that better than I do, your highness.¡± I was at a loss for words as I looked at him. I didn¡¯t know about Prince Jesse¡¯s past but I did know about the things that happened recently. Prince Consort Werner was willing to sacrifice innocent thirteen year old children to send assassins to kill off his stepson in a foreign country. Furthermore, he even took Sir Geens¡¯ sick son as hostage and imprisoned him without even giving him the medicine he needed. It was all to torture Sir Geens. It was to torture him to the point that he could kill me without any hesitation. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I wanted to tell him that there had to be some sort of opening in the things that people did and that he would be able to meet his son again. However, it probably just sounded like me trying to deceive him. ¡°I am now an Archbishop. I can defend against your attacks.¡± That was why I calmly changed tactics. There was no change in his expression at all. ¡°And you will reach depletion if you keep using ether like this. Then you will meet your end here. For now¡­¡± The Holy Knight moved both arms weirdly at that moment. I stopped talking and looked at him. ¡®What is he doing?¡¯ ¡°Your highness, do you remember what I said not too long ago? I said that you would be able to experience stigmata soon too.¡± The manmented. His arms were moving as if they were putting an arrow on an invisible bow. It waspletely different from how he pulled out the opaque sword out of thin air earlier. His mint-colored eyes were clearly aiming for me. I hugged Percy out of reflex. ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­ A cold breeze that did not fit July shook the trees around us. The air in the forest started to stir with uneasiness. It was just not my imagination. ¡°Sir Johann Geens.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about me at that time, but¡­¡± It was hard to breathe. It felt as if phantasmagoria was brushing past my eyes. The things that the man had told me until now sshed down like a waterfall. ¡®It is an esprit. This demonic beast ismonly seen in the rural viges in the mountains of the Holy Kingdom as well.¡¯ ¡®It was my first time seeing an Esprit since I was very young.¡¯ ¡®It remains in your body for six months¡­¡­ Of course, it is something only themoners in the countryside know about.¡¯ ¡®I was a mercenary even before I awakened as a Holy Knight. I have been one since I was very young.¡¯ ¡®No way, right?¡¯ ¨C Swooooooosh! My eyes slowly opened wide. The strong gusts of wind that came from Sir Geens made my hair and clothes flutter wildly. The sky was quickly getting dark. Large thick grey clouds swirled above my head. They resembled the precursors of a storm. ¡®Of course, you can rise immediately to the Cardinal level if you open up the stigmata. As long as you are not ofmoner birth that is.¡¯ Crack! I could hear tree branches breaking all around the forest. My whole body became drenched in cold sweat. I took a step back out of instinct. ¡®Johann¡¯ was neither a noble nor an Archbishop. Because he was amoner, he could not be epted as¡­¡­ ¡°Cardinal.¡± My words seemed to be the signal that stopped time. The man¡¯s lips slowly moved. The noisy wind seemed to stop for a moment. His voice echoed throughout the area. [Tempestas.] ¨C Ruuuumble! Babang! Thunder roared. A sharp air current arrow exploded out of the tip of his hand. It was a long and majestic weapon that felt as if the Almighty God had shot it personally. Everything returned to normal speed at the same time. An intense and violent gust rushed toward me. ¨C Shhh! ¨C Crack, baaaaang! My Holy Land released a terrible noise as it broke. The arrow that was covered in a pure white light attacked me from the front. My instincts were telling me about my situation. I could not dodge this. I would die here. ¨C Pii! It was at that moment. ¨C Paaaaat! ¡°Ugh!¡± A bright light shed from my palm. It was so bright that it felt as if it was stabbing my eyes. After that¡­ ¨C ng, ng, chhh! A pair ofrge gold wings appeared in front of me. Then the world turned white. * ¨C Boom! ¡°Ack! Ow¡­¡­¡± I rolled on the ground like a fallen leaf. The fact that my whole body hurt must mean that I was still alive. ¡®I¡¯m alive? Again? How?¡¯ ¡°Wow, it might be easier just to d-.¡± I could not finish my sentence. I stopped for a moment after seeing what was going on in front of me. I didn¡¯t care about the button falling off my ripped shirt as I quickly stood up and looked around. This was not the forest on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital where I had been fighting against Sir Geens. ¡°¡­¡­Why is everything white?¡± My mind nked out for a moment. Everything was white and I was standing alone in this empty space. Everything was white to the point I could not tell where the ceiling and walls were located. I even thought that all my senses were just a part of my imagination and that I had actually died. ¡®Did I die in the middle and escape the QNW world? Then what about Percy who was with me?¡¯ ¡°Percy!¡± ¨C Pii! I heard a familiar chirp as soon as I shouted before a small light purple ball of light appeared from the ground. The round fluff soon turned into a chimney bird. I quickly knelt down in front of it. Percy was fine unlike a few moments ago. The way it pped its wings and blinked its ck eyes made it lookpletely healthy. I was so shocked that I missed a beat before I spoke. ¡°You¡­¡­ What happened? Are you not in pain anymore? Are you okay?¡± ¨C Piruuuuu ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean. Did you die too?¡± ¨C Piiriii Percy tilted its body before jumping around. It seemed to have something it wanted to say but must be frustrated because we could notmunicate. The little punk soon turned into a light purple ball of light again. ¡°Percy.¡± ¨C Shaaaaaaa- The ball of light silently started to grow. I nked out as I watched Percy¡¯s transformation. ¡®Is this Percy¡¯s ability?¡¯ ¨C You don¡¯t know where this is. Flinch. A beautiful voice that I was too familiar with now greeted me. I was certain that it was Imperial Prince C¨¦dric¡¯s voice. ¡®It¡¯s the Imperial Prince¡¯s voice, but¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Youngdy Sarnez?¡± The person who appeared once the light disappeared was Christelle. I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything. The face was Christelle¡¯s but the voice was the Imperial Prince¡¯s. ¡®What kind of grotesque mutant-¡¯ ¨C Tsk. Christelle scowled and clicked her tongue. The way she grabbed her neck and let out some coughs made it seem as if she was not satisfied with this situation either. She sighed and a bright lc-colored light wrapped around her body again. The ball of light then started to getrger. I waited for this second transformation to finish wondering what might happen. ¡®It¡¯s so difficult to get an exnation.¡¯ ¨C Your highness! Are you o- ¡°No. This isn¡¯t right. Quickly change it.¡± I urgently waved my hand. I was scared that this scarybination of the Imperial Prince¡¯s face and Christelle¡¯s voice would appear in my dreams. The young man¡¯s pretty face scrunched before he disappeared into the light again. Percy¡¯s next target was an unexpected person. ¡°Benjamin?¡± ¨C Pipipi, piruru ¡°Pffft.¡± I couldn¡¯t help butugh despite it not fitting the situation. It was because Percy¡¯s chirping noises came out as soon as Benjamin opened his mouth. It seemed to want to borrow the appearance of someone it had met until now to exin the situation but it didn¡¯t seem to have understood everybody¡¯s voices and actions yet. It must have been frustrated as well as Benjamin let out a deep sigh. His blue eyes sparkled with desperation. It looked as if it was ready to really show me something this time. ¨C Shaaaaa! ¡°Eek.¡± My jaw dropped once I saw who appeared. I quickly covered my mouth with both hands. I was certain that I would gasp loudly or point if I did not do that. ¡°You¡­¡­¡± ¨C Nice to meet you, Prince Jesse. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you like this. His blue eyes curled beautifully. His ck hair reached down to his waist and this formal attire of an archmage was something I had definitely seen in a picture before. There was a jolt in my brain as soon as I recognized this person. I finally realized Percy¡¯s true identity. This bird was not a divine beast! ¡°I greet the honorable Prince Consort Alexandre.¡± ¨C I am simply borrowing the appearance of my friend. I am not actually him. I quickly bowed but he leaned his neck toward me and answered. ¨C But I think it would be better to refer to me as Nikky than Percy while we are here. I cannot give you any advice while looking like a bird. The face that was so simr to the Imperial Prince¡¯s gently smiled at me. His voice was a bit lower and warmer than the Imperial Prince¡¯s. ¨C Isn¡¯t Ark of the Wind Deity too long for you to constantly call me that? I nodded my head. ¡®Then this must be inside the ¡®ark.¡¯ How cool.¡¯ Chapter 103 Chapter 103 ¨C {Target (4)} Chapter 103 {Target (4)} ¡°Thank you for saving me, sir.¡± I mented. Percy, or Nikky, nodded his head. I know such a thought is inappropriate right now, but the Prince Consort truly was extremely handsome. It made me think that Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique was truly skilled. ¨C You are a good human. I wanted to repay you for working so hard to protect the child of the Almighty God. Giving everything I had to protect Percy must have been seen favorably by the Ark. I was thankful for that but felt a bit awkward because anybody would have acted that way if they were in my ce. That was why I changed topics to resolve my curiosity first. ¡°How are you here, sir? I remember seeing that the divine item was in the Bell Tower in Yvelines when we left.¡± ¨C That is my afterimage. ¡°Excuse me?¡± My eyes opened wide because I was not sure if he was being serious or not. Nikky covered his mouth with the baggy sleeve of his formal attire andughed. ¨C I am an existence that is like a free bird. It is easy to create a clone. ¡°Then you followed us since Yvelines¡­¡­ Why did you take the appearance of a chimney bird? Couldn¡¯t you have turned into a human?¡± ¨C You will understand if you think about my name. ¡°Ah.¡± That was true. The Wind Deity usually took on the form of a bird that caused the wind. I didn¡¯t know why the names of all divine items were in Chinese characters when this was a middle-age western fantasy novel, but I guess as long as it is consistent? I thought that it was being consistent with the setting since I saw the wing-shaped divine item. ¨C I am only allowed to take human form inside the ark. This is where my authority is maximized. ¡°I see.¡± ¨C But I cannot borrow any human¡¯s appearance. The humans I attempted to transform into moments ago were only possible because they have the proviso of the Almighty God. ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked. I got chills on my arms. I thought that Percy was pretending to be people it got close to when it transformed into Christelle, the Imperial Prince, and then Benjamin. But that was not a simple choice? ¨C The other proviso do not know yet. ¡°I do not know what you are saying, sir. What is the proviso of the Almighty God?¡± Nikki silently reached his hand toward the air at my question. There was a light purple ball of light again before a chair appeared behind me. I turned stiff after seeing the chair. It felt as if all of the blood was draining out of my head. My chin started to shake. ¡°¡­¡­This.¡± ¨C Please sit down, my dear prince. ¡°Why is this here?¡± I quickly looked toward Nikky, desperate for an answer. Numerous emotions were visible in his eyes that were as deep as the deep sea. Affection, sympathy, curiosity, worship, and admiration¡­¡­ ¡°How do you know about this? Why is this here?¡± My fingertip was shaking as I pointed at the chair. This was Eunseo¡¯s table chair. To be more specific, it was the chair she always sat in when we ate together. There was a pink pig-shaped cushion on it and the back of the chair had a thin checkered patterned nket. This was my younger sister¡¯s seat. ¨C This too is a proviso of the Almighty God. ¡°Please exin clearly. This is my younger sister¡¯s belonging. I have a right to know.¡± I walked away from the chair and approached him. Nikky had an awkward look on his face. ¨C I¡¯m sorry. I am a holy divine item but I am not omniscient. It is because the Almighty God always reveals his will in ambiguous and difficult to understand methods. The ¡®proviso¡¯ is also like that. I felt as if I couldn¡¯t breathe. He exined as if to console me. ¨C A proviso is a fragment with the principles of the world. It is a piece that has the secrets of creation and cirction. I tried my best to calm my breathing. Ithen tried to stuff as much of what I just heard into my mind. Principles of the world. Creation. Cirction. { I quit my job and ended up as a noble youngdy in another world }. ¨C Maybe it is because a few drops of the Almighty God¡¯s capricious sincerity sttered on me like paint? I don¡¯t know the reason or origin but I am cognizant of the existence of the proviso. That chair is the same thing. I looked at Eunseo¡¯s chair. Nikky continued to speak. ¨C That item is a proviso that is deeply tied with the mystery of this ce. However, I do not know anything else. ¡°So¡­¡± I clenched my eyes shut before opening them back. I needed to be calm. It was rare to get a major hint like this so I couldn¡¯t get baffled and miss everything. I took a deep breath in and then out. I lifted my damp hand and pped myself. ¡®Stay focused.¡¯ ¡°There are these provisos that hold the secrets and principles of the world and you are saying that Christelle, his Royal Highness, and Benjamin are involved. My sister¡¯s chair as well. You don¡¯t know if there are other provisos but your natural instincts allow you to sense them?¡± ¨C That¡¯s right. Very well analyzed, young prince. Nikky leaned forward and plimented me. His long ck hair gently fell on top of his shoulders. I gulped and asked the most important question. ¡°It¡¯s not that Eunseo is here?¡± ¨C You are the only foreigner here. My stiff back rxed after hearing his confirmation. I felt pletely weak but I did not sit down on Eunseo¡¯s chair. I felt like my mind would bee weak and I would be unable to do anything if I sat there. It was enough to know that my sister was not suffering here. I energetically shook my head and started to speak. ¡®I need to dig up as much info as possible.¡¯ ¡°Was the Prince Consort a proviso as well?¡± ¨C Excuse me? ¡°You are borrowing his Royal Highness¡¯s appearance right now. Did he have the principles of the world as well?¡± Nikky smiled bitterly. ¨C No, my friend was an exception. For his son, he¡­¡­ ¨C Rumble! The domain started to shake at that moment. I looked around in shock. I was already feeling weak so the whole area shaking made it difficult to keep standing. Nikky grabbed both of my arms to keep me steady. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¨C It looks like you need to head out soon, Prince Jesse. He looked truly apologetic. ¨C You are not my master. Opening the ark was impulsive and a temporary thing, so¡­¡­ Your current level of Divine Power is not enough to handle me. ¡°Does it mean that we cannot meet again?¡± There was ringing all around that made his voice seem close and then far over and over. I raised my voice as well. The man warmly responded. ¨C I will be by your side. I am curious about the story of your friends and you. ¡°You mean¡­¡­¡± ¨C What will you do when you go out? I made eye contact with the dark blue eyes. Boooooom! The ground shook even stronger. The white domain started to crack in multiple locations before rays of light that resembled the sun started to enter. I answered without any hesitation. ¡°I need to protect the people here first. They are all unconscious right now. And¡­¡­ I want to help Sir Geens.¡± He then smiled so brightly that my eyes hurt. The whole world turned bright at the same time. It resembled when I first came into the ark. * ¨C Ooooooong! It was the sound of a spell starting. Tens, no, hundreds of light pink mana pebbles were gathering into the air. A group of five appeared in the pletely silent forest path. Christelle was the first to move. ¡°Prince Jesse!¡± She shouted loudly and looked around. She could see unconscious Imperial Guard members scattered on the ground. The horses were fine and there were no traces of blood but the coachman was also unconscious. ¨¦lisabeth ran over with a pale face and checked in the carriage to find the two attendants. She was relieved to see that they were breathing. She groaned before putting her face against Ganael¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It looks like they are all alive. They were just put to sleep.¡± Sir Michel Moutet used his expertise as a doctor to check on the unconscious people before he mented. C¨¦dric gave an order to Fran?ois Duhem. ¡°To the Imperial Pce.¡± ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness.¡± Fran?ois immediately obliged. The memorative polo match was stopped and he was unable to reveal the crystal board. Someone had grabbed him by the cor and he had to use his specialty, teleportation, without knowing what was going on. He had teleported to the area with the strong ether storm. Of course, he did not resist. He was a loyal vassal of the Empress and obeyed the orders of her heir. The Marquis soon turned into small pebbles. Christelle continued to investigate the area. The trees nearby had all fallen from the aftershock of a terrible power. There was arge ditch in the path toward the Imperial Pce. It must not have been very long since the attack since the dirt was still in the air. However, there were no traces of the prince anywhere. She could not feel his pure ether anymore. It was so silent without even birds chirping. ¡°What the hell did you do?¡± Christelle mumbled in a low voice. Honestly speaking, she knew what had happened. However, she did not want to ept it. She barely managed to raise her head and look forward. Her chin then stiffened. That motherfucking person was on the other side of the road. The man¡¯s mint-colored eyes were red. ¡°What the hell did you do?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Tell me, what the hell did you do?!¡± ¨C Baaaaang! The area she was standing sunk down. The MC charged toward Johann at a fast pace. ¨C CLANG! An ice sword and a wind shield released an intense light as they shed. Christelle clenched her teeth. She was full of disappointment and anger toward the person she had considered her teacher. On one hand, her heart felt empty and scared. Her eyes started to tear up. ¡°How could you do this? Huh? How¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Fuck, say something!¡± ¨C aaaang! Her voice cracked and her sword also broke into pieces. Johann quickly retreated as if he was trying to leave the area. However, Christelle did not miss that opening. She quickly spun and appeared behind him. ¨C aaaang! An ice dagger that she pulled out of her fingertips stabbed at his neck. An opaque air current blocked her attack. Christelle¡¯s arm was shaking. This was a skill she had learned from Johann. Block the escaping enemy¡¯s retreat and instantly kill them. ¡°What gave you the right to cry?!¡± ¨C Baaaaang! She kicked Johann in the stomach. The man helplessly got flung back. His body was sent flying and then¡­ ¨C Plop! He looked unsightly as he rolled until he arrived in front of C¨¦dric¡¯s feet. The white-haired man was silent as if he wasn¡¯t even allowed to groan. The Imperial Prince looked down at him with an indifferent gaze. Christelle was huffing as she walked over. ¡°You terrible bastard¡­¡­¡± She harped on. However, she was angriest with herself. Christelle¡¯s mind was full of regret and nder toward herself. She should have e with him. She should not have put her guard down. She should not have trusted this guy so easily. She shouldn¡¯t have stopped the Imperial Prince at that time. She should not have been so stupid to only think about ying.She should have been on guard at least a bit. The fact that she was living a rxed life did not mean the same for the prince. ¡®Ham Ga-in, you stupid dumbass.¡¯ ¨C Swoooosh! She wiped her cheek before pulling out her whip and swinging it around. Johann immediately moved out of her attack range. ¨C Baaaaang! The ground split open and water shot up. Craaaaaaack! Sharp icicles shot out of the water that quickly froze. Christelle was fiercely chasing after Johann. ¨¦lisabeth soon joined in. ¨C Boobooboooom! ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Imperial Prince silently observed the three of them. He was trying very hard to calm the endlessly rumbling ether inside his body. He knew that getting overly emotional; getting so angry that his brain shatters would kill him. Making the wrong move right now would mean that he would burn his own body and turn into ashes. The heat was making things blurry for him. The man slowly raised his left hand. ¨C Siiiizzle¡­¡­ His ck glove, the magic tool that was supposed to withstand fire, was slowly burning. It was already difficult for him to control himself. His orange eyes became as dark as sun spots. Maybe just like this¡­¡­ ¨C Paaaaat! Ether that made his heart thump sted out from behind him at that moment. The Imperial Prince turned his head in disbelief. Therge pure white light made him unable to see anything but he didn¡¯t know how to look away. ¡°Ow, my hips.¡± He then heard a familiar voice. The Imperial Prince let out a small breath. A pair ofrge light purple wings appeared once the light settled down. The divine item of metal attribute sparkled under the July sunlight. The things on Prince Jesse¡¯s back as he plopped down on the ground were surrounding him. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here, your Royal Highness. That¡¯s a relief.¡± He smiled after noticing C¨¦dric. His blonde hair was covered in dirt and the areas underneath his ripped shirt and pants were full of small injuries but he didn¡¯t seem to care. The Imperial Prince tightly grabbed the scabbard of his Sword of Wisdom. ¡°What do you want?¡± That was the question he asked. The Prince seemed a bit shocked as he looked around. He saw Sir Michel examining the people who were slowly starting to wake up and then the two shadows chasing after Johann and seemed to understand the situation. The purple eyes then looked at the Imperial Prince with a determined gaze. ¡°I hope you can capture Sir Geens alive. He is someone who needs help. He will be tortured by Prince Consort Werner again if we allow him to escape. But he is a Cardinal¡­¡­¡± There was an awkward look on his face. ¡°Will you be okay, your Royal Highness?¡± C¨¦dric Riester then responded to him. His ether had calmed down at some point. Almost as if it was a lie or a dream¡­ ¡°It will happen as you wished.¡± Baaaaang! There was a vicious burst of air as his figure shot forward. Chapter 104 Chapter 104 ¨C Target (5) Chapter 104: Target (5) ¡°Your highness?!¡± Christelle¡¯s voice cracked as she shouted, noticing me from a distance. I couldn¡¯t help butugh in this serious situation where Christelle, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric were fighting against Sir Geens three on one. I waved my hand to show that I was okay. ¡°What the heck?! What happened, your highness?!¡± She shouted in a teary voice. But even as she did that¡­ ¨C Baaaaang! She made water shoot up from underground to block Sir Geens¡¯ view. The young Countess did not miss the man¡¯s moment of hesitation and aimed for his legs. ¨C Shhh! ¨C Boom! Sir Geens, who just barely dodged Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s sword, looked toward me. There was guilt, shock, sadness, and relief visible all at once on his face. His expression made me a bit confused, but I was sure that his mind was at least a thousand times more chaotic than mine right now. The young Countess looked toward me, took a step back and¡­ ¨C Baaaaang! There was an extremely loud noise as the Imperial Prince¡¯s Sword of Wisdom mmed down on the wind shield. Crackle! A red me shot out from the sword. His opponent instantly cut off the oxygen to extinguish the me. The Imperial Prince¡¯s orange eyes were unwavering while Sir Geens¡¯ arms were slightly shaking. He did not take out his weapon or attack. He seemed to be focused on defense and finding an escape path. The Imperial Princeunched some splendid attacks that made it look as if he was doing a sword dance. My jaw dropped. ¨C Baang, baaaang! ¨C p. On my back, the Ark of the Wind Deity gently pped its wings. It seemed to be cheering for them with this expression of admiration. I had gasped a bit earlier thinking that it had dug into my skin, but thankfully there was about 5cm between my back and the divine item. I awkwardly petted the Ark¡¯s feather and observed the situation. The air attribute was not sensitive to other attributes and Sir Geens had the physical strength of a Cardinal. It would not be impossible for him to escape if that was his sole focus. However, he had used his stigmata earlier. He has likely used up a lot of his focus and ether, so continuing to exhaust his power like this might allow them to capture him alive. ¡°Sir Johann Geens, surrender peacefully. You are already a criminal in her Majesty¡¯s Empire!¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth calmlymented. Sir Geens¡¯ expression shook. I realized that he was thinking about someone else. The Holy Knight was already Prince Consort Werner¡¯s captive before he was the Empress¡¯ criminal. It made no difference to him whether he was captured in the Empire or in the Holy Kingdom. It felt as if his thoughts were being transferred to me. My eyes slowly opened wide. ¡°No.¡± I muttered to myself. The Prince Consort would get rid of Sir Geens¡¯ son if it was revealed that he was the Empress¡¯ prisoner. Even if he managed to escape from here, he would not be able to fulfill the Prince Consort¡¯s orders as he would not be able to kill me. If that happened, what the Prince Consort would do to his son¡­¡­ It felt as if my blood was cooling off. ¡®That guy is about to give up.¡¯ ¡°Your Royal Highness!¡± I shouted. Sir Geens broke his own shield at that moment. The tip of a sword that was so ck it did not reflect any light struck down toward him. ¨C p! The ark helped me fly up into the sky. I reached out my arm but I was too- [Stop.] A bright light shed. ¨C Paaaaat! A magnificent circle, so big the ends were not visible, appeared in front of me. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± The Imperial Prince and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth were pushed away. The ark turned into a chimney bird. I felt emptiness under my feet as I started to fall. Christelle quickly rolled over to catch me. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Eek, aigoo¡­¡­¡± ¨C Piruuuuu She groaned as we both iled around. I waspletely dumbfounded as I had no idea what just happened. Percy sat down on my head. I thanked Christelle before pushing my aching body up and looking around. The Imperial Prince and the young Countess were fine. As for Sir Geens¡­ [You look very tired.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± An easygoing voice echoed in a Divine Oracle. It was Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier. She was looking down at Sir Geens, who was plopped down on the ground, inside her Holy Ground that had golden designs shooting up like fountains of water. In the middle of the radiant and gentle light, the Cardinal¡¯s fingertips touched the man¡¯s hair. It resembled the motions one would make when blessing someone. I watched them nkly. [Rest your eyes for a moment.] Sir Geens¡¯ eyes slowly closed. His body plopped to the side. This was the result of a phenomenal difference in Divine Power. ¡°Your Eminence.¡± ¡°Thank you, Fran?ois.¡± Marquis Fran?ois Duhem, who had escorted her from the Imperial Pce, took something out of his pocket. Christelle and I supported each other as we stood up. The thing in the Cardinal¡¯s hand was a ck and round¡­¡­ ¨C Click She put a thick metal sp around Sir Geens¡¯ neck. I could see the Imperial Prince flinching on the other side. ¡®Why?¡¯ ¡°This is an ether restraining tool. He won¡¯t be able to use his powers until he is released.¡± The Cardinal exined. Her beige-colored eyes looked past the Imperial Prince and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth toward Christelle and me. She had a bitter smile on her face. ¡°You all worked hard fighting against a Cardinal. Come here.¡± She then extended her arm toward us. Christelle and I staggered over and leaned against her. The Cardinal could not handle our weight and wrinkled her clothes as she sat down on the ground. I could finally hear the noises around me. I could hear Christelle crying through the birds chirping, bugs clicking and the middle-aged woman gently chuckling. ¡°Sooooob, I was really shocked¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to cry, but I tend to cry very easily. I¡¯m the type of person who cries even when I am angry, so¡­¡­ Soooob, so annoying¡­¡­¡± She sniffled and buried her face against the Cardinal¡¯s shoulder. I gently rubbed her back, feeling sorry for her. The Cardinal also gave a big hug to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth once she came. It was a bit stuffy since all three of us were being hugged, but I finally felt as if I could rx. I turned my head toward the sleeping Sir Geens. ¡®I hope he can live in peace as well. Let¡¯s look for a way to make that happen.¡¯ ¡°Come here as well, your Royal Highness. Why can¡¯t you even sense the, soooob, mood¡­¡­¡± Christelle motioned toward the Imperial Prince with her hand. He scowled but I was surprised that he came over without anyints. He didn¡¯t join in on the hug but he did stand next to us. Then Marquis Duhem, who we didn¡¯t even invite to this group hug, came over to my side and put his arm around me. I could hear Sir Michel, who was examining the soldiers out in the field,ughing at us. He must have seen what we were doing. ¡°I¡­ My mind has been going back and forth every single day.¡± Christelle sniffled before she started speaking. We quietly listened to what she had to say. ¡°I want to try all sorts of things but if my memories return in the future¡­¡­ I might hate what I did. I might be shocked, haaaa¡­¡­ So it was hard for me to really be passionate about anything. I would enjoy something and then hesitate¡­ I wouldugh and then be ufortable¡­¡­¡± The Cardinal gently brushed Christelle¡¯s pink hair. The MC continued to speak in a muffled voice. ¡°Ugh! But not doing anything made me frustrated. It made me nervous¡­¡­ I don¡¯t want to work hard because it requires so much work but I can¡¯t let it go¡­¡­ It just made me feel like I was wandering without knowing where to go.¡± Christelle sniffled before raising her head. I had heard this before, but hearing it like this enabled me to understand how serious this concern had been for her. The MC and I stared into each other¡¯s eyes for a long time with Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth between us. ¡°But I have set my goal now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I am going to be stronger. I am going to be the strongest person on the continent if possible.¡± ¡®Hmm?¡¯ I blinked in confusion. Christelle¡¯s teary eyes were as firm as diamonds. ¡°Getting stronger shouldn¡¯t be an issue. It won¡¯t matter even if all of my past memories return. It isn¡¯t a bad thing to be strong.¡± ¡°Youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°Then I don¡¯t have to watch my friend suffer like this.¡± She motioned with her eyes toward me. I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything. ¡®So, what she is saying, because of me¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll be the single strongest person here. That¡¯ll solve everything.¡± ¡°How admirable. It is a wonderful n.¡± The Cardinal warmlymented. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth nodded her head. I looked up at the Imperial Prince with a nk expression His eyes, which had calmed down a while ago, were now burning with a new me. ¡®Wait, why are you feelingpetitive?¡¯ * ¡°¡­¡­Mm.¡± I slowly opened my eyes. The light of the summer sunset came in through the window and tickled the curtains by the bed. My mind slowly started to boot up like theputer I used when I was young. ¡®Okay, so this is my bedroom in Juliette Pce within the Imperial Pce. I was just in a group hug in the forest-¡¯ ¡°Eek.¡± I jumped up. ¨C Squeeeeee ¨C Squeeeee. ¨C Squeak! The three red pandas who were on my chest fell off like chestnuts and became buried in the nket. I urgently grabbed them back. I didn¡¯t forget to put my forehead on each of theirs as well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know that you guys were there again. I missed you guys.¡± ¨C Cruuuuuuuuu¡­¡­ Demy quietly responded and bit one of my pajama buttons. ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m wearing pajamas.¡± I mumbled in shock. It wasn¡¯t just my clothes that had changed. I looked at the mirror on the side table and saw that all of the scratches on my face were gone. I pulled up my sleeves and pant legs to check but I had no injuries anywhere else either. I was certain that Cardinal Boutier either healed me herself or had a healing priest look me over. I must have fainted from shock after the adrenaline ran out. ¡®I don¡¯t remember anything at all.¡¯ ¡°The bell. The bell is here.¡± The crystal bell that had been in my pocket until a few hours ago was on the side table. I quickly opened the second drawer. Benjamin and Ganael usually put my notebook here when I lost consciousness and am unable to change my own clothes. ¡°The notebook¡­¡­ Is safe and sound too.¡± The item that had protected my heart from Sir Geens¡¯ attack lookedpletely fine as if nothing had happened. It lookedpletely fine. It was as if nothing had happened despite my seeing it being dented in the center. I was certain that it was a magic tool but this was not the time to think about that. ¡°Let¡¯s go see their faces ande back.¡± I put a gown on and got up while holding the divine beasts at my side. The fact that the notebook was there should mean that Benjamin and Ganael were fine as well, but I wanted to see them with my own eyes. I have a lot of thoughts to organize. I also have to ask what happened to Sir Geens. Percy, who had been sitting on the couch, flew over and sat on my head. ¡°You talk to big broter too.¡± ¨C Pi pi piiiii? The chimney bird nonchntly chirped. I chuckled and opened the bedroom door. I saw a lot more people than usual. There was a confusing silence in the hallway. ¡°Uhh¡­¡­ Have you all eaten?¡± I ended up asking first. The attendants, royal servants, and soldiers lookedpletely stunned as they bowed. ¡°Your grace, you¡¯ve woken up!¡± ¡°Prince Jesse!¡± ¡°Oh Almighty God, thank you very much¡­¡­¡± ¡®Your grace?¡¯ I was bewildered as I epted their greetings. Some of their eyes were red with tears. It felt both as if they were excited and sad. ¡®Something has definitely happened. Do they know that I was almost killed by Sir Geens?¡¯ ¡°You were sleeping for a whole day. Ganael-nim and Benjamin-nim were so worried about you, your highness.¡± ¡°For a day?¡± I calmly calcted the time. I had not fainted in the middle of the day and woken up in the evening. I had been asleep almost as if I was dead for over 24 hours. Perry, who was dangling on my shoulder, started iling because there were so many people. However, I could not just go back to my room like this. I calmed him down as I continued to ask. ¡°Where are the two of them? Are they okay?¡± ¡°The two of them are fine. You were the one who was carried in unconscious yesterday, your highness.¡± ¡®They must have all been really shocked after seeing that.¡¯ ¡°Your precious clothes were all ripped and covered in so much dirt that even the gardeners gasped and ran over. We were told that you probably would not wake up for a few days but to see you up so soon¡­¡­ It is a blessing from the Almighty God.¡± One of the soldiers took out a handkerchief and wiped his eyes. I felt so apologetic thinking that I made them all worry like this even though it wasn¡¯t my first time fainting. ¡®It wasn¡¯t that I wanted to faint. It just happened¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Oh right, we heard that you are now an Archbishop, your highness. Congrattions on the happy asion!¡± ¡°Congrattions, your highness!¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The tension went up all of a sudden. I smiled as best as I could and looked toward the hallway. ¡®Is Ganael really busy?¡¯ ¡°Her Eminence was quite worried but also extremely happy. It would be good if you could have a meal with her, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°I know right. Sadly his highness is confined for some reason.¡± ¡®What?¡¯ ¡°Pierre, watch your words.¡± Benjamin solemnly quieted the crowd as he appeared. I was so happy and relieved to see that he was okay that I grabbed his shoulders. ¡°Benjamin, are you okay? You¡¯re not hurt, right?¡± ¡°Of course, your highness. It is a much greater joy to me that you are okay, your highness.¡± He smiled benignly and grabbed my hand. However, the look in his blue eyes showed that there was some sort of issue. I did my best to suppress the anxiety in my heart. ¡°Pierre was joking, right? I heard a serious word just now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It is not a joke, your highness.¡± Benjamin responded with his voice full of sorrow. I couldn¡¯t help but question my hearing. ¡°Her Majesty has decreed for you to be confined in Juliette Pce. Indefinitely.¡± Chapter 105 Chapter 105 ¨C {Operation Verona (1)} Chapter 105 {Operation Verona (1)} ¡°Confined, but why¡­¡­¡± ¡°Your highness!¡± I happened to hear Ganael¡¯s voice on the other side of the hallway at that moment. The young boy¡¯s golden eyes sparkled as soon as he noticed me and he walked over. He must have been nning on visiting my room since he had some snacks in his hands. ¡°Ganael, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness! All that happened to me was that I went to sleep and then woke up.¡± The child smiled saying that he was happy that I woke up earlier than expected. I was relieved to see that he didn¡¯t have any sort of seque, but it was hard to smile back at him because of the upsetting news I just got from Benjamin. Ganael must have noticed that as he looked back and forth at Benjamin and me. ¡°Are you very hungry, your highness? Should I tell them to prepare your meal right now?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we go inside the room to speak, your highness?¡± Benjamin and Ganael led me to the room. I peeked behind me while walking through the door he opened. My Juliette Pce family was still tearing up as if they were looking at the main character of a tragedy. * We sat around the balcony table where we could see the summer sunset. I decided to have a simple dinner with the viennoiserie that Ganael brought with him. No matter how upset I was, there was nothing I could do while I was hungry. I had two pieces of pain auit, pain au choct, and pain aux raisins. They were all warm and delicious because Laurence just made them in the kitchen. Moving my mouth and consuming some sugar definitely seemed to clear my mind. The chrysanthemum tea made with the teapot in my bedroom was savory and a bit bitter, making for a goodbination. ¡°Although her Majesty did not say so herself, I can¡¯t help but wonder if the confinement is for your protection, your highness.¡± Benjamin stealthily started to speak. I made eye contact with him. It seemed like quite the extreme measure, but it seemed usible knowing the Empress¡¯s personality. ¡°The issue with Sir Johann Geens¡­¡­ Is something only a very few of the involved individuals know about. The Imperial Pce and The Duhem Marquis¡¯ Estate have called the incident a ¡®suburb demonic beast appearance incident.¡¯ It is not a big topic of discussion in the Imperial Capital as it happened in the outskirts and there were no casualties.¡± ording to his exnation, this incident was covered up as arge demonic beast that appeared in the forest attacking the Imperial family¡¯s carriage and the Imperial Guards. The information that the Juliette Pce family and themoners knew were the following. ¡®His Royal Highness, Young Countess Moutet, youngdy Sarnez, and Prince Jesse did a great job taking down the demonic beast. Furthermore, Prince Jesse advanced as an Archbishop in the process.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­I guess there was no choice but to cover it up.¡± Imented. It wasn¡¯t an embarrassment to the Imperial family that they didn¡¯t know that Sir Geens was a Cardinal since he was a Vatican authorized Archbishop. However, it was a serious issue that he showed his strength as a Cardinal on the Empire¡¯s territory and tried to kill me. In addition, this was already the second assassination attempt on my life. ¡°Yes, your highness. The situation would grow so big and uncontrobly if people learned that you had been in such a threatening situation. ording to Lady Natalie in the Empress Pce, Duchess nquer had been at the Imperial Capital but urgently returned to her territoryst night after receiving an Imperial Order.¡± ¡°Is it¡­¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. It is to fortify the eastern barrier.¡± I gulped. I felt as if the Empress¡¯ Imperial Wrath could be felt all the way here. She probably figured out that Prince Consort Werner was behind this situation. There was no reason for the Empress to ept the bastardmitting such atrocious deeds in her territory. In fact, it would not be weird for her to take this as provocation from the Holy Kingdom. I remember when the twin assassins were charged with ¡®attempting to kill a member of the Imperial family.¡¯ ¡®Damn it, a war really might start because of me. How was the situation resolved at that time? I don¡¯t really remember.¡¯ It looked as if I would need to go through the old articles to find out. ¡°Do you think that this might lead to an armed conflict?¡± I cautiously asked. Ganael, who had been listening to our conversation with an anxious look on his face, shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, your highness! Her Majesty¡­¡­ She probably wants to protect thete Empress C¨¦line¡¯s legacy. She is the one who is most proud of her mother¡¯s achievement of ending the Warring Era.¡± Benjamin nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Her Majesty has criticized her grandfather, thete Emperor Romero, many times for refusing a truce. Although the situation is different from then, she is not someone who would decide on sending the troops in so easily. She is probably just being careful by strengthening the security at the border.¡± ¡°That is a relief.¡± I barely managed to respond. ¡®In that case, my confinement was done in ce of closing off the entire Imperial Pce.¡¯ ¡°Suddenly closing off the Imperial Pce would have led to anxiety so she must have decided to seal off Juliette Pce.¡± ¡°That is my hypothesis on the matter, your highness.¡± Benjamin responded. Demy was trying to get on my knees so I moved him to my arms as I started to think. If it was me from not too long ago, I would have happily weed the confinement. It would have been a way for me to keep distant from the main characters while eating three square meals a day and living safely until the end of the war. But I do not feel that way now. I wanted to see what I could do for Sir Geens and inform the Empress and Cardinal about his situation. I knew better than anybody else that he was not free of any crimes. However, I did not think that Sir Geens should pay the price for the whole ordeal. There was the issue with Eva as well. That child had decided to be the young Duchess after being encouraged by Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and me. The results weren¡¯t out yet and she had not fully be mentally independent from her brother yet, so it was irresponsible to leave her side. ¡®¡­¡­An indefinite confinement really is bad right now.¡¯ I opened my mouth. ¡°Umm, what happened to Sir Geens?¡± I asked the most urgent question. I was anxious that they had done something to him on the day that I was asleep. Benjamin pulled out a gold card from his pocket instead of responding. ¡°Her Eminence sent this card.¡± I quickly opened the card. I found a note written in small and delicate handwriting. ¡®C¨¦dric exined the situation to me. Johann is having a nice dream thanks to you. ¨C Aur¨¦lie¡¯ I read it a second and then a third time. My heart sank at first, thinking that ¡®having a nice dream¡¯ was a euphemistic way of describing death. However, that part about Imperial Prince C¨¦dric exining the situation gave me pause. I slowly recalled what I had said to him. ¡®I hope you can capture Sir Geens alive. He is someone who needs help. He will be tortured by Prince Consort Werner again if we allow him to escape.¡¯ Had he shared that part with his godmother? ¡®I would be very thankful if that is the case.¡¯ The Cardinal would thoroughly figure out the situation before giving him a punishment that fit the crime. It was highly likely that she convinced the Empress to do the same. ¡®In that case, ¡®having a nice dream thanks to me¡¯ should mean¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°He¡¯s in the Imperial Pce.¡¯ I quietly mumbled. Even without opening my circle, the people in the Imperial Pce were said to have nice dreams because of my ether. The information about Sir Geens having a nice dream thanks to me should mean that he was imprisoned in the Imperial Pce and not the Imperial Capital¡¯s prison. His ¡®eyes were closed¡¯ since the Cardinal gave the Divine Oracle. It might be better for him to stay asleep as thinking about his son would put him in a lot of pain if he was awake. ¡®I wish I could give him some good news when he wakes up.¡¯ ¡°Benjamin, Ganael.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± ¡°Please ask, your highness.¡± I struggled to speak. I wanted to first get them to understand the situation so that they would help me. They had a right to know about the situation as they were victims of Sir Geens as well. I could not force them to help me if they didn¡¯t want to do so. I took a deep breath before saying the first thing. ¡°Sir Geens has a son.¡± * The next day. The third day of confinement. Ganael looked like a goldfish after crying to sleep while Benjamin seriously expressed his thoughts that it would be better to go to war with the Prince Consort. I had to work very hard to console the two of them in very different ways. But at least my heart felt lighter. I was happy and thankful that the people around me agreed with my thoughts about the Prince Consort being the main culprit for everything. Ganael mentioned how sad he felt about Sir Geens multiple times. It was something I had been unable to say out loud. ¡°Here are some snacks, your highness.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ganael came out to the balcony and ced some financiers and plum blossom tea on the table before quickly leaving. The young boy was constantly figuring out what was happening in the Imperial Pce on my behalf. Benjamin was trying hard to get me permission for an audience with her Majesty. The investigation in the Imperial Pce seemed to be going quietly and meticulously. The attendants of the different pces, the imperial servants in theundry room, the cksmith, the stable keeper, basically everybody was called over by the Imperial Guards at least once. Nobody dared to say anything since they were doing this in the name of a ¡®surprise identity verification for the fortification of safety in the Imperial Pce.¡¯ Crown princess Elise was scheduled to arrive in a week and the Imperial Crown Prince confirmation of session was to happen next month. I was a bit sad to hear that Sand, who knew nothing about the situation, was confined to his lodgings as well. ¡°Prince Jesse, you must be so lonely!¡± I stopped moving my quill pen and raised my head. Someone was in the garden shouting toward the balcony. I leaned my head to see some familiar gardeners. They seemed as if they could not approach because the number of guards around Juliette Pce had tripled. I smiled and waved at them. ¡°I am okay. Please take care of the divine beasts because I sent them to the flower garden.¡± The gardeners bowed in response. Three or four of them even took out their handkerchiefs to wipe their tears. I must have seemed extremely pitiful to them. ¡®Mm, it¡¯s not that bad.¡¯ It was not that difficult to just stay in the pce. Although I couldn¡¯t go take a walk in the garden, have tea time outside, go receive confessions, or see any outsiders such as Christelle¡­¡­ I was unable to even have an audience with the Imperial family or the Cardinal, but I was so busy that I could not feel frustrated. I had a lot on my mind and a mountain load to organize. ¡°Percy, you really can¡¯t open the ark again? Do you think it will be very hard?¡± ¨C Pipipipi The chimney bird on the railing chirped with his innocent eyes. Although I did not speak bird, I could tell that he was changing the topic. He had the same look on his face whenever I brought up the ark sincest night. I gently sighed and drew an X in my notebook. ? Nikky and the ¡®provisos¡¯ ¨C Existences with the secrets and principles of the world ¨C Christelle, the Imperial Prince, Benjamin, Eunseo¡¯s chair ¨C Can I open the ark from my side (X) It was not urgent, but I wrote it down since I needed to organize it. I stared at the words, ¡®Eunseo¡¯s chair¡¯ for a while before turning the page. ¡®Let¡¯s think about thatter. There is nothing I can do about it right now.¡¯ ¡°Multiple people saw that you were a divine item but nobody seems to be bringing that up.¡± ¨C Piruuuuu Percy hopped over andnded on top of my index finger. I caressed his chest with my thumb and started to write again. ? Magic tool notebook ¡°Mm.¡± Then I stopped. There was nothing else to write about this either. The notebook that did not have a single ink stter on it was actually a magic tool with an extremely strong defensive ability. Anything that might be a weapon was not issued to a diplomatic hostage like me, so, having no other options in this urgent situation, I asked Benjamin for his paper cutter and tried to stab the notebook with it yesterday. The results were the same. The notebook released a red mana and blocked the de before restoring the ripped area as if it had never happened. I didn¡¯t know whether the crown princess gave this to the prince or the prince himself packed it, but either way, it was definitely helpful. I did not test it anymore because I was worried that there was a limited amount of times it could defend. I pushed aside the thoughts about the notebook and the ark before returning to the part I was looking at in the morning. There were multiple past issues of the { Biweekly Riester } on the table along with some history books. ? Sir Geens and little boy Geens ¨C Sir Geens is currently asleep in the Imperial Pce (location unknown) ¨C Son is imprisoned in a prison of the Holy Kingdom (sick, needs medicine) ¨C Transfer, special pardon, servitude, etc. ¡°National holiday, a national holiday in the Holy Kingdom¡­¡­¡± I mumbled as I read through the magazine. A short sh of light disturbed me at that moment. ¡°Ah, again.¡± I scowled and covered my face. It had been like thisst evening as well. Some ss or whatever reflected the sunlight going into a Romero Pce window that it was hard for me to open my eyes while sitting at the balcony facing it. It must be an attendant doing that, but I had no idea why they were doing it. ¡®Do I need to tell someone about it? Are theying out to clean a mirror or something?¡¯ ¡°Your highness!¡± Ganael returned to me at that moment. He was breathing heavily as if he had run over. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°That, huff. His Royal Highness, he¡­ has sent everything, huuu, all of the presents for you that came to the Imperial family¡¯s safe!¡± ¡®What is he talking about?¡¯ ¡°The first floor is full of all sorts of valuables, huff¡­ There was no room to even step through things, your highness. It seems to be his way of telling you not to be so depressed¡­ Benjamin-nim¡­¡­¡± I thought about the orange-eyed young man out of reflex. The things he said at the Commerce Center naturally came up as well. ¡®There is not enough room in the safe.¡¯ ¡®Ah. I¡¯ll confine all of the things in the safe with you in the pce. I am doing it because we have no more room in the safe so don¡¯t be depressed about it¡­¡­ Is that what he is trying to say?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s okay. We have a lot of empty rooms.¡± I answered. Ganael nkly stared at me. Chapter 106 Chapter 106 ¨C {Operation Verona (2)} Chapter 106 {Operation Verona (2)} ¡°The boutique wille for confirmation in the afternoon, your Royal Highness. They would like for you to choose the quality and length of the cape you will be using at the session confirmation ceremony. I am here to inform you that there are a total of fifteen options including silk offered up from the south and demonic beast leather gathered from the northern ice region.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Furthermore, her Majesty has suggested that you attend the Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Imperial Capital¡¯s Garrison Officer Candidate School as a representative of the Imperial family. It is currently scheduled for October but it is a bit fluid and may change.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Finally, youngdy Christelle de Sarnez has requested an audience-¡± C¨¦dric stood up from his seat. David stopped talking and watched as he headed toward the balcony. There was a sparkling crystal cup in the Imperial Prince¡¯s hand. The fact that he usually drank his coffee in an elegant ceramic mug made his choice of cup quite odd thest few days. ¡°How is Juliette Pce?¡± ¡°That¡­¡­¡± He did not think that the Imperial Prince had ignored hisment. This young man was quite skilled now at remembering the schedule and responsibilities of the Imperial family. It was something he had drilled down even during the days in the past when he could only be awake for six hours a day. That was why his current question meant, ¡®I understood clearly so answer my question first.¡¯ David calmly continued to speak. ¡°All of the items that came from the Imperial family¡¯s safe were moved into the first floor guest room and reception room. I also heard that Prince Jesse wanted to gift every person who was a part of his pce family something so the staff have been in line since yesterday to receive their gifts.¡± ¡°What?¡± C¨¦dric scrunched his eyes. It was none of his business as to how the prince used the gifts he received from the nobles, but he had not checked every treasure for poison andpleted mana tests on them so that the prince could share them with his minions. However, this should have been expected based on the prince¡¯s personality. The Imperial Prince clicked his tongue internally as he reflected the sunlight off the crystal cup. There were no reactions from the other side. This was already the third day. Had this person, someone who was a prince, not learned the codes from the Warring Era? ¡®How neglected had he been growing up?¡¯ ¡°ording to the children at Romero Pce¡­¡­ Everybody in Juliette Pce is drenching their sleeves with tears every single day. Prince Jesse is getting thinner day by day, is not eating properly, and has lost his smile because of loneliness and sorrow. They said that the way he just buries himself in his room and does note out resembles a spring flower that identally blossomed in July and withers-¡± ¡°Stop.¡± ¡®What a spectacle.¡¯ C¨¦dric had that thought as he frowned. The prince that he knew was easy going but was not weak. Although he was informed that the confinement was indefinite, his mother would definitely let him free when the time was right. The Imperial Pce also knew that the people in the Imperial Pce loved to gossip and seemed quite passionate about this useless weight-gaining issue. He reflected the sunlight off the coffee cup once again. ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was still no reaction. He had no way to tell whether it was because the other person did not know the code or was ignoring it. Even if the prince really was discouraged, he could not be freed immediately as crown princess Elise was about to enter the Imperial pce. What was the problem when he had sent over all sorts of treasures? ¡®Is it because of Johann Geens?¡¯ Unfortunately, the issue of the sinned Holy Knight was out of the prince¡¯s hand already. That issue was up to his mother and his godmother now. He was frustrated. And, as the son of Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester, the Imperial Prince was not the type to let his frustration fester. * 10pm on the fourth day of confinement. I had spent thest two days reading and organizing past issues of the { Biweekly Riester }, history books, and extra editions that had been released. I also received a map of the Viaan Holy Kingdom, but it was not very helpful since I didn¡¯t know anything about the Holy Kingdom. I could not decide whether I shouldugh or cry at the fact that I knew more about the geography of the Empire than that of the Holy Kingdom. However, the new information I gathered about the Vatican was quite useful. The irony was that I got this information not from a handbook of the Church of the Almighty God but from the { Biweekly Riester }. I read through the paper I ripped out once again. ¡¸I want to raise my child as a servitor for the Vatican! ¨C The teaching method for faith that is hot among the nobles right now¡¹ ¨C Screeeech ¡°Oh my, are you sleepy?¡± Demy climbed up the leg of the bedroom table and plopped down on top of the notebook. This was his way of telling me to stop reading and to sing him a luby. Percy was nodding off on my pillow while Rhea and Perry had left the balcony and had disappeared for thirty minutes. They yed a good amount in the garden during the day, but they were probably acting up because they were upset that I couldn¡¯t go with them. I picked Demy up and hummed a luby. The song that came out subconsciously was the QNW OST that Eunseo was always streaming. It was Christelle¡¯s theme song that an extremely famous idol supposedly sang. ¡°It¡¯s a masterpiece. The lyrics are so full of desperation.¡± ¨C Sqoo ¡°The two of them need to quickly have this kind of dating rtionship too¡­¡­¡± I mumbled to myself while organizing the scraps of paper that I had scattered on the table. ¡¸ The Biweekly Riester has prepared a list of the holidays in the Holy Kingdom in honor of Prince Jesse Viaan¡¯s birthday. The way they worship the royal family there is not very different from the way we love our Imperial family. Celebrate their birthday, anniversary of ascending the throne, not forget the glory of victory and the scars of war.¡¹ ¡®This one came out at the end of May.¡¯ ¡¸This is the whole story regarding the twin priests¡¯ assassination attempt of Prince Jesse. However, the noble Empress¡¯ wrath has not ended. We have been informed that her Majesty urgently gathered the Chambre des pairs on the 27th and said the following. I express my strong disdain at Prince Consort Werner Viaan¡¯s rude and uncivilized action. Something like this shall never repeat itself.¡¯¡¹ ¡®This is an article from the March 31 issue.¡¯ I wondered why I did not remember it, but Benjamin reminded me that it was during the time I was having nightmares every other day. I must have subconsciously avoided all rted information. There was a follow up article muchter as well. ¡¸Prince Consort Werner of the Viaan Holy Kingdom had his 51st birthday on the 10th. The rumor is that he made some bold remarks and showed off his charms in a party full of members of the Vatican and other important figures. The aide of Cardinal X, who was present at the party, imed that the Prince Consort brought up the assassination attempt incident from March. ¡®He imed that he could not sleep for a few days because he was shocked and felt wronged after receiving the Empress¡¯ handwritten letter in the pce. He even joked about how his skin became bad because of this false usation. He then mentioned how the prince had to exin for the theft in the Temple of Boundaries. He sounded as if he did not believe the conclusion about the prince being innocent at all.¡¹ It was a brief report in the May 15 issue. I was wondering why the article seemed so unfamiliar, but it was because the timing was perfectly aligned with the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. I had no idea of knowing whether the Prince Consort was aiming for that as he made hisments. However, nobody in the Empire gave much attention to a story about the Prince Consort of the neighboring kingdom because they were all excited about the Great Clearance at that time. Even I had beenpletely fatigued both mentally and physically, so nothing else needed to be said. ¡°Anyway, the final decision has been made.¡± ¨C Cruuuuuuuuu Demy growled as if he was responding to me. I organized the conclusions in the notebook. 1. The overall picture for how to help Sir Geens has been set. ¨C But it is all over if even one step goes wrong. 2. I need to meet crown princess Elise in order to bring this n into fruition. ¨C This is making me go crazy! 3. However, I need to convince the Empress in order to meet the crown princess because I am in confinement. 4. Unfortunately, the Empress is refusing to meet with me. {new! ¡°Mm.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but groan. I recalled what Benjamin had told me this morning with a grim look on his face. ¡®Your highness, her Majesty has officially declined your request for an audience. She has also sent a message to you¡¯ ¡®What did she say?¡¯ ¡®Just stay still in your nest. This is not something for you to act on.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­Did you just try to imitate her voice right now?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m sorry, your highness.¡¯ Telling me that this is not something for me to act meant that she and the Cardinal will take care of the incident. I could not understand it. I was the person who was almost killed by Sir Geens and I was the one who knew his situation, so I could not understand why they would not listen to the concerned party¡¯s story. Although the Empress was hot-tempered, she was not a tyrant or stubborn. ¡®There is no way that she wouldn¡¯t need a witness when judging a criminal¡­¡­¡¯ A thought jolted in my mind at that moment. ¡°She¡¯s trying to negotiate with the crown princess. A Cardinal from the Vatican happens to being with her too!¡± ¨C Pruu! Demy opened his mouth. I looked at him with a serious look on my face. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter no matter what I say. They will hand Sir Geens over to the Vatican, raise aint to the Vatican about his lying about his rank, and have the crown princess take responsibility for the assassination attempt. The Prince Consort¡¯s wrongdoing is the Holy Kingdom¡¯s wrongdoing in the end.¡± ¨C Screeeech! The divine beast pushed down on the upper part of my stomach. ¡°Then Sir Geens will¡­¡­¡± I did not finish my sentence. It was, in some aspects, an extremely magnanimous measure to hand over a criminal of the Empire to the Vatican. It could also be seen as an expression of faith that they were not using human rules to punish someone who has received the Authority of the Almighty God. However, the Empress¡¯ intentions were clear. She was nning on pressuring the Vatican and the Holy Kingdom at the same time. The Empire, Vatican, and Holy Kingdom were maintaining an odd bnce. Riester was overwhelming the others when it came to national power, but the Viaan was developing numerous Holy Knights and priests, maintaining control of the Vatican through its influence. It wasn¡¯t that the Vatican kept the Empire at a distance, but the rtionship was not very amicable based on what I read. She was probably nning on using this opportunity to yell at the Vatican and properly warn the Holy Kingdom. She was telling them that they better not dare to mess with me while I am here. ¡°Damn it, this is bad.¡± I stood up and held Demy as I paced in the room. The Prince Consort imed the twin assassins trying to kill me were false usations without any proof. That meant that he would not leave any proof that would be unfavorable for him. Sir Geens and his son¡¯s lives were basically in the Prince Consort¡¯s hands as soon as they arrived at the Vatican. There was no way that Werner would leave a living proof alone. ¡®The Imperial Guard believes that someone who works for the Beng family received some money from the Holy Kingdom and handed over the information about the attendant candidates.¡¯ I suddenly became curious about what might have happened to the person from the Beng Estate who sold information to the Prince Consort. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth would have told me if he was captured by the Imperial Guard, but there was no news about it at all. I got the chills for a moment. ¡°What should I do, Demy? The Prince Consort is such a terrible bastard but QNW is not easy.¡± ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii! I groaned along with Demy. I had been too rxed about this. The Empress had goodwill toward me but she was the leader of the Empire and a politician. There was no way that she would look at Sir Geens with the same kind of gaze as me. Then was the reason she kept Sir Geens sleeping instead of torturing him an act of generosity because the Cardinal asked for it? ¡°I need to meet the Empress before the crown princess gets here. I need to at least talk to her.¡± I was nervous. I wished that I had something that could help. Maybe an invisibility cloak or someone like Marquis Duhem. I was quite desperate even while knowing that magic could not be used within the Imperial Pce. ¡°Oh author-nim¡­¡­ I will feign ignorance and take it if you bestowed an item upon me.¡± I looked up at the ceiling and mumbled like a crazy lunatic. At that moment¡­ ¨C Tap, tap tap. I heard something tapping on the open balcony door. It seemed to be about time for the two red pandas toe back. ¡°Rhea? Perry?¡± ¨C Whimper ¨C Squeeeeee I came out to the balcony but I could only hear them and could not see them. I put Demy down and looked at the bottom of the led- ¡°Eek, holy moly.¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± A beautiful voice that was as deep and dark as the summer night entered my ears. I gasped, grabbed my chest, and stumbled. I was so shocked that there were cold sweats on my back. I felt as if I had seen a ghost, but I had to look down again because it was a face I could not ignore. His orange eyes resembled the sun as they shimmered underneath the moonlight. The young man was holding a vine like a scene in a Renaissance period masterpiece as he looked up at the Juliette Pce balcony. ¡®This works. No.¡¯ ¡°Your Royal Highness. What are you doing h-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the Imperial Prince.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡®Why¡­¡­ Why did you throw away such a great position?¡¯ I received Rhea and Perry, who were crawling in through the gaps in the ledge, and asked back. ¡°Is your name not C¨¦dric Riester?¡± ¡°Not right now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®What kind of concept is this? Am I supposed to guess it?¡¯ I was bbergasted as I had no idea what he was trying to do. ¡®He¡¯s not in dire need of ether since he didn¡¯t show up as Sadie¡­¡­¡± ¡°Did youe to help me, your Royal Highness?¡± I asked. A bright smile appeared on my face. The author did not seem to have forgotten about me. The Imperial Prince faintly frowned once I said that. ¡°For someone who needs help, you sure didn¡¯t respond to the code.¡± He used smooth movements to climb up the ledge before gentlynding on the balcony. My mind started to think. Although he may have thrown away the Riester name to infiltrate the pce, he was still her son. Item, blood rtion, has been acquired. ¡°Your Royal Highness, you saidst time that you will let me go out again as I pleased, depending on the destination.¡± I whispered to him. He looked down at me. ¡°Are you able to take me to your mother?¡± Chapter 107 Chapter 107 ¨C Operation Verona (3) Chapter 107: Operation Verona (3) ¡°And your justification for that?¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric coldly whispered in a low voice. I hesitated. ¡°¡­¡­I apologize, your Royal Highness. I know that you are not in a position to easily forgive Sir Geens. I am not asking for that either. However, I would like to at least deliver a message to her Majesty. I debated writing her a letter, but I thought that it would be better to speak to her in person.¡± The discontent was visible all over his handsome face like a cloud covering the moon. Rhea and Perry were happily roaming around his ankles, not caring about what was going on. I had wondered why they did not return from the garden, but they must have created the vines for the Imperial Prince to climb up to the balcony. The Imperial Prince probably had enough physical strength to not need the vines, so I was shocked that he did not ignore their hard work. Demy curled up by my feet and started to doze off. ¡°So you are saying that you ignored my code because of Johann Geens.¡± ¡°What code?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He silently brushed back his ck hair. I had never seen him act like this before, but he seemed quite frustrated. ¡®The Imperial Prince sent me some code? When?¡¯ ¡°It is you who should not be in a position to forgive that person.¡± The young man changed the topic. I immediately responded. ¡°I do not think that Sir Geens is innocent. He definitely deserves to be punished.¡± The orange eyes were staring at me. The refreshing summer night breeze ruffled the curtains. I could hear an owl hooting in the distance. ¡°However, I believe that there are some things to take into consideration. Sir Geens informed me about such things. His sick son has been taken hostage by the Prince Consort.¡± I exined the Holy Knight¡¯s circumstances, as I did not have time to reveal in the forest to the Imperial Prince. I told him the specifics about the Promise of Ether Sir Geens made with me and even brought up my desires to meet the crown princess. The Imperial Prince did not show any reactions while listening to my story. That made me somewhat nervous. ¡®I know that showing up like this, sote at night, is definitely him trying to help me, but¡­¡­¡¯ That alone was something I should be thankful for. He had plenty of reasons to deny my request. I clenched and unclenched my fists over and over as I continued to speak. ¡°I do not think that her Majesty definitely needs to listen to my request. I understand that her Majesty has things she needs to do as an Empress and that there are important issues that she must protect. I am also not saying that whatever I say is the right thing. However¡­¡­ I would like to let her know that there are people who think like me as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I want to inform her about the fact that saving Sir Geens is an option. Having even the slightest bit of hope ispletely different from not having any options at all.¡± I finished my sentence while looking directly at him. The Imperial Prince observed me with a sinking gaze. Ten or so seconds that felt more like ten or so minutes went by before he finally opened his mouth. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez was correct.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°She said that you would be thinking extremely hard about how to help Geens.¡± ¡°You met with the youngdy, your Royal Highness?¡± My voice became slightly louder. I peeked at my bedroom door before looking up at him again. ¡°The two of you have a rtionship where you meet even when I am not there?¡± ¡°Do I sense some difort in that question?¡± ¡°I am only asking with goodwill, your Royal Highness.¡± I barely held the corners of my lips from curling up. This was the first bit of good news I have heard in a long time. ¡°When did you see her? Where did you see her?¡± ¡°¡­¡­At Romero today. I simply allowed her request for an audience.¡± My jaw dropped a bit. I heard that the Imperial Prince did not bring outsiders into Romero Pce, however, Christelle had already been there two times. My heart that had been heavy because of Sir Geens and crown princess Elise felt a bit lighter at this news about the Imperial Prince and Christelle. I was relieved to see that the two of them were definitely getting closer. The Imperial Prince started to speak again. ¡°I cannot allow you to meet with her Majesty if it is for such a reason.¡± ¡°Excuse me? One moment please.¡± I quickly got rid of the smile on my face. However, I couldn¡¯t help but close my mouth after hearing what the Imperial Prince said next. ¡°Your confinement will only be released once the crown princess leaves.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that have been expected?¡± My eyes subconsciously opened wider. This sounded like Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique not trusting the crown princess. Furthermore, looking at the context, the reason for thisck of trust was not simply because she was the heir to an enemy kingdom¡¯s throne. ¡°Is it because the crown princess might harm me?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be her. Anybody from the Holy Kingdom who apanies her might target you as well.¡± That was true. Of course, attacking me in such a situation would be seen as a deration of war. That would be crazy, but not logically impossible. In addition, I have already had a near death experience at the Imperial Pce before. I had thought that the confinement was a means of protecting me while securing the inside and outside of the Imperial Pce, but¡­ It sounded as if the Empress had no intention of showing me to the crown princess at all. ¡®Damn it. What do I do?¡¯ ¨C Swoooooooosh! It was at that moment. I heard a quiet whistling from outside the balcony, in the Juliette Pce flower garden. Only I flinched. The Imperial Prince calmly looked down. ¡°Time to go.¡± ¡°Is someone there?¡± I leaned over the ledge and looked down to see a familiar short haired person. Her cat-like eyes slightly curled up in the darkness. I looked back and forth at the Imperial Prince and his close friend in awe. But I still did not forget to wave at her. ¡°I had wondered how you managed to get here so quietly, your Royal Highness¡­¡­ It looks like you dragged Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth into this.¡± The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard must have used her position to remove the guards for a moment. The man ignored myments and ced one leg on top of the ledge. He looked as if he was going to leave right away. ¡°You just need to be naturalized.¡± He looked at me andmented in a low voice. The clouds moved away and the bright moonlight shone down on the balcony as he did so. Although the young man imed he was neither the Imperial Prince nor a Riester right now, he was wearing all sorts of decorations and medals that symbolized his noble identity. ¡°The Prince Consort should not be aiming for your life if you give up your rights to the throne.¡± ¡°That is possible.¡± I agreed. I then shared about half of my concerns with him. ¡°But I wonder if I should at least get the crown princess¡¯ opinion on the matter. Usually, such an issue¡­¡­ Is something you discuss with your family.¡± ¡°You are you, even if you are not a Viaan.¡± ¡®Well you see, I agree with that but the real prince might feel differently about it.¡¯ I smiled bitterly. Furthermore, I also had to consider the impact that my naturalization would cause. Everything was a potential source of danger for a transmigrator who had no idea about what was to happen. For example, look at everything that happened simply because I went to see Marquis Duhem¡¯s kiss cam. I almost left this world before the war even started. ¡°I will continue to think about it. I cannot decline such an offer right away.¡± Imented. He quietly looked at me before jumping off the balcony without responding. I finally realized that I forgot to say goodbye. ¡°Umm¡­¡± I quickly grabbed the railing and whispered down. ¡°Thank you foring, your Royal Highness.¡± I then smiled. Although he was just a pretty item who wouldn¡¯t even take me to the Empress, I thought that he did decently in his role as a friend today. The little suns in the night blinked in the darkness once before disappearing. * Afternoon on the fifth day of confinement. ¡°Your highness, I have delivered the letters you wrote for youngdy nquer and priest Sand.¡± ¡°Good work, Ganael.¡± The young boy sat down on the other side of the table once I motioned for him to sit. ¡°The first floor terrace is decent too. The shadows of the trees look so cool.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d that you like it, your highness. Would you like to try the terrace on the west side tomorrow? It is even prettier because you can see a portion of the garden.¡± Ganael smiled as he responded. I was out on the terrace at the back of the first floor because I was getting tired of the scenery from the bedroom balcony and the reception room. I was super confident that I could live in confinement without any issues but being around the MCs for a few months must have impacted me because I was feeling a bit frustrated. I was also curious as to what the two of them might be doing. It might have been because I had such a great view of thepletely empty training ground. For reference, that ce was closed off as well. ¡®The Imperial Prince is always busy so he should be busy today as well, but what about Christelle? She said that she wanted to get stronger so she might be bugging the knights of the Duke¡¯s Estate to teach her. Or maybe she went to a fancy tea shop with Eva.¡¯ I had those random thoughts for a moment before I looked in my notebook once more. It was full of a checklist and scribbles. ¡°I feel like I did everything I could do.¡± I sighed as I said that to myself. Ganael nodded his head and ced a J¨¦suite on my empty te. I sliced off arge piece of the warm pastry and put it in my mouth. ¡°It is delicious but I am uneasy.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say that, your highness. Everybody is worried about you because you are only eating two portions per meal.¡± Ganael quickly poured some cockb tea in my teacup. I told him that I was okay and thanked him as I received the cup. I ced a mille-feuille on his te as well. I wanted to at least look after the people around me like this. I was just an ignorant supporting character who didn¡¯t have any amazing abilities to stop the war, but I at least wanted to help the people I could see as much as possible. I thought that I had been doing a pretty good job at that until now but this situation was extremely difficult. It involved not just two nations but the Vatican as well, and Sir Geens¡¯ son was on the opposite side of the continent. I chewed on the cockb in the tea out of frustration. This was the first time I felt a sense of helplessness since I transmigrated here. Christelle was not a Holy Knight in the original and the Imperial Prince was definitely set as a sword master. As a result, the author might not have liked the appearance of their Holy Knight instructor, Sir Geens. Maybe his original role was only a short brush with the MCs anyways. Leaving the story like this might be his fate. ¡°Huu¡­¡­¡± Let¡¯s bepletely honest. It was good for me if I didn¡¯t see the crown princess. I didn¡¯t know what kind of expression to have in front of her or what kind of tone to use, so this was a perfect chance to hide. However¡­¡­ This was not right. I felt ufortable. I couldn¡¯t finish the j¨¦suite and put it down. Ganagel gently grabbed my wrist. ¡°You tried your best, your highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that the Almighty God is looking favorably on you and will definitely give you a gift.¡± The young boy¡¯s gold eyes sparkled with determination. I awkwardly smiled. ¡®Who knows? I thought that I received a precious item yesterday but apparently not.¡¯ * ¡°Perry, let¡¯s sleep. Where are your friends?¡± ¨C Squeeeeee Perry¡¯s ck ears twitched as he ran over to me. I held him in my arms and hummed a Riester luby I had learned from Benjamin. Just because I was not sleeping well did not mean that the red pandas and Percy should not sleep well either. I gently caressed the chimney bird¡¯s forehead as it sat on the chair¡¯s armrest before moving to the balcony. My n was to bring Demy and Rhea inside to go to sleep early beforeing up with some other idea tomorrow. ¡®Okay. Let¡¯s not give up when the crown princess has not even arrived at the Imperial Pce. Ganael and Benjamin are cheering me o-¡¯ ¡°Eek.¡± I gasped while hugging Perry in my arms. My legs lost all strength so I almost plopped down on the ground. I wanted to stop seeing people¡¯s eyes in the darkness. ¡®It¡¯s not like they are filming a horror special because it is July!¡¯ ¡°Your highness!¡± Christelle, who was dangling on the ledge of the Juliette Pce balcony, smiled brightly as her beautiful water-colored eyes sparkled. Demy and Rhea looked extremely proud after crawling up and over her back. Taking a closer look, I saw that the vines were shaped like steps this time. There were even flowers that bloomed along the steps. ¡®Should I be praising them for this?¡¯ ¡°What are you doing here, youngdy Sarnez?¡± I held the divine beasts in my arms as I quickly whispered. Christelle then had an extremely serious look on her face. ¡°I am not a Sarnez.¡± ¡®Wait a minute¡­¡­ Why is everybody whoes here refusing their name?¡¯ ¡°I am not a nquer either!¡± ¡°Eva?¡± I gasped after seeing a head pop up next to Christelle. I was about to ask why she brought the little girl with her when our main character started speaking in the most serious voice I had ever heard from her. ¡°Operation Verona hasmenced. We are here to help you, your highness. The codename for thisdy over here is Tybalt. For reference, your codename is Montague, your highness.¡± ¡®Okay, this being Operation Verona makes sense because of the balcony, but the tenant being Montague makes no sense. Also, wasn¡¯t Tybalt killed by the Montagues?¡¯ ¡°Youngdy Sarnez, it would be bad if you were caught here. His Royal Highness is one thing but the two of you don¡¯t reside in the Imperial Pce and at this time of night¡­¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who this Royal Highness is, but we do have a Capulet.¡± Christelle lowered her voice and motioned with her chin. I nkly looked in that direction. The Imperial Prince was standing next to the flower bed with a piercing gaze in his eyes. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was standing next to him in the same position as yesterday, waving at me. ¡®This crazy bastard, he said that he couldn¡¯t let me meet the Empress but he brought reinforcements?¡¯ ¡°His Royal Highness is Capulet?¡± ¡°Yes, he is Tybalt¡¯s cousin. The person next to him is his friend, Mercutio.¡± ¡®She¡¯s so loyal to the setting and then suddenly not¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Then you, youngdy Sarnez-¡± ¡°I am the person conducting this Operation.¡± ¡®Is she Shakespeare then?¡¯ Christelle smirked before lowering the eye patch that was on her head. Her left eye became covered. ¡°My code name is Tom Cruise.¡± ¡®You alone are a part of !¡¯ (TL: The English title is just Valkyrie but the pun with the title of the chapter only makes sense when adding Operation, as the Korean title is Operation Valkyrie) Chapter 108 Chapter 108 ¨C : Operation Verona (4) Chapter 108: Operation Verona (4) ¡°Umm¡­¡­ Pleasee inside for now. You will be noticed if you stay outside like this.¡± ¡°Then please excuse me, Lord Montague.¡± Christelle was smiling as she climbed over the railing at myment. Even Eva, who was wearing a dress, safely made it over with Christelle escorting her. Finally, the Imperial Prince, who had been down on the ground, gently jumped up andnded on the balcony. I looked down at Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, I mean Mercutio, standing in front of the flower bed. She saluted with her finger with a smile on her face, as if telling me not to worry. She looked so cool. ¡°My goodness, it is your bedroom. I truly apologize, Lord Montague.¡± Eva became flustered and apologized. I brushed it past with a smile and ced the red pandas on the ground. I was quite familiar with receiving surprise guests in here because this is where Sadie frequently ambushed me, but it was awkward receiving twodies in here. I ced the twodies on the two single couches away from the bed and pulled up a chair to sit by them. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric seemed to have no ns on participating as he was standing by the balcony with his arms crossed. Percy flew over andnded on his shoulder. ¡°Let me get some tea.¡± ¡°Wooooooooooow!¡± Eva, the youngdy who had been embarrassed until just now, quietly pped with joy. This definitely did not feel like an undercover operation. ¡°His Royal Highness, no¡­¡­ Did youe after hearing the story from Lord Capulet?¡± I poured some warm marigold tea and handed it to them as I asked. I debated whether I really needed to use the code names, but I chose to do so because Christelle really seemed to want me to use them. I kept four tea cups in the room because there were times I sometimes drank tea with Benjamin and Ganael. Eva was happy that there were three flowers in her tea. Christelle was the one to speak. ¡°Yes sir. I thought that Lord Montague would definitely wish to help Sir Geens even while under confinement. That was why I requested an audience with Lord Capulet. We came together because Lady Tybalt said that she received your message this morning, Lord Montague. I nodded my head. I had sent letters to Sand and ¡®Tybalt¡¯ a.k.a. Eva, early this morning. Ganael had told me they were delivered properly as well. ¡°Then how did you manage to stay here until it was night time? The carriage from the Duke¡¯s Estate would have been sent outside the Imperial Pce.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been staying out overnight since yesterday to see you, Lord Montague. I told my mother back at the Duke¡¯s Estate that I will be staying at the Moutet Count¡¯s Estate for a few days. I snuck into Lady Mercutio¡¯s work carriage this morning to enter the Imperial Pce together. Lady Tybalt happened to be visiting the Count¡¯s Estate as well.¡± ¡°Then did you spend all day in the carriage¡­¡­¡± ¡°No, I was hiding in Romero Pce since entering the Imperial Pce. There are enough empty rooms there that I was able to rx with David-nim¡¯s help. I couldn¡¯t help but be shocked at this. Two noble youngdies snuck into the Imperial Pce with the help of the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard in the morning to see me. The Imperial Prince hid the two of them in his pce and brought them here. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique would be quite angry if she learned about this but none of their gazes looked as if they had any hesitations. I couldn¡¯t help but be touched. I tightly clenched my teacup. ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯m sure that it was not an easy decision.¡± ¡°No, it was very easy.¡± Christelle smiled brightly. She ced the eye patch back on her head and made eye contact with me. ¡°Lord Montague always treats us well. That was why there wasn¡¯t even a need to contemte it. We are friends and partners.¡± She quickly added on about how it was only temporary. I had not done that to receive anything in response but I was thankful that she saw it positively. Eva chimed in at that moment. ¡°But we still need an exnation. I am happy to let you borrow my name if you need it, Lord Montague, but this is what my mother told me. ¡®Know what you are doing before you do it, Eva.¡¯¡± Her brown eyes sparkled firmly. I had definitely asked Eva for help through the letter. They had a right to know the circumstances since the target of this operation was the Empress. I nodded my head and calmly started to speak. ¡°There is something I wish to say to her Majesty in person. It is rted to Sir Geens¡­¡­¡± It was a repeat of what I shared with the Imperial Princest night, but that did not make it any easier to do so. Christelle and Eva looked astonished once I exined everything. Christelle looked as if she might beat someone up right now. ¡°Seriously, this Prince Consort motherf¡­¡­ My apologies. But that shit¡­¡­ How can he call himself a human being? Did you really have to suffer under such a bastard this whole time, your highness?¡± Her voice turned loud and quiet as she brushed her face with her hands. She must have been finding it difficult to hold back her swearing and her anger as her breathing was rough and she seemed to have forgotten about the code names. ¡°I¡­¡­ Would like to help Sir Geens. He is honestly in a terrible situation and I released a lot of my anger that day. I feel like we need to help him get revenge on the Prince Consort¡­¡­ How can we let him just be on the receiving end?¡± She looked up at the ceiling as if she was frustrated as she spoke. She even threw back the tea in one shot as if it was water. Eva, who was covering her mouth with a handkerchief, asked me a question. ¡°But Lord Montague, are you not angry at Sir Geens? Are you by chance¡­¡­ What they call a pushover?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I know that he had his circumstances. But he tricked the three of you many times. If it was me, I would be so upset that I would never be able to trust him again.¡± The child¡¯s expression was sullen. I was silent for a moment. It definitely could seem that way. I debated how to exin my actions before deciding to be honest. I have lived longer than Eva but life was always difficult. ¡°Sir Geens didn¡¯t have a normal chance.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It is true that he lied to us. However, we don¡¯t know what would have happened if his sick son wasn¡¯t being held hostage by the Prince Consort and Sir Geens had a chance to treat us honorably. He was deprived of his chance to do so from the beginning.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I just thought that Sir Geens deserved a chance to start again from the same starting point. That is all.¡± I smiled bitterly as I looked at the child. Eva looked at me as if she was a bit shocked before falling deep into thought. Her mind seemed to be in aplicated state right now. Christelle solemnly chimed in at that moment. ¡°You will need to go to the Empress Pce to see her Majesty, but realistically speaking, that will be difficult.¡± ¡°Yes. It will be difficult to infiltrate the Empress Pce and her Chief of Staff, Laura, will never let us through.¡± I answered before looking up at the Imperial Prince. The two of us made eye contact for a moment. ¡°Is there no way to invite her Majesty to Romero Pce? Juliette Pce is right in front of Romero Pce so I should be able to see her if I can just safely make it across the garden.¡± The Imperial Prince frowned as soon as I said that. ¡®What is your problem? This method is more realistic than that face of yours.¡¯ ¡°Does L, Lord Capulet have a paramour?¡± Eva soundedpletely shocked as she looked at me. Christelle and I had no idea what she was talking about and tilted our heads in confusion. The youngdy realized that we werepletely clueless in this aspect and gasped before starting to exin. ¡°In Riester, there is a tradition where an unmarried child serves the parents a feast when they introduce their lover to their parents for the first time.¡± ¡®That¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°It is usually reserved for someone they are meeting seriously. I heard that her Majesty held a feast for thete Empress when she introduced her to my uncle as well. My grandparents were extremely against it.¡± The uncle she was talking about right now was Prince Consort Alexandre, who was the eldest child of the House of nquer. There was a short but intense moment of silence between Christelle, the Imperial Prince, and myself. ¡°Will you hold a feast at Romero Pce to invite her Majesty? You can¡¯t say that Lady Mercutio is your lover because she has a fiance, I can¡¯t do it because I am your cousin, the only person remaining is¡­¡­¡± ¡°Mm, no.¡± Christelle sharply cut her off. Eva flinched. The MC¡¯s blue eyes sparkled like will-o¡¯-the-wisps. She looked as if she would make us disappear without a trace if anybody mentioned the idea that was on our minds. ¡°This is not it. Pleasee up with another idea, Lerd Mentege.¡± (TL: Sounds like this because she¡¯s clenching her teeth or something) ¡°Please calm down, Tom Cruise-nim.¡± I consoled her. The Imperial Prince spoke in a sharp tone. ¡°It¡¯ll be easier if you flew over.¡± ¡°Fly over?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you use the divine item that day?¡± ¡®I knew he would remember Percy¡¯s transformation.¡¯ I looked at the chimney bird dozing off on his shoulder as I responded. ¡°Percy¡­¡­ Is indeed a divine item.¡± ¡°He is the ¡®Ark of the Wind Deity¡¯ we saw at the Bell Tower, right?¡± Christelle quickly asked. ¡°Yes. However, he has not transformed into his main body even once since that day. He won¡¯t listen even if I ask. I am not his master either.¡± ¡°You are not his master despite him working so hard to protect you?¡± ¡°That is what he told me?¡± ¡°He told you?¡± Christelle and the Imperial Prince both looked at me with questioning gazes. I really felt that they were the perfect match in times like this. I shook my head and smiled. ¡°I know you don¡¯t have much time so I will share this story about Percy at another time. It is kind of long. The immediate issue is discussing inviting her Majesty to Romero Pce-¡± ¡°I decline.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to, your highness.¡± The two of them immediately revealed their repulsion. Eva looked at the three of us as if she felt awkward before peeking at Percy, who was stuck to the Imperial Prince. She must have gotten curious after hearing that this regr-looking bird was a divine item. I hugged Demy, who was climbing onto my knees, and started to calcte things in my mind. No matter how I looked at it, inviting her Majesty to Romero Pce was the quickest and most rational method. The Empress¡¯ busy schedule will find a way to be rescheduled if the excuse was that the Imperial Prince was inviting her to introduce her to his special someone. It was the best route in order to see the Empress before the crown princess arrives. It sounded like such a good n that I thought that the author might have arranged things to be like this. ¡®Yes, it might also be a golden opportunity to tie the two of them together.¡¯ I cautiously looked at Christelle and the Imperial Prince. The way they avoided my gaze and feigned a look of deep contemtion because they were worried that I would ask them to do it were like beautiful works of art. ¡®They might hate it so much right now but they might be thankful to me in the future if their rtionship goes well.¡¯ I scratched my cheek and started to think. ¡®What can I do to get their voluntary involvement? What can I do? Using my looks¡­¡­ Won¡¯t work because the Imperial Prince is more handsome than I am. Feigning sickness¡­¡­ Won¡¯t work because I am not sick. Mm.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± I mumbled as a test. I peeked to see that all three of them were looking at me. I felt a bit embarrassed but I thought about the sleeping Sir Geens and his son to help me persist. ¡®What am I not willing to do at this point?¡¯ ¡°I did eat dinner but¡­ I didn¡¯t really have an appetite, so¡­¡­ I only ate two servings. Hahaha.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Man, I suck at acting.¡¯ I was suffering from mental distress before burying my face into Demy¡¯s warm body. The red panda whined and dangled on my neck. It looked as if my embarrassment was being transferred to him. ¡°I wish I could help Sir Geens, but¡­¡­ I haven¡¯t been that interested in foodtely. I have no desires and the ether in my body doesn¡¯t seem to be circting as well either.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I think that it would be really great if someone would help me meet her Majesty¡­¡­¡± ¡®Please say something. Someone, anyone. I¡¯ll totally stop right away if someone tells me to stop!¡¯ I bit down on my lips and looked down. At that moment¡­ ¨C Cruuuuuuu. Demy, who was hiding in my arms, let out an odd cry. It sounded simr to a stomach grumbling. Christelle immediately jumped up from her seat. I flinched and looked at her. ¡°Tom Cruise-nim. This¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡®This works?¡¯ ¡°Why are you not eating properly, your highness? Sir Geens is truly in the wrong. I guess we have no choice but to do everything we can to keep him alive in order for you to get a proper apology.¡± ¡°That is true, but¡­¡± ¡°Whatever. We will tell her Majesty that we are dating and then tell her after dinner that we broke up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Yes you can.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell whether Christelle was angry or reading an announcement. I just barely managed to breathe as I responded. She quickly turned around and red at the Imperial Prince. She looked as if she could turn him into stone with her gaze alone. The Imperial Prince then red at me with an extremely scary gaze. ¡®Crap, did he find out that it was an act?¡¯ It was at that moment. ¡°Ugh!¡± I sounded like a dying demonic beast as I curled forward. It was because Demy poked my stomach with his front paw. ¡®That hurts!¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­I will ept your suggestion.¡± The Imperial Prince spoke while gritting his teeth. ¡®What?¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s sign a contract as well, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°We will need a witness.¡± My eyes opened wide as I raised my head. The two main characters looked as if they would freeze or burn the other to death respectively while discussing the conditions. ¡®That really worked¡­¡­?¡¯ ¨C Squeeeeee! Demy immediately poked me as if he was looking forpliments. I was bewildered but I still petted his back and tail quite a bit. ¡®You the real MVP, Demy. Divine beasts truly are extraordinary.¡¯ ¨C Tap. Tap. Eva tapped on my armrest at that moment. I looked at the young girl. The child¡¯s eyes curled up and she mouthed something to me. ¡®You¡¯re so crafty, your highness.¡¯ Chapter 109 Chapter 109 ¨C Operation Verona (5) Chapter 109: Operation Verona (5) They passed the border yesterday. The guards were very strict at the boundary and the summer wind was not warm. The Viaan Royal Family¡¯s carriage procession continued traveling through the Riester eastern forests. There was a question that came from outside the window. ¡°Your highness, should we look for a ce to set up camp for the night?¡± ¡°Go ahead, Maartje.¡± The crown princess responded. Maartje, her coachman and right hand woman, immediately ordered the soldiers to look around. (TL: Important people, such as the crown princess, had people they could trust as their coachman) Elise had not stayed in a proper lodging since the day she left the castle. It was her wish to not rest until they arrived at the portal. ¡®Is the crown princess still suspecting her father? How could a mere Prince Consort like me, someone who does not even hold the throne, manage to aim for the life of a prince in a foreign nation?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Her father, Prince Consort Werner¡¯sst words echoed in her ears. She felt as if she could see him covering his pretty face with a fan in sorrow while speaking to her once again. Elise clenched her fists. The Prince Consort had been extremely sad and shed a ton of tears when she had used all of her connections in the Vatican to be dispatched to the Empire. It made her recall the assassination attempt on her younger brother back in March. Elise had almost lost her mind after hearing that the prince overcame a dangerous crisis. The thing that froze her mind was her father¡¯s demeanor. It was as calm as the flowing water. ¡®Father, Jesse¡­¡­ Apparently someone tried to assassinate Jesse. I received information that assassins from the Holy Kingdom attempted such an atrocious deed.¡¯ Although her voice was shaking, the Prince Consort¡¯s voice was as calm as usual. ¡®Oh my. The prince sure has no luck. He met Holy Knights in the Empire.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­Father, I never told you that they were Holy Knights.¡¯ ¡®Ah, is that so? Your daddy is getting older and my hearing is not the same as it was.¡¯ His chocte-colored eyes curled up. ¡®How could he be like that?¡¯ Elise fell deep into thought while listening to the horse hooves hitting the ground. How could the father of two daughters loathe and envy his partner¡¯s other child so much that he would even think about assassinating him? The four seasons had passed twenty-nine times, yet her father still could not get rid of his animosity for her brother. In fact, his hostility seemed to be getting greater and greater. ¨C ck, ck¡­¡­ ¡°Wooooah.¡± There had been a time when Elise tried to figure out his motivation. She had even tried very hard to understand him. She felt as if there was no way for her to handle her disappointment and abhorrence for her father without understanding him first. It was even more painful because she had loved her father quite a bit as a child. Since when had he gone so astray? Was it from when he was born as the second son of a prestigious Duke¡¯s household, endlesslypared to his older sister, Elise¡¯s aunt? Was it when he was married to the royal family almost as if he was sold off? Was it when he was disappointed at this loveless marriage and then learned about how his partner had found a lover? Was it when her younger brother was born from that illicit rtionship and was praised for having blessed eyes? However, nothing could make her understand. Elise Viaan was someone who believed that rational people would not resort to murder in such a situation. She also knew someone who had acted positively even while being in the same situation. ¡°We have arrived at our campsite for the night, your highness.¡± Elise snapped out of her thoughts. The procession had arrived at the center of the forest path at some point. Maartje knocked on the carriage door and opened it once her master gave her permission. The crown princess, with her blonde hair that was as bright as the sun, appeared through the door. The Viaan soldiers bowed their heads immediately. The Empire¡¯s knights that hade to escort her were awed by her noble demeanor every time. ¡°The aura she gives off is so amazing.¡± ¡°It is not surprising since she is a Cardinal level Holy Knight.¡± The knights whispered. They then started to chat about Imperial Prince C¨¦dric Riester. Elise didn¡¯t pay much attention to the chatter about the Imperial Crown Prince¡¯s session confirmation ceremony and enjoyed the breeze with Maartje by her side. The attendants and royal servants with her quickly set up the tent and prepared the camp. ¡°Right, I heard that Prince Jesse was supporting the two esteemed individuals with ether.¡± ¡°Is there anybody in the Imperial Capital who doesn¡¯t know about that? I was his highness¡¯s escort during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. He was so generous and kind to those below him. It is not weird that he caught the attention of his Royal Highness or the House of Sarnez.¡± ¡°If even you are saying that then it must be true. I¡¯ve heard the rumors quite often as well.¡± The crown princess¡¯ chin stiffened with pride. The uneasiness she had been feeling since two months ago or so seemed to be sprouting. Her younger brother, who had always been mocked and ridiculed by her father¡¯s subordinates back home, had revealed his ether in the Empress¡¯nd and was being treated properly. It was as if he was meant for the Empire and not the Holy Kingdom. ¡°Maybe he will make a celestial covenant since he became an Archbishop¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hey, lower your voice.¡± Elise quickly turned her head and looked toward them. The knights silently looked forward as if they had not said anything. She felt as if her blood was cooling off. ¡®He became an Archbishop?¡¯ ¡°What would you like for your meal, your highness? They said that they have some deer and hog that they caught this morning.¡± Maartje pulled up her sleeves as she asked. Her muscles were firm despite being in herte fifties. She had enough energy to prepare all of the animals for dinner on her own. Elise looked at Maartje¡¯s good-natured face and focused. She must have heard wrong. Sir Johann Geens, the man she had sent, was by her younger brother¡¯s side. Serious trials and tribtions or a significant enlightenment were required in order to advance to an Archbishop. There was no way something that serious would have happened. ¡®Jesse should be fine. I¡¯ll be able to check for myself soon.¡¯ ¡°It would be best to listen to the suggestions of the people who came with us. I am fine with anything.¡± Elise soon answered in a low voice. The sun had started to set over the forest. * ¨C Creeeeeak¡­¡­ An old ck door opened. Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier walked into the dark room. Although it was a ce in the Imperial Pce, the contents of the room were far from beautiful. Natalie and the other attendants were all standing at the far end of the hallway. Nobody other than Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, Alexandre, and she had entered this ce before. She decided not to recall that there had been one other person. It was because that person, just like the rest of them, did not want to remember the events of those times. ¡°You are resting well.¡± Aur¨¦lie bent down and whispered. Johann Geens was silently lying in the middle of the room that did not have any furniture, decorations, or even a source of light. His long white hair contrasted with the pitch ck floor, creating an unrealistic atmosphere. The ether restraining tool on his neck waspletely ck as well. The look on the man¡¯s face was peaceful,pletely unlike his surroundings. He seemed to be having a nice dream, just as she had informed Prince Jesse. ¡°That child seems to want to help you. I want things to go well, but¡­¡­¡± She simply finished her sentence with a smile. As the Empress¡¯ Religious Partner, Aur¨¦lie always ced Fr¨¦d¨¦rique¡¯s words as top priority and acted ordingly. That was why allowing this Holy Knight to stay here pain free was the best she could do to be considerate of the little prince. If it had not been her, but the Empress who had pulled out her sword and acted on that day, Johann would probably have disappeared without a trace already. ¡®What will happen at this ¡®feast¡¯ tomorrow?¡¯ ¡°May the Almighty God watch over it.¡± ¡®No matter what might happen tomorrow.¡¯ The Cardinal quietly mumbled before turning away from the man. She needed to leave this ce before the master of the pce finished her daily schedule and returned. There was no need to let her know that she had stopped by the pitch ck room and mess with her mood. Only the sound of the Cardinal¡¯s clothes rustling filled the air. -Screeeeech, click The door was locked. Johann was once again left alone in his dreams. * Where would she have learned such a thing? It had already been three days since the young Eva had called me crafty. There had been a lot of talk since then, but Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric ended up signing a contract that they would pretend to be lovers. They sessfully managed to secure a feast with her Majesty using that as their justification. The two of them being contracted lovers made my heart thump wildly. ¡®Is this how the Romfan readers feel?¡¯ Anyway, the problematic feast was today. To be more specific, the operation willmence in exactly 20 minutes. ¡°The shirt is the perfect length for you. That¡¯s a relief, your highness!¡± Ganael was happy. The young boy seemed much more riled up than me, who would be infiltrating Romero Pce. The clothes I was wearing right now belong to the attendant named Pierre, and Ganael had secretly swiped it from the Juliette Pce¡¯sundry room. I had borrowed Benjamin¡¯s extra pair of dress shoes as I was in a hurry. They were a bit small but they didn¡¯t feel as if they would hinder my walking or running. Benjamin exined while tying a ribbon around my neck. ¡°Your highness, you are disguising as an attendant named Geoffrey.¡± ¡°Geoffrey was supposed to have the day off today but the story is that he was urgently rushed in because they were short on staff today.¡± I answered. He nodded his head and then continued to speak. ¡°Yes, your highness. You can enter through Romero Pce¡¯s back door at 8:15pm. Walk down the left hallway as soon as you go in and you will see David-nim in thest room of the hallway.¡± ¡°And then I will receive a rough map of the pce from David. All I have to do is push the dessert trolley to the dining room where they are having the feast. You said that I should be able to match the schedule if I enter at 8:30pm.¡± Imented with determination. Benjamin looked at me with a concerned look on his face. ¡°Yes, your highness. I wish I could personally escort you, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. I chose to do this and the two of you have done enough already. Plus, you can¡¯t leave Juliette Pce, Benjamin.¡± I was speaking happier than normal but his face still was grim. He must be concerned that I suck at directions. ¡°I knew that you would do something big ever since you became closer with his Royal Highness and youngdy Sarnez, but¡­¡­ I did not know that the three of you would be so bold, your highness. You thought of tricking her Majesty.¡± ¡®Ah, that¡¯s what he is concerned about. I guess anybody would think that that is the more serious issue.¡¯ I awkwardly smiled. ¡°I am a bit scared as well. I don¡¯t know what will happen, but I¡¯m almost certain she is going to be furious.¡± My heart was beating wildly and I regretted my decision a bit. ¡®Did I act up too much? Should I not have said I want to meet the Empress?¡¯ I thought about Sir Geens, his son, and the others whenever that thought passed through my mind. The reason for what I was doing and the people who were all supporting me in their own ways. ¡°If her Majesty happens to move her hand to the sword on her waist¡­ jump out the window no matter what, your highness. That will be safer even if you happen to jump out on the third floor.¡± ¡®Is it that bad?¡¯ ¡°You have to go now, your highness.¡± Ganael ced his pocket watch in my hand. It was already past 8pm. I did not have much time if I considered how long it would take to cut through the garden. ¡°Thanks for the watch. I¡¯ll make sure to return it.¡± ¡°Yes please, that is my engagement gift!¡± ¡®Wow, I have a reason to return safely.¡¯ I excitedly chuckled before hugging each of the red pandas. The scaredy cat, Rhea, must have felt my emotions as she tightly hugged me. I gently rubbed her nose to calm her down before petting Percy¡¯s small back multiple times. I didn¡¯t forget to tell them to be good. I then pulled out the eye patch that Christelle lent me. I thought it was for cosying as Tom Cruise, but apparently it was a magic tool that allows the user to transform into a designated person. It was a party item, so it was a one-time use item and did notst very long, but there was nothing more useful than this right now. It had a strand of Geoffrey¡¯s hair that David got for me, so I should look like him if I say the incantation properly. I solemnly covered one eye with the eyepatch and said the incantation that Christelle had set¡­¡­ Well, mumbled it while facing the wall. ¡°I¡­¡­ I don¡¯t need Nazis in my Germany.¡± ¡®She can¡¯t let go of until the end so why did she call it Verona?!¡¯ ¨C Ooooooong! Red mana burst out of the eyepatch. Ganael and Benjamin¡¯s eyes grew wide as they stood a bit away from me. * ¡°The two of you.¡± Flinch. Christelle almost dropped her fork. She had let down her guard because the Empress and the Cardinal were silently focused on their meals across from her. Christelle¡¯s attention had been focused on the time. She was hoping that Prince Jesse would enter even one minute earlier to end this hell-like situation. She didn¡¯t care that it might lead to an even scarier hell after that. She would feel at peace if he was here. ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡± C¨¦dric looked at his mother and responded. The cherry-colored eyes he looked at were full of joy. ¡°You guys are meeting seriously?¡± The Empress asked. The Imperial Prince bastard looked as if he would not say yes even if he was dead, so Christelle answered yes ma¡¯am, in such a quiet voice that it could barely be heard. She heard a snort from the other side of the table. ¡°I¡¯m curious because of how sudden this was.¡± Her husky voice had a subtle tone of mockery. The Cardinal slightly bit down on her lips. ¡°Tell me. What do you like about each other?¡± The two of them turned pale. They were both at a loss for what to do because they needed to make up something that did not exist at all. Chapter 110 Chapter 110 ¨C {The Empress Waltz (1)} Chapter 110{The Empress Waltz (1)} The transformation was simple. It did not hurt nor did I feel any changes to my body. As Christelle exined, it was more like putting ayer of mana over my body. ¡®Is it very weird?¡¯ ¡®No, your highness. Y, you look handsome!¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­I think it is best if you head over for now, your highness. You look fine on the outside.¡¯ ¡®Huh?¡¯ What kind of reaction is that? I tried to check my transformed face in a mirror but Benjamin and Ganael told me not to look at it as I will receive some psychological damage and stopped me. I didn¡¯t have the time to argue so I quickly escaped through the side door of Juliette Pce but I couldn¡¯t help but feel as if things were odd. I looked down at my hands that were wearing white cloth gloves and tilted my head in confusion as I quickly walked through the garden. I made my steps not too wide as looking so hurried might seem weird. I turned past the flower bed and the guards flinched and looked away. ¡°Oh my, that scared me!¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± Once I got around the maze-shaped shrubs, the royal servants moving things gasped after seeing me. I didn¡¯t recognize them so they were probably workers for Romero Pce. ¡®Why are they all acting like this when it isn¡¯t like I transformed into a demonic beast?¡¯ ¡°Hello.¡± I noticed that my voice was still the same. I realized my mistake but I had already greeted them. I smiled as innocently as possible and the royal servants turned red. ¡®I can¡¯t figure them out at all.¡¯ ¡°H, hello sir.¡± ¡°It is an honor to meet such a respected individual.¡± Those were the responses I heard back. They even bowed deeply to show me respect. ¡®It must be because the attendants are children of nobles as well.¡¯ ¡°Then please excuse me.¡± I bowed and started walking again. Thankfully, it looked as if they did not find out my identity. ¡®Well, it would be weird if the royal servants of another pce found out it was me based on my voice alone.¡¯ ¡°Huuuuuu.¡± The staff of Juliette Pce were all inside because Benjamin made up some excuse about a group lesson. The staff of Romero Pce werepletely swamped because of the feast. I didn¡¯t run into anybody in the garden other than those two royal servants from earlier. I cautiously approached the back door of Romero Pce. There were no guards on this side today at the Imperial Prince¡¯s order. No matter how I think about it, this really was a good n. ¨C Screeeech The door opened once I grabbed the doorknob and pushed. I entered quickly so that nobody would see me and checked Ganael¡¯s pocket watch. ¡®8:14, nice.¡¯ ¡°Left hallway. Go straight.¡± I mumbled and started moving. Thanks to the hard work of David, the Imperial Prince¡¯s confidant and the person in charge of the attendants at Romero Pce, there was nobody in the hallway by the back door. My heart was beating wildly. ¡®This is why people watch spy movies.¡¯ ¡°The door at the end of the hallway¡­¡­¡± Even someone terrible at directions like me could easily find it. I walked quickly and touched around my body. I heard that the attendant, Geoffrey, was simr in height to me and there were no big differences in the length of the sleeves or pants. However, his physique was better than I expected so the arm area felt restrained. ¡®He must work out.¡¯ ¡°Over here.¡± I stopped where the hallway turned. I could smell a sweet and delicious scent flowing out of the room at the end. I knocked five times and David confirmed it was me before opening the door. Inside the door was a wide pantry. ¡°David.¡± ¡°Your highn, eek.¡± The middle-aged man gasped and stepped back. This time, I became flustered and blinked a few times. I touched my cheeks and hair wondering if there was a serious issue with my face but there didn¡¯t seem to be anything like that. ¡®Maybe¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Umm, am I not Geoffrey right now?¡± ¡°I ask for your forgiveness, your highness. It is all my fault. How could something, something like this happen.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell whether David was clicking his tongue or chewing his tongue as he apologized. I guess the hair that he thought was Geoffrey¡¯s was someone else¡¯s. He quickly fixed his expression and consoled me saying that it didn¡¯t matter how I looked as long as I managed to get to the Empress. It was extremely professional of him, but I was concerned because I felt like our n had to be changed. ¡°Will there really be no issues?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. It is awkward for me to say something like this but I think that this might even be better. Nobody in Romero Pce will try to talk to you first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good for me then. Who am I?¡± ¡°That¡­¡­ It might be better if you don¡¯t know, your highness. It will be difficult for you to immerse yourself if you knew.¡± I wanted to get it out of him but I could only nod my head as I didn¡¯t have much time. David pushed the dessert tray that looked as if it just came up from the kitchen to me and pulled out a rough map. He then thoroughly described the path from the pantry to the dining room. Honestly speaking, it was confusing but I thought that it should be okay because there were pictures. ¡°I would love to escort you myself but I must go to the wine cer.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t worry. Thank you very much for helping me.¡± I smiled brightly and David¡¯s shoulders shook as if he saw something extremely ominous. He then tightly grabbed my hands andmented. ¡°If things go well, please give his Royal Highness a good chance¡­¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°No, nevermind, your highness. Please excuse me as I head out first.¡± He urgently bowed and walked out of the pantry. Now that I was alone again, I looked at the map that David drew for me and the watch. The dessert was to go in at 8:30pm and it was currently 8:20pm. ¡®I should be able to easily get there in ten minutes. This is a piece of cake, Yeseo.¡¯ * Christelle de Sarnez had this thought on her mind. ¡®If you try to live you will die and you will live if you try to die.¡¯ This was that damn Imperial Prince bastard¡¯s home ground and today¡¯s feast was a secret that even her parents did not know about. There was nobody here who could help her so stalling to give her answer would just be revealing her weakness. She also could not dare to pretend that she didn¡¯t hear it as this was the Empress asking her a question. She had to be the one to start even if it felt as if she would vomit blood. ¡°That¡­¡­ His Royal Highness¡¯s¡­¡­ Body¡­¡­¡± Christelle slightly twitched as she broke the silence. Each word felt so heavy and burdensome despite not being something that would be recorded in history. The Empress was smiling. ¡°You like the Imperial Prince¡¯s body?¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty. His limbs¡­¡­ I am satisfied because they are all there.¡± ¡®There are a lot of ces to stab¡­¡­¡¯ Christelle did not say that part out loud. All she knew about the Imperial Prince¡¯s body was that it was big and thick. She was busy pushing him to his limits when they were sparring and the two of them did not chat very often. She didn¡¯t feel a need to talk to him since she could figure out most of his emotions based on the flow of ether. For reference, both of their ethers were simrly in pits of despair right now. ¡°How peculiar. C¨¦dric, what about you?¡± Cardinal Boutier, who had been quietly listening, passed the ball to the Imperial Prince. Christelle almost cried in admiration. ¡®Fuck, Dobby is free!¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­Her aura is clear, your Eminence.¡± The Imperial Prince said somethingpletely bonkers at that moment. Christelle¡¯s jaw dropped as she looked to her side. The pair of orange eyes were looking up in the air as if he was thinking about something. ¡°My ether bes stable when I am near her.¡± ¡°Hoooo.¡± The Empress put her fork down as if she found this to be amusing. On the other hand, Christelle squinted her eyes. ¡®This terrible son is scamming his own mother. How can he say these things so easily? Did he write them on his te or something?¡¯ ¡°And?¡± ¡°The way she is generous to those under her is something I can learn from as well.¡± Christelle felt as if her back was struck by lightning. She opened her eyes wide and red at the Imperial Prince. ¡®I¡¯ve never seen a fox like this in my life. He¡¯s talking about Prince Jesse!¡¯ ¡°I didn¡¯t know Christelle had such a side to her.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡­¡± The noble youngdy barely managed tough at the Cardinal¡¯s affectionate response. ¡®The two of your beloved ¡®son¡¯ is filming { My Sassy Girl } on his own right now. I want to jump up in anger and break this walnut table in half!¡¯ ¡°When did the two of you first meet? Was it the Spring Ball?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± The Imperial Prince shamelessly responded. His pretty face did not show any shaking at all. Christelle reyed a scene from a movie in her mind and made sarcastic remarks. ¡®You must not give Mr. Jesse any alcohol at all. He is a sincere person. If you go to a tea shop, don¡¯t drink coffee or ck tea. Drink some sort of flower tea¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°What about the little Sarnez girl?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Christelle looked up. The Empress brushed back her short silver hair and looked at her. There was a smile on her face as if she found this to be extremely entertaining. ¡°It sounds like only the Imperial Prince has feelings for you. Do you not have anything else to add?¡± ¡®Is it my turn again?¡¯ Christelle bit the inside of her mouth and peeked down. The watch on her leg said that it was currently 8:40pm. She became extremely nervous. ¡®Why is Prince Jesse not here? Did he really get lost?¡¯ ¡°I¡­¡­¡± She subconsciously gulped. It was quiet outside so there didn¡¯t seem to be any issue. That meant that the two of them had to work hard to buy some time. Christelle solemnly took some deep breaths. ¡®That bastard started it.¡¯ She always gave her best in a fight no matter the opponent. Even if it was just a little twenty-four year old kid. ¡°I like that his Royal Highness is kind hearted. He smiles well and is nice to children and animals.¡± ¨C ng. The spoon that was broken in half by the Imperial Prince weakly fell to the table. Christelle felt as if the side of her face was on fire but she did not pay it any attention and continued to speak. ¡°There is nothing he wants from me politically and he is extremely respectful. Ah, the color of his eyes is very pretty too.¡± The Cardinal looked shocked. ¡°That is unexpected.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it, your Eminence? I thought about it and I think marriage will be fine too. It would be like having an exclusive and secretive cohabitation with a friend.¡± ¡®Big sis has won, you little kid.¡¯ Christelle smiled like the Joker and looked at the Imperial Prince. Sparks that one would normally see in welding were visible in the corners of the young man¡¯s eyes. The tablecloth in front of Christelle started to burn ck from the edge. There was a cracking sound as the Imperial Prince¡¯s wine froze. The Cardinal had an awkward look on her face as she opened her mouth to speak. ¡°Friend? Just moments ago you definitely said¡­¡­¡± It was at that moment. ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Come in.¡± The Empress responded to the knock as if she had been waiting. The door soon opened and a familiar handsome man pushed the dessert trolley into the dining room. He was breathing heavily as he apologized. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry for beingte.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Fran?ois?¡± The Cardinal pushed up her monocle as she asked. Christelle and the Imperial Prince were both stunned. ¡®Wait, how the heck did you turn into Fran?ois Duhem?¡¯ * ¡°Excuse me, what did you just say your Eminence?¡¯ I stupidly asked back. I was so shocked that my mind was not working properly. ¡®Who did you say I am?¡¯ ¡°This attendant looks exactly the same as Fran?ois.¡± Cardinal Boutier gentlymented. I looked at her and did my best to catch my breath. The only person that my teacher would call Fran?ois would be Marquis Duhem. ¡®So you are saying that this is the reason nobody helped me and looked at me like I was a crazy bastard when I went around and around the same ce three times? This was the reason that the Imperial Guard members just left me alone even though I passed by with a trolley with clothes that don¡¯t fit me properly? What kind of life is the Marquis living?¡¯ ¡°Hahahaha.¡± Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦riqueughed out loud and broke the awkward silence. I flinched. I was shocked and scared because I had never heard herugh out loud before. I naturally recalled Benjamin¡¯s advice. ¡®Jump out the window if she puts her hand on her scabbard. He said that was the safe decision.¡¯ ¡°I haven¡¯t had any funtely because I¡¯ve been so busy. I got to see something entertaining.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Your acting was good, Aur¨¦lie.¡± ¡°Who do you think that I am?¡± The Cardinal gently smiled and responded to the Empress. The two adults silently sipped their red wine. I turned my gaze to look at our two main characters. ¡®Did you guys mess up?¡¯ Shake shake. Christelle read my gaze and shook her head with innocent eyes. ¡°The reason I came here today was because I thought highly of your ability to set all of this up.¡± The Empress emptied her winess beforementing. Although she was looking straight forward, it did not look as if she was looking at her son, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, who was seated there. I remained silent and listened carefully to the ruler¡¯s words. ¡°You sure are popr. Not only did you get my son on your side, you dragged in the little kids of the Moutet Count¡¯s Estate and the Sarnez Duke¡¯s Estate. As for the nquer Duke¡¯s Estate, you used a message to sell your n. We don¡¯t even need to bring up the priest from the Vatican under confinement.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Using this feast was quite smart. I have no choice but to be proud of you for being able to put so much into action while imprisoned in a small cold pce.¡± She slowly turned her head. This was the first time I made eye contact with the Empress sinceing into the dining room. Her sharp cherry-colored eyes pierced right through me. I instantly got chills all over my body. ¡°The mistake you made was thinking that there was something happening in the Imperial Pce that I did not know about. But it does not matter.¡± I felt a new kind of fear despite this not being the first time I chatted with her. This was clearly the pressure from a sword master. My lips dried out. I barely managed to stop my leg from instinctually taking a step back. The Empress loosened her cravat and spoke in a low voice. ¡°I will listen to what you have to say. So get rid of that stupid disguise, Jesse Viaan.¡± It was an Imperial order. I did everything I could to make sure my hand did not shake as I pulled off the eye patch. Chapter 111 Chapter 111 ¨C The Empress Waltz (2) Chapter 111: The Empress Waltz (2) Posted on January 19, 2023 by admin ¡ª 1 Comment ¡ý ¡°A Prince dressed as an attendant.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Seems interesting enough to make a deal.¡± Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique spoke cynically. I ced the magic tool in my pocket and showed my respects. ¡°I greet the sun that has descended to the ground and your Eminence.¡± My hair was scattered from taking off the eye patch and I had cold sweats from the pressure I received from this sword master, but she was right. What we were about to do right now was not a chat but a deal. It would be bad if my demeanor changed. Furthermore, my current appearance was closest to my real appearance. Jung Yeseo was just amoner in this world¡¯s terms after all. ¡°Fine, I got it.¡± The Empress suddenly mumbled in a discontent tone. I felt my suffocation stop and my body became lighter. I raised my head in shock. The air was extremely clear and refreshing once the pressure was gone. Cardinal Boutier looked at me and smiled. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you start on equal standing to make a deal?¡± ¡®I see. She must have used her soul that is connected with the Empress to remove the pressure.¡¯ I quietly chuckled and showed my thanks. The Empress pushed an empty chair with her boot. ¡°Sit.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, your Majesty.¡± I would have been extremely anxious seeing her act like this if this was my first meeting with her, but I now knew that this was her way of showing goodwill. Christelle and the Imperial Prince looked at me as soon as I sat down. I naturally started to smile while looking at the two of them. The two main characters yed significant roles in my being able toe here during my confinement. Arge table full of food for a feast that looked like it could easily seat thirty people, the tall ceiling with the blinding chandeliers, and the four luxuriously dressed individuals¡­ I was definitely dressed the worst out of everybody here but at least I was not alone. I took two deep breaths before starting to speak. ¡°First of all, I want to thank you for your grace that is as vast as the waters of the rivers and the seas, your Majesty. However, I never thought that you were not aware of what I was doing.¡± I meant it. Although she might have missed the minute details, I never even hoped that the Empress would be in the dark about the entire thing. She chuckled at myment. She seemed to be telling me to keep going. ¡°The Pair de Riester are scared of you but are able to act freely. Your Majesty must be letting them act freely knowing what they are doing and having the confidence that you would be able to confine them whenever you wish. I am sure it is the same with me.¡± ¡°I guess you did some studyingtely.¡± She poured some wine into her empty cup as shemented. She looked quite rxed offering the Cardinal some wine as well. Of course, it was to be expected. ¡°So, get to the point.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I would like to request the release of Sir Johann Geens and asylum for him and his son in Riester.¡± I looked directly at her as I said that. Thankfully my voice did not shake. ¡°Thetter is unexpected.¡± The Empress slightly scowled for the first time. That was enough for me. I slowly started to reveal the information I had organized in my mind. ¡°As you know already, Sir Geens is not an Archbishop but a Cardinal-level Holy Knight, your Majesty. His Divine Power is weaker than her Eminence¡¯s but I personally watched him use the stigmata.¡± The faces of the people around me stiffened for a moment. I calmly added on. ¡°Your Majesty, I believe that you have thoughts on handing him over to the Vatican and applying political pressure. However, turning Sir Geens into an asset of the Riester Empire will definitely result in receiving equivalent assistance. It might even be an even greater return.¡± My heart hurt at the fact that I needed to treat a person like a tool in order to save him. ¡°For example?¡± ¡°The Vatican is currently minimizing the transfer of personnel.¡± This was something I heard from Sir Geens in the Yvelines Summer Pce. ¡®Gathering together is necessary right now because of the Pope¡¯s absence. I presume that another instructor will not be dispatched.¡¯ He exined that another Holy Knight would not being. ¡°However, his Royal Highness and youngdy Sarnez will need an instructor for a while even after being appointed as Holy Knights. Both of them are extremely skilled in handling ether but they have not finished their lessons on developing their tes and the demeanors they should have as Holy Knights.¡± The Empress looked at herpanion to see if this was true. The Cardinal silently nodded. I took a sip of water from the cup Christelle pushed toward me and continued to speak. ¡°The Vatican does not have much goodwill toward Riester, so they will probably send another Archbishop or Bishop level Holy Knight even if they were to send someone to rece Sir Geens. They will me it on theirck of manpower.¡± ¡°They probably will.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, if you leave Sir Geens as an asset for Riester, your Majesty would be able to have a Cardinal level Holy Knight as the instructor for the two of them without having to make aint to the Vatican.¡± ¡°You should know that his trying to kill you falls under attempted murder of the Imperial family.¡± The Empress¡¯ tone became a bit sharper. Her gaze seemed to be asking if I was really trying to convince her with just that. Of course I was not. It would be absurd to forgive such a grave sin because they werecking an instructor. ¡°That¡¯s not all, your Majesty. I heard that a single sword master is capable of taking on thousands of soldiers. I¡¯ve been informed that Archmages are capable of the same. Cardinal level Holy Knights are pretty simr, although there is a difference based on the level of Divine Power.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty is a wise sovereign so I believe that you have a keen interest in increasing the strength and defenses of the Empire. Although this is not a time of war, gaining the strength of a Cardinal like Sir Geens is definitely a profound gain for the Empire.¡± She looked at me with a piercing gaze before one side of her lips slightly curled up. ¡°You talk like you are a person of Riester.¡± This was something I had heard from the Imperial Prince as well. I smiled bitterly. ¡°If it is both political influence on the Vatican and the force of a Cardinal, it definitely would be interesting to weigh things on a scale. The Empire has not had any Holy Knights until now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°However, that man is a mercenary. Do you know what that means?¡± I could not answer immediately. The Empress gently swirled her blood-colored ss and continued to speak. ¡°The only information Aur¨¦lie knew about Johann Geens was that he was a mercenary before he awakened as a Holy Knight and has a child. The Empress of the Empire and a Cardinal did not know about his origins or his history since bing a Holy Knight. How do you think something like that is possible?¡± I was at a loss for words. I had no idea that she had so little information about him. Her cherry-colored eyes were filled with anger, dejection and understanding as they sunk low. Her eyes were basically the color of the wine she was drinking. ¡°The people who used Geens as a mercenary protected him.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The fact that they can use a mercenary with such abilities means that they are plotting something they cannot openly talk about in public. A person who knows the secret bes a part of the secret. Do you know what I am trying to say?¡± I subconsciously gulped. Basically, the people who hired Sir Geens until now had actively hidden a Holy Knight¡¯s identity in order to protect their own identities. They would only be safe if he was not exposed and nobody found out. The Viaan Royal Family was included in the people who hired Sir Geens. Since it was a gathering of people with such influence, it would not have been difficult to hinder the Empress of an Empire on the opposite side of the continent from gathering information. ¡°Your Majesty is saying that you cannot trust Sir Geens.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He attempted an assassination once and he is a high-ranking mercenary whose history is a blur.¡± She answered almost in a sigh and took a sip of wine. ¡°I believe that you can use that in reverse.¡± I calmly got my brain to work. ¡°That means that Sir Geens knows quite a lot of secrets about the high-ranking individuals of the Holy Kingdom and the Vatican. Of course your Majesty probably cannot gather too much information as he is most likely under multiple Promises of Ether, but he should be able to indirectly assist you.¡± ¡°Are you telling me to consider it as having a spy?¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡± I quickly exined. I would not be able to get anywhere if I showed hesitation in my answer. ¡°In return for not punishing him for his crime, have him make a Promise of Ether to use his life to serve the Empire. You would be able to gain at least a minimum level of trust through that. If you can also protect his son by granting him asylum in the Empire, I am certain that you will be able to get true loyalty from him.¡± ¡°Yes, his son.¡± She scowled and tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯s been annoying me since earlier. I heard that he¡¯s a ten years old little kid. Is he in the Vatican?¡± ¡®He¡¯s only ten years old?¡¯ My heart felt as if it was suffocating. Christelle reached her arm over the Imperial Prince¡¯s leg to pat the back of my hand. I could finally breathe again. ¡°He is in the Holy Kingdom¡¯s¡­¡­ prison.¡± ¡°Prison?¡± The silent Cardinal asked with a puzzled look on her face. I did my best to not add any emotions into my words. ¡°Prince Consort Werner used that child as a hostage to threaten Sir Geens. The child is a patient who suffers a lot if he does not get his daily medicine but he is imprisoned and they are not giving him his medicine.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± The Empress¡¯ voice became significantly lower. There was a glimpse of murderous intent visible in her red eyes. ¡°The Prince Consort didn¡¯t hire him with money.¡± The Cardinal whispered. Her face showed despair and sympathy. ¡°Haaaa. That was your reason.¡± The Empresspletely pulled off her cravat and threw it to the side. She had a look that made it seem as if she was in pain or in aplicated situation as she observed me. ¡°What the hell is the problem with that Prince Consort?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was curious about that as well. I silently stood there with an awkward look on my face before she started to speak again. ¡°I did not give it much thought when the Imperial Prince first mentioned naturalizing you. But now it is extremely tempting. I could let out all of this frustration and dere war if you were one of my subjects.¡± My eyes opened wide. The middle-aged woman continued to speak without stopping. ¡°I felt that the Prince Consort was as ruthless as a demonic beastst spring. Anybody who brainwashes thirteen year old children and uses them as assassins cannot be normal. I sent a letter to Quen Christanne expressing my regrets but I did not receive a response. I have no idea if the Queen even read the letter herself. ording to my spies she is currently suffering from insanity.¡± Queen Christanne¡¯s insanity. This waspletely new information. I even forgot to blink as I looked at the Empress. ¡°But if he threatened someone he could move with money with something like that, that is not even a demonic beast. He is basically a devil that the Almighty God has sent down to test us.¡± She proimed. I took some deep breaths. It would do me no good to be swept up in my emotions right now as well. The Empress seemed to be even angrier while thinking about her son, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric¡¯s youth. I might be able to use her hot temper to my advantage. ¡®It happened when that child was very young. Maybe one year old? His ether depletion was quite severe since he was born.¡¯ The story that the Cardinal shared with me during the Annual Prayer Meeting echoed in my ears. The Imperial Prince was very sick since he was an infant. I turned my head and looked at him. I made eye contact with his orange eyes immediately. I knew that I needed to be cold and calcting right now but it was hard to do so with the person right in front of me. Selling the situation of someone who was still suffering from ether depletion weighed heavily on me. He slowly moved his lips at that moment. ¡®It does not matter.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± His gaze did not shake at all. My mouth opened on its own. ¡°Your Majesty. I wish to help a child and his father.¡± I turned away from him and proimed with resolution. The Empress¡¯ gaze immediately met mine. ¡°Please allow me to meet crown princess Elise. I havee up with a way to get the sick child out of prison. Only the Almighty God knows whether that n can bepleted properly, but I ask for your permission to at least suggest it to her.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty would get a Cardinal level Holy Knight as a part of the Empire¡¯s strength and an instructor while taking in a high-ranking mercenary of a foreign kingdom as a spy and allow a child who is suffering without knowing why to be saved and reunited with his father.¡± The Empress clicked her tongue. She also let out some deep sighs and brushed back her hair. I closed my mouth because I had no idea what that could mean. A few minutes of silence that felt like a few hours passed by. ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°My goodness.¡± The Empress responded and Christelle gasped while covering her mouth with both hands. However, you always had to listen to the full statement of a Riester. ¡°However, I have a condition.¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡± ¡°You will not be able to meet the crown princess or her envoy on your own.¡± That was what I wanted anyway. I happily nodded my head as I wanted to avoid being alone with her as much as possible. The Empress did not stop there. ¡°In addition, I need some sort of insurance as well. If the crown princess does not agree to your request or does not manage to smuggle Geens¡¯ son out of there, your n will go up in smoke.¡± ¡°¡­¡­That is correct, your Majesty. Please tell me.¡± Readtest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only There was a small moment of silence before she answered. ¡°I want you to be the two of their priest partner. Get rid of that temporary tag and make it official.¡± ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Mama bear be looking out for her son. Chapter 112 Chapter 112 ¨C {The Empress Waltz (3)} Chapter 112 {The Empress Waltz (3)} I had an ufortable look on my face. All four of them turned to look at me. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If it was up to me, I would want you to partner only with the Imperial Prince but I cannot break the agreement that the two punks have with each other. I also want to stop hearing about how little Sarnez girl keeps rejecting Archbishops left and right.¡± The Empress¡¯s cherry-colored eyes looked tired as she sipped her wine. I instinctively realized that this was her way of giving me some time to think. I needed to give a response before her ss was empty. ¡°I have no desire to take away the thing that the two of them want. So you decide.¡± I barely managed to suppress my twitching lips at the Empress¡¯ment. I did my best to look serious. ¡°I understand, your Majesty.¡± I answered. Everything was as I expected until here. What I mean is that today was already the eighth day of confinement. Although I had spent the entire first day sleeping as if I was dead, I had been confined in Juliette Pce for a week. There was not much a person could do when they are not even allowed to go out on a short walk. After throwing a ball around with Ganael in thergest reception room that I had them empty out, watching the attendants bet on bowling, walking the hallways with Benjamin, and ying with the divine beasts¡­ The rest of the time was spent studying, organizing my thoughts, anding up with new possibilities. ¡®It was basically an extremely boring college dorm life.¡¯ ¡°Your highness, you don¡¯t need to make your decision on a whim¡­¡­¡± ¡°Christelle, give the little prince some time to think it over.¡± I heard Christelle and Cardinal Boutier¡¯s voices. I silently looked toward one side of the table. I only had a few cards up my sleeves but they were all guaranteed to be effective. Of those cards, this was what I had thought out regarding the issue of being the official priest partner of the main characters. First of all, both Imperial Prince C¨¦dric and Christelle have me as their number one choice. I was certain about this because it was revealed during the Annual Prayer Meeting. I had been angry at the two of their one-sided decisions, but ended up agreeing to be their temporary partner and help them out. I made it sound like a punishment at the time but thinking about it even a little bit made it obvious that I had taken a step forward. The ¡®ether support¡¯ that was just visiting their lessons turned into being their partner for their daily lives. And there was a simple reason I made such a decision. It is because they are the MCs of QNW. I worked hard the past few days moving around my bed, the terrace, dining room, and balcony while trying to understand their thought process. I was trying to analyze the dispositions of the main characters to prepare for the future days as I did not know much about the novel. The two of them showed no signs of letting me go despite my numerous excuses I gave to reject them. Rather than seeing me as an unripe grape they could not eat and giving up, they acted even bolder as if they saw it as a challenge. I also had to consider the fact that I was the second male lead in this world. The author made it so that I ended up running into the main characters no matter how hard I iled to avoid them. If the author has no thoughts on excluding me from the main story yet and the two main characters desperately want my ether, the answer was obvious. I would definitely end up as the priest partner for this couple whether I wanted to or not. In that case, it would be better for me to use that to my advantage first. Wouldn¡¯t leading the situation to my advantage be more beneficial to my survival than letting therge current carry me there? ¡°Or maybe you are thinking about opening up your birthday present?¡± The Empress suddenly asked. I raised my head and made eye contact with her. ¡®I knew she would consider that as well.¡¯ ¡°No, your Majesty. I n on saving that for the future.¡± ¡°Hoooo.¡± She squinted. I recalled the moment at the end of May when I received an early birthday present from her. ¡®Your Majesty, you bestowed upon me a chance to ask for anything I want during the celebration not too long ago.¡¯ ¡®I did.¡¯ ¡®If you would allow it¡­¡­ I wish to make that request right now.¡¯ My mind had been hazy because of the heat but I still managed to sessfully get what I wanted from the Empress and that item was currently stored in the safe in my room. The birthday present was definitely one of the cards in my hand. However, I didn¡¯t need to reach for it since the Empress offered the condition of being their partner first. That was kind of like myst line of defense after all. Then I just needed to take care of one other issue. ¡°There will be a lot of concerned voices if I be their official partner, your Majesty. I am a prince of the Holy Kingdom and here as a diplomatic hostage.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you were offered naturalization?¡± The Empress took another drink after answering with a question. She already had less than a third of the cup of wine left. She was the type who did not like to repeat herself. That was why I didn¡¯t beat around the bush either. ¡®I thought about that quite a bit while losing sleep.¡¯ ¡°Naturalization will be difficult, your Majesty. That is why, please give me a title of nobility.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± The one to ask the question was not the Empress but the Cardinal. Her beige-colored eyes were wide open as she looked at me. I continued to speak without any hesitation. ¡°I heard that there was quite a lot of precedent until the Warring Era. My attendant, young master Ganael Camard, said that his family was the first. The first patriarch of the family, Viscount Emmanuel Camard, was a Viaan noble priest but had a good rtionship with the Imperial family and received a Riester style name and title of nobility. He had given up on his Holy Kingdom nationality and moved the family to the Empire just before his death.¡± I only found out about this thanks to Ganael. The young boy found out that I could not sleep because of the naturalization issue and shared the story of his family saying that there might be an alternative. That allowed something that had been puzzling me for a long time to be resolved. ¡®Viscount Camard¡¯s household that had once given birth to a martyr, as well as my, Count Girardin¡¯s household, were hoping that someone from our family would be assigned to attend to you, your highness.¡¯ It was something Benjamin had said to me about a week after I transmigrated into this world. During the Warring Era, Viscount Camard refused to murder an unarmed priest of the Holy Kingdom and was executed by thete Emperor Romero and revered as a martyr. I had no idea that Ganael¡¯s deep faith and that background were connected. Anyway, I wasn¡¯t nning on wasting the precious card that the child gave to me. ¡°Naturalization is a difficult issue for me to decide on my own. Even if I discuss it with the crown princess, it may lead to friction between the two nations if the Queen of the Holy Kingdom finds it to be an issue. However, if I have a title of nobility in the Empire, I would be able to maintain my Holy Kingdom nationality while swearing my loyalty to you at the same time, your Majesty. There should also not be any major bacsh from the aristocracy or the religiousmunity. I exined. It probably sounded like a Korean person in the 21st century wanting dual citizenship, and that was basically it. No matter how hard I thought about it, I could not throw away this great offer of naturalization. However, it would be bad to be naturalized and mess with the prince¡¯s family rtionship. In that case, what choice did I have other than two-timing? ¡®What wouldn¡¯t I be willing to do to survive?¡¯ ¡°It sounds like you want a title of nobility in the Empire to gain my protection while saving Johann Geens and just helping out the Imperial Prince and the youngdy on the side.¡± The Empress instantly saw through me. Being guaranteed my safety as a noble of the Empire and receiving the Empress¡¯s protection waspletely different from my safety as an ether support or temporary partner. With the former, the Prince Consort would not be able to mess with me as he has been doing until now. Even if I was not a citizen of the Empire, I would at least have one foot in the Empire¡¯s side. ¡°Some people might think you are forming a celestial covenant with my son or something.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°No, will you be asking for Charpentier Pce if a celestial covenant is requested?¡± She looked at me as she finished the wine in her cup. Her red eyes were sparkling brightly. The way she was scoping me out was quite sharp. ¡°It is now your turn to decide, your Majesty.¡± I answered without faltering. The Empressughed out loud. ¡®I¡¯m sure I look daring to her.¡¯ ¡°Aur¨¦lie.¡± The Empress put down her ss and called for her contractor. The Cardinal quietly looked at her instead of responding. There was a few minutes of silence. They seemed to bemunicating through their souls again. This was quite magical. The Empress finally started to speak after a while. ¡°¡­¡­Tsk. You want me to take amoner as the Imperial Prince¡¯s instructor.¡± ¡°I know you don¡¯t mean that, your Majesty.¡± I responded immediately. She turned away from the Cardinal to look at me. ¡°I read an article about the Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Imperial Capital¡¯s Garrison Officer Candidate School in the Fall. Are you not creating the school in order to make sure that themoners who are talented in sword art and magic do not let their talents rot? Your Majesty is not someone who cares about someone¡¯s origins as much as other members of the Imperial family.¡± The corners of the Empress¡¯s eyes slightly curled up. I did not have a close rtionship with the Empress but even I could tell that she was happy. ¡°Not bad. The way you want to win every discussion reminds me of my husband.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Is that apliment? It should be apliment, right?¡¯ ¡°I will ept your condition. We will proceed with the n. Do not forget that the crown princess will be entering the Imperial Pce in two days.¡± Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester proimed to the group. My jaw dropped. I failed at maintaining my poker face and smiled brightly. ¡°Thank you very much, your Majesty. I will not let you down.¡± ¡°Okay. It looks like someone else is disappointed.¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ The Empress wiped her mouth with a napkin and got up while I was confused at herment. We all stood up as well. ¡°Little Sarnez girl, you make sure to show your face at the Lord¡¯s Castle from time to time. Your father is quite concerned about you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes, your Majesty.¡± Christelle¡¯s voice was heavy. I tried to look at her to see if she was okay but I was busy bowing to the Empress who left the room immediately. The Cardinal tightly held my hands before following the Empress. ¡°You ced the first button well.¡± ¡°It is all thanks to your help convincing her Majesty, your Eminence.¡± ¡°You studied hard too, my little prince.¡± She then whispered to me. ¡°But it will be difficult for me to help you console the children.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I blinked wondering what she meant by that. The Cardinal smiled warmly before heading out the door. ¡°Congrattions on bing an Archbishop, my great little disciple.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I answered in bewilderment before looking back at the table. I made eye contact with both of them almost immediately. ¡®¡­¡­Why do both of you have such grim looks on your faces?¡¯ * It was easy to return to Juliette Pce because Cardinal Boutier left me in the Imperial Guard¡¯s care as she left. None of the things that Benjamin and Ganael worried about happened. The Empress did not get angry, swing her sword, or deny all of my requests. In fact, everything went smoothly. It was worth reading through all sorts of books to prepare. Or at least I thought, but¡­ ¡°What is going on?¡± I mumbled while heading out to the balcony. Demy was squeaking while roaming around my ankles. He wanted me to pick him up. I picked him up and sat in front of the table. ¡°Demy, Christelle and the Imperial Prince are acting weird.¡± ¨C Whimper ¡°They looked really upset. Christelle even broke two wine sses.¡± ¨C Whimper ¡°The Imperial Prince swiftly ran off to his room.¡± Demy iled in my arms before pushing against my chest and standing up. I supported his warm back. The red panda then used both front paws to push my cheeks. ¨C Cruuuuuuuuu ¡°Noe, I diwn¡¯t do anwething.¡± ¡®I really didn¡¯t do anything.¡¯ I knew that the divine beast that wasn¡¯t there to see what happened was not ming me, but I felt wronged for some reason. I just did my best to save Sir Geens and his son and responded ording to n as the Empress offered a condition that I had expected. I even set up a seatbelt for me in the process. But the two of their reactions were extremely cold. ¡®Didn¡¯t they want to partner with me?¡¯ ¡°Do you think that they suddenly changed their minds?¡± ¨C Sqoo Demy opened his mouth and quietly squeaked. I smiled because his pink tongue was so cute. I peeked at the books and magazines scattered on top of the table. One of them especially caught my attention. { The History of the Warring Era using code. } ¡°Or maybe they got an upset stomach while eating because it was such an ufortable setting?¡± It was a book that David left for me yesterday. Thanks to that, I was able to learn that the bastard bothering me with sunlight from Romero Pce was the Imperial Prince and that the QNW world also had Morse Code. Although it was called ¡®Code of the Warring Era¡¯¡­¡­ I thought for a moment before rummaging through my pajamas and taking out the crystal bell. I then confirmed on the page with the code and slowly reflected the bell under the bright full moon. ¡®I¡¯m using something that I didn¡¯t even learn about in the army. I¡¯ll just ask once and go to sleep.¡¯ ¡®You mad, bro?¡¯ There were no reactions from the Romero Pce window. ¡°¡­¡­I guess he is sleeping.¡± I put the bell away and got up. The sleepy Demy dangled on my shoulder. sh. Moonlight shed from the other side at that moment. I flinched and turned my head. The light was extremely short and concise. It was so short I even wondered if I saw it correctly. I quickly looked through the page I had just opened. ¡®Y.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­Huh? Did I just see wrong?¡¯ Chapter 113 Chapter 113 ¨C The One Who Leads The Sun Of The Holy Kingdom (1) Chapter 113: The one who leads the sun of the Holy Kingdom (1) ¡°Ollie? Are you listening to mommy?¡± Christelle jumped out of her thoughts. Her nk stare out the window returned to look at her mother who was seated across from her. It was Lady Isabelle de Sarnez. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My thoughts drifted away for a moment.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Isabelle¡¯s ck eyes curled up as she responded. She looked quite happy being out on a date with her beloved daughter for the first time in a long while. The dress and essories she had were some of the most expensive ones in the Empire and her elegantly twisted up light green hair sparkled like green leaves under the sunlight. Christelle did her best to smile back and brought the teacup to her lips as she did not want to make her mother worry. Her mind was in such a mess that she could not even tell if it was tea or coffee but she at least pretended to drink it. ¡°Something is wrong, isn¡¯t it?¡± Her mother lowered her voice and asked. Christelle was silent. Only the white noise of the fancy tea shop could be heard between the mother and daughter for a bit. The guests chatting, the employee serving the afternoon tea, and the sound of horse hooves from outside¡­ ¡°Umm, it¡¯s not much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine even if it isn¡¯t much. Mommy is curious about everything.¡± These were such warm words. This was the reason Christelle found it difficult to be close to Isabelle. Her mother was such a good person but she was not her real daughter. She could not close the distance between the two of them thinking about the disappointment and sadness that would be on Isabelle¡¯s face if she ever learned the truth. She did not want to hurt her. At the same time, Ham Ga-in was extremely weak against women who were around her older sister¡¯s age. That was why it was not surprising that Christelle ended up putting up this awkward but gentle daughter act. She thought about it for a bit before starting to speak. She wanted to vent to someone anyway. ¡°I think I wronged his highness.¡± ¡°Prince Jesse?¡± Isabelle tilted her head. Christelle nodded her head and continued. ¡°Last night, his highness epted his Royal Highness and me as his official partners.¡± ¡°Oh my! There was quite the joyous asion at the Imperial Pce. Why didn¡¯t you tell me this morning?¡± Isabelle smiled brightly and was extremely happy as if it was something that happened to her. She knew that Christelle had wanted the prince to be her partner for a long time. Isabelle also had a lot of good feelings toward the prince. He was a precious person who had forgiven her ill manners and received her confession even in aplicated situation. She had wanted to treat him to a grand fast at their Lord¡¯s Castle when he had safely returned from the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts with her daughter. Of course, it could not happen because he was a diplomatic hostage. ¡°¡­¡­But it wasn¡¯t something his highness did voluntarily.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°He had no choice but to ept it because of the situation. It was to save someone else and to save himself. I don¡¯t think he truly likes his Royal Highness or me enough to ept on his own ord.¡± Christelle¡¯s tone grew dark. Isabelle finally understood why her daughter had such a look on her face since yesterday night. She took off her mesh gloves and gently grabbed her daughter¡¯s hand. Her daughter¡¯s temperature had been cold ever since she awakened as a Holy Knight. It upset her so much. ¡°That was why I was angry. It wasn¡¯t because he saw us for who we were. I feel like he just used us as pawns for his desires. I know he isn¡¯t that kind of person but it still made me upset.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But then I was on the bed underneath my nket and¡­¡­ I realized that I had done the same until not too long ago.¡± Isabelle fixed some of her daughter¡¯s hair that was sticking out. Christelle continued to speak. ¡°I approached his highness because I liked his ether. He is a good person and it is nice to be around him but at first, I did not take his highness into consideration at all.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I acted like a child. I acted that way even though his highness is not a toy.¡± Christelle mumbled almost in a sigh. She recalled the conversation she had with Cardinal Boutier at the dinner. ¡®Your highness, you don¡¯t need to make your decision on a whim¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®Christelle, give the little prince some time to think it over.¡¯ She had not understood what the Cardinal had meant at the time. She had said what she said in order to give the prince some time to think things over as well after all. However, thinking back at her actions made it feel as if she had never given him any room to think things over. She simply stood in front of him, busy appealing to him for what she wanted. Maybe the Cardinal was pointing that out. Isabelle silently caressed her daughter¡¯s hand. ¡°Thinking about that made me feel like I had no right to say anything. Even if he doesn¡¯t feel that way these days, he might have been disappointed in the beginning.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Honestly, I can understand why his highness acted that way. He can¡¯t help but be even more desperate because he is a diplomatic hostage. But I wasn¡¯t in such a situation.¡± It frustrated her. Sir Geens had exined that being a Holy Knight was an extremely lonely job. Civilians and even priests could not understand a Holy Knight¡¯s instinctual desires and pain. Holy Knights desire ether until their dying breath but other Holy Knights were the only ones who could truly understand them. That was why asking for the prince to recognize her needs was perhaps selfish and stupid. Her head knew that was the case but her actions did not follow. ¡°I heard that Holy Knights are always desiring ether. They said that Holy Knights chase after ether up to the moment where their souls be settled. Christelle looked up. Warm ck eyes were looking at her. ¡°It waspared to being thirsty even after drinking water and hungry despite eating. Unlike priests who receive the love of the Almighty God, Holy Knights might even wonder at times if they are hated.¡± ¡°Where did you-¡± ¡°I exchanged a few letters with Sir Johann Geens.¡± Christelle¡¯s blue-gray eyes opened wide. Isabelle smiled brightly as she added on. ¡°It weighed heavily on my heart that I had never had a proper audience with my daughter¡¯s instructor. I sent him a letter as a greeting and he responded. That was why I asked him all sorts of things. My child doesn¡¯t tell me the difficult and negative things.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine to slowly push forward, Ollie. Whether that is apologizing or bing true partners with his highness¡­ One day you will be able to understand each other. Mommy will work hard too.¡± Isabelle added on. Christelle became emotional and bit her lips. She looked down to see her mother¡¯s hand that was smaller and thinner than her own. ¡°You said that you acted childish but you are still a child. It is okay for children to make mistakes.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Sheughed after hearing that. She was not a child and not at an age where mistakes were eptable. ¡®I thought that I was pretty skilled in human rtionships.¡¯ Was that simply the result of getting used to living with a mask over her face? Ham Ga-in had taken the mask off and shown her bare face only after borrowing someone else¡¯s body and that bare face allowed her to realize that she was still a child. ¡°Go talk to his highness about it.¡± ¡°Yes, mother.¡± ¡°He seemed like a warm-hearted person. I¡¯m sure that he has not taken those things to heart.¡± That was true. The prince that she knew was magnanimous about other people¡¯s mistakes and affectionate. ¡®Plus, we are friends.¡¯ Her lips stopped frowning. It was at that moment. ¡°Yes, my wife received a message yesterday! The crown princess is basically at the portal now!¡± ¡°I heard that she was brave and beautiful like a lion.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t remind me about it. His Royal Highness will have to be a bit nervous.¡± ¡°I heard that she will reach the Imperial Capital by early tomorrow morning?¡± A couple of people who looked like members of the Pair de Riester were talking loudly at the table by the window on the other side. Christelle quietly thought about tomorrow¡¯s schedule. She would enter the Imperial Pce again and stand by the Imperial family and the prince¡¯s side to greet crown princess Elise Viaan. ¡®What kind of person will she be? How strong is she? Will she help his highness and Sir Geens?¡¯ * ¡°The preparations have beenpleted, your Royal Highness. The crown princess will have an audience with her Majesty in the Empress Pce as soon as she arrives beforeing to the Strauder Pce afterward. ¡°¡­¡­¡± C¨¦dric silently walked the rear garden of Strauder Pce. David followed behind him. This was thergest pce they opened to host visitors to the Imperial Pce. It was also where the grand Spring Ball had taken ce. The fact that crown princess Elise wasing as a Cardinal to judge the Imperial Prince and youngdy Sarnez was something that made both the Beau Monde and themoners excited. The Imperial Pce had been busy for the past eight days determining the protocols for her visit and preparing for her arrival. David, the head attendant of Romero Pce, was one of the busiest people. It was because his master, the Imperial Prince, was the member of the Imperial Prince responsible for hosting this guest. ¡°How about returning to get some rest for the night, your Royal Highness? The gardeners of the Empress Pce personally came over and prepped the rear garden so it should be fine even if you don¡¯t check it¡­¡­¡± The middle-aged man spoke in a concerned voice. It was close to midnight. The Imperial Prince already had a busy schedule and he had a lot on his te recently with the uing Imperial Crown Prince session confirmation ceremony and the issue of Prince Jesse¡¯s confinement. David was under the impression that the feast went well yesterday but the Imperial Prince¡¯s handsome face had looked grim all day. David looked at the Imperial Prince and cautiously asked. ¡°Is there an issue with the balcony, your Royal Highness? Should I call a royal servant?¡± The Imperial Prince was ring at the balcony on the far left side of the Strauder Pce. It was the far right side when looking at it from the front of the pce but the left when looking from behind. There was nothing and nobody there except a magic light to give light in the darkness. His orange eyes sank low. He had considered that the prince would offer the priest partner position as aponent for a deal. He was a diplomatic hostage and even themoners of the Empire had more freedom than he did. Trying to rescue someone being charged for attempted murder of the Imperial family while in such a situation would have had no choice but to use his own abilities as a strategic hand. Looking just at the results, the Imperial Prince thought that it was beneficial for him as well. He now had the justification to receive the prince¡¯s ether whenever he wanted. However, he was still upset. Seeing the prince actually act that way made him angry. He knew it was childish but had ended up sending the code over anyway. Why had he done that? ¡°¡­¡­The Imperial Pce¡¯s temple is scheduled to open again early tomorrow morning, your Royal Highness.¡± David changed the topic. He was used to the Imperial Prince not answering him and would thoroughlyplete his duties as an attendant. The Imperial Prince slowly moved his gaze after hearing that. The young man¡¯s gaze now looked at the temple across the street in the darkness. ¡°We have finished cleaning it up as we expect the crown princess and the Cardinal from the Vatican to seek out the temple.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness. The decorative string in the Confessional as well as the areas that have beencking repairs have all been touched up-¡± ¡°Keep the temple closed.¡± He did not use many words to give the order. David was shocked. ¡°Your Royal Highness. Then the temple for our two guests to use¡­¡± ¡°They can visit the Central Temple in the Imperial Capital.¡± The Imperial Capital slightly frowned. David did not try to convince him otherwise and nodded his head as this was a firm expression of his will. C¨¦dric thought that this was the right thing to do. This temple was a ce that was only opened for the prince in his duties as the Confessional Priest of the Imperial Pce. Furthermore, having other religious figurese and using it before him when the repairs had just finished¡­¡­ An enlightenment shed in his mind at that moment. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He was ranked lower than Johann Geens in this ¡®deal.¡¯ He was not in first ce. This was the first time he had experienced something like this since he was born. The prince had dared to use his rtionship with the Imperial Prince to save the Geens father and son duo. A clear feeling of unpleasantness made the back of his neck burn. However, wasn¡¯t he the one who let the prince be despite knowing that was the case? ¡°Your Royal Highness?¡± David pulled him out of the swamp of his thoughts. C¨¦dric headed toward the carriage without saying anything. The middle-aged man was correct. It seemed as if it would be better to go get some sleep. * The day of the decisive battle arrived without my being able to see Christelle or the Imperial Prince again. ¡®Ah, is this not the decisive battle? Maybe just a thirty second teaser for it?¡¯ ¡°How do I look?¡± ¡°You are always handsome but you are so handsome today that the surface of the Empire might tilt at your beauty, your highness.¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡­ Thanks. How do you think I will look to my family members? Do I look like someone who hasn¡¯t been fed properly during my stay?¡± ¡°No! Yourplexion is good since you have been eating well again for the past two days, your highness.¡± Ganael smiled brightly and pulled taunt some wrinkles on my formal attire. ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ I could see Benjamin outside the window chatting with Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. I also saw the Imperial family¡¯s carriage and the Imperial Guard members who were going to escort me to the Empress Pce. This was finally my first trip out after ten days of confinement. And that first trip was to go greet the crown princess and her envoy. I was shaking even more than the day I took the College Schstic Ability Test. ¡®At least I think I am shaking more than that day. That was ten years ago so my mind is a bit fuzzy on the details.¡¯ ¡°Big bro will be backter. Be good while you y.¡± ¨C Whimper I hugged each of the red pandas before walking out with Percy. The fresh air felt wonderful. Dozens of workers were running around the area. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth greeted me energetically and opened the carriage door. ¡°Hello, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. Thank you for your help a few days ago.¡± ¡°It was nothing, your highness. Although the Captain did nag me a bit about it.¡± My mind was dizzy with excitement and chaos even as the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard smiled bitterly. ¡®Your highness should be easier to say than big sister. (TL: So¡­ Normally, members of the royal family would be ¡®your royal highness¡¯ whereas members of the Imperial family are your Imperial highness. The author uses Royal highness for both (which is why I have been using your highness for Jesse vs Royal Highness for Cedric. As a result, anybody from the Imperial family will be Royal Highness whereas royal families such as the Veneetians will just be highness. This is different from how the author has it, but it will make it easier to distinguish as has been the case with Jesse and Cedric until now. Thanks for understanding!) Let¡¯s be formal and say your highness. It should be fine since it¡¯ll feel like I am being respectful as so many people are watching us, right? But are the two of them really angry?¡¯ Chapter 114 Chapter 114 ¨C The One Who Leads The Sun Of The Holy Kingdom (2) Chapter 114: The one who leads the sun of the Holy Kingdom (2) ¡°I heard that the carriage has entered the Imperial Pce. I informed her Majesty first.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Two attendants quickly chatted in front of the door to the room in the Empress Pce that is used to receive audiences. It meant that the crown princess had entered the pce. I clenched and unclenched my fists as I waited for my turn. The middle-aged man, who was left alone by the other attendant, bowed toward me. ¡°Now entering, Prince Jesse of the Viaan Holy Kingdom.¡± He then announced my arrival in a loud voice. Benjamin and Ganael were left to wait outside while Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth moved away to her station outside Empress Pce. I heard a loud noise as the knights opened the door. The audience room was majestic all the way up to the door. ¨C Piruuuuu ¡°Shh, Percy. You promised that you would be quiet.¡± I warned the chimney bird sitting on my shoulder. I never told him toe with me but I had no way of stopping him now when he had already decided toe. A grand sight soon filled my view. ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± I forgot all about my nerves as I gasped in admiration as I walked. Everything in the Empress Pce was tall andrge. The building itself was asplicated as a shoppingplex. It was my first time in the audience room. It was overbearing but in a different manner than the ballroom. Marble pirs that looked to have the circumference of five adult wingspans were standing all throughout the hall. There were three magnificent chandeliers on the ceiling leading up to the throne. The floor, which was clean enough for me to see my reflection, had a red carpet with the Imperial family¡¯s crest embroidered on it. ¡°Is it okay to step on this?¡± ¨C Pipi? I stood in ce for a moment debating it when¡­ ¡°My dear student.¡± Cardinal Boutier called out to me. I jerked my head up. ¡°Come this way.¡± She gently motioned while standing there in her splendid Cardinal formal attire. She was seated at the end of the audience room on the right side of the throne. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, who was seated at the top-most position, chuckled while looking at me. It was only then that I realized that I was so busy looking around the audience room that I missed my timing to give my greeting. I felt my ears instantly get hot. ¡°I greet the sun that has descended to the ground and your noble Eminence.¡± ¨C Pipo I urgently bowed and Percy chirped as if in response. The Pair de Riester who believed he was a divine beast gasped in admiration. I moved to the side to avoid stepping on the carpet and approached the Cardinal. She was on top of a set of wide stairs with the Empress. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric was to the Empress¡¯s left. ¡°Hello, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I greeted him. He looked at me once before turning his head. ¡®How am I to deal with him?¡¯ ¡°You can stand below C¨¦dric.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I wondered if it was okay for a diplomatic hostage to be on these steps but it should be fine because the Cardinal told me to do so. I moved to the other side and stood one step below the Imperial Prince. My eyes kept moving despite me not wanting them to do so. Even the back of the throne was decorated luxuriously with beautiful dark red and gold threads. There was a velvet cover on the ceiling above the Empress¡¯s head, which made it obvious that she was the most important person in this ce. It gave off an immense feeling of wealth and authority. ¡°Your highness.¡± A familiar voice whispered to me at that moment. I looked for the source of the voice. I could see Christelle standing with Duke Simon de Sarnez at the bottom of the steps. She was pretty close to me. I nodded my head and her lips started to move. She pointed to the entrance of the audience room and then at herself. ¡°Later. You want to chat with meter?¡± I quietly mumbled. Christelle smiled brightly after seeing me nod my head. She seemed off two days ago so it was a relief to see her looking better. I turned my gaze to see some other familiar faces. Marquis Fran?ois Duhem, who was well-dressed for once, winked at me. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ ¡°Control yourself.¡± I was greeting Margrave Caroline Moutet with my eyes when the Imperial Prince said something in a low voice. I looked up at him. ¡°Are you still angry, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®He¡¯s angry, he¡¯s definitely angry.¡¯ ¡°Because of me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®It¡¯s because of me.¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know why but¡­¡­ Thank you for at least understanding.¡± I whispered honestly. He slightly scowled as he looked down at me. ¡®He probably wants to know what I mean.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sure it looked as if I traded the position of being the partners with the two of you in order to save Sir Geens. I had no choice because my life was on the line as well, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But you were more magnanimous than I expected. Oh, I also want to thank you very much for helping me.¡± After I smiled and thanked him, the Imperial Prince opened his mouth as if to say something before closing it again. I whispered quietly so that he could barely hear. ¡°I apologize for making you angry, your Royal Highness. Please let me know your reasons when you wish to do so.¡± Percy jumped up and down on my shoulder at that moment. I petted his chest in shock. -Pipipi, piiiiii! ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?¡± ¡°Now entering, her highness, crown princess Elise of the Viaan Holy Kingdom!¡± Click, boom! A chilling noise pierced through my ears. It felt as if blood was draining from my whole body. Everybody¡¯s gazes focused on one spot. I slowly turned my stiff neck to look at the door. The massive door opened and two silhouettes appeared. One was Captain Herv¨¦ Duhem, who was escorting the crown princess. The other was a woman who was standing in front of him. She started to walk on top of the embroidered carpet. Her posture was straight and her steps were wide and uniform. ¨C Piiii¡­¡­ I even forgot to breathe while looking at her. Her deep eyes sparkled blue. It seemed as if they would not allow even the slightest bit of dishonesty. Her blonde hair, as bright as the sun, almost reached her calves despite being tightly braided all the way down. The way some of her hair was braided to look like a crown on her head made for a memorable look. She had silver armor on, making it obvious that she was a warrior. Her chin and forehead were firm and straight. She was tall and had a great physique. Anybody would think that she would be a good ruler in the future. I gulped. Her specs werepletely different from me and had a different manner than the Imperial Prince. ¡°Elise Viaan, crown princess of the Viaan Holy Kingdom greets her Majesty, Empress of the Riester Empire.¡± Elise arrived in front of the Empress and elegantly knelt down on one knee as she showed her respect. Her voice was low but clear. I inadvertently took a half step back. I could feel the Imperial Prince looking at me. ¡°I have frequently heard of your noble reputation. I am happy to meet you like this.¡± ¡°It is my honor, your Majesty. Her Majesty, Queen Christanne sends her regards.¡± ¡°I thank her for her regards. Please also deliver my well wishes to the Queen.¡± There were no changes to the Empress¡¯s expression or tone. I was the only one drenched in cold sweat in here. The Cardinal soon started speaking. ¡°It must have been difficult traveling such a long distance. The Imperial Prince has prepared your lodgings, so rest well.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, your Eminence.¡± Elise looked at the Cardinal as she responded. Her gaze then headed toward the Imperial Prince. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The two of them made eye contact for a short moment. And then¡­ ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Elise and I made eye contact. Even though I came here expecting such a situation, I felt as if I could not breathe. I did my best to not let my anxiety show and smiled. Her firm gaze started to shake. The corners of Elise¡¯s lips curled up while looking as if she might start to cry. She quickly calmed herself but it clearly looked as if her heart was in pain. I could not help but be certain. This woman truly cherished her younger brother. The Empress and crown princess continued their discussion. ¡°Your brother, Prince Jesse, has had many achievements in the Empire.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Thank you for your generous words, your Majesty.¡± ¡°As a result, I n on bestowing a noble title to him soon.¡± I looked up at the Empress in shock. Of course, Elise would have found out about it eventually. It was more beneficial for me to get the title as quickly as possible. But to do this on their initial meeting? ¡°I hope that you and the Holy Kingdom are happy about it. A noble title is the highestpliment the Imperial family can bestow on someone.¡± ¡®¡­¡­I see.¡¯ I finally realized something after hearing that. The Empress did not trust Elise, so this was her way of making sure that Elise didn¡¯t try to harm me in any way. It was a warning not to mess with someone who was to get a noble title from the Empire. There would be no issues if Elise had no bad intentions as it would just be delivering the good news to her. The crown princess was silent. ¡°Congrattions, your highness. What wonderful news.¡± Marquis Duhem used that timing to congratte me. I smiled as naturally as possible. ¡°Thank you very much, Marquis Duhem.¡± I then made eye contact with Elise again. Her gaze was quite unstable while looking at me. She lowered her head with a darkplexion on her face. ¡®Why?¡¯ ¡°Her Majesty will be happy to hear that.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m sure you are tired so go get some rest.¡± Elise answered and the Empress immediately responded. Elise stood up and bowed toward the Empress and Cardinal before looking toward the Pair de Riester. To be more specific, she was looking at Christelle. The two pairs of blue eyes shed without either side giving in. ¡°¡­¡­Please let me escort you to Strauder Pce, your highness.¡± The one to end that silent staring contest was Captain Duhem. He showed his respects to the Empress before calmly escorting the crown princess. Elise finally turned around and quickly departed. I watched her back and let out a deep sigh. ¡°Christelle!¡± The room became chaotic at that moment. Duke Sarnez supported the falling Christelle. I quickly alighted the steps and headed toward her. She was thankfully still conscious. Christelle grabbed my wrist and smiled. She looked pale. ¡°So crazy¡­¡­ Your older sister is very strong, your highness.¡¯ ¡°Was it ether overpowering?¡± ¡°I provoked her first but your sisterpletely smashed me down.¡± I couldn¡¯t help butugh in disbelief. ¡®Why would you provoke someone you just met?¡¯ Duke Sarnez looked stunned while listening to his daughter. I used the arm she was holding to slowly release some ether. Percy, who had been a good boy on my shoulder the whole time, rubbed his body against my neck. I finally felt relieved. Anyway, it looked as if I managed to get past the firs meeting without issues. Now it should be peaceful for the next two days. * ¡°¡­¡­And that is why I wanted to apologize.¡± Our main character finished what she was saying. I looked at her with bewilderment. I had to be confined to Juliette Pce once I left the building, so I used helping Christelle recover as an excuse to walk the hallway of the Empress Pce with her. The attendants walking by observed us with odd gazes. It felt different from the gazes Ganael and Benjamin, who were following behind us, were giving us. Christelle spoke as if to console me. ¡°Please don¡¯t mind their gazes. They are just amazed at my abilities.¡± ¡°What abilities?¡± ¡°Someone who can go in and out of Romero Pce is walking side by side with you, your highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Should I move a bit farther away?¡± I gasped and asked. I did not expect to get such a misunderstanding. ¡®No wonder Duke Sarnez gave us some privacy. Had I been too rxed despite being the second male lead? I guess someone like me who has been single since birth would be clueless to something like that.¡¯ Christelle smiled mischievously and lightly punched my arm after seeing my look of horror. ¡°Why does it matter? We are friends, your highness.¡± ¡°That¡­.is true.¡± I quickly agreed and returned the conversation to our original topic. Christelle had apologized to me. She apologized extremely politely for not considering my thoughts and pushing for me to do as she wanted until now. ¡°That, mm¡­ Thank you for apologizing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It is true that I have been quite shocked and even embarrassed at your words and actions, youngdy Sarnez. It put me in a difficult position as well. But I seem to recall you asking for forgiveness each time.¡± I recalled how Christelle had eloquently confessed to the error of her ways. She had been so persuasive that I even thought that she had some kind of status window visible in front of her. It was rare to see her struggling with her words after hearing that. ¡°At that time, I¡­¡­ I was being honest but it was more so something I said just to resolve the situation.¡± ¡°So it was just all mrkey.¡± ¡°Ah, do you really have to phrase it like¡­¡­ Yes, you are right, your highness.¡± Christelle admitted to it. I ended upughing out loud. ¡°That¡¯s okay, youngdy Sarnez. You haven¡¯t been that waytely and I have studied up about Holy Knights as well. You are instinctively drawn to ether.¡± Furthermore, I had absorbed a divine item in the Paten of Wishes. It was understandable why she and the Imperial Prince desired my either. ¡°In fact, it is I who is thankful for your understanding of my situation. I did make a deal for Sir Geens but it wasn¡¯t as if I was forced to be the two of your partner despite not liking the two of you.¡± ¡°Is that so, your highness?¡± Christelle¡¯s face lit up as she looked up at me. I felt sorry that she might have had such thoughts. ¡®It was all calcted but I don¡¯t dislike them.¡¯ ¡°We are friends, after all. His Royal Highness was understanding so I thought that you would know as well, youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Who was understanding?¡± She squinted her blue-gray eyes. Christelle¡¯s tone sounded weird. ¡°His Royal Highness was definitely upset as well. I felt his ether.¡± ¡°How romantic.¡± ¡°Did he say that he was not angry?¡± She asked to dig further into the situation. I smiled awkwardly before responding. ¡°He is angry but it seemed to be for a different reason than you, youngdy Sarnez. He didn¡¯t say much earlier eith-¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Christelle scoffed as she turned her head. I heard her mumbling random things about ¡®nine tails¡¯ and ¡®look at that young punk doing things like this already.¡¯ ¡ª Chapter 115 Chapter 115 ¨C {The One Who Leads The Sun Of The Holy Kingdom (3)} Chapter 115{The one who leads the sun of the Holy Kingdom (3)} One day passed since Elise Viaan entered the Riester Imperial Pce. The other Cardinal from the Vatican arrived yesterday evening, and we were now having a feast to wee them. ¡°For the two VIPS who havee to the Riester Imperial Pce.¡± ¡°Cheers!¡± The Empress gave that short speech before the numerous Pair de Riester gathered at the hall cheered. Elise elegantly picked up her ss and looked around. She could feel the high level of wealth and authority of the Empress Pce based on the size of the pce, its decorations, the food, and the clothing of the nobles enjoying the food. She had also seen how beautiful the Empire was as she traveled on her carriage. The Imperial Capital was a city overflowing with liveliness and even the homes in rural viges far from portals had magic lights dangling over their heads. The crown princess epted the rumors about Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester¡¯s reign being a world of peace for the Empire based on the expressions and health of the citizens and the well-maintained roads and buildings. ¡°Your highness, the broth is amazing. Please have a taste.¡± Maartje, who was seated to her left, gasped in admiration while putting some food onto Elise¡¯s te. ¡°They said it is called Pot-au-feu. I never thought I would desire something hot like this in the middle of summer but it is delicious. I would love to have it again tomorrow morning to cure the hangover I will probably have.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Elise thanked her coachman before tasting the meat and vegetables. The broth was clear but vorful and putting some bone marrow on a slice of toast made it even more amazing. Maartje looked at Elise with satisfaction before pouring some mead into Elise¡¯s other cup. She did this despite knowing that the crown princess had not had a single sip of alcohol since leaving the royal pce. ¡°Does the food suit your tastes?¡± The Empress, who was seated at the head of the table, sliced through her goose steak as she asked. Elise answered extremely fluidly. ¡°Yes, your Majesty. The chef is extremely talented.¡± ¡°I¡¯m relieved. Your brother eats well too.¡± It was just a passingment. Elise magnificently kept her face from changing. She was no longer just a young first princess. She was the crown princess of a kingdom. That didn¡¯t change because her younger brother was living as a diplomatic hostage in a distant foreignnd. ¡°Will Jesse and Sir Johann Geens not join the celebration?¡± Elise calmly asked. Cardinal Aur¨¦lie Boutier, who was seated diagonally across from her, answered back. ¡°Johann sleeps a lot. As for the little prince, he is rxing in his pce these days.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°His heart might be heavy because of the incident from March.¡± Cardinal Boutier observed the crown princess with her dark beige eyes. Elise understood that she was talking about her father, Prince Consort Werner¡¯s assassination attempt. Her hand holding the spoon tightened. It was obvious that the Imperial family prevented her brother from joining the celebration in order to protect him. That was most likely also the reason they would not approach the pce Jesse is staying in yesterday or today. Although there had been no messages to her from Sir Geens¡­¡­ She could not make any excuses. As the praiseworthy first daughter of the Prince Consort, she was never free from guilt. ¡°Ah, I heard about that as well. The entire Vatican was in uproar.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Cardinal Boutier responded after the white-haired old manmented. This was the Cardinal from the Vatican, Ari Schot, who arrived half a day after Elise. He was seated to the right of the Cardinal. ¡°The Prince Consort imed he wasn¡¯t responsible, but is there anybody who believes him? Only his highness suffered a terrible incident.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it must have been quite embarrassing for her Majesty as well. This old man knows that I should be preparing for my own funeral based on my age, but I couldn¡¯t help but be concerned for the young prince.¡± Schot was over eighty years old and was part of the neutral faction in the Vatican that did not side with either the Empire nor the Holy Kingdom. He must have not had anything to be scared of as he said whatever he wanted to say. The Empress simply smiled and drank some rum. ¡°It is a good thing that his highness was able to ovee such a dangerous situation and made some achievements in the Empire. I heard that he is to receive a title of nobility from the Empire. It is our Almighty God bncing things out.¡± The old man smiled while putting some red currant jam on his bread. Elise did not show her disturbed emotion on her face as she changed the topic. ¡°Your Majesty, I ask for your grace to allow Jesse to have a taste of the food here. He doesn¡¯t eat very much, so just a little¡­¡­¡± ¡°I have already sent some over.¡± The Imperial Prince, C¨¦dric Riester, cut her off. Elise looked at the man seated to her right. This young man was the most beautiful person among the people she had met yesterday, but he did not even have a speck of emotion visible on his face. ¡°It should be plenty because I sent enough for ten people.¡± ¡°C¨¦dric, do you think that that will be enough? The little prince alone eats as much as four people. He will probably have every pce staff member passing by to have a taste.¡± Cardinal Boutiermented in a concerned voice. Elise could not understand what she was hearing. Her younger brother had a habit of not eating much since someone attempted to kill him by poisoning his food when he was younger. He didn¡¯t eat much and he even made sure to boil clean water. Although taking care of those who worked for him was definitely something Jesse would do¡­¡­ ¡°I sent dessert in addition to that, your Eminence.¡± ¡°I see. Then it should be enough.¡± This conversation was extremely weird. Elise calmly picked up her ss of water as she looked toward Maartje. She seemed quite shocked as well. ¡°You will be able to get a taste of it tomorrow, your highness.¡± She heard a clear voice at that moment. Elise turned her head to look at the person seated across from her. This noble youngdy was full of an aura of pure water. She was the bold and daring child who had tested her strength in the audience room yesterday. ¡°His highness has agreed to observe our evaluation. I¡¯m certain that he wille with about three pic baskets from Juliette Pce. Whether it is bread or a cracker from there, please make sure to try it. Chef Laurence is top ss.¡± Christelle de Sarnez smiled. The crown princess simply nodded once. * The lobby of Juliette Pce was busy. It was probably because I was packing food and heading out for the first time in a long while. It was now day three of crown princess Elise entering the Imperial Prince, the day that Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric¡¯s Holy Knight evaluation was to start. ¡°We have prepared four pic baskets because there is the Cardinal from the Vatican as well, your highness.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Benjamin. I guess Laurence deserves a bonus.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be fine for at least thirty years thanks to the golden toad you gave him, your highness.¡± I chuckled at Benjamin¡¯sment. The Imperial Prince had moved all of the presents that the nobles had sent me to Juliette Pce not too long ago. He said that it was because there was no room in the Imperial family¡¯s safe. Everything except one thing was useless so I gave away a portion to my pce family. Laurence had taken arge golden toad from the pile. I didn¡¯t know why a golden toad existed in a Western romfan world but I was satisfied after seeing him looking so happy. I seemed quite used to the jjampong setting of QNW now. (TL Note: Jjamppong is a Chinese style Korean noodle soup with red, spicy seafood- or pork-based broth vored with gochugaru. Common ingredients include onions, garlic, Korean zhini, carrots, cabbages, squid, mussels, and pork. The dish was inspired by Chinese cuisine. Basically it means just a mixed up setting) Ah, I really want jjampong with creamy shrimp. ¡°Your highness, twenty Imperial Guard members will be tightly guarding you.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who picked up one of the pic baskets as if it was natural, exined. I opened the cover to make sure that fruit juice for her and Ganael were inside. We quickly walked out of the pce. ¡°I will be by your side until the evaluation ends today, but this decision was made in order to prepare for the worst. You unfortunately will not be able to be within ten steps of the crown princess, your highness.¡± ¡°That is okay.¡± In fact, I weed it with open arms. I would be put in a disadvantageous position the more unnecessary conversations I had with Elise. The young Countess and I chatted about Marquis Duhem¡¯s polo match as we headed toward the outdoor training ground behind the pce. The confinement loosened just a bit after Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique allowed for me to meet Elise. Originally, Sand, who was confined in his lodging, would have been summoned to supply the main characters with ether today. However, the Empress designated me to do it. It sounded a bit as if she wanted me to do my job as their partner but also as if she was giving me a chance to greet the crown princess before getting down to discuss business with her. Or maybe it was just giving me a chance to get some fresh air since the outdoor training ground was going to be used anyway. ¡°¡­¡­You will be able to go on walks as you please soon, your highness.¡± ¡°I understand. It is still bearable.¡± I smiled and responded to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth trying to console me. The crown princess was scheduled to return home in five days and I was anxious just knowing that we were in the same area. However, I was in a thousand, no, a million times better situation than Sir Geens, who was imprisoned and asleep somewhere in the Imperial Pce. I made sure not to forget that fact in order to give it my best. ¡°Yes, very good. You have talent, youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, your Eminence.¡± I heard an old voice I didn¡¯t recognize along with Christelle¡¯s distinct voice. I quickened my steps. The familiar sight of the training ground soon appeared. The noble youngdy smiled brightly after noticing me and created a water flower. ¡°Hello, your highness!¡± ¡°Hello, youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°My goodness. I can¡¯t believe I am seeing the moon of the Holy Kingdom before I die.¡± I finished greeting Christelle and the old man standing next to her extended his hand toward me. The old man with white hair and hazelnut-colored eyes looked quite wise. He was wearing casual attire that seemed to follow the holy Kingdom¡¯s fashion trend but I immediately recognized who he was. He was one of the three judges. ¡°Ah, you must be Cardinal Ari Schot. Nice to meet you, your Eminence.¡± ¡°Please call me Ari. Your eyes are so beautiful¡­¡­ It is a blessing from the Almighty God.¡± The old man stared at my face in astonishment and did not let go of his hand that was shaking me. I grabbed his cane and offered him my arm. The old manughed out loud before holding my arm and walking. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth skillfully stationed the Imperial Guard members. It didn¡¯t seem like Cardinal Boutier, the Imperial Prince, and Elise were here yet. ¡°There is a seat over there by the shade. It should be a good ce to eat some snacks as there is a table there, your Eminence.¡± ¡°My, my. You truly are as kind as I¡¯ve heard, your highness.¡± Suchpliments made me feel awkward. ¡®Someone else prepared all of this though.¡¯ Christelle, who was walking to the old man¡¯s right, responded after seeing the awkward look on my face. ¡°This is a secret I am only telling you, your Eminence, but his highness is my partner.¡± ¡°Oho? Is that so? May the two of you be blessed.¡± ¡®She didn¡¯t respond on my behalf. How close did she get to this old man in such a short period of time that she is telling him about this?¡¯ I looked at her in shock. Christelle winked with her left eye and then her right eye. ¡®She¡¯s driving me nuts.¡¯ ¡°Now it ispletely clear why her Majesty is bestowing a title of nobility to him. I understandpletely, of course.¡± The old man chuckled as he sat down on the couch. I put his cane somewhere he could reach before receiving a pic basket from Benjamin and opening it. Ganael took out a beautiful tablecloth and spread it out as well. The old man continued to speak. ¡°How high of a title of nobility did she say she will bestow? You should ask for something high if you¡¯re going to ask, your highness.¡± ¡°That¡­¡­ I have not thought about it yet, your Eminence. I was nning on receiving whatever her Majesty gave me.¡± I ced a Paris-Brest on each te as I responded. Now that I thought about it, I did not discuss that far in my deal with the Empress. I must have considered a title of nobility to be equivalent to a green card in my mind. ¡®What is the lowest one again?¡¯ ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a Baron be enough?¡± ¡°Eek.¡± ¡°Aigoo.¡± ¡°Your highness, absolutely not!¡± Ganael, Senior Ari, and Christelle reacted at the same time. Benjamin, who was quietly brewing some tea, let out a sigh. ¡®Wait, no.¡¯ ¡°I feel like I will have a lot of responsibilities the higher the nobility. I just need enough to receive protection-¡± ¡°Marquis.¡± A low-pitched voice that was soothing to hear came from behind me. We all turned to look at the entrance of the training ground. I could see three people walking with attendants and guards. The young man standing at the center of the group, a position befitting the male lead, was looking at me with his sparkling orange eyes. ¡°You are scheduled to be a Marquis.¡± ¡®Ah, is that so¡­¡­¡¯ I nodded my head in bewilderment. That was the second highest of the five noble titles and at the same level as Fran?ois Duhem. I thought that it might be too much but there was no need to say that out loud. We stood up and respectfully greeted the new arrivals. Cardinal Boutier, the Imperial Prince, and Elise greeted us back. The crown princess looked calm. ¡®Did she hear what I said? I¡¯m feeling guilty all of a sudden.¡¯ ¡°Should we move to the table on the other side as we need to make a decision?¡± ¡°Of course. I need to walk a lot. The healing priest told me to do so.¡± Senior Ari happily got up at Cardinal Boutier¡¯s suggestion. I supported him up as I observed the situation. This was clearly a n to separate Elise and me. They could have made their decision on the empty table next to us instead of moving to the other side of the training ground. It was at that moment. ¡°Jesse.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I flinched and stiffened up. This was the first time being called just by my name since transmigrating into this world. I raised my head to see a bitterly smiling Elise. She was so close. I was told I could not be within ten steps of her but she seemed only about five steps away. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth stepped in front to cover about half of me. I could feel the gentle pressure of a Grade 8 swordsman. She looked ready to use her sword against a Cardinal at any moment. ¡°Your ether is so pure.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Thank you very much.¡± I barely smiled and responded. Elise continued to speak. ¡°Mother will be happy about it as well. She wanted you to be my partner when you were young.¡± ¨C ng! The Imperial Prince pulled out the Sword of Wisdom. The air seemed to ring for a moment and I got the chills. Chapter 116 Chapter 116 ¨C The One Who Leads The Sun Of The Holy Kingdom (4) Chapter 116: The one who leads the sun of the Holy Kingdom (4) ¡®Hey, why are you pulling out your sword?!¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Elise quickly changed the expression on her face. Her gaze was as fierce as blue mes as she looked at Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. The Imperial Prince did not point the Sword of Wisdom at her but he also didn¡¯t seem to have any intentions of putting his weapon away. The orange eyes looked at Elise. It was as if he wanted to burn her up. I urgently looked toward Cardinal Boutier. She simply sat there with a magical smile that reminded me of the Mona Lisa. Adding Cardinal Ari Schot next to her made it look like a famous painting. ¡®Please don¡¯t enjoy this, the heirs fighting might lead to war!¡¯ ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡®Damn it, I have no choice but to step in.¡¯ Christelle, who always enjoyed a good show, was not helpful in this kind of situation. The reaction to when I responded just now was not bad so Prince Jesse seemed to speak respectfully to his older sister. ¡®Then my tone should be fine like this.¡¯ ¡°That¡­¡­ Is the divine item, the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star.¡± Everybody turned to look at me at that moment. My ears felt hot but I had to deal with this. Friction between the two nations would only put me, someone with a time limit, at a disadvantage. ¡°His Royal Highness personally pulled it out during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. It is a fire attribute divine item so it is extremelypatible with its master.¡± The audience was quiet. The Imperial Prince squinted while looking at me. I had no idea why he was acting like he didn¡¯t do anything wrong when he pulled out his sword almost immediately, as if topletely crush thepetition. ¡®Do you think that I suddenly wanted to be a curator?¡¯ ¡°It is very picky about who touches it as well. Please be careful as touching the handle might burn you, your highness.¡± ¡°That is magnificent. I guess you will never have to worry about having it stolen, your Royal Highness.¡± The person who broke the silence and responded to me was the woman who was silently protecting the crown princess from behind her. I smiled brightly toward her. This novel world was still manageable. ¡°It has been a long time, your highness. I was thinking that the sword¡¯s appearance was very unique. Now that you mention it, I do believe I have seen a picture of it in a book.¡± The woman took two steps toward me with a face full of curiosity. She was on the shorter side but she had a thick frame with bronze skin that was firm with muscles. She had deep wrinkles by her eyes but her energetic body made it difficult to fathom her age. ¡°I hope I can test my axe against it once.¡± ¡°Maartje.¡± Elise finally stopped her subordinate. Christelle, who was standing behind me, let out a quiet sigh after seeing Elise back down a bit. I heard some crunching noises behind me, which must have meant that she was eating some snacks as she watched. I noticed it was not as tense and used the opening to look at the Imperial Prince. We soon made eye contact. ¡®Cooperate. Don¡¯t make it obvious you are an annoying twenty four year old.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­Let us get the evaluation started.¡± He quietlymented before walking toward the center of the training ground. Senior Ari startedughing out loud. He said words like, ¡®youth¡¯ and ¡®the best time,¡¯ one after another as if they were sausage links. David and the attendants of Romero Pce finally started to move. They looked a bit like zombies. ¡®Wow, I thought something bad was going to happen.¡¯ * ¡°Your Eminence, will it be okay for you to stay here?¡± I asked Senior Ari. He said that he wascking in strength and chose to stay at our table while Cardinal Boutier and Elise¡¯s group headed to the table on the other side of the training ground. I had no problem sitting together with him, but I was concerned that it might negatively influence the two main characters¡¯ evaluation. As the main characters, it is guaranteed that they will be appointed, but wouldn¡¯t it be better if everything went well? ¡°There is no problem at all, your highness. The two of them are going to be Archbishops anyway.¡± The old man answered like that. I blinked my eyes. ¡°Based on what I heard, that would only be the case if they are lucky. I heard that a Holy Knight¡¯s appointment was significantly swayed by the Cardinals supervising the evaluation.¡± To be more specific, that was what Sir Johann Geens had told me. The old man agreed. ¡°That is true, your highness. Having a terrible Cardinal judge their appointment could force a Holy Knight who should be a bishop to remain as a clergy.¡± He lifted up his deep eyes and observed the center of the training ground. I followed his gaze and looked as well. I could see the Imperial Prince and Elise standing there for a spar. Cardinal Boutier was exining the details of the evaluation to them while Christelle listened off to the side. ¡°However, his Royal Highness already owns a divine item. How can a mere human denigrate the decision of the Almighty God? Furthermore, youngdy Sarnez is quite talented. It is rare to show such Divine Power at her age. It is simr to a blessing.¡± His insight was unbelievable. ¡®Why yes, it is a blessing. She absorbed the Blessing of the Blue Sea.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. At least that is the thought of this old man. That is why they will be Archbishops.¡± The old man put some milk into his ck tea as he spoke. I calmly tried to decipher the meaning in his words. This senior was already nning on making the two of them Archbishops, and Cardinal Boutier had pulled some strings to be a judge so that she could help them out. Two of the three Cardinals were on the main characters¡¯ side, so the results were obvious. Their future was bright, as expected of this munchkin couple. ¡°Please rx and enjoy. The strength of a Cardinal is not something you get to see very often, your highness.¡± I could only smile bitterly at the old man¡¯sment. ¡®He might have a heart attack if I tell him that I got hit by a stigmata about ten days ago.¡¯ At that moment, Elise¡¯s subordinate, Maartje, walked up with a long item on the other side of the training ground. It was wrapped in silk, so I presumed it was the crown princess¡¯s weapon. ¨C Piiiiiiiiiiruuuuuuuuu, pipi Percy flew over andnded on the table. He had been ying with the red pandas when I left Juliette Pce but he must havee to see this rare asion. The old man seemed quite happy. ¡°Hoho. Is this chimney bird the esteemed air attribute divine beast?¡± ¡°Mm, yes he is.¡± I had no reason to reveal his true identity. It was ufortable lying to an elder but it was half true since he was of the air attribute, so¡­¡­ ¡°Wooooooooooow!¡± Suddenly, Ganael gasped in admiration from the next table. We looked toward the training ground wondering what was going on. The cloth was pulled back and the crown princess¡¯s weapon was revealed. It was an elegant and marvelous gold spear. The way it was glowing gold without any essories or engravings made it look more like an item in a god¡¯s collection than a weapon. The sharp and beautiful de made me think I was looking at the tail of a Birds-of-paradise flower. It took me a while to realize something. ¡®Is that perhaps¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Hey Percy, is that why you were chirping in the audience room yesterday?¡± ¨C Piiiii ¡°And you came all the way here to look at it?¡± ¨C Pipipi! I urgently whispered and Percy pped his wings to tell me I was right. His ck bean-like eyes were sparkling. I couldn¡¯t tell whether it was because of curiosity orpetitive spirit. I let Percy, who was rubbing his body on my hand, into my palm as I looked at the crown princess holding the spear. I recalled something from that exined the divine items of the Empire and the Holy Kingdom. Senior Ari¡¯s voice echoed in my ears. ¡°It is good that we are at a distance. I did hear the rumors about the crown princess recently bing the master of a divine item, but¡­¡­ This is definitely a rare sight even in my long years. Yes sir it sure is.¡± I gulped. The item in the fire attribute Holy Knight, the crown princess¡¯s hand was an air attribute divine item from the Holy Kingdom. ¡°The Vicious Manifestation of the Headwind. * ¡°This is not going to be a joke. But you can¡¯t lose too terribly, my fellow student.¡± Christelle whispered. C¨¦dric stoically fixed his grip on the Sword of Wisdom. Elise Viaan¡¯s ether, which he felt in that provocation moments ago, was definitely at a level he had yet to reach. It was fitting of the talent of history¡¯s youngest Cardinal who had awakened her stigmata at the age of twenty six. Although he knew the reason the youngdy was giving him this warning, he was not nning on being easily defeated. ¡°Then, fighting.¡± Christelle, who noticed the crown princess¡¯s spear, said something iprehensible before withdrawing. The Imperial Prince turned his head to see where she was headed. Prince Jesse was looking in his direction with a concerned look on his face. Christelle approached Prince Jesse and reached out her hand. He became anxious and put some petit fours on her palm. He let out a short snort. The Prince was terrible at scheming. Prince Jesse was different from all of the rumors that he had heard. ¡°Are you close to my little brother?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Imperial Prince turned his head after hearing Elise¡¯s voice. The Cardinal, who was holding a nimble spear, was looking at him. There was no need to answer that question. His shadow blinked. ¨C Baaaaang! Then there was a loud noise as he arrived in front of her. ¨C ck, aaaaang¡­¡­ The two divine items painfully shed against each other. The Imperial Prince¡¯s gaze sank down. It was because she had blocked his attack so easily. The Vicious Manifestation had created a vacuum, easily suppressing the mesing out of the Sword of Wisdom. ¡°I asked if you were Jesse¡¯s friend.¡± ¨C Crackle! Arge me burst out of the sword and threatened Elise. The ck de shed horizontally the moment she moved back. ¨C Baaaaaaaang! Red mes burst out in all directions. Although a normal knight would not have been able to dodge this attack¡­ ¨C Tat, tat, tatat! The crown princess instantly stepped through the air. It was thanks to her air attribute spear. ¨C Ooooooong! ¨C Baaaaaaaang! The air roared and her figure struck down. The de of the Sword of Wisdom barely managed to stop the tip of the Vicious Manifestation right before it touched C¨¦dric¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple. The young man¡¯s feet sank about two inches and the muscles in his arms were tense. Elise asked in a disinterested tone. ¡°Or maybe he is your partner?¡± ¡°That is none of your business.¡± The blue eyes lit up at that moment. ¨C Craaaackle! The Vicious Manifestation released bright yellow mes from its de. ¨C Snap! Crown princess snapped his right hand just before the crown princess¡¯s me reached him. ¨C Baaaaang! There was an explosion. An orange orb that resembled the sun burst out and got in between the two of them. C¨¦dric was sted back but he flipped in the air tond back on his feet. Elise supported her body with a gust of wind as she was flung back to stand in the air. She whispered, almost as if she was making a Divine Oracle or maybe cursing him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I will receive that child back.¡± ¡°It sounds like you are saying that you will murder your father.¡± ¨C Shhhhhhhhhhhh! The golden spear shot forward almost immediately after the Imperial Prince said that. ¨C Booboboboooooooooom! ¡°Ugh!¡± C¨¦dric¡¯s sturdy body rolled on the ground. The impact was huge despite him dodging it right away. The air added to the me and increased the attack speed, creating a strong aftershock. Once he stood up, dirt fell from his ebony hair. He could feel his godmother¡¯s pitying gaze. He knew how she was feeling but he did not want to receive such a gaze any longer. A small me burst out of the Imperial Prince¡¯s fingertip. ¡°If you consider Jesse to be an ether storage facility-¡± ¨C Swoooooooosh! There was a fierce noise as the spear that was stabbed into a hole in the ground pulled out and wrapped itself around the crown princess¡¯s right hand. The Imperial Prince looked up at the woman who was floating up, looking like a sr eclipse. ¡°You will definitely regret it.¡± ¡°The prince wanted a title of nobility from here.¡± He responded back. There was no way that the crown princess, who had walked into the training ground with him, had not heard what he said earlier. Her pupils were now glowing white. C¨¦dric did not kneel despite the immense amount of pressure he was feeling. He could feel ether leaking out of the widened gap in his soul. ¡°That is why he will remain in the Empire.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The crown princess was scarily silent. She must be nning on paying the Riester Imperial family a hefty sum after taking the throne in the future and having the prince return home. However, C¨¦dric was not the type of person who would relinquish something in his hand, especially for the heir of an enemy nation¡¯s throne. He didn¡¯t need treasures. To a dangerousnd where the Prince Consort and hisckeys existed¡­¡­ ¡°You won¡¯t be able to handle a celestial covenant with that weak te.¡± The crown princess¡¯s promation snapped the Imperial Prince out of his thoughts. He firmly grabbed the handle of the Sword of Wisdom and got up. The red jewel at the tip sparkled as if to respond to the young man¡¯s will. Elise mumbled. ¡°Realize your limit.¡± ¨C Roooooooooooar¡­¡­ The earth, air, water, and fire all started to shake. Elise¡¯s braided hair fluttered ominously. A bundle of light the size of a fist soon appeared in the sky above her head. The orb soon grew to the size of a human head before bing even bigger to the size of a chandelier. The air instantly turned cold as well. It was as if all of the heat in the area was being absorbed by it. C¨¦dric could see his breath despite it being a warm day in July. His instincts were telling him something. She was opening her stigmata. ¡°Your Royal Highness!¡± He heard someone shouting from somewhere. C¨¦dric ced the sword in front of him. Although he may not be able to slice through it, he should be able to defend against it because he had this divine sword¡­ If he used all of the ether in his body. ¨C Booboboboooooooooom! The orb made of me and heat was nowrge enough to cover half of the training ground. Elise slightly raised her left hand. The sun rose even in the Almighty God¡¯s territory that was called the Kingdom of the Moon. There was someone who conducted the movement of this ball of fire. The one who leads the sun of the Holy Kingdom. [Exorien¡­¡­] (TL Note: No clue. Maybe some sort of incantation?) It was at that moment. ¨C Paaaaat! [One moment please!] There was a radiant sh and a circle was opened. Elise saw a pair of purple eyes get in front of her through the bright burst of ether that made it difficult to see. Chapter 117 Chapter 117 ¨C Please (1) Chapter 117: Please (1) My body moved first. ¨C Paaaaat! After running forward without thinking about what would happen afterward, my extremely unrefined ether spread out in all directions, releasing a blinding light. I stood in front of Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. Elise lookedpletely confused as we made eye contact. However, the important thing was that her attack had stopped. ¡°Jesse?¡± Her voice was slightly shaking. The yellow sun that had risen above the training ground was slowly spinning in ce. The mes crackled, making it known that it would burn a target at any moment. The scary visual and the heat made me gulp. ¡°I ask for your forgiveness. I was not trying to get in your way.¡± I caught my breath as I spoke. It felt as if my mind was finally working again. The Imperial Prince was currently being evaluated by Elise, a Cardinal, for his Holy Knight appointment. I knew that I should not have barged in like that. But wasn¡¯t using a stigmata to test him too much? The Imperial Prince was still a Novice and was strong enough even without using such methods of testing. I didn¡¯t know why the situation became so heated like this. ¡°Are you okay, your highness?¡± I heard Christelle¡¯s voice at that moment, it sounded too close to me. I looked back in shock. My jaw dropped. Christelle, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, Benjamin, Ganael, and even the Imperial Prince¡¯s attendant, David, were all inside my Holy Domain. They all must have run here because they were breathing heavily as well. Percy was seated on the Imperial Prince¡¯s shoulder while shaking his feathers. As for Christelle and the young Countess, they had their respective whip and sword in their hands, keeping the crown princess in check. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I then made eye contact with the Imperial Prince who was at the center of the circle. He looked as if he came straight out of a book despite his sand-covered shirt being ripped in multiple ces and his hair being a total mess. His eyes were open slightly wider. ¡®What is up with that shocked gaze?¡¯ ¡°I am okay.¡± I answered before looking forward again. The crown princess¡¯ face looked quite confused. ¡®Shit, was that not something Prince Jesse would have done?¡¯ This sense of danger wasing a bit toote. It would probably be even weirder if I suddenly walked away right now. I calmly opened my mouth to speak. ¡°I learned that the stigmata is the most powerful power a Cardinal can utilize. To use it against his Royal Highness-¡± I stopped there and peeked at the Imperial Prince. It was because I thought that this bastard might have provoked her first. The Imperial Prince scowled and lowered his sword. His arm seemed to have given out and he had cold sweat on his forehead. ¡®Mm, he does seem to be struggling.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­Is too much in my opinion. Please forgive his Royal Highness if he did anything to be discourteous toward you, your highness.¡± I did my best to say something that sounded reasonable. ¡°His Royal Highness is usually not¡­¡­ Actually he is always like this. But if you get to know him, he is a good pe-, good at his work.¡± I could not shield his personality no matter how hard I tried. I released some ether through my circle without making it obvious. I could feel the Imperial Prince absorbing it as if he was gulping down water. I knew it was cheating but I needed to prepare for the chance that the evaluation would continue. He could not turn into ¡®Sadie¡¯ in front of Elise. ¡°¡­¡­You have a friendship with the Imperial Prince? Them as well?¡± Elise whispered after a while. She was slowly lowering her left hand she had raised, almost as if she was orchestrating. As I was about to respond¡­ ¡°Crown princess.¡± Cardinal Boutier¡¯s voice sharply cut between us. I watched as she elegantly walked over from the outskirts of the training ground. The Cardinal had a gentle smile on her face but her beige-colored eyes showed less emotion than Demy¡¯s thin whiskers. All that was visible was extreme vignce and a sharp gaze. I almost cowered in fear at this vibe that was 180 degrees different from her usual kindness. ¡°You seem to have lost yourposure. I¡¯ve never heard of a Cardinal using their stigmata against a Novice Holy Knight.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Will you be able to continue the evaluation?¡± Elise was silent at this elder¡¯s question. I used this opening to look behind me. David was looking at the Imperial Prince¡¯s injury. Though, he didn¡¯t seem to be seriously injured since nobody was freaking out¡­ ¡°Should I open up a healing circle?¡± ¡°I would be extremely grateful if you would do that, your h-¡± ¡°Your highness, I will escort you to Juliette Pce.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth interjected while David and I were chatting. I raised my head because this was not something she would normally do. I noticed that the Imperial Guards had gathered right in front of me. They moved in perfect order to surround the edges of my Holy Domain. It was obvious they were trying to separate me from the crown princess. Cardinal Boutier must have given the young Countess an order. ¡°Then the evaluation-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, your highness. But you should return because this ce might be dangerous for you.¡± Her grey eyes looked serious as she whispered to me. I made eye contact with the two MCs one after the other. Christelle nodded her head while the Imperial Prince did not show any signs ofint. It was his way of telling me to go. ¡°Then¡­¡­ I will head in first. I apologize for interrupting the evaluation.¡± I spoke toward my teacher. She simply smiled gently toward me. Cardinal Ari Schot was waving from the table we had run over from. It was his way of telling me that it was fine to leave. I nodded my head and withdrew my Holy Domain. I was worried about the MCs but it was true that I did not want to chat with Elise any longer. I looked at her facest, which, for some reason, looked as empty as a sunset. * ¡°It looks like it might rain, your highness.¡± ¡°It does seem that way. Thank you.¡± I looked out the window of the second floor reception room before receiving the teacup from Ganael. The dark clouds were frowning as if they might start crying at any moment. It had already been two days since the first evaluation day when Elise tried to use her stigmata against the Imperial Prince. ording to the message from David, the Imperial Prince¡¯s evaluation that day ended up fizzling out. Today was the second evaluation; the day of Christelle¡¯s sparring. A humid day like this was extremely advantageous for a water attribute person like her. However, I was stuck inside the pce again. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique ordered for my confinement again. It wasn¡¯t a shock. The crown princess had activated her stigmata in the Imperial Pce training grounds for some reason and her attack had been toward the Imperial Prince. I was the one who stopped her. I did get scared that a conflict would arise. I was just relieved that I was still allowed to go to the crown princess¡¯s farewell dinner in two days. That had been my goal from the beginning. I took a sip of the steaming peach tea before organizing my thoughts. I would need to be able to speak without any hesitation if I wanted to exin Sir Johann Geens¡¯s situation and a way to sneak his son out of the Empire. ¡°It¡¯s great for Eva. She wanted to be their partner.¡± I suddenlymented, which made the juice drinking Ganael smile. Youngdy Eva nquer was in charge of supporting Christelle with ether in my stead. There were many other priests as well, but it was rare for any priest to have a close rtionship with both people. I heard that Cardinal Boutier personally selected her. It was difficult for Sant to get here because he was still in confinement. I looked back outside and fell deep into my thoughts again. ¡®Mother will be happy about it as well. She wanted you to be my partner when you were young.¡¯ The meaning behind the crown princess¡¯s words was clear. It meant that their mother, Queen Christanne, had tried to get the prince and Elise to be priest and Holy Knight partners in the past. It made sense if it was when they were young. The Queen probably believed that her son, as someone who carried the blood of a priest, would eventually start releasing ether. However, the prince had been ordinary until he received the honorary bishop title at sixteen. Then there was the fact that I now learned. The Queen did not dislike her son or stay away from him. In fact, she wanted to connect the futures of her eldest child and her second child. Thinking about the actions or gaze of the crown princess toward me, she too seemed to truly care about her younger brother. That left only one conclusion. ¡®The Prince Consort is the bastard who needs to die. The other Viaans are normal.¡¯ It seemed quite obvious that the young second princess would have been close to her older brother as well. ¡°Aigoo.¡± ¡®The family was sted by wind and rain because of one single person.¡¯ I let out a quiet sigh before drinking the light pink tea. It was at that moment. ¡°Ah, she is here again.¡± Ganael mumbled while looking out the window. I naturally looked in the same direction. Foreign clothes that were simr to mine, muscr body, and bald head could be seen. She was chatting with Pierre, an attendant of Juliette Pce. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Maartje? I¡¯m surprised she is here instead of by the crown princess¡¯s side.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. She has continued toe to Juliette Pce since entering the Pce.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡± ¡°It is because she is not here to see you but to deliver a present from the Holy Kingdom, your highness.¡± Ganael motioned with his hand as if telling me to see for myself. Now that I took a better look, it seemed as if Pierre and Maartje were in a tussle. Maartje was trying to push an item to him while Pierre was declining with an awkward look on his face. I couldn¡¯t tell what the item was because it was wrapped in silk. ¡°She keeps stubbornly trying to hand it to us despite us letting her know that it needs to be inspected by the Imperial Pce first. She ims that it is not something harmful but that you need to be the first to see it, your highness.¡± ¡°That must have put you guys in a difficult position.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. It was quite the headache for Lord Benjamin. He couldn¡¯t be too firm with her because she is the crown princess¡¯s coachman.¡± Ganael pouted. Maartje eventually retreated after seeing Pierre not willing to give in. She looked at the sky once before scowling and massaging one shoulder for a long time. ¡®Is her body in pain because of the weather?¡¯ ¡°You are not nning on receiving it, are you, your highness?¡± Ganael quickly asked. I turned my head to see the young boy looking at me with a concerned gaze. I chuckled. ¡°Of course I can¡¯t take it. Who knows what might be in there? I¡¯m not such an easy man.¡± ¨C Whimper Demy wagged his tail and approached me at that moment. I picked him up with one arm before looking out in the distance. ¡®I wonder if Christelle¡¯s evaluation is going well.¡¯ * ¨C Shhhhhhhhhhhh! A long and sharp gold spear, the Vicious Manifestation of the Headwind, cut through the air of the interior training ground. It would be toote to dodge this after seeing it. However, Christelle¡¯s ether was quite fast. She immediately reached her hand out. ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaa! ¨C Ssh! A thick andrge water wall shot up from the empty ground. The moment the spear pierced through the spray of water¡­ ¨C Craaaaaack! All of the water instantly froze. The water that had been spreading in the shape of a crown immediately started tightly binding the Vicious Manifestation. The weapon resisted; almost as if it had a conscience and was trying to get out of the ice. Christelle put her left hand on the ice wall while looking at the shaking spear. ¨C Crack, craaaack¡­¡­ New water filled the areas that cracked under the strength of the Vicious Manifestation and immediately froze to continue binding the divine item. Christelle whipped her whip at the same time. She was trying to properly contest the crown princess who was across from her. ¨C Crackle! ¨C ng! The ice wall cracked like a window before water could even form at the end of her whip. It was because of the crown princess¡¯s me. Christelle immediately pulled the whip back and prepared for her next attack. She recalled what Prince Jesse had said at the Summer Pce. ¡®For example, when you did the flip in the air tond on the ice staircase¡­ If you sent that flying to the other side instead of making it disappear¡­¡­¡¯ She could attempt a new attack if she did not waste the cracking ice. ¡°Haa!¡± ¨C Ssh! She wound up her arm before shing her whip horizontally. This was the result of copying one of the Imperial Prince¡¯s sword art styles. Ice pieces that sparkled like a sword head toward the crown pr- ¡°Huh?¡± ¨C Babababang! Ice pieces stabbed into the walls of the newly fixed training ground walls like daggers. There was nobody on the other side. She did not feel any spirit or ether overpowering. Christelle looked to the side in shock. Elise, who had already handed her spear to her attendant, was wiping her hand with a handkerchief. She was bbergasted. ¡°¡­¡­Your highness?¡± ¡°You have outstanding talent. I have seen enough of your abilities.¡± The crown princess responded with a stoic expression and voice. Cardinal Schot and Eva were pping for Christelle at a table a bit away from them. They had only been sparring for about ten minutes but the evaluation was already over. Cardinal Boutier was off to the side inspecting the Imperial Prince¡¯s flow of ether. Christelle slightly bit down on her lip. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing for it to end so easily, but she was frustrated that the crown princess did not show the same liveliness she showed two days ago. It was even worse because she thought that she knew the reason behind it. ¡°Your highness.¡± She approached the crown princess and started to speak, making the crown princess look down toward her. There was quite the difference in height. She seemed even taller than Prince Jesse. Christelle started speaking with a firm gaze. ¡°Please pray for your younger brother¡¯s happiness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The crown princess¡¯s blue eyes shook as if they would break. The noble youngdy continued to speak. ¡°I apologize for saying such a rudement unexpectedly. However, I did not think that you were the type who liked to beat around the bush.¡± She then took a deep breath. Her departed older sister¡¯s figure filled her mind but she managed to keep herself steady. Honestly speaking, she felt a bit pitiful that there was someone else in addition to her who had to feel such a frustrating emotion with no possible answer to soothe her. However, someone had to say this for the benefit of both the older sister and the younger brother. ¡°It is good if we can be together with our siblings forever, but there are times when such a thing is not possible. There are people who seek out a new family. They seek them out somewhere more peaceful and rxing than their home.¡± ¡ª Chapter 118 Chapter 118 ¨C Please (2) Chapter 118: Please (2) Elise stared at Christelle. The crown princess¡¯s blue eyes did not seem angry or as if she would scold her. They were simply shaking in pain. Christelle was familiar with that kind of gaze. ¡°You already know that, your highness.¡± Elise was silent despite the noble youngdy¡¯s whisper. That made it even more important for someone to y the viin. There needed to be someone to say something that might be hurtful as a suggestion despite it being none of their business. Nobody around the crown princess would dare to say something like that and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric and Cardinal Boutier¡¯s positions made it impossible for them to say it. It was an issue of diplomacy. Christelle clenched her eyes shut before opening them back. She could hear Eva¡¯s faintughter in the distance. ¡°I am not telling you to say goodbye to him forever. This does not symbolize never being able to see him ever again.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡­ His highness will be in so much pain if it continues like this. You might even end up hating his highness in the future. I know that you cherish your younger brother, but you know how human hearts can be, your highness.¡± At first, she could have hoped that her family member would return to her. However, the human psyche was extremely strange, sly, and weird. You can¡¯t help but develop some sort of hate when you see the other person being happy even without you. You might say out loud that you want them to be happy, but sometimes, you can¡¯t help but want them to cast it all aside and look at you again. Of course, it was possible that only she was like that. However, the crown princess¡¯s situation was quite extreme. The prince was living an indefinitely diplomatic hostage life and the main culprit for all of the evil things that had happened to him, the Prince Consort, was her father. ¡°It will be hard mentally dealing with such contradictions, your highness. You are in a position that is full of pressure even without something like that.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you an only child?¡± The crown princess asked. She was asking how an only child could understand such feelings. ¡°¡­¡­Yes, your highness. But I have heard of such situations from those around me.¡± ¡°Those around you¡­¡± Then there was silence. Although the conversation was not over, both of them were busy calming their minds. Christelle was the one to break the silence. She had to say something really terrible now. It was something the crown princess knew as well but something nobody dared to step up to tell her about it. ¡°As long as the Prince Consort is alive¡­¡­ His highness cannot be safe in the Holy Kingdom.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes, he has faced hardships here as well, but it will be much better for him when he receives the Marquis title in the near future. He will have her Majesty¡¯s backing.¡± Elise stared attentively at Christelle. The child¡¯s blue-gray eyes were looking at her with a firm gaze. Elise knew from the beginning that this girl was not saying such things as the member of a Duke¡¯s household with authority. Then why was she saying such things? ¡°I will also be stronger than I am now to protect his highness. His highness already knows. That is why¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I think it is okay for you to rx a bit, your highness. Prince Jesse and I are friends.¡± The youngdy smiled with embarrassment. Elise could tell this child was telling her the truth based on how she was scratching her nose with her hand and awkwardly fixing her grip on her whip. This was the answer to the question that the Imperial Prince did not answer and Jesse could not answer. She recalled the incident a few days ago. Her brother had seemed apologetic toward her but did not step aside from in front of the Imperial Prince. She had seen the warmth in the gazes of the people standing by her younger brother. She had not been able to see something like this even once back home. ¡°Then, if you would allow it¡­¡­ I will make my leave now, your highness.¡± The youngdy¡¯sment snapped Elise out of her thoughts. She could see Maartje now standing next to her. She must have heard the conversation as Maartje was massaging her hurting shoulder but smiling. Elise flicked her chin. Christelle bowed elegantly and walked away. ¡°Please have some ether, youngdy Sarnez!¡± ¡°Thank you, Eva.¡± A table quickly became loud. The crown princess watched the people there for a long time. * Summer rain had been pouring down since I saw Maartje from the window. I have spent thest few days in Juliette Pce without any issues. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric and Christelle¡¯s evaluations ended well. Elise confirmed the two of their special ether utilization abilities while Cardinal Boutier and Senior Ari checked their ether cirction and te status. That was why I was in the Empress Pce today. I was here to participate in the crown princess¡¯s farewell party. ¡°Please enjoy, your highness. We prepared a lot of the meat you like.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The attendant served a te of veal steak as he made thatment. I frequently had lunch here after my lessons with Cardinal Boutier, so they must have figured out my eating habits in the process. Elise had a pitiful expression on her face as she looked at me from across the table. I had no idea what caused the expression so I simply smiled at her. All of the staff withdrew and only the sound of utensils moving filled the luncheon hall for a while. ¡°This is really delicious. The outside is crunchy while the inside is smooth.¡± Christelle, who was seated to my left, pointed at a baked camembert as she whispered. I chuckled and nodded my head. I expected arge-scale event because it was called a farewell party, but it was theplete opposite. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, Cardinal Boutier, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, Christelle, Elise, Maartje and I¡­ Only the seven of us were here eating lunch. The thing I had to tell Elise was difficult to bring up around a lot of people anyway. The fact that they were serving Senior Ari separately made me certain that the Empress set this up because of the deal. I peeked at the present on top of my knees. ¡®How should I break the silence¡­¡¯ ¡°Have you used the diary?¡± Elise said something to me at that moment. I blinked my eyes. The only thing among the prince¡¯s belongings that could be considered a diary was the magic tool notebook. It really must have been given by the crown princess. That meant that she too knew about the notebook¡¯s abilities. ¡°That¡­¡­¡± I put down the knife I was using to cut the meat. I knew the intentions behind the question and I just needed to answer well in order to start a conversation, but it was not easy. I was sure that she would be shocked. However, I could not keep it a secret and I should not keep it a secret. She deserved to know the situation. ¡°I have used it once. It was at the beginning of this month.¡± ¨C ng! Elise dropped her fork at myment. I was saying that the magic tool activated after being struck by Sir Geens¡¯ de. Her beautiful and strong face turned pale from shock. She looked toward the head of the table. The Empress understood what she wanted and answered her. ¡°It was Johann Geens.¡± ¡°¡­¡­There is no way, your Majesty.¡± The crown princess¡¯s voice sounded quiet. Maartje looked at me and started speaking. ¡°No way. No way, your highness. Sir Geens is¡­¡­¡± ¡°The Prince Consort has Sir Geens¡¯ son hostage.¡± ¡°My goodness.¡± The coachman wiped her face with her hands. I turned my head to see Eunuch looking at me with a miserable expression on her face. Her eyes were red as if she could start crying at any moment but she did not cry. ¡°How. How did you survive? He is an unrecognized Cardinal.¡± ¡°Youngdy Sarnez and his Royal Highness rescued me. They are not here but young Countess Moutet and her father were both extremely helpful as well. Marquis Fran?ois Duhem and her Eminence as well.¡± Elise looked at the Imperial Prince and the youngdy, who were seated on either side of me, after I calmly answered. There was an odd sense of relief in her eyes as she looked at Christelle. ¡°The two of them are your partners.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes, your highness.¡± ¡°The rumors about your advancement to Archbishop are true as well.¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± The crown princess firmly closed her mouth. Blue mes were visible in her eyes. She finally started speaking again after a long time. ¡°What happened to Johann Geens?¡± ¡°He¡¯s alive. He is currently sleeping.¡± Elise looked stunned at the Empress¡¯s response. ¡°Your brother asked me to do so. He made quite the reasonable promation.¡± The Empressmented before taking a bite of her Coquille Saint Jacques. I gulped and looked at Elise. She and I immediately made eye contact. I could not demand it if the crown princess did not wish to forgive Sir Geens. My neck became stiff with anxiety. ¡°Sir Geens¡¯ son is sick but the Prince Consort has imprisoned him without even letting him have his medicine. He is only ten years old.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I hope that you could help that childe to the Empire, your highness.¡± Maartje let out a deep sigh. I could not read anything from the look on Elise¡¯s face. I decided to start the story that I had prepared. After all, I told myself that I would do my best no matter what happens. ¡°I am not sure which prison he is in, but he should be able to be transferred due to his illness and age. The Prince Consort should not care since he is not being freed, and with your help, your highness, he should be able to have his medicine for a while. And the second of August is Cornelisse¡¯s birthday.¡± I recalled all sorts of information I gathered from the . That had included a list of holidays in the Holy Kingdom. ¡°There is arge-scale pardon on Cornelisse¡¯s birthday, and she chooses the people and the number of people as she desires. However, you are currently doing it on her behalf as the child is still young.¡± ¡°Your highness, even if her highness uses the special pardon to let the child go¡­¡­ How are you going to get him to the Empire? The child will be in danger as soon as he is released.¡± Maartje asked with concern. I calmly nodded my head. ¡°That¡¯s right. However, if we send him to the Vatican as a servitor, he should be able to maintain a level of safety.¡± ¡°When you say servitor¡­¡± ¡°It is a position that a child under the age of fifteen can only get if their identity is assured by two or more bishops.¡± I could speak without any issues because I memorized what was in the article. Servitors were children who attended to the priest of the Church of the Almighty God. Sending their children to the Vatican as servitors was currently the big fad among the nobles of the Riester Empire. It was because they decided that going to the Temple of Boundaries, where the Popes usually stay, to help a priest was better than teaching faith at home. The vain nobles also wanted this for their children because they could show off their rtionship with a bishop. ¡°Youngdy Eva of the Duke¡¯s House of nquer has written a note assuring the child¡¯s identity.¡± ¡°My goodness.¡± Maartje was shocked. Eva had called me a pushover and mumbled about my being wicked and cunning but still personally wrote the note. I was thankful to the good child. ¡°Her Eminence will write the remaining assurance.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Cardinal Boutier asked in confusion and looked at me. I wanted to talk to her personally about it and not send a letter, but it ended up like this because I did not have a chance to see her until now. I sent a gaze of desperation toward her. My instructor¡¯s eyes curled up gently. ¡°That¡¯s right. I agreed to write it.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡®Thank you very much!¡¯ ¡°A young boy who has his identity assured by the Cardinal of the Empire and a Pair de Riester will be safe on his way to the Vatican and once he gets there as well. The Prince Consort will not dare to touch him.¡± Imented. Elise still had no response. Maartje was the one who asked the question. ¡°Then how will you get the child to the Empire¡­¡­¡± There is a priest from the Vatican named Sand. He was dispatched to the Empire to supply his Royal Highness and youngdy Sarnez with ether.¡± ¡°How meticulous, your highness. I knew that you were someone who got things done when you wanted to, but¡­¡± The middle-aged woman mumbled in admiration. I simply provided the answers I had studied thoroughly. ¡°I asked priest Sand and he said we just need to request the child to be his servitor from the beginning. He said that there should be no issues as he has never had a servitor before.¡± ¡®Then the Vatican will send Sir Geens¡¯ son to me in the Empire!¡¯ That was the reply I had gotten from Sand. I thought about Ganael, who had worked so hard to send my letters to multiple ces outside the Imperial Pce. I would not be able to be here without all of the people who had helped me in small ways and big ways. ¡®I would probably still be stuck inside Juliette Pce without them.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­Your wish is to do that to allow the child to meet his father?¡± ¡°That is correct, your highness.¡± Elise finally said something. She looked as if she was both crying andughing. She slowly reached her hand toward me. I suddenly felt emotional and the guilt I had been suppressing this whole time burst out. It wasn¡¯t as if I had transmigrated here by choice, but I was not the person she desperately wanted to see. I felt sorry that I could not be her real younger brother. I reached my hand out without any hesitation and shook hers. Her palm that was full of calluses was warm. ¡®If I work hard, I should be able to make sure that her younger brother does not die.¡¯ ¡°You want to do all of that to save a child you have never even seen before.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± Forget getting revenge on the Prince Consort, I had to ask for help from so many people to save a single kid, but¡­ I might be able to save someone¡¯s life if I don¡¯t give up. ¡°You have not changed at all.¡± The crown princess smiled brightly. A single raindrop fell down on her cheek. Chapter 119 Chapter 119 ¨C Please (3) Chapter 119: Please (3) Elise quickly wiped away the single tear on her face. I ced the item on myp onto the table in order to help her calm down. It was the item I personally chose on the day that the Imperial Prince sent the treasures from the Imperial safe. ¡°Cornelisse¡­¡­ It is a birthday present for her.¡± I wanted to go to the Commerce Center to buy something for her but I had no choice because of the confinement. I had to go through quite a lot of the older issues of the because I had no idea what the second princess liked or enjoyed. But I couldn¡¯t ask for this special birthday pardon without even getting the child a single present. I nervously looked at Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. As long as it is not passing your title of nobility over.¡± She brusquelymented before starting a battle with the bread inside her onion soup. I smiled. ¡°Thank you very much, your Majesty.¡± ¡°Is it okay if I open it up first?¡± Elise asked. I nodded my head. She let go of my hand and unwrapped my shoddy wrapping. It was ugly because I had done it myself. Something sparkling revealed itself. The crown princess¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°This is¡­¡­¡± It was a pig sculpture made of pink diamond. It was sent from a merchant guild leader in the southwest region of the Empire. His name was Emille de Haas or something. I wondered what he meant by giving the prince a pig, but it wasn¡¯t that shocking since there was a golden toad as well. Based on an article I read, the second princess seemed to currently like pig dolls. It was understandable because children frequently became obsessed with specific animals. Eunseo waspletely obsessed with dinosaurs when she was really young. It turned into birds when she got a bit older and now, she too likes pigs. ¡°Hahaha.¡± I was anxious that I might have made a mistake when Elise startedughing. Iughed back with uncertainty. ¡°Cornelisse will be happy. Wood will have turned to jewels upon return.¡± I blinked in confusion. Elise motioned with her eyes and Maartje pulled out an item wrapped in silk. I immediately recognized it. It was the item she had tried her best to hand over to Juliette Pce a couple days ago. Maartje peeked toward the Empress. ¡°You guys are so annoying while I am trying to eat. A mage will need to check itter. It will also need to be checked for poison.¡± She grumbled before responding. I showed my gratitude to the Empress before receiving and opening the package. A wooden pig sculpture that was covered in spotty red paint was inside it. I almost gasped and dropped it. I could feel the gazes of the MCs on either side of me. Christellemented. ¡®It¡¯s so cute. Her highness must have personally painted it.¡± ¡®Do you like cursed dolls?¡¯ ¡°She tried to paint it pink at first. But you know how that child has no artistic talent whatsoever.¡± Elise exined. ¡°I was wondering if it was some sort of reverse psychology she was using by returning a gift from you like this, but¡­¡­ She probably knew that she would probably receive such a precious response back.¡± She gently patted the diamond pig. Her gaze was full of affection. A current-like realization struck down my spine at that moment. The reason that Cornelisse liked pigs was because her older brother, Prince Jesse, had given her a pig sculpture. Just as I expected, the siblings had a close rtionship. I couldn¡¯t help but feel apologetic toward the princess, despite it being a person I had never met before. I simply prepared a present based on what I had read. ¡°I will do as you asked.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I jerked my head up. Elise¡¯s blue eyes were filled with solemn delight. ¡°My people and I will do our best to make sure that the son of Johann Geens safely arrives at the Vatican.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± ¡°So, do not worry.¡± I felt as if I was going to suffocate. I barely managed to let out a quiet thank you. Maartje looked at me with teary eyes. ¡°I will need to deliver the news to Johann.¡± Cardinal Boutier, who had been quietly looking at us, made ament. My eyes opened wide toward her. ¡°That would be great but will it be okay, your Eminence?¡± ¡°I feel like he has a right as a father to know that his child is going to cross the border. Isn¡¯t that right, Fr¨¦d¨¦rique?¡± ¡°Stop asking me every single thing.¡± The Empress responded with annoyance. I smiled brightly and looked at her and her son. The young man looked at me with his orange eyes before calling over an attendant to request more meat. * The crown princess¡¯s farewell party ended without a hitch. I exined everything to Benjamin and Ganael inside the carriage. It was rare to see the middle-aged man smiling so brightly while the young boy couldn¡¯t help but cry. My confinement would not be removed until Elise left the Imperial Pce as per the original n, but I didn¡¯t care anymore. After returning to Juliette Pce, I hugged the red pandas and Percy with joy before looking all around to see where I should ce Cornelisse¡¯s pig sculpture. The three divine beasts and one divine item followed me around all over the pce. I thought that it would be best to put it somewhere the Prince can easily see when he gets his body back in the future. But it felt a bit scary to put it in the bedroom. Christelle named it Spice because it was a red pig. (TL: The actual name is Jeh-yook, which is Korean spicy pork, but Spicy Pork didn¡¯t seem like a ¡®name¡¯ so I went with Spice.) ¡°Your highness, Lord David of Romero Pce is requesting an audience with you.¡± ¡°David?¡± I ced Spice on the mantle in the reception room and was toying around with its location when Benjamin came in to let me know. It probably had to do with something the Imperial Prince wanted, but I had no idea what it might be. David then appeared and respectfully greeted me before telling me what was going on. ¡°I will be escorting you to where Sir Geens is located, your highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Is it okay for me to go, wait, why are you the one who came, David?¡± I was shocked that the Empress was allowing me to meet with Sir Geens but the more surprising fact was David. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t she have sent an attendant of the Empress Pce or an Imperial Guard member?¡¯ ¡°Sir Geens is in Romero Pce. He has been there since the beginning.¡± The middle-aged man smiled painfully as he responded. This was shocking news but I couldn¡¯t say anything and simply nodded my head. * ¡°It¡¯s the same but it is different. It is exactly as Benjamin exined.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. They were a pair of pces that were built at the same time so there are many aspects, both inside and out, that are the same. But there are some differences in size, decorations, and color.¡± I listened attentively to David as I took in the inside of Romero Pce. I had been here not too long ago during ¡®Operation Verona¡¯ but I didn¡¯t remember anything as my focus had been on meeting the Empress. Romero Pce was about 1.7 timesrger than Juliette Pce. The interior itself was the same but everything was magnificent, fitting the pce of the Imperial Prince. ¡®Did they let Sir Geens have a room? Why here of all ces?¡¯ ¡°You made me wait.¡± I heard a familiar voice at that moment. I turned my head to see the Imperial Prince on the other side of the hallway. Cardinal Boutier was standing next to him with her arm wrapped around his. I immediately started walking faster. ¡®Please ept my deepest apologies, your Royal Highness. I did not expect to be called for this asion.¡± ¡°You nned all of it, my little prince. I thought that it was only fitting for you to personally tell Johann about it.¡± She warmly responded before linking my arm as well. The Imperial Prince and I were now escorting her on either side. ¡°Only the three of us will continue from here.¡± ¡°David will not be joining us?¡± ¡°Yeah, not today.¡± It was an odd choice of words. ¡®Does that mean that he went with them in the past?¡¯ I looked back to see Benjamin, Ganael, David, and Natalie silently bowing toward us. It meant that they will wait there. I started walking down the stairs with the two of them. It made me recall when I went with the Imperial Prince and Christelle to clean the underground portal of the Empress Pce. The stairs there had been dark and the Imperial Guard members lit torches for us but this one was bright and luxurious. The basement was the same as the floor above. The only difference was¡­¡­ ¡°There are no doors on the wall.¡± ¡°Yeah, there is only one room in this basement.¡± The Cardinalmented in an emotionless voice. I could see a ck door in the distance at the end of the hallway. The Imperial Prince, the owner of this pce, was as silent as an attendant. I peeked to look at the side of his face. He seemed a bit pale for some reason. ¡®Is hecking ether?¡¯ ¨C Click, click. We earnestly walked for a few minutes. The mood was oddly heavy so it was difficult to say anything. I couldn¡¯t exin the chills I got seeing thepletely empty walls that did not have a single frame on them. It was at that moment. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± I looked forward after hearing my teacher¡¯s voice to see the heavy ck door in front of me. The Imperial Prince pulled out a key and opened the door. I probably saw wrong, but I thought that the tips of his gloves were slightly shaking. ¨C Click ¨C Screeeech¡­¡­ The door opened with a painful noise. I nked out at the unrealistic sight in front of me. ¡°This¡­¡­¡± It was an extremely dark area. The only source of light was the light that came in through the open door. It was so dark that I couldn¡¯t tell where the wall ended and the floor began. It looked as if this whole area was a chunk of pure darkness. I felt as if I would fall if I took a step forward. ¡°Why¡­¡­ Why does Romero Pce have such a thing?¡± I asked, almost in a whisper. I had no idea why Romero Pce, a pce built for the lovers, had such a scary room. It would make more sense if such a room was in the Empress Pce or a different pce. ¡°When C¨¦dric was very young¡­¡± The Cardinal¡¯s beige-colored eyes reflected on the past. ¡°We had to put restraining tools on him and imprison him here when the flow of his ether became unstable and he overloaded.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°Light, color¡­ Warmth and noise¡­ Those things were not helpful in calming his soul.¡± I urgently turned toward the Imperial Prince. This was the reason he had been so wary when we ced the restraining tool on Sir Geens¡¯ neck. The young man growled in a low voice with a me-like gaze. ¡°If you are looking at me with some stupidpassion-¡± ¡°What about now?¡± He stopped talking after hearing my question. ¡°Do you still have those issues? Do you have to secretlye here without other people knowing?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The mes quickly subsided from his gaze. The Cardinal was the one who responded. ¡°It has been twelve years since we used this ce.¡± I finally managed to breathe. She let go of my arm and ced her hand on my cheek. ¡°It¡¯s okay, go. Johann will be waiting for you.¡± ¨C Paaaat! The Cardinal¡¯s radiant Holy Domain cleared the darkness as soon as she said that. I was energized by the golden glow and slowly took a step forward. The circle that reflected on the ck ceiling fluctuated like the surface of water. I felt as if I was submerged in the deep sea. ¡°¡­¡­Sir Geens.¡± The white-haired man was lying down at the center of the area. His sleeping face looked peaceful despite the pitch ck restraining tools on him. I could not see the sadness or pain he showed while attacking me. My legs were shaking from the fear that was still ingrained in my body, but I clenched my teeth and approached him. [Rise.] The Cardinal gave a Divine Oracle from behind me. I looked down and it felt as if the white face was starting to crack. His eyelids slightly shook before they slowly opened to reveal his mint-colored eyes. He showed no reaction while looking at me. He must have thought that this was a dream. ¡®I hope it isn¡¯t a nightmare.¡¯ ¡°Hello, Sir Johann.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± His eyes slowly opened wide after I greeted him. ¡®Where should I start¡­¡¯ ¡°You said that you have a sick son in the Holy Kingdom. He is ten years old.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Your highness?¡± ¡°Yes, it is me.¡± He suddenly sat up. I withdrew in shock and¡­ ¨C ng! The Imperial Prince instantly approached and pulled out the Sword of Wisdom as he stood in front of me. I gently stopped him. The Cardinal could put him back to sleep at any moment and his ether was blocked, making Sir Johann the weakest person in this room right now. ¡°I¡­¡­ Why am I here? There was no reason to let me live-¡± ¡°There is. You can¡¯t go first and leave your son alone in this world.¡± He had a pained look on his face, almost as if he was suffocating, after hearing myment. I knew that he had tried to give up on everything in that forest. However, I hoped that he would not need to do anything like that in the future. ¡°We are going to give your son a special pardon in the Holy Kingdom, get him out of there as a servitor for the Vatican, before taking him under priest Sand¡¯s jurisdiction. The crown princess will make sure that he gets his medicine until that time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not lying.¡± I smiled bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s the truth. His Royal Highness and her Eminence helped, along with her Majesty, youngdy Sarnez, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, youngdy nquer, Benjamin, Ganael, David, Demy,¡± ¡°Why.¡± Tears dripped down on his cheeks that were now covered with a beard. I remained quiet. The man squinted as if he was watching something unbelievable as he looked up at me. His whole body and his voice were shaking. ¡°Why, why would you do all that¡­¡­ Gerrit-¡± ¡°Will be fine.¡± He opened and closed his mouth for a while as if his lips were not moving as he wanted. ¡®His son¡¯s name is Gerrit.¡¯ ¡°I, I have sinned. Your highness, this is¡­¡­¡± ¡°I am not saying that you are innocent, Sir Geens.¡± I ended up lowering my body toward him. I had no talent for giving a cool speech or saying something to console someone. It was disappointing. ¡°I just¡­¡­ I hope that you can do a lot of good things while living together with Gerrit, Sir Geens. That is all.¡± Sir Johann, who had been looking at me with a piercing gaze, slowly bowed toward me like an old tree. I could hear his suppressed cry. His forehead touched the tip of my boots. ¡ª Chapter 120 Chapter 120 ¨C Please (4) Chapter 120: Please (4) ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± Sir Johann was emotional for quite a while. The tip of my nose was starting to get tingly so I just quietly stared at his head. Cardinal Boutier and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric did not say anything either. He sat up just as I debated whether I needed to console him so that he doesn¡¯t suffer from dehydration. His movement was slow and his breath was shaking but hisplexion looked a bit better. ¡°Are you okay, sir?¡± ¡°I, if there is anything you wish from me¡­¡­ I will do anything you want.¡± He looked up at me with extremely drenched eyes and whispered. I smiled bitterly. ¡°That¡­¡­ To be honest with you, there is a condition. The reason you are able to live, Sir Johann, and the reason we were able to n all of this in order to save Gerrit, was thanks to her Majesty¡¯s benevolence.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± He answered immediately. I continued to speak. ¡°You have to make a Promise of Ether to her Majesty and be her sword as an unofficial Cardinal. You will be serving the Riester Empire from now on. You and Gerrit will both be seeking asylum here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sir Johann slowly started frowning. He was a felon and not in a position to make his own conditions. In fact, he would normally be awaiting execution. However, it was also true that I had dealt him like an item. I was a bit worried. ¡°Is he going to think that he is being treated the same way he was before but just in a different ce?¡± ¡°That¡­¡­ Is that all, your highness?¡± ¡°Excuse me? No, you must also live happily with Gerrit for a very long time. That is my condition.¡± I urgently added on after hearing his question. The Imperial Prince suddenly interjected. ¡°Lessons.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You also have to continue the Holy Knight education for his Royal Highness and youngdy Sarnez. This, too, was an extremely important condition. I calmly observed him and waited for his response. Sir Johann nkly stared at the Imperial Prince, me, and my teacher, who was behind us. He then scowled as if he saw something truly weird, before¡­ ¡°Haha¡­¡­¡± He let out some damp breaths. Tears dropped from his mint-colored eyes again. On his face was the brightest smile that I had ever seen on him before bowing toward me. It was not because he could not control his emotions like earlier. The man¡¯s demeanor was elegant and ssy. Even his closed eyes and mouth showed dignity. ¡°¡­¡­As youmand.¡± He looked like a knight vowing his loyalty. * Sir Johann requested to be asleep again until Gerrit arrived. I wondered if he needed to eat but he probably couldn¡¯t eat while thinking about his son who was still in the Holy Kingdom. My teacher epted his request and put him back to sleep. The Holy Knight looked at me and said the following before his eyes closed. ¡®Now I will be dreaming of the future.¡¯ I gently smiled at him. A day had passed since then. The sky that had been raining until dawn was still dark. Today was the day that Elise was going to return to the Holy Kingdom. The crown princess and Cardinal Ari Schot gave their final goodbyes in the audience room before descending the long staircase of the Empress Pce. I escorted Senior Ari to his carriage. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique had given a weirdment in order to take me into consideration and allow me to see them out. ¡®What did she say again? Was it, go make sure that the wheels of the carriage did not break or something?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ve seen something marvelous and I return after eating well and resting well here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d, Senior Ari.¡± Senior Ari, who had received a separate farewell feast yesterday, seemed extremely satisfied. I opened the door of the Vatican carriage he had traveled on to get here. The attendants with him didn¡¯t know what to do with themselves and bowed toward me. The old man looked at me with a deep gaze. ¡°Your highness, please look for me if you ever have a reason toe to the Vatican in the future.¡± ¡°Yes sir, I will do so.¡± ¡°Even an old man like me, who is in hisst few days, can still be a guide for an esteemed individual like yourself.¡± ¡°You are still extremely healthy, sir. Please have a safe trip.¡± I smiled and assisted him into the carriage. Heughed out loud before sitting down on the seat. I said goodbye to the old man before turning toward the convoy from the Holy Kingdom. Elise and Maartje were standing outside waiting for me. I noticed that the attendants of the Imperial Pce and even the Imperial Guard members were looking away. Captain Herv¨¦ Duhem was no exception. ¡®They¡¯re making such a big deal out of this.¡¯ ¡°Your highness.¡± ¡°Jesse.¡± Elise responded warmly once I called out to her. She reached her hand out and squeezed my shoulder. Maartje smiled brightly while looking at the two of us. The crown princess was still difficult for me to deal with but I was not scared of her anymore. It was because I now knew that she was an oldest sister who loved her younger siblings as well as a righteous person who was scheduled to ascend the throne in the future. ¡°Stay healthy. You cannot run around as you please because you have her Majesty¡¯s blessing.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°As for food¡­¡­ It¡¯ll be fine even if you eat more than you are eating now.¡± Elise smiled bitterly as shemented. ¡®She¡¯s talking like my family in Juliette Pce.¡¯ ¡°You stay healthy as well and travel safely, your highness. Please don¡¯t skip any meals either.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I heard you say that to nag me.¡± The crown princess moved her hand from my shoulder and gently caressed my head. It was weird because I had not received such skinship since I was young but it was fine after I considered it an act of affection for her brother. Her eyes started tearing up once I smiled at her. ¡°That child is right. This is not goodbye forever so I will look for a way as well.¡± I didn¡¯t know who this child was, but the crown princess seemed to have received some kind of sce from that person. Thanks to that, her gaze seemed much calmer than when I first met her in the audience room. I happily nodded my head as I too wished for the three siblings of the Holy Kingdom to be reunited. She then lowered her voice. ¡°You need to be wary of the Imperial Prince. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I blinked my eyes. ¡®I guess that punk really got on her bad side.¡¯ ¡°Being partners with two people is not unprecedented. If it is the Imperial family and the Duke¡¯s House of Sarnez, you will be able to have twoyers of security for your safety.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± ¡°However, you must not form a celestial covenant with the Imperial Prince. That punk will not let you go.¡± The crown princess¡¯s blue eyes were extremely serious. My jaw dropped. I had never even thought about a celestial covenant nor could I form one. That would cause an irreversible change simr to naturalization. Christelle did not have a duty to form a celestial covenant because she was not a member of the Imperial family, but if she or the Imperial Prince were to find any sort of soul mate, it was with each other. ¡®Not me!¡¯ Elise let out a light sigh after I struggled to respond from shock. ¡°I have been a Holy Knight since I was six years old but I have never seen a priest whose ether is as pure as yours. Do you not know that your aura has spread all throughout the Imperial Pce?¡± ¡°I do, your highness.¡± ¡°So why is it that you are not being careful?¡± ¡®Wait a minute¡­¡­ Why am I being scolded?¡¯ I looked at her in shock. The desire to ask her whether she was being too conservative or only thinking in a Holy Knight¡¯s viewpoint rose to the tip of my tongue but I held myself back. I might reveal an opening in the wrong ce if the conversation went longer. ¡°Worry, please don¡¯t worry your highness. I will absolutely not form a celestial covenant. Please give my regards to Cornelisse and her Majesty as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Okay. I will trust you. May the Almighty God¡¯s blessing be with you.¡± She said that before kissing my forehead. She then looked at my face for a long time before getting on the carriage. Maartje then respectfully said goodbye to me. ¡°Please be healthy, your highness. Goodbye until we meet again.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, thank you very much. Umm¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know how to address her so I just used a filler word to get her attention. Benjamin, who was standing behind me, walked up at the perfect time to give her a gift. Maartje eyes opened as wide as shlights. ¡°This is¡­¡­.¡± ¡°It is not much. I just thought that it must be difficult aiding her highness.¡± I mumbled. The Imperial Pce is beautiful when the sun is out but it has been raining quite a bit since Elise and Senior Ari arrived. I got this for Maartje, whose shoulder was not very healthy, as an apology for making her stand outside Juliette Pce on a gloomy day. This was also an item that hade out of the Imperial family¡¯s safe. ¡°My goodness, you are so considerate, your highness. Thank you for your divine benevolence.¡± ¡°Not at all. I hope you put it to good use.¡± She could not open it right away due to theck of time but Maartje looked extremely touched. She tightly held the gift in her arms as she got on the horse. After checking that the convoy was ready to leave, Captain Duhem went, ¡®hut!¡¯ which signaled the convoy to start moving. The numerous people and carriages slowly started moving out of the Imperial Pce. ¨C ck, ck¡­¡­ Elise was smiling elegantly through the window. I waved at her and firmed my resolve once more. Although survival had been my goal from the beginning, I told myself that I must survive no matter what because the Prince also has family waiting for him. ¡°Shall we head inside, your highness?¡± Ganael cautiously asked once the convoy was so far that I couldn¡¯t see them anymore. I nodded my head and smiled brightly. * The Viaan Royal Pce was extremely tense right now. It was because the crown princess had released murderous intent and fighting spirit as soon as she returned to the Holy Kingdom. She had her golden spear in her hand as she walked into the pce. There were no emotions visible on her refined face. ¨C Boom! ¡°Where is my father?¡± ¡°W, we do not know, your high-¡± ¨C Baaaaang! The room door mmed loudly. Elise didn¡¯t care that the attendants were whimpering. Most of the attendants in the Royal Pce were her father¡¯s people anyway. She took big strides down the hallway before mming the next door open. ¨C Boom! ¡°Where is the Prince Consort?¡± ¡°Y, your highness. We-¡± ¨C Bang! The door closed again. The royal servants, who were walking on the other side of the hallway, urgently bowed down on the floor. It was because they could not handle the murderous intent she was giving off. Elise¡¯s expression had been like this since Prince Jesse had left. The staff and soldiers, who had no way of knowing what had caused this, could only shake in fear with their heads down. The silver armor that had been heated by the sun sparkled with heat. Elise¡¯s gaze was so sharp as if she would sh anything that got in her way. This was unlike her always calm and detached self. Her face actually resembled the Queen, who was suffering from insanity. However, nobody dared to say such a disrespectful thing out loud. At least until until the crown princess arrived at her own bedroom with her armor nking. ¡°Your highness. Wee ba-¡± ¨C m! It was this ce. It was not even shocking. Elise saw the Prince Consort¡¯s attendant standing outside her room door and mmed the door open. She then made eye contact with the person whom she both loved and hated. Her left hand, which was holding the Vicious Manifestation, clenched tighter while the tip of her chin was shaking. ¡°Wee, crown princess Elise. It must have been difficult traveling such a long distance.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Her father, Werner, smiled benevolently. He had a sleeping Cornelisse in his arms. This was clearly a way to make her weak. Although his chocte-colored eyes were warm and beautiful to the point that anybody would fall for his charms, the crown princess knew the extremely atrocious things he had done. She couldn¡¯t help but clench her teeth. ¨C Swoooooooosh! Elise swung her arm. The golden Vicious Manifestation sparkled. It had all happened in an instant. ¡°Your highness!¡± ¨C Stab! The Prince Consort threw himself forward. His hand was bleeding. He was holding his youngest child with one arm while blocking the spear of his oldest child with the other. The weapon of a god and the arm of a human were shaking as they shed against each other. ¡°Ugh, Elise. What is this¡­¡­¡± ¡°Please let go.¡± The crown princess spoke without any emotion. The sharp edge of the Vicious Manifestation had not been aiming for Werner. It had been aiming for Elise¡¯s own right palm. The Prince Consort looked at his daughter in shock. ¡°In front of your father¡­¡­ in the ce where your sister is sleeping, ugh. Why are you doing such a thing?!¡± ¡°Father, I cannot kill you.¡± Her blue eyes were so cold they looked almost frozen as she said that. His daughter¡¯s gaze made the Prince Consort recall his spouse¡¯s scorn. His body started shaking and his beautiful lips turned white. Drip, drip, the floor of the bedroom of the heir to the throne was dyed red. Werner responded. ¡°Of course. How could the greatest masterpiece of your father¡¯s life and a one of a kind treasure, ugh. How could someone like that betray me?¡± ¡°That is why I will harm myself instead.¡± ¨C Puuk! Elise put more strength into the spear. ¡°Ugh!¡± The Prince Consort let out a painful groan and curled forward. His left arm was covered in blood. However, the man persisted in order to prevent the destruction of his masterpiece. An injured Elise, an imperfect Elise, could not exist. He could not ept any ws or defects. ¡°If you wish for me to ascend the throne without any issues¡­¡± ¡°You dare-¡± ¡°Please stop sending assassins to Jesse. I beg of you.¡± Those were Elise¡¯sst words. The crown princess suddenly let go of the spear without any warning. ¨C Bang! ¡°Ow, ugh¡­¡­¡± The Vicious Manifestation immediately fell sideways as she silently turned around. The Prince Consort finally let go of the spear tip and knelt down. Cornelisse growled while half-asleep, not knowing that some of her clothes had been dyed in blood. Werner urgently hid his left hand behind his back and calmed his youngest daughter. It was almost magical how he smiled despite his forehead being full of cold sweat. ¡°Please continue sleeping, your highness. Everything is okay. Shh¡­¡­¡± Maybe it was not magic but a curse. Werner¡¯s eyes were full of venom while looking at the spot Elise had been standing in before she left. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Assassins are not the only way tomit murder. Yes indeed¡­¡­¡± Chapter 121 Chapter 121 ¨C 100M To The ce To Be The Imperial Crown Prince (1) Chapter 121: 100m to the ce to be the Imperial Crown Prince (1) My confinement ended as soon as Elise left the Imperial Pce. * The August sunshine was bright. Every day in the Imperial Pce felt like a party these days. The nobles were freely entering the pce to visit the garden and greenhouse. As long as their identities were confirmed, evenmoners could enter the pce right now. There were luxurious decorations and tea set up all over the pce for the guests. This was all because it was D-3. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s summer!¡± Christelle was hugging Demy as she shouted with excitement. I looked at her in shock before chuckling and looking at Percy, who was on top of the table. Eva and Sand, who had gotten close to each other, had gone off to a distant part of the Empress Pce¡¯s garden and could not be seen. They seemed to be walking Rhea and Perry. Sand was definitely not as timid as he was before. He even said that he missed people during his house arrest. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and Marquis Fran?ois Duhem, who were seated on the other side of the table, were chatting about portals, the military and other random things like that. ¡°Please eat as you chat, your highness.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ganael put some cute little choux on a te that pushed toward me. He probably brought them over from one of the croquembouches located all around the garden. I alternated sips of the savory thistle tea and the sweet snack as I continued to chat with Percy. I was tightly holding my notebook in my hand. ¡°When will you transform? Only when big bro is in serious danger?¡± ¨C Piruuuuuuuuuu ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything. I just want to chat.¡± ¨C Piiiii, pipi ¡°Yes¡­¡­ That¡¯s okay. Just do it when you want to do it.¡± Percy¡¯s chest moved up and down in a sassy way. I petted his head with my index finger and gave up persuading him. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, who was drinking an espresso next to me, scowled. ¡°You understand the words of a divine item?¡± ¡°No, your royal highness, but there are certain nuances.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Times when it looks like they don¡¯t like something and times when it looks like they do like it. It is the same for divine beasts as well, your Royal Highness.¡± David brought an extravagant box and ced it in front of the Imperial Prince as I responded. The Imperial Prince and I looked toward it at the same time. We could see the jewels that were sparkling under the sun. Each of them was the size of a child¡¯s fist. ¡®It¡¯s no joke.¡¯ ¡°These are the broach options for your cape, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°How cumbersome.¡± The Imperial Prince showed his discontent. Now that the Imperial Crown Prince session confirmation ceremony was three days away, he was dragged to different ces to confirm things both small andrge basically nonstop. He would even be pulled away while getting ether from me. His face was extremely disgruntled whenever that happened. Only Christelle was extremely amused by it. ¡°This one seems to be the best, your Royal Highness. It suits your eye color and you are of the fire attribute.¡± Christelle, who had been carrying Demy and singing, approached us andmented. Christelle was pointing at a luxuriously crafted red diamond. David said that she had quite the discerning eye. The Imperial Prince did not agree. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely not choose that one.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Christelle groaned with annoyance. I quickly started speaking, hoping that he didn¡¯t hear herment about how he throws a fit even when she picks for him. ¡°I also think that this one is the best, your Royal Highness. I think that primary colors look the best on you.¡± It was none of my business what color suited him best and he could probably make any color work with that handsome face of his, but I said whatever came to mind to get past this situation. ¡®It¡¯d be great if you wore what Christelle chose for you.¡¯ The Imperial Prince was silent for a moment before he turned his head away and took a sip of his coffee. ¡°Then I will prepare the red diamond, your Royal Highness.¡± David respectfully bowed before walking away. I heard a low chuckle. Benjamin, who was seated at one side of the table, had stopped writing and was smiling while looking at us. My mind filled with other thoughts as soon as I saw him. However, I had not reached a meaningful conclusion in the past fifteen days. The page of the notebook I was writing on was full of scribbles and ink marks. ? Nikky and the ¡®provisos¡¯ ¨C Existences with the secrets and principles of the world ¨C Christelle, the Imperial Prince, Benjamin, Eunseo¡¯s chair ¨C Can I open the ark from my side (X) These were things I had learned while inside the ¡®Ark of the Wind Deity.¡¯ The second line was the important one. First of all, Christelle was the MC of QNW and the Imperial Prince was the male lead. It made sense that they would carry the principles of the world and its secrets. However, Benjamin was the one who was on my mind. He was the attendant of the second male lead. Eunseo had never mentioned him even once. That meant that he did not have a big role in the original. ¡®Why did he suddenly be so important?¡¯ I stared at the manuscript of the August 15th edition of in Benjamin¡¯s hand. ¡®Author.¡¯ Aside from being my attendant, Benjamin was the third child of a Count¡¯s Household and the author of a popr romance novel. That seemed like a hint to me. However, my thoughts could not extend from there at all. No, they did extend but the direction they went seemedpletely off. ¡®Does the fact that Eunseo¡¯s chair came up mean that she is the author of QNW?¡¯ There was no way that was the case. It was impossible once I thought about my memories in the year since QNW started. ¡®Then is Christelle the author of the romfan and she somehow ended up in her own novel? But the official setting is that she was a typical office employee. Maybe it was a side hustle?¡¯ ¨C Scribble, scribble. The quill pen danced in my hand. Or what about something like this? We are all in a romance novel that the Imperial Prince writes in the future. After falling deeply in love with Christelle and having a blissful romance until he grew old, he wrote it to record their past journey of love¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°For real?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but say that out loud. I stopped writing. Something like that would be nice but I had no reason to rationally believe that was the case. If Christelle was the original author, it would not make sense that she was confused for a few months while getting used to this world setting and choosing a career path. Even if I overlooked everything one hundred times and decided that the Imperial Prince became an author in the future, I was at a loss as to how that might help me in the present. ¡®Maybe it is just the MacGuffin effect where it looks important but is not and is just here to give me a headache?¡¯ ¡°Wow, so pretty. Who does our Demy take after to be so pretty? Hmm?¡± ¨C Screeeech ¡°Oh, you are like big sis. Are you a total babe because you take after your big sis Christelle?¡± ¨C Cruuu. ¡°Aww, so smart. Our Demy is a genius. I should give you a prize.¡± Christelle kissed Demy¡¯s nose. Demy smiled and looked happy. The Imperial Prince let out a deep sigh. I looked at the beauty and the divine beast while recalling another piece of information ¡®Nikky¡¯ gave me while inside the Ark. ¡®It¡¯s not that Eunseo is here?¡¯ ¡®You are the only foreigner here.¡¯ That was a peculiar promation. Christelle was also a transmigrator but she was counted as a person of this world. ¡®It¡¯s probably because she is part of the QNW storyline.¡¯ Unlike me, who came from the outside world, her ¡®Korea¡¯ existed inside the story. ¡°Did you choose your territory?¡± The Imperial Prince¡¯s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I quickly turned my gaze. He was ring at the map that I had open in front of me. I could not say that it was just an excuse to organize my other thoughts in my notebook. ¡°I rmend a ce with only a small bit of forest, your highness. Portals and demonic beasts will be lessmon.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabethmented in a jovial voice. ¡°I understand about demonic beasts, but portals?¡± Marquis Duhem responded to my question. ¡°It rained a lot throughout the Empire untilst week, your highness. As the dirt in the forests are washed away by the rain, old discarded portals are starting to appear.¡± ¡°How interesting.¡± ¡°Yes sir! They are beautiful and mysterious ruins. Most are broken and do not work anymore but recently, some territory lords have had quite the headache because three or four of those portals actually activated. I¡¯m sure that you would not enjoy random surprise portals, so¡­¡­¡± His eyes curled up as he smiled. I awkwardly smiled. ¡°Well then, I would like an area with a small forest¡­¡­ That has ake.¡± Benjamin and Ganael nodded their heads at myment as if I chose well. We had been sharing this grand dream of a mansion with akeview since some time in the past. Even just a big house would be fine if a mansion was not feasible. ¡®But I don¡¯t even know how many times I will be able to go there.¡¯ ¡°Of the territories owned by the Imperial family, it would probably be here then.¡± Eva, who just returned to the table, reached over and pointed to the southwest region of the Empire. I turned to see that the child¡¯s brown eyes were sparkling. ¡°Since it is for you, your highness, I can at least build you a vi there.¡± The youngdy tilted her chin up with pride. I waved my hand in shock. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that, Eva. I also have money-¡± ¡°I¡¯m treating you because I became the young Duchess, your highness.¡± ¡°Excuse me?!¡± Everybody turned to look at Eva. Even Rhea and Perry¡¯s tails rose up. ¡°Ah, it is not official yet¡­¡­ But the Duchess has taken my side and even my father¡­¡­ Said that we should just kick my brother out. He said that my brother is the shame of the family.¡± The child¡¯s voice alternated between being quiet and loud. ¡°Anyway, it will be announced next month when I make my Beau Monde debut next month. I swear!¡± Christelle became extremely excited and hugged Eva while Marquis Duhem whistled. Everybody other than the Imperial Prince congratted her. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth got up and approached Eva. ¡°Congrattions, Eva. I know it was very emotionally challenging for you.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, I promise to build a vi for Sir Michel and for you as well, young Countess. Oh, youngdy Sarnez as well.¡± Eva rattled away while still being hugged by Christelle. I chuckled because she was such a good kid. I guess this was what she meant when she solemnly said that she had a meal with her mother, Duchess nquer. The fact that caution at the border went down once Elise left was favorable for Eva as well. It allowed the Duchess to return to the Imperial Capital to see her daughter. ¡°But why a vi?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth fixed the ribbon on Eva¡¯s head as she asked. ¡°Ah. It is because our family has agreed to build a small castle for his Royal Highness¡¯ birthday and session confirmation ceremony.¡± My jaw dropped. ¡®Something like that is possible¡­¡­?¡¯ ¡°We also wanted to apologize for the disrespect my brother showed the Imperial family and his Royal Highness.¡± Eva peeked warily at the Imperial Prince as she said that. He did not show any reaction. The Imperial Prince truly seemed like someone out of my reach after hearing that he would receive a castle as a gift, even if it was to apologize for something. The House of nquer also seemed to be quite wealthy. ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed because your present is much fancier than mine, youngdy nquer. I offered his Royal Highness the magic stone crystal board!¡± The Marquis acted the fool and changed topics after seeing the young girl frown at the Imperial Prince¡¯sck of response. ¡®Is the crystal board the one I am thinking of?¡¯ ¡°It is a magic tool that projects an image of an object onto arge t board. It will be revealed during his Royal Highness¡¯s session confirmation ceremony to be seen by all of the citizens of the Empire.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but scoff. The romantic device from the original story that could not be used in the polo match was going to make its debut on a much greater scale. They must have seen this as a hot topic for the Imperial Capital as both Eva and Sand¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡®Maybe this is why the two of them became close.¡¯ ¡°Have you prepared a birthday gift for his Royal Highness, Prince Jesse?¡± The young girl suddenly turned toward me and asked. I flinched. ¡®Maybe the topic on her mind changes so quickly because she is still young.¡¯ ¡°I¡­¡­¡± ¡°You are not going to wiggle your way out of it with tears again, are you?¡± The child¡¯srge eyes became nted. Her problematic question made everybody look at me now. I was so shocked that I could not respond. ¡®When did I-¡¯ ¡°Your highness.¡± I heard a voice that was like a gentle breeze at that moment. We all turned around. ¡°Did you wait a long time, your highness?¡± Johann Geens was looking at me. The corners of his eyes gently curled up as he alighted the steps of the Empress Pce. This was the reason we were spending time in front of the Empress Pce instead of Juliette Pce. He was now wearing a typical outfit of people in the Empire. His cleanly shaved face, tied down white hair, and thin jade-green summer coat suited him very well. The look on his face seemed fine as well. ¡°Are you seriously asking because you don¡¯t know? He waited a very long t-¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t realize how much time had passed since it is my first time in the garden of the Empress Pce. Did your Audience go well?¡± I gently cut Eva off and asked. The young girl pouted and squeezed my arm. ¡®It felt nice.¡¯ ¡°Yes, your highness. Now, I can¡­¡­ Go get Gerrit.¡± Sir Johann¡¯s voice cracked a bit as he said that. Christelle and my face lit up. That meant that he made a Promise of Ether to Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique and that the Empress epted him as one of her people. It felt so good thinking about how all of the promises hade true. ¡°Today is a day full of happy news! What a beautiful day!¡± The Marquis pulled some flower petals out of his pockets and scattered them in the air as he stood up. I had no idea since when he must have prepared such a performance. Everybody congratted and gave words of encouragement to Sir Johann as well. Well, everyone except the Imperial Prince. I peeked at the guy who was seated with his arms crossed. It would take a three hours round trip to go pick up Gerrit, who would soon arrive at the outskirts of the Imperial Capital. ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± I quietly called out to him. He immediately looked at me. I thought that it would be okay for him to go out for a three hour stroll since he had been busy with preparations for the session confirmation ceremony and official business as soon as August started. He would obviously be even busier once he became the Imperial Crown Prince. ¡°Eva would like it if you came with us. Oh, youngdy Sarnez as well.¡± ¡®You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to.¡¯ Imented with such a thought on my mind. He quietly scoffed. Chapter 122 Chapter 122 ¨C 100M To The ce To Be The Imperial Crown Prince (2) Chapter 122: 100m to the ce to be the Imperial Crown Prince (2) ¡®No¡­¡­ I meant for the two of you to go for a drive.¡¯ ¨C ck, ck. The carriage gently shook. The chatty atmosphere in the carriage as we are on our way to the portal made me feel as if I am on a bus for a field trip. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, who was seated by the window, was warmer than usual because of the August weather. Christelle, who was seated by the door, was as cold as usual. ¡®How the heck did I end up between the two of them?¡¯ ¡°It would have been convenient if they came to the Legault portal.¡± ¡°They said that they could not due to the fiscal issues of the Vatican.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth bitterly responded after Christelle¡¯s rationalint. Gerrit was to arrive at the regional portal at the east side of the Imperial Capital. He would have been closer to the Imperial Pce if he came to the Legault Central Commerce Center, but the Vatican had denied it. They could not spend that much money for a Clergy level priest and his servitor. ¡°Sir Johann, please have some water.¡± ¡°Thank you, your highness.¡± I handed a cold ss bottle to the anxious looking Holy Knight. He took about two sips before clenching and unclenching his fists. I was sure that this thirst he was feeling right now was not something that could be resolved with water. We were out for what was supposed to be a three-hour round trip to pick up Gerrit. Sand, who would be taking the child as his servitor, definitely had to go and having Sir Johann as well would have been enough. Even Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s presence here was understandable in order to protect Sir Johann in his official role as the Imperial Prince¡¯s instructor. But then Christelle and Eva said that they would tag along as well because they wanted to see Gerrit. This was when the Imperial Prince decided toe as well. I got swept into the process and the scale of the trip grew significantly. Demy, Rhea, Perry, and Percy were all stuck to me like abalones, fast asleep. There were two 6-passenger Imperial family carriages and over twenty Imperial Guard members who were guarding us from the front and back. Eva, Sand, Benjamin, Ganael, and David were in the carriage behind us. I looked down at the pic basket that I had quickly prepared in order to give to Gerrit. ¡®It is good that the Imperial Prince can get some fresh air before the session confirmation ceremony, but I think the child will be shocked.¡¯ ¨C Neeeeeeigh! ¨C ck, ck¡­¡­ The horse neighed as the carriage slowed down. I petted the growling red pandas and looked outside. The Imperial Princemented in a low voice. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± The view in front of my eyes truly deserved such a gasp of admiration. The ce we arrived at after traveling for an hour and a half was an outdoor portal that was surrounded by a lush forest. Thick pirs were holding up arge white roof. The area was wide enough for at least 100 people to use it. I noticed a priest and an extremely young child looking at us. His white hair was fluttering in the wind. ¡°Haha.¡± I turned my gaze after hearing Sir Johannughing. Hispletely bright face was filled with tears. The man jumped off the carriage like a tornado and ran toward the young boy as soon as the procession stopped. He would have gotten there much quicker if he used his ether but he must have forgotten that he was even a Holy Knight. The four of us who were left in the carriage continued to sit there, watching his back. Sir Johann knelt down on the ground, looking almost as if he fell, and hugged his son. Gerrit¡¯s two slender hands hung around his father¡¯s neck. * The Geens father and sonbination soon stood in front of us with red eyes. ¡°Geens, this is his Royal Highness, Imperial Prince C¨¦dric Riester. Your father is currently instructing his Royal Highness in the Imperial Pce.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The child didn¡¯t know how to respond to Sir Johann¡¯s warm introduction and just bowed his head. The Imperial Prince just looked down at Gerrit with a stoic gaze. The young boy was small for his age. I was told that he was ten years old but he looked as if he could be seven or eight years old. His hair, which was white just like his father¡¯s, and hisrge mint-colored eyes were memorable. ¡°My deepest apologies, your Royal Highness. My son has lost his ability to speak after my wife left this world.¡± Sir Johann apologized on behalf of the silent Gerrit. I observed the child¡¯s neck and wrists with a pitying heart. I was concerned that he might have been abused in the prison back in the Holy Kingdom. Gerrit must have found the gazes of the adults who got out of the carriage to be scary and burdensome as he simply hugged his father¡¯s leg and shook in fear. ¡°And this is his highness, Prince Jesse Viaan. He is the one who saved you and me.¡± The child slowly raised his head to look up at me. I smiled with embarrassment before crouching in front of Gerrit. Benjamin and Ganael, who were behind me, as well as Sir Johann in front of me tried to stop me but I couldn¡¯t help it because I was used to doing this. It would hurt the child¡¯s neck if he kept looking up. ¡°Hi Gerrit. Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The child continued to tightly clench his father¡¯s pants but looked at me and bowed. He seemed at least curious about me since he didn¡¯t look away. ¡°There are very cute animal friends in the carriage. They said they came to meet you.¡± The child¡¯s eyes opened wide at myment. ¡°They are sleeping right now. Three of them are divine beasts while one is a divine item pretending to be a divine beast.¡± I then whispered about how this was a secret and to not tell anybody. That made Gerrit smile. No matter how young he was, the fact that he was born and raised in the Holy Kingdom would mean that he had heard numerous stories about divine beasts and divine items. I continued to speak in a not too loud voice. ¡°They listen to people well so they should like you, Gerrit. Do you want to say hi to themter?¡± Gerrit slowly nodded his head. I smiled and slowly got up so that the child would not get scared. The others soon greeted Gerrit as well. The child looked confused and tired after meeting so many new people at once. However, he looked right at me whenever we made eye contact, proving to me that he was quite curious about the divine beasts and Percy. I looked at the child and pointed to the carriage behind us when I made eye contact with the Imperial Prince. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He silently looked at me before walking over to the carriage. ¡®I guess he doesn¡¯t like children very much. But he is the male lead of a Romfan so I¡¯m sure he will love his future children.¡¯ * ¡°People might think that you had the childpletely on your own. He¡¯s a total replica.¡± ¡°People have often told me that, youngdy Sarnez.¡± Christellemented about Gerrit and Sir Johann on our carriage ride back. I stopped in the middle of helping Demy and the young boy shake hands and smiled. It really was the case. Although the corner of Gerrit¡¯s eyes did not curl down, he seemed quite like his dad. ¡®Is this the power of gics?¡¯ ¨C Squeeeee. Demy opened his mouth and squealed as Gerrit cautiously grabbed one of his front paws. The child flinched. ¡°It¡¯s okay. He likes it.¡± I consoled him. Little Geens was wary of the divine beast but must have decided to trust me as he offered his other hand to Demy as well. Demy extended his neck to sniff the child. Rhea and Perry were watching while seated on the Imperial Prince¡¯s knees. Percy chirped while perched on Christelle¡¯s shoulder. ¨C Lick The red panda gently licked the tips of Gerrit¡¯s fingers. The child looked quite shocked before he looked at me and smiled. I couldn¡¯t help but smile either. ¡°Do you want some food? I have a lot of yummy things.¡± Gerrit slightly nodded his head at my question. ¡°Thank you very much, your highness.¡± Sir Johann thanked me in his ce. Christellemented while watching me open the pic basket. ¡°Now that I think about it, you and the crown princess did not look very simr, your highness.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± I asked back. I too felt the same thing when I saw Elise. She gave off that aura of royalty that I didn¡¯t have. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth agreed with her friend¡¯s assessment. ¡°I too felt that people who don¡¯t know that the two of you are rted would never think of the two of you as siblings, your highness.¡± ¡°Right?! Both of you are beautiful but give off very different vibes.¡± Christelle added on. The crown princess was known for being almost an exact replica of the Queen when she was younger so Prince Jesse must not look like his mother at all. I just smiled and pulled out a jambon beurre and a cucumber mint sd. ¡°Gerrit, can you eat cucumbers?¡± The young boy nodded his head. I handed the child a fork and the bread while Sir Johann checked on his son¡¯s belongings and medicine. It was at that moment. ¨C Neeeeeeigh! ¡°Woah, woah!¡± We heard the horses¡¯ neighs followed by the coachman¡¯s voice before the carriage suddenly halted. I wondered what had happened but it was quiet outside. The silent Imperial Prince was about to scowl when someone knocked on the carriage door. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth opened the door. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Vice Captain, your Royal Highness. I¡¯m terribly sorry about this. There is a water deer fawn down in the middle of the road. Please wait a moment until we take care of it.¡± The young Contess looked at the Imperial Prince. He just motioned with his chin. I did my best to join the conversation as naturally as possible. ¡°Excuse me, is it alive by chance?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. It seems to have hurt its leg.¡± The Imperial Guard member immediately responded. I turned to look at the Imperial Prince who squinted his orange eyes at me. He was looking at me with a look of disbelief. I immediately responded to confirm his suspicions. ¡°I will heal it.¡± I had worked hard to memorize the healing circle all this time for a moment like this. ¡°You¡¯re so cool, your highness!¡± I put the basket down and got up with Demy. Christelle cheered, making me embarrassed, before getting off as well. The Imperial Guard members bowed and stepped back as I headed toward the front of the carriage. I soon saw the fawn. ¨C Piiiii, pewpew! It was so small that its cry sounded like a baby chick. I sat down and observed the fawn¡¯s condition. The little thing warily tried to stand up before plopping back down, probably in pain. I could see that there was blood on its right hind leg. It must have been bitten by something or got caught in a trap. I took a deep breath. ¡®I¡¯ll heal you soon.¡¯ [Please remove the chaff from this ce and bestow a new vine.] ¨C Paaaat! I chanted the incantation as the sky-colored healing circle lit up the dirt. The fawn¡¯s ck eyes opened wide and it pped its ears. I had never used healing power on an animal before, but it should be fine because I heard that it works the same way. Blue pebbles shot up like foam from the circle. Demy reached his front paw out, opening and closing it around the foam. ¡°Demy, be good.¡± ¨C Squeeeeee ¡°What¡¯s going on? What is it?¡± Eva, who had gotten off the carriage, approached me and asked. The youngdy flinched in shock after seeing the water deer. ¡°It is a type of deer. It is still just a baby. His highness is healing it because it is injured.¡± Christelle exined. I looked behind me. Sir Johann, who hade out of the carriage while holding Gerrit in his arms, was watching me. Benjamin, Ganael, and Sand were a few steps behind him. The priest who brought Gerrit seemed to have remained in the carriage with David. ¨C Shaaaaaaa- ¨C Pii The shining ether particles gathered at the water deer¡¯s hind leg. The little thing let out a short chirp. We just quietly watched. At that moment¡­ ¨C Ding ding! The bell in my pocket started ringing. My heart sank. The Imperial Prince appeared before I could even raise my head. He had burst out of the carriage like a sh of lightning. ¡°There is a demonic beast. ¨¦lisabeth, get the rear.¡± ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness. All of youe here and protect the sides. Everybody on alert!¡± ¨C ng! The Imperial Prince instantly pulled out his Sword of Wisdom and stood in front of me. The air quickly started freezing. Percy flew over andnded on my head while Rhea and Perry dangled on Sand¡¯s shoulders. Christelle pulled out her whip. I urgentlymented. ¡°Priests are not capable of double casting. I cannot open my Holy Domain while using my healing power.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The young man calmly responded in a low voice. At the same time¡­ ¨C Growl¡­¡­ ¨C Grrr, ruff ruff! A growl that sounded like a dog, but much more heinous, could be heard through the bushes. I got chills at this threat that I couldn¡¯t locate. The Imperial Prince mumbled. ¡°The water deer was bait.¡± ¨C Grrrrr! Ruuuuuff! ¨C Pii! I fell into shock looking at the shaking water deer fawn. I knew that demonic beasts were savage and shrewd but I didn¡¯t expect them to injure another animal to lure humans. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry because I am here, your highness.¡± Sir Johann calmlymented. His face looked firm even with his young son here. ¡°I mean it.¡± ¨C Rooooooar! Taaaat! A heavy wolf-like demonic beast charged from the front. Its whole body was dark green like grass. Before the dust that it kicked up could even settle¡­ ¨C Baaaaang! ¨C Whimper! A strong air current shot toward the demonic beast like a bullet. The Imperial Prince reached his right hand backward at the same time. ¨C Ooooooong! Seven red square blocks stacked together like flower petals underneath my healing circle. My eyes opened wide. It was my first time seeing the Imperial Prince¡¯s defensive magic formation¡­¡­ ¨C Ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! ¡°Huh?¡± I suddenly heard a familiar noise. I staggered,feeling my insides churn. I felt extremely ufortable to the point that I could not see. This was definitely not because of the Imperial Prince¡¯s mana. To be more specific, it was because his mana had activated something else. A clear golden border was sparkling underneath the blue healing circle and the red magic formation. Christelle and I made eye contact. The story that Marquis Duhem had told us back in the Imperial Pce quickly shed in both of our minds. ¡®As the dirt in the forests are washed away by the rain, old discarded portals are starting to appear.¡¯ ¡°Tsk.¡± ¨C Puuk! The Imperial Prince figured out what was going on and stabbed the Sword of Wisdom into the ground. He was trying to destroy the portal. However¡­¡­ Pssssssssss¡­¡­ ¡°Son of a-¡± My fingertips were already breaking apart as they were being transported to another location. Everything turned white and I felt sick. ¡ª Chapter 123 Chapter 123 ¨C 100M To The ce To Be The Imperial Crown Prince (3) Chapter 123: 100m to the ce to be the Imperial Crown Prince (3) ¡°Oo¡­¡­¡± I groaned and slowly opened my eyes. It would have been great if I was on a soft bed, but such a convenient development did not ur. I saw a man and a woman looking at me. One had distinct blue-gray eyes while the other had deeply sunken orange eyes. ¡°Huh?¡± As soon as I jumped up in shock¡­ ¨C Boom! My head crashed into Christelle¡¯s! ¡°O!¡± ¡°Ow¡­¡­¡± I rolled around in shock as Christelle groaned and rubbed her forehead. ¡®Wow, that hurt so much. It feels like my head cracked in half. She has such a big head!¡¯ ¨C Squeeeeee! ¨C Piruuuuuuuuuu! Demy, who was lying next to me, and Percy both cried in shock. They immediately started rubbing my forehead with a paw and a wing respectively. I must have looked like I was in a lot of pain. ¡®You guys are here too¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Are you trying to knock him unconscious again?¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric, who was standing and looking down at me, sarcasticallymented to Christelle. Our main character, who had quickly recovered from the shock, red at him. I pressed my ringing head on the ground before realizing in shock that her blue jacket wasid out under me. They must haveid me down because I fainted from the portal. ¡°It should have woken him right up, your Royal Highness. Have you already finished scouting the area?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t go far because of the fog.¡± The two of them chirped back and forth. I felt the pain in my head and the slight feeling of motion sickness slowly subsiding as I sat up. Our surroundings were full of fog, as the Imperial Prince had mentioned. We were still in a forest, but the sizes and types of trees werepletely different from where we had been. It was apletely unfamiliar area. I hugged Demy and Percy as I asked my question. ¡°We, did we teleport through a portal?¡± ¡°That seems to be the case, your highness. Sir Johann, Gerrit, and youngdy Eva are here as well. The three of them went to scout in the other direction.¡± Christelle quickly responded. ¡®There¡¯s six of us and two animals!¡¯ I thought that I was teleported alone but now that I thought about it, there was no way that a portal would be that small. It seemed as if everybody who was around me had been teleported as well. I was a bit relieved to know that I was not alone. ¡°Why would a portal be in such a ce¡­¡­¡± ¡°It is a relic of the Warring Era.¡± The Imperial Princemented in a low voice. The young man and I made eye contact. The book, that he gave me did not have any details about what kind of transportation methods were used during that time. However, I had an idea based on what he said. I slowly recalled something Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and Marquis Duhem had discussed in the garden of the Empress Pce. Portals, military, support. ¡°Was it created for providing supplies or troops for reinforcement?¡± ¡°You do know.¡± He responded. Then it made sense why this portal was on a path to the Imperial Capital instead of a busy area. They needed to be able to quickly bring and relocate reinforcements when needed. They needed to protect all paths from enemies. ¡°If there were portals all over the Empire like this¡­¡­ Most of them must have been closed off because they were not useful in normal times.¡± ¡°It would only bring chaos. Just like what has happened just now.¡± His voice was calm despite what he said. I couldn¡¯t help but grind my teeth. ¡®Why did a water deer have to be there of all ces? Why did I have to get off the carriage? Why did that have to be a scheme by a demonic beast? Why did the Imperial Prince have to use magic and let his mana be absorbed by the portal underground? What is the probability that the portal was still working properly? Hmm?¡¯ I did my best to suppress my desire to swear at the author. It would be one thing if I did things ording to the original novel and let things flowed as the author intended, but I felt wronged because these things continued to happen despite my actions being very different from what happened in the novel. This was the case at the polo matchst time and again now. The fact that the main characters were involved in both incidents should mean that the author was involved in some way. ¡°Haaa¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± I brushed my face with both hands. I decided to focus on the things that happened for now. It wasn¡¯t like grumbling about the author would take us back to the Imperial Capital immediately. ¡°What happened to the injured water deer?¡± ¡°I knew you would ask about that, your highness.¡± Christelle smiled at my question. ¡°It waspletely healed. It jumped away and disappeared as soon as we got here. I don¡¯t know if it will manage to survive out here.¡± I could only nkly nod my head. I was worried that the fawn would not be able to survive here without its family. It was at that moment. ¨C Swoooooooosh! ¡°You woke up, your highness.¡± I heard a gentle voice in the sky. The fog on the ground was swept away by a gust of wind before Eva and Sir Johann, who had Gerrit in his arms, gentlynded on the ground. The youngdy had a flushed face as she tapped her foot on the ground. I couldn¡¯t help butugh despite the current situation after seeing her reaction. ¡°Did you have a nice trip?¡± ¡°Yes sir! Sir Geens lifted me up into the air. At first I was annoyed that he didn¡¯t ask for my permission but it was so much fun!¡± Her curly hair fluttered in the wind, looking like ramen noodles. It seemed as if Eva enjoyed a fun walk in the air while Sir Johann did all the scouting. Gerrit smiled at me as well. Sir Johann awkwardly smiled after sensing my gaze. ¡°There is a mountain in front of us but I do not see the Imperial Capital. It was hard to check for any nearby viges because of the severe fog and wind.¡± ¡®Damn it.¡¯ ¡°Eek.¡± Eva sounded shocked, as if she did not hear about this until now either. Christelle frowned while the Imperial Prince looked toward the narrow path. ¡°I guess we need to wait here.¡± ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness. I¡¯m sure Vice Commander Moutet will report to the Imperial Pce as soon as they take care of the demonic beasts.¡± Sir Johann agreed with him. I nodded my head. Although I had only seen one wolf demonic beast, there could be more of them. However, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was a Grade 8 swordswoman. There were also over twenty Imperial Guard members as well. It should be easy for them to take care of the beasts and quickly bring a mage over from the Imperial Pce to deal with the situation. ¡°Then should we wait around for about three or four hours?¡± Imented. It should take about that long for them to inform the Empress and return to the area. Everybody other than the Imperial Prince nodded their heads and sat around. I must have still looked pale as Christelle created a water drop the size of her palm. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I gulped down the water before looking up at the standing Imperial Prince. Even the thick fog looked only like a gentle camera filter around him. ¡®Yeah, three days from now is that guy¡¯s session confirmation ceremony¡­¡­ I¡¯m sure we will be able to go back by the end of the day.¡¯ * Silence filled the Empress¡¯s office. Aur¨¦lie Boutier let out a quiet sigh before taking a sip of her coffee. ¨¦lisabeth wiped the demonic beast¡¯s blood off her cheek with her sleeve as she nked out. Something like this happening three days before the Imperial Crown Prince session confirmation ceremony was uneptable. However, the truth was that things like this always seemed to happen whenever C¨¦dric, Prince Jesse, and youngdy Christelle were together. The fact that it had been quiet for the past half month and a few days was the weird part. ¡°Say that again.¡± Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester gave the order. Fran?ois Duhem gulped and looked at her. His light pink eyes were solemnly sparkling. ¡°Your Majesty, the sovereign of my every breath, that will be difficult.¡± ¡°Why.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to hit me if I say it aga-, my goodness!¡± The Empress jumped up and grabbed her sword. Fran?ois quickly jumped toward the window. He looked at his Empress with one leg out the window as if he was about to jump. The people moving through the garden of the Empress Pce gasped and pretended not to see anything. ¡°Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, only with the scabbard.¡± Aur¨¦liemented in an easygoing voice. The Empress epted her contractor¡¯s advice and pointed her sword, still in its scabbard, toward her vassal. ¡°Do you think this makes any sense?¡± ¡°I feel wronged, your Majesty. It was not my fault that his Royal Highness was teleported through a portal!¡± ¡°I never said that it was your fault.¡± Her cherry-colored eyes sparkled with annoyance. ¡°Why is it that you don¡¯t know where that damn portal is headed?¡± ¡°Because the records were destroyed?¡± ¨C Pow! The scabbard smacked the man¡¯s back. Fran?ois curled up like a shrimp and cried out. ¡°Ow, ow!¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I wasn¡¯t the one who burned those records! This is too much!¡± ¡°I handed all of the historical documents about portals from the Warring Era to you since you said that you were researching portals, you little punk. But now you are telling me that there are no records?¡± ¡°Former Empress C¨¦line burned them all, your Majesty! Ugh! Keeping records would only increase the danger of them being revealed!¡± The Empress stopped moving. The sun was already setting outside. Dust fluttered from the beaten Marquis¡¯s body. Her voice became cold. ¡°Your excuse is to me my mother?¡± ¡°I swear it to the Almighty God, your Majesty. Her Majesty truly detested any traces of the Warring Era. There were not many historical documents even when I had first gotten them. The only things there were the locations of the portals and maybe their names.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Tsk.¡± Fr¨¦d¨¦rique clicked her tongue and withdrew her scabbard. However, she must have still been angry as she let out a deep sigh before brushing back her hair. Fran?ois remained by the window just in case. Aur¨¦lie ced her cup of coffee on the table. ¡°Then there is only one method. Fran?ois, you go there and analyze the portal¡¯s magic formation.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes, your Eminence. Even if the portal is underground, channeling mana into it should make the magic formation clearly visible. The work will go even faster if I take a mage to support me.¡± Fran?ois fixed his hair as hemented. ¨¦lisabeth fearfully confessed at that moment. ¡°Your Majesty, Your Eminence. There is something I must inform you about that.¡± ¡°Rx and tell us, ¨¦lisabeth.¡± The Cardinal warmlymented. The young Countess peeked toward the holy sword, the Durandal, in the Empress¡¯s hand. ¡°I reported that the portal was destroyed by my sword aura, your Eminence.¡± ¡°You did.¡± They already knew about that from her report earlier. ¨¦lisabeth had led the Imperial Guard to take down around ten middle-grade demonic beasts in the forest. Her fighting, with the grace of a Grade 8 swordswoman, made it so that there were no casualties. Even if she destroyed the problematic portal during the battle, if it was just a small crack¡­ ¡°The whole ground cracked, your Eminence.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Aur¨¦lie¡¯s voice cracked as well. ¡°In the ce where the portal was¡­¡­ There is a crack about two spans width.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨¦lisabeth barely managed to finish her sentence. Total silence filled the office. The Empress looked at the young Countess with a dark gaze. The young woman¡¯s palm started to get sweaty. Although she was aywoman when it came to magic, she knew that a portal that was damaged that much would not react despite being infused with mana. ¡°That can happen when a swordswoman uses her strength.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Both the young Countess and the Marquis raised their heads at the same time after hearing the Empress¡¯sment. A dramatic look of despair filled Fran?ois¡¯s face. ¡°Your Majesty, why is it that you only persecute me? Is this a form of merciless love?¡± ¡°You go and dig, Fran?ois.¡± Fr¨¦d¨¦rique motioned with her chin before plopping down on the couch. Durandal was ced close enough so that she could grab it at any moment. The Marquis¡¯ eyes opened wide. ¡°That Imperial Decree-¡± ¡°What else can you do when the magic formation will not respond? Take some soldiers and dig for a bit. Then you can draw the magic formation of the portal yourself and analyze it. The Duke¡¯s House of Sarnez and nquer will cooperate with you. You should be able to figure out where my son disappeared.¡± The Empressmented in a tired voice. Thestment made Fran?ois¡¯s face light up quite a bit. ¡°If your Majesty trusts me and desires me!¡± The Marquis got down from the window sill with elegant movements before bowing deeply. The Empress sighed and pulled off her cravat once he and ¨¦lisabeth left. Aur¨¦lie gently consoled her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. The children will be fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure those punks will be fine. The problem is the session confirmation ceremony.¡± Her voice was brusque, unlike her true feelings. The Cardinal gentlyughed. * Nobody came to find us despite the sun setting in the west and the fog disappearing. Today did not seem to be our day. However, we should be able to return to the Imperial Pce tomorrow. The Empress will send soldiers out in all directions. I thought positively as I gently cut the potato that Demy grew with the Imperial Prince¡¯s dagger. It was to prepare dinner. I also gathered the fruit we would eat for dessert to one side. ¡®They will rot quickly if they get wet so I¡¯ll only wash a couple and save the rest for tomorrow morning¡­¡­.¡¯ ¨C Bang! I flinched and looked to the side. There was a dead wild boar! ¡°Ah!¡± I clutched my shocked heart and scowled, making the Imperial Prince look at me with discontent. ¡®What, you crazy bastard. What do you want from me?! Why did you catch a pig and throw it here?¡¯ ¨C Scrreech, screech, screeeeech. ¡°Demy?¡± Demy cried while grabbing onto my leg. I became flustered. This was what he usually did when he wanted me to praise him but I already thanked him and told him he was a good boy quite a bit just now. ¡®Is hecking ether?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m! A Naturalist!¡± (TL: Korean TV show) Christelle shouted a phrase I had heard quite a bit in the past and quickly walked over. She had a deer that was as tall as her on her back. She let the baby water deer go but she had no mercy for an adult deer. ¡°The forest is going to be empty if we spend another day out here¡­¡­¡± I gasped and mumbled in astonishment. Sir Johann, who was grinding his sword in preparation to butcher the meat, smiled with joy. ¡ª Chapter 124 Chapter 124 ¨C 100M To The ce To Be The Imperial Crown Prince (4) Chapter 124: 100m to the ce to be the Imperial Crown Prince (4) ¨C Crackle, crackle¡­¡­ The bonfire crackled in the forest that was now covered in darkness. The wild boar and venison that Sir Johann neatly butchered were dripping oil as they cooked. He seemed like a pro at this, potentially because he has been a mercenary for a long time. ¡°It looks delicious.¡± Eva, who was seated next to me, was nking out as she mumbled to herself. I chuckled. She had gasped earlier while looking at the animals that Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric had brought back but she seemed to have adjusted to the situation quickly. It made sense since the tablecloth that we had ced over a tree stump hade from Eva¡¯s dress. We would have been fine without something like that, but Eva said that elegance was important for nobles and ripped up a part of her dress. ¡°It looks ready. It will burn if it cooks any longer.¡± Sir Johannmented as he stood up. Christelle pped her hands. I handed out the chubby baked potatoes as he distributed the meat. We had a lot of things to eat because good little Demy grew a lot of different things for us. We soon finished setting the table. ¡°Thank you very much for the meal.¡± I started eating and the people all around the stump joined in as well. Our main character pulled out some small ss bottles from her pocket at that moment. My jaw dropped. ¡°Youngdy Sarnez, are those perhaps¡­¡­¡± ¡°This one is salt, this one is pepper, and this one is chili powder.¡± Even Sir Johann, who told us he slept in the wilderness quite a bit, seemed very shocked. ¡®She normally carries chili powder with her? Really?¡¯ ¡°I like strong vors, so¡­¡­ I always carry them with me to use whenever something seems to becking. It is troublesome to keep calling people over wherever I go.¡± ¡°My goodness. You are so cool, youngdy Sarnez.¡± Eva truly seemed amazed. I could not say anything and just nodded my head. Thanks to Christelle¡¯s amazing addition, we were able to have a well-seasoned dinner. I thought that the meat would be very gamey because they were wild animals, but the Imperial Prince¡¯s holy fire had added a strong taste of fire, making even the fragrance clean. I first took a bite of the roasted boar meat. ¡°Ow, hot¡­¡­¡± Huuuuu, huuuu. I rolled the meat around in my mouth and gently bit down. The juice came flowing out of the meat. I thought that the meat would be tough but it was surprisingly soft. I wondered if this was thanks to the Imperial Prince¡¯s mes as well. Adding salt and pepper made it feel as if it was the best vor that meat could have. My eyes curled up as I enjoyed the barbeque. ¡°Delicious.¡± ¨C Squeeeee. ¨C Piruuuuu Demy and Percy, who were on myp, cheered with joy. I felt that it was strangely quiet and looked up to notice that everybody was staring at me. I felt my ears instantly get hot. ¡®Did I eat too greedily?¡¯ ¡°What is it? Why are none of you eating?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you eating so well, your highness.¡± Christelle finallymented. I just nodded my head and attacked the venison meat. I could hear Gerrit¡¯s clearugh as well. I felt really embarrassed. We all focused on eating for the next hour. Once therge wild boar and deer ended up in everybody¡¯s stomachs, we each ate two potatoes and tomatoes before eating a lot of fruit for dessert. Only then did people start to talk again. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m really full.¡± ¡°I feel like I ate more than I usually do in the Imperial Capital.¡± Sir Johann agreed with Christelle¡¯s assessment. Eva and Gerrit, who I was the most worried about, thankfully seemed to have eaten a lot as well. I gave Demy some water and a lot of wild flowers before standing up. I was going to clean things up and prepare a ce to sleep so that I could digest the food. ¡°It is amazing that you seem to adjust so well, your highness.¡± I had Demy help me create arge leaf and was cing it down like a mat when Christelle approached me. I flinched because I felt guilty. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. I thought that you would have trouble eating a wild animal but you ate well and took good care of the children as usual.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I guess I thought that you would have grown up being prim and proper because you are a prince, your highness. Although I¡¯m sure you struggled a lot too¡­¡± ¡°You and everybody else are trying so hard. I couldn¡¯t just sit back and do nothing.¡± Christelle smiled at my response. She was probably right about the actual Prince Jesse, but I¡¯ve only ever lived as a normal person so I didn¡¯t know how to act like a prince here. I suddenly thought of someone after thinking about that. The Imperial Prince was elegantly burning away the remains of the boar and deer. Now that I thought about it, this punk seemed to adjust better than expected as well. * ¨C Crackle, crackle The six people and two animals sat around the bonfire again. This time, we had all washed and were ready to sleep. We had leaf nkets the size of an average adult as well as pillows made from Demy¡¯s thick vines. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t too cold to sleep outside because it was August. There were no signs of anything dangerous in the area we arrived in. ¡°Gerrit is already asleep.¡± I jerked my head at Christelle¡¯sment. The child who had taken his medicine and thenid down next to Sir Johann was breathing gently, already off inland. I felt sorry for the child. It would not have been enough to rid him of his travel fatigue while sleeping on afortable bed but he actually had to sleep out in the wilderness. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir Johann. Everybody else as well¡­¡­ We wouldn¡¯t have ended up here if it wasn¡¯t for me.¡± I apologized. Thinking about it, the reason we ended up like this was because I stepped forward to heal the water deer fawn. Sir Johann¡¯s eyes curled up. ¡°You were helping to save a life. That was something only you could do, your highness. I think that it was a good lesson for Gerrit to learn.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It is fine because I respect your decision, your highness. I¡¯m sure that you would do the same thing again even if we could turn back time.¡± That was true. I smiled bitterly and thanked him. Christelle looked at me and nodded as if she felt the same way. Eva pouted to the point that her mouth looked like Percy¡¯s beak, but she did not say anything. ¡®I wonder if she thinks I¡¯m a pushover again.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Imperial Prince, who was seated to my left, had a calm gaze as well. He had a lot of things to take care of for the session confirmation ceremony and there was supposed to be a practice run in two days. It was a surprise that he was not angry. I was thankful about that. ¡°Your Royal Highness, you will be able to return safely before the session confirmation ceremony.¡± Christelle mischievouslymented as I spoke to console him. ¡°I think his Royal Highness is oddly enjoying this. Ether cannot be fooled. Is it perhaps that you do not want to be the Imperial Crown Prince, your Royal Highness?¡± The Imperial Prince immediately red. Sir Johann raised his head as if he was amused. Eva¡¯s gaze quickly moved around like a ping pong ball. I didn¡¯t want to see water and fire fighting in the middle of a forest so I immediately stepped in to calm the situation. ¡°The youngdy is joking, your Royal Highness. It is because she thinks that you might be feeling a sense of burden in bing the Imperial Crown Prince¡­¡­¡± I suddenly realized something after saying that. I blinked my eyes. ¡°Is the thought of bing the Imperial Crown Prince burdensome, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°That is my responsibility.¡± The young man responded in a low voice. It sounded pitiful despite being his usual voice. The fact that it was a responsibility that was given to him since birth, the fact that he had prepared for this moment for his whole life did not mean that it was an easy and trivial position. I finally realized why he agreed to head out of the Imperial Pce so easily. I also realized the reason why he looked so calm while being in a ce like this. ¡°I think it is okay to feel burdened, your Royal Highness.¡± I cautiouslymented. His orange eyes opened a bit wider. The side of his face being lit up by the bonfire made him look his proper age for the first time in a long while. He would soon be twenty-five. ¡°It would be weird if you could do everything calmly, your Royal Highness. You are going to rise to the position that will make you responsible for the entire Empire in the future. It is obvious that you would be scared and nervous.¡± I smiled. It made me think about when I skipped the supervisor position and was promoted directly to a team leader at work. It was nothingpared to the Imperial Prince¡¯s situation, but¡­¡­ I had been happy about my aplishments and the increase in pay, but my shoulders had felt heavy with the new responsibilities. I thought about the Imperial Prince rising to the position of Imperial Crown Prince, a position where he needs to be officially involved with Imperial Affairs and be in charge of so many lives. I was sure that the pressure was something someone like me could never even imagine. ¡°But it won¡¯t only be difficult because you will have people by your side to help you, your Royal Highness. You have David, your family in the Romero Pce, her Majesty, and her Eminence.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°There is Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, youngdy Sarnez, Sir Johann, and youngdy Eva as well. Oh, Marquis Duhem tool.¡± The Imperial Prince¡¯s brows seemed calm despite my rambling. I became full of anticipation after seeing that he did not show any repulsion to hearing Christelle¡¯s name. ¡®She really does fit inside his boundaries now.¡¯ ¡°And?¡± Christelle asked. She seemed entertained and excited. ¡®Hey, you too?¡¯ ¡°There is Mr. Sand as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Ah, I want to see Mr. Sand. He¡¯s such an important priest for us. Who else?¡± I quickly responded and she retorted back in a charming voice before looking at the Imperial Prince. ¡®More?¡¯ I had to think about this. I needed to push it properly while the mood was good. ¡°There are a lot of wonderful people. Benjamin and Ganael respect his Royal Highness as well. The Pair de Riester who are loyal to her Majesty will help his Royal Highness as well, and¡­¡­ Demy, Rhea, Perry, and Percy are there as well.¡± I looked down at Demy, who was lying on my knees, and the little punk covered his face with his front paws. Percy shoved his head on Demy¡¯s tummy. Both of them seemed sleepy. ¡°And when you take a fabulous person as your soulmate in the future, that person will be a big source offort you can rely on as well. Like youngdy Sarnez.¡± The Imperial Prince clenched his Sword of Wisdom and jumped up. All of us looked up. ¨C Crackle! The bonfire energetically shot up for a moment before calming down. It felt like a proper campfire! ¡®No, that¡¯s not what is important right now.¡¯ ¡°Your Royal Highness, where are you going?¡± He started walking away without saying anything. I was apologetic, thinking that I had made a mistake or had pushed Christelle toward him too much, when Sir Johann calmly exined. ¡°I think he is going to look around. There might be nocturnal demonic beasts nearby. I will stand guard.¡± ¡®He¡¯s so meticulous.¡¯ It was suspicious that we had not seen any demonic beasts despite Christelle, the Imperial Prince, Percy and I, four divine items or carrier of divine items, being gathered together in one ce. Those beasts show an instinctual desire to attack divine items, so it was good to never let your guard down. I started to lie down before noticing Christelle next to me, who was already lying down with a leaf nket over her, smiling at me. Eva was looking at me with a nk stare. ¡®¡­¡­It should be fine since the main character of this Romfan seems to like it, right?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll stand guard next. Good night, everyone.¡± ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness. Please get some rest.¡± I said good night to everybody and put my head down on the pillow. The night sky that was full of stars seemed really close and beautiful. A carriage from the Imperial family should arrive in the morning. ¡®Please let that be the case.¡¯ I could hear Christelle sporadically mumbling things like ¡®broken friendship¡¯ and ¡®this is so funny¡¯ until I fell asleep. * It was raining again in the location of the problematic wartime portal. ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­ Fran?ois Duhem had never felt malice for bad weather in his life. His beauty and brains always remained whether the sky was cloudy or bright. He didn¡¯t even care when the roads turned into mud and the carriages moved slower than turtles because of heavy rain. He always had multiple outfits and shoes prepared. He was also a gentleman who always arrived at least thirty minutes in advance of any appointment like a proper gentleman. ¡°Hey mister, why do you look like this is the end of the world?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± That was why he had never experienced something like this, where the magic formation for half the portal, something he had delicately excavated, ended up buried in mud from the unexpected rain. Soldiers were quickly running around putting tents over the portal. ¨¦lisabeth and Fran?ois made eye contact in the carriage with the open door. The Marquis¡¯ light pink eyes were shaking as he dramatically ced a hand on his forehead. ¡°¨¦lisabeth, I contemted something.¡± ¡°You know that you always end up with ominous results whenever you are deep in thought.¡± ¡°Listen to me. Didn¡¯t they say that his highness, Prince Consort Alexandre, blessed be his name forever, left his home the day before he became the young Duke to be her Majesty¡¯s partner?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°What if his Royal Highness left to find his soulmate before he rises to the position of Imperial Crown Prince as well-¡± ¨C p! ¨¦lisabeth pped the back of his hand. Fran?ois groaned from the pain. ¡°Will you say that hitting me with the hand that has your engagement ring was not intentional?¡± ¡°Please say something that makes sense. You always act weak like this at least once.¡± The young Countess¡¯s grey eyes stared at him. She looked quite shrewd as she inspected her rapier and her main-gauche. It looked like the rain was going to end, so she needed to head back out and guard the Marquis before reporting to the Imperial Pce. ¡°You don¡¯t want the Duke¡¯s House of Sarnez or House of nquer to find his Royal Highness before you do, do you? Her Majesty trusted you with this task.¡± ¡°Ah, ah, ¨¦lisabeth!¡± ¡°Yes sir. This rain is nothing. I will think about my fiance to push myself while you think about her Majesty and your younger siblings to keep going.¡± These were the things she usually said to console the soldiers during snow removal or high-intensity training sessions. Fran?ois, who had no way of knowing that, seemed quite touched. This man, who could be a hack or a genius, was busy raising his own morale as ¨¦lisabeth nonchntly looked up at the sky. She had an odd feeling about this. ¡®¡­¡­Sadie, you didn¡¯t end up in some countryside area, did you?¡¯ Chapter 125 Chapter 125 ¨C 100M To The ce To Be The Imperial Crown Prince (5) Chapter 125: 100m to the ce to be the Imperial Crown Prince (5) ¨C Lick, lick ¡°Demy, stop¡­¡­¡± I woke up to a tongue licking my face. I could see the morning sun shining through my leaf nket. The early morning fog that had yet to subside smelt like water and I could hear birds all around us. My back was hurting but the fresh air was nice to breathe in. ¡®Where am I again?¡¯ ¨C Lick ¡°Ah.¡± ¡®I was supposed to be standing guard!¡¯ I jerked my body up. Demy and Percy rolled off of my stomach. Thankfully, I managed to grab them before they fell. It was good that I didn¡¯t drop them, but¡­ Demy¡¯s tongue is short. ¡®He can¡¯t lick my cheek while lying on my stomach.¡¯ ¡°Who-¡± I got the chills and turned around. ¨C Pii ¡°Ah, you scared me!¡± My shoulders shook as I gasped. It was the water deer. The water deer fawn was pping its ears while looking at me. I inspected its body, wondering if it was the one from yesterday, and noticed a white cloth around its right hind leg. ¡°You¡­¡­ Are you the one we met yesterday?¡± ¨C Chirp, chirp! The water deer energetically chirped like a chick, as if to agree with my statement. The blood would have still been there even if the injury was healed, so someone must have wrapped the cloth around its leg out of concern. But Christelle had said that this little guy ran off as soon as we got here. ¡®Then who put the cloth on there?¡¯ ¡°Your highness¡­¡­ What time is it?¡± Christelle, who wasying down next to me, scratched her forehead and scowled. I finally realized that the two youngdies had yet to rise. I looked around and noticed that Sir Johann was not there and that Gerrit was sleeping in the spot between the Imperial Prince¡¯s and m. ¡®He must have moved Gerrit here because he was worried.¡¯ The Imperial Prince was missing as well. ¡°I do not know what time it is, but the sun is up. Did you sleep well, youngdy Sarnez?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. Good morning¡­¡­¡± She smiled before turning to her side to face me. ¡®Wait, hold on.¡¯ ¡°This is weird.¡± The mood was quite odd. I hugged Demy, Percy, and even the water deer before retreating. The corners of Christelle¡¯s eyes curled up as she squinted. ¡°What is weird, your highness?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that we should do this, youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°I have yet to do anything.¡± ¡°Yet?¡± She extended her arms and slowly started moving toward me. I stiffened up like a stone in fear. ¡®I have no idea what is going on, but no, you damn novel without anymon sense There are kids here. Eva and Gerrit are sleeping!¡¯ ¡°What are you doing?¡± I heard a cold low voice at that moment. Christelle startedughing like an exploded cream puff at that moment. ¡°Ahahahaha! Eek! Your highness, you¡¯re so funny, ah¡­¡­ The look on your face, hehehe. Oh no, what do I do? My stomach hurts fromughing so hard¡­¡­¡± I realized that I had been yed by Christelle from the first breeze of the morning after seeing her rolling on the groundughing while clutching her stomach. My cheeks flushed and my ears felt hot. I quickly looked up at Imperial Prince C¨¦dric. I had never been so happy to see him before. ¡°Did you sleep well, your Royal Highness? Do you know where Sir Johann went?¡± ¡°Scouting.¡± He must have realized that I was the only one who waspletely embarrassed as his voice had returned to normal. He then pushed something in his hand forward. I almost screamed like yesterday but I miraculously held it in. A wild hare that he must have caught for breakfast was dangling in his hand. ¡®Would it hurt to be nice and warn me in advance?¡¯ ¡°¡­Thank you very much. You worked very hard, your Royal Highness.¡± I barely managed to get those words out. His eyebrow twitched before he headed toward the bonfire. The white-haired Holy Knight soonnded behind the young man. He must have flown up to look around again. His mint-colored eyes located me and curled up in a smile. ¡°Did you sleep well, your highness?¡± ¡°Sir Johann, you should have woken me up.¡± ¡°Cardinals are fine even after not sleeping for three or four days, your highness.¡± Christelle and the Imperial Prince scowled at the same time. ¡®I don¡¯t know what it is, but they must have had a moment of telepathy.¡¯ I calmly returned to the situation at hand. ¡°Thank you very much for working through the night. Sir Johann, was it you or his Royal Highness that put the cloth on this guy¡¯s leg? This seems to be the water deer we healed yesterday, he suddenly appeared.¡± ¡°Oh! Now that you mention it, he is here. I¡¯m d you survived.¡± Christelle petted the water deer and smiled. The water deer seemed to recognize everybody as it did not run away and just jumped up and down. Sir Johann spoke as if he was amused. ¡°This is the first time his Royal Highness or I saw the water deer today¡­¡­ But there was a vige nearby. Maybe a viger there helped him out?¡± ¡°A vige?¡± I asked back. ¡°I couldn¡¯t see it yesterday because of the fog. It is a very small neighborhood. It is in the opposite direction of the mountain in front of us. There seemed to be less than twenty houses.¡± My head started spinning after hearing Sir Johann¡¯s exnation. I looked toward the path we arrived on. There was still nothing there. However, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was in our group along with two priests, Sand and the priest who brought Gerrit from the Vatican. There were even two divine beasts, Rhea and Perry, with them. It was unlikely that they could note to find us because of the demonic beasts. ¡®As expected, there must be an issue with the portal.¡¯ ¡°How about we go to the vige?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to the vige.¡± The Imperial Prince spoke just as I asked. Christelle and Sir Johann nodded their heads in agreement. ¡°The fact that there has been no news all night must mean that they can¡¯te and not that they are choosing not toe. Maybe we can get a map at the vige?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. We should be able to rent a carriage if they have one, and even if they don¡¯t, we should be able to ask the Lord¡¯s Castle for assistance.¡± It was a great exnation. We exchanged solemn nces before waking the children up and preparing our meal. We needed to wash up and fill our stomachs so that we could start the second part of our adventure to return to the Imperial Pce. * ¡®¡­¡­Although I don¡¯t know if you can call this an adventure. It feels more like just trekking.¡¯ ¨C Chirp! Chirp! The water deer in front of us chirped as if urging us to keep going. The Imperial Prince was in the front of the group, shing branches with the Sword of Wisdom. Demy was supporting him while Percy would fly above the trees every so often to check our direction. Eva looked at Sir Johann with a pleading gaze, asking why he couldn¡¯t just fly all of us. However, there was a significant difference in ether usage between just floating up and flying. Furthermore, there would be a lot of air resistance and it would require significant focus to control six people in the air. Eva and I were here but no book would ever rmend depleting a Holy Knight¡¯s ether, especially when there were no battles to be had. We might as well walk through the forest and get some exercise since they said that the vige was not far away. Christelle seemed quite happy behind the Imperial Prince. ¡°We saved little chestnut and he ended up being our guide.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± I answered while following behind her. Chestnut was the name we gave the water deer. Christelle mumbled something about Bambi so I thought that we might finally get a decent name but¡­ She ended up suggesting uncooked. (TL: Korean has a different term for raw chestnut and cooked chestnut, so she suggested uncooked chestnut vs Jesse¡¯s choice of cooked chestnut so I just used chestnut) I just modified it a bit. ¡°If a hot spring shows up¡­¡­ Do we need to steal some clothes and take a person hostage?¡± Our main character was mumbling something very scary to herself. I feigned ignorance and peeked down, wondering if Gerrit, who was in my arms, might have heard it. Sir Johann was guarding the back and erasing the traces of our stay. We wondered if we should leave something to help the Imperial family¡¯s search but it was better to erase our traces so that demonic beasts and wild animals did not follow us to attack the vige. Gerrit stared at me for a while before carefully cing a flower in my hair. ¡°Are you giving it to uncle?¡± Nod nod. ¡°Thanks.¡± Smile smile. It was quite a struggle to wear flowers in my hair despite being almost thirty, but I was fine with it since the child was happy. Eva, who was watching us from the side, suddenlymented. ¡°Your highness, remember when I asked you in the past if you were a pushover?¡± ¡°Yes, Eva.¡± I answered. The youngdy was energetically climbing up and down boulders with her ripped dress and shoes that were covered in dirt. ¡°I still think that you are a pushover, your highness. If you help everybody like that, you might end up penniless. You may end up with nothing.¡± I smiled bitterly and listened carefully to the child¡¯s words. ¡°However, there is one thing I do understand.¡± Eva stared at me with herrge brown eyes. ¡°At that time, you mentioned that they needed a chance to start over at the same starting line.¡± She and I made eye contact. The day Christelle, the Imperial Prince, and Eva climbed over the balcony of Juliette Pce¡­ I definitely remembered saying that when the child mentioned that she could no longer trust Sir Johann. Eva stumbled but grabbed onto my clothes to regain her bnce. ¡°Now I understand why you said something like that, your highness. That child¡­¡­ And even Sir Geens are continuously smiling. They look so stupid.¡± Eva snickered and looked behind her. Sir Johann, who noticed our gazes, waved from a distance. The child quickly turned her head away. ¡°That must be why you were angry with my brother, isn¡¯t it, your highness?¡± ¡®Hmm?¡¯ This was an unexpected question. I blinked and looked at the youngdy. Eva¡¯s voice quieted down. ¡°It was because my brother kept saying bad things to me and making me curl up in fear. You were angry because he made it so that I could not start the same way as other people, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was temporarily at a loss for words. I walked side by side with the child who kept moving without any rest while feeling bitterness fill my mouth. I was thankful that Eva finally learned about this but I also pitied her. ¡°Yes, youngdy Eva, there is that issue, but¡­¡­¡± I broke the silence. Eva stumbled while looking up at me. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Pat.¡± I used an arm to firmly grab the child¡¯s shoulder. A shocked Eva thanked me. ¡°Young master nquer would not have helped you like this. That was why I was angry.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°When your younger sibling falls, you need to pick them back up. If they arecking, you need to cheer them on. If they do something bad, you need to scold them.¡± Gerrit tightly hugged my neck. ¡°That is the job of an older brother. I got angry because that bastard was acting in apletely opposite manner.¡± I smiled. Eva nkly stared at me before the corners of her lips gently twitched. She then grabbed my arm and swung it around as we walked. ¡°I am making my Beau Monde debut next month. My father said that it would be thergest celebration in the east.¡± ¡°Yes, I heard about that.¡± ¡°However, I still do not have a partner for the ball.¡± ¡®¡­¡­Why is she saying that to me?¡¯ I looked at the youngdy with suspicion in my eyes. The child¡¯s eyes sparkled mischievously. ¡°Eva,¡± ¨C Chirp! Pi pi! Our guide, Chestnut, chirped loudly. We flinched and looked forward. The forest had ended and the blue summer sky weed us. I could see a well-decorated rear garden. ¡®Wait, is this trespassing?¡¯ ¡°Chestnut, you are a danger-loving water deer.¡± ¨C Chirp! Chestnut retorted rebelliously to Christelle¡¯sment. As for the Imperial Prince, he looked at the small house and¡­ Seriously mumbled some crap about if it was a stable. I put Gerrit down and instead held Demy and Percy while looking around. ¡®We should probably greet the owners first to apologize respectfully and ask¡­¡¯ ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± We heard a dramatic gasp from a corner of the garden. An old woman, who was curled up quite a bit from old age, stood up in shock after seeing us. She had a hoe and a carrot in her hands. I bowed out of reflex and started speaking to her. ¡°Hello madam. Please excuse us. We were lost in the forest-¡± ¡°This¡­¡­ What is this? Did a bunch of angels descend? Is this a mysterious phenomenon caused by the Almighty God?¡± ¡°No, we¡­¡­¡± I did not finish my sentence. ¡®Is it better to reveal our identities despite the fact that it might make her suspicious?¡¯ ¡°Please leave it to me, your highness. There is an extremely efficient way.¡± It was at that moment. Sir Johann, who was thest to walk out of the forest,mented in a low voice before standing in front of us. His back looked quite reliable. ¡°Ma¡¯am, please help us. This is an urgent matter of life and death.¡± Sir Johann¡¯s hand was shaking as he pointed at Christelle and the Imperial Prince. The old woman immediately focused. ¡°These two are lovers on the run to the Imperial Capital. The young master was being forced into a marriage and the youngdy barely managed to get him out of it. Both sides of the family and their soldiers are chasing after us.¡± ¡°Aigoo, why would you do something like that!¡± The old woman swung the carrot as if she pitied the two of them quite a bit. My jaw dropped. The Imperial Prince and Christelle were staring daggers at their instructor. ¡°As for us¡­¡­ We are family who was in the same carriage. This young master anddy are siblings while my son and I are attendants who followed to save the two of them. Unfortunately-¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious what is going on! The first born must be chasing after you to kill the illegitimate children. He¡¯s trying to make it so that he doesn¡¯t have to give up any of his wealth!¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡­¡­¡± Sir Johann weakly lowered his head. The elder swung her hoe around before mming the back door of the house open. ¡°Stay right here! I will go round up everybody in the vige. You¡¯re bound to find a solution when you put your heads together! Aigoo, no wonder. No wonder your clothes are made of silk but look so old¡­¡­¡± The old woman disappeared so quickly that it was almost unbelievable. I was nking out at this shocking development. Sir Johann¡¯s eyes curled up as he looked at me. ¡®Maybe he was an actor and not a mercenary?¡¯ Chapter 126 Chapter 126 ¨C 100M To The ce To Be The Imperial Crown Prince (6) Chapter 126: 100m to the ce to be the Imperial Crown Prince (6) ¡°Certainly¡­¡­ It does seem effective.¡± Imented. Sir Johann smiled picturesquely and sat down on the couch on the other side. The less than twenty vigers of this vige let us borrow an empty house. It was dusty and small but it had all of the necessary furniture. We also drew some water from a nearby well to clean ourselves off. We had been wondering what to do about our ripped and dirty clothes but the elders took care of that as well. The clothes we are wearing right now were left by the youngsters who departed the vige a long time ago. Eva and Gerrit, who looked like simplemoners now, were ying with the animals in the yard. ¡°Commoners are simr no matter where you go. If we revealed our identities, half of them would not believe us while the other half would be scared of us.¡± Sir Johann lookedpletely normal despite having pulled off such a great act. ¡®What kind of past has he lived?¡¯ ¡°It is especially true about ces like this with only elders left. It bes difficult to gain their active cooperation. Country people have a hard time even swallowing their food when people with high positionse through. They are very wary.¡± Plop. Christelle was drying her wet hair with a towel as she plopped down next to me. Both her and my clothes smelled like an old wardrobe. Christelle still seemed discontent about this ¡®lovers on the run¡¯ setting, but Sir Johann didn¡¯t pay much attention to her as he continued his exnation. ¡°However, their reaction changes if you tell them you need their help. They will be extremely helpful in such situations.¡± I drank some water from an old teacup and nodded my head. It really was true. One grandpa looked at Christelle and encouraged her earlier, saying ¡®I see, good job. You have to have a fire-like love when you can.¡¯ He even gave Eva and I some hard bread. We must have seemed extremely pitiful. ¡° is a masterpiece that pierces through such human psychology.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I blinked my eyes. ¡®That was unexpected.¡¯ ¡°Yes, one of the three main characters is amoner, but even then, it is a small and weak kingdom created by minorities. It is great content for the regr citizens to immerse themselves in the story.¡± ¡®It has that kind of setting?¡¯ I thought that it was peculiar that English names such as Catherine or Jane appeared in ReSeHo, but I guess that it is thenguage of minorities in this world. I was wowed at this new-found knowledge and Benjamin¡¯s writing sense. It was at that moment. ¡°Is there no other shirt?¡± I heard a discontent low voice before a bestial man walked over from the bathroom. His great physique looked even bigger than usual because we were in a small ce. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric had a towel around his neck and was holding a shirt in his hand as he stood in front of us with water dripping from his hair. My jaws dropped in shock. ¡®Why did youe out without a shirt?¡¯ ¡°Umm¡­¡­ Is that really a human¡¯s body?¡± ¡°Your highness, you just said your thoughts out loud.¡± Christelle pointed out for me. The Imperial Prince squinted his orange-colored eyes. Only then did I close my mouth and shake my head. The thought that maybe QNW was not for all audiences and was actually rated for those fifteen and older filled my mind. I didn¡¯t care if I got called an old fart for having such thoughts. ¡®It¡¯s too indecent for a novel that has illustrations! How can they let elementary students see something like this?!¡¯ ¡°You should not see this, youngdy Sarnez.¡± I calmly covered Christelle¡¯s eyes. ¡®Or maybe not? Is it better to let her see?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ve already seen it all, your highness.¡± She grumbled. ¡°Even he doesn¡¯t use a bra so why do I-¡± ¡°Please get dressed, your Royal Highness.¡± I immediately scolded the Imperial Prince after hearing the main character¡¯s mumbling closing in on dangerous territory. However, the male lead did not back down. ¡°The chest is not wide enough.¡± I scowled. ¡®The elders gave you thergest clothes in the vige! How can that be small? Just use a firm hand to force the button through!¡¯ ¡°Haha.¡± Sir Johann, who had been watching us, quietlyughed. It seemed as if I was the only one being serious right now. At that moment¡­ ¨C m! ¡°Why is your top off?! Is it hot?¡± The first old woman we met, granny Marlene, opened the door without even knocking and walked in. Grandpa Remy, who had given us bread, was with her. The Imperial Prince frowned while Christelle and I stood up. Sir Johann stood up as well. Granny Marlene handed us arge basket. ¡°Here¡¯s some bread and cheese I gathered from around the vige. There¡¯s some ham as well. This is milk I milked from our cows this morning. Feed the puppies first.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, ma¡¯am.¡± I smiled brightly and thanked her. Granny looked at me and clicked her tongue before sitting down next to Sir Johann. Grandpa Remy sat down as well. I noticed the Imperial Prince slipping his arms through the shirt and walking over. I immediately offered him a seat next to me. I always sat between the two of them, but I definitely wanted to do that today. I felt this mysterious sense of responsibility to maintain QNW¡¯s age rating. Grandpa Remy started speaking first. ¡°I went all around the vige but it doesn¡¯t seem like we have a map.¡± ¡®Ah¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°There is nobody who knows how to read and everybody has lived here their whole lives without ever leaving . None of us had any reason to have a map.¡± There was a short moment of silence at Grandpa Remy¡¯sment. Sir Johann broke the silence. ¡°What about a carriage-¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have any. Someone¡¯s son took it about twenty years ago saying he was going to start some business and never returned.¡± ¡®Damn it, that terrible bastard.¡¯ I didn¡¯t give up and asked. ¡°Sir, do you happen to know where this is?¡± ¡°Aightz. That is the name of our vige.¡± ¡°What a wonderful name. Then do you happen to know where it is located? Whether it is far or close from the Imperial Capital¡­ Or maybe which direction the vige is from the Imperial Capital.¡± ¡°That¡­¡­ We¡¯ve never been to the Imperial Capital. But we should be in the north. The youngsters all mentioned heading south.¡± ¡®So this is north of the Imperial Capital.¡¯ Grandpa Remyughed out loud. I smiled back and asked the next question. ¡°Sir, have you heard of the territory lord¡¯s name by chance?¡± ¡°The territory lord?¡± Granny Marlene, who took an apple out of the basket and was cutting it, asked back. The two elders looked at each other and frowned. ¡°A territory lord¡­¡­ Do we even have one?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we do, Marlene. We pay taxes.¡± ¡°Really? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve ever seen the territory lord!¡± Granny Marlene shouted back before focusing on the apple again. Aightz vige, located to the north of the Imperial Capital. However, not knowing the territory lord¡¯s name made it impossible to know whosend this was nor how far we were from the Imperial Capital. Christelle broke the silence this time. ¡°Ma¡¯am, when you pay your taxes¡­ Who collects it? Umm, a vige head¡­¡­ What I mean is, is there a vige representative?¡± ¡°A representative? We do have a representative!¡± Granny Marlene¡¯s face lit up as she swung the fruit knife around. Sir Johann used gentle movements to take the fruit and knife from her hands. ¡°Now that I think about it, we do. The Imperial Capital should not be very far from us. The child of the most educated family in Aightz works at the Imperial Capital.¡± We finally got some positive news! Christelle and I leaned toward granny Marlene as we listened. ¡°That child knows how to read and write. They even meet some important people there. That child goes back and forth every month and works as the vige representative. That kid is so thoughtful andmendable.¡± ¡°Where is that person right now?¡± The Imperial Prince asked sharply while speaking informally to them. I jabbed my elbow into his side. ¡°Ugh.¡± Then my arm was immediately flung back. My arm was throbbing. ¡®Are you made of metal or something?!¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­Ma¡¯am, where is that person?¡± He must have understood my sharp gaze, as the Imperial Prince asked again respectfully with a disgruntled look on his face. The two elders warily looked at him. Even them, who did not know anything about us, seemed to think that the Imperial Prince was an important person. ¡°Umm, usually at the middle of each month. But there is no set day.¡± ¡°Remy, that¡¯s not right! It should be soon!¡± Granny Marlene, who had nothing in her hands now, just waved her arms instead. ¡°What was it, oh, they said that his Royal Highness, the Imperial Prince was about to rise to a high position. They mentioned being busy until the end of the month because of that, so they were going toe earlier.¡± ¡°Did they say that¡­¡­ Ohh, ohh! Now I remember. That child will find a way to help you!¡± Grandpa Remy nodded his head. My eyes opened wide. The Imperial Crown Prince session confirmation ceremony was in two days. If the vige representative wasing before that, we should be able to see them today or tomorrow at thetest. I turned to my left to look at the Imperial Prince and saw that his gaze was calm. ¡°What would you like to do?¡± I asked. However, there was only one choice. There were no carriages or even horses in the vige and we had no idea how far we would need to travel south to reach the Imperial Capital. Waiting for the vige representative was the most rational choice if we wanted to inform the Imperial Pce and the Lord¡¯s Castle about our situation. We were also likely to run into the Imperial Guard members, who would be searching around the portal, if we stayed here. ¡®Although it would be difficult to make tomorrow¡¯s run-through¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It looks like the handsome young man ns on staying here.¡± Granny Marlenemented. I was amazed that she could immediately understand his stoic gaze since it took me quite a long time to analyze this bastard¡¯s stoic gaze. This must be what they call years of experience. ¡°Yes. Stay here and eat three square meals and take care of the puppies with yourdy until our representative gets here.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be great if you could chop some firewood for us from time to time too. Even better if you just decide to stay here for good.¡± ¡°Aigoo, listen to this shameless guy! Time to get up!¡± Grandpa Remy¡¯s arm was pushed back at granny Marlene¡¯s rough gestures. Sir Johann ced apples on the te once the two elders swept through the living room like a storm and left the house. There were four cute adult rabbits and four baby rabbits. * ¡°¡­¡­ I understand. You may go.¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty. Your Eminence.¡± A man, who seemed to be between a boy and a young man in age, covered his face with his elegant robe and left the Empress¡¯s office. Aur¨¦lie watched his back until the door closed. Her beige-colored eyes seemed full of chaos but she was more happy than confused. ¡°That was unexpected.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The Cardinal and the Empress exchanged their thoughts. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like a lie and the Fleur-de-lis has no reason to trick us.¡± ¡°Aur¨¦lie, what is so funny?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s funny? We don¡¯t know the children¡¯s whereabouts but he said that the session confirmation ceremony will conclude without any issues and it will be full of cheering citizens and the blessing of the Almighty God.¡± The Cardinal responded. The prophet who just left the office was the same person who became the youngest captain of the Empress¡¯s personal mage advisory team, the Fleur-de-lis, at the age of twenty. He had answered positively without any hesitation after being asked if the session confirmation ceremony on the Imperial Prince¡¯s birthday would end well. He knew about the Empress¡¯s hot temper and did not care about the reason she would ask such a question. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique took off her jacket and threw it on the couch. Aur¨¦lie calmly asked. ¡°Did you get a message from Yvelines?¡± ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re not there either. Those punks would have contacted us first if they were there.¡± The Empress grumbled back. Fran?ois Duhem was working hard without rest despite the bad weather but she had received a report that the results of the portal analysis would not be avable until tomorrow night. By that point, it would already be the eve of the session confirmation ceremony. ¡°Why does it take so long to read a damn portal?¡± ¡°We are not mages. It is because the coordinates used during the Warring Era are different from modern methods.¡± The Cardinal seemed to be trying to console her. She could feel the Empress¡¯s nervousness through their connected souls. It was not because she was worried that something would happen to her son, a Grade 8 swordsman and Grade 7 mage, who would also soon be appointed as a Holy Knight. She hoped for C¨¦dric to have the perfect ceremony to be the Imperial Crown Prince. She wanted to make sure that nobody would dare to nder him in the future even when she was gone. She wanted to make sure that his elegance and dignity would not be questioned even if his ¡®weakness¡¯ was revealed to the world some day. ¡°Yves.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Look at me.¡± Her cherry-colored eyes drifted toward her contractor. The corners of Aur¨¦lie¡¯s eyes slowly curled up. ¡°That child is not alone. You know that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°They will definitely be back since there is a prophecy ensuring it.¡± The Cardinal¡¯s hand covered the back of the Empress¡¯s hand. Their thumbs intertwined as if she had been waiting for this. ¡°And he will safelyplete the session confirmation ceremony that is being held just for him.¡± Thest whisper was close to a Divine Oracle. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique was silent before letting out a short scoff. * ¨C Boom! ¨C Crack! ¨C Cock-a-doodle-do! Bock bock! ¡°Oo¡­¡­¡± Weird morning noises woke me up. I slowly got up from the old single bed. After arriving in Aightz Vige yesterday, we were able to eat a full meal thanks to the hospitality of the vigers before we fell asleep. The youth who is the vige representative didn¡¯t show up untilst night so they should be here today. ¡®Maybe they are already here?¡¯ ¡°Where did the kids go?¡± I sleepily looked around. The Imperial Prince, who had the bed next to mine, as well as Demy and Percy, who were curled up in the bed with me, were all gone. Maybe it was ufortable so they went to the living room. ¡®But it¡¯s probably simr there too.¡¯ ¨C Scree, screech, boom! I was able to open the window after a bit of a struggle. Fresh air instantly filled my lungs. I was careful with the door so that the hinge wouldn¡¯t fall off before looking down at the yard. There seemed to be quite a show. Christelle, who was seated in a corner, was eating popcorn with the vigers. And on the other side¡­ ¨C Boom, crack! A handsome ck-haired man, who had undone three of his shirt buttons, was chopping firewood. I gasped like the clucking chickens and moved away from the window. ¡°That, that¡­¡­¡± ¡®Hey! This is not rated 15+!¡¯ Chapter 127 Chapter 127 ¨C The Vige Head And The Angel (1) Chapter 127: The Vige Head and the Angel (1) ¨C Boom, crack! ¡°Wow!¡± There was an odd noise as the thick lumber was split in half. Some of the old people gasped in admiration. Eva, who was waiting to the side, quickly ced a new piece of wood. Her smile made it obvious she was finding this to be fun. The front of our lodging, which Christelle was calling a pension, was full of the Aightz vigers. They said that the vige representative had yet to arrive. ¡°Remy was right. The blonde young man is as beautiful as an angel.¡± ¡°It also looks like he has never struggled. His neck ispletely white.¡± The elders observed me andmented once I joined the spectators. I felt embarrassed and just bowed at everyone. ¡°Young man, your eye color is very beautiful and rare. Is it purple?¡± ¡°Excuse me? Yes sir. They are purple.¡± An old man squinted as he asked. I sat down and became anxious. Thinking about it now, I was the only one on the entire continent known to have purple eyes. ¡®Was our lie something that would have never worked?¡¯ ¡°That, that. Isn¡¯t that the color that is said to have received the blessing of the Almighty God?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?! That¡¯s yellow.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t mind him, young man. That old fogey has probably only been to the temple once in his life. And that would have been during his baptism.¡± A grandma I had not seen beforemented as if to console me. I just smiled a bit in response. For better or for worse, the elders here seemed to be in the dark for the details of religion. Gold and purple were both representative colors of the Church of the Almighty God, but the former represented the Authority of the Almighty God while thetter represented the Almighty God¡¯s blessing. The reason Prince Jesse¡¯s poprity had been so high in the Holy Kingdom was because he was born with both colors. ¡°To be honest with you, I was anxious because I heard that outsiders had shown up. But I slept so well.¡± ¡°You too? I felt like I had a conception dream for my grandchildren. Did you sleep well too, young man?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡± I politely responded. They probably slept well because of my ether. ¡°Young man, are you seeing anybody?¡± ¡°My goodness, stop pestering him and just watch! The couple up there are both so strong. What a great match.¡± Granny Marlene scolded the people around me and handed me a bucket of warm popcorn. I gave a faint smile and thanked her. Imperial Prince C¨¦dric¡¯s 15+ wood chopping show had just ended and it was now Christelle¡¯s turn. I was wondering why there was amotion from the morning, but it seemed as if the two of them had started apetition of sorts. I had no idea what might have caused it. Christelle, who had her hair tightly twisted up in a bun, swung therge axe without any hesitation. ¨C Boom! Crack! ¡°Wooooooooooow!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I peeked at the Imperial Prince, who was perched on a fence and drinking water. I thought that he would never do something like this, but he probably chopped these firewood so that they would have it for the future as a payment of sorts to the vigers for their help. Moments like this made me feel like he didn¡¯t deserve the nickname of Crapdric. He must have sensed my gaze as he looked toward me. I quickly turned my head and peeked inside my shirt. ¡®¡­¡­Isn¡¯t there too much of a difference in our specs? Do all male leads look like that?¡¯ ¨C Boom, crack! ¡°It looks like youngdy Sarnez needs some strength training.¡± Sir Johann, who had been boiling a daube in the kitchen, came out with adle andmented. I looked up at him as Gerrit, Demy, Percy, and the water deer Chestnut all came into my arms. ¡°Do Holy Knights need physical strength?¡± ¡°Of course. Knights need basic strength and physique. However, youngdy Sarnez awakened to her powers after living close to twenty years as a regr person, so all of her physical strength relies on her ether. Please take a look.¡± I looked back at Christelle. Crack! I had no idea how many pieces of wood she had chopped at this point. I just thought she was strong and skilled but to a Cardinal like him, it must have looked different. Her muscles are not flexing at all. Her special ether inside her body is working in ce of the muscles. This will bring down her ether efficiency quite a bit. I had been focusing on skills until now because the Holy Knight appointment was top priority, but¡­¡­ Now that it is over, it looks like I will have to start her back on the basics.¡± Sir Johann seemed happy about this. I then noticed the apron he had on as he asked me to taste the stew to see if it was good. I immediately gave a thumbs up after tasting the soup. The soup had a deep vor despite using small and cheap pieces of beef, probably because the vegetables were fresh. I felt as if I could eat ten bowls of this. ¡°Wow, it would be so great if these youngsters lived here with us.¡± ¡°You damn fogey, again?!¡± Granny Marlene raised her voice at grandpa Remy¡¯sment. To be honest, even the great and mighty Prince Consort Werner would probably never find me if I hid out in a small vige like this. I made eye contact with the Imperial Prince as I smiled bitterly at the chattering elders. His orange eyes were fluctuating oddly. ¡°Just listen to me, it¡¯s a win-win! The youngsters will be safe and can live at peace while we will have someone who can use their muscles and can read. What do you think about this, handsome young man?¡± Grandpa Remy looked at the Imperial Prince and asked. I thought that he would ignore him but, surprisingly, he responded. ¡°¡­¡­I seek to rest, sir.¡± ¡°See! The young man has the same ide-¡± ¡°That is why I will drag that guy and return.¡± His gaze seemed to have fierce mes as he looked at me. I became at a loss for words and my jaw dropped. ¡®Wait, who said that I wasn¡¯t going back?¡¯ ¡°Oh mys¡­¡­¡± Granny Marlene mumbled and looked away. The Imperial Prince got up and brusquely walked into the house. I recovered one of his shirt buttons that had fallen to the ground. I had a pretty good idea about the ¡®rest¡¯ that the Imperial Prince desired. ¡®His ether is always unstable and he can¡¯t fully control it even with the Sword of Wisdom, so he is probably saying he wants to keep me in the Imperial Pce. I am also his partner.¡¯ ¡°Are you already heading inside? Then I win!¡± Christelle stood up straight and dered her victory. Eva pped while the vigers were happy that they got a show and firewood. The popcorn I got to eat on an empty stomach was delicious as well. * ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s done. I figured it out, ¨¦lisabeth! Come take a look!¡± Flinch. ¡°Mm.¡± ¨¦lisabeth, who was dozing off inside the carriage, jerked awake. The sun was already setting outside the window. She was getting a good rest and eating well thanks to the Imperial Order, but the fatigue was not going away easily, potentially because she was tense due to her friends being missing. She carefully moved Ganael, who was asleep while leaning on her shoulder, so that heid down on the seat. The young boy had not slept well for the past two days because he was worried about the prince and had finally received Benjamin¡¯s permission toe out of the Imperial Pce. ¨¦lisabeth gently smiled and kissed her fiance on the forehead. ¡®He was always singing about how he has good dreams every night when his highness is here.¡¯ ¡°¨¦lisabeth! Hurry!¡± Marquis Fran?ois Duhem shouted with urgency. ¡°Yes sir, I aming.¡± Her face quickly returned to that of the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard as she alighted from the carriage. She wanted to quickly be at peace after finding her precious friends and return happiness to her fiance, but she was sure that this wasn¡¯t much again. Fran?ois was the type of schr who was overjoyed by even the smallest of clues and would cause a ruckus as if he was already by the Imperial Prince¡¯s side even with the smallest of gains. She even thought that the soldiers of the Duke¡¯s House of Sarnez or nquer would probably end up finding C¨¦dric and the others before they did. She had heard that they were thoroughly searching the outskirts of the Imperial Capital. ¡°Did you find anything, mister?¡± She calmly asked while entering the tent. It was a sunny day but they had set up these tents because they never knew when it would rain again in August. Fran?ois¡¯s light pink eyes were sparkling as he opened up his arms. ¡°Cheer in delight! I have finally figured out where his Royal Highness has gone!¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± The young Countess¡¯s voice became loud. Fran?ois smirked as this was the reaction he had wanted. ¡°Are you impressed by the genius, Fran?ois Duhem? I¡¯m sure you are! Her Majesty will definitely find it to be amazing as well-¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get right to the point. Where is it? You guys, prepare the horses immediately. Tell the Marquis¡¯s carriage to get ready as well. All units, assemble!¡± ¡°Yes, Vice Captain!¡± The Imperial Guard members, who had been protecting Fran?ois inside the tent, quickly started moving. ¨¦lisabeth headed toward the Marquis as if she was going to grab him by the cor. ¡°Mister, hurry.¡± ¡°Alright, take a look. Here! The magic formations of portals from the Warring Era are quiteplicated unlike modern ones. There are also two or threeyers of codes so it was very difficult to figure out the coordinates. However, the fact that it was to the north or south of the Imperial Capital was confirmed from the beginning.¡± ¡°You already said all of that yesterday. The location.¡± ¡°The results were that it was to the north, specifically, over here.¡± The Marquis¡¯s fingertip, which was covered in ink, pointed to a spot on the map. It was the part that was circled by a quill pen. ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s eyes opened so wide they looked as if they might pop out. ¡°¡­¡­Are you joking right now?¡± ¡°Would I do something like that when this is regarding the safety of his Royal Highness? I too could not believe it and had to check it three times so I understand your reaction, but¡­¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. No, maybe we should be relieved?¡± She brushed her face a few times in shock. If that was where they were, if it was that kind of ce, the situation was not as bad as they had expected. However, she still could not help butugh in disbelief. ¨¦lisabeth ruffled her short dark green hair. Fran?ois calmed her down. ¡°Georges.¡± ¡°Yes sir. Mister, you are the genius of the century and one of the Empire¡¯s greatest mages. So please take Ganael and go to the Imperial Pce immediately to inform her Majesty about this. I will go to get my friends.¡± The young Countess rattled on like a waterfall. The Marquis, who looked as if he had not had the time to even shave properly, smiled brightly and nodded his head. * Christelle and the Imperial Prince went to help granny Marlene in her field. Sir Johann was making jerky in the kitchen while Eva and Gerrit went to a nearby flower field to y. Nobody was showing any anxiety on the surface. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s all dry. But they are still not here.¡± ¨C Squeeeeee ¨C Piruuuuu ¨C Chirp! I could see a mountain chilling in the distance through the hanging nkets. I was nervously looking around the vige with the animals. Although our clothes that were hanging were dry and the sun was setting, the vige representative had yet to appear. The Imperial Crown Prince¡¯s session confirmation ceremony was tomorrow. Tomorrow! The practice run would have already ended and the eve of the celebration was to start soon. However, the Imperial Prince and the rest of us had yet to return to the Imperial Pce. I felt my heart clenching and it felt extremely stuffy. If Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique had dyed the ceremony, that would be sinful in its own way. It would make me wonder what the hell I had done to an event that the entire Empire is desperately waiting to see. ¡®I don¡¯t regret my action, but¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m totally that right now. I¡¯m the character that always causes trouble.¡± I quietly mumbled. Chestnut then jumped around in circles next to me. I couldn¡¯t help butugh because it looked as if she was saying that I should think positively since I ended up saving her in the process. I petted her neck before quickly taking the clothes off and sitting on a bench to organize our belongings. Although I had caused a major incident, I couldn¡¯t sit here doing nothing. I needed to finish all of our preparations so that we could leave immediately. ¡°Your highness, look at this!¡± I heard Eva¡¯s bright voice at that moment. Four small hands appeared in front of me. Gerrit and Eva, who had pushed through the nkets to get to me, were smiling brightly. There were small flowers the size of a chick¡¯s feather in Eva¡¯s palm while Gerrit had two pebbles about three centimeters wide. They werepletely clear so I could see the lines on his hands. ¡®It doesn¡¯t look like ss.¡¯ ¡°What are these?¡± ¡°The flower seems to be the medicine Gerrit eats. We found it toward the foot of the mountain.¡± I blinked in shock. I asked Gerrit and he nodded his head. I heard that they had to pay a lot of money for it in the Holy Kingdom so it seemed like a miracle that they could get it somewhere like this. My mood instantly became a lot better. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful, Gerrit. Congrattions. Let¡¯s gather a lot of them before we go. I¡¯ll try to grow them in the Imperial Pce if we can as well.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also these.¡± Eva ced the flowers on myp before picking up a transparent pebble in Gerrit¡¯s hand. ¡°This is so cool. Please take a good look.¡± Golden ether orbs soon floated out of the youngdy¡¯s fingertip. Demy stuck his tongue out with interest. The ether particles floated in the air for a moment before being sucked into the pebble as if they had found their home. They were shining like fireflies as they moved around the pebble. I got chills from this shocking scene. ¡®Something that is not a te or a divine item can store ether?¡¯ ¡°Prince Jesse?¡± It was at that moment. It was a voice that I had heard many times before, a voice that was so familiar. I got the chills for the second time before I slowly turned my head. I saw a shabby carriage without a top. The carriage was full of mail, meat, and oak barrels. The woman seated alone in the coachman¡¯s seat looked at me and the young duchess back and forth and then gasped. Surprisingly, Eva was the first of us to speak. ¡°¡­¡­Agnes?¡± The mountain keeper of the rear mountain of Juliette Pce, the person who first discovered the red pandas, the person who had guided Eva in her temple cleaning¡­ Agnes Riotti had appeared in Aightz Vige. Chapter 128 Chapter 128 ¨C The Vige Head And The Angel (2) Chapter 128: The Vige Head and the Angel (2) I ced the flower and pebbles the children brought on the old bench and stood up. ¡°Why, why here¡­¡­¡± Agnes looked flustered as she stopped the carriage and alighted, looking extremely anxious. Demy recognized her and raised his tail. Eva and I could not close our dropped jaws. ¡®Agnes, why are you here?¡¯ ¡°Hello, Agnes. How¡­¡­¡± She bowed to Eva and I while I greeted her with bewilderment. The three of us, everybody except Gerrit, had question marks on our faces. We were silent because we didn¡¯t know where to start our questioning. Agnes was the first to speak. ¡°Your highness, I am the representative of Aightz Vige. That is why I visit the seniors every month-¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Eva raised her voice. The youngdy¡¯s brown eyes opened wide. The story we heard from granny Marlene and grandpa Remy yesterday filled my head. The child of the most-educated family in Aightz who works in the Imperial Capital. Someone who can read and write and sometimes meets important people during work. A kind and smart youth. That was Agnes, the mountain keeper of the Imperial Pce. The two elders gave a perfect description! My tongue felt stiff and I had chills at thispletely unexpected development. ¡®I should have asked the person¡¯s name. No, why would anybody think that the representative of this rural vige would be their friend?!¡¯ ¡°Umm, that¡­ Are youing from the Imperial Pce?¡± I barely managed to form a logical sentence. I noticed Christelle and Imperial Prince C¨¦dric walking over with a rake and a pickaxe. The way they were walking side by side looked gre¡­ Wait, this is not the time for such thoughts. I frantically waved to the two of them. ¡®Quickly run over!¡¯ ¡°Yes, your highness. I had a lot of luggage this trip so it took a long time going around the mountain. It usually only takes three hours-¡± ¡°Please wait a minute. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I cut her off. I thought that I had heard something really weird just now. ¡°When you said you had to go around the mountain¡­¡± ¡°That mountain to the front.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Is that perhaps¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Eva and I squinted. Agnes squinted as well in confusion. ¡°Agnes. Is that the mountain behind the Imperial Pce?¡± ¡°Yes, youngdy nquer. That is correct.¡± ¨C Bang! Christelle, who had gotten closer, dramatically dropped the rake. The two main characters looked back and forth at Agnes and me. The Imperial Prince, who had figured things out, scowled. ¡°¡­¡­The height of the mountain lookspletely different from here.¡± ¡®I know, right? It is a very low mountain when we look at it from Juliette Pce!¡¯ ¡°Your loyal subject greets our esteemed Royal Highness!¡± Agnes was in awe after seeing the Imperial Prince and quickly showed her respects. I finally had a moment to think that seeing us here was probably a total shock for Agnes. She had worked hard in the Imperial Pce and got off work to go do her other job when people, whose positions were as high as the heavens to her, appeared in front of her. I wiped my face with my hands and calmly started speaking. ¡°Agnes, we¡­¡­ Are so happy and relieved that you came, Agnes. So then, Aightz Vige-¡± I couldn¡¯t help butugh as I talked. Sir Johann, who came out of the kitchen, was the one to finish the question. ¡°Are you saying that this is the neighborhood beyond the rear mountain of the Imperial Pce?¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Imperial Instructor. That is correct.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Agnes¡¯s response made us silent. After that¡­ ¡°Ahahahaha.¡± Christelle plopped down and startedughing, almost as if she was crying. Demy and Percy stuck to her to whine and chirp. They seemed happy. ¡®Don¡¯t act like you guys knew from the beginning!¡¯ ¡°That should mean that we can get to the Imperial Pce quickly from here.¡± I blinked and tried my best to assess the situation. It felt like we had all be fools and I could only sigh in disbelief, but results wise, it was a good thing. We should be able to make it to the Imperial Crown Prince session confirmation ceremony if we left right away. The Imperial Prince looked toward the south with a deep gaze. The sun had set and darkness was descending on the vige. ¡°That¡­¡­ Your highness, it iste so it will be difficult to leave.¡± Agnes responded with an awkward look on her face. She too seemed to have realized the situation. She probably had a lot to do as a royal servant of the Imperial Pce for the session confirmation ceremony as well. The man who should be the Imperial Crown Prince tomorrow was in such a ce like this so she was probably flustered and concerned. ¡°Was the session confirmation ceremony dyed?¡± ¡°Excuse me? No, I did not hear anything about that.¡± Agnes shook her head at my question. That was a relief. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique and Cardinal Boutier, for whatever reason, trusted that we would return on time. I spoke, almost as if to convince her. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it work out because we have your carriage, Agnes?¡± ¡°There is no path through the mountains, your highness. A path could not be created because just beyond it is the Imperial Pce. There is a barrier, but it is best to prevent anything from being able to approach it.¡± ¡®Shit, that is true.¡¯ I thought about the forest we arrived at through the portal. But that was not going through the mountain, it was taking a long path around it. ¡°The mountain is dangerous as well. Do you remember when his Royal Highness and youngdy Sarnez went out for a little field trip?¡± The mountain keeper looked at us and cautiously asked. I tried to recall the event from a few months ago. They definitely did that before we headed south for the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. The interior training ground was destroyed because Christelle and the Imperial Prince got in a big scuffle and the angry Empress and Cardinal suggested having their lesson outdoors. We had to fight against some Toxin Bulls out in a vast grass field. ¡°The rear mountain of Juliette Pce is basically a hill. It is t.¡± Imented. Agnes nodded her head. ¡°Yes, your highness. There is a wide basin once you climb the rear mountain of the Imperial Pce. Beyond that basin, you find a high peak. That is the mountain you see over there.¡± All of us turned toward the mountain. ¡®So, that ce we enjoyed our pic is a low and t area while that tall thing over therees after¡­¡­ Huh?¡¯ ¡°Oh my, the divinemps are already starting to float!¡± Grandpa Remy, who came out of the house on the other side,mented in a loud voice. My eyes opened wide while looking at where he was pointing. Lamps that were just as orange as the Imperial Prince¡¯s eyes were slowly starting to appear above the mountain. Demy quickly dangled on me before getting onto my shoulder. He must have wanted to see them from a higher spot. ¨C Screeeech ¡°They always fly over the day before his Royal Highness¡¯s birthday. They are super pretty but are a headache because a lot of them fall down here every so often.¡± Grandpa Remy seemed used to this but this was a unique experience for us. ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± The now dark purple sky slowly started to be filled with light. There were only three or four at first but now there were six, seven, eight and then nine. Everybody was at a loss for words as we watched. I recalled a scene from an animated movie that Eunseo really loved. Chestnut stomped her hooves as if in admiration. Christelle petted her back and mumbled. ¡°It¡¯s so pretty¡­¡­¡± ¡°The eve of the festival has started.¡± Flinch. I snapped out of my daze at the Imperial Prince¡¯sment. The two of us made eye contact. ¡°That is the signal for the start of the eve of the festival?¡± ¡°They always float the divinemps from the ire za of the Imperial Capital. ¡°People gather there?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± His gaze and voice were calm. Christelle asked. ¡°Have you participated in the eve of the festival before, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°Every year.¡± The group becamepletely silent, as if someone had poured cold water over them. Baby Geens dangled on his father¡¯s leg. I urgently looked back at the mountain keeper. ¡°Agnes. How long will it take to get to the za if we left right now and went around the mountain?¡± ¡°Your highness, it is dangerous at night because there is no light. The sun also sets faster at the foot of the mountain. It would be better to leave early in the morning¡­¡­¡± ¡°What are you saying? Agnes, what is going on?¡± Granny Marlene, who was walking over with a scythe over her shoulder, interrupted. Grandpa Remy, who was watching us, seemed flustered as well. It was understandable, as the two people they had freely been calling young men were being addressed as your Royal Highness and your highness. ¡®We need to apologize and exin to them as well¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°I can escort his Royal Highness. If you allow it, your highness.¡± Sir Johann, who was standing behind me, gentlymented. He was saying that he would fly over the mountain with the Imperial Prince. I looked into his mint-colored eyes and looked down at Gerrit. The child was tightly holding his dad¡¯s shirt with his hand. I could not ask him to do that. ¡°Sir Johann, you leave tomorrow with Gerrit.¡± ¡°Your highness, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Gerrit will not be fine. It has only been three days since he met back up with his dad.¡± Sir Johann looked down at his son after myment. I smiled and continued to speak. ¡°They found the flower used for Gerrit¡¯s medicine around here.¡± ¡°Jackpot!¡± Christelle truly seemed happy. Sir Johann seemed shocked as he looked at me. ¡°So, you need to gather those as well. We should be able to grow them in the Imperial Pce¡¯s greenhouse or the garden if you inform her Majesty. Youngdy Eva knows where the flower grows.¡± ¡°Your highness.¡± ¡°I will take his Royal Highness.¡± I proimed. It felt as if my voice shook as I said that. Everybody looked at me at that moment. His orange eyes sparkled brightly in the darkness. ¡°The eve of the festival is not important.¡± The Imperial Princemented in a low voice. It seemed as if he could not understand my actions. It could seem that way. We had Agnes now and we would arrive on time for the session confirmation ceremony if we left early in the morning. ¡°No, it is important.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I looked directly at him. ¡°Many people have gathered together to celebrate your birthday and the Imperial Crown Prince session confirmation ceremony. I believe it is your duty to ept that with joy as well, your Royal Highness.¡± Christelle, who had plopped down on the ground, nodded her head in agreement. Seeing the main character agree made me a bit more confident regarding what I was about to do. ¡°Plus, it is good to get there early and get a good rest. The real thing happens tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Furthermore, you ended up here helping me heal Chestnut. I want to help you return to the Imperial Pce, your Royal Highness.¡± I smiled. The Imperial Prince looked at me silently before snorting. ¡°What? Are you going to personally drive the carriage or something?¡± ¡°No, Agnes said that driving at night is dangerous. I don¡¯t know the way either.¡± We might end up in the Duhem March if I drove. I gulped and looked at Christelle. To be more specific, I was looking at Percy, who was gently stuck to her shoulder this whole time. ¡°Percy,e here.¡± ¨C Piruuuuu The chimney bird chirped as if to respond before flying over andnding on the back of my hand. He blinked his ck eyes as if he had no idea about what I wanted. ¡°Do you remember saying that I am not your master?¡± ¨C Piiiii Percy tilted his body. I raised my arm and looked at the divine item before whispering quietly so that only he could hear. ¡°So, let¡¯s make a deal.¡± * That was how I ended up with a wing on my back again. It was arge light purple wing on one side. ¨C p! ¡°Ugh, Percy! Gently!¡± My feet floated off the ground and my body swayed. The vigers who rushed out after hearing the news were shouting, ¡®oh my god!¡¯ and ¡®my goodness!¡¯ They then bowed down on the ground. I smiled bitterly. I told them that it was okay and that they could look at me, but the seniors just shook and kept their heads down. I felt especially sorry because granny Marlene and grandpa Remy seemed so scared. I was concerned that we might have left a bad memory for these people who had been truly wonderful to us. Christelle and I made eye contact. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the seniors. I will console them properly. Youngdy Eva and Sir Geens are here too.¡± She smiled brightly and grabbed both of my arms to pull me down. Behind her, Eva¡¯s eyes were extremely wide as she looked at Percy, the Ark of the Wind Deity. Gerrit was constantly fidgeting, as if he wanted to touch the feather. ¡°I will leave it to you, youngdy Sarnez.¡± ¡°Yes sir! I am gentle unlike a certain someone.¡± Christelle peeked at the Imperial Prince as she responded. I smiled because I could tell that she was being rude on purpose to calm our nerves. I checked the vines that Demy had wrapped around me one more time before giving the red panda and the water deer a hug. I then stood in front of the Imperial Prince. There were vines wrapped around his waist as well. The young man looked down at me. ¡°Are you confident that you will not regret this?¡± ¡®Why are you saying something so scary? You are the male lead, so saying something like that is going to be a g.¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t have a fear of heights, your Royal Highness.¡± I responded energetically. Of course, I was a bit scared, but I should be fine since I had no issues going on shaky bridges or ss viewing tforms. ¡°It is not that kind of issue. There will be over 10,000 people in the za-¡± ¨C p, p! ¡°Ahh!¡± The Ark cut the Imperial Prince off and made arge p with its wing. I screeched as we floated over five meters off the ground. The Imperial Prince quickly leaped and stuck his boots into the long vine. The ground quickly became distant! ¡°See you tomorrow morning, your highness!¡± Christelle waved both her arms as she said goodbye. Sir Johann, Gerrit, and Eva quickly became small. The fifteen or so vigers only raised their heads to look up at the Imperial Prince and me. ¡°Yes, thank you very much for everything!¡± I shouted. The Ark shot up into the sky as if it had been waiting for this. Chapter 129 Chapter 129 ¨C The Vige Head And The Angel (3) Chapter 129: The Vige Head and the Angel (3) The sky was now as dark as the deep sea. Arge full moon was showing its face from the east. ¡°Percy, your abilities are so good. You are the best divine item.¡± ¨C p, p! The ark pped its wing as if it was happy about mypliment. The pping made dozens of meters pass with a swish! In an instant, we had moved very far. I couldn¡¯t help butugh because this was entertaining. It was apletely different feeling from the weightlessness you feel from a drop tower. I felt the cool breeze and looked down. We had flown past the tall and ck mountain and the following area that looked green even in the dark. The Imperial Pce was under our feet now. It waspletely unbelievable. ¡®I can¡¯t believe we were so close to here.¡¯ ¡°It must be your first time seeing the Imperial Pce from the sky, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric did not respond but he did not seem ufortable either. His ck hair gently fluttered in the wind. Thanks to the Ark¡¯s divine power, he was dangling on me with extremely little air resistance. It almost felt as if he was half flying as well. Thanks to that, the Imperial Prince¡¯s body, which was connected to me by the vines, felt like a small dumbbell. It would be hard to fly like this for an extended period of time, but it was okay because it was a short trip. ¡°Over there! Divinemps are flying over, your Royal Highness.¡± My voice became louder with excitement. I¡¯m sure I just imagined it, but it felt as if the Imperial Prince bastard let out a sigh. The orange lights got closer and roamed around us as if to say hello before slowly disappearing past the rear mountain. I nkly watched before realizing something peculiar. ¡°There are things written on themps. Did you know about that, your Royal Highness?¡± The Imperial Princepletely ignored me. I didn¡¯t care about his response and carefully grabbed one of themps. I could see that someone had written on the outside of themp with uneven writing. ¡°It says that they hope you are always healthy, your Royal Highness. They also want to congratte you on bing the Imperial Crown Prince. But they don¡¯t really know what that is because they are young.¡± I started smiling. It sounded as if a child had written that one. I looked down at the Imperial Prince but his sunset-like eyes did not show much joy. I released themp in my hand and gently grabbed the next one. This one had quite mature handwriting. ¡°Apparently you taking the Sword of Wisdom out during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts left quite the impression on this person. This person must have been seated in a great spot. I didn¡¯t get to see that.¡± I quietly mumbled. The Imperial Prince raised his chin to send me a gaze that seemed to be saying that I was stupid. ¡®What do you want, you punk? Do you know how tired I was after saving you and Christelle that day?¡¯ ¡°The next one,¡± The wind brushing against my forehead felt nice. I left Percy, the best driver ever, on auto mode before reading the divinemp. ¡®After seeing his Royal Highness one time from afar, I stopped selling wine and have turned to beekeeping. How can I not when there is honey falling from my eyes? What the hell? Pass.¡¯ ¡°I am a twenty year old noblewoman and all of my peers have put their lives in his Royal Highness¡¯s hands.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­Let¡¯s control ourselves.¡± I shoved the divinemp away. Maybe it was because people wrote these messages thinking that they would never see them again, but they were quite the spectacle as I read them. ¡®Who doesn¡¯t know that the male lead is a handsome guy?¡¯ ¡°Was there something offensive?¡± ¡°It would be entertaining if that was the case, your Royal Highness.¡± I retorted back. The Imperial Prince snorted as if he agreed. The Ark pped its wing once and our two bodies popped past the group of divinemps. It felt as if I had made my way through sparkling balloons. Thestmp I saw had a neatly written sentence. ¡®I truly wish you a happy birthday.¡¯ ¡°Mm.¡± ¡®¡­¡­What should I give him as a birthday present?¡¯ I had not thought about it in the forest or Aightz Vige because all of my attention was on getting back to the Imperial Pce. I had received a gift from him on my birthday, and I couldn¡¯t ignore it because we were now friends. I peeked toward the Imperial Prince. At that moment¡­ ¨C Swooooooosh! ¡°Ugh!¡± Percy suddenly dived down. My back was full of cold sweat after this thrilling fall. ¡®Excuse me, conductor, is there turbulence?¡¯ ¡°Percy, haaaa.¡± I made a gasping noise. I could now see the streets of the Imperial Capital on the ground. It was notparable to the view of Seoul at night, but torches and magic lights were on everywhere, making it bright and beautiful. I nkly watched the view beyond themps that floated up every so often. ¡®It¡¯s so coo¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Hold on.¡± My voice sank. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Are those all people?¡± I felt my chest tighten as I asked the Imperial Prince. The dark area looked like the road but it was actually just the streets that were full of people. Thousands of handkerchiefs and bouquets were being waved around, making me dizzy for a different reason from earlier. ¡®I, I just thought it would be the level of the crowd at the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. This¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°The fact that it is the night before the session confirmation ceremony made more people show up than usual.¡± The Imperial Prince nonchntlymented, as if he was talking about having egg cocotte for breakfast. I could feel Percy slowly heading down. I scowled and took some deep breaths. I could not withdraw at this point and my determination to deliver the Imperial Prince remained firm. My insides churned- not because of the flight -but because of nervousness. I could slowly start to hear the loud cheering of the crowd. ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± ¡®This is driving me crazy. I¡¯m going to deliver this bastard and then quickly return to Juliette Pce.¡¯ That thought filled my mind. * ¡°Huut!¡± ¨C ck, ck! ¨¦lisabeth used the spurs to push the horse forward. She could see the lights of the vige in front of her. She started smiling. She was certain that she would be able to find her friends this time. Although she had only lived for twenty-four years, a person like her, who had traveled around the entire Empire taking care of demonic beasts and training in the way of the sword, had a special kind of intuition. The young Countess led the Imperial Guard and moved past the dark vige entrance. This was Aightz, the closest vige to the destination of that motherfucking wartime portal. ¨C Neeeeeeigh! ¡°Woah, woah!¡± The steed urgently stopped and raised its front legs. ¨¦lisabeth and her subordinates all turned toward one spot. They could smell the thick fragrance of roasted pig. The yard of a small house by the vige entrance was full of familiar faces. She believed that she would find them here, but it was shocking because it had happened so quickly. Her grey eyes filled with both chaos and joy. ¡°¡­¡­Youngdy Christelle?¡± ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth!¡± Christelle, who had both cheeks full of lettuce and meat, as well as Eva, jumped up and ran toward her. Her high cheeks were full of joy. ¨¦lisabeth smiled brightly and alighted from the horse. The three of them became one giant bundle as they hugged each other. The Imperial Guard members, who had worked so hard for the past few days, pped from the back. ¨¦lisabeth chuckled because she found this to be funny. ¡®This is nothing.¡¯ ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, you worked so hard. I knew that you would be able to find us.¡± Christelle chewed on the meat as shemented with awe. ¡°Yes, Mister Fran?ois did good. All of you did great sleeping outdoors despite it not being on the schedule.¡± Eva chuckled at the young Countess¡¯s response. The young Duchess and Christelle were both wearing simplemoner clothes. She was checking to make sure that they were not injured when she heard a happy voice. ¡°Wee, Vice Commander Moutet. You are a bitte.¡± She raised her head to see the corners of the person¡¯s mint-colored eyes curl slightly. She could see little Geens hiding behind him as well. ¨¦lisabeth responded to the duo with a question. ¡°What do you mean by that, Sir Geens?¡± ¡°The two highnesses have already headed toward ire za. They received the help of a divine item.¡± ¡°When you say divine item¡­¡­¡± The young Countess¡¯s eyes opened wide. Eva, who was still in her arms, mumbled to her. ¡°It is the Ark of the Wind Deity. Percy!¡± She recalled the light purple divine item, the one that they had seen in the Bell Tower of Yvelines and the one who had protected Prince Jesse from Sir Geens. She remembered that it had apanied Prince Jesse while in the shape of a chimney bird. It must have helped him out again. ¨¦lisabeth chuckled. A sense of shock and relief released from the end of her pit of her stomach. ¡°We n on leaving early in the morning. Please get some rest and then we can go together. All of you must be so tired.¡± Christelle rubbed ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s back as shemented. Since tomorrow was the Imperial Crown Prince¡¯s session confirmation ceremony, even an all-nighter would not be enough if they went to look for something else to do. However, ¨¦lisabeth just nodded her head. It felt as if she had met her friends again after years of absence. The tension in her body had released and she just wanted toy down. Her fiance would soon be able to meet Prince Jesse as well since everything was now resolved. She looked at the subordinates who followed her here and flicked her chin. Those thoughtless bastards just cheered. ¡°Of course, drinking is not allowed. Also, don¡¯t forget to rotate guard duty.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Their shoulders slumped at her stern orders. Christelle smiled brightly and waved toward the yard. ¡°Seniors,we have new guests! Please don¡¯t worry, they are not scary at all. Could you please just get some more meat?¡± ¡°They are our friends!¡± Eva pulled Gerrit with her as she said that. A woman, who had beenpletely stiff like the group of unfamiliar elderly vigers, bowed toward ¨¦lisabeth at that moment. ¨¦lisabeth took a closer look and recognized that the woman holding the tongs for the meat was the Imperial Pce¡¯s mountain keeper, Agnes. ¨¦lisabeth let out a scoff of disbelief. ¡®How the heck did everybody end up gathering here?¡¯ ¡°Vice Commander Moutet. There is something I need to tell you.¡± The Holy Knight, who had not left her side,mented in an easygoing voice. ¨¦lisabeth patted the horse¡¯s neck as she looked at him. Sir Geens showed her some transparent pebbles. ¡°These are-¡± ¡°These are holy stones. Youngdy nquer and my son found these around here.¡± ¨¦lisabeth slightly frowned. The holy stones she had learned about were items that appeared in history books. They had also never been discovered in the Empire before. She looked at him to see if there was some other meaning to his words and the response she got was simple. ¡°Yes, it is exactly as you are thinking.¡± * ¡®All headstones in Riester will have the person¡¯s middle name.¡¯ Romero ire Riester Pce. That was the former Empress, C¨¦line Riester¡¯s father, the tragic lover killer, and the Warlord who had ced his statue in the central za. Sarah Belliard sat alone in her carriage, writing down her thoughts in her notebook as they came up. Of course, she was invited to tomorrow¡¯s session confirmation ceremony as well, but there was a reason she had personallye to ire za instead of sending another reporter from the . ¨C Knock knock. An attendant of the Bar¡¯s House of Belliard knocked on the carriage door. The door immediately opened once Sarah knocked back. The noise of the 20,000 people in the za burst into the carriage. She looked at her attendant through her sses. ¡°Still nothing?¡± ¡°Yes, Lady Belliard! The Imperial family¡¯s carriage procession is quiet as well. It doesn¡¯t seem like his Royal Highness will be here this year!¡± The attendant responded almost in a shout. She waved her hand instead of responding. The door soon closed. ¡°¡­¡­Is it an issue with his health?¡± The old woman mumbled to herself. The fact that the Imperial Prince did not participate in the morning¡¯s practice run had slowly spread outside the Imperial Pce and most of the Pair de Riester were already aware of it. It was easy to form a hypothesis once she added the background knowledge she already had. He had been quite sick since he was young. There was a time when he fell into the ¡®Imperial Prince¡¯s Night¡¯ and could only stay awake for a few hours a day. His condition supposedly got a lot better since the Prince Consort passed away, but Sarah¡¯s intuition as a journalist was telling her that that was not true. Maybe the Imperial Prince still suffered from the curse- ¡®This might sound arrogant, but I hope that you do not consider it to be a curse.¡¯ She suddenly recalled the words of a certain Prince. Her lips twisted up to a bitter smile. It was at that moment. ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡± Sarah flinched and turned her head. The cheering was so loud that it hurt her ears. The za, which currently held a mix of nobles andmoners, felt so full with energy it was as if it would float away. She pushed the carriage door open out of reflex. Everybody was looking up at the sky. The thousands of hats that the spectators threw into the air covered her view. ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± ¡°Riester! Riester! Riester!¡± It was the wing of the Almighty God. ¨C p, p! Two figures appeared through the light of the full moon. The blonde hair that sparkled with the moonlight and the clear purple eyes that felt as if they were from out of this world. Prince Jesse Viaan, who had arge light purple wing on his back, was descending down to ire za while guiding the Imperial Prince with a luxurious vine. Sarah recognized the flowers on the vine even from a distance. They were tulips. ¡°Imperial Prince! Imperial Prince! Imperial Prince!¡± ¡°Blessing! Blessing! Blessing!¡± There was an aura of madness in the crowd¡¯s cheering. The prince was smiling gently despite looking pale but this experienced reporter knew that it was just a mask covering how awkward he was feeling. His amethyst-like eyes looked around as if to find a spot tond before he headed toward a location while leading the sculpture-like handsome Imperial Prince. Sarah pulled off her sses and chucked them to the side. ¡°My goodness¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hooray for his Royal Highness! Hooray!¡± The Prince had delivered the Imperial Prince to the statue of thete Emperor Romero, a spot surrounded by Imperial Guard members. The tulip vines slowly released before decorating the Imperial Prince¡¯s ankles. His ebony-like hair and me-like eyes gave off a magnificent glow as hended next to his great-grandfather. Sarah¡¯s body shook from a thunderbolt-like tingling. ¨C p! The Prince then pped his wing and moved away from the Imperial Prince. It felt as if he was saying something to the Imperial Prince. The Imperial Prince looked at him as if he wanted to shoot him down to the ground but did not actually do that. The Prince smiled brightly toward him before instantly flying up into the night sky. The crowd started cheering his name now. ¡°Jesse! Jesse! Jesse!¡± Sarah Belliard¡¯s hands were shaking as she urgently grabbed her notebook. She then frantically started writing, not caring that the quill pen might break. A benevolent gaze and a single wing¡­¡­ ¡®The Fallen Angel in the crowd.¡¯ Chapter 130 Chapter 130 ¨C And They Lived Happily Ever After? Chapter 130: And they lived happily ever after? That is how we were all able to safely attend the Imperial Crown Prince session confirmation ceremony! ¨C Squeeeeee! ¡°No no, let¡¯s stay calm.¡± I slowly pulled down Demy and Perry who were climbing up my mitre. Rhea was curled up on Eva¡¯s knees. Percy, who was on Christelle¡¯s shoulder, was nodding off. Maybe he pushed himself too hard while bringing us to the capital on the eve of the festival, but the chimney bird had been very sleepy since early in the morning. For reference, Chestnut is now being protected in Aightz Vige! The weather of August 13th was clear without a single cloud in the sky. I looked up at the sky beyond the white tent and smiled. ire za, which was directly connected to the Imperial Pce by a major road, was full of quiet anticipation, much different fromst night. Old pirs and tall colonnades all carried the g of the Empire. Thousands of nobles filled up the stands in the za. The alleys were full ofmoners who had been staking out their spots all night. Curtains embroidered with gold threads created shade at the center of the circr za. The tform there had three thrones, each decorated with dark red velvet and gold. Currently, only two of them held people. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was looking around when I made eye contact with Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique. I quickly bowed silently. Cardinal Boutier smiled toward me from next to her. Unlike the extravagant formal attire she was wearing, the Empress was dressed the same as usual. ¡°Your highness, her Eminence is visible there.¡± Christelle, who was seated next to me, motioned with her hand. I raised my head to look at the back of the Empress¡¯s drapes. Therge crystal board that filled the center of the za was showing the Cardinal¡¯s benevolent expression and magenta hair. The crowd¡¯s mumblings became louder. Even I was amazed at seeing a screen like this in such a world so it must be even more shocking for those of this world. Marquis Duhem, who was seated across from us, looked at us and winked in a shy manner. ¡®He¡¯s such an extraordinary character.¡¯ ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± I heard loud cheers from the road at that moment. Christelle and I poked our heads out in response and checked to see what was going on. We were in spots closest to the Imperial family, so it was difficult to see the outside of the za. The nobles were pping their fans with anticipation. I could hear the faint sound of hooves and the voice of the coachman. After that¡­ -???! Drums and trumpets, all decorated with the imperial crest, started ying music. Themoners were singing loudly along to the music from the outskirts of the za. Although I had never heard this song and it sounded like a mess because so many people were singing it, I could clearly feel their affection and delight. ¡°Descended to this world and raised the Empire¡­¡­¡± ¨C Swoooooooosh! I was muttering the words when someone whistled loudly. The nobles in the za all gave standing ovations. I could even see that some of them had taken their gloves off to wave them around. I stood up and observed where everybody was looking. Eva, who was standing next to me, nked out in admiration. ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± Imperial Prince C¨¦dric got off the carriage and was entering the za while surrounded by Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and the Imperial Guard. Half of the spectators dropped their jaws in shock. He was wearing formal attire that was more luxurious than ever before. His white fur cape touched the red carpet on the ground and his broachwas the red diamond that Christelle had picked out. His me-like eyes and ck hair that sparkled in the sun made his presence extremely prominent. His thick brows, sharp nose, and chiseled jawline were the focus of his handsome face. His straight neck, broad shoulders and tall heightpleted the visual of the male lead that nobody could deny he possessed. Furthermore, even his shoes looked beautiful. ¡°My goodness, the Almighty God is looking after his Royal Highness¡¯s body and soul.¡± ¡°Seriously. There are so many houses dreaming of marrying their daughter off to him.¡± The nobles in the back were breathing heavily and whispering. The Imperial Prince somehow managed to not trip over his long legs and arrived in front of the Empress. I urgently looked toward Christelle. I was pretty sure that it wouldn¡¯t happen, but it would be bad if the Imperial Prince got married to a youngdy from another house. If she did not fall for him at this moment, there must be some sort of issue with our MC¡¯s eyesight. ¡°Look at how good the makeup looks on him despite him not getting much sleep. His skin is just amazing.¡± ¡®Hmm?¡¯ I felt like my throat was on fire as I listened to her stiff mumblings. Christelle, who had arrived at the Imperial Capital via carriage early in the morning, was openly showing her sleepiness now. ¡®Seriously? This great Romfan author is setting the field like this and¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°It must be easy to maintain because he doesn¡¯t drink or smoke. Don¡¯t you think so, your highness?¡± ¡°Excuse me? Ah yes.¡± I barely responded to Christelle¡¯s question. ¡®Maybe she has already fallen for him but has yet to realize it?¡¯ It was usible. QNW was about the two main characters going from enemies to lovers. It has been about five months since Christelle and I transmigrated into the novel, so it might not be enough to suddenly fix that issue and feel a sense of romance blooming¡­¡­ ¡°But still.¡± I suddenly mumbled. ¡®She has no excitement after seeing that face?¡¯ ¡°Eek, it looks so big. Your highness. His Royal Highness is asrge as a mountain on there!¡± Eva shook my arm. The music had stopped at some point. I stopped my mechanically moving hand and looked up at the crystal board. Two mages, who were draggingrge magic stone crystal balls around to ¡®film¡¯, had finally focused on the Imperial Prince¡¯s face. Marquis Duhem must have given them some orders as they quickly found an excellent angle for it. ¡°Ooooh¡­¡­¡± The spectators gasped. I looked back and forth at the screen and the real person. The Imperial Prince on the crystal board was kneeling down in front of the Empress and bowing his head. Some of the Archbishops that I had seen at the Annual Prayer Meeting approached him with a crown on a cushion. This scene looked so cool and important that I wished my big brother and Eunseo were here with me. The Empress stood in front of her son, raised the Imperial Crown Prince¡¯s crown high in the air with both hands, and then slowly ced it on his head. I gulped. ¨C p! ¡°Not yet, your highness.¡± Eva stopped me as soon as I pped loudly one time. The Imperial Prince looked toward me for a moment. ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Empress then ced a ring on her son¡¯s finger. Everybody else was quietly observing the mother and son¡¯s ritual. I felt my cheeks flush immediately. I wanted to console myself by saying that it was because this was my first time and because we missed the practice run, but even Christelle was calm. I just covered my mouth with my sleeve and let my eyes wander. And then¡­ ¡°Ah, that scared me.¡± I made eye contact with a man on the other side who was wearing a robe that was as dark as the night sky. He seemed to be around neen or twenty but his spirit seemed quite sharp. I checked behind me to see if he was looking at someone else, but I seemed to be the person he was disgruntled about. ¡®Ohe on, it is understandable that I didn¡¯t know the timing to p. Why so serious?¡¯ ¡°It seems to be finishing up.¡± I quickly turned my head after hearing Christelle¡¯sment. The Imperial Prince, who had also received a scepter at this point, had ced his left hand on the holy book of the Church of the Almighty God and was reciting the pledge of the heir to the throne. I listened to his low voice before looking back to find the man who had red at me earlier. ¡°¡­¡­What the heck?¡± ¡®He¡¯s still ring at me.¡¯ I was starting to feel annoyed. I bowed toward Eva, who was standing to my right. Our mitres bonked against each other. The child looked up at me with a questioning gaze. ¡°What is it, your highness?¡± ¡°On the top left area across from us, the man wearing a dark blue robe. Do you know who that is?¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡­¡± The young Duchess¡¯s gaze became vicious. I didn¡¯t expect Eva, who had yet to make her Beau Monde debut, to recognize him, but I didn¡¯t know who else to ask because Benjamin and Ganael were not here with me. Christelle said something vicious at that moment. ¡°Why? Did someone bother you, your highness? Should I hit him?¡± ¡°No, it is not like that. I am okay.¡± I immediately stopped her. I was just curious; I had no ns on getting angry or nagging that person. I also knew that not everybody in the Empire had goodwill toward me. ¡®It¡¯s understandable. I am a diplomatic hostage after all.¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know that guy¡¯s name, but his clothes make me believe that he is a part of the Fleur-de-lis. ¡°That scammer organization?¡± ¡°Youngdy Sarnez, they are not scammers, they are seers.¡± Eva gave her answer and I corrected Christelle¡¯s response to her. She smirked and mumbled about how the two were basically the same. The three of us whispered while standing with Demy, Rhea, and Perry in our arms. ¡°Yes, your highness, I heard that they wear dark blue robes with the twelve pces of the Imperial Capital embroidered in silver threads. That shitty guy is wearing the same thing.¡± ¡°I see. Thank you for the information.¡± ¡°Is he staring at you like that for no reason? Should I go over and give him a reason?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t do that, youngdy Sarnez.¡± As I responded appropriately to the two youngdies¡¯ments¡­ ¡°Wooooooooooow!¡± I heard loud cheering from the stands. The Empress and the Imperial Prince, no, now the Imperial Crown Prince, who had finished all of the ritual, were standing at the center of the tform. The mother offered her hand to her son, who ced his hand on top of his mother¡¯s palm. The Empress escorted the Imperial Crown Prince and started walking down the carpet. My teacher stood behind the two of them as if to protect them. -???! The drums and trumpets started ying again. The nobles cheered while throwing beautiful bouquets and silk handkerchiefs as the three of us pped to congratte him. The crown prince¡¯s orange eyes seemed brighter than usual. ¡®I wonder if that punk is feeling all excited and nervous inside too.¡¯ ¡°Happy birthday, your Royal Highness! Please treat us next time!¡± Christelle was the first of us three to shout. I smiled brightly and looked at her. ¡®They have definitely gotten much closer though.¡¯ ¡°Happy birthday, your Royal Highness! Congrattions on the confirmation of your session as well!¡± Eva ced her hands around her mouth and shouted. Flower petals were raining down around us. I was oddly wowed. Marquis Duhem on the other side, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth following behind the Imperial family, and even Sir Johann and Sand, who were far in the distance diagonally from us, were smiling. ¡®Even though he is my neighbor, it will probably be hard to see him often. I¡¯m sure the Imperial Crown Prince will be busy.¡¯ ¡°Congrattions, your Royal Highness!¡± I shouted loudly as well. The crown prince looked toward us at that moment. I didn¡¯t think he would have heard me because it was quite loud all around us. It was at that moment. ¡°Your highness, we¡¯re up there!¡± Christellemented with excitement. I turned my head in shock. Christelle, who was smiling as bright as a star, and me, with a clueless look on my face, were visible on the crystal board. Demy, who was sticking his tongue out, was visible as well. As Christelle waved toward the crystal ball that had approached us, the crowd in the street shouted ¡®wow!¡¯ They were cheering for her. This seemed fitting for the hero of the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts and the woman who was the main character of this novel. ¡°This. Please do this with your other hand.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± She made half a heart with her left hand and pushed it toward me. My body stiffened up. I wondered if it was okay to do this, but I thought that such a small thing would be okay since we are friends. It wasn¡¯t like I was kissing her like in the original. I smiled awkwardly and extended my right hand. Demy quickly jumped down and got out of the shot. ¡°Like this¡­¡­¡± ¡°Tada! Long live the Riester!¡± Christelle¡¯s eyes curled up with joy once I awkwardly finished the other half of her heart. This truly was crazy showmanship. The crowd looking at the crystal board cheered with joy. Even the mages channeling mana into the crystal balls seemed happy. I stared at the side of Christelle¡¯s face. ¡®What is going on? Maybe she wasn¡¯t an office worker but an idol?¡¯ ¨C Swoooooooosh! ¨C Crack! A dagger flew over from somewhere and cracked the crystal ball in two. ¡®Eek!¡¯ The mages gasped and fell to the ground. ¡®Ah, ah!¡¯ Some of the VIPs fainted. The crystal board immediately turned ck and Marquis Duhem, who had looked proud of his creation from the other side, cracked as well. The nobles in the za becamepletely quiet as if someone had poured cold water over them. ¡°Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!¡± ¡°Three cheers for his Royal Highness, our Imperial Crown prince!¡± However, themoners outside were still cheering. Thanks to them, the mood was quickly restored. The Duke and Duchess from the House of Sarnez and nquer, the Margrave Moutet couple and the true Pair de Riester elegantly started pping again. I awkwardly lowered my arm and looked at the Imperial family. Although a sword had been thrown during the session confirmation ceremony, the Empress and Cardinal had gotten on the carriage while being escorted by Captain Duhem without any issues. The carriage, which was decorated with flowers and jewels, was open on all four sides. It looked as if their subjects, who filled the road on both sides, could greet the three of them as they returned to the pce. The crown prince, who was thest to get onto the carriage, looked right toward us. The two of us clearly made eye contact this time. ¡°¡­¡­Is he angry?¡± I finally realized that it was the crown prince who had destroyed the crystal ball. I supposed that he did not like how we did something weird to get attention during a ceremony where he should be the center of attention. Christelle wasughing as if she was finding this super entertaining, but I gently waved to him apologetically. ¨C Squeeeee. Demy, who had climbed up to my shoulder at some point, wagged his tail as well. The crown prince slightly scowled before leaving. The spectators in the seats and the crowd started moving. Attendants started appearing to look for their masters. I greeted Benjamin and Ganael, who came over with bright expressions on their faces, before thinking about the headline of the that was to be released in two days. ¡®The crown prince threw a dagger as soon as he received the title. Will they be calling him the Ice Prince again?¡¯ I startedughing. Chapter 131 Chapter 131 ¨C The Table With The Daymoon (1) Chapter 131: The table with the daymoon (1) Two dayster, I faced the greatest trial since transmigrating into this world. I was just lucky that the main characters didn¡¯t have a lesson because it was Saturday. ¨C Step, step This time, I was not being overly self-conscious. All attendants, soldiers, royal servants, and guests I met in the Empress Pce sent me odd gazes. It felt as if there were more people than usual in the Imperial Pce today. I felt my ears going hot as I filled my mind with any other thought. ¡®I hope lunch is delicious. After I eat and head back to Juliette Pce, I¡¯m going to stay in my room like a hermit all weekend.¡¯ I wanted to lower my head and run as fast as I could but I could not do that because this was the Empress Pce. I clenched my fists and walked as quickly as possible. Percy, who was also invited, sat on my shoulder and tilted his body. ¨C Piruuuuu ¡°Your highness, I thought that it was really cool! It is not just a regr angel but a Fallen Angel.¡± Flinch. ¡°Ganael.¡± ¡°It feels like something that woulde out in an opera or y. The attendants of Romero Pce said the same thing. They said that they watched you descend to Juliette Pce on the eve of the festival, your highness. Lord David said that he knew you would help his Royal Highness¡­¡­¡± Ganael rattled on despite Benjamin trying to stop him. The attendant of the Empress Pce, who was escorting us, quietly agreed. Only I was receiving critical damage in the middle. This was how dangerous the power of the press could be. ¡®Everybody everywhere has heard about it already.¡¯ ¡°Lady Sarah Belliard¡¯s intuition is still just as sharp. I think the term describes you perfectly, your highness. You are nice to everybody and as handsome as an angel sent down by the Almighty God in the crowd¡­¡­¡± ¡°The crowd.¡± I had to stop walking and cut the young boy off. The three of them looked at me. I looked around the hallway before lowering my voice. ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­¡­ Go with crowd.¡± ¡®Short and sweet. Impactful too.¡¯ ¡°Your highness, I¡¯m sure you saw the article, but Lady Belliard came up with such a title because she was full of awe and praise for you. It does seem a bit dramatic, but it was definitely memorable.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell whether Benjamin was consoling me or messing with me. I could not say anything because I had not read the article. How could I turn the page when the front page has, in giant writing, ¡®The Fallen Angel in the Crowd, consecrates the Imperial family¡¯? If it was not for the information I was gathering from it¡­if there was an alternative, I would have immediately canceled my subscription. I had never expected my actions to be exaggerated like this when I decided to take the crown prince to the eve of the festival. To be more specific, I thought that the focus would be on revealing the Ark of the Wind Deity to the masses and that I used it. The crown prince had thought about that as well. ¨C Pipipi Percy pecked my neck and chirped loudly. Ganael continued to speak. ¡°It is very rare for the to give a title to someone. It is only given to precious individuals who have earned their love and interest. ¡°¡¯The Ice Prince¡¯ and ¡®The Thrilling Archmage¡¯ were also titles that Lady Belliard personally came up with or decided upon after an internal meeting.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Something like ¡®The Thrilling Archmage¡¯ sounded normal now. Even the ¡®Ice Prince¡¯ title sounded somewhat cool. They were all finepared to ¡®that.¡¯ My cheeks felt hot again. I urged the three of them to start walking again. ¡°Her Majesty and her Eminence also have titles. But her Majesty¡¯s title came not from the magazine but from the Riester citizens¡­¡­¡± ¡°Wee, Prince Jesse.¡± We turned a corner and Chief of Staff Laura, who was waiting outside the room for me, saw me and respectfully greeted me. I sighed in relief, thinking that I did not have to hear about this damn title any longer. I silently greeted Laura before checking my outfit onest time and entering the dining area. The one good thing about the chaos of this morning was that I did not have the time to worry about why the Empress requested to have lunch with me. * ¡°Why is your face red? Are you weak because you are a Fallen Angel and not a regr angel?¡± ¡®Why are you trying to stir the pot as soon as I sit down?¡¯ ¡°Should I call the Imperial doctor?¡± ¡°¡­¡­No, your Majesty. But thank you very much.¡± I barely managed to respond. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, who was seated at the head of the table, poured some cherry-scented liqueur into Cardinal Boutier¡¯s ss first. Her simrly-colored eyes looked entertained. The Cardinal, who was seated across from me, started speaking with an apologetic look on her face. ¡°I enjoyed reading the article. They wrote quite well of you. The content about the session confirmation ceremony was great too.¡± ¡®Would it be possible to not read it and could you please confiscate and burn all of them?¡¯ I did my best to pretend some not so nice words froming out and smiled. The Empress picked up a spoon. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first before we chat.¡± It was a wise and thoughtful promation, as expected of the ruler of the Empire. I quickly wiped my hands and picked up my utensils. Percy sat away from the food and observed us. Around one hour passed. The food of the Empress Pce was as great as usual. The barbeque I had while we slept outside in the forest was delicious and the homely food the seniors of Aightz Vige made for us was ster as well, but the hands of an expert truly were different. I ate five tes of veal braised with red onions and grapes. I could taste honey and vinegar in the sauce. The crunchy fried monkfish did not feel greasy at all when eaten with capers. The way the white flesh of the fish smoothly and deliciously melted in my mouth was just top notch. I also cleanly finished off three tes of that and had about half of the herb-roasted chicken in my stomach when¡­ ¡°I heard that the bird over there saved you. That little thing is also the one who brought the crown prince to ire za this time.¡± The Empress sipped some of the liqueur as she asked. ¡®As expected, that is why she called me.¡¯ I wiped the sides of my mouth with the napkin before responding. ¡°Yes, your Majesty. He has looked like this from the moment I first met him in Yvelines. That was why I did not know that he was the Ark of the Wind Deity and thought that he was the child of some divine beast. But he showed the power of his main body when Sir Johann Geens used his stigmata against me.¡± ¡°The power of his main body?¡± ¡°He hid me inside the Ark.¡± The Cardinal and Empress exchanged nces. Her cherry-colored eyes seriously sank down. ¡°Are you saying that the divine item has epted you as its master?¡± ¡°It is not that, your Majesty.¡± I immediately responded. The Empress tilted her head. It meant to keep exining. I gently petted Percy, who had trotted over to the top of the table, with my index finger. Yvelines belonged to Prince Consort Alexandre and was now the territory of the Imperial Crown Prince. The Empress must have felt curiosity and concern since the divine item that had remained in that territory for so long randomly started to follow a foreign prince. She had not interrogated me about Percy for over a month despite Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth most likely submitting a report about the day Sir Geens attacked me. That was quite the shocking level of patience considering her characteristic hot-tempered disposition. ¡°Before I exin that, thank you very much for waiting until now for an exnation. I know that you were being very patient, your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you know that. You would have been dragged off to the dungeon a long time ago if it wasn¡¯t for my punk of a son or my contractor.¡± ¡°Fr¨¦d¨¦rique.¡± The Cardinal called out to her, almost as if to scold her, as the Empress grumbled. I gently smiled. Although she was talking like that, I was able to quickly get out of shock because of her consideration ande up with that n to rescue Sir Johann and Gerrit. Of course, putting that n into action as well. ¡°There is a sort of guide inside the Ark. The divine item took the form of a human to talk to me.¡± ¡°My goodness. I have never heard of something like this before.¡± My teacher put down her fork and her eye underneath the monocle sparkled. I debated whether I should tell them about how the Ark had turned into the Prince Consort, but I thought it would be better not to say something that could bring them pain. I continued to speak. ¡°He exined that I am not the master of the Ark. He also said that I was not the one to open the Ark but the will of the Ark itself. He said that I could not handle him with my current level of Divine Power¡­¡± ¨C Piiiiiiiiiiruuuuuuuuu, pipi! Percy opened his yellow peak and chirped, as if to emphasize that part. I couldn¡¯t help but scoff. ¡°As you can see by his response, your Majesty.¡± ¡°Then why does the punk still follow you?¡± The Empress asked in a sharp tone. I recalled the conversation I had with ¡®Nikky¡¯ that day. The low and gentle tone, long ck hair, his dark blue eyes that curled up beautifully¡­ ¡® I will be by your side. I am curious about the story of your friends and you.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, your Majesty. However, he said that he will be here because he is curious about the story of my friends and I.¡± I answered honestly before smiling awkwardly and rubbing Percy¡¯s forehead. The little guy seemed to like it as he just sat there breathing. I raised my head up to look at the two of them, and the Empress, who could tell that I was telling the truth, scowled. ¡°The Almighty God¡¯s capriciousness knows no bounds.¡± ¡°Maybe this is to be expected. The Air attribute is said to be free.¡± The overlord¡¯s soulmate responded warmly. She then took a sip of the liqueur with a satisfied look on her face. The Empress clicked her tongue and picked up her knife again. I cautiously asked. ¡°¡­¡­Are you not going to take him, your Majesty?¡± ¡°Him?¡± ¡°Percy, the ark. What remains in Yvelines is a clone made to trick people.¡± ¡°Will that punk listen because I gave it an order? Divine items are not under human jurisdiction. I am satisfied with the fact that you did not lie.¡± She grumbled. Then the Empress¡¯s professional trantor, the Cardinal, exined. ¡°She means that she is relieved that it is you, my little prince, and not someone else who is taking care of the Empire¡¯s divine item.¡± ¡°I never said that,¡± ¡°Fr¨¦d¨¦rique is simr to C¨¦dric like that.¡± The Empress closed her mouth. She scowled at her contractor with her red eyes but my instructor, as usual, just received it while looking elegant. I knew that you shouldn¡¯t interrupt when adults were in this kind of mood, so I just took a sip of limeade. It was a good thing as long as the opinions on my being with the ark were positive as the Cardinal mentioned. Using divine items for personal reasons is supposed to bring divine punishment to the person, but Percy¡¯s conscience was extremely developed. ¡®This little guy won¡¯t ever do something he doesn¡¯t want to do¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°I heard you picked quite a good territory for yourself.¡± The Empress changed topics as soon as I put my ss down. I blinked and organized the timeline in my mind. The day we went to pick up Gerrit, we had gathered in the garden of the Empress Pce and discussed that issue. The Imperial family was going to bestow the title of Marquis and a territory to me. I said that I would prefer one where I could see theke and Eva had chosen somewhere in the southwest region of the Empire. Benjamin asked to confirm yesterday, so I said it was fine and it seemed to have been decided. I spooned up some warm Bouibaisse soup before warily looking at the Empress. ¡°Should I change it to somewhere else if it is giving you a headache, your Majesty?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°To be honest with you, the location of my territory does not matter. It is just that Benjamin and Ganael wanted a house with ake,¡± ¡°This is not even funny.¡± She cut me off. It felt as if her pride had been hurt a bit. ¡°I do not n on denying it. No matter where you go, it is just a very small piece ofnd to me.¡± I quietly nodded my head. I seemed to have unintentionally annoyed her. We focused on our food for a while again. I finished the roasted chicken from earlier, emptied a bowl of bouibaisse, and ate four pieces of crispy baguette with garlic sauce when¡­ ¡°I heard that a merchant guild leader in thatnd is quite the odd bastard.¡± The Empress suddenly started speaking. I stopped moving my mouth and looked at her. ¡°Many interesting things tend to happen in territories with free cities.¡± Her silver hair sparkled under the light of the chandelier. Gulp. I had an ominous feeling for some reason. ¡°Your first inspection will be quite entertaining.¡± ¡°Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, don¡¯t be a sourpuss.¡± ¡°Territory inspection? Am I personally going for that, your Majesty?¡± My voice became slightly louder. The Cardinal warmly responded in ce of the Empress who was drinking her liqueur. ¡°You just have to do basic things since it is a ce that used to be ruled by the Imperial family. The things that used to be allowed under Fr¨¦d¨¦rique¡¯s name are just changing to be allowed under yours, my little prince. But at least one time¡­¡­¡± ¡®You need to go inspect because you are the new territory lord.¡¯ She said that before smiling bitterly. I was already hypothesizing the development of things from here on with the list of important dates for the second half of the year that Benjamin had given me anyway. I gave up trying to memorize all of the events that Christelle and crown prince C¨¦dric might attend. There were so many of those damn Masquerade Balls that Ganael mentioned that it was possible to go to a Masquerade Ball every single day. Yes, one every single day. It was already enough of a headache remembering the things on the schedule that I had heard from Eunseo, but now personal responsibilities were added on. ¡®¡­¡­No. Maybe it is good for me to move around on my own so that the two of them can have some alone time?¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t look like it is going to kill you. I may just change your territory name to Angelique.¡± The Empressmented after seeing theplicated look on my face. I muttered that French word for a moment. I instantly got chills. ¡®You¡¯re going to continue that angel nonsense to another level?¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique won¡¯t be deciding the territory name. And you also won¡¯t be alone when you go for your inspection.¡± The Cardinal seemed to be trying to console me. Her beige-colored eyes curled up as I looked toward her. ¡°The free city in your territory, Haas, apparently became sister cities with Sarnez in June.¡± Chapter 132 Chapter 132 ¨C The Table With The Daymoon (2) Chapter 132: The table with the daymoon (2) That meant¡­ ¡°Does that mean youngdy Sarnez will be traveling with me?¡± ¡°I think that is probably what will happen. We are worried about sending you alone, so, it doesn¡¯t sound bad for you to go with the Duke¡¯s family as they head over to meet Merchant guild leader Haas.¡± Cardinal Boutier softlymented. I felt like I knew why they were worried about sending me alone. Sir Geens¡¯ assassination attempt only happenedst month, so they were concerned and worried despite me being an Archbishop. I nodded my head before observing the dessert trolley that an attendant of the Empress Pce brought in. ¡®It looks delicious.¡¯ ¡°Your highness, we brought more kinds of the pralines you enjoyedst time.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The tes for the main dishes that I basically washed clean were gone and simple desserts began to fill the table. I looked at Percy, who was dozing off on the table, and made a new resolve. My travels ovepped with Christelle¡¯s again but I was not nning to avoid things that would get me involved with the main characters now that I made a deal with the chimney bird. I had already made up my mind on that day I made the deal with the Empress. I decided that if I could not avoid the main story no matter what I did, I might as well work hard to be the one to control the flow. ¡®Might as well gather some information along the way.¡¯ ¡°Will his Royal Highness be going with us as well?¡± ¡°My son will be busy for a while.¡± The Empress immediately shot it down. This was a bit unexpected. I knew that he would be busy since he just became the Imperial Crown Prince, but this development where that punk was not going somewhere when Christelle and I were going¡­¡­ It was a bit shocking. ¡°You look disappointed.¡± ¡°Not at all, your Majesty.¡± What the Empress said was so unbelievable that I took her joke as her being serious. An odd aura roamed around her cherry-colored eyes when we made eye contact. It was toote but I still bit down on my lips. I thought that it would be better to change topics and quickly took a sip of tea before breaking the silence. ¡°Your Majesty and your Eminence, if you would please allow it, I would like to participate in the ball at the nquer Duchy next month.¡± ¡°Our little prince is finally going to dance.¡± The Cardinal was openly happy. I felt embarrassed hearing her phrase it like that. This was the first time I have requested to go out since the polo match. I recalled how Eva¡¯s eyes had sparkled when she asked me about it during the Imperial Crown Prince session confirmation ceremony. ¡®Have you made up your mind, your highness? Will you be my dance partner?¡¯ I had also seen how her gaze had instantly turned sharp. ¡®How long will you have to think it over, your highness? I don¡¯t like you!¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m all for it. I¡¯m happy that you are getting along with the Pair de Riester of the Empire, my little prince. Are you trying to show your face at youngdy nquer¡¯s Beau Monde d¨¦but?¡± ¡°Yes, your Eminence. I n on being the youngdy¡¯s dance partner.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡± My teachermented. Her beige colored eyes suspiciously sparkled under the monocle. ¡°Not Christelle¡¯s dance partner?¡± ¡°Me?¡± I was confused. I turned my head to see that the Empress was giving me the same kind of gaze. I wondered what the heck they were talking about. Of course, it was understandable they thought this was because Christelle was the closest youngdy that I knew, but anybody would be able to see that her number one choice was someone else. ¡°I would think that youngdy Sarnez would partner with his Royal Highness if she went.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What?¡± The two adults gasped at the same time. I almost coughed because the expressions on their faces were exactly the same to the point that it was scary. I let out a fake cough and calmly continued to speak. I didn¡¯t expect to say something like this today, but I thought that I might as well appeal to them about the two main characters¡¯ close rtionship. There was nothing that prevented them from being engaged again because the first time fell through. ¡°The first outsider his Royal Highness allowed into Romero Pce was youngdy Sarnez. He even held a feast in Romero to introduce the youngdy to the two of you.¡± ¡°That was an act. Did you really think that I would not be able to figure out that clown act by little kids?¡± ¡°Wait, why are you phrasing it like th¡­¡­¡± ¡®Your Majesty, why are you suddenly angry?¡¯ I became anxious at this unexpected response and rubbed Percy¡¯s back. He chirped in joy in the middle of his sleep. The Cardinal started to speak, as if to mediate the situation because she could tell that I was ced in an awkward situation. ¡°Our little prince has quite the imagination, Fr¨¦d¨¦rique. Why don¡¯t we call Laura?¡± ¡°Tsk. It looks like my child is going to suffer.¡± The two of them said something I could not understand before calling for Laura, the Chief of Staff. Anyway, it seemed as if I would be able to watch Eva¡¯s Beau Monde debut at a close distance since the Empress did not oppose it. I was happily taking a bite of a Gateau Basque when Laura walked in and ced a wooden box that was about the size of Demy on the table before leaving again. ¡®What is this?¡¯ ¡°This is the reason we invited you today.¡± The Empress grumbled. I thoroughly chewed the cake and its sweet ck cherry filling before sitting upright. Our conversation did not seem to be over despite having talked about Percy and my new territory. I had heard about how she cared a lot about efficiency, but I didn¡¯t know we would cover so many topics over a single meal. ¡°Aightz Vige, the ce you guys stayed at, is part of the Imperial family¡¯s territory. They are self-sufficient so there are basically no outsiders going in and out. The territory itself also has a low poption.¡± Silence filled the room. My jaw slowly dropped. Based on this piece of information, it was understandable why granny Marlene and grandpa Remy had never seen the territory lord or even known the person¡¯s name. Their territory lord would have been the Empress for a very long time and the Empire would have taken the taxes directly. ¡®Wait a minute.¡¯ Now that I think about it, the reason we did not get attacked by demonic beasts in the forest, despite having four divine items, must have been because of the barrier around the Imperial Pce. The Cardinalughed as I blinked. ¡°The vigers there will be rewarded properly as they did their best to look after a member of the Imperial family.¡± ¡°The vige will probably prosper in the near future as well.¡± The Empress added on before opening the box. I saw a familiar nt and ore. One was the cotton-like medicinal herb that Eva and Gerrit found while the other was the transparent pebble they found. However, this one was muchrger than the other one. It seemed to be the size of my fist. ¡°These are-¡± ¡°Do you know anything about them?¡± She asked in her low husky voice. I looked at the Empress and answered honestly. ¡°I saw them both for the first time in Aightz. I heard that this is the flower used as Gerrit¡¯s medicine while this is for ether¡­¡­ Yes, capturing ether inside of it. They were both amazing.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡± I immediately responded. The Empress and Cardinal exchanged meaningful gazes. My teacher was the one to speak first. ¡°First¡­¡­ This is called sun halo weed. I was told that only a small amount of it grows around the border but for some reason, it was growing in Aightz.¡± I quickly snapped out of my thoughts. I recalled Sir Geens¡¯ pain-filled voice from that day. ¡®The moon halo weed does not have any poisonous properties. There is just the side effect of making ether unstable when mixed with the sap of sun halo weed. I put some sun halo weed sap on your teacup when I touched it back then.¡¯ I quickly lowered both hands from the table and clenched my fists. Although it was all in the past, my body remembered the fear and my fingertips were shaking. The Cardinal looked at me and her eyebrows rxed. ¡°Johann left everything to Fr¨¦d¨¦rique¡¯s decision. He said that the sun halo weed is indeed the medicine for his son, but it is also what he used to harm you. He said that he could not dare to ask us to let him grow it in the Imperial Pce.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°That is why Fr¨¦d¨¦rique wants to ask your opinion on the matter, my little prince. Will that be okay?¡± I was temporarily at a loss for words. I could not even imagine what kind of thoughts must have gone through his mind as he said that. The Cardinal spoke as if she understood. ¡°If you don¡¯t want it here, the Imperial Pce won¡¯t support-¡± ¡°No, your Eminence, please help Sir Johann and Gerrit. Please.¡± This was an issue that required no thought. I gently scowled before rxing my face. ¡°I had simply faced a side effect because I had drunk it mixed with moon halo weed and that is all in the past. In addition, Gerrit is just a kid. A kid who would suffer forever without that medicine.¡± I probably would have answered the same way even if Gerrit was the one who attacked me. ¡°Procuring the medicine from the border will be expensive and difficult. We should be able to grow strong seedlings in the Imperial greenhouse and garden if you would allow it, your Majesty.¡± The gardeners of the Imperial Pce were skilled and hardworking. I looked at the Empress with desperation. She looked at me and snorted. ¡°It is because you are like this that that rude mercenary bastard won¡¯t fully give me his loyalty.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, moving on.¡± She pointed toward the transparent ore instead of exining the situation to me. ¡°I will let you know since you don¡¯t seem to be lying about not knowing what this is. This is called a holy stone.¡± A shock went through my body as if I had been struck by lightning. The Empress tilted her head after seeing my reaction. ¡°You do know what it is, it seems.¡± ¡°That¡­¡­ There is no way not to know when you call it a holy stone, your Majesty. Isn¡¯t it the item that the Holy Kingdom used as a weapon during the Warring Era?¡± Holy stones were ores that had appeared in all of the history books I had read until now. They were famous for only being found in the Holy Kingdom. The Holy Kingdom¡¯s army cut these into different sizes before filling them with the four different authorities of the Almighty God and using them like bombs. Some of them would explode as soon as they hit the ground, killing hundreds of the Imperial soldiers in the process, while others would freeze thousands of soldiers nearby to their deaths. The Holy Kingdom¡¯s different ways of attack, such as by using these holy stones, were the reason that the war did not end quickly despite the Empire¡¯s overwhelming numbers advantage. The Empress responded with a calm gaze. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How is that in the Empire¡­¡­¡± I did not finish my sentence. I had no idea why this happened to be found on the Empress¡¯snd. This, as well as the fact that a portal that was used during wartime remained and teleported the main characters and I to a different neighborhood, all seemed like some sort of foreshadowing. I got chills on my back. It seemed like the author of QNW did not forget about war as a keyword. ¡°I have no idea either. But you should know better than I do, as someone from the Holy Kingdom, how capricious and cruel the Almighty God can be.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°However, it is a good thing that a new resource has appeared in the Empire. That is the case even if I cannot figure out how this can be used.¡± It oddly sounded as if she would one day figure out how it could be used. My palms got sweaty despite her not giving off any pressure as a sword master. ¡°C¨¦dric put some mes into this thing as a test but it broke quickly withoutsting very long. The wind that the Imperial Instructor blew into it leaked out quickly as well. The only thing that could be put in there was the pure ether of a priest. There must be a special refining process to safely turn it into a weapon.¡± I gulped. The Empress¡¯s red eyes looked directly at me. The next question was so heavy it made it hard to breathe. ¡°Do you know the way to do that?¡± ¡°¡­I do not, your Majesty.¡± ¨C Paaaat! The Cardinal¡¯s Holy Domain brightly shed inside the room as soon as I responded. A gentle air current flowed out of the circle and tickled our hairs, as if it had pulled air from a different world. The Cardinal gave a Divine Oracle without any hesitation. [Oh Almighty God, please forgive this child¡¯sments.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Holy Domain slowly turned clockwise without any reaction. I finally managed to let out a breath. Despite telling the truth and expecting that my teacher would be confirming it, I truly had been anxious for a few seconds. The Cardinal deactivated her Holy Domain and walked up to me once it was revealed that I was telling the truth. I quickly stood up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my little prince. I had to confirm it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay, your Eminence. I understand.¡± I meant it. I was the prince of an enemy kingdom and could have easily lied, saying that I didn¡¯t know this top secret information despite knowing it. However, the Cardinal just caressed my cheek with a pitying look on her face. I gently smiled back at her show of affection when the Empress grumbled. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Aur¨¦lie. It makes it seem like I¡¯m the viin.¡± ¡°But you are the viin.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± She scoffed and brushed her silver hair back. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to teach military secrets to their child if they didn¡¯t even teach him the Disciplines of Kingship. Furthermore, you were always kept in check by the Prince Consort, so¡­¡­ It would be weird if you knew.¡± She then motioned with her chin toward the holy stone. ¡°Take this and go test a couple of things. The crown prince, the Imperial Instructor, and that little Sarnez girl will cooperate as well.¡± ¡°When you say test some things¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you to find the secrets behind how to make the holy stones safe. There is no rush but wouldn¡¯t it feel better to know how to do it?¡± It was an Imperial order. I nodded my head without being able to reject it when an idea suddenly shed in my mind. An ore that could not handle special ether but could contain pure ether. I urgently asked my question. ¡°Your Majesty, may I cut off a piece of this and use it for personal reasons?¡± ¡°Personal reasons?¡± The Cardinal asked back in a surprised voice. I felt a bit embarrassed and answered her, only for the Empress to loudly sneer at me. I withstood the two adults¡¯ gazes that seemed to be saying that I was quite a peculiar kid before sessfully managing to gain arge holy stone. I also politely asked them to not tell anybody about my n. I would only use a third for testing and use the rest to be crafted¡­¡­ ¡®It feels like it could be a decent present if it works out. Mm.¡¯ ¡ª Chapter 133 Chapter 133 ¨C : The Table With The Daymoon (3) Chapter 133: The table with the daymoon (3) I was probably thest person to give him a present since his birthday was four days ago. Who would dare to even think about being te¡¯ to celebrate the Imperial Crown Prince¡¯s birthday? ¡°For a birthday present, next year, ugh, I¡¯m going to die! It¡¯s fine as long as you give it to them at least by the day before their next birthday!¡± Christelle shouted as she continued doing her squats. The main character¡¯s legs were shaking. Sand and I were worried that she might fall backwards but Sir Johann lookedpletely calm. After talking about Christelle doing strength training when we were in Aightz Vige, he really did focus on her core muscles once lessons resumed. ¡°Pierre, keep it up!¡± ¡°My thighs feel dead¡­¡­¡± Thanks to that, the outdoor training ground was rowdy even without crown prince C¨¦dric. The attendants of Juliette Pce, who had originallye out to watch, were shaking while copying Christelle¡¯s movements. It was also full of animals, with the three red panda musketeers, Percy, and Chestnut, who had followed Agnes to the Imperial Pce, all around us as well. ¡°Ack! My legs are about to give out. Ahaha.¡± ¡°Make sure to keep proper form. You¡¯ll hurt your knees if you don¡¯t, youngdy Sarnez.¡± Christelle shouted, suddenlyughed, and then staggered. Sir Johann fixed her form with a gentle yet stern look on his face. Christelle was listening to his request for her to use only her muscles and not her ether without anyints. She was giving it her best after having taken off her blue summer jacket and cravat and pulling up her sleeves. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that the youngdy is listening so well because she really enjoys using ether.¡± Sand whispered. I nodded my head. I had an idea as to why she had no problem doing strength training. Christelle could not use swords, spears, or bows because of herck of strength. The only thing she managed to choose was a magic tool whip with a special ability. It was to be expected since she had not done any form of exercise for neen years and had been in aa for thest three of those years. Even now, the strength she had gained from absorbing the Blessing of the Blue Sea was covering up herck of physical strength. Christelle probably understood her limits better than anybody else. She should have felt it while sparring against the crown prince until now as well. Last time¡­¡­ ¡®I am going to be stronger. I am going to be the strongest person on the continent if possible.¡¯ She said such a shocking statement. I picked up Rhea and Perry, who were begging to be held, and smiled bitterly. I looked to see what the other kiddos were doing¡­ ¨C Chirp chirp! ¨C Squeeeeee! ¨C Piruuuuu The water deer, Chestnut, had Demy on his back and Percy was on Demy¡¯s head as they roamed around underneath the shade of a tree¡­¡­ I was relieved to see that all three of them seemed to be enjoying themselves. ¡°Are you preparing a birthday gift for his Royal Highness, your highness?¡± Sand cautiously asked. I stopped Perry from spilling a cup of tea as I responded. ¡°Yes, the item I ordered to be crafted should be done today. But it didn¡¯t seem right to just give that item alone.¡± First, I sessfully split off a portion of the holy stone that the Empress gave me. It was thanks to being introduced to the Imperial cksmith, Frank, by Agnes! Frank was a veteran who had worked in the Imperial Pce¡¯s smithy for 40 years, and, despite it being our first meeting, weed me warmly asking what an important person like me was doing in a shabby ce like that. I had paid him handsomely in advance as I ced my order. ¡°You are not just giving that to him, your highness. You said that you were going to put your ether inside.¡± Ganael, who was reading a book to my right, raised his head andmented. Sand cheered me on saying it was a great n. ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ I feel like it seems insincere because I received something from him as well.¡± The crystal bell that his Royal Highness gifted to you does seem as cool as a national treasure, but isn¡¯t your ether more beautiful, your highness?¡± The young boy did his best to defend me. ¡®Thank you so much, but he said it is actually a keepsake of his father¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°As long as you are sensible, a birthday present is considered eighty percent sessful, your highness. I, ack! Do you know what I gave him?¡± ¡°We will stop the lower body exercises for today.¡± Christelle and Sir Johann bothmented. Christelle crumbled to the floor like a fallen jenga tower before rolling on the dirt floor. I quickly peeked my head to check on her. ¡°Are you okay, youngdy Sarnez?¡± ¡°Of course! I, huff¡­ I sent him 25 handkerchiefs. I also ordered it so that the me would be a different color when he burns them. It was my way of telling him not to trash other people¡¯s handkerchiefs and just have fun with his own.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± My jaw dropped in admiration. I was in awe at the fact that she had thought deeply about the crown prince¡¯s present, and the present itself seemed pleasant as it held a memory that the two of them shared only with each other. Expensive presents were meaningless since the crown prince was the son of the house who had all of the wealth and power in the world. The main character¡¯s wit was truly different. ¡°If you have no afternoon ns, how about doing some upper body exercises after a short break?¡± Sir Johann said something very scary as his eyes curled down. Christelle shook her head. ¡°You are trying to kill me on the first day¡­¡­ Oh right! I gave you tickets to the . Isn¡¯t that today? You need to go watch it with Gerrit.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, I did forget about that.¡± Her eyes sparkled as she looked for an escape route. Sir Johann smiled as if he had no choice. The corners of my lips curled up as well. I knew that many people were doing what they could to let Sir Johann and Gerrit adjust easily, but there was something special to how our main character treated them. ¡°Your highness, the attendants of the boutique will be stopping by Juliette Pce in one hour.¡± I was looking at Sir Johann when Benjamin, who was to my left, reminded me of my afternoon schedule. ¡°Yes, I remember that. They are only taking measurements today, right?¡± ¡°That is correct, your highness. The clothes you will wear at the territory, your Archbishop robe, formal attires¡­¡­¡± There were many clothes that they needed to make. This was because bing the Marquis of the Empire was not that simple. I was told that it would be better to dress in clothes that were in the Empire¡¯s style when I visit the territory rather than the Holy Kingdom¡¯s that I usually wore. It was so that the residents would not feel a sense of disharmony or ipatibility. Furthermore, it apparently took time for the Imperial family toe up with a Marquis¡¯s coat of arms and territory name. There also needed to be plenty of time for the people in the March to get ready to greet a guest. Basically, it seemed as if I could enjoy my usual peace at the Imperial Pce for a while. ¡°Then I guess I can go take confessions after that-¡± ¡®Gasp.¡¯ My eyes opened wide mid-sentence. ¡°Prince Jesse?¡± ¡°What is it, your highness?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡­ I just remembered something. I¡¯ll be right back! I need to go to my room!¡± I quickly put the divine beasts down and headed toward Juliette Pce. Sand and Christelle¡¯s eyes opened wide. Benjamin was cleaning things up while Ganael rushed behind me. I quickly walked through the back door of the pce and ran up the stairs to the bedroom. It felt hot very quickly and I started sweating because of the hot August weather. ¡°Ganael, just stay there. It is tiring. I¡¯m just going to check something in my bedroom drawer and I¡¯ll be right back!¡± ¡°Your highness?¡± The young boy, as well as everybody walking through the hallway looked at me in shock, but I just rushed into my bedroom. I definitely had no recollection of throwing it away. ¡®I thought I put it somewhere in the side table¡­¡­¡¯ ¨C Chhh! ¡°Found it.¡± It was in thestpartment where I kept souvenirs. I smiled brightly and picked up the item that was next to Christelle and the crown prince¡¯s one day rtionship contract. It was the decorative rope of the Confessional that had been cut off. I had kept the piece that ¡®Sadie¡¯ had sliced off with his dagger on the first day we met. Although my only experience with sewing was fixing the school uniform buttons of us three siblings¡­¡­ ¡®I should be able to do it if I learn a bit from the boutique¡¯s department head when theyeter today.¡¯ * ¡°Huu¡­¡­¡± Maartje Zijlstra wandered the halls as if she was possessed. After taking the responsibility of saving Gerrit Geens¡¯ life at crown princess Elise¡¯s orders, she was only able to return to the pce a month after leaving Viaan. She was given fifteen days of break after not being able to rest all this time, but Maartje had run out of the room after opening the present on her bed. A bundle wrapped in silk was at her side. The person she had to meet, as usual, was just one person. However, the crown princess¡¯s crown princess was just wandering the hallway like a lost bird. Although what she needed to say was clear and she knew exactly where she had to go, she did not have the courage to do so. She tightly clenched and unclenched her fists and epted her current state. She was scared. She, someone who had been killing demonic beasts with her axe for decades and had even saved the young Prince Jesse from critical danger at one point, was scared. It was simply because she did not want to tell the crown princess about this terrible news. ¡°Dame Maartje?¡± She heard a familiar voice at that moment. She turned to see Jeanine, one of the crown princess¡¯s loyal attendants. Maartje silently bowed. The middle-aged woman showed her respect as well before approaching her. ¡°Is something wrong? What is making you wander around like this?¡± ¡°Not at all. I was just wondering where her highness might be¡­¡­¡± The knight rubbed her shaved head as she looked around. Jeanine gently smiled. ¡°She is currently having a light lunch in the room next to her bedroom. I will escort you there right away.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡­ I guess she is barely eating again.¡± ¡°However, she has not missed a meal since returning from the Empire. His highness must have asked her not to miss any meals.¡± The prince. Maartje did her best to maintain herposure after thinking about the prince. The two women did not say anything for a while. The knight quietly recalled the events that happened in Riester. ¡®You stay healthy as well and travel safely, your highness. Please don¡¯t skip any meals either.¡¯ Maartje did think that the Prince¡¯s way of speaking had changed a bit. Although he was using the same words, his tone had been different from when he stayed in the Holy Kingdom. However, she did not feel that it was weird. The youngdy, who seemed close to the prince, used the same way of speaking, so she had just thought that the Prince was taking after his friend. Most importantly, his personality had not changed. The way he was magnanimous toward the weak and animals and his character that did not allow him to walk past someone in pain without helping them¡­ Had not changed at all even after being taken away as a Diplomatic hostage. This was the case even if the person was someone who had tried to kill him. ¡®Jesse, that person needs to be killed right now. Move!¡¯ ¡®Your highness! Please, put your weapon away. She is just a child.¡¯ It had been that way when an arrow had been shot toward the prince while he was with the crown princess. Maartje had rushed in front of him to take the hit instead. The prince had been neen years old at the time and the person who hadunched the arrow was a sixteen years oldmoner girl. The young but not delicate prince had pushed the knight¡¯s shoulder to stop the bleeding while stepping in front of the twitching young girl. His purple eyes had sparkled brightly despite the heavy rain. ¡®Dame Zijlstra is bleeding quite a bit. This child¡¯s condition does not seem good either. Her back is sporadically shaking as if she has been whipped.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®Sister, I beg of you. Please call the Royal Doctor and a priest.¡¯ Her shoulder still twinged thinking about that time. In the end, Maartje had survived. However, demonic beast blood and a critical poison had been on the head of the arrow, and the seque from it made it so that she could never use magic tools anymore. Magic tools would react to the traces of demonic beast inside her body and break. The prince had seemed full of guilt and helped massage her shoulder whenever Maartje suffered from the pain. He did that despite knowing better than anybody else that it was not his fault. ¡®It is not much. I just thought that it must be difficult aiding her highness.¡¯ That was why it was absurd that he gifted her a magic tool, a heat generator, when they left the Empire. ¡°Your highness, Dame Maartje requests an audience.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Maartje flinched and snapped out of her thoughts. They were already at the crown princess¡¯s bedroom. Jeanine silently opened the door to the room next to it. The knight solemnly looked down at the magic tool in her hand before starting to walk. This was a cruel and terrible thing. However, she needed to inform her liege. She had a right to know. She needed to know that her precious younger brother might have lost his memories and that he was left alone in a foreignnd in such a state. ¡°I gave you a break to recognize your hard work but why are you here on your first day off?¡± The crown princess pushed away her bowl of soup as she greeted her coachman with a gentle tone. Her face, that was as exquisite as the decorations in the temple, looked strong enough not to allow anything to break her. Maartje bowed, took a deep breath, and started speaking. ¡°Your highness, I am here because there is something I must say right away. The prince-¡± ¡°Your highness!¡± Another one of the crown princess¡¯s attendants pushed the door open and walked in. Everybody was astonished because this was extremely disrespectful and rude. The young attendant did not seem fazed as she delivered her news. Her cheeks were full of tears. ¡°Her Majesty has managed to defeat her insanity and has returned to her senses! She is looking for you, your highness. She is looking for her children!¡± ¡°Oh Almighty God.¡± Elise jumped up from her seat. Jeanine covered her mouth with both hands and teared up. The crown princess¡¯s face was full of pure joy as she rushed out the door. It was rare to see her smiling so brightly, as if she had no worries at all, simr to how she had smiled during her childhood. Can you tell me whatever it is you need to tell meter?¡± The crown princess looked at the knight with teary blue eyes and asked. Maartje opened and closed her mouth a few times before nodding her head. Chapter 134 Chapter 134 ¨C Trip Preparations For The Marquis And The Knight (1) Chapter 134: Trip preparations for the Marquis and the Knight (1) Two dayster¡­ It was a night when the darkness had taken a bite of about a third of the full moon. ¨C Squeeeeee ¡°Sorry, Rhea. You must be sleepy. Let¡¯s quickly head back in and go to sleep.¡± I hugged the whining red panda and whispered. This was not my first time going to the back door of Romero Pce, but it felt unfamiliar and awkward, potentially because it waste at night when nobody was walking around. It waspletely quiet because Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth had gotten rid of the guards on this side for about thirty minutes. I raised my head and counted the windows. ¡®One, two, three¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Found it. Okay friends, some vines toward that window over there please.¡± ¨C Squeeeee. Demy and Perry quickly started growing vines at my request. I had Rhea around my shoulder, the present on my side, and two red pandas dangling on my back and leg as I stepped onto the vines one step at a time. I remember having a simr experience to rescue Demy, but I kept questioning myself, potentially because the goal waspletely different. ¡®Do I really need to do this?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­But still¡­ It¡¯s better for me to put it there.¡± ¨C Cruuu. Perry cried as if to respond. I somehow learned the basics of sewing from the head tailor and somehow managed toplete the Imperial Crown Prince bastard¡¯s birthday present, but delivery was the issue. I didn¡¯t think that the attendants would open the box in the middle, but who knew? Even if the entire Empire has heard the stories of my being the crown prince¡¯s friend, I was still the prince of a hostile kingdom and a Diplomatic hostage. I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the embarrassment if David or Geoffrey or any other person at Romero Pce checked to see what it was. ¡°It¡¯s hard being in a world without gifticon.¡± (TL: Gifticon is a new gift service that sends a gift message that can be exchanged for a real product to the other party¡¯s mobile phone.) I quietly mumbled. Just five months ago, I lived in a world where even if a friend didn¡¯t tell you what they wanted, I could search for and easily send a decent present I found. I wasn¡¯t the type to obsess with my phone, but I missed it every so often like this. Of course, anything that could be bought on the inte probably didn¡¯t have any value for the crown prince bastard. ¡°Puuush.¡± ¨C Tap! I gentlynded on the balcony. Although I was bad with directions, I had definitely counted the numbers. This was the room where the crown prince had sent me the code. The balcony door was slightly opened as I had seen in the distance, and there was a gentle light lighting up the inside. ¡®I feel like I¡¯m filming a spy thriller whenever Ie to Romero Pce.¡¯ ¨C Screeeech¡­¡­ I clenched my teeth and pulled open the door. The curtains gently shook from thete summer breeze. First I peeked in to look around the room and then Demy, Rhea, and Perry all took turns as well. Thankfully, nobody was there. ¡®Thank you very much, author-nim!¡¯ ¡°This is good. This is already half a sess.¡± I cheered myself up, picked up my heels, and headed toward a nearby table. The divine beasts trotted over and surrounded me as well. The area seemed not to be a bedroom but the room next to a bedroom or a resting room. It was, as expected, much more luxurious andrger than Juliette Pce, but I didn¡¯t have time to look around. I opened the box onest time and checked inside before leaving the present and running away. ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­ A bright light shed out. I squinted and picked up the ne. This Holy stone that was luxuriously crafted to look like a diamond was the work of Frank, the Imperial cksmith. The ether I spent two days putting into the empty holy stone so that there was no unfilled space inside was glowing white gold. I thoroughly made sure there were no gaps in the ether before inspecting the rope. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ ¡°Should I take it off?¡± I pulled the threads out of the decorative rope of the Confessional that that punk Sadie had cut off and sewed it into a ne so he could wear this stone, but¡­¡­ Everybody could clearly see how shoddy it looked. Even Percy had pped his wings earlier in the day as if to sneer at me. I looked at the threads that were slowly unraveling and sighed. ¡®This isn¡¯t kids ying around or something. I should have pulled one of the nes the nobles gifted me and put the stones on that instead.¡¯ ¨C Pruuuu! Demy, who climbed up my arm, licked my finger. To be more urate, it was the part that Ganael had wrapped with white cloth. I smiled bitterly and rubbed the divine beast¡¯s back. ¡®Is he telling me to just give it to the crown prince since I even shed blood doing the needle work?¡¯ ¨C Click. ¡°Son of a.¡± The door opened at that moment. I instantly closed the box, grabbed the kiddos, and jumped out onto the balcony. I didn¡¯t even remember my mindset as I jumped over the ledge. This was one of the extremely few times I had moved so quickly since transmigrating into this world. ¨C Step step I heard someone stepping on the carpet. I quietly caught my breath and lowered my head beneath the vines. The three red panda musketeers were being good and only looking at me. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The footsteps stopped once they got near the balcony. My heart was beating wildly as if I had done something extremely wrong. It would be the worst if the crown prince himself found me, but it would also be bad if David or any of the other attendants found me. I didn¡¯t want to cause a ruckus when Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth had helped me out. My eyes clenched shut. ¨C Screeeech, click. sh. I opened my eyes and released the breath that I had subconsciously been holding. I didn¡¯t know who it was, but they must have approached the balcony to lock the door. I peeked my head to see that the now locked door was covered by the curtains. I couldn¡¯t help but smile in relief. ¡°I managed it.¡± ¨C Screeeech! ¡°Shh, shh.¡± I quieted the entertained red pandas and quickly returned to the ground. I also didn¡¯t forget to have them dry the vines into dust in order to get rid of our traces. This was the method that the crown prince hade up with during ¡®Operation Verona.¡¯ He had wondered if they could make nts wither as well since they could grow nts with their earth attribute powers. As expected, the male lead knew how to use his head. ¡°¡­¡­I didn¡¯t write him a card. It should be okay, right?¡± ¨C Pruu? I whispered while quickly walking toward Juliette Pce and Demy opened his mouth wide. I chuckled and nodded my head. ¡®Yeah, it is too embarrassing to exchange cards as well.¡¯ * The week after that was extremely peaceful. I once again enjoyed the rxing schedule of the Imperial Pce. I dutifully went to all of my lessons with Cardinal Boutier and my Archbishop¡¯s Holy Land was inspected every time. Although we had already confirmedst month that my Holy Land was muchrger than average, my teacher seemed extremely happy whenever she saw my circle. Getting praised made me feel like I had returned to my student days and it was nice. ¡®You¡¯ll be a great Cardinal, my little prince.¡¯ ¡®Mm¡­¡­¡¯ I also didn¡¯t forget to go to Christelle¡¯s Holy Knight training with Sir Johann. The crown prince had been unable to attend any lessons since his session confirmation ceremony, but she seemed quite happy about that. I had only seen him from a distance about two times but he didn¡¯t seem to becking ether or tired. He just seemed extremely busy. ¡®I wonder if he got the ne?¡¯ ¡°While he¡¯s not interested in his lessons, I hope that he just goes and gets married as well. Then wouldn¡¯t he have no reason to see us at all?¡± The MC said something extremely scary. ¡®We can¡¯t have the setting break down! What else did I do? Oh right. I went with Sand and Gerrit to see Marquis Fran?ois Duhem¡¯s polo match.¡¯ I asked Vice Captain ¨¦lisabethst month and she was able to get us some tickets again. Both of them said that it was their first time watching polo, but they seemedpletely obsessed by the end of the match. Gerrit¡¯s face was flushed when he managed to get the Marquis¡¯ signature. ¡®This might be a little dangerous.¡¯ ¡®Ah ah, you have fallen for Fran?ois Duhem, the symbol of victory. That is to be expected!¡¯ The handsome man¡¯s light pink eyes sparkled with joy. ¡®I¡¯m d you have a new number one fan.¡¯ Returning back to the present¡­ I was wearing a luxurious Imperial outfit as I awkwardly walked down the hallway of the Empress Pce. Today was the day to wear this new outfit that the boutique had prepared for me to receive my Marquis title. I was nning on heading out to my territory immediately after the ceremony. Viaan outfits had lots of curves and the outeryer went almost all the way down to the ground while the Riester nobles dressed like typical fantasy novel characters. Although I had borrowed the attendant Pierre¡¯s clothes to infiltrate Romero Pce and had worn themoner clothes at Aightz Vige¡­¡­ I was feeling embarrassed because I had not dressed properly like this before. ¡°Your highness, I bet 500 Francs on Angelique.¡± ¡°Ganael, I think you are gambling too much.¡± I calmly scolded the young boy. My family at Juliette Pce had a pot going for what the Imperial family would designate as my territory name. The people in the Imperial Pce usually worked silently and seemed pretty chill, but whenever something like this came up, it always led to gambling. The Imperial family seemed to close their eyes to this as just sport. Ganael¡¯s gold eyes sparkled as he responded. ¡°But Lord Benjamin has participated as well, your highness!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I bet 1000 Francs on Lunaire, your highness. I heard that her Eminence suggested that one.¡± ¡®You¡¯re supposed to be the Head Attendant of Juliette Pce, mister, Why do you sound so proud about that?¡¯ My mouth opened and closed without saying anything in disbelief. Internally, I was trying to do my best to figure out what Lunaire meant. ¡®Since Roman mythologies call the moon goddess Luna, it probably means moon.¡¯ It was a hundred thousand times better than Angel, but I didn¡¯t really know¡­¡­ ¡°I will be helping with your entry, your highness.¡± An attendant of the Empress Pce, who was stationed outside the audience room bowed toward me at that moment. I was extremely stiff as I silently bowed back. This was not my first time in the audience room nor seeing Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, however, everything felt new thinking about how I was going to be a noble of the Empire. I clenched my hand into a fist before opening it back. ¡°We will be waiting outside, your highness.¡± ¡°See youter as a Marquis, your highness!¡± ¡°First Prince of the Viaan Holy Kingdom, Jesse Viaan, now entering!¡± There was a loud noise as the tall door opened. The sight I had seen on the day Elise arrived was visible once again. I could see the Empress and the Cardinal at the other end, at the highest spot of the steps. It was okay for me to step on the red carpet today. I gulped before starting to walk. I could hear the Pair de Riester and knights to the right and left whispering while looking at me. ¡°Yes, his Royal Highness personally¡­¡­¡± ¡°Duke Sarnez? My goodness.¡± Most of the whispers seemed to be about the crown prince and the House of Sarnez. I didn¡¯t get disturbed and arrived at the spot closest to the Imperial family. I only realized that the crown prince was to the Empress¡¯s left after kneeling down on one knee at the bottom of the steps. I could feel his orange eyes looking at my face. ¡®Do I have some bread crumbs or something?¡¯ ¡°I greet the sun that has descended to the ground and your noble Eminence, who has received the blessing of the Almighty God.¡± ¡°Wee. Today is a special day for you.¡± The empress, who looked dignified sitting on the throne, responded. I then heard attendants quicklying and going. I peeked to see someone with a dark red cushion and a golden scrolling in through the side door. Someone with arge and thick g followed behind him. ¡®They seem to have some sort of cloth as well. Is it a cape?¡¯ ¡°The sound of your eyeballs moving around is deafening. Be patient as they will all be yours.¡± Flinch. The nobles quietly chuckled as the Empress picked on me. My ears became as hot as hot cakes. I lowered my head even more and closed my mouth. ¨C ng! I heard the clear sound of a de. This time, I had to look up in shock. The silver-haired swordswoman, who had gotten up from her seat, had pulled out her holy sword, Durandal, and was looking down at me. It was only for a moment, but it felt as if the tip of her sword had the aura of a sword master. I knew that this was an essential ritual, but I still got scared. The Cardinal tried to console me as I was frozen stiff. ¡°It¡¯s okay, my little prince. Just close your eyes.¡± ¡®It¡¯s not okay at all!¡¯ Her speaking like that made me feel like I had to leave myst words or something. I thought about the menu for lunch with the divine beasts and barely managed to maintain my poker face. For all those who receive a title in the Empire to have to offer their necks under the de of a sword master¡­ wasn¡¯t this trial too cruel? ¡°Prince Jesse Viaan. You have supported the Imperial Crown Prince of the Great Riester to sessfullyplete the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts and have received the praises of the people after waking the divine item of the Empire that has been asleep for a long time.¡± The Empress started speaking in a stiff tone. Images flew through my mind about those times. ¡°Furthermore, you yed a big role in calming the souls of the Crown Prince and youngdy Christelle de Sarnez, the only Holy Knights in the history of the Empire. You yed a significant role in defeating a demonic beast that appeared at the center of the Imperial Capital and rescuing a lot of people in the process as well. Finally, you helped Holy Knight Johann Geens seek asylum and significantly increase the military strength of the Empire. That should be looked upon highly as well.¡± My instincts were telling me something. They were saying that thest statement was something impromptu. I blinked and slowly looked up. The Empress was smiling elegantly at me. My cheeks flushed. ¡°For all of your merits, this Empress rightfully bestows upon you a title of nobility in the Empire and promise you my eternal blessing.¡± She tapped both of my shoulders with the t part of her de. I smiled brightly as emotions filled inside me when I made eye contact with the crown prince¡¯s fiery gaze. The Empress¡¯s next words pierced through my ears. ¡°You are now one of this Empress¡¯s people. Marquis of S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦. Chapter 135 Chapter 135 ¨C Trip Preparations For The Marquis And The Knight (2) Chapter 135: Trip preparations for the Marquis and the Knight (2) Apuse followed. ¡®S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦?¡¯ It was neither the Angelique that Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique had said to tease me nor the Lunaire that Cardinal Boutier had suggested. It was better than the others since hearing it did not make me cringe or feel embarrassed. I did feel bad for Benjamin and Ganael since they would have both lost money. ¡®But what does it mean? Should I just think of the English word, serene?¡¯ ¡°Next.¡± The Empress ced a luxurious cape on my shoulders before motioning to the Chief of Staff, Laura, with her chin. Laura then sent a sharp gaze toward the entrance of the audience room. I stood up and tried my best to understand the situation. ¡°Youngdy Christelle de Sarnez now entering!¡± ¨C Boom! I heard the heavy doors open again. My eyes opened wide as I looked behind me. I could see Christelle¡¯s pink hair and beautiful eyes sparkling in the distance. Her cheerful and confident face made all of the Pair de Riester start chatting with excitement. ¡®I¡¯m not the only one getting awarded today?¡¯ ¡°You can head off to that side now.¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡± I immediately responded to the order given by the Empress¡¯ husky voice. I tactfully stood at the level below crown prince C¨¦dric, at the same step I was at when we greeted Elise. Marquis Fran?ois Duhem, who was nearby, motioned toward me with his eyes and hands. It seemed as if he was saying, ¡®congrattions on getting the same title as me¡¯ followed by ¡®I¡¯m so handsome.¡¯ I just brushed it off and looked up at the crown prince. His sun-like gaze immediately red down at me. ¡®Did you receive the ne, your Royal Highness?¡¯ I moved my lips as clearly as possible to ask. The crown prince seemed to have understood immediately. He then scowled. ¡°¡­¡­That was a ne?¡± He seemed quite serious as he asked that. I couldn¡¯t even say anything since he didn¡¯t seem to be mocking me about it at all. I clenched my teeth before waving my hand as if to say everything was okay and then looked forward. ¡®As long as he received it.¡¯ ¡°Youngdy Christelle de Sarnez. You have supported the Imperial Crown Prince of the Great Riester to sessfullyplete the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts¡­¡­¡± Christelle, who had approached the front of the steps and knelt down, lowered her head while listening to the Empress repeat what she said to me. I felt as if I could finally understand why her lips had twitched whenever I saw her thest few days. Christelle seemed curious about something as well since she kept raising her eyes and turning her head as well. It made me feel embarrassed andugh out loud at the fact that I could have looked like that as well. She smiled as bright as a star when we made eye contact. I gently waved. ¡°For all of your merits, this Empress rightfully bestows upon you the title of Knight for the Empire and the promise of my eternal blessing.¡± ¡®Hey, the MC is being knighted!¡¯ My jaw dropped. An honorable reward was being given to Christelle for everything she had done. I would have taken a video if I had a phone, so it was disappointing that I could only remember this with my mind. I was the first to start pping once she received her title and started to stand. I was sure that Eunseo would be really happy as well. ¡°You seem quite happy.¡± ¡°We are friends. Furthermore, youngdy Sarnez does notck anything to be a knight, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t you think so as well?¡¯ That was the thought on my mind as I turned to look at the crown prince. He then threw a passionate gaze toward Christelle. It made me feel so proud. The now-knighted Christelle slid to a spot close to me. Her rosy cheeks and sparkling blue-gray eyes gave off the lively charm that only a main character could give off. I smiled and congratted her. ¡°Congrattions, Dame Sarnez.¡± ¡°Wow. You are the first person to address me like that! Thank you very much. Congrattions to you as well, your highness.¡± She quickly responded. I got excited seeing that she could not hide her excitement and joy. Christelle touched my cape, asked me if I knew that there was a coat of arms embroidered on it, and thenmented about how all the tension disappearing made her hungry. Duke and Duchess Sarnez, standing on the other side, were looking toward this direction with both pride and awkwardness. ¡®I guess things are still awkward between her and her parents.¡¯ ¡°Young Countess ¨¦lisabeth Moutet now entering!¡± ¨C Boom! Christelle and I turned our heads at the same time. I now felt that the Empress, a fan of efficiency, had chosen this day to kill multiple birds with one stone. I scoffed and watched as the ordination continued. Unlike the two of us, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth seemed quite used to everything. ¡°¡­¡­In honor of these aplishments, This Empress bestows upon you the glorious Grade 3 Imperial Medal of Honor .¡± All of the help the young Countess had given me for these past months jumped through my mind. She looked extremely mature and remained calm when the Empress personally ced the Medal of Honor on her. The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard truly was different. Christelle and I cheered loudly in ce of the silent crown prince. Once the ordination was over, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth greeted us with her eyes before walking over to stand next to Captain Herv¨¦ Duhem. Captain Duhem looked quite satisfied as he patted his subordinate¡¯s shoulder. Four or five people received medal of honors or titles after that. While that was going on, Christelle and I whispered to each other about where we were staying on our way to S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦ and how we had packed. I could feel the crown prince¡¯s burning gaze on my back. ¡®I know she is going to be your wife so calm down¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦. The name is so pretty. I¡¯m sure it means something good.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. I agree with you.¡± ¡®No ruler is going to give a bad name to thend where her people live¡­ Wait a minute. I thought that the Empress was not going to decide the name of my territory?¡¯ ¡°It suits you well, your highness. You¡¯re pretty.¡± ¡°T, thank you very much.¡± Ipletely forgot what I was thinking about after Christelle hit me with that hook. As I was answering in that half-baked voice¡­ ¡°It¡¯s done. You may all leave. I¡¯m going to get tired if I see your faces any longer.¡± The Empress made thatment before escorting the Cardinal out. Marquis Duhem and some of the othersughed and showed their respects as they knew that she was half-joking. Everything must have ended. As we were bowing toward her as well¡­ ¡°Oh, by the way, my son and Dame Sarnez have taken Marquis S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦ as their priest partner.¡± Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Riester threw a bomb. ¡°Now that you know, you may leave.¡± My jaw dropped. The audience became rowdy for a moment. As soon as I got my title of Marquis and it became certain that I had my feet within the Empire, the Empress stepped in and put an end to the rumors that had been going around. Now that the strict Empress has said so herself, nobody would be able to say anything about our partnership now. Marquis Duhem whistled. Christelle smiled brightly and gently jabbed my side with her arm. ¡°Your highness, we¡¯re official now!¡± ¡®¡­¡­Yes, but I think that is a bad choice of words.¡¯ ¨C Craaaackle! ¡°Eek!¡± The high braziers on both sides of the carpet crackled at that moment. Some of the Pair de Riester gasped and moved back. I quickly looked toward the crown prince but I could not confirm his intentions because he was already walking away with the Empress and the Cardinal. Christelle snorted and quietly mumbled. ¡°Trying to keep in line.¡± ¡®Wow, did he just scare a bunch of random people to keep me in line?¡¯ * The Empress Pce waspletely full of people after the ceremony. Percy and Demy were dangling on my arms. Demy was understandable, but I didn¡¯t know why Percy was overworking his beak like this when he has wings. ¡°Your highness, I really want to go with you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. You need to be with Gerrit for a while. Furthermore, you are now a knight of her Majesty, Sir Johann.¡± Sir Johann¡¯s eyes sadly curled down as he came out to the imperial carriage to see us off. There were a total of five carriages heading out to my March, S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦. Three of them were for me from the Imperial family while the other two belonged to the Duke¡¯s House of Sarnez. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was nning to take a small number of Imperial Guard members ande with us, as per the Imperial Order. Sir Johann had been saying for a while that he was going to go with me, but I refused him. I wanted little Gerrit to get some rest in the Imperial Capital and get situated. I also didn¡¯t want him to be away from his dad. ¡°¡­¡­I will obey if that is your wish, your highness.¡± Sir Johann gentlymented, bowed, and walked away. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth smiled toward me while sitting on a horse. The Sarnez parents greeted me earlier and got on one of their carriages. Benjamin and Ganael were also waiting inside for me so we were going to head out as soon as I was ready. I did my best to ignore Marquis Duhem, who was sending hand kisses from a distance, and turned around. ¡®How can he be in full celeb mode all day?¡¯ ¡°Then I guess it is time to head out.¡± ¡°Your highness!¡± I heard a clear voice as soon as I said that and the carriage door closed. Christelle had rushed over. ¡°Dame Sarnez?¡± ¡°If it is okay with you, may I ride with you?¡± She sounded serious, unlike her usual self. My instincts told me that this was rted to her parents. I nodded my head and the coachman opened the door. Christelle was cheerfully getting on when¡­ ¨C Squeeeeee! ¨C Screeeech This time, Rhea and Perry ran out of the carriage. The coachman got shocked and groaned. ¡®What are these troublemakers up to now?!¡¯ ¡°Your highness, the divine beasts are heading toward his Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I poked my head out the window to look. As Ganael mentioned, the two red pandas were climbing the stairs toward the crown prince. The man, who was standing like a statue in front of the Empress Pce, pulled off his glove and flicked his fingers once the divine beasts started roaming around his feet. The two me balls we saw in Yvelines appeared again. The two beasts rolled on their backs, stuck out their tongues, and looked happy. I sighed and shook my head. ¡°Let¡¯s just go.¡± ¡°Excuse me? But¡­¡± ¡°It looks like they wanted to stay behind and console his Royal Highness since he can¡¯t go. Those kids are close with his Royal Highness.¡± I responded to my young attendant. The coachman realized the situation, bowed, and closed the door. The carriage slowly started moving. Thest I saw of the crown prince was him looking extremely disgruntled, as if he would light the whole carriage on fire. ¡®He must be feeling like I am stealing Christelle from him.¡¯ Of course, I had no desire at all to do that. ¡®So who told you to be busy¡­¡­¡¯ I thought that he should be okay for a while since I filled the holy stone with ether. * The schedule this time was better than our schedule during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. We did not need to use the portal at the Legault Central Commerce Center followed by another four days of travel by carriage. My territory, S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦, took only two days from the southern part of the Imperial Capital. ¡®It¡¯s a bit embarrassing to call it my territory.¡¯ ¡°Your highness, what did you think of the advertisement for his Royal Highness¡¯s birthday that you saw in the waiting room earlier? I sponsored a part of it too!¡± Ganael asked once we got out of the Legault portal and climbed onto a carriage. I could not say anything since I had nothing to say to this child who had spent money on it. The artistic portrait of the crown prince using pointillism wasrge and cool, but it was quiteckingpared to the real thing. I petted Demy and Percy as I broke the silence. ¡°Uhh¡­¡­ It was quite the dedication. I was surprised that it was there despite his birthday already passing.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal for birthday advertisements to be up for a month?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, you are quite knowledgeable about it, Dame Sarnez. This year¡¯s congrattory phrase was chosen by vote¡­¡­¡± Ganael¡¯s eyes sparkled as he rambled on at Christelle¡¯s question. The conversation seemed to be flowing in Eunseo¡¯s style. I quietly smiled, took off the motion sickness medicine at the bottom of my ear, and opened the basket with Benjamin. The number one item on our packing list was delicious food. Christelle let out a deep sigh as everybody picked out snacks and drinks they wanted. ¡°I should be happy at the thought of making fun of his Royal Highness after seeing that ad, but¡­¡­ To be honest with you, I am not feeling up to it.¡± She finally seemed to be mentioning the reason why she got on the carriage with us. I ced a fork and napkin in her hand as Imented. ¡°Feel free to say what is on your mind. Benjamin and Ganael are great listeners.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness, I wanted to talk to the three of you about it first. I n on telling Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth when we get to the innter as well.¡± She had a bitter smile on her face. She then immediately said what was on her mind. ¡°My parents want me to get married.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¨C Piiiiiiiiii! I was so shocked that I dropped the religieuse in my hand onto Demy¡¯s belly. The red panda immediatelyined after being hit by the snowball cookie. I urgently turned my head but Benjamin and Ganael did not seem disturbed at all. In fact, they seemed as if they agreed that it was time. ¡®No. Absolutely not.¡¯ ¡°Why all of a sudden¡­¡­¡± ¡°My engagement with his Royal Highness is gone and it does not seem like there is any chance of it happening again, so they think that it is time that I slowly start bing the young Duchess as I am an only child.¡± It felt like I was suddenly hit by lightning. The cute little puits d¡¯amour, ¡®wells of love¡¯, crumbled under Christelle¡¯s fork. My mind was spinning trying to figure out the situation. I wiped Demy¡¯s stomach with shaking hands. ¡®It looks like number two on our packing list was¡­¡­ Coincidental traveling with the main character as she runs from love.¡¯ Chapter 136 - 136: Trip preparations for the Marquis and the Knight (3) Chapter 136: Trip preparations for the Marquis and the Knight (3) ¡°Open your mouth, Demy. Herees a fruit.¡± ¨C Chomp chomp chomp¡­¡­ I delivered a nicely peeled pear to our esteemed divine beast. The punk finally looked like he was not angry anymore as he grabbed my wrist and munched on it. The carriage was gently shaking and Benjamin and Ganael were quietly chatting with Christelle. I looked at the red panda and calmly assessed the situation. ¡®It¡¯s okay, Jung Yeseo. Why do you think the official couple is an official couple? They are an official couple because they end up together in the end no matter what.¡¯ First, let¡¯s return to the information from when I transmigrated into this world. 1. Christelle is the only child of the Duke¡¯s House of Sarnez. 2. As a result, Christelle needs to be the heir to the Duchy. 3. However, due to the Duke¡¯s loyalty to the Empress, he agreed to marry his daughter to crown prince C¨¦dric. It was because he needed the ¡®Blessing of the Blue Sea.¡¯ 4. Tada! Christelle has absorbed the Blessing of the Blue Sea. The engagement was canceled. 5. Since the marriage discussions with the Imperial family were gone, the Duke now wanted his daughter to be the young Duchess as custom. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I used a wet napkin to wipe Demy¡¯s mouth and whiskers before bing serious. There was one thing that stuck out to me. ¡°Dame Sarnez, if you ended up getting engaged to his Royal Highness, who would have carried on the Duke¡¯s line?¡± ¡°Apparently they were nning on adopting the nephew they are closest to.¡± Christelle stopped drinking her iced coffee to respond. Ganael nodded his head as if that was obvious. ¡°That is how everybody in Riester does it, your highness. It is rare, but it happens when the only child does not carry on the family name and bes a member of another household. Isn¡¯t it like that in the Holy Kingdom as well, your highness?¡± I just vaguely smiled. I wasn¡¯t sure because there was not much I knew about the customs of the Holy Kingdom. Looking at the young boy made me think of the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard riding on a horse outside. Ganael was the first son of the Viscount¡¯s House of Camard, however, he offered the title of young patriarch to his younger brother to be engaged to Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. ¡®Things would not be thisplicated if Christelle had a younger sibling¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Dame, do you not wish to be the young Duchess?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind being the young Duchess, it is just that I do not wish to get married.¡± Christelle clearly stated her feelings at my question. I bit down on my lip. This was theplete opposite of how the original went. Christelle needed to have an issue with being the young Duchess while feeling positive about marriage. As crown princess, she would no longer be a person of her household but a part of the Imperial family. ¡®Mm.¡¯ ¡°My mother talks about considering it when my memories return, however, my father is very firm about his wishes. They said that I need to bring a good husband to provide stability for the family. They have this book of portraits and they are looking to see if any households have a decent second son.¡± The MC sighed as she said that. Once I thought about it, Duke Sarnez¡¯s disposition was clear from the moment he didn¡¯t care about her opinion and set her up to be engaged to the crown prince. He had pushed for a marriage despite his daughter just waking up from being sick and having issues with her memories. Truly loving his daughter seemed separate from his mindset as a proper Pair de Riester. It was something that was difficult for me to understand. ¡°Duke Simon de Sarnez got married at eighteen years old, so it is not shocking that he is worried about the future of his neen year old daughter.¡± Benjamin¡¯s exnation supported my thoughts as well. I observed the side of Christelle¡¯s face as she sat there looking upset. ¡®Should I just close my eyes and ask? It might be okay to just feel it out?¡¯ ¡°Umm, what about his Royal Highness?¡± ¡°What about him?¡± I cautiously asked and Christelle blinked in confusion. Benjamin and Ganael looked at me with confusion as well. ¡®Why is the mood like this?¡¯ ¡°Isn¡¯t he handsome? He is tall and has a great voice.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Is that all?¡± ¡°Did I miss something?¡¯ Christelle nonchntly responded before crunching on a cracker-like roasted tulle. She seemed to have finished off that broken Wells of Love cracker. I was at a loss for words. I looked at the other two to ask for help, but Benjamin avoided my gaze and Ganael sent me a pitying gaze back. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ * Christelle seemed to feel much better after spilling her guts to us. The critical issue was that I was the one who had to share her concern, but that was something only I knew. Nothing much happened until we arrived at our lodging. We unpacked at an inn that was smaller than Le Siffre. Though at least the employees seemed to have a lot more freedom here. We all had a filling dinner together before I thanked the Duke and his wife as they walked out of the dining area. ¡°Thank you again for joining me on this trip.¡± ¡°Not at all, Prince Jesse. Thank you for always taking care of my daughter. I am happy to help you with something like this at any time.¡± Duke Simon de Sarnez politely responded. He seemed to be in histe thirties or early forties but he gave off a solemn demeanor unlike Marquis Fran?ois Duhem, who should be simr in age. Although he didn¡¯t give off a bad impression, it always felt difficult to converse with him. Although he could have arrived at the free city of Haas in half a day if he used portals, the Duke happily agreed to the Imperial Decree to take the long road with me. I was extremely thankful for that. ¡°Then please rest well and I will see you tomorrow morning, your highness.¡± ¡°I hope you have sweet dreams as well, Duke Sarnez.¡± I responded. The Duke bowed picturesquely before walking away. Lady Isabelle motioned to her husband with her eyes before staying behind. Christelle, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, Benjamin, and Ganael cautiously looked at us before walking up the steps first. Demy and Percy were ying by my feet. ¡°I pray that you have a peaceful night as well, Lady Sarnez.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. Umm¡­¡­ Thank you very much forst time.¡± Thedy¡¯s ck eyes sparkled as she spoke. It took me a moment to understand what she was saying. She seemed to be talking about when I took her confession during the Spring Ball. I smiled at her. ¡°I just did what I needed to do as a priest.¡± ¡®I tried to run away at the time but let¡¯s just leave it at that.¡¯ ¡°Not at all, your highness. You forgave me for my disrespect and gave me some heartwarming advice¡­¡­ I was able to chat with my husband and resolve our difficulties.¡± Isabelle fixed her shawl and smiled. I was relieved to see that she looked much happier than at that time. I was about to send her off before thinking of something and bringing it up. Christelle mentioned that her mother was on her side. ¡°Lady Sarnez, your daughter spoke to me about her marriage earlier.¡± ¡°Ah, that child ended up discussing it with you, your highness. I had expected it to happen.¡± She awkwardly responded. I calmly chose the words to say in my mind. I also spoke extremely quietly so that nobody else could hear. ¡°As Dame Sarnez¡¯s friend¡­¡­ I think that she needs to personally make a decision for something so important.¡± ¡°Oh my.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure that the two of you think differently. I apologize for stepping out of bounds to make ament about such private affairs. However, I was concerned that my friend did not seem to have a say in this matter.¡± ¡°No, you are right, your highness. I was just a bit shocked¡­¡­¡± Isabelle looked flushed as she responded. She touched her arm and thought about something for a bit before looking up at me and asking. ¡°Your highness, you are a close friend of my daughter, yes?¡± ¡®Close¡­¡­ I guess you could say that we are. We are friends and now I am officially her priest partner as well.¡¯ ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Christelle also easily confesses any secrets or concerns to you as well. I am pretty much aware of how my daughter feels about you, your highness.¡± She whispered. It made sense. Although Christelle seemed to find it awkward to be around her new parents, she seemed weak to her mother who felt more like an older sister. The reason she first met me was to ask me to take her mother¡¯s confession after all. The two of them seemed to have chatted frequently. ¡°You¡¯ve also received the title of Marquis recently, your highness. Congrattions on bing a noble of the Empire.¡± ¡°Excuse me? Yes, thank you very much.¡± The conversation suddenly switched topics. I had no idea why she suddenly brought this up while discussing Christelle and my rtionship. Isabelle then looked extremely satisfied while looking at me. I felt deja vu and tried to think about when I had seen something like this, and I recalled how Cardinal Boutier had such a look toward me every so often. ¡®Did I do something praiseworthy without knowing about it?¡¯ ¡°I will speak to Simon about it.¡± ¡®Jackpot.¡¯ My mouth opened wide. ¡°That¡¯s great. Your daughter will be very happy.¡± ¡°Yes, she definitely will be if it is you, your highness.¡± She elegantly bowed after saying that. I thought that herst sentence was odd, but I couldn¡¯t ask about it because Demy looked as if he would attack her dress. I bowed back before quickly grabbing the divine beast and chimney bird who rolling around on the ground. ¨C Piruuuuuuuuuu! Percy cheerfully chirped. ¡®Yeah, the author seems to have a n.¡¯ * Johann Geens bowed his neatly tied down white hair toward the Empress. The Holy Knight¡¯s ability to gather information was faster than any spy she had nted in the Holy Kingdom. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique sat there supporting her chin with one hand while tapping the edge of her armrest with the other. That was the only sound in the office right now. ¡°Queen Christanne has regained her sanity.¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty. The periods of her insanitying and going have not been stabletely. This past episode was quite long and her symptoms were extremely severe. There were rumors about how she was struggling to even look at the crown princess and the second princess¡¯s faces.¡± Johann responded. This was not bad news considering the rtionship between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom. Although the friendship between the two nations had been broken, the two nations interacted with each other for religious reasons through the Vatican every so often. There were also citizens of the Holy Kingdom who secretly crossed the border every year. That was why the Empress wanted her diplomatic counterpart to be able to think rationally and be logical. She didn¡¯t want to chat with that wicked thing that did such atrocious things as the Agent of the Queen. In the first ce, there was a fully grown crown princess avable, so why was the Prince Consort acting as the Agent? ¡°Prince Jesse¡¯s diplomatic hostage negotiation happened because of the crown princess¡¯ unexpected actions.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Aur¨¦lie responded to the Empress mumbling to herself. Crown princess Elise had been the one to sign the negotiation document as well. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique wondered what the Queens¡¯ opinion would be on the current situation of things and whether she even knew anything about the state of affairs. She looked toward her son, who was sitting by himself on a long couch to her left. His orange eyes seemed to be heavily sinking down. ¡°I will not send the punk back for a low amount.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± The Empress clicked her tongue. She had said that to reduce any unnecessary anxiety he might have had, but her heir¡¯splexion seemed to get even darker. Any further conversation about this would need to happen separately with just her contractor. She waved her hand for everybody to leave. C¨¦dric quietly bowed to the two adults before leaving the office with Johann. Click, the door closed behind his back. The crown prince was about to walk away when the Imperial Instructor¡¯s words stopped him. ¡°I heard that you are taking care of all of your political responsibilities for next month in advance, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Do you have an informant in Romero as well?¡± He red at his instructor with a vicious gaze. Johann did not seem fazed. ¡°I would not call it an informant, your Royal Highness. The attendants of Romero Pce are close to the attendants of Juliette Pce and the staff of Juliette Pce are close to me.¡± David quietly sighed behind them. C¨¦dric suppressed the me that wanted to rise from inside of him. The Holy stone dangling close to his heart gently released warmth as if to console him. The golden ether that he had not absorbed even once glowed radiantly underneath his formal attire. That made it bearable. ¡°Dame Sarnez has been disappointed because you have note to any lessonstely, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Get to the point.¡± ¡°You have finished your mountain load of work in advance because you wanted to be with your friends but you are not going to go join them?¡± The corners of eyes curled up. C¨¦dric¡¯s low voice sounded even colder. ¡°Then why are you still at the Imperial Pce?¡± ¡°I am a knight of her Majesty.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness. I remained here at the order of my liege.¡± His mint-colored eyes sparkled coldly. The Cardinal did not even pretend to wear a mask in front of him. C¨¦dric was satisfied with learning things from him and sort of understood why the prince cared so much about his instructor, but he did not really have any positive feelings for this guy. The wind-like voice echoed through the hallway as the crown prince felt no need to continue this conversation and turned around. ¡°He won¡¯t know if you don¡¯t say it out loud.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Vice Commander Moutet is an astute swordswoman. She is your close friend and can quickly realize your feelings, your Royal Highness. However, his highness is different.¡± ¡°And the reason you are telling me this?¡± C¨¦dric sharply asked. Just like his mother, he was not the type to enjoy such riddles. The Imperial Instructor slowly decided to let his disciple go. This should already be a decent lesson for today. Most importantly, he had no desire to destroy the Empress Pce. ¡°I am your instructor, your Royal Highness. I am happy to give lessons on emotions as well if necessary.¡± Chapter 137 - 137: Trip preparations for the Marquis and the Knight (4) Chapter 137: Trip preparations for the Marquis and the Knight (4) We left the inn immediately after eating breakfast. The weather at the end of August was sunny. It smelled more like summer here, despite only being slightly south of the Imperial Capital. ¡°We should arrive at the Lord¡¯s Castle by evening, your highness.¡± Benjaminmented. I nodded my head and looked at Christelle seated next to me. Apparently she had chatted a while with Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth before they fell asleep; she looked much better than yesterday. ¡°Dame Sarnez. Did your parents request to chat with you by chance?¡± ¡°Excuse me? No, both of them went to sleep early, your highness.¡± She answered cheerfully. I asked because Lady Isabelle said she would talk to her husband, but I suppose this was not a topic that would be concluded in a single night. I patted the sleepy Demy and Percy on their backs and smiled. She should still end up with the male lead since she was the MC of a Romfan. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t worry too much about it.¡¯ ¨C ck, ck¡­¡­ The carriage continued down the eastern road of the Empire. Unlike the lush forests of the east and the rough terrain of the south, this side had a lot of t ins and not many trees. Thanks to that, I could see all the carriages passing by in the distance. There were also small streams along the way, forcing us to cross over some bridges. Overall, it was very open and peaceful. I looked out the window for a bit before turning toward Christelle and whispering. ¡°Are you trying not to get married because you are worried about when your memories return?¡± The MC¡¯s eyes opened wide. I immediately apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I overstepped my bounds to make a guess at your feelings.¡± ¡°No, your highness, I was just surprised. You¡­¡­¡± ¡®Understand me deeper than I had imagined.¡¯ That was how she finished her sentence. Then she smiled brightly like the Sirius star in the night sky. ¡°That¡¯s right, your highness. I might not like my betrothed when my memories returnter. Both my family and my husband will be harmed if we divorceter.¡± She then shook the ss bottle in her hand. The iced coffee spun around. ¡°Bing the young Duchess is something that is expected, so I should not be very shocked even after getting my memories back. On the other hand, marriage is a difficult issue that can not be easily withdrawn.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Of course, I told the same to my father but he is firm about this issue. He says that there won¡¯t be much difference to the results even if I get my memories back because Pair de Riester rarely get married for love.¡± Silence filled the carriage for a moment. I could understand the reason she was upset. I was the only one who knew about the existence of < I quit my job and ended up as a noble youngdy in another world > and recognized that this was inside a novel. Since the MC just ended up in someone else¡¯s body and was living in it, she had no choice but to be concerned about the possibility of the owner returning to the body. I would have acted simrly. Probably less than her, but that is the case right now as well. ¡®¡­I wonder what happened to the real Christelle and Prince Jesse.¡¯ It was a thought I had at least once a day. Unfortunately, it felt as if that Christelle was no longer of this world. Based on the disposition of the MC, it would be difficult for the author to get Crown prince C¨¦dric and her together if that was not the situation. ¡°It is true that Duke Simon de Sarnez has never married for love.¡± Benjaminmented before pulling out a small booklet. I smiled bitterly. ¡°He¡¯s very mean. It should be okay for his daughter to marry for love.¡± ¡°I know, right?! I¡¯m debating turning the conversation in that direction, your highness. Maybe I will tell them I want to date first.¡± Although I was not a great talker, the thing I said to lift the mood was well-received by Christelle. ¡®Yes, dating is nice. I really hope she and the crown prince are happy in a world without war.¡¯ ¡°Your highness, it is time to go over the information regarding the S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦ territory you have studied.¡± The middle-aged man opened the book. The third item on our preparation list, as usual, was studying about our destination. Ganael pulled out some gateau St-Honor¨¦ wrapped in paper. ¡® Thanks.¡¯ ¡°There is a famous free city within S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦. The residents of the city fall under her Majesty¡¯s purview, not yours. The name of the city is,¡± ¡°Answer! Haas!¡± The MC raised her hand into the air and shouted. Benjamin maintained his calm. ¡°Haas. Now then¡­¡­¡± He was quite skilled at giving this quiz. I chuckled while looking at the jeering Christelle. The middle-aged man continued to speak. ¡°Where do you think this name came from?¡± ¡°It is from the name of the original territory lord, Baron Haas.¡± ¡°Correct, your highness.¡± I ate the cake in my hand to celebrate getting the correct answer. The outside was crispy while the inside was full of profiterole that melted in your mouth. The puff pastry gently crumbled at the tip of my tongue. The taste of chocte, foam cream, and raspberry mixed together. The sweet and smooth taste made me feel good. Christelle had a triumphant look on her face. ¡°Next question. The current Haas Merchant guild leader is Emille de Haas. What is his rtionship to Baron Haas?¡± ¡°Answer! The Baron¡¯s House of Haas crumbled during thete Emperor Romero¡¯s reign. So¡­¡­ He is the great grandson of thest Baron?¡± ¡°That is correct, Dame Sarnez.¡± ¡°Woohoo.¡± Christelle said she was happy that her guess was correct. This time, Ganael offered a piece of yogurt cake that was baked at the inn. We could eat these at any time, but it was fun when it felt like we needed to get an answer correct to eat them. I watched the MC cutely eat the dessert before asking a question. ¡°Why did the Baron¡¯s House of Haas lose their title and crumble?¡± I had looked through the book that Benjamin had brought back at the Imperial Pce. However, the only exnation was thatte Emperor Romero executed Baron Haas during the Warring Era and cursed his line forever. I heard that the family was rich, so maybe they secretly embezzled some military resources to build their wealth. Ganael lowered his voice and responded. ¡°Baron Haas betrayed his Majesty, your highness.¡± ¡°As I expected. Was it embezzlement?¡± ¡°No, your highness. He was said to be a spy of the Holy Kingdom.¡± My eyes opened wide. Christelle stopped chewing as well. Only the shaking of the carriage and the horses neighing could be heard for a while. The young boy looked around, as if other people were around us, before continuing to speak. ¡°The west is on the opposite side of the border, making it easy for him to not receive any suspicions. The Baron dared to use the sea route to sell information about his Majesty to the Holy Kingdom. Nobody found them to be suspicious because their family had been investing money intomerce.¡± ¡°Then the current Haas Merchant Guild¡­¡­¡± ¡°After the house crumbled, Baron Haas¡¯s daughter, Vanessa de Haas, pulled the family together to set it up.¡± Benjamin exined. ording to his exnation, Vanessa had great business ability and was extremely talented. She had been said to becking for the role of young baroness because she didn¡¯t have political intuition, but that became a meaningless w after the family had crumbled. ¡°Despite the territory and all of their wealth being taken by the Imperial family, she was able to recover about seventy percent of their wealth by the time her granddaughter¡¯s generation came in.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± I gasped in admiration. Christelle asked. ¡°I heard that the current merchant guild leader is the second child. Why is that so?¡± ¡°There are rumors about the first child being trash. However, nobody knows whether she chose to give up her position or if she was kicked out of the house.¡± Ganael exined. I knew about this as well. The older sister, Joanne, was famous for being crude and foul-mouthed. Her younger brother, Emille, was calmer and had a better business mindset. ¡®I feel like I¡¯ve seen ¡®Emille de Haas¡¯ somewhere before¡­¡¯ Unfortunately, French names were too long and hard for me to remember. ¡°I will ask the question this time. What is drawn on the coat of arms of our esteemed Marquis of S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦?¡± ¡°Ganael,¡± ¡°Answer! It consists of all things very fitting of his highness. A wing,ke, tulip, and shield¡­ Oh and a moon as well as a symbol of the Church of the Almighty God are hidden in there as well.¡± Christelle folded her fingers one by one as she quickly answered. Ganael pped before pulling out a galette full of mushrooms and goat cheese and handing it to her. It smelled so delicious that I almost started drooling, but my face turned red and I looked away. I became so embarrassed whenever the wing was mentioned. * ¡°Oh esteemed Marquis of S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦. We will soon arrive at the Lord¡¯s Castle.¡± ¡°Oo¡­¡­¡± Benjamin gently ced his hand on my knee. I half-heartedly opened my eyes. Demy and Percy, who were now awake, were looking up at me. The outside was growing dark with the sun half set. I looked to my side because my right shoulder felt heavy and found Christelle asleep, leaning against me. I grabbed the booklet that was almost falling out of her hand. It looked like it would fall at any moment. ¡®The world¡¯s greatest show! Come see the continent¡¯s most amazing treasures at the Haas Auction house!¡¯ ¡®An auction.¡¯ It seemed like something Christelle would like very much. I chuckled and ced the booklet in her jacket pocket. The Duke and his wife were on their way to meet the merchant guild leader and other people to celebrate bing sister cities with Haas City. Maybe our MC would be able to get a cool item from the auction. As for me, I nned on doing onep around the territory and then returning to the pce. ¨C Neeeeeeigh! ¡°Woah, woah!¡± The carriage suddenly stopped at that moment. My center of gravity pushed forward. I extended my arm to protect Christelle. She was jolted awake. Benjamin and Ganael quickly regained their bnce as well. ¨C Squeeeeee! ¨C Piiiiiii! ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. We must have arrived.¡± I hugged and consoled the red panda and the chimney bird that almost fell off myp. I was peeking at the window wondering what was going on when I heard an unfamiliar voice. ¡°¡­¡­Do you know who I am?!¡± ¡°I should be asking you that! Do you not know who this carriage belongs to?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth responded in a cold voice. Someone seemed to have blocked the road. The four people, one divine beast, and one divine item quietly paid attention. The person¡¯s voice was so loud that we could clearly hear everything. ¡°Step aside. We are the Imperial Guard under her Majesty¡¯s revered Imperial decree.¡± ¡°What nonsense! It¡¯s been one hundred years since a member of the Imperial family came this way!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Drag them away.¡± ¡°Hey! Whose body do you think you are cing your hand on right now?! Do you know who I am? Huh? Do you know who my younger brother is?!¡± The woman shouted sharply. Christelle and I started frowning at the same time. Thisdy seemed to be out of her mind. ¡®Is she drunk?¡¯ ¡°Hey guys, now!¡± ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± The woman raised her voice at that moment. We heard a lot of people shout in response. ng, ng! The Imperial Guard members immediately pulled out their swords. Benjamin tilted his head. ¡°It is quite small for a hazing ritual.¡± I awkwardly smiled. I had heard stories about the bandits all around the Empire who only attacked the luxurious carriages that traveled close to the Lord¡¯s Castle. Even if skilled mages and swordsmen were focused in the Riester high-ranking positions, they were notmon. As a result, many nobles were helplessly victimized by these hoodlums. It was even reported in the < Biweekly Riester > if the damage was quite severe. But to get in our way of all carriages¡­ I felt a bit sorry for them¡­¡­ ¡°Will Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth let them live?¡± ¡°I think she will say that her hand slipped because she was tired. It looks like I will need to wash her sword for her tonight!¡± Ganael, while looking like a cute little puppy, said something quite scary at Christelle¡¯s question. I flinched. ¡°Is it immediate execution?¡± ¡°Even the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard would go easy on them if they were civilians, but the opponents seem to be dedicated bandits. Your highness, I rmend you look away from the window.¡± Benjamin answered my question. That made no sense. I could not let there be a gust of blood on my first day in the territory. I gasped and opened the carriage door. ¡°Your highness!¡± Christelle tried to stop me. The soldiers and even the horses they were on looked at me in astonishment. ¡°Marquis-nim, if youe out right now¡­¡­!¡± [Only the bandits will stop moving.] ¨C Paaaaat! A wide Holy Land lit up the area as if it was the middle of the day. The boulders nearby as well as the bushes the bandits seemed to be hiding behind started glowing gold. I got off the carriage and walked to the front of the procession. The dirt ground sparkled like jewels. Christelle chased after me. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth urgently got off her horse. Her sharp grey eyes seemed to have calmed down. ¡°My deepest apologies, Marquis-nim. We took too long to take care of them.¡± ¡°Not at all, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. I heard that things like this happen from time to time.¡± I responded before ncing at thepletely stiff people. Around forty bandits were standing with their weapons. The person who seemed to be the leader was grinding her teeth toward me. She had a luxurious cloth covering her head and the stench of alcohol was all around her. I couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡®It really was a drunk causing a ruckus.¡¯ ¡°Who the hell are you?! Let me go right now!¡± [Please shut up.] ¡°Mmph! Mmmmph!¡± The woman¡¯s mouth became closed. She then turned red from anger and veins were visible on her forehead. Thankfully, none of her subordinates seemed as drunk as she was. They were all just pale as they looked at me. To be more specific, they immediately looked down as soon as we made eye contact. ¡®I get it.¡¯ [You will all be arrested. You are going to jail.] I smiled and pointed at something. [Do you see the Lord¡¯s Castle over there? I am the new owner of that ce.] Chapter 137: Trip preparations for the Marquis and the Knight (4) Chapter 137: Trip preparations for the Marquis and the Knight (4) We left the inn immediately after eating breakfast. The weather at the end of August was sunny. It smelled more like summer here, despite only being slightly south of the Imperial Capital. "We should arrive at the Lords Castle by evening, your highness. Benjaminmented. I nodded my head and looked at Christelle seated next to me. Apparently she had chatted a while with Vice Captain lisabeth before they fell asleep; she looked much better than yesterday. Dame Sarnez. Did your parents request to chat with you by chance? Excuse me? No, both of them went to sleep early, your highness. She answered cheerfully. I asked because Lady Isabelle said she would talk to her husband, but I suppose this was not a topic that would be concluded in a single night. I patted the sleepy Demy and Percy on their backs and smiled. She should still end up with the male lead since she was the MC of a Romfan. I shouldn''t worry too much about it. ck, ck The carriage continued down the eastern road of the Empire. Unlike the lush forests of the east and the rough terrain of the south, this side had a lot of t ins and not many trees. Thanks to that, I could see all the carriages passing by in the distance. There were also small streams along the way, forcing us to cross over some bridges. Overall, it was very open and peaceful. I looked out the window for a bit before turning toward Christelle and whispering. Are you trying not to get married because you are worried about when your memories return? The MCs eyes opened wide. I immediately apologized. I''m sorry I overstepped my bounds to make a guess at your feelings. No, your highness, I was just surprised. You Understand me deeper than I had imagined. That was how she finished her sentence. Then she smiled brightly like the Sirius star in the night sky. Thats right, your highness. I might not like my betrothed when my memories returnter. Both my family and my husband will be harmed if we divorceter. She then shook the ss bottle in her hand. The iced coffee spun around. "Bing the young Duchess is something that is expected, so I should not be very shocked even after getting my memories back. On the other hand, marriage is a difficult issue that can not be easily withdrawn. Of course, I told the same to my father but he is firm about this issue. He says that there wont be much difference to the results even if I get my memories back because Pair de Riester rarely get married for love. Silence filled the carriage for a moment. I could understand the reason she was upset. I was the only one who knew about the existence of and recognized that this was inside a novel. Since the MC just ended up in someone else''s body and was living in it, she had no choice but to be concerned about the possibility of the owner returning to the body. I would have acted simrly. Probably less than her, but that is the case right now as well. I wonder what happened to the real Christelle and Prince Jesse. It was a thought I had at least once a day. Unfortunately, it felt as if that Christelle was no longer of this world. Based on the disposition of the MC, it would be difficult for the author to get Crown prince Cdric and her together if that was not the situation. It is true that Duke Simon de Sarnez has never married for love. Benjaminmented before pulling out a small booklet. I smiled bitterly. He''s very mean. It should be okay for his daughter to marry for love. I know, right?! I''m debating turning the conversation in that direction, your highness. Maybe I will tell them I want to date first. Although I was not a great talker, the thing I said to lift the mood was well-received by Christelle. Yes, dating is nice. I really hope she and the crown prince are happy in a world without war. Your highness, it is time to go over the information regarding the Srnit territory you have studied. The middle-aged man opened the book. The third item on our preparation list, as usual, was studying about our destination. Ganael pulled out some gteau St-Honor wrapped in paper. Thanks. There is a famous free city within Srnit. The residents of the city fall under her Majestys purview, not yours. The name of the city is, "Answer! Haas! The MC raised her hand into the air and shouted. Benjamin maintained his calm. Haas. Now then He was quite skilled at giving this quiz. I chuckled while looking at the jeering Christelle. The middle-aged man continued to speak. Where do you think this name came from? It is from the name of the original territory lord, Baron Haas. Correct, your highness. I ate the cake in my hand to celebrate getting the correct answer. The outside was crispy while the inside was full of profiterole that melted in your mouth. The puff pastry gently crumbled at the tip of my tongue. The taste of chocte, foam cream, and raspberry mixed together. The sweet and smooth taste made me feel good. Christelle had a triumphant look on her face. Next question. The current Haas Merchant guild leader is Emille de Haas. What is his rtionship to Baron Haas? "Answer! The Barons House of Haas crumbled during thete Emperor Romeros reign. So He is the great grandson of thest Baron? "That is correct, Dame Sarnez. Woohoo. Christelle said she was happy that her guess was correct. This time, Ganael offered a piece of yogurt cake that was baked at the inn. We could eat these at any time, but it was fun when it felt like we needed to get an answer correct to eat them. I watched the MC cutely eat the dessert before asking a question. Why did the Barons House of Haas lose their title and crumble? I had looked through the book that Benjamin had brought back at the Imperial Pce. However, the only exnation was thatte Emperor Romero executed Baron Haas during the Warring Era and cursed his line forever. I heard that the family was rich, so maybe they secretly embezzled some military resources to build their wealth. Ganael lowered his voice and responded. Baron Haas betrayed his Majesty, your highness. As I expected. Was it embezzlement? No, your highness. He was said to be a spy of the Holy Kingdom. My eyes opened wide. Christelle stopped chewing as well. Only the shaking of the carriage and the horses neighing could be heard for a while. The young boy looked around, as if other people were around us, before continuing to speak. The west is on the opposite side of the border, making it easy for him to not receive any suspicions. The Baron dared to use the sea route to sell information about his Majesty to the Holy Kingdom. Nobody found them to be suspicious because their family had been investing money intomerce. "Then the current Haas Merchant Guild After the house crumbled, Baron Haas''s daughter, Vanessa de Haas, pulled the family together to set it up. Benjamin exined. ording to his exnation, Vanessa had great business ability and was extremely talented. She had been said to becking for the role of young baroness because she didnt have political intuition, but that became a meaningless w after the family had crumbled. Despite the territory and all of their wealth being taken by the Imperial family, she was able to recover about seventy percent of their wealth by the time her granddaughter''s generation came in. Thats amazing. I gasped in admiration. Christelle asked. I heard that the current merchant guild leader is the second child. Why is that so? There are rumors about the first child being trash. However, nobody knows whether she chose to give up her position or if she was kicked out of the house. Ganael exined. I knew about this as well. The older sister, Joanne, was famous for being crude and foul-mouthed. Her younger brother, Emille, was calmer and had a better business mindset. I feel like I''ve seen Emille de Haas somewhere before Unfortunately, French names were too long and hard for me to remember. I will ask the question this time. What is drawn on the coat of arms of our esteemed Marquis of Srnit? Ganael, "Answer! It consists of all things very fitting of his highness. A wing,ke, tulip, and shield Oh and a moon as well as a symbol of the Church of the Almighty God are hidden in there as well. Christelle folded her fingers one by one as she quickly answered. Ganael pped before pulling out a galette full of mushrooms and goat cheese and handing it to her. It smelled so delicious that I almost started drooling, but my face turned red and I looked away. I became so embarrassed whenever the wing was mentioned. * Oh esteemed Marquis of Srnit. We will soon arrive at the Lords Castle. Oo Benjamin gently ced his hand on my knee. I half-heartedly opened my eyes. Demy and Percy, who were now awake, were looking up at me. The outside was growing dark with the sun half set. I looked to my side because my right shoulder felt heavy and found Christelle asleep, leaning against me. I grabbed the booklet that was almost falling out of her hand. It looked like it would fall at any moment. The world''s greatest show! Come see the continents most amazing treasures at the Haas Auction house! An auction. It seemed like something Christelle would like very much. I chuckled and ced the booklet in her jacket pocket. The Duke and his wife were on their way to meet the merchant guild leader and other people to celebrate bing sister cities with Haas City. Maybe our MC would be able to get a cool item from the auction. As for me, I nned on doing onep around the territory and then returning to the pce. Neeeeeeigh! Woah, woah! The carriage suddenly stopped at that moment. My center of gravity pushed forward. I extended my arm to protect Christelle. She was jolted awake. Benjamin and Ganael quickly regained their bnce as well. Squeeeeee! Piiiiiii! Its okay, its okay. We must have arrived. I hugged and consoled the red panda and the chimney bird that almost fell off myp. I was peeking at the window wondering what was going on when I heard an unfamiliar voice. Do you know who I am?! I should be asking you that! Do you not know who this carriage belongs to? Vice Captain lisabeth responded in a cold voice. Someone seemed to have blocked the road. The four people, one divine beast, and one divine item quietly paid attention. The person''s voice was so loud that we could clearly hear everything. "Step aside. We are the Imperial Guard under her Majestys revered Imperial decree. "What nonsense! Its been one hundred years since a member of the Imperial family came this way! Drag them away. Hey! Whose body do you think you are cing your hand on right now?! Do you know who I am? Huh? Do you know who my younger brother is?! The woman shouted sharply. Christelle and I started frowning at the same time. Thisdy seemed to be out of her mind. Is she drunk? Hey guys, now! "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! The woman raised her voice at that moment. We heard a lot of people shout in response. ng, ng! The Imperial Guard members immediately pulled out their swords. Benjamin tilted his head. It is quite small for a hazing ritual. I awkwardly smiled. I had heard stories about the bandits all around the Empire who only attacked the luxurious carriages that traveled close to the Lords Castle. Even if skilled mages and swordsmen were focused in the Riester high-ranking positions, they were notmon. As a result, many nobles were helplessly victimized by these hoodlums. It was even reported in the if the damage was quite severe. But to get in our way of all carriages I felt a bit sorry for them Will Vice Captain lisabeth let them live? I think she will say that her hand slipped because she was tired. It looks like I will need to wash her sword for her tonight! Ganael, while looking like a cute little puppy, said something quite scary at Christelle''s question. I flinched. Is it immediate execution? Even the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard would go easy on them if they were civilians, but the opponents seem to be dedicated bandits. Your highness, I rmend you look away from the window. Benjamin answered my question. That made no sense. I could not let there be a gust of blood on my first day in the territory. I gasped and opened the carriage door. Your highness! Christelle tried to stop me. The soldiers and even the horses they were on looked at me in astonishment. Marquis-nim, if youe out right now! [Only the bandits will stop moving.] Paaaaat! A wide Holy Land lit up the area as if it was the middle of the day. The boulders nearby as well as the bushes the bandits seemed to be hiding behind started glowing gold. I got off the carriage and walked to the front of the procession. The dirt ground sparkled like jewels. Christelle chased after me. Vice Captain lisabeth urgently got off her horse. Her sharp grey eyes seemed to have calmed down. My deepest apologies, Marquis-nim. We took too long to take care of them. Not at all, Vice Captain lisabeth. I heard that things like this happen from time to time. I responded before ncing at thepletely stiff people. Around forty bandits were standing with their weapons. The person who seemed to be the leader was grinding her teeth toward me. She had a luxurious cloth covering her head and the stench of alcohol was all around her. I couldn''t help but frown. It really was a drunk causing a ruckus. Who the hell are you?! Let me go right now! [Please shut up.] Mmph! Mmmmph! The womans mouth became closed. She then turned red from anger and veins were visible on her forehead. Thankfully, none of her subordinates seemed as drunk as she was. They were all just pale as they looked at me. To be more specific, they immediately looked down as soon as we made eye contact. I get it. [You will all be arrested. You are going to jail.] I smiled and pointed at something. [Do you see the Lords Castle over there? I am the new owner of that ce.] Trantor''s Comments New boss in da hoooooouse! Chapter 138: The real thing has appeared, right now (1) Chapter 138: The real thing has appeared, right now (1) The morning was quiet at Romero Pce. Squeeeeee! Pruuuu! It wasn''t truly quiet, but it was considered quiet because there was nobody responding. Cdric drank his coffee as he nonchntly flipped the page of the document. He did not pay any attention to what the two divine beasts that remained in the Imperial Pce were doing. It was a bit annoying that they yed around him while he was working and stayed in his bedroom at night, but there was a saying that the actions of divine beasts were basically a part of the Almighty God''s greater n. As a result, he just silently sat alone at his desk in hisrge office. This was about the time David or other attendants brought over some snacks. Screech! Perry pped his ck ears and climbed on top of the desk. The Imperial Crown Prince slightly scowled. He ignored Perry and extended his hand toward the next document when the divine beast nimbly moved and bonk! He ced both paws on top of the pile of papers. This was clearly meant to hinder his work. You are annoying me. Rhea, who gathered courage after seeing Perrys actions, climbed up the leg of the table and stood next to herrade. The biggest coward of the three divine beasts was staring right at him for once. Cdric quietly sighed. It seemed as if they wanted him to hand over a toy again. Snap! Crackle! He pulled off his glove and flicked his fingers, making a long snake-like me appear. The me snake moved as if it was alive. However, the divine beasts showed no interest in it. He had provided them with a new toy but their reactions were not up to par. The crown prince scowled deeply this time. The burning snake instantly sparked and disappeared. What do you want? Screeeech He put his glove back on and asked. Perry approached him as if his desires were finally heard. The crown prince couldn''t tell whether he was over-projecting human traits onto the divine beast or if the divine beast was doing a very good job imitating humans. Perry created an orange begonia at the tip of his nose. You wanted to show me a trick? Whimper The divine beast cried sadly and rolled around. He had his front paws covering his face as he curled up into a ball on the corner of the desk. Rhea opened and closed her mouth before creating a blue-gray cornflower on the tip of her nose. He was familiar with this color. Whimper! Rhea jumped up and down and acted cute. The depressed Perry sat up as well. The divine beast that had made the begonia whither created a purple tulip on his forehead this time. And then Screeeeech He charged toward Rhea. The two of them turned into one bundle and rolled around the desk. The documents were thrown around and the mix of purple and water-colored petals were visible in front of him. Cdric seemed as stiff as a statue as he looked down at the two divine beasts. An orange begonia left alone and the other two ying well together. It was a tant metaphor. Are you- Knock knock. Someone knocked on the door at that moment. The crown prince tried his best to focus his senses on the holy stone at his heart. He could not be provoked by these tiny divine beasts. David soon entered and showed his respect. Your Royal Highness. We have urgent news from Srnit. The crown princes pupils were shaking. the attendant calmly continued to speak. Last night by the Lords Castle, Marquis Jesse and the Duke''s House of Sarnez''s carriages were attacked by about forty bandits. Both of them knew that lisabeth would easily take care of that number of enemies. This news was not much. All of them were arrested and sent to the prison in the Lords Castle and there were no casualties. I didnt know the Marquis enjoyed irony. Cdric responded back. This was the type of y on words frequently used by the Riester upper ss. He was entertained that the prince was swept up in chaos in his territory of Srnit, which meant peace and calmness. David calmly smiled and responded. You only realize the value offort after facing chaos in both body and mind. You came up with a great name, your Royal Highness. The carriage is always ready, your Royal Highness. The attendant bowed respectfully and walked out. The divine beasts that were now on his knees started pushing against the crown princes washboard abs as if they were trying to choke something. The veins on the back of the young mans hands became visible. His disrespectful instructor as well as everybody else were telling him to make the first move. Cdric Riester was a member of the noble Imperial family. He had never felt the need to do that since his birth. * How could such a thing. Everybody working at the Srnit Lords Castle had been hired by the Imperial family. I would be the one to pay them starting next month, but it meant that they had been working for the Empress until recently. It was not weird that the news of the atrocious attack had the entire Castle riled up with the attendants and royal servants staying up all night. In fact, it felt as if our group had slept the best. I stopped eating breakfast in the room next to my bedroom and raised my head. Chantal, the head attendant of the Lords Castle, was standing there anxiously. There were dark circles under her eyes. It''s okay, Chantal. Nobody got hurt. Your highness, for such an esteemed individual as yourself to be faced with such an incident as soon as you arrived at the territory means that we were not thorough enough. She med herself in response. Chantal, who was in herte fifties, was from a Viscount''s House that had been serving the Imperial family since her great grandmothers generation. Anyway, she had been sharp and strict when she first greeted me, but her expression had changed to the current look on her face ever since she saw the row of bandits being dragged in behind me. "Chantal-nim, the Marquis-nim truly does not mind it. He is just concerned that there may be others who were harmed in the past. Benjamin consoled her. I smiled. Please let the others know that they don''t need to worry about me either. To be honest with you, I am the one who dragged them here. I then took a bite of the fruit sd with honey. The mixture of sweet strawberries and blueberries with Comt cheese made it refreshing and savory. Chantal seemed a bit unsettled but rxed a bit after seeing that I had finished four tes of buckwheat crpe. I was d to see that there were times when eating well came in handy. Knock knock. Come in. I swallowed the food in my mouth and responded. Vice Captain lisabeth and Ganael appeared through the door. "Did you sleep well, Marquis-nim? Good morning, Vice Captain-nim. Has there been any progress? I wiped my mouth with a napkin and asked; she responded reliably. Yes sir. There have only been a small number of knights and Imperial soldiers guarding the Lords Castle but I have made a report to her Majesty and there will be additional troops arriving soon. I nodded my head. Although I had received the title of Marquis, I was in an awkward position of being between an honorary position and an official position. I was the priest partner of a member of the Imperial family, but I was a diplomatic hostage of a hostile kingdom as well. My position was the result of a fiercepromise from Empress Frdrique. Unlike other nobles, I could not bestow the title of knight to anybody and could not have my own troops. However, I do receive the territory''s tax money as a Marquis and my position was certified so I could do the basic things needed to rule over a territory. Anyway It didnt matter to us, but it would be bad if the people near the Lords Castle faced simr dangers. It was good that more soldiers would soon arrive. Furthermore, the Imperial Guard interrogated the bandits in the middle of the night, but the bandits are all on their first offenses. Excuse me? This was unexpected. Ganael''s gold eyes opened wide as well. It is true that their usual actions are disgusting. ording to the Imperial Guard members who asked around the nearby viges, they frequently cause a ruckus in stores and dont pay their tabs. However, apparently they have never waved around weapons or stolen anything. "So you are saying that they ran into us as soon as they decided to pull off a big heist as a group. Yes, your highness. I scoffed and Vice Captain lisabeth smirked as well. At this point, it seemed like they were the unlucky ones and not us. Of course, they deserved punishment for doing something so heinous, but Also Their leader has revealed that she is the first child of the House of Haas. Excuse me? This was shocking news. I bit my tongue wondering if I heard incorrectly. Ganael and Chantal gasped while Benjamin groaned. Vice Captain lisabeth had an awkward look on her face as she spoke. To be more specific, she introduced herself as Joanne de Haas. She is confident that her younger brother, Emille, will pay her bail. Do you know who I am? Huh? Do you know who my younger brother is?! I recalled the things she had shouted. I had heard that the Haas merchant guild leader held quite the weight in this area and also that his sister was famous for being trash, but I never expected it to be this much. I quickly organized my mind. The important thing right now What did Duke Sarnez say? He said that he sent an errand boy to the Haas Merchant Guild as soon as the sun came up. He said that he proimed his strong disapproval of the situation, so his meeting with the merchant guild leader might be canceled. Vice Captain lisabeth responded. It was obvious why this was the case. They wouldn''t null the sister city promation, however, it was understandable that the Duke felt disrespected as something terrible happened while he was escorting me to the city. I looked at Demy and Percy, who wereying down next to me, before asking. Did she say anything about the motive for the crime? "That is the problem, your highness. The subordinates are saying that Haas ordered them to do it but all she is saying is that she will get out on bail. She swallowed the sigh that was about toe out along with a gulp of cold water. Something was giving me a headache from the first day of visiting my territory. However, I could not imprison them and then ignore them now that I was the territory lord. I looked up and made eye contact with Vice Captain lisabeth''s grey eyes. I will meet with her. * Chantal quickly left the room saying that she will take care of the unsettled atmosphere in the Lords Castle. Vice Captain lisabeth and the Imperial Guards led the way for me. I held Demy in my arms while Benjamin and Ganael followed behind me. Percy was on my head. I couldnt help but chuckle at the unbelievable situation of visiting the prison on the first day in my territory. How did it end up like this? Is it because the MC is with me? Has Dame Sarnez woken up? Yes, your highness. I was told that she is currently eating breakfast. Benjamin immediately informed me. The Duke''s family were staying in a guestroom in the Lords Castle. I nodded my head and observed the unfamiliar hallway. The inside of the castle walls that were made of white stone were full of so much luxurious tapestries that my jaw dropped. These fabrics did not just have simple patterns; they showed people and backgrounds with most of them describing the achievements of thete Empress Cline who ended the Warring Era. Thick pieces of wood created a magnificent arch as they supported the ceiling. The tables and silver trays visible around the area were all sparkling. I smiled bitterly as the hard work the people of the Lords Castle had put in to greet me was extremely visible. I hope things work out well. This way, your highness. Vice Captain lisabeth motioned to me. It was amazing that she had already memorized theyout despite this being her first time here. I couldnt believe that we had already walked through three spires. How is that possible when there was only one path? Click, click. Step, step The carpet ended once we walked past the stairs heading down. Our footsteps were echoing and the torch was the only light in here. I really felt as if I was in a prison once the Imperial Guard members opened arge iron gate. I could smell water and mold. Percy flew down from my head and shoved himself into my jacket pocket. I rubbed him with my fingertips as I walked. aaaang! Flinch. Get up. Joanne de Haas. The Lord of Srnit wishes to speak to you. Ah, my head is ringing so bad Vice Captain lisabeth spoke coldly after kicking an iron bar of a cage. Joannes grumbling echoed through the hallway. I stood up straight and walked up to her. The light brown skinned woman with a luxurious cloth over her head looked at me and flinched. She still smelled like alcohol. What the hell? Your eyes really are purple. Show your respects. There is no way you dont know who this is, right? Hello. I greeted her first. Joanne, who was somewhat sprawled out on the floor, squinted as if she saw something umon before slowlyying downpletely. However, she did not stop her grumbling. Not only do I get stabbed in the back by my fellow citizens of the Empire, I am now a criminal imprisoned by the prince of a hostile kingdom "Why did you do it? I immediately asked. We didn''t have a rtionship for me to ask how she was doing and I didnt think Joanne would want something like that either. She jerked her head up. Why should I respond? If you''re angry, don''t ask and just kill me. Isnt that how you guys always act? You didmit a grave sin but I dont think it is one deserving of death. I think reformation is definitely possible. Reformation my ass. Ptui. She spit on the stone floor. I awkwardly tilted my head. Should I use the Divine Oracle? What? "What I did yesterday. I can open my circle and force you to tell me everything. I am only asking you because I want to respect your free will. Joanne scowled in response. She must have found this all to be unbelievable as she dropped her jaw, closed it back, and even sighed. I just waited. Now that I urately shared with her my thoughts, there was no need to convince her anymore. We were meeting as the lord of a territory and a criminal, not to be friends. I think it has been about five minutes. I am going to open my Holy Domain now. Okay, Ill tell you! Fuck! She shouted with anger. Ganael frowned. Joanne scratched the back of her head and rubbed her cheeks before saying something shocking. My damn brother said that he was going to win over some noble youngdying from the Imperial Capital and marry her. I caused all of this to make that not work out. Are you happy now? Trantor''s Comments Rhea and Perry gotta resort to charades. Chapter 139: The real thing has appeared, right now (2) Chapter 139: The real thing has appeared, right now (2) I immediately released my Holy Domain. [May the Almighty God forgive Joanne de Haass lies.] Thats different from what we discussed! Joanne frowned at the bright light andined. However, the circle did not react in any way before bing quiet. The fact that no ether reacted during a confession meant that she was telling me the truth. Demy and Percy stirred. Then this What the heck does this mean? "When you say noble youngdy, are you perhaps talking about Dame Christelle de Sarnez? I deactivated my Holy Domain and asked. There was no way. Srnit was a small territory, but I heard that a lot of people from the Imperial Capital came here because it had the free city of Haas, which was famous on the west coast. There was no way that noble youngdy was just for Christelle alone. But why do I have such an ominous feeling? I forgot her name. Pink hair, blue eyes Apparently she is as pretty as a fairy and sparkles like a star. Emille''s just gone crazy. He hasn''t even seen her in person before. Joanne grumbled on the other side of the bars. I felt as if my blood was cooling but maintained my stoic expression. Christelle had been famous in the Empire since the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts, no, the Spring Ball. Her unique bouncy charm and abilities got her a lot of fans as well. I was sure that there were a lot of boys dreaming of a romance with her. Vice Captain lisabeth, Ganael, and Benjamin looked ufortable while standing next to me but I was fine. The male lead of was clear. I cant understand you at all though. What good would it be to dirty your younger brothers honor and make sure that this marriage does not take ce? Are you thinking that some of the wealth will be transferred to you if the merchant guild leader dies single? I calmly brought the discussion back to the original topic. That was that and this was this. I was currently interrogating the leader of the bandits who attacked a Dukes carriage and the territory in my role as the lord of Srnit. That made Joanne respond a bit annoyed. Because it is annoying! That bastard is trying to sell off the merchant guild because hes gone blind thinking about a rise in status. I''ll be fine even if I dont have much money. Rise in status? Yes, he still has a longing for nobility even after so long has passed since we lost the Baron title. What the hell would he know when he has been amoner since birth?! Joanne sat up. She did not seem to be daunted by the fact that I was royalty and that everybody with me were nobles. She raised her voice again just as I was about to say something. She seemed truly angry. Its embarrassing the more I think about it! If it was wrongfully taken away, he should think about getting it back. Instead, he wants to hand over the thing that grandmother and mother worked their butts off to achieve to go be the husband of a noble family? Isnt he a crazy bastard? Please calm down. Her voice echoed in the small cell as well as the hallway. Joanne truly seemed to be someone who only lived for today. Emille told me to snap to my senses, but in my opinion, he is the one who needs to do so. Motherfuckers got no pride at all. She grumbled before taking the cloth off her head and scratching it. Her uneven hair looked as if rats had bitten away at it. There seemed to be a story behind it, but there was something else that caught my attention. The young Countess smartly asked about it. Are you saying that Baron Haas was wrongfully stripped of his title? Of course! The trash gave us the snake eyes. Benjamin, who had been quietly listening, stepped in. The baron was a spy who sent information about thete Emperor Romero to the Holy Kingdom. He personally admitted to his crimes. Hey mister, I''m telling you that it was all nder! Some other dude pushed the me on my great grandfather. Please lower your voice. Imented. Ganael was stuck right next to Vice Captain lisabeth with his lips pursed. The young boy had grown up prim and proper and was not used to something like this. I patted Ganael and the animals before looking at Joanne. "Do you have any proof that the baron was framed? No, none at all. That is why I am so resentful. Joanne looked away and mumbled. The tense atmosphere was instantly calmed. The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard and Benjamin let out deep breaths as if that was what they expected and I felt a bit disheartened as well. I guess if there was such evidence, the House of the Baron would have been restored a long time ago. In the end, you tried to harm innocent people because of your negative feelings toward your younger brother. I understand. Fuck. Joanne swore at my summary andid down. Why did I have to get caught by the territory lord of all people? So damn unlucky. Phrases like that continued. The way she seemed fine lying down on the cold stone floor made it seem as if this was not her first time being imprisoned. I held back a sigh. The family of the most powerful merchant guild in the territory was a mess. I suddenly recalled Empress Frdrique''sugh-filled voice. Many interesting things tend to happen in territories with free cities. I dont know if I would call this interesting, your Majesty I heard that a merchant guild leader in thatnd is quite the odd bastard. I stopped walking and flinched. Eunseo was basically half crazy for Prince Jesse and crazy about Imperial Crown Prince Cdric in apletely different manner. She did not talk much about other male characters in the story. However, I could not let my guard down if this was someone that the mother of the male lead knew about. Miss Haas. Damn, you scared me. You still havent left? Joanne flinched and opened her eyes when I called out to her. She seemed to have fallen asleep in that short period of time. Must be nice, having no worries. What is it? Hurry up if you have something to say. I''m sleepy. Are you going to get me some booze to cure my hangover or something? Vice Captain lisabeth smirked at her continuous provocations. I could tell that the young Countess was slowly reaching her limit. I immediately asked my question because it felt as if she would pull out her sword if this conversation did not end soon. The Haas merchant guild leader, is he handsome? Huh? Your highness? Joanne, as well as Ganael, who had been quiet this whole time, called out to me in shock. I, too, knew that this was an extremely weird and apletely unexpected question. However, Eunseo had emphasized something over and over to me. In today''s webnovels, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the importance level of a character was based on their appearance. You always had to pay attention to the handsome bastards. Even young Duke nquer, who was decently good looking, had yed a big role in connecting Eva with the MCs. "What the hell? I will add some booze to cure your hangover if you answer me honestly. He''s ugly. Joanne spoke sternly. Its like he didn''t fully form or something. He just looks so greasy. Im much better. His limbs are fine but his face is Thank you for your cooperation. I immediately responded. I could feel the young Countess looking at me with a strange gaze, but I waspletely relieved. * Lunch was with Christelle and my friends. The Duke and his wife were originally supposed to dine with us as well, but We shall excuse ourselves, Marquis-nim. Excuse me? Please enjoy your time together. The Duke and his wife came to me and said that before walking away. I felt it was wrong to always eat separately from my guests, but if I think about the profound look that Isabelle sent me before the door closed It seemed as if it was because Christelle and her father were still in conflict regarding her marriage. The reason they gave me must have been an excuse because they didnt want to ruin the mood for the meal. I nodded my head and stabbed some roe deer terrine and cornichon. That is why I want to go to the Haas auction house, but I don''t know how that will go. I heard Christelle''s voice at that moment. I immediately looked up. She was chatting with Vice Captain lisabeth on the other side of the table. Benjamin and Ganael, seated on either side of them, seemed to know the flow of conversation as well. "That is disappointing. It is rare to find something you want so desperately, Dame Christelle. Yes, it really looked decent. It is used and a scratch product but it is still vintage (TL: Scratch product = dinged up/returned item) Christelle looked disappointed and said things that only I would understand. I couldnt help but be shocked because it was rare to see such an expression on her face. The young Countess was able to understand based on the context and rubbed her close friend''s back. I quietly asked Ganael a question. Dame Sarnez is not allowed to participate in the auction? Your highness, that Unless the Marquis-nim says that you will attend, Duke Sarnez will not show any positive attitude toward the Haas Merchant guild, your highness. Benjamin quietly exined. It took a bit for me to understand. So basically Because I am the territory lord? Yes, your highness. The middle-aged smiled and started slicing his dusky thrush pt. I blinked my eyes. Basically, the reason the Duke ced my decisions as top priority was because I was the representative of this ce. I was not used to this. Up until now, I basically stayed in Juliette Pce without much responsibility and had to follow the Imperial orders for everything. Everything was different here. The punishment for Joanne''s gang was also my decision in the end. I had quite a lot of documents to stamp after the meal as well. However, I now had to decide when and how to show grace to the merchant guild leader too. I looked toward a te at the corner of the table. I had received a handwritten letter from the merchant guild leader right around when the meal had started, but I had yet to open it. Benjamin presumed that it would contain an apology and an invitation. If I dont step in Will the residents of the territory start ostracizing the merchant guild? I was anxious as I whispered. Chantal, who was attending to us, responded. It is simr, your highness. We have all heard the rumors of how you are cherished by her Eminence, so we have no way of knowing when the Imperial Capital may strike down. The amount of deals that the Haas merchant guild has will naturally shrink. Holy shit. I hurriedly picked up the envelope. The only political experience I had was voting, but even I knew that something like that happening to the merchant guild would lead to people bing unemployed. Chantal ced three tes of Salmon en Papillote in an experienced manner. The weak expression on her face from this morning was gone and she seemed to have returned as the calm and collected head attendant. He says he is sorry. He wishes to serve us breakfast tomorrow. I shortened the message from Emille de Haas quite a bit. The paper smelled nice and the handwriting was extremely beautiful as well. The merchant guild leader apologized to the Duke''s family and I through three pages. At the end of the letter, he said that he wanted to invite us to a meal. There was nothing about asking to let Joanne go or making excuses for her. Has he written apologies like this before? Your highness, if it is okay with you, may I take a look? Vice Captain lisabeth cautiously asked. Oh right, she is a young Countess who has been educated as the heir to the Margrave! Of course. Please give me some advice. I responded. Chantal handed the Vice Captain the letter. Christelle leaned in to read together. Hesing in very humbly. Yes, because his older sisters crime is quite severe. Even if he knows that the Marquis-nim will forgive him in the end, he cannot let it show. Vice Captain lisabeth sharply analyzed. She quietly read for a bit before looking up at me. I would rmend not going to breakfast, your highness. I guessed as much. But why is that? I asked back and the young Countesss grey eyes curled up magnificently. Push it back to dinner, your highness. He might think you are a pushover if you just agree to everything. Plus, dinner is more expensive. * Time quickly passed. Time passed quickly when I was ying in the Imperial Pce as well, but working made it go by even faster. I received everybody''s help to respond like a snobby and high-maintenance royal and was extremely busy after the ns to have dinner with the merchant guild leader was settled. I probably would have made three times as many mistakes if Benjamin, Ganael, and Chantal were not here. But stamping some marriage licenses did feel quite good. And then the next day''s dinner time came around. Demy and Percy were to remain in the Lords Castle. We are here, Marquis-nim. The coachmen opened the door in front of arge merchant guild building. I walked off the carriage side by side with Christelle. Haas took about forty minutes by carriage from the Lords Castle. The sun had set so I could not see the horizon, but I could hear the waves and seagulls in the distance. I could also smell the salty fragrance of the sea and the strong breeze. Thismerce city by the ocean waspletely different from Yvelines, which was by the North Sea. Magic lights lit up the street likemps. I excitedly looked around. Mm, shall we hurry inside? I then smiled bitterly. Seeing all of the residents of the territory who were passing by stop and bow made me feel apologetic and awkward. Christelle smiled as if she understood and nodded her head. It was at that moment. I greet the moon of the Holy Kingdom, the Marquis of Srnit. The voice echoed as if we were in a cave. We both turned toward the voice. A man who covered about half of his short hair with a luxurious cloth was walking down the steps of the merchant guild. He was taller than me and his shoulders were wide. His light brown skin and his lemon-colored eyes fit together well like coffee and cake. He was a handsome man whose features were sharp even from a distance. Even his clothes looked as if he had taken the Riester nobles and mixed them with the clothes of Greek gods. My jaw dropped in shock but I was confused. Why is such a handsome person here, My name is Emille de Haas. What did he just say? Madam, It is an honor to meet you. He bowed toward me before moving extremely fluidly to kiss the back of Christelles hand. A thunderbolt-like sense of crisis pierced right through me. Ah, I was scammed! Someone get the crown prince right away! Trantor''s Comments Looks like we got ourselves a pretty boy! Chapter 140: The real thing has appeared, right now (3) Chapter 140: The real thing has appeared, right now (3) No, the Imperial Crown Prince is not someone who coulde just because I called him. Lets calm down for now. No good wille from feeling disturbed. Nice to meet you. My name is Christelle de Sarnez. I am very familiar with your name, youngdy Sarnez. I am delighted to be able to host a hero of the Empire. Emille de Haas, the Haas Merchant guild leader who was more handsome than necessary, handsomely bowed. His movements and tone were so elegant that it was hard to believe that he was amoner. It was obvious that he would be familiar with the demeanor as his job required him tomunicate with nobles frequently, but the things Joanne said yesterday roamed around my ears. I watched as he politely bowed toward the Duke and his wife, and Vice Captain lisabeth. That bastard is trying to sell off the merchant guild because hes gone blind thinking about a rise in status. He wants to hand over the thing that grandmother and mother worked their butts off to achieve to go be the husband of a noble family? Was what she said true? It was foolish to make a decision after only hearing one side. The information we received from interrogating Joanne was only known by the young Countess, Benjamin, Ganael, Demy, Percy, and I, because we were the ones who personally went to the prison. The only report the Sarnez family received was that Joannemitted the crime in an attempt to tarnish her younger brothers honor. That was the objective truth Then please let me escort you inside, Marquis-nim. Emille politely greeted everyone before looking at me and smiling. I did my best to smile back. The genre of this novel was definitely Romfan, and Christelle was fated to end up with Crown prince Cdric. That would mean that Emille would not seed in seducing Christelle here. I felt sorry for Emille, but the difference in the two of their social standings was clear as well. "Thank you very much. I adjusted my Imperial-style outfit and responded. My steps were not as heavy as my thoughts. I decided to trust the author of QNW once again. * Wahahaha! - There were bursts ofughter all around us and the sounds of sses and utensils nking. The string quartet, flute, and r yed a decently light and fast song. As heard in advance, the size of the feast was grand. Of course, the size of the banquet hall, the decorations, and the number of dishes were simplepared to the Imperial Pce. However, this ce had a loud and cheerful atmosphere, which was a specialty of a coastal area. The influential figures of the Merchant Association, who were here as well, jovially lifted up their sses. To the Marquis of Srnit! Cheers for Prince Jesse! Cheers! Hooray! I earnestly smiled while seated at the center seat of the VIP area. Being the center of attention like this was not easy. It was one thing for Empress Frdrique or Cardinal Boutier to be in this position, but the fact that the only twenty-five years old crown prince was used to something like this felt amazing. I didn''t need to prepare a speech or anything because the focus of this feast was an apology, but I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles with unfamiliar people who kept looking at me cautiously and raising their sses for me. It wasnt like this in Juliette Pce. One more ss! Ahahaha! ng! A ss broke somewhere. Duke Sarnez and Emille were seated on my sides. Although the merchant guild leader probably did not intend for it to be like this, the fact that my friends, Christelle and Vice Captain lisabeth, were not by my side made me feel a bit lonely. How funny. When I first transmigrated here, I wanted nothing to do with the MCs. I couldnt help but scoff at the fact that I was feeling lonely without them here after only about half a year. Marquis-nim, Marquis of Srnit-nim. Prince Jesse! I flinched and looked around. The cotton candy-like voice was definitely Christelles. I leaned forward and looked to the right and leaned back after not seeing her there. Christelle, who was leaning back as well, waved toward me. I couldn''t help but smile. That dish is delicious. The stuffed mussels. Is that so? There is garlic and something else in there that makes it spicy. It''s also red. She smiled, telling me to quickly try it. I was about to tell her that she had some sauce around her mouth when Emille, who was seated between us, suddenly covered my view. That scared me. Is the food to your liking, Marquis-nim? Yes, all of the dishes are amazing. I quickly fixed my expression and responded. Although all of the food tasted delicious, the fact that I only ate one te of each dish made Benjamin and Ganael look concerned from a distance. Emille, who had no way of knowing about that, curled his inner eyelids, making him look straight out of a painting. I truly thank you for epting my invitation for today. The Merchant guild and I are all deeply amazed by your mercy that is as deep as the ocean. Not at all. I am well aware of how much the Haas Merchant guild has contributed to the region''s economy. I do not think that innocent people should be harmed because of the deviation from the norm of a few. My words made his lemon-colored eyes sparkle. I thought that it wasn''t a bad response. I was putting some of the farcis Christelle rmended on my te when a single tear drop fell down Emille''s cheek. I became shocked and put my spoon down to look at him. Mr. Haas. Why are you crying? Are you not feeling well? Marquis-nim, you are a warm and kind person unlike the rumors. He whispered in a voice full of admiration. I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything. There were baseless rumors going around the entirety of the Empire. You supposedly entertained her Eminence in the morning and her Majesty at night while receiving the affection of his Royal Highness as well. Yes! Drink it all, drink drink! Excuse me? Did he say that I received a bullet? I could not hear him properly because it was so loud around us. That is correct, your highness. It was truly disgusting and promiscuous gossip. I, too, believed that such a reputation was false. An extremely greedy and vulgar illegitimate child? How dare they say such things about such a pure person? His red eyes curled up beautifully as he whispered. Honestly speaking, I could not understand what he was saying. It seemed as if there were false rumors about me and Emille did not like them. Well, it was not weird since I was openly called the Scoundrel of the Holy Kingdom when I first entered the Pce. I nodded my head and scraped everything off of the mussel shell. Emille wiped his eyes with his handkerchief. He looked extremely pitiful. To say that such a person of noble bloodline has fallen into greed or is a pig who has be drunk on Holy Knights I was truly sad. I was also infuriated. Pig? Pig is delicious. I listened to Emille with my ears while slowly scooping some petit four sal with my hand. The salted pork with lentils gave off that special acquired taste. Emille looked at me and continued to speak. He was speaking quietly, as if he was telling me a secret. "Did you receive my gift, your highness? Ah. I blinked and stopped moving. There was a faint crack in his expression. This was bad. I had received so many things from the nobles and did not think to remember each present and who had sent it. As a result, I could not remember at all. I finished chewing the food in my mouth and smiled awkwardly. I guess it is toote to lie? "That, It was a pig sculpture crafted by an expert. It was made with thergest pink diamond on the continent. He stiffly exined. My jaw dropped. Thats right! Thank you so much for that. Her highness, crown princess Elise, was very happy as well. Excuse me? I smiled brightly. The day I asked Elise to help Sir Johann and Gerrit popped into my mind. The person who had gifted Cornelisses birthday present was definitely Emille de Haas. I excitedly started giving feedback on it. The color was such a pretty pink and the shape was quite borate. I had never seen such a beautiful pig before. I had a great time that day thanks to you, Mr. Haas. There was no other gift that could match it. I didn''t say that I sent it off to Cornelisse since that might be rude. However, I meant everything else I said. However, Emillesplexion became visibly stiff. The smile on his face was no more and his red eyes instantly seemed to sink low. I tensed a bit thinking that I might have said something wrong but he politely bowed and just turned away. The conversation seemed to end like that. I tilted my head in confusion when I made eye contact with Ganael. Please eat more! The young boy mouthed toward me. My next target was a te that was the size of a sink. Benjamin nodded his head with satisfaction. * The feast safely ended. The Duke and his wife said that they would wait at the carriage. Christelle gathered lisabeth, Ganael, and Benjamin and headed down to a corner of the Haas Merchant guild''s lobby. These four were the only ones who knew about the auction item she was aiming for. It was most definitely a secret to Prince Jesse. Christelle whispered. It seems like I might be able to get preferential purchase rights. Really? lisabeth''s grey eyes opened wide like a shocked cat. Ganael peeked to make sure that the door on the other side did not open. Prince Jesse was currently in that office chatting with the Haas merchant guild leader. The merchant guild leader wanted to officially apologize for his sister''s wrongdoing. Of course, her brother apologizing would not get rid of her crimes. Yes. The merchant guild leader showed quite the interest in me. I feel like it would be easy to get something like that from him if I lead him on a bit. You are growing into quite the Pair de Riester, Dame Sarnez. Benjaminmented. Christelle smiled at the elder''spliment. She was not very interested in the Beau Monde. She would rather eat delicious food and y with Prince Jesse or spar with the crown prince. However, she was definitely aware of the fact that her status, abilities, and appearance were beneficial in getting what she wanted. That was why she understood why other nobles dressed up like peacocks and made pedantic remarks. That was definitely a form of skill. Is the auction tomorrow night? Yes. That is why I agreed to have lunch with the merchant guild leader tomorrow. We will eat lunch and take a walk together. I''m thinking of throwing some feelers out there while we chat. "That sounds like a great n. But please make sure to have an attendant with you. The young Countess carefully advised It was because she was suddenly reminded of Joanne de Haas''s shocking remarks. The Duke would not ept it even if the merchant guild leader truly approached Christelle, but you never knew what might happen. The wealth of the Haas Merchant guild rivaled those of most Pair de Riester. The abilities of the twenty three years old merchant guild leader would be extremely beneficial to the Duchys shipping industry. I understand. Please just make sure that the Marquis-nim does not find out about it. Presents are the best if they are a surprise. Of course. I promise. Ganael and lisabeth nodded their heads on the same beat. Prince Jessed would definitely be happy as well if Christelle won the bid. It was at that moment. Click! The office door opened and Emille de Haas urgently walked out. They thought that he would be with the Prince but he was alone. Everybodys eyes opened wide. Mr. Haas. Where is the Marquis-nim? Ah, that He said that he would calm down before he left so I came out first Christelle approached him and the merchant guild leader weakly looked down. He was covering his cheek with hisrge pan-lid like hand. lisabeth scowled. Is your teeth hurting? It sounds like you are crying. Young Countess-nim The merchant guild leader seemed to not know what to do and looked down. The shy cloth that draped down from his buzz cut hair was the same color as his eyes. The portion of his face he was covering was red and swollen. Christelle decided to put on a show and y along. Oh my, what happened to your face? "This, "Did you get bitten by a mosquito? I heard that the mosquitoes out at sea are quite vicious. A bite would definitely make someone tear up. Ipletely understand. No, maam. Thats not it. Emille quickly responded. The Marquis-nim, he He ced his hand on me. Pfffft! Ganael curled forward and his poker face crumbled. lisabeth bit down on her lips and patted her fiance. Christelle also bit down on her tongue to hold back from making a noise. No matter what, they were certain that they could notugh or swear right now. Benjamin squinted and was silent for a few seconds before taking some dust off of Christelle''s shoulder. His strategy was to just ignore the guy. Aigoo. I see. How pitiful. Why did he hit you? Auction. Sessful bid. Auction. Sessful bid. Christelle thought about her top priority and calmly asked. Please don''t worry about Ganael. He knows the pain because hes been hit before as well. She followed with improv like that as well. lisabeth was unable to hold back and buried her face in her hands. Anybody would think that she looked like a shocked noble. He found it disgraceful that a lowly person like me dared to bother his conversation with you, Dame Sarnez I could not say anything because what he said was true. He slowly continued. Christelle almost broke character for a moment but managed to miraculously maintain her calm. Her will to gift the Prince a present at the same level as the crystal bell had won. Benjamin was now counting the stripes on the wallpaper. Haaaa! I will apologize on his behalf. The Marquis-nim does have a habit of raising his hand easily. Dame Sarnez Emille cried while leaning his forehead against Christelles hand. Everybody was in silent or vibrate mode as Christelle seriously debated about this. Why does the prince end up with these fox-like people wherever he goes? No. What the hell does this young son of a bitch think he can gain from doing something like this? Trantor''s Comments Jesse in a harem with the Empress, Cardinal, and Cedric? ROFL. But more importantly, what the heck is Emille nning? Chapter 141: The real thing has appeared, right now (4) Chapter 141: The real thing has appeared, right now (4) Next day in Romero Pce I, have, appeared! Franois Duhem hase to return a smile to your face, your Royal Highness. Franois bowed while making some extremely exaggerated movements. Cdric silently red at the man. He had some free time because he had finished all of his work that would have been due in the middle of September. The rest should be fine to be dealt with when they are due. The crown prince had the attendants in the reception room and the next door room all withdraw and sent the two troublemaking divine beasts out for a walk in the rear garden as well. He was drinking some dandelion tea that was brought in during spring time and getting some rest when suddenly, the loudest person in the entire Empire appeared. He was not suited to dealing with such a person in the early hours of the day. Cdric spoke in an extremely annoyed tone. I dont recall ever smiling in front of you. Ah ah! I still remember when you were just nine years old, your Royal Highness. They are memories of my twenties. I was even more beautiful than now back then, What do you want? A sharp low voice cut the Marquis off. Despite both being Marquis, the difference between Duhem and Srnit was clear. The crown prince had that thought as he extended his hand toward the Sword of Wisdom that was leaning on the couch. His godmother insisted that he never pull out his sword except in the training ground. In that case, it should be fine if he just swings it while it is still in its scabbard. The scabbard lisabeth sent as a birthday present was light and thin, making it fun to swing around. It was extremely heat resistant, so it did not burn very easily either. Did youe to speak nonsense? His orange eyes became darker. He was nning to make the next person who mentions Prince Jesse while making ludicrous statements unable to open their mouth for a while. Franoiss light pink eyes curled up. Her Majesty has given an Imperial Decree for me to restore the portal records of the portals destroyed during wartime. It was a decision made to prepare for many different things. I simply came here to request your cooperation in the matter, your Royal Highness. I apologize for barging in like this without giving proper notice in advance. He elegantly bowed again. The crown prince''s murderous intent faded. Franoiss personality was not one that he could handle well, but this man was thorough in taking care of things and was faithful to his duties. Although peoples view of him in the Beau Monde was split quite drastically, nobody doubted his abilities. Cdric put down his sword and motioned to him with his eyes. It was his way of telling the Marquis to sit down. Thank you very much, your Royal Highness. Franois nimbly moved and sat down on the couch. Unnecessary talk stopped after that. He brought up how many soldiers they would need to locate the disappeared portals as well as the grade of mages necessary. David, who noticed that the flow of conversation was normal, brought some refreshments for the Marquis. Everything seemed to be going smoothly for an audience that proceeded without being agreed to in advance. Around one hour passed. Now that I think about it, something quite delightful is happening in the Imperial Pce. Did you know about that, your Royal Highness? Franois brushed back a strand of hair that fell down as he spoke. The crown prince looked at him with a stoic gaze. David was helping the Marquis clean up his maps now that everything was done. I heard that there is quite the bet going on about when you will head down to Srnit, your Royal Highness. The crown prince, who was lifting up his teacup, stiffened up. The attendant felt goosebumps on his arm and looked at the Marquis. He seemed to have no idea about what he had done and was yapping on excitedly. Please stop I saw a lot of attendants gathered together, so I was wondering what was going on. The Empress Pce and even the Charpentier Pce have bet gold! I thought that the people working in those two pces were pretty calm. I was shocked, your Royal Highness. David peeked toward the crown prince. Thankfully, he showed no intention of taking off his glove. The clueless Franois kept talking. Today is the day with the highest odds. Only one person has bet on today, your Royal Highness. As for me, I bet 2,000 Franc on you heading down tomorrow, ng! Crack! The ss broke and there was a noise that sounded like an explosion. Cdric jumped up from his seat. David held back a groan while looking at the couch that was unable to handle the impact and broke. Franois gasped and looked up at the crown prince. The air around the young man was getting hot. He was sure he was mistaking it, but it felt as if the room was getting darker. Your Royal Highness? I will head out immediately. Excuse me? Excuse me? The other two, both who were from Houses of Marquis, nkly asked back. Cdric''s voice gloomily echoed in the room. Inform her Majesty. I should arrive there before evening. Holy Almighty God. My emergency fund! Franois shouted like an actor. The crown prince''s orange eyes were burning up. He knew that he had held back for a long time and he had been nning to silently endure from here as well. However, he had no reason to hold back any longer. Wasnt it the duty of a member of the Imperial Family to do what the entire Imperial Pce wanted him to do? The person who bet on today is quite lucky. He nonchntlymented before starting to walk. David received his master''s order and bowed. His whole body was shaking, but he calmly closed his mouth and endured it. The fact that close to 10,000 Franc was now his will be a secret until his death. * This is really weird. Everybody oddly seemed to be avoiding my gaze. Did something happen after the feast yesterday? I couldnt hold it in anymore and asked. Christelle, Vice Captain lisabeth, Ganael, and Benjamin, who were all sitting with me, flinched at the same time. That made me certain. There was something that the four of them were not telling me. I squinted and looked into their faces. The salon they had prepared for the territory lord and guests to enjoy refreshments was luxurious and beautiful. It was suitable for some photosynthesis after breakfast as a lot of light came in through the windows. Demy and Percy were meaninglessly running around the hallway. The region''s musicians, which Chantal had scheduled, were ying a slow aubade on one side of therge room. The young Countess''s eyes were twitching so much as it happened. I looked toward her and asked. Please let me know if there is an issue I need to know about. It is fine. - I then started cutting therge savarin that was served to me. I didnt n to bring it up first, but it seemed quite suspicious. I had spoken privately with the Haas Merchant guild leader, Emille, after dinnerst night. As expected, he asked for forgiveness for his sister, Joanne''s crimes, and asked if bail was possible. He even said that he would invest significantly in the region if I wanted. Each and every statement was cautious and respectful, making his appearance and personality quite proportionate. I told him that I will think deeply on the matter. I wasn''t very clear about the Empiresws and it was my first time being a territory lord, so it was difficult to make a decision without thinking about it. I felt as if I should go back to the Imperial Pce and receive advice from the adults. As the conversation wasing to a close Would you please rest here for about ten minutes before youe out, my lord? I will prepare a carriage and have them clear the road. Emille smiled and said that to me. I was ufortable here in the merchant guild and wanted to leave right away, but the tea and desserts were delicious, making ten minutes eptable. He immediately left after I agreed. There was an area with the merchant guilds secretary right outside the reception room and you needed to go past another set of doors to get to the lobby. p! I heard a p outside the door. I didn''t think much about it as I didn''t hear a groan following it and gobbled up a Far Breton. Seeing the plum in the cake made me think of Demy. That was all, but From the moment we got on the carriage All of your faces were red and your bodies were shaking. If the meal is not sitting well in your stomach, I can open up a healing circle and take a look. There is also a doctor always at the ready as well. Marquis-nim, this is my personal opinion, but Christelle changed the topic at my request. Her blue-gray eyes were sparkling like a knife. The letter that we wrote two days ago My goodness. I think that words have quite the impact. Excuse me? That was unexpected. We chose provocative words so that he doesn''t look down on you, but he seems to have thought of you as a really strong person. You must havee off really mean. She was currently talking about the reply letter we sent to Emille. I thoroughly recalled the events ofst night. "The merchant guild leader Was very friendly. I thought that he was just always like that. Hohoho. Benjamin let out a deepugh. I was shocked because it was rare for him tough like this. I guess I was too naive. I never thought that he was showing such goodwill because of the letter. I guess I learned something new. I said that and nodded my head. That was certainly not what I would have ever written if it was up to me. Furthermore, the bad rumors about me should still exist. Marquis-nim, you are a warm and kind person unlike the rumors. I suddenly recalled what Emille said to me. There was thatincident on the eve of the session confirmation ceremony, but ones image is not something that suddenly bes good in a moment. I had nothing to say if Emille felt threatened by me. However, I did not hear anything about his character being bad. I n on looking into that. Christelle had a response to that as well. I wondered what she meant by that. I n on spending some time alone with the merchant guild leader today. We are scheduled to have lunch. The MC lighthearted exined. "Excuse me? My hand holding the knife instantly weakened. I got chills on my back as I looked at her. The other three were quiet as if they already knew about it. Why He seemed quite interesting. I''m curious about the life he has lived, as well as what kind of thoughts normally go through his mind. There is also something I wish to discuss with him as well. I felt suffocated. This was what I had been concerned about; the development that I trusted would not be reality. I was so flustered that I couldnt figure out what to say. It was hard for me to control my facial expression as well. Should I have brought crown prince Cdric here no matter what it took? Even if it caused all sorts of issues for him? "That, mm I couldn''t just p myself. I moved without urgency to grab a ss and slowly drank some ice water. My mind cleared up after my body filled with the cold liquid. Eunseo''s voice echoed in my ears at that moment. The wrath that my younger sister had showed that one weekday evening while lying down on the couch with her phone in her hand Ah! Just go for it! Do you want to have it taken away? I felt as if my eyes were getting clear. I immediately put the cup down and made eye contact with Christelle. If the crown prince could not be here, I needed to do something Before the development twisted to a point things could not be fixed. Please stay with me. I sternly responded. The table becamepletely silent, as if someone had poured cold water over them. I felt my ears gettingpletely red as I continued to speak. Her Majesty ordered us to test out holy stones. Nothing has seeded to date, so I need your continuous cooperation, Dame Sarnez. And I was blushing the more I talked. To suddenly do something I had been striking against since transmigrating into the novel it was so hard trying to do something I had never experienced nor had any skill with. I still needed to grab Christelle. I could use the little bits of information I had only if the novel flowed as close to the original as possible. That way, I could at least pretend to prepare for the future. I am your priest partner, Dame Sarnez. Marquis-nim, I''m sorry but I have a desperate reason for it as well. The MC immediately rejected me. That was more shocking than I expected. I sat there without being able to say anything and she consoled me with a pitying gaze. If things work out in my meeting with the merchant guild leader, I''m certain that you will be happy about it as well, Marquis-nim. I promise. If things work out I kept thinking about those extremely positive choice of words while in despair. After that, I had no idea how I finished that dessert session. I think I nodded my head and I feel like I responded to things people said after that, but I wasnt sure about anything. * Piruuuuuuuuuu Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii! "Big bro is okay. My mind is just a bit chaotic. I sat by the wide window and petted Percy and Demy. The two of them were affectionately digging into my arms. I was seated on arge andfortable cushion, but my body did not feel at ease, potentially because my mind was unsettled. Christelle seemed to be quite concerned about me but still went to lunch with Emille. And She had yet to return to the Lords Castle despite it being past four. Benjamin and Ganael must have been concerned that I felt as if I was cast aside by my friend, as they took turns checking in on me. Even Lady Isabelle came and apologized, despite having no reason to do so. I smiled and told her that I was fine. I was not at the age to be sad because my friend didn''t want to y with me. The only issue was that she was on a date. I debated secretly following behind them and messing things up, but that was not eptable in any world. The content seems to be flowing weirdly because the crown prince isn''t here. Cruuu. Apparently the male lead is very important. Its hard for the second male lead to do anything. I quietly mumbled. I couldn''t help but sigh. The invitation in my hand weakly fluttered. The world''s greatest show! VIP invitation to the Haas Auction house. First week of September: The week of the divine item It was something I had received from Emille yesterday . The extremely considerate guy gave me three of these precious invitations so that Benjamin and Ganael could go as well. Today was the first day of the auction, but I would rather not go if I need to watch Christelle flirting with Emille instead of the crown prince. Percy also pecked at the window with discontent. I chuckled and covered his beak. No, you''re going to get hurt. Piruuuuu, pipi! It''d be weirder if I stopped them when they like each other. Pipipi! Pipipi! You know, this might be one of the trials the official couple has to face. I petted the little birds forehead as I whispered. Percy became extremely excited and started jumping up and down. I finally felt as if his condition was weird. I seriously looked at him wondering if he was sick or something when Squeeeeee Ugh! Demy tackled me in the stomach. I urgently curled forward. I teared up as the view outside the window was right in front of me now. I gasped while clutching my stomach and looked out. Why are they acting like this all of a sudd- Huh? I sounded so foolish. It could not be helped because I thought I was seeing things at first. The red panda and chimney bird pushed at my thigh and pecked at the back of my hand, as if to say something like, you finally realized it. It was a carriage with the Imperial family''s crest on it. Actually, there were five carriages. Wait, there wasnt even a message. Imented, as if to make excuses. What business would the Imperial family have, holy moly. Ho One of the carriage doors opened and a handsome young man with pitch ck hair appeared. My jaw dropped and a shock went down my spine. The luxurious uniform and red shoulder strap clearly identified him. I could clearly recognize him from the top of this tall spire. I instantly got up and ran down the hallway almost as if I was rolling. I couldnt help but chuckle. I had no idea what had happened. But at least there''s something that will prevent everything from failing! Demy, Percy! Hurry! Screeeech! Piiriii The divine beast and divine item chased after me at full speed. Dududu, b,b, bang! All sorts of noises filled the Lords Castle. I had not run so intensely like this since transmigrating into this world. My goodness! Marquis-nim? My lord! The passing attendants and servants quickly bowed. I answered them with hand gestures and gazes before jumping down the stairs two or three at a time. My palm scraped on a ledge and was hurting, but it didnt matter. I finally arrived at the lobby to see that it was rowdy. I caught my breath and quickly walked toward the wide open doors. Marquis-nim, why are you rushing so! Chantal, who finally noticed me, seemed confused. I left my jacket by the window, my hair was a mess from running, and some of my shirt buttons and my cuff links were undone as well. Chantal helped me look proper again as I walked forward. A shocked Benjamin and Ganael were among the crowd as well. They seemed to have been doing other things before rushing out. Everybody opened up a path for me. I headed toward the face I was happy to see. The sculpture-like young man who climbed up the white stairs looked at me. His expression seemed to be asking what was wrong with me. My mind instantly rxed after seeing this oh so familiar sight. My face muscles rxed as well. Wee, your Royal Highness. I smiled brightly. His pupils started shaking, as if this was unexpected. Them traveling separately really did give me anxiety. Christelle de Sarnez and Cdric Riester needed to be together no matter what, until the ending. Why dont we just move together in the future so that you don''t have to show upte like this ever again? That was why I said it. This time, the crown prince''s eyes clearly opened wide. I coughed a couple times before taking a deep breath. My breathing was still heavy from running but there was a fact I wanted to m into his mind. "We are partners. I thought that this was a great excuse. The crown prince slightly tilted his head. Then he smiled so slightly that it would not be visible at all from a distance. It was the first time I ever saw him smile. Trantor''s Comments Oh David Chapter 142: The world鈥檚 greatest show! (1) Chapter 142: The world¡¯s greatest show! (1) Just seeing his face made me feel full. Just the fact that the two MCs were in the same area made me feel relieved. This must be why people don''t like MCs in movies and novels splitting up. This is why the extras say things like, I knew you woulde! Whenever the main characters show up. I snickered toward crown prince Cdric sitting on the other side of the table. He put his coffee cup down and looked toward Vice Captain lisabeth next to him. Has the Marquis been drinking? Of course not Hes just happy that his friend is here. She had been shocked at her close friend''s sudden visit, but had quickly calmed down after speaking to David for a bit. ording to David, the Imperial Crown Prince had finished his duties ande down here to cool his head. I felt an unexinable sense of pride as I sipped on the sunflower tea. Christelle is definitely a charming MC you want to see as much as possible. Even Eunseo bought all of the Christelle merch that came out. - The musicians that Chantal called yed a magnificent serenade this time. I opened up my notebook and inspected the things I needed to do as the sun started to set in the salon. Having the main characters in one ce got me fired up. Srnit schedule: Greet the people of the Lord''s Castle Take care of all sorts of documents Territory inspection (Chantal is setting schedule) Holy stones stability testing (Continuously failing) Haas Merchant guild feast participation Visit the Haas Auction house! I had no reason to go to the auction house alone, but it was different now. Now that a man appeared to shake Christelle and the crown prince has shown up in Srnit, I could not avoid the auction event anymore. It was thergest and most representative event by the Haas Merchant guild, so the Duke''s family would obviously attend as well. That means that I only had one mission. Come up with a decent excuse to take the crown prince there as well. Good. Cruuu. Squeeeee. Rhea and Perry reacted to my solemn mumbling. The two of them, who came on the crown prince''s carriage, were more arrogant than usual as they demanded affection. I chuckled and patted the two divine beasts on my knees. Demy was fast asleep while wrapped around the young Countesss shoulder like a piece ofundry and Percy was in the Imperial Prince''s hair, chirping loudly every so often. Second meeting with Joanne de Haas. I stared at the new topic that was added to the end of the list. Christelle would return before dinner. I was certain of it because the Duke and his wife urgently sent a messenger to the city after seeing the crown prince arrive. That meant that I needed to meet with Joanne before then to gather information on Emille and the merchant guild. Benjamin and Ganael, who were seated on either side of me, filled my teacup and gave me a pile of meringue cookies as I nodded my head. I was filled with energy. I will continue to do my best to film . * Christelle de Sarnez, no, Ham Ga-in, had never been in sales. However, she did work part time in a caf near the train station for all four years of college. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she saw all sorts of people at that ce. She basically saw the full spectrum of the rainbow in terms of personalities. She then worked seven or eight years after that in apany, so she was confident that she had experienced pretty much all kinds of crazy bastards that were out there. However, it was her first time seeing someone like this. In some ways, it was a fresh experience. Oh my, to start studying business at the age of nine, you are amazing. I had no choice because my sister rejected being an heir at that time. In some ways, my sister is the amazing one. She had chosen her own path when she was barely ten years old. Emille de Haas smiled as he responded. Most people would be nking out at his handsome face, but Christelle had no reaction to it. In her opinion, Prince Jesses smile had much more impact, and, looking only at handsomeness, the crown prince had the merchant guild leader overwhelmingly beaten. She didn''t want to admit thattter part, but it was the truth. Seeing those two men so often made regr handsome people seem average to her. Furthermore, while Emille was young and a smooth talker, it seemed increasingly obvious that something had been missing as he grew up. It must have been hard for you to have friends. You must have been very busy. Christelle warmlymented as they walked down the path in the merchant guild''s rear garden. This ce was pretty as well, but she very much preferred being with her close friends in the garden of Juliette Pce. Now that she thought about it, she had yet to visit the Imperial Pces greenhouse with Prince Jesse. Books were my friends. They taught me so much about the world. That meant that he had no friends. The corners of Christelle''s eyes curled up. Have you read a lot of novels as well? I''m extremely addicted to these days. Yes maam, novels yed a big role in expanding my imagination. Thanks to them, I dreamt of the world beyond the ocean and developed a curiosity formerce Hey, dont overdo it. Why are you acting like a twenty year old at their first job interview? She could only grumble internally. Emille was indeed in his twenties, and a young twenty three year old at that, but Christelle was annoyed by him. Did he end up like this because he was so busy studying when he was younger that he only learned about rtionships through books? Is it that his brain is great at selling things but not at getting to people''s hearts? Nonsense. Not all studious people grew up to wrongfully use others. Especially doing it behind said person''s back like a lowly fox. She had no idea how many romance novels he read while growing up, but Christelle had no reason to just go along with whatever Emille said. She didn''t want to do that either. She was not Prince Jesse. But I dont think there are many novels talking about the stories ofmoners. Most are about romance between nobles or politics. The you just mentioned is an adventure story about a wealthy family as well. That was why she scoped him out with a gentle tone. It was because she remembered what Vice Captain lisabeth told her before she left the Srnit Lords Castle. I do not know if this is urate, but Based on our interrogation of Joanne de Haas, the Haas merchant guild leader has a goal of increasing his status. I just thought you should know. Based on what Christelle knew, amoner in the Empire basically had two ways to get an increase in status. First was to make some revolutionary achievement in any specialty to receive a title. Maybe that was easy during wartime, but it was extremely rare for something like that to happen in a peaceful time like right now. There was no guarantee that you would be bestowed a title and there was also a chance of an evil noble stealing the credit for amoner''s achievement. That left just one way to make it happen. Marriage to a noble. That is true. That is something I have always been disappointed about. I''m d that we agree. Emille responded in a sad voice. Aigoo, it is that. Christelle clicked her tongue quietly. Thats right. It is not right for an extraordinarymoner to be rejected for their abilities or not considered for an important task due to their status. She made a glibment before observing Emilles expression. She also didnt forget to open her eyes wide and slightly tilt her head to the side so that she looked as lovely and harmless as possible. Emille looked down at her with his lemon-colored eyes shaking, as if he heard something unbelievable. She could see the reaction of a person who had seen his chance. Do you truly believe that, Dame Christelle? No Is it okay for me to call an esteemed individual as yourself by your name? Of course. I''m happy because your voice is so wonderful. Christelle shylymented. Prince Jesse was right. The crown prince''s voice was much better than this kind of bastards voice. That guy had a tendency to be excessive in everything, including his physique. Thank you very much. Please freely address me by my name as well. I will, Emille. The merchant guild leader smiled brightly as Christelle easily agreed. Christelle smiled back and finished her calctions. She was certain that this bastard was greedy for status and choosing the route of marriage because that was easy. The way he was flirting with her made it clear that the Dukes House of Sarnez was his target. Its great to have big dreams but not impossible ones What bullshit. Oh my! Ah, whatever! Christelle purposely pretended to trip on a rock. She needed to confirm things first. Dame Christelle! Emille quickly held her by the waist. They instantly ended up in a romantic pose! Y, youngdy! My goodness. The attendants of the Dukes household, who were following about ten steps behind them, covered their eyes and turned around. Christelle ced a hand on Emille''s chest and slowly raised her head. The way his light brown cheeks were flushed red made it certain that he was looking at her in that manner. Christelle acted like a weak little girl and covered her mouth. No matter how much someone like you acts like a fox Thank you very much. The Marquis-nim has never helped me like this That makes no sense. How can you not extend a helping hand toward someone as beautiful as you? You dumbass, do you really think that a Holy Knight would fall like this? There was, however, a time when she caught the Prince when he was about to fall though. That sir Is the type to extend his hand for another reason. Christelle whispered to Emille in a pitiful voice. She was talking about how he was struck by the Prince. Emille''s face quickly stiffened. As I expected. The terrible rumors were true. I heard that the Marquis has you, Dame Christelle, in one hand and his Royal Highness in the other and is toying with both of you. Its true. Who the hell is going around spewing such bullshit? Christelle seriously thought about the faces of those Bishop bastards she saw during the Annual Prayer Meeting. She was basically certain it was those bastards who talked crap about the Prince at the meeting. If they can''t say it to his face, they should keep their mouths shut. My goodness. Dame Christelle, I truly Emille was just about to wipe Christelle''s cheek with hisrge palm. She had managed to tear up by holding back two yawns. It was at that moment. Young miss! The Duke requests you to return immediately, oh! She heard the voice of a servant from the House of the Duke in the distance. Christelle quickly moved away from Emille as if she was caught in an embarrassing moment. The messenger, who was escorted by a staff of the merchant guild toe find her, became flushed as he lowered his head. He then said the thing he needed to say extremely quickly, almost as if the words were water pouring down a waterfall. Y, youngdy Christelle His Royal Highness has arrived at the Lords Castle. Your parents request you return to greet him. ck. Christelle barely managed to keep the first part of that swear word silent. She was dealing with a weasel pretending to be a fox and a true fire fox showed up. She scowled and looked up at Emille. He probably thought she looked extremely sad. My feet hurt and it looks like I will have to make my leave now. My father hates it when I amte. Please wait a moment, Dame Christelle! Emille grabbed her by the wrist. Look at this jackass. She let her long hair flutter as she dramatically turned toward him. When will we be able to meet again? Please tell me that we will be able to meet again. I''m not very sure. I do have the invitation to the auction you sent, but my parents do not like to bid on things they are not sure about. They probably will not attend. Although they did seem to have something they wanted Christelle trailed off as if she was sorry. I cant make you any promises. Goodbye now. She let her eyshes flutter as she walked away. Emille weakly let go of her arm. Once she was turned around, there was a sparkle in Christelles eyes as she wiped her wrist on her clothes. The has been cast properly. All that was left was for him to get caught in it. It was now time for her to return to the rabbit-like Prince and her friends. * It is okay to rest in a room Are you not tired, your Royal Highness? I looked up at the crown prince, who was walking next to me, and asked. It would be fine for him to get some rest aftering such a far way, so I didnt understand why he wanted toe with me to the underground prison. His eyebrow twitched once while looking down at me and he didn''t say anything. There is no way he took move together literally, is there? It seemed as if he just wanted to see the inside of the castle. Housewarming parties were fun after all. aaaang! I flinched again. It was because Vice Captain lisabeth kicked the bars of Joannes cell again. The shocked red panda trio grumbled in my arms. I patted their backs on behalf of the young Countess and apologized. Get up. Joanne de Haas. His Royal Highness and the Marquis wish to speak to you. Ah, tell me these things in advance I''m tired after staying up all night doing art. Joanne pulled up the cloth covering her eyes and grumbled. She seemed to be using the scarf on her head as an eye mask. I tilted my head and stood in front of her after hearing some unexpected words. Doing art? Gasp! "Wow Ganael and I both dropped our jaws at the same time. There was arge portrait drawn on one side of her cell. The face of the young boy she drew with white chalk was so delicate that it looked alive. I looked back and forth at the wall and at Ganael. They looked exactly the same. She was extremely talented. Ganaels cheeks flushed red from shock and embarrassment. Ah, umm. Why ng! Vice Captain lisabeth immediately pulled out her rapier. Her grey eyes looked extremely cold. I gulped. The March is beyond anything I expected. The crown prince calmlymented. Dont pour oil on the me! Trantor''s Comments Oo~ Ganael~ Chapter 143: The world鈥檚 greatest show! (2) Chapter 143: The world¡¯s greatest show! (2) Ganael cautiously grabbed Vice Captain lisabeth''s arm. The divine beasts in my arms tensed up with their tails in the air after seeing the rapier. I quickly started speaking. Esteemed Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard, please calm down. This woman has mocked my fiance. The young Countess sharply responded to myment. Her gaze was as sharp as when she was hunting demonic beasts. It was understandable that she was angry, as amoner had drawn a nobles face without even asking for permission before doing so. I was debating on how to resolve this issue when David, who had been quiet this whole time, said something. Show respect. You are in the presence of a member of the Empires Imperial family. O, okay. I''ll bow. Joanne, who had been smirking toward Vice Captain lisabeth, quickly bowed on the ground after seeing crown prince Cdric. The male leads charisma truly seemed to be different as she had not acted like this toward me. She said, I greet his Royal Highness, but the young man showed no reaction. Amoner would probably think that his silence was even scarier. I calmly asked. Why did you draw Ganael? I just wanted to draw him. There wasnt any intent behind it. I swear, your highness! Joanne shouted. The crown prince''s presence must have been ufortable for her as she went back and forth, speaking informally then formally. She continued to ramble as if making an excuse. I need to immediately draw whateveres to my mind. It has been like this since I was young, your highness. It is not that I have any feelings for that young master-nim, I just got the desire to draw early this morning and drew. I swear. She then switched herst statement to, I swear to the Almighty God. I looked toward Ganael and Vice Captain lisabeth. The young boy was warmly whispering to his fiancee. I''m fine, Georges. I''m just a bit shocked. Wash the wall with water by the end of the day. I will be back at midnight to check. ng! The young Countess put her weapon back in the scabbard. The air instantly calmed down. Ganael smiled and looked at her. I didnt say anything because I thought it might be ufortable for the two of them, but, honestly speaking, it seemed like a waste. This is such a great picture. It would be great if we could remove the wall and give it to him as a gift. Joanne must have thought the same as she pursed her lips. Young master-nim, this is expensive. You might regret itter. Of course. We all turned around. Benjamin was gently smiling. He looked as if he realized something. Marquis-nim, do you remember the artist from Viaan? Haade O. Jansen? Excuse me? Yes. I immediately responded to Benjamins question. His name was one of the answers to a quiz I took in the carriage on my way to Srnit. Jansen, who was said to have be naturalized in the Empire around a decade ago, was the greatest star born in the Haas Auction House. His newest paintings always topped the highest recorded price for art, attracting the attention of the Empires Pair de Riester to the Haas Auction house. The only information about him other than his name was that he was born as a noble in the Holy Kingdom, leading to people calling him the faceless artist. He received a lot of praise for his brush strokes that looked as if they were moving No way. I quietly mumbled. I got chills on both arms. Benjamin''s blue eyes curled up. Really? I just figured it out just now as well, your highness. Haade. O. Jansen. If you change the letters around, you get Joanne de Haas. My goodness! Oh Almighty God. Ganael and David werepletely shocked. The young Countess''s eyes became the size of tes while the crown prince tilted his head. He seemed amused. Joannes identity was one thing but I was gasping with astonishment at the fact that Benjamin was able to figure that out all in his mind without writing it down. The author of ReSeHo is amazing! What the hell, hey mister You figured it out that easily? Joanne was naturally the most stunned. Her jaw was dropped and she blinked with her head up as if she was forgetting that she was in front of the crown prince. The scarf on her head slipped down as if to react to her shock. That makes no sense. Until now, nobody Nobody knew! Are you sure you didn''t know about it already?! I was just lucky. You were the one who said it was a precious painting. I have also seen your other works before. Lies! Quiet down. Do you know who you are around right now? Haaa.. Joanne curled her body again. However, she kept shaking her head as if her shock and resentment were mming against her. I calmed myself and asked the most important question. Have you been scamming people this whole time? I didn''t do it! Joanne jerked her head up before seeing the crown prince standing next to me and quickly lowered her posture again. She grinded her teeth as she continued to speak. Fuck! Jansen is a stage name I came up with. I made it up when I was fifteen! It was because I thought nobody would give it a proper look if they heard that a troublemaking trash likes to draw. But then. She stopped for a moment. I finished the sentence for her. Emille decided to use that fact. Yes. Joanne responded in a shaking voice. She truly seemed scared this time. Her tightly clenched fists were turning white. Hes always been good at things like that. Coming up with things that were never said, putting a story behind it, and then making everybody believe it. That is why mom had no hesitation handing the merchant guild over to him. She said that sales is only for the shameless. I hated my family being like that so much. We were bound to hear people talk shit about us for the rest of our lives because of how we were framed as spies even if we livedpletely innocent lives, but they lived shrewdly out in the open It would be better to live proudly like my great grandfather before being cut down! Her eyes turned red and her voice sounded teary. However, she did not shed a single tear. The crown prince, who had been silent this whole time, broke the silence. So, are you saying that you are innocent? No, your Royal Highness. Joanne immediately said no. She picked up the fallen scarf before continuing to speak. Emille knew that my stage name was in the Holy Kingdom''s style and created a fake artist. He made up a believable story and put a stamp on it as something only sold through the Haas Auction house. I told him to do whatever he wanted because I didn''t think anybody would buy them, but They ended up hitting the jackpot. In order to get his sister''s continuous cooperation, Emille paid her for the painting and requested her to make another one. Joanne continued in a dejected voice. I was already a co-conspirator and had no money after giving up my inheritance and leaving home. After that Didnt you say that you lived well despite not having much money? Vice Captain lisabeth cynicallymented. Joanne looked angry as she bit on her lip. Yes, I''m trash as well! I enjoyed painting and I couldn''t stop after seeing how I could make money and be praised by people for it. I continued to paint out of my own volition! She was huffing at this point. There are so many things that need money. Am I the only thug in the neighborhood? The punks going around with mee crying about how her husband is sick or her child is starving. After giving them some money for medicine and food, there wasnt much left for me! There isnt much left for you? I asked in shock. It was surprising that she took care of the thugs that were in the other prison upstairs, but Joanne''s paintings made record sales every time they popped up in the auction house. So why would someone who should have numerouske houses I only receive 50,000 to 100,000 franc per painting. Joanne grumbled. The atmosphere in the cell became ice cold. I did the math in my mind. 10,000 franc is about one million won in this world, so 50,000 was about five million won. And Haade O. Jansen''stest piece If I remember correctly, it was sold at 7,500,000 franc. 750 million won. The crown prince asked in a gloomy voice. The merchant guild leader is taking most of the money. Why do you just let him do that? I have no choice, your Royal Highness. If it was not for my younger brother, nobody would treat my work so highly. Cant you sell them yourself? If you go to another auction house or a market, "There is no way that bastard would let that slide. Joanne shook her head at my question. I immediately figured out what she meant. Emille, who took a talented new artist and posed her as a veteran with a sad backstory, would be able to easily bring her down if she tried to leave. He could call them counterfeits ore up with lies to banish her from the field. My mouth tensed up. Using his own family, not treating them properly, and then tricking others with it for his own benefit Has he done things like this in other businesses as well? I don''t know. He did receive a lot of things from my mother and grandmother, so There should be a lot of things that are done properly. Based on Emilles personality, there is no way he doesn''t have a hole to escape through. The auctions are just a means to raise the name value of the merchant guild anyway. Joanne exined. I looked toward the crown prince out of reflex. His orange eyes were sinking low. Although Haas was in Srnit, it was a free city directly under the Empress. It was hard for me to investigate Emille since he wasn''t one of my residents and I wasnt familiar with the formalities and procedures either. However, the Imperial family could investigate them for scamming or tax evasion Marquis-nim. Dame Sarnez has arrived. Chantal called out to me at that moment. An attendant at the end of the hallway grabbed the hem of her dress and bowed. The meal is all prepared as well. Shall I inform the Duke''s family to wait longer? No, we will head up. Imented. It didnt sound like a short story anyway. I looked toward the crown prince and motioned with my eyes. He nodded his chin as if he agreed. I took onest look at Joanne, who had a look of despair as she scratched against the stone floor. I had a bitter taste in my mouth. * "That was a wonderful meal. Im d you enjoyed it, Duke Sarnez. The pork tenderloin dish was truly amazing. The riesling sauce was magnificent as well. Thank you very much, Marquis-nim. Looks like I will have to send mypliments to Laurence. Thank you very much, Lady Sarnez. Duke Simon de Sarnez and Lady Isabelle thanked me outside the dining room. Our first meal in the Lords Castle concluded safely. Laurence, the chef of Juliette Pce, showed his amazing abilities even in an unfamiliar kitchen. Everybody was quite satisfied with the dishes. The only difference from usual was that it was quite silent during the meal. This was especially true for Christelle, who was so quiet that it was weird. To be more urate, it looked as if there was something she wanted to say to the crown prince, me, and all of her friends, but was holding back because her parents were there. It seems Christelle, lets chat before you go back to your room. Yes, father. As if she was wary about her father being there. I didn''t know exactly what was going on, but the father-daughter duo were currently in an argument about her marriage. I thought it was probably about that. Click, click Only the sound of several footsteps could be heard echoing through the hallways of the Lords Castle for a while. The Duke and his wife, Vice Captain lisabeth, and the attendants were walking in front. Originally, the crown prince and I were in the front but Christelle slowly pulled my sleeve and slowed me down, making everybody fall back. The Duke and his wife were busy chatting and did not seem to realize we had fallen back. I whispered to the Imperial Prince. "What are you nning on doing with the Haas siblings, your Royal Highness? Informing her Majesty seems like the top priority. I nodded my head. He could probably investigate it himself as the crown prince, but the merchant guild was quiterge and the city belonged to the Empress, so it''s only right that she learns of it first. I watched the Duke and his wife turn a corner. It was at that moment. Click! Christelle opened a closet door. She then pushed us in there! I''m sorry! Huh? Tap! The crown prince was not someone who would have been overpowered by her, but seeing me fall in made hime into the closet as well. The MC quickly closed the door and looked at us. Light wasing in through the gap in the door, making our six eyes clearly visible. It was quite small in here for all three of us and my shoulders were hurting. She seemed to be plotting something since earlier. This was it? Honey, Christelle is not here. I heard Isabelle''s voice from around the corner. I could sense the anxious Chantal, Ganael, and Vice Captain lisabeth outside the door. Benjamin and David let out quiet sighs. This hide and seek started unexpectedly, but I felt as if we could definitely not get caught now that we were hiding. Christelle and I were silent as if we had nned this together. Even the crown prince yed along. Dont worry, Marquis-nim! Ganael whispered through the door. What are you going to do? What do you mean, Isabelle? She was right behind us Oh my! Duke Sarnezs voice got closer before he sounded shocked. Lady Sarnezs reaction was simr. Oh my! Simon, don''t bother them. I''m sorry, young Countess-nim. Comments like But Christelle, Christelle must have gone ahead, continued. I blinked while stuck in a crown prince and Christelle sandwich. Did they do something outside? Christelle and the crown prince squinted. It was hot and suffocating in here as we could feel each other''s breaths, but I couldn''t help but be curious. What is it? The two of you know what is going on? Trantor''s Comments Not as hot and stuffy as what is going on outside betweenst chapter''s painting and this chapter''s make out session Ganael getting the love. Chapter 144: The world鈥檚 greatest show! (3) Chapter 144: The world¡¯s greatest show! (3) I heard Benjamin and David letting out some fake coughs. "What is going on outside- There is something more important, Marquis-nim. Christelle sternly whispered. I looked down at her blue-gray eyes that sparkled even in the darkness. It is about Emille de Haas, the Haas Merchant guild leader. Hes a terrible bastard. How did you know about that, Dame Sarnez? Hmm? How did the two of you know? The MC asked back. Crown prince Cdric let out a deep sigh. Don''t do that, it''ll increase the temperature. We found out while interrogating his older sister, Joanne de Haas. I whispered. It was difficult for Christelle to know the situation because she had not been here every time we interrogated Joanne. She scowled once we told her about the scam in the auction house and about how Emille did not pay his sister properly for her art. I thought he was just immature but hes inhumane. What kind of cra Christelle viciously mumbled to herself. I did my best to pretend that I did not hear and said something else. "And although I did not tell you because it was hard to confirm There were talks of the merchant guild leader aiming to be your husband, Dame Sarnez. They said that hes gone crazy to get a rise in status. That is correct, your highness. She looked right at us and whispered. I blinked in shock. She knew about it? Or maybe she found out after meeting him separately? "That bastard thinks that hes awesome. He is extremely narcissistic. The problem is that he does not stop and is never satisfied. He even schemes against other people. He uses those schemes to raise himself higher. It was a total relief that Christelle had not fallen for him but Emille kept havingyer afteryer despite not being an onion. Her tone became sharper. He ndered you in front of all of us. That dumbass. Me? Its understandable. The crown prince coldly mumbled. I grumbled and changed position. I couldnt help it because there was a significant difference in their body temperatures. This is a bit better. Nope, its still the same. What would he gain by ndering me- He must have been jealous because everybody seemed so friendly with you, Marquis-nim. Maybe he thought that we would like him if we stopped liking you? This was a bit embarrassing. It would have been great if I had the divine beasts or some snack but it was hard for me to hide the embarrassment because my hands were empty. I quickly pulled out a holy stone the size of my pinky fingernail from my inner pocket. This was one of the many stones of the same sizes thatFrank, the Imperial Pce''s cksmith, made for us to experiment on. I ced one in Christelle''s hand and one in the Crown prince''s hand, causing the two of them to stare at me. I gave them a reasonable answer. "We''ve never tested it in the dark. Why dont we try it since we are in here anyway? Sure. Christelle smiled and fumbled with the marble. She then continued speaking without holding back. Anyway, our liking you is not a one-way thing, Marquis-nim. We are close because you like us as well, but that merchant guild leader bastard doesn''t know that. He doesnt know that human rtionships cannot be formed by tyranny. She made eye contact with the crown prince. My instincts were telling me to not get in the middle, making me pull my head back. Christelle smiled. An extremely dyed greeting flowed out. It seems like it has been a while since Ive seen your face and chatted with you like this, your Royal Highness. My eyes, now used to the darkness, noticed the crown princes eyebrows moving. He didnt say anything but that was clearly a positive gesture. It was understandable that it felt like a while since they had not been taking Sir Johann''s lessons togethertely. I held my breath because it felt weird being between them. I wonder if Eunseo felt this way whenever she read QNW. So, what will you do? It looks like we need some sprite. "Sprite? The crown prince asked back. She said that it was simr to cidre. It has foam so it clears your inside when you drink it. Someone like Haas needs revenge as refreshing as cidre. To be honest with you I wondered whether I should proceed with an investigation. Informing her Majesty and having the Imperial Guards taking over seemed like the cleanest n. I whispered. Although I had no issues with those refreshing sprite developments in stories, I had not even considered it as I had never had such opportunities in my own life. However, it must have been different for our MC. Her blue eyes sparkled like jewels. "That is the official way, however It is obvious that it would just end up as fines for the merchant guild leader. You said that his sister also said that he probably had a way out? That was true. Emille had tried to resolve his sister''s crimes with money as well. It was likely that he would squirm out like an eel and quickly restore his image if we went with thewful route. Joanne would probably remain the only viin in the art scam auction incident. Then That bastard wants fame and thinks that he can be perfect if he had a title. Using that to attack him will probably be the only way to actually affect him. Christelle slylymented. Just hearing her voice made me think that she was the viin. We need to make him lose face in front of a lot of people. I''m intrigued. The crown prince immediately agreed. I was a bit worried because they both seemed a bit hostile. * Our strategy meeting ended quickly. There was nothing to add because the n itself was simple. Vice Captain lisabeth''s cheeks were flushed red ever since we came out of the closet, but thankfully, she didn''t have a cold. Ganael confirmed that there was nothing to worry about. Christelle stared at the young Countesss face. The two of themughed out loud. Then it was the next day. September 1st. The beginning of Fall and the second day of the Haas Auction house''s divine item week . This was the day to initiate our n. Mm. I groaned as the carriage cked forward. Our test in the closet yesterday was a failure as well. Result of Holy stones testing Adding unique ether while running (extreme exercise): Failure Adding ether while sleepy (mental and physical stability): Failure Adding small amounts of ether for a long period of time (one drop per minute): Failure Adding arge amount of ether at once: Failure . . . Adding ether in darkness: Failure! The page in the notebook was full of the word, failure. Christelle, Sir Johann, and I had tested the holy stones quite a bit while the crown prince was busy with his work. The situation where the holy stone maintained its form the longest was when I concurrently opened my circle and provided ether to a Holy Knight. It did seem as if a priests power yed a big role in the stability of the item, but Hey, Marquis-nim. I jerked my head up. Joanne, who was seated across from me, was looking at me with a scared look on her face. Is this really okay? I dont fit in at an event like this. Wont the nobles at the auction look at me and sneer? She quickly rattled on. Joanne, our artist and bandit, was cooperating with us sort of, kind of, just ever so slightly out of her own free will. She looked fine after washing up, receiving some new clothes that the attendants of the Lords Castle let her borrow, and cleaning the cloth on her hair. Benjamin and Ganael still seemed discontent at the fact that she was speaking informally to me. Vice Captain lisabeth, who was here to keep an eye on Joanne, seemed the same as well. I tilted my head for a different reason. Is that what you think of yourself? Me? I''m proud of myself. But the standards are different for those people in high ces. My head looks like this as well.I dont look like a well-educated artist. She grumbled. I observed Joanne''s hair that was cut unevenly. Now that she mentioned it, I was indeed curious about that. May I ask how your hair ended up like that? One of the punks in my gang took out a loan to take care of his sick mother. I paid it off for him by selling my hair. Was that a boring story? If you have an issue with that, you can put me back in a cell. Or you can get me an expensive wig or something. Joanne sharplymented back. I assumed there was a story behind it, but I did not expect it to be something like that. I smiled and answered back. It looks great. I think it will start a trend in the Imperial Capital. What Oh right, this is the magic tool I exined this morning. I pulled a pair of ear cuffs from my pocket. Joanne closed her mouth. It was used by cing it on the auricle, and, just like before, it was a party item Christelle had personally purchased from the Legault Central Commerce Center. She was currently on the carriage of the Duke''s House of Sarnez following behind us. The crown prince was in the Imperial family''s carriage in front of us. Each one will give the user fifteen minutes for a total of thirty minutes where the wearers presence is hidden. It can only be used once and activates if you press this round embedded jewel three times. We will use it once when the carriage door opens outside the merchant guilds building, and after that It was at that moment. Knock, knock, knock knock! Someone frantically knocked on the window. We gasped and looked out the window. Who is knocking on a moving carriage, Percy! I shouted almost in a gasp. My eyes felt as if they would burst out. The chimney bird was frantically pecking at the window. But that was not the end. What about Demy, hey! You''re going to break your ankle! Please calm down, Marquis-nim. The young Countess''s voice was shaking quite a bit as she spoke as well. It was understandable because Percy was clutching the red panda, which was about twenty times his size, as he flew next to us. Benjamin and Ganael looked up at the sky and started praying. I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything in astonishment. I left them on purpose in case something happened but they followed us like this?! Why The carriage slowed down. It was not because the coachman noticed them. The Haas merchant guild building was in front of us, so the guests who arrived before us must be getting off their carriages. I quickly opened the door and grabbed the little headaches. Demy pushed against my ribs. Whimper, whimper Okay, I''m sorry. I thought you guys would be ufortable because there are a lot of unfamiliar people. Piruuuuu, pipipi! I didn''t leave you guys there because I don''t like you. Cruuuuuuuuu! These punks oddly kept criticizing me. Percy kept tapping the window with his beak even after entering the carriage. Ganael finally looked outside and flinched. Marquis-nim, look over there. There is watering out of the merchant guild''s carriage! Huh? I carefully grabbed Percy and brought him down so that I could look out the window. The young boy was pointing toward a freight carriage with arge crest of the Haas Merchant guild. The carriage was heading toward the rear door of the building and arge amount of water poured out as the hinged doors on the back opened. There seemed to be some mobile tub in it or something. I became anxious and looked at the chimney bird and the red panda. Is it because of that? Whimper What is inside? Piiiii It would be great if I could understand them Everybody looked confused. Joanne, who had never seen something like this before, was nking out. I looked out the window again. At that moment Eek. A white tail moved past the carriage door and a pair of ck eyes brushed by. I got chills all over my body. I quickly looked around at everybody else. Benjamin, who was seated on the inner seat, nodded his head. I had not seen wrong. Just now. It is not human. But it is definitely a creature. The young Countess calmlymented. The merchant guild''s carriage had already turned a corner, making it no longer visible. Our carriage was slowly moving forward as well. It was almost time to get off. Joanne and I made eye contact. Does your brother auction off living creatures as well? Rare demonic beasts have appeared a few times. Then do you think that was a demonic beast just now? Ganael quickly asked. I shook my head. The crystal bell in my pocket was too calm. Furthermore, if it was a demonic beast, Demy and Percy would not have worked so hard to fly over here to find me Then maybe? Is it a divine beast? Squeeee! Pipo! Both of them chirped loudly as if that was the right answer. My jaw dropped and I got chills at this unexpected development. Todays n had been extremely simple and clear. So how did it end up like this There are other divine beast-nims other than Demy, Rhea, and Perry-nims? It seems like it. It looks like we will need to meet with the merchant guild leader as soon as we get in there and request or order him to take down that auction item I was answering Ganael''s cautious question when Demy and Percy pulled at my shirt and cravat. They were asking with desperation for me to quickly rescue this mysterious divine beast. Everybody quietly watched them. Demy''s eyes turned teary. Whimper Damn it. I only handed Joanne one of the ear cuffs and put one on myself. I tightly hugged Demy then ced him on Benjamins knees. Vice Captain lisabeth looked quite shocked but she did not stop me. I silently bowed toward my understanding friends. Thank you very much. Please take good care of Demy. Please be careful, Marquis-nim. You don''t need to worry about anything here. I will inform his Royal Highness and Dame Christelle. Pruu! Benjamin, Ganael, Vice Captain lisabeth, and Demy responded one after the other. I couldn''t help but smile. The carriagepletely stopped at that moment. Yes, I will trust you. See youter. Tap tap tap. Joanne and I tapped the jewel on our ear cuffs three times. I quietly walked out as soon as the coachman opened the door. I quickly walked toward the corner and gave an order up to the sky. Jung Percy, lead the way. Pipipipiiiii! Trantor''s Comments Jung Percy, I choose you! Chapter 145: The world鈥檚 greatest show! (4) Chapter 145: The world¡¯s greatest show! (4) This kind of experience was my first since transmigrating here. Its not like I''m the invisible man. How amazing. I quietly mumbled. I was walking through here as if I was running but nobody was attentively paying any attention to me. It was thanks to this ear cuff that erases your presence for fifteen minutes. I did make eye contact with people every so often, but we just exchanged greetings and I walked past them. Nobody became extremely shocked or bowed down to the floor. Benjamin and Ganael had always been by my side until now and I had never gone anywhere without a carriage. Going around like this made me feel like I was back in Jung Yeseo''s body. Pipipi! Yeah, thanks. The chimney bird signaled to me from the sky. I carefully headed toward the back door of the merchant guild building. Honestly speaking, it wasn''t hard to find. The problematic freight carriage left water marks all over the street. Hello. You are working hard. I greeted a merchant guild employee who casually chatted back. He and his buddies quickly forgot about me and chatted with each other as they walked on. I peeked toward the back door that was much more modestpared to the main gate. I didn''t have much time. I quickly opened the door, ran in, and hid Percy, who flew right in behind me, in my arms. It starts from here. Lets quickly find that divine beast. Pii! * I instantly infiltrated all the way in until I was underneath the dark stage. The watermarks led me here. I didnt even realize that I was close to the stage until I overheard some employees discussing it as they walked past. The fact that they delivered it to match the auction start time made it seem as if it was to be the first item auctioned. There was nothing about it in the catalog It felt as if it had been about twelve or thirteen minutes since I activated the ear cuff. I nervously observed the cube-shaped water tank. There was a dark cloth over it, making it impossible to see inside. It''s been a while since we had something alive! The merchant guild leader-nim is so lucky. He gets to present a rare demonic beast in front of his Royal Highness. Look how it is fine even in the water. Miriam, the one who caught it, is the lucky one. She managed to catch it without even being attacked. "What a blessing! She almost lost both armsst time. I hid behind a thick wooden pir and organized the conversation between the employees. This Miriam person seemed to have caught and delivered a precious demonic beast to the merchant guild in the past as well. The fact that they were talking about how it was a relief that she caught it without being attacked made it seem as if they did not know that this mysterious creature was a divine beast. I guess it makes sense; even Cardinal Boutier said that the red panda three musketeers were the first divine beasts she had seen. Even the mountain keeper, Agnes, confused them as being demonic beasts. It was highly unlikely that a regr person would recognize a divine beast unless it used its abilities. Lets go if you are done setting it up. Yeah. I wonder if his Royal Highness will make the winning bid? I think today will be more entertaining than opening day yesterday. The workersughed and headed out the door. I gulped. Percy was being quiet like a good boy. The ear cuff should have stopped working by now. I confirmed that nobody was around before quickly approaching the water tank. I then cautiously pulled up the cloth. My fingertips were shaking with nervousness. What if a mermaid pops out? Talking like a person and Uhh Round ck eyes and a white body weed me. I forgot what I was going to say and exchanged gazes with the little guy. My mind nked out. His short whispers fluttered in the water. Roasted chestnut-like nose, chubby streamlined-shape stomach, cute little flippers. Really? What kind of fantasy novel has A harp seal? People still purchase this series? Piiiiiiiiii- I snapped back to my senses at Percys chirping. This was not the time to get lost in my shock. I clenched my eyes shut, opened them back and observed the animal again. I noticed chains around his neck. That was most likely mana restricting chains since they think he is a demonic beast. They probably did it so that he doesn''t rampage in front of the guests. Hi Umm, do you want to eat something? I said the first words that came to mind. The harp seal seemed curious about me but it looked extremely depressed. Maybe it was because it was forcibly brought here or because it was frustrated being captured inside a small water tank. Either way, divine beasts were creatures who enjoyed eating ether. And providing ether was my specialty. I would say it is my specialty number 111100. Big bro is a five star ether restaurant. Paaaat! A small Holy Domain opened to envelope only the water tank. The harp seal''srge eyes blinked. The water glowed radiantly in gold. I slowly released my ether so that he doesnt get scared or choke. I hope he will cheer up. Ssh! The little guy came up to the surface and pped his tail. After that Youre eating so well. I naturally started tough. It was nice that ether was continuously leaving my body. I was happy to confirm that he was a divine beast. The little guy, who was not even one meter long, was eating so much that I had to increase the speed of ether flowing out multiple times. Percy poked his head out of my jacket and chirped. He seemed quite proud of himself. Yes, you and Demy did good. I think he was hungry. I rubbed his forehead with my finger andplimented him. At that moment m! If it is not here, then the resting area, eek! I gasped and looked toward the door. It was one of the workers who had left earlier. She noticed me, gasped, and bowed down on the ground. Her wide back was shaking. Y, your highness, umm Marquis-nim, why are you in, in such a ce This was not an unexpected development. I immediately expanded my Holy Domain. Ooooooong! "Aigoo! The woman lookedpletely stunned at the circle that extended past her feet. I smiled bitterly and gave a Divine Oracle. [I apologize for scaring you. Please inform the merchant guild leader. The demonic beast that was brought here is not a demonic beast, it is a divine beast. He cannot put him up as an auction item.] * Emille de Haas was a man who did not know how to be nervous. To be more specific, he saw nervousness as confidence and this attitude allowed him to sell the best items at the highest prices. People had even told him that he was great at adapting despite his young age. He had seen the Pair de Riester, the cream of the crop in the Imperial Capital, since he was young. He was not easily flustered and nned on being steady as a rock in the future as well. Today was no different. The merchant guild''s lobby was full of sparkling nobles and numerous attendants. This was the ce full of anticipation and interest before the start of the event. Your loyal subject greets our esteemed Royal Highness. Emille elegantly showed his respect. This was his first time seeing a member of the Imperial family. The merchant guild was probably extremely shabbypared to the Imperial Pce where the crown prince lived, but this did not make the merchant guild leader feel small. The rare demonic beast that came in through the early morning ship had no injuries and was young. It was a superb product. Even the Empires greatest heir has probably never seen something like this before. If he wins the bid, the value of the Haas name would grow exponentiallypared to right now. He couldn''t help but smile with satisfaction. As the rumors indicated, the crown prince did not show any reaction to the words of someone under him. His attendants did not look at Emille either. Emille maintained his smile as he escorted the crown prince into the auction house. The highest-grade carpet that he urgently prepared after hearing that a member of the Imperial family wasing did not have a single speck of dust on it. Everything looked perfect. I will escort you to the center of the first row, your Royal Highness. Everything had definitely seemed perfect. Until the person in charge of delivering the auction items suddenly grabbed his sleeve. Merchant guild leader-nim, this is urgent. "What are you doing right now? Emille whispered almost as if he was scolding the person. She was basically hindering the procession of the crown prince. Furthermore, the clothes she was wearing were old and her body was full of the smell of the sea as she was in charge of moving the surprise product. The subordinate did not retreat even after receiving the merchant guild leader''s sharp gaze. In fact, she urgently ced a hand on his ear. Marquis Srnit-nim is under the stage. He said that the surprise item is not a demonic beast but a divine beast. He said to tell you to not put it up as an auction item. I clearly heard it from him. She whispered quickly and quietly so that nobody else could hear. She also did not forget to put an emphasis on thest thing she said. Emille peeked toward the crown prince without any change in his expression. He could see the people of the Duke''s House of Sarnez behind the crown prince as well. Christelle, who noticed his gaze, smiled beautifully. And the proof? Excuse me? There should be some proof that it is a divine beast. You didnt just believe everything he said, did you? Emille''s eyes curled up to smile at her as he whispered. His subordinate became extremely flustered. There, there was nothing like that. However, he is a royal priest. We need to trust- That was such a long time ago. How foolish. He gently attacked back. I was wondering why the Marquis had not appeared. It looked as if he was going to crawl to the bottom of the merchant guild to nder him. It was understandable that the Marquis was frazzled because he lost Christelle to amoner like him and he was about to lose the crown princes interest soon as well. The reason the Marquis acted as if he was only focused on the food and the reason he had been so hard to deal with regarding his sisters crimes became clear. It was at that moment. I heard that you were going to auction a rare demonic beast. The crown princes low voice cut his thoughts off. Emille warmly gestured toward the crown princes seat. Yes, your Royal Highness. I pray that it will bring you joy. The crown prince nced at him before silently sitting down. The Dukes family sat down as well. Emille respectfully kissed the back of Christelle''s hand before standing up and whispering to his subordinate. Put the item up as nned. Excuse me? Merchant guild leader-nim. Itll be quite the spectacr show. He smiled brightly. This prince of a hostile kingdom had earned a lot of affection to trick people until now, but he would not be able to do so with him. Today was the chance to show the princes cheap and petty appearance to the whole world. Emille turned around while watching Christelle wave at him with flushed cheeks. As for Christelle, she immediately started ring at his back. She then wiped the back of her hand on her pants and then asked the crown prince, who was seated next to her, a question. "What are you thinking, your Royal Highness? I heard from Vice Captain lisabeth. The Marquis-nim said that it was a divine beast. Then shouldnt you make him remove it from the auction- My goodness Christelle stopped talking and her eyes opened wide. This fire using fire fox was truly different. Youve set a trap, your Royal Highness. It was a simple political scheme. Not a stealthy battle in the pce? I believe it was you who said that we needed to dirty his honor. Cdric nonchntly responded. Christelle smiled brightly and nodded her head. The Prince really liked feeding other people. She was sure that he would be very happy to make the merchant guild leader eat some prison food while we were making people jeer at him as well. * "Why is nobodying? Is this the Messenger to Hamhung? (TL: Basically a phrase used when a messenger is sent but no response is received.) Piiiiiii? Ssh ssh. Percy and I tilted our heads at the same time. The harp seal seemed happy after eating a ton of ether as he did a backstroke around the tank and sshed water with his tail. I thought he was feeling stuffy and moved the cloth covering the water tank and he looked at me with a sparkle in his eyes. He''s cute too. Do all divine beasts have to be cute? I suppose he must be of the water attribute? I mumbled to myself. Now that I was sure he was a divine beast, a person with Divine Power must lead him to a Divine Item. However, three of the Empires four divine items were with us. Two of them had a master or was absorbed so they were hard to detect, which only left Percy Boooooom! The ground started shaking at that moment. Hmm? "Why is this, eek! Ruuuumble! I quickly grabbed the water tank and crouched down. Everything around me was shaking. The firm wooden floor was moving up. Percy dug into my clothes. This is clearly not an earthquake, but no way. The world''s greatest show! Wee everybody to the divine item week of the Haas Auction house. We will immediately get started with the first item. I heard the familiar echo of someone talking in an enclosed area. Apuse rained down from the stands. The ceiling split to either side and a splendid magic light wrapped around me. I hear the sound of rope wrapping around and a lever and wheel moving. This was an unbelievable situation. The surprised harp seal started sshing in the water. I quickly picked up the cloth but it seemed toote to cover him up again. Its okay. I''ll be right here. Calm- Ssh! The scared little guy poured water all over me. The cold water snapped me to my senses. I was drenched in sea water from head to toe! Cough. Click The pulley system stopped. I wiped the salt water from my eyes and looked in front of me. Unlike the bright stage, the stands were so dark that I could not see anything. Shit, What the hell?! It is a rare demonic beast that can even survive underwater. We captured it early this morning on the Haas coast. He is a healthy baby and his white fur is amazing as well. As for the person next to him Is it a trainer? I cant really see from here. Emille spoke almost as if he was mocking me. People started whispering. I urgently looked for the merchant guild leader. His gaze, as he stood to one side of the stage, was as sour and bitter as a lemon. I couldn''t help but grind my teeth in anger. We will start at 500,000 franc. "Stop. This guy is not a demonic beast, 200,000,000. What? I blinked, wondering if I had heard wrong. The whole area turned cold as if everybody had ice water poured over their heads. Itll be a lump sum payment. My jaw dropped as I looked toward the sound of the voice. A pair of orange eyes belonging to someone who was clearly out of his mind pierced through the darkness. Trantor''s Comments The Pokemon collection grows! You caught seel! Chapter 146: The world鈥檚 greatest show! (5) Chapter 146: The world¡¯s greatest show! (5) Does he not know what an auction is? "We have 200,000,000. Anybody want to go higher? Madam? Your client has not said anything? Emille de Haas was an amazing bastard for multiple reasons. I didnt think that I would be able to continue the auction after the Imperial Crown Prince called out 200,000,000 and made everybody unable to say anything. However, he leisurely asked the regrs their opinion and tried to up the asking price. I picked the cloth up and thoroughly covered the tank. Water was dripping from my head and the harp seal looked apologetic. Its okay, it wasnt your fault. Anyway, the flow of things right now It is currently at 200,000,000. His Royal Highness has made the bid. This is a rare demonic beast, a wless baby that was caught on the Haas shore this morning. I guess there are no other bids. Then I guess we have our winning bid. His Royal Highness has purchased it for 200,000,000 franc! Tap! Emille tapped the hammer with fluid movements. Wooooooooooow! Apuse and cheers started pouring out. I could see fans pping and gloves moving through the darkness. I calmly got my brain to work. Vice Captain lisabeth said that she would inform Christelle and the crown prince that the harp seal was a divine beast. The two of them should have figured out the situation by now. But the crown prince paid 200,000,000 for the baby that was marked as a demonic beast instead of taking it off as an auction item. There was only one thing that could mean. My goodness. I was wondering who the trainer was but it was the Marquis-nim. I humbly apologize for not recognizing you. How could something like this happen Emille quickly approached and knelt down in front of me. He had an extremely innocent look on his face. It was amazing that someone could be so malicious. The employees of the merchant guild stiffly came on the stage to move the harp seal. Marquis-nim! I then heard Ganaels voice. I looked behind me to see the young boy and Benjamin rushing toward me with a towel. I saw a calm David as well. You must be out of your mind. Did you really think you could get away with mocking royalty? I truly apologize, attendant-nim. However, who would have imagined that the Marquis-nim would be hiding on the dirty floors of the merchant guild? Benjamin scolded Emille who used a soft and weak voice to im his innocence. Ganael red at him as if he wanted to stab Emille to death with his gaze. I silently stood up. I did not forget to quietly whisper to David while the young boy put arge towel around me. Please hand the divine beast to me. Yes, your highness. He agreed without asking anything. It was obvious why this was the case. This was the crown prince''s trap. As soon as I reveal that the harp seal is a divine beast, that bastard Emille will be imprisoned immediately for deceiving a member of the Imperial family. I did not look at him until I got off the stage. I just calmed an angry Percy and looked at the little guy in the water. The ball was back in my hand. * The cutie, who was obviously a harp seal, and the prince both disappeared. It was so that he could find a way to prove that it was a divine beast. Christelle barely managed to suppress the frost forming at her fingertips. She could not forgive that terrible merchant guild leader bastard for putting the Prince on stage and using him as aughingstock. However, right now was not the time to step in. The crown prince next to her was releasing ether as hot as the temperature in a red y room. Yes, you are doing a good job holding yourself back too. This is our second auction item. We have prepared a holy artifact befitting the week''s theme of divine items. This is Julites Headdress. Emilled pulled back the red silk. A headpiece that sparkled as if it was new appeared on the center of the stage. My goodness! I was wondering if it was a terrible joke but it truly existed. Is it okay to own something like that? The auction house became ominously loud once the second item appeared. The crown prince and the Duke and his wife also looked ufortable after hearing the name, Julite. Only Christelle looked as if she had gained a great opportunity. She pushed the paper in her pocket with her hand. This was the document she had received this morning after ying that shitty game with that Haas bastard the other day. She felt Cdrics gaze but ignored him. She could not have the fire fox figure out the card she procured while holding back her disgust. Holy artifacts are treasures that high-ranking priests or Holy Knights used during their lifetime. This was an item personally used by Julite. There are records of it being seen on the battlefield numerous times and it has been in the possession of the Empires Barons House of Beng since her passing. The family has included a letter of guarantee with the item. The merchant guild leader exined. The nobles started to whisper to each other. Beng? Oh, it must be that house. The ones who sent the twins to be the Marquis-nims attendants Shh. Lower your voice. As expected of a Holy artifact, it has a special ability as well. The headdress absorbs the flow of mana from outside and redistributes it, minimizing the burden and side effects on the user''s body. This will be the greatest support item for someone who frequents portal traveling. This was it. Christelle peeked to the side. The crown prince''s eyes were showing interest. I knew it. "We will start at 100,000 franc. Madam, I see 200,000 from you. Thank you very much. Do we have 250,000? 300,000. 350,000, 400,000. We have up to 500,000 right now. Emille skillfully guided the auction. The crown prince did not shout out a million right away like before. The price went up without stopping. This was not a bad response for an item that was said to belong to the rare viiness, Julite, who betrayed thete Emperor Romero. Christelle maintained her poker face and quietly sat there. The Duke and his wife also maintained their position as spectators. Time continued to pass. 1,000,000. Should we try to go a little higher? No? We have 1,500,000. Thank you very much. And the gentleman over here? 2,000,000. Oh, 2,200,000. Would someone please offer 2,300,000. 3,000,000! Wow! The respectful cheering continued. It was because someone in the back put in a decently high bid. It was about time to move. Christelle solemnly put up her hand. Emille immediately recognized her. Yes, madam? 4,000,000. We have 4,000,000! Oh no! Amazing! The spectators pped and those were some of thements that could be heard. Isabelle looked toward her daughter in shock. It was not because of the price but because she was shocked that her daughter was participating. Christelle? I really want this item, mother. Christelle smiled. Her mother could only smile back. The Duke was shocked as well, but it was not that expensive and his daughter was an adult. He just nodded his head and brushed it aside. However, the crown prince immediately responded. 4,500,000. His Royal Highness''s agent has bid 4,500,000. Do we have any other bids? The venue quickly quieted down at the involvement of the problematic heir. Christelle angrily looked at him. She then quickly looked away and called out a number. 4,800,000. "We have 4,800,000. Do you wish to continue, your Royal Highness? The crown prince whispered something to his attendant. The attendant informed them of his decision. 5,000,000. It is currently at 5,000,000! Dame Christelle? The guests started to whisper. Emille warmly called out to her. The auction for Julites headdress was now a battle between the two of them. Christelle put on a face that made it look as if she was extremely angry, upset, and disappointed but that she was stepping back due to an issue of funds. She even grinded her teeth and bit down on her lips. The crown prince scoffed as she scowled. You will not put in another bid? Are you sure? Christelle nodded her head in an annoyed manner. The Duke and his wife warily looked at their daughter. The corners of Emille''s eyes elegantly curled. The current bid is at 5,000,000. Do we have any other bids? I guess not. Then we have our winning bid. Julites headdress has been sold to his Royal Highness at 5,000,000 franc! Tap! He banged the hammer. Apuse filled the venue as if it was nned. Christelle raised her hand at that moment. Yes, Dame Christelle? I would like to use my Right of First Offer. What? The crown prince sharply asked back. Her face instantly changed as she pulled her ace out of her inner pocket. His orange eyes were burning. Christelle smiled while handing her weapon to the errand boy. The young boy quickly delivered it to Emille, who looked troubled after seeing the document he sent this morning to her again. Christelle''s heart was beating wildly. The moment to put a serious look on that bastards smug face wasing. I see. Dame Christelle de Sarnez has used a Haas Auction house Right of First Offer. As a result, she is able to procure this auction item at the winning bidding price. My deepest apologies, your Royal Highness. Julite Statia''s Headdress has been sold to Dame Christelle for 5,000,000 franc! Tap! He banged the hammer one more time. Hooo! The spectators gasped. They apuded. Christelle smiled and looked at the crown prince. Big sis has won again, you young fool. Hoohoo. Not bad. The young man mumbled in a low voice. The Duke and his wife, especially Duke Sarnez, were quite shocked. To use the crown princespetitive spirit to win the bid at the price she wanted This was something that no Pair de Riester would dare to do. He could even say that his daughter''s boldness was amazing. However, in a fathers perspective, this was done because of a form of trust that Christelle had for the crown prince was used as a foundation. She had full trust that the crown prince would not get in her way or retaliate against her for this With this, the Marquis-nim will be able to go anywhere without issue. He can travel the entire Empire with us. Dont you think so, your Royal Highness? Are you that free? Yes, it is wonderful, your Royal Highness. I guess you have to work again when you return? It will not go as you wish. Isabelle quietly chuckled while listening to Christelle and the crown prince''s quarrel. The Duke felt odd while watching them. The employees then delivered the headdress to her. The next auction item wasing on stage. Emilled started to speak. The third and final auction item for todaythis is probably the reason that all of you have gathered here. The artist from the Holy Kingdom This is the newest work of Haade O. Jansen. I present to you the . p! He pulled the red cloth off in one movement. Wow! How magnificent! Thosements and whistling filled the venue. Only the crown prince and Crown princes gazes turned cold. It was time for Joanne to appear. * That''s right, good boy. Aooooooook I calmed the harp seal as I wiped his fur. The little guy let out a cry that sounded odd and rolled around the couch. But my mind was calm. The merchant guild offered us the most luxurious guest room. Benjamin urgently sent someone to the Lords Castle to bring new clothes while Ganael boiled some tea for me. I washed the harp seal as I showered. He wasnt shy and seemed calm since I had already given him ether once. Demy and Percy, who were digging into my gown, seemed quite curious about their new friend. Squeeeee. Piiiii Yeah, he''s still a baby. He can''t even flip over. Can harp seals usually flip over? I did my best to recall the things I watched in a nature documentary. However, this guy was not a real harp seal but a divine beast. In addition, there was something else this little guy had to do for me other than flipping over. [Will you use your ability, if thats okay?] I opened my circle and cautiously asked. It might be easier if I gave him a name and tamed him but I did not want to do that just because I wanted to use him. The reason I gave names to Demy, Rhea, and Perry was to rescue them. Percy was named because the chimney bird did not leave our side. On the other hand, this guy was not here because he liked someone. Aaaarrrf, aaaaarf [Yeah, its okay. You dont need to do it. There is no rush.] I slowly petted his back. Honestly speaking, there was quite the rush. If the little guy never showed his power as a divine beast, the crown prince would have no choice but to give up approximately 20 billion korean won. Crazy bastard. [Should I give you a toy? Take a look at this. Big bro has a lot of cool things?] I made an ether orb appear on my palm. Although it was not as cool as Christelles icicle sd or the crown princes me bouncing ball, the red pandas frequently chose this toy to y with as well. Thankfully, the harp seal''s eyes curled up in joy. As I smiled brightly Growl. My stomach let out an embarrassing noise. Benjamin and Ganael, who had been quickly walking around doing things, stopped and looked at me. I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything. No, you see I must have digested everything after all of that walking and washing off. Yes I am a bit hungry. But it is bearable. The two attendants gasped at my excuse. "What should we do, Benjamin-nim? Should we call Laurence? Itll be toote. Lets go to the merchant guild''s kitchen for now It was at that moment. Aaaaaaaaaaaaarf! The harp seal raised his voice. At the same time plop! Something fell to the ground. Demy, Percy, and well, all of us looked toward the sound out of reflex. And we were all shocked! Mackerel? Anchovy? It seems to be sea bream. p p. Living, breathing, fish were flopping around the carpet. The area around us was dripping wet. I gasped and looked at the white divine beast. His ck round eyes were sparkling. Aaarf! What is this? Is he of the sea(food) attribute? Trantor''s Comments Mm I am of the see''food attribute too. I see food and I eat it. Chapter 147: The world鈥檚 greatest show! (6) Chapter 147: The world¡¯s greatest show! (6) They heard the info that the third auction item was on the stage. It was time. "We are going inside. Yes, Vice Captain-nim. The Imperial Guard responded to lisabeth''s signal. She thoroughly looked through the merchant guild lobby that was full of attendants and servants from the noble households. Finally, she confirmed that Joanne de Haas was standing behind her. The person who attacked the princes carriage, the person who was the most famous ghost artist in the Empire looked scared unlike her usual self. The young Countess warned her. You will need to do it properly. This is a chance that the Marquis-nim has given you. "Chance my ass. This is just his way of trying to take my bastard of a brother down with me I know, I know. Dont look at me like that. I''m here so that I can feel free as well. Joanne mumbled. She was hugging rolled up papers the size of her body. lisabeth checked the lobby again before quickly starting to walk. The people standing on the steps moved to the side and silently bowed as the Imperial Guard walked forward. The group instantly made it through the lobby and to the entrance of the auction house. At that moment Young Countess-nim. I''m sorry but Joanne-nim cannot enter. Someone urgently came over and stopped them from entering. It was an older man wearing luxurious and clean clothes. He seemed to be Emille de Haas''s right hand man or secretary. He stood in front of them as if to stop them from entering. Scared employees of the merchant guild soon rushed over to block the door as well. lisabeth''s grey eyes turned sharp. Do you dare to get in the way of the Imperial Guards on their mission? How could I have such disrespectful wishes? However, Joanne-nim has made a deal with the merchant guild leader-nim. She signed a contract that she would never enter the Haas merchant guild until she died and gave up her inheritance. Coming in here would be a breach of that contract and an act that disturbs the rules of the family. Ha. The young Countess scoffed. She knew of the Haas merchant guild leader''s abnormal actions but she had no idea that the people around him would be trapped in such unbelievable thoughts. To use family matters as an excuse to get in the way of the duties of the Imperial familythey lived in their own worlds far away from reality. They were acting as if that Haas bastard was the lord of this city. They seemed to believe that everything would end if they could not protect him. Cut the bullshit and step aside. We are moving as her Majestys second sword. Gilbert, move if you don''t want to get captured. This nobledy will really pull her sword out! Joanne shouted. The old man silently lowered his head but did not step aside. lisabeth motioned with her chin with a cold look on her face. ng! Aigoo! The Imperial Guards pulled their swords out and the people, who had held their breaths while watching, groaned in fear. Joanne became nervous and bit down on her lips. Everything looked as if it would be destroyed. She really needed the other ear cuff. She was not someone who could enter the merchant guild with her own two feet. It was at that moment. Everybody step back! What the hell are you doing?! Snap out of it and get back to work! A womans thick voice echoed through the area. lisabeth and Joanne looked toward her at the same time. An employee of the merchant guild who smelled like the sea was running toward them. There were others behind her as well. They must all do manualbor as they all hadrge figures. They pushed away the old man and the others who were shaking while standing in front of the door. What are you all standing there for?! Get lost! Lisse, arent you in charge of moving the auction items?! Why is someone who would normally listen to the merchant guild leader-nims orders- Because her Majesty is a thousand, no, a million times higher than the merchant guild leader-nim! lisabeth scowled and observed them. It seemed as if an internal conflict had broken out. This Lisse and her friends used their overwhelming strength to push the employees in the front away before bowing toward the Imperial Guard. The young Countess clicked her tongue and -Bang! She kicked in the auction house door. My goodness! Gasps could be heard all around them. One of the Imperial Guard members pushed Joanne from the back. She walked into the auction house and whispered to Lisse. Lisse, I knew you were still sane. Good job. I didnt do it because I was sane. I''m scared as hell too. She clenched her teeth and responded. Her tightly clenched fists were shaking. However, the merchant guild leader-nim severely mocked the royal priest-nim. And you Lisse looked right at Joanne. Her eyes that had be stern from the hard work in the merchant guild started tearing up. You paid off the debt I had from treating my godmother. I hear things in the neighborhood too. She looked toward Joanne''s bandana. Joanne was at a loss for words and just nkly looked at Lisse. She suddenly remembered how the Marquis had smiled while looking at her hair. It looks great. I think it will start a trend in the Imperial Capital. Hurry up and move! The Imperial Guard got annoyed and urged her forward. Joanne couldn''t even say goodbye to Lisse as she almost ran into the room. The paintings in her arms and something in her heart were begging to be let go. She clenched her eyes shut and then opened them back. The noble was right. Maybe this was an opportunity. * Although he had looked this way all day That bastard Emille looked quite happy after revealing Haade O. Jansens newest work, the . Christelle created a piece of ice in her mouth and rolled it around. She felt like she would turn that bastard into an icicle if she didn''t do this to hold herself back. "It is an honor to be able to reveal such a holy piece during divine item week. The is a masterpiece that describes the Almighty God''s authority and creation of the continent. It took Jansen thirty years just to imagine this piece and then five years to actuallyplete it The Haas bastard was able to say such bullshit with a straight face. Christelle sighed. Your sister who drew the piece isn''t even thirty years old but thirty years just to imagine the concept? What bullshit. This is mocking the Imperial family too, right? Since he is openly lying to you, your Royal Highness. She leaned toward the Imperial Crown Prince and whispered. He moved his chin to respond. Christelle crunched on the ice and counted internally. She hoped that Vice Captain lisabeth and Joanne would barge into the room and turn it into a mess within ten seconds. 10, 9, 8, 7 Baaaaang! My goodness! A door was sent flying, someone shouted in shock, and Christelle and Cdric both uncrossed their legs at the same time. Vice Captain lisabeth was truly special to match lucky number 7. Emille''s face stiffened on top of the stage. Christelle smiled. "What is this Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard-nim. What is going on? Emille de Haas. We received information that the Haade O. Jansen works you have been auctioning off are a scam. My goodness. The room started boiling like water at lisabeth''s promation. The opponent was not just anybody; it was the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard. Christelle looked around from the stands. The people who came from the Imperial Capital were the first to realize the serious nature of the issue and started pping their fans. This was the unique sense of anticipation the nobles would have when they had gossip in front of them. Even the Duke and his wife, who always maintained their demeanor, seemed shocked. That makes no sense, maam. And even if there was such information, to use such methods to verify whether it is true Emille, stop acting like a noble! The auction house became quiet for a moment after hearing that shout. Joanne almost stomped forward as she appeared. The corners of Emille''s lemon-colored eyes rose up. Noonim, I recall you vowing to never approach the merchant guild. That was when I was holding back against your bullshit. I cant watch your prince syndrome any longer. I am starting to get tired of scamming people. I cannot watch this any longer either. Gilbert! Lisse! Take my noonim out of here. I didn''t see you as the type to be this slow. lisabeth spoke sternly. Lisse and the others of the merchant guild walked in and blocked off the doors at that moment. They seemed to be preventing someone from running away. Emille scowled. "What are you do- Open your ears and listen carefully, oh esteemed guests. All of you have been fooled by my brother until now. Haade. O. Jansen does not exist. Well, there is a person Joanne''s loud speech stopped for a moment. Everybody was looking at her. I''m him. I am not from the Holy Kingdom and I am not a noble. Even the gender and age were all lies. That bastard added a backstory to the stage name I came up with! Ho! The guests all gasped. Noonim, please stop spewing such lies to dirty my name! Lies? Do you really think the Marquis-nim let me out of prison for that reason? Toe here and lie? Joanne chimed back. She then energetically walked down the path and up the stage. The audience started whispering. Didn''t we hear that the merchant guild leader''s older sister attacked the Marquis-nims carriage? We are getting a spectacle that is much more precious than an auction. Christelle, the crown prince, the Duke and his wife all heard the wave-like whispers. Isabelle urgently asked her daughter. Christelle, did you know about this? Yes, mother. This was our n. She smiled and got up from her seat. Duke Sarnez, who was rarely shocked like this, covered his mouth. I''m sorry, but Marquis Srnit has enough reasons to nder me. He had that terrible incident on the stage just now Hey, shut the hell up. Emille stopped talking. It was because the response came from an unexpected spot. His head was almost creaking as he looked toward the stands. The sparkling blue-gray eyes were full of wrath and loathing. A voice he had never heard flowed out of the person''s mouth. Did the Marquis-nim look like a pushover? Do you want to get beat up? The Marquis-nim doesn''t care for shit like you. He has never had any interest. You were just ying the drums and putting on a show all by yourself before you got hit by the bacsh. Dame Christelle? Everybody, please tell your attendants to take out a piece of paper and a quill pen. Write out the names Haade. O. Jansen and Joanne de Haas andpare them. They are the same letters just in a different order. Christelle shouted loudly. The nobles actively participated. Joanne had arrived at the steps in front of the stage at that moment. Emille had a gaze as stiff as metal as he alighted. He looked ready to drag off his sister at any moment. At that moment ng! Oh Almighty God! "Ahh! A ck sword was pulled out and pointed at the merchant guild leader''s neck. Some of the people could not withstand the pressure of a Grade 8 swordsman and fainted. The crown prince had raised his body like a wildfire. I will check with my own eyes. Cdric growled like an animal. His orange eyes burned as if he wanted to burn this person up. Eek Your Royal Highness, ugh. So keep that glib tongue of yours away. There was a prick where the de poked into his skin and a hot drop of blood formed around it. Siiiizzle Eek, ow! There was the terrible sound of the Sword of Wisdom scorching his skin. Emille groaned and knelt down on the ground. Joanne walked past the ailing Emille and got on the stage. Her legs were shaking after receiving the bright spotlight but she firmly held her head up and looked forward. The stands were so dark that she could not see anybody. But that seemed to give her the courage to continue. These Are the study pieces and rough sketches I have drawn up until now. A portion is missing because I used them as fire tinder in the winter. The rest should be under my bed or in a corner of my cab, but the Imperial Guard members did not manage to find them. Anyway Wow! Admiration and shock followed. Most of the nobles here were well-versed in art and were fans of Jansen. As a result, they could easily imagine the final pieces after seeing her rough line art and pen . Joanne continued to speak in a nervous voice. And this is the esquisse for . I don''t know what Emille told you, but it only took me fifteen minutes to draw this. It took about a week toe up with the idea too. Unbelievable! "A genius truly is a genius. The nobles started mumbling almost as if they would explode. They looked at Joanne with awe while looking at Emille with scorn. The situation for the siblings had beenpletely opposite until about ten minutes ago. Emilles face was turning red and blue with shame and anger. This is nonsense! Your Royal Highness, my older sister is ndering me to bring down my reputation. She is probably doing this to get back her inheritance despite giving it up, Shaaaaaaaaaaa! Quite a bit of something fell onto Emille''s head. He couldn''t even breathe properly as he flopped around and fell. The crown prince quickly withdrew and shed his sword in the air. Christelles eyes opened wide as she observed the things flopping by her feet. Wow, isn''t this a prawn? Mr. Haas. How do you n on paying for the sin of selling a divine beast to his Royal Highness by lying and saying that it is a demonic beast? Aaarf! There was the sound of a man''s soft voice and something resembling a puppy. Everybody looked toward the door to the auction house. The blessed purple eyes curled up with joy. That pink big sis over there and ck haired big bro are also hungry. Can you make a lot more so that they eat well? Aarf. The divine beast in my arm cried in a loving manner. After that Ploooop! Papapapat! Wa, ugh! A seafood buffet charged toward Emille. Trantor''s Comments At least Emille won''t be hungry? Chapter 148: The most liked things (1) Chapter 148: The most liked things (1) It made fish appear in the sky?! My goodness. Ive never seen a divine beast before! It was not a demonic beast. I guess the Almighty God is protecting the Empire! The room became bursting with noise. The auction was basically over. The auction house turned into an active fish market while the auctioneer, Emille, was arrested while looking terrible, and Joanne''s art live broadcast took ce on the stage. I sat between Christelle and crown prince Cdric and observed her painting. Benjamin and Ganael, who came down with me, handed me a pain perdu. The two of them made it in the merchant guilds kitchen as they were rushed but it was warm and delicious as I ate it with milk. "Then it looks a bit empty over here Lightly brush over it. Make it feel like the first snow. Very easy, isn''t it? My goodness! I''ve heard this before. The nobles were in awe as they watched Joanne''s painting being created in front of their eyes. Demy was rolling around my knees as if he was amused. Christelle petted the harp seal in her arms and whispered as I sat there smiling. Marquis-nim, I''m sorry. Excuse me? About what? Earlier on the stage, that Treatment you received. I didnt expect you to be down there with this guy. Her eyebrows sank down. I smiled and shook my head. I knew that Christelle and the crown prince had been discussing a lot of things in advance to show me respect ever since we became official partners. Since I had only told them that the harp seal was a divine beast but not where I would be, the two of them must have been quite shocked to see me on the stage as well. Furthermore, the reason the little guy sprayed me with water was because he was scared, not because he wanted to mess with me. I told her that it was fine and her face lit up a bit. Christelle leaned her head to look at the Imperial Crown Prince beyond my shoulder. I''m going to show it off a bit, your Royal Highness. I apologized on your behalf. The crown prince to my left was silent. Percy, who was seated on his shoulder, was also quiet. I chuckled and took a big bite of the bread. It really was his trap to put the harp seal up as an auction item. Why are you all being so stupid and gasping in admiration? I told you that my brother and I schemed to scam you! I''m doing this to show you proof of the scam. I''m not doing it for your enjoyment. Hahahaha! The noblesughed out loud as Joanne got annoyed. I was amused as I had not expected this kind of reaction. There had never been someone like Joanne before, but I thought that the lofty nobles would point their fingers at the Haas siblings in anger. But the Riester nobles were, contrary to my expectations, much How do I put this, more rxed. Was it because the people who came here were all people who livedvishly? It felt like they were thinking that they could just get a refund for purchasing the scam auction items and that they were just happy to have found a new source of pleasure. The fact that the crown prince was leaving them alone, simr to the Empress, yed a part in the excited mood as well. Get up. You are a criminal of her Majesty now. You will pay for your sins of daring to deceive his Royal Highness, mock the Imperial family and royalty, and put false information on artwork for your own benefit. We will get to the rest slowly after that. Vice Captain lisabethmented toward the kneeling Emille. Since free city Haas was a part of the Empresss territory, the criminals seemed to head to the Imperial Capital as well. The Imperial Guard grabbed him and pulled him up and the cloth on his head fell to the ground. However, nobody paid him any attention. "Did you just see that brush movement? I didnt, the merchant guild leader blocked my view Ah! What a wonderful color choice. I''ve always enjoyed Jansens lemon color. I could hear some of the nobles talking. Emille had instantly moved out of their interest. I watched him for a long time as he was dragged away with his head down. The man did not stay full of anger until the end as young Duke Robert nquer had done nor did he start shouting like Le Siffre Inns udine. He didnt even re at us to curse us. His handsome face was full of despair, disbelief, shrimp peels, and fish scales. His yellow buzz-cut hair seemed cold. He lived thinking that he was the prince of Haas. Christelle mumbled in a low voice. I turned toward her. I quickly looked into her clear eyes. Even though there is only one Prince in the Empire. The MC smiled brightly toward me. The harp seal went aarf aarf as if he agreed. * The next day arrived. For reference, we safely recovered the crown princes 200,000,000 franc! We rested all morning in the castle beforeing out in the evening to get some sunshine. "Wow, it''s so pretty! You really chose a great territory, your highness. What a jackpot! Screeeech! Squeeee! Aaarf! Christelle could not hide her gasps of admiration. The three red panda musketeers and the harp seal cheerfully cried and rolled around on the grass. Percy seemed happy as well as he flew around on top of our heads. I stopped helping the attendants pull open the pic mat and chuckled. If you head to the tallest spire of the Lords Castle of Srnit, you could see argeke and a small hill. There were not many trees in this territory but there were a lot of nts growing around theke. We were out on a pic by theke. I was concerned that theke breeze would be cold but it was refreshing, potentially because it was located to the south. Vice Captain lisabeth, great work yesterday. I addressed the young Countess who was opening a pic basket. Her pretty short hair fluttered as she smiled. I just did my duty. Territory lord-nim, you are the one who is probably burdened by higher food costs as your family has expanded. The way she was joking with me like that must mean that things to do in the Imperial Capital had increased. I smiled bitterly and thought of the people who were temporarily imprisoned in the basement of the Lords Castle. Emille and the merchant guild members who helped with his scam, Joanne and her thugs who were imprisoned once again The Empress would take care of the younger brother but the sisters punishment was still up to me. There is something I have thought about since yesterday Your Royal highness, Marquis-nim. We are thinking about taking a walk around theke. I heard Lady Isabelle''s voice at that moment. I looked up to see her and Duke Sarnez asking for our permission. Of course, please enjoy your walk. Yes, Marquis-nim. We hope the two of you enjoy your time as well. You as well, Christelle. The Duke respectfully bowed toward us, said goodbye to his daughter as well, and then left with his wife. The couple seemed quite happy. I peeked toward Christelle, who was putting a cloth down on top of the mat. She had been smiling since earlier as well. Dame Sarnez. Did something good happen in the family? I cautiously asked. Christelle''s eyes sparkled as if she had been waiting for me to ask and looked at me. I do not need to marry right away. Really? Vice Captain lisabeth asked in shock. Benjamin, Ganael, David, and Chantal all stopped what they were doing to focus on her as well. Only the crown prince sat like a sculpture observing theke. Hes been like that without moving even a finger since earlier, so whatever. Thats great. I''m not saying that arranged marriages are all bad, but it does not guarantee your happiness. How did things get resolved? Benjamin and I asked. Christelle''s lips were twitching with joy. To be honest with you, I got in a bit of trouble after meeting the Haas merchant guild leader alone. That was why I spoke to them this morning. Instead of talking about my lost memories, I told them the truth. I told them that I am happiest when I am with you, Marquis-nim, Vice Captain lisabeth, his Royal Highness, and all of my friends. The most important one, his Royal Highness was said so quietly and quickly. I almost didnt hear it. I would have to focus on my family and husband once I get married. I would not be able to go around with all of you like we did yesterday, so I told them that being unable to do so will make me extremely depressed. And for some reason, my father agreed to my request. Christelle smiled and handed me a walnut torte. I guess it was different seeing my experiences with all of you in person rather than through magazine articles or word of mouth. They said that they had no idea that we all got along so well. I felt proud for some reason. I handed the crown prince a cup of coffee as I observed his face. There wasn''t even the slightest of movements. He''s like in his own little stoic photoshoot despite no cameras being around. "That is why although I will soon be the young Duchess in the near future, I can slowly think about marriage. My mother told me to do as many things as I want with my friends as well. Thats a relief. They are good people. I responded. Everybody else congratted her as well. It was interesting that we were cheering for a loss of marriage rather than a marriage toe. We then chatted, ate, and drank for a while. The crown prince didnt say anything but he also did not return to the castle. He seemed to enjoy the scenery at theke. Ah, this is great. I dont know how long it has been since it was this peaceful. Vice Captain lisabeth was the first toy down on the mat. Ganael put a nket on her and Christelle mischievously made fun of him for being cute. Benjamin, David, and Chantal were now down by the water observing the view. The silence was not awkward and I was petting the sleeping red pandas when Christelle rummaged through something while sitting next to me. The harp seal seemed curious as he pped his flippers. Marquis-nim, please close your eyes. Right now? What is going on? Yes. You cant open your eyes until I tell you that you can. Watch yourself. The crown prince sharply cut her off. I thought that he wasnt listening but this punks hearing was extremely good. Christelle red at him before turning her head away. The crown prince let out a quiet sigh and looked forward. Huh? Did you just have a fight of ether? You felt it, your highness? No, priests are not capable of doing that The mood just felt like it. Please be nice to each other. I gently scolded the prospective couple. Priests are not able to detect the flow of a Holy Knight''s ether unless the pressure is strong. However, having seen the two of them so often made it easier to understand the timing of their battles. Christelle seemed to sort of ignore what I said as she showed me a basket she brought with her. Is it food? I hope it is delicious. It is disappointing to just give it like this, but This is the item I won at the auction to give to you, Marquis-nim. Tada! Isnt it so pretty?! Gasp! So this is it. Ganael and the young Countess gasped. My eyes opened wide. My jaw dropped so low that it hurt. The way it sparkled made it obvious that it was an amazing treasure, so I subconsciously turned toward the crown prince to see if it was okay for me to ept something like this. I was concerned that this punk would have some useless delusion or get jealous. As expected, his orange eyes showed quite a lot of discontent. But he still didn''t say no to me receiving it. Really Thank you very much, Dame Sarnez. I will treasure it. Ive never seen such a beautiful ne before. I bowed and received the jewelry. I really enjoyed the book she gave me for my birthday as well, so I didnt expect to receive anything this precious. It was weighing on me that I only gave you a book on your birthday. This is not a ne but a headdress. Ah. My hand that was rubbing the ne instantly stopped. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. This thing that had white gold chains and numerous diamonds is not a ne but a head Wait a minute. The contents of the catalog I skimmed on the way to the auction house shed in my mind. Christelle and I made eye contact. Is this perhaps Yes, this is Julites headdress. The real thing! Here is the letter of guarantee from the Barons House of Beng. She showed me a card decorated with a tinum leaf. I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything. Then this is really The price was one thing, but the famous Julite Statia''s holy artifact was in my hand. Christelle exined with her unique look of confidence. It does something to the flow of mana to make it nice. It is supposed to significantly decrease the burden on your body when you use portals. This should be much better than Marquis Duhems motion sickness medicine. Now that you have this, you should be able to quickly go anywhere you want. No matter how far it is. With all of us. Her blue-gray eyes sparkled like jewels. A gust of wind made her cosmos flower-like hair flutter before running away. I was at a loss for words while looking back and forth at her and the headdress. I knew that Julites personal belonging wasing up in the auction but I had no idea that it had such an amazing ability. I was truly thankful that she thought of me so much while we were all in a state of chaos because of Emille. I felt like I was choking up. Thank you very much. I barely managed to speak and smiled brightly. It was at that moment. "Get rid of any useless dreams. A voice as cold as the fall weather cut through us. Christelle and I turned toward the crown prince. A cloud happened to move across to cast a shadow on his eyes. For some reason, the young man was extremely calm while burning up inside. We will not allow you to travel across the continent because your mother woke up. Trantor''s Comments At least he''s blunt? Chapter 149: The most liked things (2) Chapter 149: The most liked things (2) What is he talking about? My mother has woken up- You dumbass! Vice Captain lisabeth''s foot flew quicker than I could speak. I watched live as the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guards leg Was blocked by the Imperial Crown Prince''s scabbard. Her sharp gaze was full of annoyance and frustration. Marquis-nim, I apologize for the mood being destroyed. As you already know, Cdric is a bitcking. That is okay. I quickly responded. Christelle''s lips moved with discontent but she did not say anything in the end. I cautiously observed the crown prince. He stared at Vice Captain lisabeth before ring at the headdress in my hand while avoiding eye contact with me. I was wondering when I had seen this look before and remembered that Sadie used to do this. This bastard had a habit of not making eye contact when he didn''t like something. Crown prince-nim. Are you saying that her Majesty has regained her rationality? Yes. He answered, albeit unwillingly. A husky voice suddenly echoed in my mind. ording to my spies she is currently suffering from insanity. I remembered Empress Frdrique telling me that. It was the day I asked her for a trade to rescue Sir Johann and Gerrit. My mind started spinning. This should mean that the crown prince is saying that Queen Christanne Viaan has recovered from her insanity. I fell into silence. The current situation will be maintained if she was the one who sent me off as a Diplomatic hostage. However, if that was not the case and Werner or Elise sent the Prince out while the Queen was suffering from insanity the situation might change. Of course, that was not very likely, as they would need to pay a significant amount of money to get me back. But if the recovered Christanne tries to get her son back even at an unreasonable cost Whimper Demy woke up and pushed down on my thigh to stand on his hind legs. I did my best to smile and hugged him and the harp seal. I feltpletely rxed having the two small but warm bodies hugging me. I also felt a desperation to not lose all of this as I jerked my head up. I looked at Rhea and Perry, who were stuck on Christelle as they dozed off, and then at Percy, who was twisting his body on the crown prince''s shoulder. I then turned my head to see Ganael and the young Countess looking at me with concerned gazes. Benjamin, David, and Chantal, who had been chatting down by theke, were looking toward this direction as well. I could see the Duke and his wife enjoying their walk in the distance. A refreshing gust blew by. The grass repeatedly fell to the ground and stood back up. My territory. Marquis-nim. Christelle called out to me in a low voice. Her water-colored eyes were shaking with the wind. I don''t know if I was imagining it, but they looked dangerous. I then turned toward the crown prince. He did not ignore me this time. His me-like gaze looked as if they might go out at any moment. I quickly started speaking. I wish to stay here. I then realized what I just said. I became anxious at my ownment and my eyes opened wide. I should have considered Prince Jesse''s wishes as well. No, it was better for him to remain in the Empire as well. It was a hundred, no, a thousand times safer to be here under the Empress''s protection than to return to and where the Prince Consort was clearly alive. The Holy Kingdom might be okay in the future once Elise bes Queen and the Prince Consort has his hands and feet tied, but I had put my own emotions first just now. It was shocking. There are a lot of things I like in the Empire. The food is good Demy and the kiddos are here And everybody is nice to me. It isfortable in Juliette Pce and Srnit is beautiful so I am satisfied. I quickly rattled on. However, the more I talked, the more I started thinking that these were not excuses. The words Christelle said to me in that small closet echoed in my mind. Anyway, us liking you is not a one-way thing, Marquis-nim. We are close because you like us as well. Well, I had no choice but to have positive feelings for the people here from the beginning. It was a world that Eunseo had, for a year, loved so deeply and would continue to love. As her older brother, it was obvious that I would hope for a happy ending to QNW. Eunseo would be truly happy if the characters found happiness. She was a kid who got her smile back thanks to QNW. That was why I started with the thought that it would be okay if I took a step back and just watched. I am happy that I have so many close friends now. The truth rolled off my tongue. Cruuu. Demy seemed to respond to me before licking my cheek. I couldnt help but chuckle. I petted his back and looked toward Christelle. She was smiling as brightly as a morning star. I am happy as well. The MC made that promation beforeying down next to me. Her pink hair and the young Countess''s olive-colored hair mixed together. Iughed out loud at that and then looked up to see that Benjamin had returned and was looking at me with a benign smile. Marquis-nim, but what about the new divine beast-nims name? Ganael energetically sliced the campagne as he asked. I quietly looked down at the calm harp seal in my arm. His round ck eyes sparkled. It put me in an awkward position. I think it would be okay for him to stay with us since we have Percy, a divine item, with us, but he was forcibly caught from the wild. We should probably let him go in the coast Ha-see. Excuse me? I was speaking seriously when Christelle suddenly said that. I gasped and looked down at her. Is it ha-see because it''s short for harp seal? Is that weird? Then parcel? (TL: Korean short for harp seal is ha-mool, which can also be a load of goods.) Going from Ha-see to parcel was too much. Vice Captain lisabeth and Ganael started whispering to each other. There must have been a look of total disappointment on my face as Christelles face stiffened. She seemed to be trying her best. Seafood. Tsukidashi. Dame Sarnez. How can a Korean main character say Tsukidashi? (TL: Referring to the hate between Korea and Japan most likely) Seaweed. Tot (Deertail). Tot is cute. Hi little Tot! Tith. I couldnt take it anymore and rushed toe up with a name. David didn''t even ask what it meant and immediately said, that sounds wonderful. We will go with Tith. I got the inspiration from the sea nymph Tethys, but the connotation did not seem too bad. Demy, Rhea, and Perry also came from Greek mythology so it was uniform and the same number of characters. (TL: All two characters in Korean) "Tith is so pretty. It is simr to Tot. Christelle said that with a straight face. I couldnt help butugh in disbelief. Thankfully, the harp seal seemed to be squirming with satisfaction. Can he live in freshwater too because he is a divine beast? My right cheek felt prickly since earlier. I turned my head and almost immediately made eye contact with the crown prince. His orange-colored eyes were glowing peacefully, unlike earlier. I smiled. Is there somewhere in the Imperial Pce we could put some seawater? Ake is fine too, your Royal Highness. I just dont know if Tith will agree toe with us. Not hard to make if not already there. He gave a shortment before lying down on the mat. I was shocked because this was an unexpected action. I tried to make him talk some more but the crown prince closed his eyes as we watched. His ink-colored hair that was hiding in my shadow uniformly moved. Percy sat down on his chest. Christelle looked at them and mumbled. So unbelievable. That is an illness too for sure. I felt as if I understood what she meant. I fidgeted with Julites headdress in my hand before hugging the divine beasts. I felt as if everything would be okay. I had friends with extremely big hearts, sweet cookies, a beautiful view A MC who said she would go anywhere with me and a bastard who said he wouldn''t let me go to the Holy Kingdom. * The Lords Castle was extremely peaceful for four days after that. There were trivial incidents but nothing bad so I decided to just say it was peaceful. For example Marquis-nim, did you know that there is a g hanging on the top of the Lords Castle? After Christelle asked that question, everybody got on a carriage and headed out to enjoy the sunset from the Lords Castle. The coat of arms of Srnit bestowed by the Imperial family had multiple things, including ake and a tulip. Apparently they put the g up so high to show that the territory lord was residing in the castle. Thebination of the g with the white walls and the sharp purple roof was marvelous. It was embarrassing to think of this as my real estate but it was cool when I just decided to consider it my windows background. Hello. I am the new territory lord. O, oh my! I even went around visiting the territory ording to the schedule Chantal made for me. It didn''t sit well to only visit a few of the wealthiest families so I took an impromptu action and visited another house. The reactions were intense at first because the crown prince was with us as well. Everybody ran out barefeet, bowed on the ground, and some even cried. I was starting to feel sorry thinking that I shouldnt have done it, when M, Marquis-nim. Please excuse me for asking, but could you please Our child Of course. It would be my honor. It was quite worthwhile to bless a baby who was less than a week old. Oh, and Vice Captain lisabeth seemed to really love babies. The news about us going around the territory quickly spread and on the second day, there were arge number of residents who actively came out to see us. Territory lord-nim, this is a partridge caught this morning. It is fresh so the quality should be good. It was awkward for me to just receive food from people so Benjamin and Ganael magnificently took care of it. I just epted the heart behind the gifts. I then decided to informally baptize the little kids in the neighborhood and took a look at the conditions of the livestocks. I was still quitecking as a healing priest but the onlyrge city in the territory was Haas, limiting the number of doctors and vets. I wanted to be able to help even if it was just a little bit. Have them send it here. As you wish, your Royal Highness. The crown prince made David work from time to time. I guess his title was one that necessitated him to work even while out here with us. We are already heading back tomorrow. I am a bit disappointed. Christelle stretched as she said that. Ganael nodded his head. Today was already ourst day at Srnit. Our final destination was the underground prison of the Lords Castle. It is not that I do not want to go back to the Imperial Capital, but it feels like my break is over. It does seem that way. Benjamin agreed with the young Countess. I felt like I understood it as well. It was an unfamiliar ce and I had a lot of fatigue built up but going on a trip as a group made it disappointing that it was time to leave. Get up! Joanne de Haas. His Royal Highness and the Marquis-nim wish to speak to you. Vice Captain lisabeth sharplymented while standing outside the cell. At least she didnt kick the bars likest time. Joanne, who was lying on her arms on the ground, quickly sat up and looked at us. Hello, Miss Haas. Ugggh, what is it? Ah, hold on. I have to give my greeting first. She noticed the crown prince and quickly bowed on the ground. I let out a fake cough and said the words I had prepared. I have thought about your punishment. I even sought out his Royal Highness''s opinion, but apparently the highest level of punishment for amoner who gets caught trying to rob a noble is execution. That is the case when the victim is a Pair de Riester or if there are casualties. Joanne gulped. I continued to speak. However, nobody was hurt from your actions. I Dont have any real authority, so I can''t really be called a Pair de Riester. I do get treated legally like a member of the Imperial family, but if we put it that way, it would be difficult for you to avoid the death penalty. Ah Okay, I get it! Please! She jerked her head up. Her clenched, paint-covered fists were shaking. I''m not a kid. I knew what I was doing from the moment I decided to do it. I had no thoughts of harming you, but It is true that I did a dirty deed. I admit it. So just tell me the conclusion! I would like you to draw for me. The cell became silent for a moment. Her lemon-colored eyes were shaking relentlessly. I exined it to her. I took a look around the territory and noticed that it was rare for people on the coast toe ind. There are quite a lot of inns here but most of the visitors only stay in Haas. It is probably because there is nothing to promote here. On the other hand, visitors suffer because there are no empty rooms in Haas. What, what do you I need a worker who will clothe the outer walls of buildings, stone walls, and fences ind. It would draw a lot of attention if there are splendid works of art all around. It would naturally increase the foot traffic here. Since it is the famous Haade O. Jansen''s work, the news will spread quite quickly. Christelle looked up at me from the side. She then made very clear shapes with her mouth. I''m all for this! I smiled and looked forward again. Joanne scowled as if she heard a bunch of bullshit. Marquis-nim Are you a pushover? Ive already heard that. "Are you out of your mind? The other territory lord''s dont do things like this. They would have whipped me a long time ago or thrown me into the coal mines. I''m a bandit! I do not enjoy hitting. You also seem more suited for artisticbor than mining. I looked up at the crown prince and asked. Once she is finished with the Srnit Environmental Beautification Project, how about we send her off to work in Lucas Vige where we stayed, your Royal Highness? I think sending her to Aightz Vige after that sounds good too. He squinted his ga-like eyes. He quietly scoffed. I guess you n on putting her to work for quite a while. I''ve been found out. Trantor''s Comments Liz is the only one who can call Cedric a dumbass and get away with it Chapter 150: The most liked things (3) Chapter 150: The most liked things (3) Me Are you nning on making me draw forever? You basically want me to eat and draw?! Yes. Joanne shouted from inside the cell to ask and I responded resolutely. Her face was chaotic. She was happy but felt weird, weird but happy. She looked to be tearing up from chaos and relief and then smiled. I cant let a talent rot. Oh, by the way, you have no choice in the matter. This is a punishment. I''m very much aware! Joanne huffed. She frantically scratched the back of her head to hide her shock and rubbed her nose with her sleeve. Her shoulders were moving up and down from breathing heavily. I was nning on getting advice from Empress Frdrique and Cardinal Boutier regarding Joanne''s incident, but I felt as if the two adults would respect my decision as the territory lord. They would probably give me some advice on a couple of things to fix or change and that would be it. "What about Emille? Hes imprisoned here too, isnt he? Has he been eating? Joanne asked in a shaking voice. Vice Captain lisabeth frowned. None of us had a reason to tell a criminal about her brother. The young Countess was about to say something when I raised my hand and stopped her. I mouthed the words, its okay, to her. He is apparently eating one or two meals a day. He doesnt speak much and I''ve heard that he has been sleeping a lot. He will be heading to the Imperial Capital with us tomorrow. Joannes gaze slightly shook at myment. Although she had been harmed so much by Emille, she still seemed concerned for him as his older sister. It must have been difficult topletely take away her affection because this was her brother, the person she had grown up with. Anyway, family affairs were not easy to say to outsiders. She struggled for a bit before speaking again. That bastard needs to reflect on his actions for a bit. I hope he matures in there. Its a good thing he is imprisoned. It is. He was the best among the frogs in the well. He should have conducted himself like the Prince if he wanted to be just as supported. He just sat there peeling away pumpkin seeds while wanting to be loved. He wanted fame on top of that. He also wanted to get married to a good family. He''s so full of greed it is even filling up his ass! Joanne ruthlesslymented. Christelle vigorously nodded her head. "The shame of the family. But really, I''m not much different Joanne trailed off before looking at me. She then scowled as if she ate an extremely bitter medicine. "So, I will work hard. I will keep working hard until I pay off all of my sins. That sounds great. It was a great response. I smiled and she started grumbling about how she got caught by the wrong person and that it would be better to go to the coal mines despite not really feeling that way. That was all we had to do here. I was about to start walking when Joanne grabbed me. "Excuse me! What about the merchant guild? What is going to happen to the Haas Merchant guild? That is up to her Majesty as she is the master of Haas city. I heard that the merchant association in Haas will be running it together for a while. I see. She became extremely depressed. I heard that she gave up her inheritance a long time ago but her affection for her family seemed to still be there. I became curious about something and asked. "May I ask why you gave up on being the heir? You could have continued doing art even if you were the merchant guild leader. I can''t do math. My stomach hurts whenever I even look at numbers. Ah. There was a back story like that. It seemed as if all of her abilities were invested in artistic intuition. It made sense as I could not even imagine Joanne entertaining people as Emille had done. I nodded my head and turned around. It was at that moment. "Wait! I promise this is really thest thing! ng! Joanne grabbed onto the bars of her cell as she shouted. I could hear the Imperial Crown Prince sighing out thest of his patience. I whispered to him to head out first because I was scared that he would pull out the Sword of Wisdom and then returned to Joanne. Vice Captain lisabeth, Benjamin, and Ganael remained about three or four steps away while the others walked down the hallway. I looked down at the artist and asked. What is it? Are they not feeding you enough? Its not like that. It is a much more important issue. There is something more important than food? I tilted my head. She did not seem to care as she whispered. I told youst time. I said that we were framed as spies. Yes. It was the story I heard the first day I interrogated Joanne. She said that although she could not prove it, she was confident that her great-grandfather, Baron Haas, had his title wrongfully removed. Yes, I have no proof. But my grandmother told us something while she was alive. "She said that my great-grandfather was the type who couldn''t even tell the smallest of lies and would rather break than bend. He did not admit to his sins even in hisst moments before thete Emperor executed him. Her lemon-colored eyes were sparkling. I lowered my voice as well. So what are you getting at? You want me to help your family get rid of that dishonor? Where would a flower of a Marquis who came here as a Diplomatic hostage get such authority? I dont have rock for brains. She quickly whispered. I feel like she said something weird just now I''m warning you. The household that framed us is still on their high horse living a great life. Who knows if they are still spies for the Holy Kingdom? You be careful too, Marquis-nim. Thats all. Tang! Joanne let go of the bars and withdrew. I looked at her in a daze for a moment before turning around. The young Countess soon escorted me. Thest thing I saw were the remains of the portrait of Ganael that Joanne had washed off with water. To be more specific, it was the faint white signature at the bottom. J. T. Haas. * I''m really nervous. What if it is a fake? Christelle picked up Julites headdress and mumbled. What else? Someone is going to lose their head. Her scary mumbling continued. Instead of asking who would lose their head, I calmly said goodbye to the people who came to see us off at the portal. Today was the day we were returning to the Imperial Capital. It was a bit disappointing but also great. "Thank you for everything, Chantal. We wille again. It was an honor, Marquis-nim. We were truly in awe of your big heart. We will look forward to the day we see you again. Chantals wrinkled eyes curled up. The only people here from the Lords Castle were Chantal in her capacity as the lead attendant, and a servant. Next to them was the bishop of the Srnit diocese whom I had met during my walk through the territory. The Archbishop of the Empires southwest region''s Archdiocese never showed himself but Benjamin said that he was doing it as a way to keep me down. It was not weird because the high-ranking religious figures of Riester were mostly at the center of a fight for power. It was just weird that he was wary of me and not someone else. I have nowhere to go higher than a Marquis. May the Almighty God''s blessing pave the way for a safe return. Thank you very much. I hope you return safely as well, Bishop-nim. I shared goodbyes with the benevolent looking bishop and stepped onto the portal. Everybody seemed busy with the final preparations. However, our little headaches were causing trouble again! "Demy, no! You shouldnt be mean to our youngest. Sqoo You are the leader. Be more considerate Squeeeee! Demy loudly protested after being half-forced into my arms. He seemed to have his reasons. No, even if Tith is slow to move onnd We cant have the three of you carrying him on your backs. In my opinion, that is the best way to move him when you are not carrying him, Marquis-nim. The divine beasts are smart. Christelle gently ced Julite''s treasure on my head as shemented. That is true, but Squeeeeee! Kiiiiiii! Rhea and Perry grumbled once the center of their formation became empty. Tith seemed too heavy for just the two of them. I looked toward the harp seal whose eyebrows were bobbing up and down as heid on the backs of the red pandas. We let him go in the Haas coast and waited for three hours but the little guy just kept swimming in the same ce while looking only at us. I looked around to see if his family might show up but there was nothing. Once the sun went down, I wrapped the little guy in a towel and brought him back. Is it ufortable on your big brothers backs? Are you okay? Ah oo! Tith cheerfully responded. Based on seeing him for a few days, the little guy liked to copy the red pandas, chase Percy around, and showed a lot of interest to Christelle since she had the water attribute. I smiled bitterly and squeezed Demy back in the middle. I guess you all have a n. "Yes, big bro was in the wrong. I will respect the four of your decision. Cruuuuuuuuu Demy growled with satisfaction before the four of them moved efficiently to the center of the portal. Crown prince Cdric, who had watched our little skit from start to finish, left a single line of review. Just worry about yourself. I got it. Christelle moved her hand away from my head at that moment. The headdress that had been moving around for a while was finally fastened. I was able to quickly snap out of my thoughts because the diamonding down the middle of my forehead was cold. She fixed my front hair and smiled. It was worth all that effort. It is so pretty. It suits you much better than I thought, your highness. Thank you very much. I answered with sincerity. My bag was full of motion sickness medicine I got from Marquis Duhem, but I decided to use the portal without using it today. Benjamin and Ganael got on the portal behind me. Percy flew around the ceiling beforending on Christelles shoulder. Vice Captain lisabeth gave a few orders to the Imperial Guard before eventually joining us. She was pretty busy until this morning as there were quite a lot of troops that were sent from the Imperial Capital to Srnit. Anyway, I wonder why Julite betrayed thete Emperor Romero. Christelle whispered while looking at my headdress. I blinked my eyes. I was curious as to why she is called the rare viinous and looked around but all I found was that his Majesty and Julite were lovers until the war started because of one of their betrayal. The reason for the betrayal was not listed. Do you perhaps know, Marquis-nim? I had nothing to say. This was something I had looked into until not too long ago. However, nobody wrote about why Julite betrayed Romero, as if they all promised not to discuss it. I couldnt even tell whether it was a strategic move for her to approach thete Emperor or if she truly loved him until her feelings changed. It was understandable that Christelle would ask me because Julite was a noble of the Holy Kingdom. She probably thought that a prince like me might know something about her. I don''t re- Paaaat! Red mana shot out of the crown prince''s glove at that moment. I gulped out of reflex. My fear of getting motion sickness slowly crept up. Christelle gently patted the back of my hand that had veins clearly visible as if to soothe me. The portal magic formation reacted to the young man''s power and started glowing red like hot metal. There would not have been a fallout between the two nations if we knew the answer. A sharp low voice cut in between Christelle and me. I looked toward the crown prince in shock. You heard all of that? Ooooooong! We then heard the noise of the portal being activated. The young Countess said that it would be okay. She was consoling me in advance. I took onest look at the people of Srnit who were showing their respects. As I started to feel the headdress get warmer Screeeech! Pruu! Demy, Rhea, and Perry broke their formation and ran over to me. I guess they were still too scared to use a portal without me. I chuckled and hugged my divine beasts. My fingertips slowly disappeared. * I opened my eyes wide. The power of this holy artifact truly was holy. Wow. Forget motion sickness, I didn''t even feel like I was sucked away. This was a mysterious and new fantasy world. The headdress was as warm as a roasted sweet potato. The others who left with me were starting to appear one by one, making me certain that this was the regional portal in the western part of the Imperial Capital. My cheeks automatically moved up to form a smile! "Dame Sarnez, I did not feel a- Your highness! I heard a familiar voice. I immediately turned. At that moment Gasp! A pair ofrge brown eyes appeared in front of me. I gasped and almost fell on my butt. The young Duchess, who had decorated her curly hair with a pretty ribbon, was standing there looking at me like an angry poodle. "Eva? I''m disappointed! You made ady wait three hours! The child quickly turned her head away before shoving a piece of paper into my arms that were full of divine beasts and walked away. To be more urate, she started walking away, realized something and stopped, held up the hem of her dress and bowed toward me. She was a respectful child after all. She also didnt forget to peek at Tith as she did that. But she was waiting for me? Did shee all the way out here to greet us? "Wee back, your highness. I then heard an easygoing voice in the portal. It was the Geens father and son I had not seen in a while. I smiled brightly toward them. Hello, Sir Johann. Have you been well, Gerrit? The young boy bowed and hesitantly walked toward me. I barely managed to hug him with one arm. Eva was now greeting the crown prince, Christelle, and the rest of her friends. It was satisfying to see everybody looking so delighted. Sir Johann looked at the young Duchess and exined on her behalf. Youngdy nquer has been desperately waiting for you, your highness. The invitation came out a few days ago. Invitation? I asked back. The card that was barely dangling in between Rhea and Tith fell to the ground. I subconsciously read the card. The nquer Lords Castle invites you to a joyous asion. On September 30th, young Duchess Eva nquer will be hosting a masquerade. Trantor''s Comments Masquerade~ Paper faces on parade- Masquerade~ Chapter 151: The most liked things (4) Chapter 151: The most liked things (4) Her Majesty has said that she will hold a feast with the people she treasures the most. Werner Viaan thought that this was a chance. The Prince Consort started smiling. His attendants faces also lit up and they exchanged positive nces with each other. It had already been three weeks since Queen Christanne regained a clear sense of reason. She was shocked after hearing that her precious son had be a Diplomatic hostage of the Empire, but she was not shocked enough to make her go insane again. The Queen was still strong. Furthermore, she also had a solid sense of judgment to not strike down her Prince Consort. Werner''s family, the Dukes House of Sneijder was one of the major economic strongholds of the Viaan Holy Kingdom. The current Duchess Sneijder was a colossus who had significant influence with both the nobles and politics, and Christanne had always maintained a friendly rtionship with her. The reason the Queen did not cast the Prince Consort aside, or maybe could not do so, was because of the ties to the Duke''s House. That fact always stabbed deep into Werner''s heart while also giving him an infinite source of confidence. It was like blood pouring out of the hole in his heart. Bring me a new formal attire. The shoes and jewels all better be things I have never seen before. I will hold all of you at fault if the perfect look is not created. "As youmand, your highness. The attendants all bowed after the Prince Consorts heaven-likemand. Even the people who grew up with high standards in noble households were lowly beings in front of Werner. Even Prince Jesse, who was the Queens child was a lowly being to him, so the attendants could not say anything even if they were treated poorly. This led to the Prince Consort''s residence being busy from the morning the Queen announced the feast untilte that evening. Even the slightest of cracks, mistakes, or holes were not eptable. Werner was a man who obsessed over being wless. Your highness, the list of people you asked about in the past has been prepared. Shall I have it brought to you immediately? The Chief Attendant silently arrived and asked while the hairdresser wasbing the Prince Consorts fine hair. His tone was extremely calm. It sounded as indifferent as if he had created a list of attendees for a party or ball. However, the Chief Attendant, the Prince Consort, and everybody involved knew that this list was not such a lighthearted list. This might potentially be the most secretive and heaviest piece of paper on the entire continent. The chocte-colored eyes reflecting on the angled mirror became sharp. A benevolent voice flowed out of the Prince Consort''s lips. I will take a lookter. It is not something to discuss on such a happy day. Yes, your highness. He was being his usual capricious self. The Chief Attendant epted themand without even blinking an eye. If the Prince Consort wanted to harm the Prince tomorrow, that would be the case and if he wished to kill the Prince a year from now, he would just follow orders at that point. Your hair is always so thick and the color so beautiful, your highness. It is the most beautiful hair in the entire Holy Kingdom. "Thank you. The hairdresser, who was keeping her royal customer happy, put some product in his light purple hair and brushed it extremely sincerely. The attendants walked in with multiple jewelry options as she did that. They kept their eyes down on the ground in fear that they would make eye contact with their master. Werner scanned the jewels in the boxes with a casual gaze. Today I will use the wedding gift her Majesty bestowed to me. He then changed his mindpared to earlier as if he was just flipping his hand over. Nobody was surprised at this suddenmand. The attendants bowed their heads and quickly disappeared to find the wedding present. Werner rubbed the wedding ring on his left ring finger. His rtionship with Christanne had been ster while he was her fiance and even until right before they got married. The Queen sincerely spoke to him first and wanted to fulfill whatever he wanted. She did seem to draw the line on things every so often, but it was not weird as this was an arranged marriage. In fact, Werner saw that as an extremely good sign. Everything was satisfactory inparison to the Duke''s House where nobody epted him as himself. The Queens cautious demeanor seemed to be a symbol of her being considerate and the castle epted him as a noble member of the royalty. It waspletely different from his life as the second child of the House of Sneijder. Chief Attendant-nim, I dont see one of the bracelets. I believe his highness threw it into the furnace Shh. Then do not bring the bracelet at all. Only prepare the items we have. His older sister was born with a sense of authority. She had their parents trust since long before she became the young Duchess and the people in the royal capital had only good things to say about her. Her mistakes were seen as charming while her ws were praised as giving her a rtable nature. Her unique strengths made it easy for her to make friends and charm people no matter where she went. As her younger brother, Werner had lived his whole life thoroughly covered by her shadow. Unlike his sister, his mistakes were a sin and his ws could not be covered up. He would only receive a score of fifty even after putting in an effort of one hundred unless he was cold and wless. Receivingpliments were rare for him and he could name the few times he had received attention. That was why he liked the position of Prince Consort. He looked forward to Christanne giving him plenty of affection and attention. She was an aplished ruler but knew how to be respectful. She did not criticize him or try to fix him. The time they worked together to be good parents to Elise was certainly a happy time. Michael. Michael However, enlightenment had arrived out of the blue. It was the moment he happened to catch her mumbling another man''s name and smiling while alone in the bedroom. The Queens pupils had been shaking as she thought of something. Werner had felt as if someone was ripping a rib out of his body at that time. What she had shown him until then was not love. There was no sincerity in Christanne''s actions toward him. The only things connecting the two of them was a superficial level of greeting and a sense of duty. It was not that she had epted him as he was. She was just not interested in her husband at all. It was terrible. His reality had instantly turned into a nightmare. Your highness. The preparations arepleted. Werner snapped out of his thoughts. The man in the mirror was now the most beautiful man in the entire Holy Kingdom. Until early spring of this year, that title had been given to that lowly illegitimate child of the royal family. However, neither that priest who was like a thorn in his eyes nor his dirty little offspring were in the Holy Kingdom anymore. Werner was nning on living while receiving a decent level of admiration once again. His eyes curled up as he started walking. Lets head to the banquet hall. "Right this way, your highness. The Chief Attendant politely responded. The Prince Consort''s long and extravagant procession walked across the hallway of the castle. Everybody walking by bowed toward him. It had been a while since Werner felt excited like this. He probably had not felt this way since before he got married. All sorts of treasures he had received as wedding gifts were sparkling all over his body. Although Christanne had never looked for him first these past three weeks, it wasnt bad to think that today was the start of her doing so. There was nothing to get in the way of the Queen and the Prince Consort''s rtionship anymore. He hadpletely gotten rid of one forever while the other would soon follow his father as well. Has the crown princess and second princess gone there in advance? That is what I heard, your highness. The attendant informed him. Elise and Cornelisse were healthy and wless legitimate heirs. Werner was especially pleased that Cornelisse, who was in an important growing phase of her life, would no longer be affected by that bastard of a prince. His footsteps became lighter as he got closer to the banquet hall. The knights and attendants guarding the entrance bowed toward the Prince Consort''s procession. Your highness. What brings you all the way out I heard that her Majesty is filling the table with her favorite things. I havee after being invited, so announce my arrival. Excuse me? The bbergasted attendant raised her head before realizing who he was and urgently lowered it back down. The knights exchanged ominous nces with each other. "Are you going to make me wait? N, not at all, your highness. How could I dare The attendant''s voice trailed off with a pale look on her face. She took a look at the Prince Consort''s appearance and the ghastly looks in the faces of the attendants before clenching her teeth and knocking on the door. Knock knock. The sound was cold and short. Your Majesty. His highness, the Prince Consort, has arrived. Click! The door opened. Werner had a bright smile on his face as he exchanged nces through the opening door with his soulmate. The way her golden curly hair was elegantly twisted up underneath her crown looked exactly as she did in the past. Her familiar apricot-colored eyes were full of brilliance. Their two daughters were seated at either side of her. The Prince Consort showed respect without any unnecessary movements. Your esteemed Majesty. I havee to join you in this feast- Please withdraw yourself from here. Werner''s body stiffened up. Her voice was as cold as ice. She probably would not be this cold to anybody else, let alone a random subject of hers on the street. The mans eyes were shaking. The Queen continued to speak. I never invited you to this feast. He felt suffocated. A draft ising in. She meant for the attendant to close the door. The Queens attendant immediately did as ordered. Creeeeeak His beautiful fantasy scattered like embers right in front of his eyes. Thest thing he saw was a flower decorating one side of the table. It was an extremely old purple tulip that was barely preserved using a magic ss container. It was thest gift that Michael had given her. Click. The Prince Consort stood up straight just as the door clicked. The attendants all gulped. He would now raise his hand, throw something, or be violent toward anybody who annoyed him. A young attendant at the end of the procession started shaking in fear. A silence that felt like the calm before the storm swept through the hallway. Nobody dared to step up and speak to their master. About ten minutes or so passed before Werner finally said something. You said that the list has been prepared. Yes, your highness. The Chief Attendant immediately responded. He had been supporting Werner for over thirty years and was extremely used to Werner asking random questions or giving unexpected orders. There was only one list that the Prince Consort could be talking about right now. It was the list of the spies that the Holy Kingdom had nted in the Empire for decades or maybe even centuries. This list had names of Pair de Riester down tomoners. I will take a look right away. Yes, your highness. The old man quickly motioned with his eyes. The Prince Consort''s procession turned to head back to his residence. Werner slowly unclenched his fists and turned around. His lips were busted from biting down and his palm was bleeding. The scar from blocking Elises spear did not easily close even with the help of a healing priest. A new injury appeared on his hand that had just healed a bit but he did not care. The thing that hurt much more than this tiny scratch was being cast aside by someone he relied on. Being betrayed by someone you considered close was painful, sorrowful, and terrible. Assassins were not the only way tomit murder. Step, step, step So he will make the Prince face the same embarrassment. No, he will make sure that the Prince dies a much more painful death. That dirty bloodline that put him in so much shame he will definitely make sure that it is gone. * Click, click, click. After that, one, two, three! No, you turn on three. Not on two and a half! Evas voice echoed through the wide hall. The musicians ying an exciting melody stopped ying. It has already been close to two weeks since we left Srnit and returned to the Imperial Capital. People were starting to wear Fall clothes around the Imperial Pce and everybody was busy with their lives. Well, we still did find some time to y every so often. I earned a short moment of rest and sat down on the table. We were currently having intensive training with Evas Beau Monde debut, the masquerade,ing up. Christelle, who had been receiving an individual lesson from the young Duchess in the distance, had aplicated look in her face. She then said, I''m really good at singing but when ites to dancing Yes, she gave that unbelievable self evaluation. Sir Johann, who was well-aware of her singing ability, chuckled loudly from the other side. I quickly ced my finger over my mouth. Dame Sarnez has no idea. Yes, that is what makes Dame Sarnez so great. It is also amazing that she has a Holy Knights physical strength but sucks at dancing. His mint-colored eyes mischievously curled up. Sir Johann seemed to be bing more slick after bing one of the Empress''s people. Or maybe this is his true personality but he had been hiding it? Your highness, have you memorized a lot of the Empires dances? I have memorized all of the allemandes. I really did. I quickly added on because he tilted his head as if he didnt believe me. How could I not memorize them when Perry would climb onto Rhea and Demy on top of Perry to be my dance partner every night? Even Percy would help out, bringing a little cloth to p around in front of my face. I think he was trying to tell me to imagine that it was a persons face. To bepletely honest, it was a bit scary Two, three, tada! That was wonderful! Oh my. I think I may have some talent after all. Christelle, who finally managed to get the step right after eleven tries, seemed amazed at her abilities. Benjamin and Ganael were seriously whispering to each other. I held back augh and quickly buried my face in my notebook. I had a lot of things to resolve on my mind and my heart since returning from Srnit. Today was the day to go over the thing that had me the most concerned of all things. I flipped the pages back without stopping. A page that had faded a bit as it had been six months since then appeared. My goal. Don''t get involved with the MCs and survive until the end so that I can go back home in one piece! I guess I should modify the first half of that. I smiled bitterly. Trantor''s Comments Definitely have to change thatlol. Chapter 152: My partner鈥檚 partner (1) Chapter 152: My partner¡¯s partner (1) I had made up my mind not to get tangled up with the main characters, but I had started hanging out with the two of them. In the beginning, it was a lot of getting swept up even without realizing it, but recently, I have been pretty active about it as well. I had no intention of denying that. I also had no more desire to avoid them because they were people that Eunseo liked. What will you do once your dance practice is over, your highness? Sir Johann gently asked. Christelle and Eva had moved on to the next movement. A slow dance song started to y to match the sound of the four feet moving around. I wrapped my hand around the warm acacia tea as I responded. - They said that Tith''s pond is finished so I n on going to take a look. "That sounds fun. His mint-colored eyes shook with anticipation. It meant that he would go with me. I smiled to finish the conversation and looked down at my notebook. I was sure that there were a lot of things I couldnt recall, but there was a lot of information rted to QNW that I continued to fill into this notebook since the first day I transmigrated into this world. There were fragmentary things such as the crown princes nickname being Crapdric, as well as abstract things such as first kiss at the ball. How was I supposed to predict when the two of them would have their first kiss when this Empire was capable of having a ball every night? But using the stories that Eunseo told me allowed me to make some guesses. For example Lotus Festival Spear Joustingpetition Hawk Huntingpetition I could see the topics that were crossed out. Those were things that I had put together from Benjamins list of important dates for the second half of the year in Riester along with my own memories. All three were events that appeared in the original novel but were also things that Christelle and Crown prince Cdric showed no interest toward. While the Lotus Festival was going on, we met with Elise and had wandered around Aightz Vige. Iter learned that the Spear Joustingpetition happened at the beginning of June, but that was when I was watching the duel between the crown prince and young Duke nquer. The Hawk Huntingpetition is scheduled to take ce next weekend but neither of the main characters seemed interested. Dame Sarnez, what do you think about going to the Hawk Huntingpetition next week? His Royal Highness can go with us too. It would be fun if we can all go together, but Wouldnt it be difficult? We have to finish ourst dance lessons. I asked Christelle to see if I could get some interest but she responded with facts. The crown prince showed no interest either. Your Royal Highness, are you not going to the Hawk Hunting? Are you saying you want to raise a hawk now too? What? No, thats not it. Pipipi! The conversation ended kind of messy because Percy got angry at the crown princes unbelievable response. The chimney bird absolutely did not want me showing any interest in other birds. I thought I''m not your master Kiiiiiii! Okay, I got it. I grabbed Demy, who was climbing up the chair, and ced him on my thigh. The other red pandas were biting and pulling at Benjamin''s pants. I then took a look at Percy and Tith who were sleeping on the couch. My thoughts calmed down as I rubbed Demys tail. Mm. Basically, my conclusion was that QNW was not following the same path of the original. It was disappointing, but even thinking about it for a little bit would make anybody see that it was inevitable. Elise hade to the Empire for the Holy Knight Appointment judging, but the main characters were not Holy Knights in the original. The reason that that crown prince punk threw his glove at Robert nquer was because I was mocked. There was no way that he would do something like that for Prince Jesse, his rival in love, in the original. The other reason that nobody cared much for the Hawk Hunting was because we would be heading toward the nquer Duchy the next day. Still I mumbled to myself and circled the word, Romfan. Still the main frame of this being a romantic fantasy seemed firm. Christelle and the crown prince were slowly getting closer and the two of them were highly likely to attend this masquerade as partners. "Sir Johann. Yes, your highness. His Royal Highness and Dame Sarnez Dont you think that they have gotten much closer than before? What is your perspective as their instructor? Compared to the beginning, yes. He slowly answered my question. See, I''m not the only one who feels that way? I smiled and looked at the first page of the notebook. I could see the words that I clearly wrote down. My goal. Don''t get involved with the MCs and survive until the end so that I can go back home in one piece! I hope the flow of things continues to change and the war that happenedter in the series never happens. However, I didn''t think that the author would easily give up on such a major event. There might have been foreshadowing or baits thrown around the main characters that I dont know about. And, if I consider that the war will definitely happen Cruuu. Okay, I''ll keep going. Demy whined once my hand stopped moving. I quickly started petting his back again. Christelle, who had been spinning around with Eva, saw me and smiled brightly. It felt like a star was up in the sky despite it being the middle of the day. Honestly, I did not want to leave her and the crown princes side if a war did start. They were highly likely to participate as they were the only Holy Knights of the Empire and I was their official partner and friend. The two of them would need to get ether from another priest if I was not there. Most importantly, I could not hide away in a safe space while my friends were out on the battlefield. My body might be safe but my mind would feel like it was in hell. Dame Sarnez, please put your hand on my hips. Not like that! Evaughed and shouted at Christelle, who grabbed and lifted her high into the air. The main character started tickling the young Duchess with a mischievous gaze. Eva''s high voice soon became very loud. I guess both of them will be true Holy Knights after next week. Sir Johann sipped on his ck tea as he said that. I turned my head and made eye contact with him. The Vatican finally sent an envoy to the Empire two months after Elise left the Imperial Pce. They were sent to deliver an edict approving of Christelle and the crown prince''s appointments as Holy Knights. Cardinal Boutier was to present the divine will on thising Tuesday, personally blessing and appointing the two of them in front of the Empress and the Pair de Riester. Yes, I didn''t expect it to take so long. Two months is average, your highness. It took me seven months to pass the Archbishop advancement assessment. The unofficial Cardinal sighed as he responded. It was probably because of his background. Sir Johann''s eyebrows sank down after seeing the look on my face. I said it for you to smile, your highness. I''m sorry, sir. No, it looked like you were angry, your highness. I know you are not just superficially beingpassionate. He then added on about how I looked like the Pope when he was angry. That unbelievable joke made me quietly chuckle. Talking about this made me think of Elise. It would be great if she and Cornelisse were safely reunited with the prince again, but how that would happen was also a headache. I picked up the quill pen and wrote down whatever came to mind. My (new) goal. Work hard so that my friends do not get hurt Stay healthy so that the three Holy Kingdom siblings can meet again Gather information while by the main characters side and go back home Does this make any sense? I couldnt help but scowl at the inconsistency. I was nning on being with the MCs if a war broke out, but the three siblings have to be reunited as well? Wouldnt they never be able to see each other if such a big issue arose between the two nations? Also, if I somehow end up dead on the battlefield, what happens to my ns of returning home? Squeeeee. Demy, who was looking into the notebook, suddenly stood up. The red pandas ck eyes were solemnly sparkling. Whats going on? Scrreech, screech, screeeech! Cruuuuuuuuuuu, cruuu! Whimper! Sqoo He seemed to be trying very hard to share his opinion but I could not understand as I waspletely clueless to thenguage of divine beasts. He must have gotten frustrated as he raised his front paws and lowered them over and over. He opened his mouth and closed it as well. I scowled. You want to fight? Whimper Demy weakly plopped down. He then gently pushed against my stomach and pretended to console me. The way he was sticking out his tongue looked so lovely. I grabbed his body so that he would not fall and asked. Dont fight and make peace? Squeeeeee! Demy seemed to be saying, thats right! He then rolled to the front. I smiled brightly and hugged him. Dont fight and make peace My eyes jolted open. Don''t have a war? Are you telling me to prevent the war from happening? Squee I quickly whispered and the divine beast let out a short squeal as if that was obvious. I could only scoff in disbelief. I would have tried that from the beginning if that was so easy. However, I was not someone with authority but a diplomatic hostage of a hostile nation. My words would hold no weight Or maybe not? I subconsciously said that out loud. It would definitely be the case at the beginning of my transmigration. However, I had earned some goodwill with the Empress in the past half year and became the Cardinal''s only disciple. I was also the Imperial Crown Prince''s friend and partner. In addition, I had built a great friendship with the Duke''s House of Sarnez and the other four major noble households in the Empire. Huh? This Might work? I petted Demy and mumbled to myself. First of all, Empress Frdrique was famous for being anti-war. Saving Sir Johann and Gerrit was thanks to everybody''s help, so maybe, a lot of people could cooperate again to prevent a terrible war from breaking out. Of course saving two people was extremely different from saving hundreds of thousands of people and pretending such a major event seemed close to impossible, but Mm. Itll all work out, your highness. Sir Johann resolutelymented. I turned toward him in shock. His eyes were curling up with certainty. I do not know what you are thinking about, but everything will go as you wish so please dont worry, your highness. He said that to me and Ganael, who happened toe in with new snacks at that time, ced some Mousse au citron in front of us and smiled brightly. Thats right, your highness. Everything will end up going as you wish. But I dont know what you are thinking about either. Thanks. Please eat a lot and cheer up, Your highness. The young boy clenched his fists. Eva, who made eye contact with me in the distance, pouted. She seemed to be thinking that my break was getting long. I smiled bitterly and looked into the dessert cup. I''ll just eat three of these things and head right over, maam! * We will be waiting here, your highness. Benjamin, Ganael, and Sir Johann stood in a row in front of the Imperial Family Library. Christelle and Eva stayed behind in the Juliette Pce ballroom to keep practicing. I was in no ce to ck off either, but I made some time because there was something I wanted to confirm in the library. I told them that I would be back soon and walked away from them. The attendant from the Empress Pce opened the door for me with familiar movements. Therge library appeared in front of me. This ce always felt like a scene from a movie whenever I came here. Spy, spy, spy I quickly walked through the scent of books without any hesitation. Bright fall sunlight was pouring in through the windows that filled the wall. I would have enjoyed a nap and gotten some photosynthesis if this was a regr college library, but I had no choice but to be serious right now. I thoroughly looked through the spines of the books stacked throughout the ebony bookshelf. This was around the area where I found records of thete Emperor Romerost week as well. Right around here "Why is it over there? I extended my neck and mumbled. . It was a history book published duringte Empress Cline''s reign. This book was at eye levelst time but it was quite far away today. I looked at the scary title and Joanne''s warning filled my ears once again. The household that framed us is still on their high horse living a great life. Who knows if they are still spies for the Holy Kingdom? I clenched my mouth shut. It wasn''t that Ipletely trusted her words. However, it was weird that Joanne''s great grandfather, Baron Haas, maintained his innocence until the end and was murdered by thete Emperor. The Empire had numerous priests and Romero could have used a confession at any moment to verify whether the Baron was telling the truth. exined why he did not use priests during trials. After being betrayed by his most believed priestess, thete Emperor could not believe in any servant of the Almighty God. He never gota Religious Partner and only trusted himself until hisst breath. It was such a terrible case of a broken heart. Romero''s broken heart was what caused the Warring Era. However, the records he left behind may give me some clues. I got on my tippy toes and extended my arm. I need to read through that thoroughly again Damn it. Its too hi- Tap! Arge hand leisurely pulled the book out. My eyes opened wide as I looked to the side. "This is an unexpected choice. Eek! Clear orange eyes were looking at me. I thought I was going to faint from shock. You should make some noise when you walk! Are you curious about the people who were killed by my great grandfather? The crown prince asked in a scary voice. I grabbed the bookshelf and took some deep breaths. Between how I met Christelle herest time and this time, the people who say that the library is a romantic ce really needs to reflect on their silly thoughts Trantor''s Comments Jesse, you whack in the brain. Chapter 153: My partner鈥檚 partner (2) Chapter 153: My partner¡¯s partner (2) I barely managed to cover up the look on my face. Very few people were allowed to go in and out of the Imperial Family Library, and I knew that nobody else was around us, but a library was still a library. My voice naturally quieted down. Do Holy Knights have a hobby of erasing their presence? Answer. The young Imperial ignored me and said something else. I had no idea what he wanted me to answer, but I saw in his hand and came up with the question. He asked me if I was curious about the people his great-grandfather killed. "To bepletely urate, it is the opposite, your Royal Highness. I whispered to him. His orange colored eyes squinted in between the dim gap between the two tall bookshelves. I extended my hand to ask for the book but the damn crown prince bastard raised his arm to increase the distance. Must be nice being that tall, you cheap bastard. I am curious about whether there is a spy who managed to survive without being killed by thete Emperor. The reason? I debated on my choice of words for a bit. I knew it was a dangerous topic for me to discuss as a prince of the Holy Kingdom. It might even lead to some misunderstandings, but I had no intention of hiding it from him anyway. It was something I wanted to tell not just Crown Prince Cdric but also Christelle if I got the chance. Whether I could prevent the war or not, the main characters knowing about an issue like this would not hurt. Do you remember Joanne de Haas, your Royal Highness? The criminal we met in Srnit. You mean the artist you are exploiting. I wouldn''t call it exploitation- I then realized that he was joking. I chuckled and continued to speak. Joanne believes that her great-grandfather was framed as a spy and killed. She felt so wronged, so I was looking into the files; thete Emperor Romero truly did execute those used of being spies without even having a confession. This continued until his passing. "Are you trying to help restore the House of Haas? That is beyond my abilities, your Royal Highness. She said they have no proof of their innocence either. I calmly answered. The crown prince slightly tilted his head. However, if what Joanne said is true, that means that there is a spy household that managed to escape thete Emperors grasp. They may still be actively spying on the Empire. He had no response. However, he didnt seem shocked or perplexed. He just looked down in the darkness with his usual stoic expression. Silence filled the room as we exchanged nces. I felt nervous and broke the silence. I don''t expect to find the spy by reading a few books, but I thought I might find even the most trivial of clues if I understood the situation at the time. Ultimately, it would be helpful to her Majesty as well, don''t you think so? The crown prince let out a low snort. Hey, big bro is talking about a war. Those people can end up the reason for a conflict or war. It would be great if we could get rid of them before something like that happens. That is quite themendable loyalty, but The young man responded. He seemed happy for some reason. He basically shoved the book to me before taking a step back. Wait a minute, just now Didn''t he stagger a bit? I''m surprised that you think her Majesty doesnt know about the existence of spies. What? Her Majesty has people actively working for her in the Holy Kingdom as we speak. He did not borate on that. However, the meaning behind his words was clear. As obvious as it was for the Empire to have spies in the Holy Kingdom, the Imperial family was already aware of the fact that there were spies of the Holy Kingdom within the Empire. My mouth opened and closed without saying anything at this unexpected development. Then do you also know who the spy of the Holy Kingdom is, This is like . Ah! I gasped once again. My heart thumped wildly after suddenly hearing a voice behind me. I closed my eyes and leaned against the bookshelf while heavily breathing when I heard an apologetic voice. Oh no. I''m so sorry, Your highness. I didnt mean to scare you. I opened my eyes. Her blue-gray eyes were gathering light even in this dim area to sparkle. At this point, this ce is more like a haunted house than a library! I came to look for you because my dance lesson ended Your highness, but I couldn''t find a moment to interject because you seemed to be having a serious conversation. I''m okay, Dame Sarnez. I smiled and waved my hand around. She barged in with magnificent timing for someone who was struggling to find a moment to interject, but either way, this was something that would be good for her to know as the MC of QNW and as a member of the Dukes House of Sarnez. She checked again to make sure I was okay before showing her respects to the crown prince. The young man openly looked annoyed. How is this punk going to be the Emperor in the future if he cant even control his facial expression? Your Royal Highness, are you ill? That is none of your business, Dame Sarnez. The crown prince sharply reacted to Christelle''s question. I immediately turned toward her. That wasn''t my imagination earlier? Your Royal Highness, are you unwell? His flow of ether is weird, Your highness. He is also drenched in cold sweats. I guess it might be difficult for you to see it. She spoke seriously. I immediately released my Holy Domain. Paaaat! A golden circle lit up the floor. The area between the bookshelves and books became dyed gold. I could see the crown prince''s pale cheeks and drenched forehead. I couldnt help but gasp. Are youcking ether, your Royal Highness? Why didn''t you tell me earlier- Thats not it. He cut me up. I decided to first release some ether. The crown prince seemed to hesitate for a moment, but thankfully, he did not reject my ether. However, he really did not seem to be suffering from ack of ether as he did not desperately suck it up. Is it just a cold? Wait, do the male leads of Romfans even catch colds? * I said that I would call the Imperial doctor but the crown prince said no. I then said that I would go call his godmother, but his gaze became even sharper. We ended upying him down on therge couch in the middle of the library and while we dragged some chairs to sit in front of him. I did not stop my circle so that it could help stabilize him. Youre not a kid. What is going on? Well, you do be a kid every so often, but Dame Sarnez, we need to check if his Royal Highness has a fever. Yes, Your highness. Christelle immediately answered. Then there was a few seconds of silence. Neither of us put a hand on the crown prince''s face. I became anxious and looked at her. Dame Sarnez? Yes? We need to check if his Royal Highness has a fever. "Yes, Your highness. Go ahead and check. I meant for you to do it Christelle looked confused as if she did not even consider herself as an option. A bitter smile appeared on my face. I had no choice but to put the back of my hand on his face when the crown prince, who had his eyes closed, suddenly started talking. The Imperial family does not know the name or identity of the spy. I stopped moving. He must have been thinking about our conversation from earlier that had been cut off. He continued to speak. That is why the Empress must treat them the same as the rest of her subjects. She needs to administer over them so that they do not act out. She said that that was a burden of being a ruler. He took a deep breath after saying that. It didn''t sound like something Romero would have said, so the crown prince''s grandmother, thete Empress Cline or Empress Frdrique, must have taught him that. A life where she has to always consider whether someone who has pledged their loyalty to her might be a spy I had no idea what that would be like, but it seemed as if it would be quite tiring. Basically, what I tried to do was nothing new for the Empress. She was always scoping out the nobles when she chatted with them and would run a check on them from the shadows if need be. There were probably many times she quietly got rid of some people as well. Is that why your ether became unstable? From overworking? Christelle bent down and whispered to me. I quickly ced the back of my hand on the crown princes forehead before removing it. It felt warm. The man was silent. Is it normal for people to end up like this because their body is tired? I asked Christelle. Even if the body and soul are in constant interaction, I had never heard of ether bing so unstable because of a physical condition. The crown prince trains with his sword daily, and his body is extremely muscr But his ether depletion has been severe since birth. When Cdric was very young We had to put restraining tools on him and imprison him here when the flow of his ether became unstable and he overloaded. Ah. I let out a short gasp. Cardinal Boutier''s voice became clear in my mind and I recalled Sir Johanns exnation about how the crown prince seemed to have a foundational depletion. Christelle must have recalled that as well as she looked extremely serious. She had watched the crown prince turn into Sadie at the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. It is because his Royal Highness is not normal. Christelle exined in a single sentence. I barely managed to nod my head while the crown prince was still silent. He must end up like this if he overworks even if he doesnt use any ether. Its not like he is doing a month''s worth of work at once; how much is he working for the male lead to be this close to being KO''ed? This is bad. Tuesday is the Holy Knight appointment day. Ill be fine by tomorrow. The crown prince immediately responded to Christelle. I cautiously asked. How long have you been this way, your Royal Highness? Since two nights ago. He answered after a long pause. He missed yesterdays lesson not because he was busy but because he was in pain. Christelle quietly clicked her tongue. "Should I call a healing priest? I could do simple treatments and healing, but I thought that I would not be enough because the crown prince had a chronic illness. Thatment made his ga-like eyes open wide. He spoke with an annoyed look on his face. All they do is screw up my te even more. I do not want to see them unless I''m bleeding profusely. He then closed his eyes again. He looks like an illusion of Sadie. [Please sleep, your Royal Highness. I will wake you up in one hour.] In the end, I gave him a Divine Oracle. He seemed to resist, but he must have wanted to rest as he epted my Divine Power without pushing back. His handsome brows finally rxed and his breathing became calm. My Holy Domain turned slowly like a music box underneath our feet. I could finally rx a bit. "Ah, a water cloth. I debated whether I should put something on his forehead. I knew that cold cloths were not useful for patients with fevers, but this seemed different from a normal fever since it was caused by his ether. He might have a headache, so would it be good if his head cooled off? I got up to ask Benjamin and Ganael for a cloth. It was at that moment. Ssh! I heard the clear sound of water. I turned around to see arge ball of water moving on top of Christelle''s palm. She smiled at me. We are not close, but I do have a big heart. The water started moving as she said that. The ball of water that was just like her eyes slowly flew over to the crown prince''s forehead and ttened into a rectangle. I felt as if it was moving in slow motion. It was so beautiful that I was in awe. I felt goosebumps on my arms. The gently sleeping male lead and the female lead who was warmly taking care of him. "There is no need for you to work hard when I am here, Your highness. That was progress in this official couple that just happened in front of my eyes, wasnt it? Yes, yes it was. This is just my hypothesis, but I wonder if my marriage to him was brought up to do something simr to this. If his Royal Highness did not have the Sword of Wisdom and only had the Blessing of the Blue Sea, the fire attribute ether inside of him would have beenpletely suppressed by the divine item I cant hear you. The two of you like this is wonderful to watch. Maybe he was aiming for something simr to a seal? What do you think, Your highness? Christelle asked. I smiled with satisfaction and nodded my head. Everything you say is correct, Dame Sarnez. * Ssh! I smacked the surface of the pond. My face twitched whenever I thought about the two main characters and I couldnt help myself because my insides were getting skittish. This must be why Eunseo sponsored the author so much. This must be why she punched her cushion with her fist and tortured it whenever it was time for QNW to be uploaded. I''m basically a Romfan reader now! Aaarf! A shocked Tith swam toward me from a distance. I finally snapped back to my senses and waved my hand that was in the water to apologize. I gently rubbed his cute little eyebrows as well. After leaving the Imperial Family Library, we immediately headed for the harp seal''s exclusive little ce, built very quickly thanks to the Empress''s active non-intervention. All of the details, from the tiles to the decorations, were extremely luxurious. The area around this seawater pool toorge to be called a pond was full of our friends. Is it nice? Do you like it? Should this be yours, Tith? Aarf, aaaaarf! Tith bobbed his head in and out of the water and cried out. He seemed quite satisfied, judging by the way his eyes curled up. I slowly opened my circle to not scare him, and the little guy''s white body squirmed in interest. I quietly made eye contact with Tith and called out his name with all my heart to tame him. [Tith. Your name is Tith. What do you think?] Aarf! The harp seal immediately rubbed his chin on my palm. I made a circle with my thumb and index finger and he ced his ck nose in the hole. Gerrit, who was watching nearby, started stomping his feet. I couldn''t help butugh. Wee to the Imperial Pce. Let''s be good friends. Trantor''s Comments Tithe just lost the game. Oh wait, maybe that is too dated of a reference? Chapter 154: My partner鈥檚 partner (3) Chapter 154: My partner¡¯s partner (3) Good. Should we call over big sis Pink too? Lets do that. Gerrit, it is okay toe up close and y. Christelle, who was standing near the pond, quietly chuckled while looking at Prince Jesse. Although he himself probably did not think this way, he truly resembled a prince that could be seen in a fairy tale. The way he lovingly talked to the child and the animal just now gave him that kind of air. His tragic backstory also contributed. Seeing him be so warm toward everyone despite his own sorrows made her think that he was mysterious at times. How could he smile like that? Dame Sarnez, Tith is looking for you. Aaaaarf Yes, your highness, I aming. Christelle gave a quick response and approached the Prince. She could feel the warmth of his ether. Her already happy feelings became even happier. She recalled how this ether had made her curious about this man half a year ago. Even back then, the Prince had been magnanimous and nice to everyone. Rather than treating her as weird for not acting or talking like a noble, he just epted her as she was. He was shocked but did not push her away; he might have been in dismay but he did not hate her. That was why it could not be helped. It couldn''t be helped that she liked him as a person and considered him to be her friend. Lets see, should big sis freeze some water for you? You like ice, don''t you Tith? Aarf! The harp seal energetically responded. Christelle extended her hand toward one side of the pond. Craaaaaaack! There was a short but deep crack before a white sheet of ice was formed. The water attribute divine beast became excited and dove down into the water before quickly moving to and getting on top of the ice. Eva, who had alsoe after they finished their dance lesson, was holding the hems of her dress, not knowing what to do. She wanted to help but did not know if she could do so. Hes adjusting well. Thats a relief. "Yes, Your highness. It is because you are taking care of him so well. It is thanks to everybody lending a hand. I heard that they used to keep a gold carp in here. But then, her Eminence The Prince continued to speak in a voice that was nice to hear. He was talking about how many people were working hard for Tith and how thankful he was to them. His purple eyes sparkled beautifully as the autumn sun shined down on him. Christelle had met a lot of people since transmigrating here, but she had not seen anybody else with eyes like his. As the Bishops mentioned, it would be difficult to see eyes like this again in this life. "Demy and Rhea like Tith quite a bit. Perry is still a bit shy though However, Christelle would not have been able to take her eyes off of the Prince even if his eyes were amon color. Jesse Viaan was the person here who shined the brightest and liveliest. She still didnt know whether this was simply because of psychological factors or if he actually had something special about him. Nheless, the truth she had learned while spending six months here was that the more colorful and vibrant a person was, the more important the role they had in this world. At first, it made her dizzy because she didn''t know the standards for that. She even thought that she had transmigrated into a body with eye issues. It was a reasonable hypothesis because Christelle de Sarnez had been ill for three years. Her parents, Duke Sarnez and his wife, had a regr sharpness to them, while the prince of the enemy nation who had no rtion to her seemed brighter than anybody else. It was odd but entertaining. However, everything fell into ce if she factored in one variable. So if it isnt too disrespectful of me to ask I would like to know who you are attending the Masquerade with, Dame Sarnez. Ah. Christelle snapped out of her thoughts. At some point, the conversation had changed to the Masquerade at the nquer Duchy. The Prince was looking at her with an expression full of expectation. Benjamin happened to bring cushions for the two of them at that time. Thank you very much. The two of them thanked him at the same time. Attendants leisurely walked back and forth with towels in their hands. Christelle sat down on a silk mat that was elegantly decorated with embroidery and tilted her head. I''m not very sure. To be honest with you, your highness, I was nning on asking you to be my partner Im scheduled to go as youngdy Eva''s partner. He responded in an overly imposing tone. Eva, who had approached them, paid closer attention to their conversation. The Prince moved off the mat as if it was the right thing to do, and the young Duchess''s lips twitched as she sat down on the cushion. She seemed quite cute and happy about being treated as a little sister. Yes, your highness, so I even considered asking my instructor to go with me. Christelle looked toward the Geens father and son duo who were ying in the water with Tith as she spoke. Thanks to the example that was Johann Geens, she learned that her eye issue was a standard of judgment. The air attribute Holy Knight had been decently sharp the day she met him, but he had grown sharper since then. Excuse me? He became certain after the day he tried to assassinate the Prince. This probably sounds crazy, but that was the only way she could exin it. It was difficult to exin how someones presence could be thicker and livelier in a different way. Christelle continued to speak. But my instructor said that he was going as your guard, your highness. I was told that he would not be dancing. The Prince seemed relieved. Christelle looked toward Ganael, who was brewing tea for the Prince. Future hubby here is going with Vice Captain lisabeth. Yes, Ganael is also making his Beau Monde debut at this Masquerade. His partner has to be his fiancee. The Prince sternly responded while the young attendant was opening and closing his mouth without being able to say anything in shock. He seemed a bit defensive. Of course. Now I am debating whether I should ask Benjamin-nim. The Prince put on a concerned look after hearing that. She smiled and looked toward therge couch next to the pool. To be more specific, she was looking at the young man sitting there in the shade, looking through documents. Cdric Riester. The man with a memorable middle name. He was the other person, besides the Prince, who was the sharpest and brightest in her eyes. She felt the most alive when she was by the two of their sides. She even felt oddly cathartic after having a serious spar with the Imperial Crown Prince. However, this guy was theplete opposite of the Prince in all aspects. His fire attribute ether always scratched at her and made her use her power in negative ways. She also didn''t like how the crown prince''s emotions were transferred to her at times as well. For example, she was confused about what to do while he was releasing this emotion of fear thesest few days. What are you so scared of? At that moment, his orange-colored eyes moved away from the paper and looked toward her. His condition became decently better after sleeping for about an hour in the library. He still had a slight fever, and hisplexion wasn''t the same as usual, but he seemed like he should bepletely healed by Monday with the Princes help. The problem was "What is it? Christelle mumbled quietly so that only she could hear. It was because the crown prince immediately scowled after making eye contact with her. Hey, is it my fault that youre scared? Learn to hide it if you dont want others to notice it. Damn beanpole is over 190 cm tall but acts like a big baby. Please take a look at this, Dame Sarnez. These are street foods David bought from outside the Imperial Pce. Apparently, he is a regr there. David-nim''s been spending a lot more moneytely! Did you receive a bonus, David-nim? The Prince, Ganael, and Evamented one after the other. The crown prince''s Chief Attendant was humbly giving out some snack gifts. He then said that they could eat it without worry as they had already been tested for poison. The Prince handed Christelle a fork and a bag with food. The affectionate smile on his face was just extra. It smells spicy. I think you will like it. Just as he said, the still-hot Merguez was giving off a rich scent of spices. The Parmesan truffle fries with it looked delicious as well. The Prince was busy as Christelle thanked David for the meal. He asked Gerrit twice if he could eat spicy food, dried the wet Percy with a towel, and even made sure that Eva had a napkin. He only started eating once Ganael ate half a sausage. He looked happy despite personally doing the task of an attendant. It looks extremely delicious. Thank you very much, David. Your highness, you basically paid for half of it. Please enjoy. It was not awkward to think of this good-natured and warm person as the main character of this ce. In fact, thinking that way made everything fall into ce like the pieces of a puzzle. It was easier to judge things not with herself at the center but with the Prince at the center. People who influenced him a lot or had an important role by his side made him seem clearer and refreshing to Christelle. She still didnt know where this was. Her mind was frequently chaotic about what she should do and how she should live. However, one thing was clear. If the Prince was the hero of this world and someone was indirectly telling her about it My hand is not stopping. I feel like I can eat two bags. Lies. You''ll probably eat three bags, your highness. Hahaha. She wanted to protect him. Him and everything he likes. She made eye contact with the sun-like eyes on the other side of the pond again. This time, Christelle looked at the crown prince as if she was going to freeze him. It was a short staring contest that happened while the Prince and his friends did not notice. She didn''t like how he was acting weak like this. If he was a Holy Knight who would protect her one and only priest with her, he needed to get stronger than right now. * Today''s schedule was packed despite it being Sunday. It was because the Imperial family allowed guests from outside to enter Juliette Pce in limited amounts ever since I became a Marquis. Eva, who came in the morning to visit, was walking all around as if she owned the ce. The young Duchess gasped after seeing Spice on the reception room''s mantle and was in pain after stubbing a toe against a piece of furniture but controlled her expression like a proper young Duchess. (TL Note: Spice is the red pig sculpture Christelle named back in Ch 119) Christelle, who came with her,plimented her for being all grown up now. This masquerade is different from a normal masked ball. The nquer Duchy is famous for its colorful and extravagant masked dances. It is a precious celebration where only invited guests and their partners can enter. It has not taken ce since the previous Duke passed away, but it will be different starting this year. Eva proimed while standing at the center of the reception room. Her head was proudly standing firm and her hands were on her hips. And the flower of the Masquerade is naturally the mask. I looked up while trying to gather the red pandas that were roaming around her. Isn''t it fine as long as your face is not showing? Idiot! The young Duchess became upset and shouted. She then urgently covered her mouth after remembering that I was a prince. Christelle, who had been listening attentively on the couch, mumbled, wow, cidre. The attendants in the room bit down on their lips. The divine beasts in my arms stuck their tongues out, looking entertained. Are you saying that this is a cidre, or sprite promation? And the family here at Juliette Pce know its meaning as well? M, my apologies, your highness. However, I called you an idiot because you said something idiotic. The reason I felt that way is because Thats okay. I must have said something stupid. I smiled bitterly and responded. Eva immediately said that I was right. She then brought her sparkling brown eyes right in front of my face. I will officially be the young Duchess that day and you areing as the partner of the young Duchess, your highness. That is why your mask has to be the most beautiful and coolest one there. A half-hearted mask is as bad as not having a mask at all. Mm Please dont worry. I have already nned for all of this. Nobody will be able to recognize you, your highness. You just need to tell me your sizes. That was a relief. I had no confidence in choosing clothes or essorizing myself. My brother and Eunseo often chose my outfits for work, and I''ve been relyingpletely on the attendants advice these days as well. Eva''s help was reliable. I diligently read the as well, your highness. Since you are quite famous in the Imperial Capital these days as the representation of an angel, Cough! Cough cough! I choked because what I heard was so shocking. I kept my mouth buried in my elbow as I looked at Eva. No way, right? Knock knock. Someone knocked on the door at that moment. I wondered if Benjamin was already here with the refreshments but it was an empty-handed Ganael. The boy spoke in a serious voice. Your highness, they are urgently looking for you in Romero Pce. Christelle and I quickly made eye contact. There was only one reason the crown prince woulde to find him on the weekend. We were supposed to see him in the evening after lunch, so I thought that his condition must have gotten worse for him to call me over immediately. Eva,who had no idea about the situation, blinked in confusion. I put the red pandas down and bowed toward her. The shocked young Duchess quickly responded. It took less than ten seconds for Christelle and I to walk out the door. We will have to make our leave for a moment, Eva. Please eat first if you get hungry. Will you take long, Your highness? That I awkwardly smiled. My partner is an idiot as well, so I dont know how things will go. I will send an attendant if it feels like it will gote. Trantor''s Comments Pffft. Idiot. Chapter 155: My partner鈥檚 partner (4) Chapter 155: My partner¡¯s partner (4) Wee, your highness. David greeted us as soon as we entered Romero Pce. Christelle and I were immediately guided to the room next to the Imperial Crown Prince''s bedroom. Strictly speaking, Christelle was an uninvited guest, but nobody brought that up. They all silently understood that she was here not to see her friend but to prepare for the potential of the crown prince''s ether overload. It would be better if Sir Johann was here, but he did not know the details about the crown princes body condition. I presume Dame Sarnez also saw his Royal Highness''s other appearance during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. David asked in a solemn voice in front of the bedroom. Christelle nodded her head. I looked at the middle-aged man and urgently whispered. His condition wasnt bad enough to turn into Sadie. Did something happen? What about the Sword of Wisdom? His Royal Highness had breakfast and received the final report regarding the Holy Knight appointment on Tuesday. After that, when he took the sword off to take a bath His voice trailed off. We perked our ears to listen. This is just my opinion, so please dont think much of it. I think that his Royal Highness He seems to be feeling some pressure at the thought of officially bing a Holy Knight. A memory from a few months ago lit up like a lightbulb in my mind at that moment. It was the Empress''s voice that I heard during the celebration for the crown prince winning the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. I definitely remember her saying this while looking at her son. I know that you are not interested in being appointed as a Holy Knight. However, do not think about evading the lessons where you will learn to use your powers properly. I was suddenly enlightened. The crown prince never wanted to be a Holy Knight. Christelle''s face stiffened up. The attendant sorrowfully continued to speak. The power his Royal Highness possesses is definitely great and holy. However, he himself did not think that way for a long time. He had suffered from ether depletion since he was an infant and had to be imprisoned in solitary confinement while restrained if he ever overloaded. Liking his abilities was almost impossible after going through such a childhood. My closed fists tightened. The crown prince did not talk much and he really did not talk much about himself. It was pitiful because you could not say anything about the personality he was born with. Nobody wanted him to push himself like that. I looked toward the balcony. After confirming therge ss door and the table, I realized that this was the ce I had left his birthday present. David''s exnation continued. Furthermore, he has been working on a month''s worth of work at once since August. Although I''ve mentioned multiple times that he needed to get some rest He did not listen. It was probably so that he could create some time to spend with his friends. I turned my head in shock. I felt as if my eyes would burst out. Christelle seemed shocked as well as she gasped. What is he talking about? Are you saying that his Royal Highness has been pushing himself too hard since the Crown Prince session confirmation ceremony? "That is correct, your highness. "Do Her Majesty and Her Eminence know about this? It is probably correct to think that they are holding themselves back. They should have already received a report that you have arrived in Romero, your highness The attendant quietly answered. We tilted our heads in confusion because we did not understand. His Royal Highness has been extremely stubborn since he was younger. He was the type who stood up on his own after falling down while running, the type who pushed away other peoples hands unless he asked for it himself. As a result, the Empress Pce Has developed a pattern where they brush things aside up to two times. "Are you saying that even if it seems like he is struggling, they will hold back up to two times and step in on the third? Yes sir. It is true that no parent can win against their children. David gave Christelle a sigh-mixed response. If the child doesnt want it, especially if the child is someone with the crown princes temperament, it would have been hard to ovee his resistance. In the end, the adults had to take a few steps back, leaving him alone the first two times to be able to help him on the third. I took a deep breath and wiped my face with my hands. The little Imperial Prince really was an idiot. What is bad about a kid acting like a kid? It is their right and their duty. Basically, it was to be expected. I''ming in, your Royal Highness. Imented. David asked me to please take good care of him. Click, the door opened. * Christelle and I stood there for a bit, at a loss for words. The crown princes vast bedroom was as dark as twilight despite it being the middle of the day. I might have tripped over my feet if it werent for the candles burning in different ces around the room. I noticed the ck marble floor, ck wallpaper, and the ink-colored canopy one after the other. There were some things decorated in gold every so often and the furniture was extremely splendid but it seemed as if they tried their best to remove all the color from this room. We quieted our footsteps and headed toward the bed. We naturally slowed down and warily looked at each other. By the time we pulled open the drapes of the bed, the only sound was the sound of the cloth moving. We saw a familiar little kid with a wet cloth over his forehead. ck hair and white cheeks He''s sleeping. Christelle whispered to me. The only things on the side table were an elegant water bottle and a ss cup. There was only one chair as well. I offered Christelle the seat that David would have been sitting in until a few moments ago and awkwardly put my leg on the bed. But I could not put much of my weight on it because I was worried that the kid would wake up. Shaaaaaaa I then slowly released a small Holy Domain, carefully dimming its brightness. I imagined a stream of water as thin as a thread flowing toward the kid. The area around the bed became dyed in an awkward shade of gold. The little boy''s nose twitched. After that Ugh. I curled forward. I got dizzy after a significant amount of ether got sucked out of me in a moment. A shocked Christelle quickly grabbed me by the arm. We looked at the little kidsplexion at the same time. His eyes were still closed. The boy groaned quietly before his breathing settled down and he looked rxed. I couldnt help but scoff in disbelief. He snatched the ether out of me like a baby snatching a rattle out of someones hand. It must have been an instinctual reaction as he was calm now. I slowly sat up. My thoughts and words flowed out at the same time. Maybe I feel like this might be rted to his highness, Prince Consort Alexandre. The MC silently looked at me. I cautiously added on. This is just my hypothesis but I think that His Royal Highness received a significant scar in his heart after losing his father at a young age. I then stopped talking. I was not him or his family. There was nothing else I could say to Christelle about his situation. The dark room in the basement of Romero Pce and the story that Cardinal Boutier told me echoed in my ears. It has been twelve years since we used this ce. That was the day before the crown prince''s birthday, so, considering that he is now twenty-four, that secret room had not been used since he was twelve. A healthy and young Prince Consort Alexandre had left this world after an unexpected incident. His death had also happened when the crown prince was twelve. There were too many things that made it difficult to just call it a coincidence. Finally, I thought of the ck-haired archmage I met inside the Ark. Of course, it was not himself, but Nikky seemed to know some things about the Prince Consort. For his son, he I vividly recalled that handsome face, smiling with sorrow. After that, the situation turned dire and I could not hear the exnation until the end. However, the shortment he left was enough to form a certain scenario in my mind. Alexandre Riester might have offered up his life to heal his son. That is probably why he became afraid of his powers. I whispered after a long moment of silence. It was extremely possible that this was not the truth. The crown prince could just be struggling with his condition because of fatigue and a sense of burden and not have this emotional scar that he has been carrying with him for so long. It would be great if that was the case. Its okay. It is a power that can save a lot of people. Big bro will help you. I ced my hand on the little kid''s neck and whispered to him. He still had a bit of fever but it should go down soon if we continued like this. The cold sweats had stopped. "The divine beasts really like your me. Tith is a water attribute divine beast so he might avoid you, but My tongue got tied up. This was not what I was trying to say. Instead of how an elder of the Imperial family might have consoled him in the past, I wanted to say something that friends could say to each other. But for some reason, my mind was not working very well. I felt a bit sleepy as well. I raised my head, feeling it get heavier and turned to look at Christelle, who was observing me with a shocked look on her face. Is it difficult, Your highness? No, I think it is because the nket is so soft. I dont usually nap My eyes were getting blurry. Ping! I suddenly felt dizzy. I clenched my eyes shut and opened them back to hear the nket rustling by my head. Your highness! Christelle''s shouting felt distant. I couldnt even think about resisting and fell asleep. * You said you wouldnt do something like this, your Royal Highness. Christelle red at the young Crown Prince as she spoke. Now that the holy domain was gone, the only thing lighting up the bed was a golden candlestick. She had kicked the chair away and wrapped one arm around the princes back while ring at the crown prince with an extremely defensive stance. The young boy scowled after seeing the golden hair on the nket. Although he lost consciousness as if he had fallen asleep, it didn''t change the fact that his priest had fainted. He must have absorbed too much ether in his sleep. Golden particles were quickly shooting up from his small body. Why are the two of you here? David-nim called us, your Royal Highness. His highness is your partner after all. I am his highness''s partner as well. It was a clear-cut response. She disrespectfully scowled at the crown prince before lowering her head to check on the princes condition. Thankfully, he didn''t show any abnormal symptoms. Christelle grumbled. His highness is a person and not a bag of ether. You can''t stick your straw in him like this, your Royal Highness. "As a fellow Holy Knight, I understand. I know that you keep wanting to take more and that it is difficult to stop. However, now that you are equal partners, you should try to control yourself She started to look up and stopped talking. Her blue eyes opened wide. "Are you perhaps growing right now, your Royal Highness? The young boy was still a young boy but he was not as small as he was earlier. Cdric seemed to be about thirteen or fourteen now. The orbs of ether rose from his body like soap bubbles. Christelle''s mouth opened and closed from shock and astonishment. The crown prince instantly put an unpleasant expression on his face. Is there a show or something? "Excuse me? No? She immediately responded. The young boy''s voice was changing as well. The orange eyes scowled as if he was angry. His gaze then moved to the prince. I did not wish for that. His tone was between a young boy and a teenager. Christelle clearly understood the meaning behind his words. The crown prince never wanted this fire power nor a body that shrinks on its own. He just did not dare to go against it because everything was the Will of the Almighty God. She calmly responded back. I am aware of that, your Royal Highness. I am the same. I never wanted something like this water attribute ether. I also never wanted to wake up without my memories in a ce like this. But I guess thats life. Things dont go as you want and get weirdlyplicated. Her voice was shaking a bit. However, she did not stop. Have you been leaving like that thest few days because you were scared of that, your Royal Highness? You were scared of properly epting your power? Stop. Then you got scared that you might burn up his highness, Crackle! The drapes caught on fire. The little boy was now a fully grown young man. Therge gown was tight on his body now. Ssh! Siiiiiiizzle Christelle shot the water from the side table to the drapes. The mes oddly sizzled before disappearing. The prince''s body moved after smelling the burning drapes. The Holy Knight energetically walked over the window. Even right now, you have made up your mind to burn things up. Shut. It is okay to be scared, your Royal Highness. I''m certain that the Prince would say those exact words to you. He would tell you that nobody sees it as bad or something to be ashamed of and that it is okay for you to ept it. "Your mouth. Was it really just being scared, your Royal Highness? I would think there were times where that was not the case since the Prince came. Chhhh! Screeeech, clunk, ck! Christelle opened the curtains and the window with quick movements. A cool and clean fall breeze instantly filled her lungs. Bright sunlight started shining into the bedroom. She looked directly at the two men on the bed. Your Royal Highness, if you start a fire, I will do everything I can to put it out, so please don''t worry. There is no chance whatsoever of his highness getting hurt. Her Majesty, Her Eminence, and all of our friends as well. Her pink hair, which was tied in a high ponytail, was fluttering. Her water-colored eyes were clearly sparkling. She walked over at some point and extended her right fist toward the crown prince. I promise you as the partner of your partner. So please firm your resolve. Cdric silently looked at her hand. A few minutester, his left fist slowly touched hers. Trantor''s Comments Aww look at the MCs being all cute. Chapter 156: Scheme (1) Chapter 156: Scheme (1) My film cut off like that in Romero Pce. As for Eva, she apparently returned to the nquer residence in the Imperial Capital after being stood up by me. How can I make it up to her? Sleepyhead. Youre a sleepyhead, your highness. Yes, Eva. I''m sorry. The young Duchess grumbled and I apologized once again. We were wearing the formal attire of a Bishop and an Archbishop as we walked the grassy area in front of the Imperial Temple. All I remember is how I was giving Sadie some ether before I got really tired and fell asleep. I had no idea what happened after that. I was in Juliette Pce when I woke up and the sun was setting. Christelle headed home to the Sarnez residence after checking that I woke up. She did tell me something before she left. His Royal Highness is doing fine, your highness. Please rest well without worrying about him. His esteemed self will personally exin. Based on what I heard, the attendant, Pierre, carried me up to the bedroom. I knew he was a diligent guy but he was also a strong dude. I bought him some beef because I was thankful and apologetic. Two days have passed since then; today was the day of Crown Prince Cdric and Christelle''s Holy Knight appointment. Thankfully, Benjamin-nim gave us your measurements, your highness. He said that you recently got measured for an Archbishops formal attire. We were able to ce your disguise order safely. The essories and the outfit will all arrive at the Lords Castle by the twenty-ninth. Eva added on. I peeked toward Benjamin and Ganael, who were following behind us. The two of them smiled and shrugged their shoulders. They seemed to have worked hard to handle the young Duchesss anger while I was sleeping. I should treat them to a feast too. The disguise will be a precious one, hand-made down to every detail by an expert in the Duchy. But why did you suddenly go to sleep, your highness? Was the dance lesson with me too intense for you? The child sassed at me. I danced with Eva every time I got the chance since we returned from Srnit, but it was not that hard. Both my original self and Prince Jesse''s body have decent strength and stamina. After testing out a waltz with Eva, I was told that I had a talent for dancing. My physical strength was zero, but I seemed to have been trained in essential cultural things such as horseback riding and dancing. Although I wascking in many wayspared to the male lead, the second male lead was still the second male lead. The practice was not intense. You were very nice as you taught me, Eva. I have been busytely so I must have been tired without knowing it. The nket at Romero Pce was so soft. I answered. Eva was nodding her head with satisfaction before she suddenly stopped walking. The young Duchesss eyes opened wide as she looked up at me. Are you saying that you entered his Royal Highness''s bedroom? "That is correct. Eva whispered and I whispered back. The temple knights guarding us peeked at us. I finally realized that I said something wrong. Although I was his priest partner, the fact that I was the diplomatic hostage of a hostile foreign nation would make it not favorable for me to go into the Imperial Crown Prince''s most private location. Eva would trust me, but it would not be good for such information to spread. Please don''t worry. I was not by myself. Dame Sarnez was with me and David was waiting outside. Oh my! The young Duchess''s face turned as red as strawberry jam. I became anxious and looked back at my confidants. Ganael moved his hand around his neck to tell me to stop. Benjamin was calmly standing there with his eyes closed. It was at that moment. It would be best for you to know where to draw the line. I had never heard this voice before. I quickly turned my head to see an unfamiliar man. We had arrived at our destination, the main entrance to the temple, before I realized it. The attendants and knights escorting Cardinal Boutier bowed toward me. However, the person who spoke to me just flicked his chin. Wait, I think I''ve seen him before? "Captain Bacary, please show proper respect. His grace is the First Prince of the Holy Kingdom, a Marquis of the Empire, and a revered Archbishop. "I''m sure that someone who specializes in prophecies knows all of that, of course. You will need to apologize for your disrespectfulment as well. Benjamin and Ganael sharply responded first. Eva red at the person before taking a fancy fan out of her sleeve. Chhh! She opened it up. She then loudly talked to herself, saying things like how detestable, and he doesnt know his ce. There was an odd moment of silence with the person not saying anything. I understood why everybody was upset but I was more curious than ufortable. I looked at him with an observing gaze for a long time before he finally slowly showed his respect. A Captain who specializes in prophecies. My name is Modeste of the Fleur-de-lis. I greet the Moon of the Holy Kingdom. My guess was correct. I silently bowed back and smiled. This man was the youngest leader of the Fleur-de-lis, the Empress''s personal mage advisory team. His young face hadrge round sses, making him look different from when I saw him at the crown prince''s session confirmation ceremony. His silver eyes seemed quite stubborn. The dark blue silk robe, which had the twelve pces of the Imperial Capital embroidered in silver, looked as if a spoonful of the night sky had been ced on the robe. Oh, he''s shorter than I thought. I will not apologize for the warning I gave, your highness. I simply did what I had to do as someone who receives revtions. I understand. I have heard about the role of the Fleur-de-lis. I calmly responded to the young voice. "I will trust the eighty percent uracy rate that you are so proud of and pay attention even to the twenty percent exception. Would that be good enough? I then smiled, making the young seers face turn stiff. I lightly greeted him with my eyes and turned to the side. The knights who were nkly looking at us rushed to open the door. Boom! The heavy temple door opened up. I escorted Eva and slowly entered. Ganael whispered from behind me about how he felt as if he had just drunk a hundred cups of cidre. I barely managed to hold myself back fromughing. The captain was someone who red at me quite a bit during the crown princes session confirmation ceremony, so it felt as if it would be okay for me to stand up to him at least once. * The inside of the temple where the MCs would receive their appointment was full of high-ranking religious figures and Pair de Riester from all over the Empire. The Spring Ball had been packed with guests as well, but the whole air was different today. The choir, full of young deacons, sang hymns in an extremely oldnguage. My heart was quickly bing reverent. Strictly speaking, I''m not even a believer. Right this way, your grace. Yes, Natalie. It was awkward because people did not usually call me your grace. Benjamin and Ganael sat down on one side of the seats for the believers while Eva headed toward the seats for the priests. I followed Natalie toward the Cardinal. The tform next to the Confessional was decorated with a purple carpet and a golden altar with three holy grails made of pure gold sparkled on the highest spots. All of the golden candlesticks in the temple were lit. The bishops I saw at the Annual Prayer Meeting were peeking at me and endlessly whispering to one another. Yes, I somehow ended up stuck to the main characters. Comin to the author if you don''t like it. Wee, my beloved disciple. Cardinal Boutier greeted me from the Holy See. She was wearing a sumptuous formal attire and had a Cardinal''s Holy Staff in her right hand. I respectfully bowed to her and my instructor warmly smiled, blessing me with her left hand. Now that I think about it, you don''t have a bishop''s staff, my little Prince. You only brought a few things with you from the Holy Kingdom. Ah, yes your Eminence. I awkwardly responded. Only the author knew whether Prince Jesse had one and left it back home or if he was a bishop who never had something like that in the first ce. There was a throne on a higher tform behind my instructor. I shyly greeted the person sitting there as well. We greet the sun that has descended to the ground. Come closer. Empress Frdrique flicked her index finger. Next to her was Sir Johann, the Sword of the Empress and the Crown Prince''s instructor, standing with a cold look on his face. He smiled as soon as he made eye contact with me. His aura changed instantly. Your Majesty, your loyal subject has responded to your summons. How is the holy stones testing going? That Dang- dang- dang A clear ringing of a bell interrupted our conversation. The rowdy room became quiet as if cold water had been poured over everyone. Then there was a boom and the door opened, revealing the magnificent silhouettes of a man and a woman. I gasped in reflex. How dramatic. My apologies, your Majesty. The Empress chuckled after seeing me immediately be apologetic. Christelle and the Crown Prince started walking toward the altar at the same speed. Unlike priests, Holy Knights did not have set uniforms, so the two of them were dressed in their usual attires. However, nervousness and determination were clearly visible in their eyes. The believers nked out while looking at the novels official couple. It made me feel so proud. Click, click, click. The two of them stopped in front of the Cardinal before kneeling down on the cushions in front of them. The two of them apparently followed Sir Johann''s instructions yesterday to go through a cleansing ritual, do some sort of prayer and get some pre-training. Seeing the two of them going through this ritual next to each other made it feel like a wedding rehearsal, making my heart beat faster. Marquis Duhem will probably be in charge of officiating, but I could at least help receive the wedding gifts. At that moment, Christelle peeked up and instantly found me. She winked with each eye before quickly looking down again. I couldnt help but sigh. [I pray to the great Almighty God of the continent.] Paaaat! The start of the ceremony was the same as the Annual Prayer Meeting. The Cardinal recited something in a prayer book and released her Holy Domain, making all the believers bow their heads. I was about to close my eyes as well when the Empress started whispering again. Didnt you say that the power of a priest is helpful for stabilizing the holy stones? Yes, your Majesty. That was what I discovered. Yesterday, we started opening my Holy Domain toward the divine beasts to test things out. I responded. She scowled. That makes no sense. Don''t priests have two ways they give ether? "That is correct, your Majesty. I nodded my head. The Cardinal was givingmunion to the main characters up front. There was a priest who had a holy text that was as thick as an old phonebook open next to the Cardinal. [Let us defend the Almighty God with our lives, choosing eternity in between life and death, allowing us to breathe even where the Almighty God is not present] Why are you not testing it with physical contact? It is because Holy Domains are much safer for the priest. It creates an environment where it is easy to control the ether. However, we do n on attempting contact in the future as well, your Majesty. I exined in detail. The Empress started squinting. Then take a Holy Knight and try it all. I will pretend not to see whether you are holding hands or hugging in the Imperial Pce. Excuse me? My voice squeaked. Some of the bishops assisting the Cardinal peeked toward us. I covered my red face with my sleeve and looked at the Empress. She mischievously smirked. I was teased again, damn it. You remind me of my husband when he was younger. Could you please repeat that, your Majesty? Queen Christanne secretly sent a letter. The Empress instantly fixed her facial expression and changed the topic. I felt suffocated as I looked at her. I looked around to see if anybody heard that but thankfully, everybody inside the temple was focused on the appointment ceremony. I finally realized why she called out to me during this ceremony. This was the Empresss main point. It was hard for me to say anything. The content May I ask what she wrote, your Majesty? One was for me and the other one was for you. I did not read that one. I have a child of my own so I understand. I do not n on toying with the heart of a mother who has sent her son to a foreign nation. She mumbled. I felt my palm get sweaty and waited for what she would say next. My tongue was getting dry and I was feeling anxious. Maybe? Probably not. "She did not request a renegotiation. She asked about how the Imperial family and I were doing and thanked me for giving you a title. That was it. I feltpletely relieved as soon as I heard that. I took a deep breath and did my best to control the expression on my face. The Empress scoffed in disbelief after looking at me. You really dont want to go back, do you? To be honest, your Majesty, I do not. But I do wish to see the Crown Princess and the second princess. She clicked her tongue. She then moved her finger to beckon me closer. I moved even closer to the Empress. Look for the Chief of Staff separately once the ceremony is over. She will hand you the letter. Thank you very much. Will you be writing a response? Her cherry-colored eyes were looking right at me. My lips stuck together as if a spell had been cast. I could not answer it easily as I had not expected this question at all. I will send a message to your mother if you would like. This was extremely benevolent of her. My mind started spinning. However, I did not have to think long about it. I politely looked down and said the best answer that a person who suddenly transmigrated into the body of a diplomatic hostage of a hostile foreign nation could give. I truly thank you for your extreme benevolence which is as deep as the ocean. However, I am satisfied enough with being allowed to possess a precious letter from my mother. I will not ask for anything more, your Majesty. Trantor''s Comments The Empress clearly has a n. Chapter 157: Scheme (2) Chapter 157: Scheme (2) Empress Frdrique squinted. Tsk. Then she made a sound that was either out of pity or of discontent. I quietly stood next to her and waited for a response. Sending a reply to Queen Christanne was something that could not happen. I was not the real Prince Jesse. I had to worry and contemte a lot before meeting Elise so writing a letter to his biological mother was quite the trouble. The difference in our handwriting would be clear as well as our tone and writing style. [Do you swear to give your life to protect the Almighty God?] [I swear.] [Do you swear to only follow the will of the Almighty God as you move about the world?] [I swear.] I could hear Cardinal Boutier''s easygoing voice in the front. Christelle and Crown prince Cdric were repeating the Vow of the Holy Knights in unison. A magnificent silver and white ether was overflowing in front of both of their hearts. I was watching them with satisfaction before turning to look at the Empress. Secondly, I did not want to do anything that would make her doubt me. Of course, I was one of her people after receiving the title of Marquis as well as her son''s friend and partner. However, I was fundamentally a foreigner. I had no desire to give the Empress, who already had to be wary of everybody, an extra thing to worry about. It would be a lie to say that she would not think about what I would send to the leader of a hostile nation. "Very well. Do as you wish. "Thank you very much, your Majesty. I quickly responded. She tapped on the armrest before suddenly changing topics. What you did in your territory. Yes, your Majesty. There were more than a few things I did in Srnit, but if it was something the Empress could openly discuss, it was most definitely the incident with the Haas siblings. I anxiously looked at her. It was quite entertaining. Good job. I was temporarily at a loss for words. I was shocked because I never expected to be praised. The Empress smiled and seemed to be looking into my soul. I heard a long time ago that the merchant guild leader was some half-baked clown. However, I am the Empress. She did not finish the sentence. However, the meaning was clear. As someone who needed to consider all sorts of important matters of the Empire, personally investigating and judging a young merchant guild leader of a free city was unreasonable. She probably didn''t have the time to do it either since there were probably a lot of more important public matters. So, the fact that we revealed Emille''s wrongdoings and handed him over to the troops It seemed to be at least removing a splinter from underneath her fingernail. Probably. Thank you very much, your Majesty. I barely managed to respond. It iste but I also wanted to thank you for fixing the Confessional. It feels wonderful whenever I go in because it looks brand new. I thanked her for that as well because I happened to see the Confessional next to the tform. The Empress tilted her head. Thats good. Although that was not something I ordered. Excuse me? I am the Empress. I do not have time to pay attention to fixing the temple. That is true. My mind was chaotic because I heard a simr story when I thanked my teacherst month. Then did the Imperial Carpenters voluntarily make the time to fix it? I fell deep into thought as I looked toward the Cardinal and the two Holy Knights. The Holy Knight appointment was already heading toward the end. The Cardinal ced her hand on the Imperial Crown Princes head and blessed him. He had his eyes closed. [From this point forward, the Almighty God will ratify your authority as an Archbishop for all eternity.] "Ahh! Archbishop! The crowd let out a gasp that was close to a cheer of delight. I had expected this to happen but expecting it and the Vatican actually epting him as one waspletely different. The first Holy Knight of the Empire taking his first step as an Archbishop was the happiest of asions. Some of the believers were crying and pping. I could see Eva tapping her feet in the priests seats. I was turning around when I made eye contact with the crown prince. Itll be fine. I silently mouthed. What he was worried about should not happen since Christelle and I would help him. I had no idea whether he understood me or not but his orange-colored eyes seemed much calmer than a few days ago. Thats a relief. [Your authority as an Archbishop] Wooooooooooow! Long live the Riester! The room was extremely festive as the same blessing was given to Christelle''s head. The moment the MC smiled brightly and motioned toward the ceiling Bang! A spray of water exploded like fireworks. The believers cheered. The solemnly seated Bishops found this to be marvelous and entertaining. It was also amazing that the candles lighting up the area were not touched at all. Now please stand I heard a bishop whispering through the noise. The two main characters got up from the cushion and stood on either side of the Cardinal. Holy music started filling all the way to the temple ceiling as well. The choir started singing hymns once again. - Following the Cardinal''s lead, the two young and beautiful Archbishops slowly started walking toward the door. Believers bowed and prayed toward them as they passed. Priests holding arge symbol of the Church of the Almighty God and a tulip followed behind them. I smiled brightly and pped. Although they did not be the sword master and youngdy couple like the original novel, a Holy Knight couple that did not let water nor fire stop them was quite nice to watch as well. * Arge number of holy stones are being mined in Aightz Vige, your Majesty. ording to the report from the Imperial knights, it should be at the level of a decent mine. How surprising. It was a report from Captain Herv Duhem. Frdrique innocently gasped in admiration. She and Aurlie had returned to her office in the Empress Pce as soon as the Holy Knight appointment ceremony had ended. The Empires state of affairs had been busily moving these days for positive reasons. Although there had been two assassination attempts toward Prince Jesse, the rest of the events could be called miraculous. First, the crown prince earned the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star, which lessened the danger of his body shrinking and allowed him toplete his session confirmation ceremony, and Christelle de Sarnez also awakened as a Holy Knight. Furthermore, they were both appointed as Archbishops, just one level below that of a Cardinal. A Cardinal-Grade Holy Knight originally from the Holy Kingdom also moved to the Empire. Five divine beasts, who are called the messengers of the Almighty God, also reside in the Imperial Pce. One of them is a divine item but either way, it was notcking in inspiring faith and loyalty among the citizens. Furthermore, holy stones, which have been considered weapons for only the Holy Kingdom until now, started being produced in the Empire as well. Frdrique exchanged profound gazes with her contractor. She had expected enough for around ten carts and thought that the process of mining the holy stones would bring life to the vige. However, the amount to be mined in this small territory that belongs to the Imperial family was apparently the size of a mine usually only found in the southern parts of the Empire. That waspletely unexpected news. What you said was correct, Aurlie. That punk seems to have received the Almighty Gods love. I''m always right. The Cardinal smoothly responded to the Empress before savoring her coffee. She was still in her formal attire just without her mitre. Frdrique chuckled and turned back toward Johann, who was standing next to her as her guard. Your hypothesis was correct too. It was just that your wise judgment was correct, your Majesty. The Holy Knight candidly responded. After seeing that the sun halo weed and holy stones were found together, Johann Geens hypothesized that the nt and the ore mighte from the same ce. It was possible since things that were really rare suddenly showed up at once. The Empress gave the order to thoroughly search the mountain to find the sun halo weed colony and, as hypothesized, the holy stones were found in the ground beneath the medicinal herb. If that is the case, it seems highly likely that there are holy stones under the sun halo weed habitat by the border. Yeah. It looks like Ill need to send a message to the Duke''s House of nquer. The nquer Duchy is the nearest territory. Now that I think about it, the reason that personalmunication with the House of nquer resumed is thanks to that punk as well. I have no reason to send him back to the Holy Kingdom. The Empressmented in a mischievous voice. Aurlie felt that her contractor was truly happy and smiled. A man who had been silent the whole time started talking at that moment. Your Majesty, Your Eminence. Please excuse me but I must strongly rmend that you stay far away from Prince Jesse Viaan. The room instantly turned cold. Everybody focused on the young face of the speaker. Herv felt it bing ufortable and the muscles in his face twitched. The Empress dryly responded. I''ll keep that in mind. I know I am stepping out of line but this is not something that can just stop at keeping it in mind, your Majesty. I can say with certainty that he is a dangerous individual. Captain Modeste Bacary. Herv Duhem ended up stepping in. He had watched the Empress for a long time as her trusted Captain of the Imperial Guard and was pretty certain that there would be future trouble if he did not calm this situation right now. The Captain of the Imperial Guard smiled elegantly toward the seer. It was something he had learned from his brother. Her Majesty highly values what the Prince has done until now for Riester and for his Royal Highness. Thank you for your noble counsel but I do not think that this is the right time for that. I had to inform her Majesty as quickly as possible. Modeste''s silver eyes sparkled sharply under his sses. He had his fists clenched as well. The Empress''s voice was finally calm. What is the proof that the Prince is dangerous? Did you get a revtion? No, your Majesty. I have stronger proof than that. Speak. I did not feel anything from the Prince, your Majesty. A scary silence filled the room. The person who broke the silence was not the Empress but her shadow. I am curious as to what you mean by that. I would like to hear an exnation. The mint-colored eyes curled up like new moons. A breeze started swirling around Johann. The seer did not lower his head even at the Holy Knight''s gentle threat. It is exactly as I mentioned. I have been receiving unexpected revtions since I was three years old. How the coachman of the passing carriage would die or how the horse might end up these things were visible in front of my eyes. I would hear voices when I wasnt seeing things and even received prophecies through my dreams. The inside of my mind has never been quiet. I am somewhat informed about your specialty. So what? However, around the Prince ispletely silent. I do not see or hear anything and there is nothing. I cannot predict anything about his highness at all. He seemed a bit scared. The seer looked even younger now. Swoooosh. The autumn breeze bleakly roared outside the window. Herv could not tell whether that was because of the weather or because of the Holy Knight''s threat. That means that what his highness is thinking or what he will do in the future in the Empire are all things that nobody knows. Furthermore, people standing by the Prince seem to be affected as well. Earlier during the ceremony Modeste clenched his teeth. He seemed ashamed at his uselessness as his cheeks turned red as well. Your surroundings were silent as well, your Majesty, while you were standing by his highness. This is the first time something like that has happened in my life. How surprising. The Cardinal imitated the Empress. Nobody said a thing in the room after that. Frdrique finally started speaking as thest bit of breeze disappeared into Johann''s white hair. "That must be why you put on those sses. Is it a magic tool to help with your magical aura? Yes, your Majesty. I guess it was useless. Shemented, almost as if she was mocking him. Aurlie stepped on the Empress''s boot to tell her to control herself. Frdrique frowned. I understand your concern. It seems I must pay attention as the sovereign of this Empire. I''m sure nothing good wille from ignoring the warning of the Fleur-de-lis. However The corners of her lips gently curled up. "For Frdrique Riester the person, that is a warning I quite like. Curiosity was visible in her cherry-colored eyes. Modeste nkly dropped his jaw in shock while Aurlie held back a sigh. The Yves that she knew had been a troublemaker who loved to take unexpected actions since her days as the Imperial Princess. She did be calmer since bing the Empress, but it was impossible to change her natural tendencies. She was certain that the Empress was delighted that the fact that the person whose next steps could not be seen would make her the same if she was by his side. This would not be good. Thanks for your wise advice, Bacary. You may leave. The Empress''s soulmate could only smile bitterly while sending out the seer. * My ears are itchy Oh my. Someone must have said something bad about you, Your highness. Christelle joked as I scratched my ear. I then looked around with a ghastly gaze. The attendants got scared and cowered. The crown prince, who seemed unfamiliar to this superstition of an itchy ear, scowled. Is there someone who still dares to insult you? Of course not, your Royal Highness. I quickly answered. Who would dare to insult me when I was walking down the hallway of the Empress Pce while surrounded by two Holy Knights, who were basically national treasures? Even my brother and Eunseo would not be able to do so if they were here. Anyway, there was no need for the two of you toe with me Thank you very much. I did my best to smile as I added on. After safelypleting the ceremony, we were headed to see the Chief of Staff to receive the letter from the Queen. I was nning on going alone, but how did things end up like, Holy Almighty God! Someone shouted out loud and popped out from a side path. I gasped and froze in a mute state! Trantor''s Comments ?! Chapter 158: Scheme (3) Chapter 158: Scheme (3) My goodness, Marquis Duhem-nim? A shocked Christelle raised her voice. I calmed my wildly beating heart and almost creaked as I turned to look at him. Ganael, who had been quietly following behind me, rubbed my back for me. It had been a while since we had seen Franois Duhem. He looked quite anxious to see us, which was not amon reaction for him. However, he was quick about the recovery as well. I heard that love and sneezes are unavoidable; you three esteemed individuals must be my dearly beloved! The handsome man''s light pink eyes curled up as he bowed. His opera-actor-like attitude was still the same. Your Royal Highness, Dame Sarnez. My deepest congrattions for sessfully bing Archbishops. You are the glory of our Empire and this is truly a happy asion. He used elegant movements to kiss the back of Christelle''s hand. I finally came back to my senses just as the Marquis grabbed my hand and was about to lift it up and pulled my arm away. His actions had always been quite dramatic, but he seemed a bit rushed today. It felt like he was charging in really fast. I smiled awkwardly and observed the Marquis. Hello, Marquis Duhem. You seem busy. Is something the matter? Not at all, your highness. There are absolutely no suspicious incidents whatsoever! Please keep it a secret from my younger sisters that I was here today. The reason he specified his sisters was probably because he already met his younger brother, Captain Duhem, at the appointment ceremony. Youngdy Antote and the other siblings did not seem toe up to the Imperial Capital with him. Christelle and I nodded with baffled looks on our faces and he smiled elegantly before bowing again. He seemed to be the one to step away for once. It was at that moment. Plop! Marquis Duhem, you dropped this. A sparkling card fell from the mans pocket. The Marquis seemed explicitly anxious as I picked it up and handed it to him. What is up with him today? "Thank you very much, your highness. He seemed to swipe the card out of my hand. Christelle scowled. Youre not feeling ill, are you, Marquis Duhem? Of course not, madam. Will you being to the House of nquers masquerade? Oh. Emotions disappeared from his face for a moment. He quickly started smiling again but a stoic Marquis looked quite cold unlike his usual self. Unfortunately I do not think I will be able to be by the three of your sides that day. He then slowly winked. He then showed his respects properly without any ws before quickly disappearing beyond the hallway. We watched him leave in silence for a bit. Benjamin observed that the Marquis did note from the direction of her Majestys office. This is really suspicious. He is plotting something. It really did seem that way, didnt it? The crown prince mumbled and Christelle immediately agreed. However, they had no justification to dig into it when the person imed nothing was going on. It was disappointing that we will not see him at the masquerade but his daily life itself was simr to a masquerade. We shrugged our shoulders and headed toward the office where the Chief of Staff was waiting for us. I was imagining a secret little rendezvous, but that image was long gone because of therge number of people with me. At least it was nice that people didnt stare at us for a long time as we walked by because the crown prince was with us. Knock knock. We arrived at the door and Ganael knocked. However, the reaction was oddly slow. Forget the door opening, we couldn''t even hear any footsteps inside. The young boy tilted his head and as he raised his hand again m! Holy Almighty God. We saw a familiar mans face and a repeat of the gasp from earlier. Our eyes opened wide at the unexpected individual who appeared through the door. He seemed anxious after seeing us as well as he could not speak for a moment. Christelle was the one to break the silence. Father? Christelle. I greet our esteemed Royal Highness and Prince Jesse as well. Duke Simon de Sarnez politely lowered his head. I was well aware that there were many Pair de Riester who frequented the Empress Pce, but this was the first time I met two familiar faces back to back. I was wondering what was the cause before it seemed obvious that therge event, the Holy Knight Appointment, was the reason. Father, I heard that you were returning to the Duchy first so I didnt expect to see you he Christelle suddenly stopped talking. It could not be helped. Inside the Chief of Staff''s office, an attendant who looked like a secretary was urgently fixing her clothes as she bowed toward us. Her flushed cheeks and the awkward look on her face made it pretty easy to imagine what was going on just now. Benjamin and Ganael let out some fake coughs and turned their heads. My neck started feeling hot as well. We, no, I, forgot what I was going to say and just opened and closed my mouth without saying anything. Mm. This This is not right. The father of the main character of a Romfan cheating with an attendant of the Imperial Pce Actually, nobody should be doing this. This is extremely wrong. I didn''t see him as the type? I was so shocked that my mind didnt quickly organize my thoughts. I immediately turned to look at Christelle. Her eyes were endlessly sinking into the darkness. What is this? Christelle. Please stop calling my name and exin. No. What is the point of listening to your exnation? Please leave. It is not what you are thinking. Its fine. Please dont do this here and leave. She took a step to the side. It was a silent threat for him to get the hell out. The windows started shaking as if they could break at any moment. The candles lighting up the area sizzled and turned off. Christelles te was fluctuating unstably and causing all of this. I gently grabbed her elbow and sent some ether flowing into her body. The crown prince did not want to watch this any longer and opened his mouth. Duke. Go ahead and leave if your business ispleted. Yes, your Royal Highness. The Duke properly showed his respects and walked away. Christelle red at her father''s back with scorn as if she saw something extremely stupid. I was worried about her and Lady Isabelle that I could not control the expression on my face. Only the crown prince was calmly observing the problematic attendant. She had her head down while politely pointing to the side. The room inside the office, where Chief of Staff Laura should be, was waiting for us. * It''s quiterge. Yes, your highness. It is such an eye-catching thing that we could not easily send it out of the Empress Pce. We are embarrassed that we asked you to walk so far. Chief of Staff Laura lowered her head and apologized. I waved my hand saying that it was okay. I had wondered why they had not sent Queen Christanne''s letter to Juliette Pce, but it was because of its size and details. The letter she wrote to her son was not stealthy at all. The purple satin scroll embroidered in golden threads was as long as my body when I opened itpletely. There were also colorful jewels and tassels decorating the scroll. Isn''t there no point to sending something like this in secret? Please go ahead and read it, your highness. Christelle warmlymented from the couch opposite from me. I was concerned because she seemed to be pretending to be okay and I wanted to tell her that it is okay to go to see Isabelle. However, she probably made her own decision to stay here so I decided not to bring it up first. I peeked toward the crown prince who was seated at the head of the table and looked at the scroll. Mm I then carefully read through it. Honestly speaking, I was a bit scared. She apparently didn''t say much to the Empress, so would she have said much to me? What does it say, your highness? "It seems Normal. I frowned as I said that. It really was, and it was not what I had expected. She is apparently happy to hear that I am eating very well. She also says that Cornelisse is doing well. She supposedly grew quite a bit taller in the past half year. I had never met the little second princess but hearing something like this made me smile. Of course, there were some disappointing things as well. Things like how she''ll suddenly wake up and pace the bedroom because the thought of my being a diplomatic hostage in a hostile Empire pains her and about how she is praying to the Almighty God daily for my fathers rest and for my peace The majority of it was a typical letter written by a parent asking about how their child was doing and sharing some information. I read it backwards and tried to take the first word out of every line but there did not seem to be any hidden messages. There were no scary things written in there about how she was trying her hardest to get me out or that she knew I was not her son and for me to take off my mask and reveal my identity. I thankfully did not seem to make any mistakes in front of Elise. I sighed in relief and raised my head. I immediately made eye contact with those orange eyes. Are you done reading? Yes, your Royal Highness. The crown prince tilted his head. He pulled off his glove with an extremely ufortable gaze. Then lets burn it. What? Thats why he cant go home! Christelle said something that I was not sure whether she was talking to herself or angrily scolding him. Benjamin sighed and started organizing the Queen''s letter. * Why, why did it have to be our family The mans voice was shaking. He did not even remember how he returned to his residence in the Imperial Capital. He closed all the curtains in his study to make sure nobody could see him, confirmed twice that the door was firmly locked, and then struggled to light a candle in the darkness. He then pulled out the card he had received with difficulty from the attendant in the Empress Pce. It was a card that was smuggled in with the letters from Queen Viaan. He did not dare to open it in the carriage or even in the garden of his residence knowing who had sent this message. The lc-colored seal did not even have a coat of arms on it. That made him even more scared. Rustle, rustle. W. B. There were two initials on the surface of the letter. People who did not know would think nothing of it, but the man knew exactly who this was talking about. The Holy Kingdom''s royalty wrote the initials for their first and middle names when sending an order to their spies in the Empire. There was currently only one person in the Holy Kingdoms royal family whose name started with a W. Werner Viaan. The man said the name that was the source of his despair. He had never received an order as a spy since he was born. That was something that happened during his great-grandmothers generation and none of her descendants had actively taken part. Of course, he was well aware of what his great-grandmother had done. She framed an innocent Baron and destroyed his family while she remained a noble and loyal Pair de Riester. The man clearly remembered what he had heard on his great-grandmother''s deathbed. It was a decision for our survival. That is why I am not ashamed of it. She had not repented for her actions even until herst breath. That had remained quite vivid in her young great-grandson''s mind. Rustle, rustle. He bit down on his lips and opened the letter. The writing was as straight as if it was a book and the size and spacing of each letter were chillingly uniform as well. Lead the pilgrim out of the Almighty Gods sight. I seek not an execution but a scheme. Eat it up and strike his honor. The one who rejects and ignores this They will close their eyes as the dogs of the hunter. It sounded like a riddle. However, this was not difficult for the man. He was a noble of the Empire who was used to the ambiguous style of the upper ss, and, more importantly, he was a member of a family of spies. It would be weird if he did not understand this at once. The mans hand started shaking after he understood the meaning between the lines. Riiiiiip. The paper helplessly ripped. The devils whisper reorganized itself one word at a time in his mind. Murder the pilgrim. Do not use an assassin but make a scheme. Eat the message to get rid of it and dirty the person''s honor. If you reject this order I will reveal the fact that your family are our spies. Huff, haaaa It was a dreadful request and a threat. The man caught his breath and guzzled down the wine he had left herest night. He could not harm an innocent person. He should not do that. However, he had to do so in order to survive. He was the patriarch of a great and loyal family that supported the Empress and the number of family members he was responsible for were endless. On the other hand, the target was just one person. The pilgrim. A person who left their home to find the Holy Land. Prince Jesse Viaan. "Great-grandmother He groaned and his head dropped on the table. The sins that she hadmitted, one which the former patriarchs had all just watched and feigned ignorance about, the negative karma built from all of that wasing back during his generation. The man could not im that he was innocent either. He recalled the purple pair of eyes he saw in the Empress Pce. The way the prince had seemed concerned about how shocked he was was still vivid in his mind. The prince had exchanges with not just the man but the mans family as well and was someone who had the Imperial family''s affectionate attention. He was a good and gentle person. There was nobody in the Empire who did not know that the Prince Consort was being treated viciously and cruelly by the Prince Consort. Cough, cough cough! He finally choked on the alcohol. His insides were churning violently. He nheless had to make a decision and he was someone who could not find that decision to be difficult. The mans hands shook as he picked up the letter. And then Riiiiiiiip! Rip! He ripped the paper into small pieces and slowly ced them in his mouth. He used wine to suppress the dry heaves that came up from deep inside his stomach. Cold sweat dropped from his chin. It was a decision for our survival. His great-grandmothers voice echoed in his ears like a curse whenever the blood-colored wine lessened in the bottle. However, he could not get drunk. He had a scheme to n. Trantor''s Comments How scandalous of you, Christelle''s daddy. Chapter 159: The Forest of the Magic Tower Master (1) Chapter 159: The Forest of the Magic Tower Master (1) A few warm and harmonious days passed by. The atmosphere of Fall and the smell of Marron c filled Juliette Pce. The Imperial Crown Prince showed off his fire-like temper but thanks to Christelle, the letter from the Queen was not burnt. Although the letter did not mean much to me, Prince Jesse might cherish it when he wakes back up in his body in the future. After quite the contemtion, we put the scroll in arge chest, put it on a luggage cart and had it delivered to Juliette Pce. Even the workers passing by seemed to understand when I said it was ingredients for my meals. It barely fit in my safe once I stood it up. That was a relief. Anyway, why did you try to burn up that letter? Do you hate the Holy Kingdom that much? I peeked toward Crown prince Cdric next to me. The window curtains that were fluttering from the autumn breeze were tickling his hair. The crown prince felt my gaze, stopped moving his quill pen and flinched. I will now exin about our family''s matriarch. Evas voice echoed throughout the reception room, no, the improvised ssroom. Yesterday and today had been the youngdy''s lectures on the nquer Culture and Traditions. The House of nquer was famous for being closed off and did not interact much with the Imperial family or other Pair de Riester. It was quite rushed right before we were scheduled to head toward the Duchy, but it should be quite useful since it was information given directly by the Duchess daughter, Eva. My mother, Duchess Cecil nquer, is one of the greatest mages of the Empire. She is of course a Grade 8 mage and her specialty is light. She has personally controlled the continuous friction at the border until now and her existence itself is called a deterrent force. I dont really know what that is, but The young Duchess holding the chalk trailed off. Sir Johann, who was by her side holding the chalkboard and supporting her, gently smiled. It means that the opponents can''t even think about attacking because they are scared of the Duchess attacking them back. How cool. "I did not mean that I needed an exnation! Evas gaze turned sharp. The Holy Knight pushed his white hair behind his ear and backed off. The attendants of Juliette Pce who filled the ssroom startedughing. Christelle, who was seated on my left,ughed out loud as well. She warily looked at our young Duchess teacher before extending her arm to my desk and scribbling something. Letters started waltzing on the white piece of paper. I heard there is a pop quizter. I couldnt help but drop my jaw in shock. I didn''t hear anything about that. Really? Teacher Eva is so tough. Her handwriting became messier. I quietly chuckled before writing something back. Who are you going to the Masquerade with? That''s a secret. I guess the rumors about you getting a partner were true then. Your highness, your handwriting is very much like you. Christelle changed the topic. She chuckled once we made eye contact. Is she talking shit? Cruuu. At that moment, Demy, who had been on patrol around the feet of the students, stood up while holding my calf. The lesson must have been boring for him as he was tearing up. Rhea and Perry were in the back chasing their tails. I put Demy on my knees and patted his back as I continued to exchange messages. How is Lady Sarnez? It was a simple question but held a different meaning. In the Empress Pce, we had experienced Duke Sarnez''s It had been five days since we saw that happen. I cautiously observed the expression on Christelle''s face. She answered back as if it wasnt a big deal. Yes your highness. My father ran off to the Duchy that afternoon. I put my pen down and continued to read her messages. Apparently he has a lot of work. My mother doesn''t know about the situation. Sometimes, I think it would be great if she continued to not know. Do you think all nobles are like this? But apparently the two of them are going to the Masquerade as well. Isnt that unbelievable? I couldnt help but scowl a bit at thatstment. Christelle shook her head. Her eyes then opened wide as if she thought of something and her pen started to move again. Apparently Marquis Franois Duhem will be attending as well! Vice Captain lisabeth just told me earlier today. This was unexpected. I peeked toward the young Countess seated in front of me. She was earnestly writing down Eva''s exnations. The Marquis seemed quite busy when we met him in the Empress Pce on the day of the Holy Knight appointment and he seemed quite serious when he said that he would not be attending the Masquerade. But I guess he found a way to make some time. It felt like we would finally have an event with a lot of our friends for what seemed like the first time in a long while. The moment I turned back to look at those blue-gray eyes Crackle! Holy moly. A fireball the size of a fist mmed down from the right! I gasped and sat back and the me became smaller before it sizzled and disappeared. Neither the piece of paper nor the wooden furniture were burnt. I scowled and looked toward the crown prince. His orange eyes were full of discontent. You did nothing good! "What are you- Your highness, are you cking off in the back? I heard Evas voice. My heart sank for a moment. I really felt like I was back in high school. That I couldn''t finish my sentence. I didn''t want to lie because I did chat about something else with Christelle. Christelle feigned ignorance and buried her face on her desk while Vice Captain lisabeth was biting her lips as she turned around to look at me. The young Duchess''s gaze soon turned vicious. Please tell me about a mages specialty. Specialty is a magical ability that shows a mages natural born level of mana sensitivity. People quite frequently figure out that their child is a mage thanks to figuring out their specialty. Normal mages have one specialty their whole lives and do not need magic formations to activate spells of that specialty. In his Royal Highnesss situation, his specialty is metal. I slowly answered. I could hear people gasping, ohhhhhh all around me. Sir Johann said that my exnation was magnificent. My cheeks became flushed because I did not expect this kind of reaction. However, Eva looked extremely grumpy. The child looked at the piece of paper on the tea table and thoroughly read out loud. The Viaan Holy Kingdom has a tendency topare mages to religious figures and look down on them. Please focus on the ecology of demonic beasts and the influence they have on our lives to write about the Holy Kingdom''s tendencies. 4 points. Its short answer questions? Eva seemed confused as well as she looked toward Sir Johann. She then whispered to him, asking what it was talking about. This did not seem to be a problem that she had prepared herself. Christelle, the young Countess, Benjamin, Ganael, and even David looked at me with gazes full of anticipation. I calmly organized my thoughts. I felt like I could understand who provided this sheet of problems to Eva. The words were a bitplicated but the question itself was simple. They were all things I had learned a few months ago. Mana, as recorded in the holy text, is power left behind after being used by the Almighty God. It is the original. I''m talking about the rest of the abnormal traces other than water, fire, air, and earth. Cardinal Boutier''s voice echoed in my ears. However, some of the religious figures took this and analyzed it as mana being power that was discarded by the Almighty God. Theyve even looked down on it saying that it was a profane and dirty aurapared to ether. They even belittled it. Furthermore, a priests authority is omnipotent in the Holy Kingdom. Their path to gain authority included belittling the mage profession, so it is not weird that such a disposition was created after numerous generations. I calmly continued to speak. It is the same for demonic beasts. They are born from natural mana and always harm humans. Since demonic beasts, which are the by-product of mana, are chaotic and do evil deeds, the religious figures were not able to see mages, who also control mana, in a positive light. I then quickly added on. Of course, I do not feel that way. The Riester Empire had never had a single Holy Knight until now. They relied on the strengths of their swordsmen and mages to expand their territory and maintain their borders. Most of the high-ranking mages in the Empires were celebrities and respected as much as most Archbishops. I had no intentions ofing to such a nation as a diplomatic hostage to say that religious figures were better than mages or nonsense like how mana is dirty. I finished speaking and awkwardly smiled and Wooooooooooow! This time, I heard apuse from the side of the students. Sir Johann''s eyes curled up as he gave me one hundred percent while Eva was annoyingly poking at his side. Her ears seemed to have flushed because she was embarrassed, but I was happy that they seemed to have gotten close really fast. The crown prince snorted after hearing the response. He looked back at Eva and seemed to care more about the unrted administrative document than Eva''s lesson. I ced an arm on his desk. I happened to see a scrap piece of paper. Youre the one cking off during the lesson, your Royal Highness. The young man scowled. I focused my eyes on Eva and only moved my hand. We wont all head out to y without you so please work slowly. Dont treat me as if I am a kid. He seemed quite angry as he answered back with something unexpected and red at me. I just chuckled and nodded my head. If it is not that important, should I help you, your Royal Highness? I know how to read and write, you know. The crown princes movement stopped after reading that. I peeked at what I wrote wondering if I made some sort of slip of the tongue, but it wasnt anything that sounded problematic. In dramas about Ennd, the King often discusses the kingdom''s affairs with his close friends. Do you understand the meaning behind your words? I guess you cant do that here. I immediately epted that fact after hearing his question. Yes, not all western-based ces are the same. Most importantly, I''m a diplomatic hostage. Your highness, youre not paying attention again! I''m sorry, maam. Damn it, Eva caught me again. Demy whined as if he was happy to see me get in trouble. Vice Captain lisabeth and Christelle high-fived each other and chuckled. One of them must have ratted me out. I''m not sure whether you are paying any attention to this ss, your highness. But for you of all people to be the bad student! Please forgive me. I sat up straight and immediately apologized. I was frequently called a model student while I was in school so I had no idea how I ended up transmigrating into another world and beingbeled as a bad student. Eva shook her red curly hair and rattled off a question. In the jungle within the nquer territory, there is a long and tall building. It is the tower that the first head of the house, who was an Archmage, had built. Please tell me what it is, what its purpose is, who is in charge of it and the title of that person. Uhh I tried my best toe up with something. Many of the webnovels I had read and the clichs within them flew through my mind. If it is a tower created by an Archmage, then it has to be this. The Magic Tower? Wow. Your highness, you really do know everything. I could hear whispers in the room. Eva''s gaze became colder. The purpose for it is magic research, and Guarding and keeping an eye on the border I would think. The title of the person in charge of the Magic Tower would be the Magic Tower Master, and the current matriarch, Duchess nquer would be my guess for who is in charge of it. Youre so annoying. I dont like you, your highness! Eva shouted. I froze in shock for a moment and the young Duchess grabbed the hem of her dress and ran out. To be more specific, she was about to run out before realizing that she did not show her respects to the crown prince and I and bowing toward us before running off. There will be a pop quiz after a ten minute break! She also didnt forget to warn us before she left. How scary. You were in the wrong this time, your highness. The young Countess turned around in her seat and smiled. Ganael walked over and put down some snacks for us. Benjamin received Davids help in getting the attendants to eat some snacks as well. The crown prince sighed. Is that so? Thank you, Ganael. Youngdy Eva looked like she wanted to be your private tutor, Your highness. I''m sure she''s upset that you were able to answer all of her questions correctly. His highness would have conquered the entire continent a long time ago if he knew something like that. Christellemented while taking a big bite out of a mousse au choct. I stopped slicing my Quatre-Quarts with walnuts and tilted my head. Is that making fun of me too? * On the second day, it was finally time to head toward the nquer Duchy. Another long trail of carriages formed at the Imperial Pce once again. Vice Captain lisabeth whistled and motioned to ce the Imperial Guard in ideal locations and my teacher, who came to see us off, was caressing the crown princes hair. As for me, I was all serious in front of the pool. Are you sure you want to go with us? There are going to be a lot of strangers there. Aarf. Tith extended his neck and cried. I confirmed with him three times before wiping his white body with a towel that Benjamin handed me. Percy, who was seated on the crown princes shoulder, chirped toward me. He seemed to be criticizing me, asking how I could even think about leaving Tith here and if I could really call myself his temporary guardian after having such thoughts. I just smiled bitterly because I had nothing to say. Eva even told me that they created a water tank at the Lords Castle, which I was extremely grateful for, but it had not been very long since this little guy came to the Imperial Pce. I was just concerned about taking him out of a ce again. Aarf, aaaarf. Okay, you cane with big bro. The crown prince got on the carriage first while I was patting Tithe and standing at the door with the divine beasts. The Cardinal spoke with a benevolent look in her eyes. Go and enjoy yourself, my dear disciple. Yes, your Eminence. I will contact you once I arrive. That makes me so happy. Cdric doesn''t do cute things like that. She smiled so brightly that her eye wrinkles deepened and gave me a kiss on the cheek. She then quickly whispered. Once you get to the Duchy, it is probably best that you do not take out the headdress. You will receive hostility from the residents. I blinked in confusion. She moved away with a rxed gaze and did some ventriloquism. "And be wary of little Modeste Bacary. He sees you as a dangerous individual, my little prince. That little kid with sses is going too? Trantor''s Comments Look at all these cuties in this school AU. :3 Chapter 160: The Forest of the Magic Tower Master (2) Chapter 160: The Forest of the Magic Tower Master (2) ck, ck The hooves were consistent. I was dozing off in the cozy shaking of the carriage. We arrived at the Eastern part of the Empire almost instantly after using multiple portals. We would have had to leave a few days ago and stay in multiple inns if it was not for the headdress that Christelle gifted me. My friends, as well as the attendants and imperial servants, would have all suffered. I was having a rxing trip thanks to the main character. I couldn''t help but smile. Wake up, oh Prince. We dont have much time. I heard a magnificent voice that I had heard before. The man gently grabbed my shoulder. I immediately opened my eyes. I could see the blue sky and my head was on some soft golden grass. I was in a carriage before I fell asleep, so this was an unexinable change of scenery. I jerked my body up. "What the I could see a familiar Bell Tower and the blue North Sea. However, instead of the salty taste of the sea, the air smelled like sweet Gugelhupf. The seagulls in the blue sky did not chirp but made noises that sounded like the wheels of a carriage. ck, ck Oh, its Yvelines. No, its a dream. It is simr, your highness. I heard the familiar tone respond to my mumbling. I was still seated on the ground as I urgently turned around. The mans long ck hair fluttered in the wind and his dark blue eyes were rippling like waves. A handsome face that looked almost the same as the Imperial Crown Prince''s He was wearing an Archmages formal attire, the same asst time. I barely managed to stand up without falling. Your Royal Highness. Nikky. Yes, I am your chimney bird. This must not be just a dream. Well, it is a dream, but I scrunched my nose. I spoke as soon as the thoughts came to my mind. Did you borrow the location? You are wise, your highness. I knew I liked you. The Ark that had taken the appearance of Alexandre Riester gently curled its eyes up. I waspletely stunned. Something like this is possible? You''ve never talked to me like this before, sir. Youve gotten quite strong, your highness. Your te will not break because of this level of interference. It is only for a very short period of time. Nikky then approached me extremely quietly. I couldnt hear any footsteps or even the rustling of his clothes. Funnily enough, it was only then that it really registered that he was not human. I calmly looked at the man. It was great that I had gotten stronger. A divine items assessment would not be a lie so circting my ether all this time without stopping did pay off. And this body has also gotten stronger. Excuse me? It is because we are gathering together. I was shocked as well, as something like this has never happened before. He was silent for a moment. He seemed to be giving me time to analyze what he just said. I thought to myself. If it is something he would call as we "Sir, are you saying that you are getting stronger because the divine items of the Empire are gathering in one ce? That allowed you to borrow my dreams? There was no other possible hypothesis. Thest divine item of the Empire, the Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life was in a forest within the nquer territory. Christelle''s body held the Blessing of the Blue Sea and Crown prince Cdric had pulled out the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star. Nikky in front of me was the Ark of the Wind Deity. All of them were heading toward the Duchy, so the four divine items getting close to each other was inevitable. Nikky smiled as if he was proud of me. That is correct. However, you cannot forget the most important existence. He then extended his index finger and pointed at my heart. The item within your te is something that was controlled by the regent of the Almighty God. I do not know anything about that. I gulped. I had expected it for a long time but I became certain based on Nikky''sment. The divine item of the Pope, the Paten of Wishes was really inside of me. I subconsciously ced a hand on my heart. Thump thump, my heart was beating healthily. The handsome man covered his mouth with his sleeve and chuckled. We were scattered all around thisnd at the will of the Almighty God. We have met many humans throughout the ages but have never chosen a true master. That is why "Are you giving me a warning that you have no way of knowing what will happen when all of you are gathered in one ce? Yes, your highness. You understood very quickly. He answered and looked toward the horizon in the distance. I inadvertently looked in the same direction as well. My eyes then opened wide. It might sound ironic, but I felt like I was waking up. The border where the sky and the sea met was crumbling like a sand castle during a storm. Crack, psssss Where there had once been seawater and clouds became a dark area of nothing. I felt as if I was watching the most dreadful domino in the world. Boom! I then heard something heavy breaking. I urgently turned to look at Nikky. This was not at the level of a nightmare, but I had to push my fears away as there was something I had to ask. This seemed to be the limit right now for borrowing my dreams. Is that it? No. He looked at me with a concerned gaze. You are in danger. "Excuse me? Rumble! The erosion of my dream had quickly arrived at the coastline and was trying to swallow everything. Nikky continued to speak. This is just an intuition and I have no proof whatsoever. However, there seems to be something that the Almighty God has nned for you. Am I going to die? In a war? My voice naturally became louder. If it is something the omnipotent existence of this world fated for me, I couldn''t help but think of the flow of the original QNW. Nikky was silent with an awkward look on his face. Crack, boom! The white Bell Tower in front of me fell into the other side of the ck subconscious. ck, ck! The cking in the sky sounded as loud as thunder. Please be careful. The world is already relying on you. What does that m, Crack! The area underneath my feet disappeared as I gasped. I started falling down and the back of my neck turned cold. The Archmage, who was holding onto the ck cliff, was looking down at me with a look of desperation. This fall looked like it would never end. * Gasp! I almost screamed as I woke up. And then Pipipipiiiii! Percy, who was on my thigh, chirped oddly like an rm clock. I breathed heavily and extended my hand toward him. The chimney bird jumped onto my palm before rubbing his body and beak on my finger and acting cute. I couldnt help but scoff in disbelief. Are you apologizing for surprising me with such scary information? Are you okay, your highness? Christelle asked from the other side. I raised my head to see her looking at me with an extremely concerned look on her face. The crown prince, who was also seated on the other side, was scowling just a bit so that it was hard to tell whether he was actually scowling or not. Eva, who was seated next to me, seemed to have a lot of dark clouds in her eyes. She was so shocked that she left half of the Gugelhupf that she was eating. You seemed to be having a nightmare. However, you wouldnt wake up even when we shook you and his Royal Highness and the youngdy said that your ether was unstable, so I am not a healing priest so I was debating whether we should call the Imperial doctor Is it altitude sickness? Is that it? No. I just had an intense dream. I am fine now. I am okay. I calmed the anxious child. The red pandas on the crown prince''sp came over to me one by one. Tith was iling in Christelles arms. The crown prince clicked his tongue and looked out the window. I could see his fists rxing. I felt sorry that I made all of them worry. Percy was now dancing on top of my palm. You sure are trying hard. Over there, that is where I was born! Eva pointed outside the window at that moment. I hugged a bunch of animals and observed the great spectacle in front of my eyes. I couldn''t close my mouth. The mountain range that resembled an endless row of t iron steaks were covered in beautiful red and yellow leaves with the arrival of Fall. There were clouds everywhere I looked, making it confusing to know whether we were in the sky or on the ground. The view outside the window became nted as the slope became drastic. We continued until we arrived at the top of a sharp cliff, where the grand nquer Lord''s Castle revealed itself. There was a bird of prey with its wings spread wide open flying around the spire. Wow I couldn''t help but gasp in admiration. How many people and how long must they have worked to create such a castle in the middle of a mountain like this? Christelle started speaking as I nked out at this exotic view. Is it your first time here as well, your Royal Highness? The crown prince nodded his head. I guess that makes sense. The crown prince''s father, Prince Consort Alexandre, had chosen love over family. The Dukes House of nquer had instantly cut off their rtions to their first son. There was no socialmunication between the Imperial family and their inws after that, so this was the first time the crown prince was visiting his fathers hometown. He must be having mixed emotions right now. Ah, there are my parents. Eva''s voice quieted down. I thoroughly observed the castle. I then saw therge gates opening in the distance. I could see a group that hade out to greet the envoy of carriages from the Imperial family. There were two silhouettes in front of the group. Duchess Cecil nquer and her husband. Huuuuuu. I let out a sigh. I then made eye contact with Percy, who was now on the back of my hand. Five divine items were set to gather at the heart of the Empire''s highest mountains and I was about to be in danger again. Furthermore, I didnt even know what kind of danger I would be in. However, thinking about it in my perspective, Prince Jesse had a time limit since the day I transmigrated into his body and had always been in danger. So I will be careful no matter what. No matter who I meet here or what I do. Thats enough, right? Pipo! The little guy chirped energetically. It was as if he had read my mind. * Duchess nquer and her husband were very strong people. The way they stood uppletely straight and their expressions that showed no openings proved that. They werepletely calm, even as they watched the three red pandas, the harp seal, and the chimney birding out of our carriage. Sir Johann escorted Isabelle out of the carriage behind us and although Duke Sarnez was not visible, she looked as if that did not matter. Eva, who would soon be the official heir, just greeted them before hiding behind us. They did not react to that either. My name is Cecil nquer. I greet our esteemed Royal Highness and Prince Jesse Viaan. The Duchess bowed. Her husband and the rest of the family showed their respects following their matriarch. She was wearing a shoulder-revealing dress and had a ne that stuck to her neck. Other than that, her outfit was oddly different from the nobles in the Imperial Capital. Taking a closer look, I could see that there were parts that were the same as Alexandre''s Archmage formal attire. It seemed to be a mix of her personal style and a mage''s formal attire. My ill-tempered child has shown extreme disrespect toward the Imperial family and the two of you. I truly apologize for his actions. She followed up with an apology about Robert nquer''s actions. The crown prince flicked his chin while I silently nodded my head. The couple slowly stopped bowing. Please let us escort you inside. Our ce may be shabby but we have prepared a ce for all of you to stay. The Duchess motioned with her hands. Everybody followed once the crown prince started walking. I quietly asked her a question. Where is the young Duke? A small crack appeared on the Duchess face. I continued to speak. I heard that he is still staying in the territory. I hope that your son and youngdy Eva will not be in the same ce while we are here. Would that be possible? I will make sure that is the case, your highness. Thank you very much. It does not matter to me but it would not be rxing for your daughter. There was no response. She looked back and forth at me and her daughter with her deep brown eyes before looking forward with a slightly upset look on her face. Eva grabbed my arm with one hand and Christelles hand with the other before walking with a smile on her face. I could hear Vice Captain lisabethughing. * The ce that Duchess nquer had prepared for us was far from shabby. It was the second tallest tower in the Lords Castle and we had extra rooms even after the attendants, imperial servants, and Imperial Guard members all unpacked. Everything was cleaned meticulously. We could probably walk bare feet down the hallway. Percy and our little headaches gathered by the window to chirp, aarf, and whine. They seemed to be reviewing our new lodging. Lets think about that after we take a look at the meals, kiddos. I ced the headdress inside of your bag, your highness. Thank you very much. Nobody should have seen it when we arrived earlier, right? Yes, your highness. His Royal Highness and youngdy Sarnez made sure that you were covered. Benjamin responded. I listened to my teacher and used Julites headdress only before we used the portal and took it off as soon as we arrived. I was nning on brushing it aside if someone heard the rumors and asked Gasp. Your highness, your disguise is in here! Ganael shouted in a loud voice once he opened the closet. Benjamin and I quickly rushed over to the young boy''s side. Eva had not said anything about my masquerade attire until now. It feels awkward for me to say this, but this was something that was so entertaining that my family in Juliette Pce even ced bets on what it would be. I don''t care what it is as long as it doesn''t have that damn wing It is not an angel, Benjamin-nim. It looks like we lost our emergency fund again Ganael spoke with a disappointed tone. I didnt care about Benjamin''s sigh as I grabbed the outfit with a smile on my face. I could see the card the young Duchess had ced by the cor. Your highness, you are a ck Knight who has fallen for the devils seduction. Nobody will expect this! I couldnt help but chuckle. A knight is great. Something normal is best. Our Eva is the best too! Trantor''s Comments Eva, Eva, she''s the best! Chapter 161: So that love and steps don鈥檛 get tangled (1) Chapter 161: So that love and steps don¡¯t get tangled (1) We had time to rest well because we arrived at the nquer Lords Castle two days before the masquerade. Thanks to that, I was able to proceed with the things I had organized in my mind. Naturally, it was thanks to Benjamin and Ganaels help. First, I tried on the ck Knight costume that Eva had ordered for me. To be honest with you, your highness, I was skeptical at first but it really suits you well. Everybody would follow you if you left on a horse, your highness. You look so cool! I received quite generouspliments like that. As for me, I was totally satisfied at just the fact that it was not an angel concept. I had no idea what they used to create this silver grey armor but it was not heavy at all and fitted me well. I was told that an expert in disguises had created it; even my movements felt smooth. The way the ck cape fell to the back of my knees was a bit cool. The pitch ck snake skin mask that was elegantly decorated with a crows feather, ck pearls, opals, and tourmalines was shaped to only cover the area above my nose. The veil in front of my eyes made sure to hide the color of my eyes. This is quite the item. I would like to send a portal letter to her Eminence, would that be possible? Of course, your highness. Im sure they will be very happy. Benjamin answered my question in a benign voice. I got help from Vice Captain lisabeth and the Imperial Guard to send a secret letter as well. It was so that I could also deliver the warning the Ark of the Wind Deity gave me while asking how they were doing. It said that I had no idea what would happen if four divine items were to gather in one ce. I couldnt keep such big information to myself. Mm But I did not mention that I may be in danger. That was a bit It felt weird. Apparently Im in danger. There is apparently something the Almighty God has reserved for me. Saying something like that without specific details would make anybody think that I was being egotistical and silly. The world is already relying on you. Its not like Im filming an apocalypse on my own in a Romfan world. It was quite the profound promation for me as the person involved, but any third party would find it cringe-worthy. It was enough that I did not forget Nikkysstment and stayed focused. I had a card prepared just in case and three Holy Knights, four divine beasts, and one divine item was with me. As long as I didnt unnecessarily get involved with things, the ident shouldnt start from my side. One night passed like that. How confusing. I cut the cinnamon roll that came out for breakfast and mumbled to myself. Thinking about it, I had no idea what it meant that the world was relying on me. Was it because I absorbed the Paten of Wishes that was in the Temple of Boundaries? It seemed like that was the most important divine item on the continent but I couldnt ask Percy even if I wanted to do so. I had no way of initiating a conversation unless he talked to me first, and most importantly, the little guy was sleeping in today. He may have gotten stronger but interfering with a humans soul seemed to still take a toll. In that case, I only had one option left. Lets just calmly do the things I can do right now. ng! I jerked my head up. Christelle, who was scooping some croissant pudding, was standing very stiffly. It was because her te had broken into two. Her blue-gray eyes awkwardly curled. Im really sorry. I cant really control my strength right now I got too strong as you mentioned, your highness. She scratched her nose. Vice Captain lisabeth consoled her saying that it was okay while the Imperial Crown Prince nonchntly nced at her before focusing on his meal. We were gathered in a dining room located within one of the castles towers for breakfast. Sir Johann grabbed a vani muffin and smiled. Please dont worry, you will get used to it soon. You have the power of blessing after all. The Blessing of the Blue Sea was, as its name implies, a blessing. Christelle had gained extraordinary physical strength as soon as the divine item entered her body and small injuries healed quickly. Her strength seemed to have increased a lot as we got closer to the Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life but she also has the blessing of adaptability so she should settle down soon. She nodded her head and ced a piece of baguette on a new te. She then smeared cream cheese extremely cautiously and then put some radish, avocado, and dill. Thats going to be absolutely delicious. Anyway, I did not know that the chimney bird had such an ability. Thank you for openly telling us about it, Your highness. I was eating and thinking about what else to eat when the young Countess changed the topic. I smiled. Percy is close to everybody. I thought that it would be better for me to tell all of you in advance instead of you all getting shockedter. That was right. The story rted to Percy that I shared with the Empress and Cardinal was shared with my friends as well. I thought that the two main characters should know and since divine items were mentioned, I decided to reveal everything. Famous words that were said by Eunseo yed a big role as well. Fuck! This wouldnt have happened if that son of a bitch Crapdric just chatted with Christellest week. Does he use his mouth only for kissing? Eunseo, go put money in the swear pig. Our house had a rule where we had to put 1,000 won into the piggybank whenever we swore. Anyway, the important thing was that the main character and her friends needed tomunicate with each other. It was better to say the things that were okay to tell them. There is a guide inside the Ark and that guide gives revtions using humannguage. The Almighty God works more practically than I expected. Vice Captain lisabeth was innocently amazed. She then squinted while looking at crown prince Cdric. You better spill it if you are hiding something as well. Does the Sword of Wisdom get up on its own and walk around at night or something? Christelle chuckled and handed the young Countess half of the baguette. I thought this was the time to ask. I still dont know who the two of your masquerade partners are. Christelle and the crown prince stopped moving their utensils. They didnt even finish chewing the food in their mouths andpletely froze. The young Countess supported me by saying that she has also not heard the identity of their partners. Sir Johanns eyes curled up as he looked at his students. Wait, wait My intuitions are great. No way. Really? ck. My hand grew weak and the forkid down on the te. My eyes opened wide as I looked at the two main characters. The two of them kept their gazes on their pieces of bread and did not say anything. No, Christelle was mumbling something about questioning her decision. Vice Captain lisabeths grey eyes opened so wide that they might pop out. Really? How? That was possible? Cdric? The two of you are partners? My voice was shaking. Christelle scowled. That is true, but Wow, thats so crazy! I jumped up and headed toward the window. I then immediately mmed my forehead against the window. The corners of my lips were rising to the heavens and my face was twitching with joy. I raised my fist but I couldnt hit the ss with it so I covered my mouth. Our little treasures were in the room so I couldnt rub them, hug them, or share my joy with them. I looked up to the sky and prayed. Oh bestselling author-nim bestowed to us by god, thank you very much. You were one of us too Your highness? Please listen to me. You are not misunderstanding this situation, are you? You remember the day when his royal highness was sick and in bed? I am not misunderstanding it at all. I looked back at the table and straightened out my face. This excessive flowing of endorphins was making it so that thenguage was not filtering properly. Christelle calmly continued to speak. Your highness, when you fain No, when you fell asleep right away, we chatted about all sorts of things and it ended up that way. I have already danced with his Royal Highness at the Spring Ball as well. I thought that it would be better than rushing it with someone I did not know. The two of you had in-depth conversations about an array of things? Is this for real? Sob Now that I think about it, that still needs to be addressed. The crown prince spoke in a sharp voice that pierced through Vice Captain lisabethsughter as she curled over on the table. I perked my ears to listen. I should write a journal entry in my notebook today. I should not have looked like this when you came to Romero that day. How long are you going to pretend that you dont know? Why all of a sudden. My mouth opened and closed without saying anything and I felt like cold water was poured all over me. His orange eyes were burning up like coal. Christelle looked like she was trying very hard to hold back herughter. I urgently looked toward Sir Johann but he had a look that seemed to be saying that he had no idea what we were talking about but that it seemed interesting. Damn it! I am full so I will be heading out first. Theres no way you are full, your highness. I really am. Christelle questioned it but I felt a sense of crisis that told me to run and silently bowed before leaving the dining area. Benjamin and Ganael, who ate earlier and were waiting for me, gasped. The two of them were concerned and asked why I left so early and if the food was bad but I couldnt really answer. How can I tell them that my dark history made it difficult to see their faces so I ran away? Im twenty-nine years old and Damn it, I really should have said illegitimate younger sibling and not son. I couldnt even tell anybody because I was so embarrassed. * After that, there were no instances of my mentioning the masquerade to the main characters first until dinner time. It felt like the two of them were ganging up on me. I wanted to ask what their disguises were but I stopped. Instead, I heard about how Eva prepared a ck Rose costume to match me and that Ganael and Vice Captain lisabeth were dressing up as a lion and a clown. The core of the masquerade was to make sure that nobody could tell it was you underneath the mask and it made sense. Ganael felt more like a puppy than a lion while the young Countess was an elite swordswoman who was far from a clown. I chuckled as I walked. It sounds like it will be fun. Yes, your highness, Im sure that something entertaining will happen. Sir Johann answered. I was out for a night walk with him to look at the water tank that they supposedly prepared for Tith. The ss box that just arrived at the lobby earlier was luxurious and decorated with expensive corals. They said that the n was to pour cool seawater delivered from the North Sea into it tomorrow evening. I was told that Duchess nquer and her husband were not the affectionate type but they must be fully devoted to the concept of this world regarding being respectful to divine beasts and priests. Tith should like it. ck, ck Woah, woah. A couple carriages passed by while I was admiring the view. Guests for the masquerade had been endlessly entering the castle since this morning. Evasment about how this was the greatest Beau Monde event in the eastern region did not seem to be a lie. The territory lords ability to ept and host so many guests seemed amazing as well. We havent heard anything from Marquis Duhem or Duke Sarnez. I wonder if they wille the day of. Probably, your highness. They are both Pair de Riester territory lords so Im sure that they are busy. Sir Johann answered. I nodded my head. Do you think Gerrit would have received your letter by now, Sir Johann? Yes, your highness, you allowed me to send it with yours. The Holy Knight gently smiled and answered. Gerrit had let his dad take a work trip for the first time sinceing to the Empire. Thankfully Sand was watching him in the Imperial Pce and the Imperial Guards were protecting him. Smiled back before thinking of something. Sir Johann tilted his head when I pulled out a holy stone orb from my pocket. Didnt we finish our tests in dark areas? I nned on trying physical contact. You are the first, Sir Johann. His mint-colored eyes immediately looked anxious. Your highness, I do not wish to buy the wrath of my students. Thats okay. I promise to keep a secret even if you break a lot of orbs. There are still a lot of things you do not know about Holy Knights. He sighed as he answered. It was at that moment. Wooooah! Woah! A carriage came to a sudden and noisy stop in front of us. I stuck my neck out to see what was going on. Is there traffic already? Screech, ck, ck The other carriages door opened and I heard someone walking down some steps. I finally had a chance to take a thorough look at the crest on the carriage. A Viscounts House Viscounts House of Bacary. We meet again, your highness. A familiar voice echoed the autumn air. The seer immediately showed his respects unlikest time. I looked at the young man who came around the carriage and tilted my head. My teachers voice echoed in my ear. Be wary of little Modeste Bacary. He sees you as a dangerous individual, my little prince. Hello, little Bacary. I borrowed my teachers way of calling him to respond. The silver eyes underneath his sses became cold. He must not have liked being treated like a child despite being twenty years old. His dark blue hair looked bright under the magic spotlight. I was curious as to what he had to say this time since he got off his carriage toe here. Are you attending tomorrows masquerade with Dame Christelle de Sarnez, your highness? No. Why do you ask? I asked back. Maybe it was because he was young or because of his personality, but the little kid said things in extremely annoying tones. Am I just a boomer? Thats great. It would be wonderful if you continued to stay away from her. He was clearly belittling me. A de-like breeze fluttered the seers robe. Dame Sarnez is someone who shows a fate of bing the crown princess. As long as you are not there, your highness. Trantors Comments Boomers unite! Chapter 162: So that love and steps don鈥檛 get tangled (2) Chapter 162: So that love and steps don¡¯t get tangled (2) Jackpot. I subconsciously mumbled and urgently closed my mouth. My heart was pping around like a just-caught halibut, but the seers silver eyes did not shake. It meant that he was serious about what he just said. Sir Johann, who had been silently standing behind me, walked up next to me. His tone was extremely low. Captain, I understand you being wary of his highness, however, I cannot ept you belittling him. Are the Fleur-de-lis treated like members of the Imperial family in Riester? Swoooooooosh! The wind let out a sharp roar as it made the young seers hair and clothes flutter wildly. Bacary didnt even blink an eye at the Holy Knights explicit threat and continued to stare at me. sh! There was a sharp noise and a small injury appeared on the young boys cheek. I gasped in shock and stopped Sir Johann. Sir Johann, please dont hurt him. Im sorry, your highness. I made a mistake. His eyes instantly curled up and he withdrew. Can a Cardinal-level Holy Knight make a mistake with controlling their strength too? That odd question came to mind but I nodded my head and opened a healing circle. Ooooooooong! The roar of the sky-colored ether made the Captain scowl. I do not need it. I do not make prophecies to receive goodwill. I am not doing this out of goodwill. I am trying to take responsibility for my friend making a mistake. The little kid became quiet once I said that. It was just a superficial cut but blood was still forming on it. The words I had just heard continued to echo in my ears. I watched as the blue ether pebbles gathered on his young face and cautiously asked. Can you really see Dame Sarnezs fate? Yes, your highness. Dame Sarnez is already an important person but she is someone who will be even more important in the future. What a great prophecy. You are truly skilled, Captain Bacary. I answered as if I was bewitched. The eyes underneath his round sses started frowning. This is not something for you to be happy about, your highness. It will note true if you remain by her side. Prince Jesse, you are someone who makes all revtions go awry. So that is why he red at me like that. Because my future is opaque. Mm, it is ambiguous. That is why I said to know your ce. I have a duty to warn the involved parties. This might be eerie and scary for someone else to hear, but I couldpletely understand what Bacary just said. I was the only foreigner in this ce. It was, in some ways, inevitable that an existence who came from outside the novel would change the fates of the characters. In addition, I did not know much about the contents of QNW. I was doing my best to connect the main characters together, but there was a limit because I couldnt force them to be with each other despite their current negative feelings. While that was going on, I always yed a part in any unexpected situations that arose. I wanted to ignore a lot of them but could not do so because a lot of them involved the old, the weak, or animals. Anybody in my position would have acted the same way. Little Bacary. Then this guy Can he see the details of the original novel as prophecies? Is his uracy falling because I am not a part of the original novel? Excuse me for asking this, but I must ask you for a favor. I am not someone who receivesmissions. I am aware of that. However, you It is because you have such a great ability. If your specialty is what I think it is. I kept those words to myself. The young boys eyes slightly shook. If it is not too difficult, could you please let me know whenever you have any important revtions regarding Dame Sarnez or his Royal Highness? I realized that this was an unreasonable request once I said it out loud. Prophecies were a form of personal information. Even if it was not 100 percent urate, he should not reveal information about someones future to a third party. The Captains face was turning stiff. I immediately rephrased my request. I am not asking you to tell me as if you were reporting to her Majesty. I am also not saying that I want to hear all of your prophecies about that. Its just that, as the two of their close friend I just want to help them if they may end up in danger. And, as you mentioned, remove myself from situations where I should not be present. If the two of them wish for that. Sir Johann suddenly interjected. I smiled bitterly and nodded my head. The Captains cheek waspletely healed. The circle slowly started to dissipate after havingpleted its mission. I quickly added on. I will not ask you for it if it makes you ufortable. You are not in a position to force something like that on me anyway, your highness. I am her Majestys magic tool. Bacary quietly answered. I understood that I could not get such information so easily, but my heart still sank. Did he just call himself a magic tool? I apologize if I made you feel like you were a tool. I did not mean to hurt you. It does not matter. I apologize. I sincerely apologized but the Captain silently bit his lips and respectfully bowed. He then quickly walked over and got back on his carriage. Young master-nim, you are friends with the revered Prince Jesse? I heard someone ask him. m! The door closed and the horses started moving. I reflected on my actions as I watched the carriage disappear into a deep area of the Lords Castle. I made a slip of the tongue. I think he will hate me a lot. He probably didnt have much positive thoughts about me if I make his revtions uncertain. I thought that this conversation just now would have made him hate me more. A cool main character of a webnovel might find a way to use anybody and anyone, but I was not a main character and this ce was my reality. It was difficult to be shameless against a person who called himself a tool. Im not so sure about that, Your highness. My thoughts are a bit different. A breeze-like voice spoke as if to console me. The holy stone marble ended up as dust in Sir Johanns fist. He broke it before we could do anything. It looks like itll be soon for the Captain as well. I think itll be about three months for him to go over. Go over where? He put a refreshing smile on his face and pointed toward the spire instead of answering my question. I wanted to do some tests on holy stones since we were out but I was upset and wanted to see our little bundles of joy as well. I epted his escort and walked up the stairs. I did not feel good thinking that I said something I should not have said to a kid who was about Eunseos age. * The next day. September 30th. Maybe we shouldnt havee so early. I couldnt even eat because I was so excited. I went to the Spring Ball as well but I think this one will be more entertaining. Masquerades have their own ir. Have you heard the rumors? I heard that youngdy Eva nquer is supposed to push her brother aside and be the young Duchess today. Nobles were walking back and forth down the wide hallways of the nquer Lords Castle while talking loudly. Attendants carryingrge masks and essories followed behind them. Thergest ballroom in the castle will open in one hour and the greatest Beau Monde celebration in the eastern part of the Empire will start. The Imperial Crown Prince and his friends as well as the cream of the crop of the Empire, the Pair de Riester, will all gather for this celebration. These people who were dreaming of new scandals and gossip were heating up the castle. The servants were moving around extremely busily to prepare food, drinks, and move the bags of the nobles. Young Duke Robert nquer used that time to quietly hide in a corner of the hallway. Shadows are going to be darker the brighter the light. Nobody was there to keep an eye on all openings in the castle and there were lots of ces to hide thanks to the luxurious decorations all around. Nobody knew that he, who had been locked up in a vi in a corner of the territory while burning up with rage and shame, was here right now. The man had purposely exaggerated a limp and cried in front of the only person who was still by his side, his wet nurse. I want to see my little sister, what can I do with my body being like this, and tried to appeal to her emotions. The frail woman could not handle the childish young masters tears. The wet nurse snuck a horse out of the vi at dusk and handed him a few gold coins as he left. You must leave at midnight, young master-nim. The Knight Captain will be back early tomorrow morning. His wet nurses insistence echoed in his mind. He was well-aware of it as well. The Knight Captain of the territory, who used toe only once a week, suddenly barged into the vist night and reported that he would now start seeing Robert daily. The Knight Captain said it was his mothers orders, but the situation was obvious. It meant that they were going to keep a tighter watch on him because the masquerade was to happen. And that Im curious about his Royal Highness but also extremely curious about Prince Jesse as well. Isnt this his highnesss first masquerade in the Empire? Seriously. I will swipe him away to the balcony if I find out his disguise. Oh my goodness, Countess! Are you finally nning on taking on a husband? Wahahaha! Loudughters burst out on the other side of the hallway. The young Duke crawled behind a decorative armor and clenched his teeth. That lowly Prince must have been like a fox whispering in his mothers years. He was basically a spy of an enemy kingdom. Not only did Prince Jesse seduce the Crown prince to make him infamous and give him a scar, trick his younger sister to take his ce, he was now trying to mess with his rtionship with his parents as well. The young Duke clenched his right fist that had lost all feeling since that duel. Rustle. The small piece of paper screamed in his hand. There was only a short message on it. Come with a disguise if you wish to get revenge. It was a mysterious letter that was found a while back on his bed. The person must have used their non-dominant hand as the handwriting crawled like worms. He bugged his wet nurse and his servants about it but nobody said that they ever saw that piece of paper before. At first, he thought one of the lowly staff did this to rile him up and mock him. So he threw it into the furnace. However, the same note was on his bed the next day and the day after that as well. The third note had an unfamiliar sentence added on. For the roots of the tulip to rot. Im not an idiot. The young Duke mumbled. He really was not. He was the first-born of a well-educated family and knew that tulips symbolized priests or holiness. There was only one priest in this world that he would want to get revenge on. Jesse Viaan. Im certain that his highness will be disguised as an angel. How can he not after what he did on the eve of his Royal Highnesss session confirmation ceremony? Do you really think so? Isnt that too obvious? Im sure his disguise will be magnificent no matter what it is since he ising as youngdy nquers partner. The nobles chatted away as they walked. Grind. He couldnt help but grind his teeth. Clunk, bang! He snatched the armor as soon as people disappeared. This was enough as a disguise. He would have fun and y if this was just someone messing with him but he would grab it right away if this really was an opportunity. * It was finally the day of the masquerade! Ganael and Vice Captain lisabeth, who were disguised as a lion and a clown, headed toward the central tower about ten minutes ago. The young Countess was Ganaels partner and chaperon today while my chaperon was Benjamin. Sir Johann was my guard as nned as well. Click click Aigoo. Thats okay, your highness. It is not that loud to the people next to you. Benjamin encouraged me. I smiled awkwardly and headed down to the lobby with the two of them. My footsteps were light despite being in armor but it was not easy to get used to my footsteps. Having my view covered by the ck mask and veil was ufortable as well. My experiences with balls were nonexistent other than peeking in the Spring Ball, so I was shaking a lot as well. Will people really not recognize me? Having such thoughts made the corners of my lips twitch. Aaaaarf Our Tith recognized his big bro. Tith, who was swimming in the cistern in the lobby, greeted me outside the water. I made eye contact with him and greeted him back. I gave Percy and the red pandas a lot of hugs before I left the room but it was disappointing that I could not give the harp seal a hug. Tith was smart and did not ssh me with water. He just gently waved his flipper. I think he was telling me to go have fun. Yeah, Ill be back early. You have fun ying tag with the fish, swimming around in your favorite backstroke, ying with the coral I trailed off while looking past the corals. On the other side of the water tank where blue and yellow fish were swimming was a man wearing apletely white uniform with a white mask. His silver hair was very long, and, taking a closer look, he hadrge white wings on his back. The man also had his eyes covered by a veil so I could not check the color of his eyes. He was very tall like the crown prince but I felt like our gazes crossed for a moment. I became anxious and my mouth opened and closed with the fish. Excuse me, you cant juste in here Actually no. They had opened up the lobby until three steps away from the water tank for the nobles who wanted toe greet the divine beast. Ssh! I felt like I could hear the person sigh despite Tiths tail sshing water. Your highness, Im here! Gasp. Evas distinct voice echoed in the lobby at that moment. I became shocked after hearing her call me your highness and quickly moved back. Damn it, I worked so hard to wear this disguise but I think an angel might have already figured out who I am! Trantors Comments Uh oh, secrets out of the bag. Chapter 163: So that love and steps don鈥檛 get tangled (3) Chapter 163: So that love and steps don¡¯t get tangled (3) Benjamin and Sir Johann looked as if they wanted to say something to me but I quickly walked over to Eva by the door. I felt like the gaze of the angel was on my back despite only being able to see his mouth. He has broad shoulders too. I thought the Imperial Crown Prince was the only one like that. Hello, Eva. Your disguise is very awesome. I smiled and whispered. The young Duchess had roses as red as her hair all over her head with some strands of her curly hair looking like vines to make it even cuter. Her mask was ck like mine but decorated with jade, emeralds, and bloodstone to differentiate them. The dress was made of brown satin that matched Evas eyes and decorated with diamonds. They must have twisted and folded the expensive material quite a bit as there were roses the size of basketballs all around the dress. She gave off a rustling noise and a gentle scent of flowers whenever she moved. Basically, she looked as if a bundle of ck roses was turned into a person. (TL: ck roses are not actually ck, they are dark red) The way her eyes smiled underneath the mask was very cute. Thank you very much, your highness. You look fabulous as well. Its all thanks to you, Eva. I also wore the shirt you bought me at the Commerce Centerst time underneath. Thank you very much. The corners of the childs lips twitched once I said that. She then turned her head and changed the topic. By the way, that angel in white, is he perhaps I do not know who that is. Excuse me? The young Duchesss eyes opened wide. Benjamin coughed into his handkerchief. Eva looked at him with a pitying gaze before mumbling, that must be the case if you say so, your highness. I waved to Tith onest time before quickly escorting the child and walking out of the tower. That guy probably wont go around bbing about my identity, right? * Most of the guests were already in the ballroom so we were able to enter the main building without much attention. Eva exined Duchess Cecil nquer and her husbands dispositions as we walked down the hallway. Benjamin advised me about situations that may arise during a masquerade. He said this at the end. Of course, Im certain that you have a lot of rted experiences as well, your highness. However, this is the Empire so a natives words of advice should not be useless. Of course. It is very helpful. I quickly answered. Now that I think about it, Prince Jesse had a nickname of being the Scoundrel of the Holy Kingdom He was said to have been at all sorts of parties and masquerades and had scandals with numerous women. I awkwardly smiled and observed the arched tall windows and the sculptures in the hallway. I could hear beautiful music and peopleughing not too far from us. The attendants at the entrance of the ballroom noticed us and bowed respectfully. It was at that moment. Your highness, Marquis Duhems carriage is here. I see Duke Sarnez over there as well. Sir Johann looked out the window andmented. I looked toward that direction as well. There were a lot of carriages that had arrived in time for the masquerade and I could see the crests of House Sarnez and House Duhem as well. Marquis Duhem got off and extended his hand toward someone inside the carriage. I could see an extremely warm smile on his face despite the distance. Is it his dance partner? I will be assisting in your entrance, mydy and my lord. The attendant respectfully informed us. I jerked my head up. Eva was taking some deep breaths next to me. It finally felt like my first ever masquerade was right in front of my face. My nervousness was making my insides churn and my heart was beating wildly. But I had to deal with this as adult-like as possible. This was Evas debut into the Beau Monde and the child will be publicly announced as the young Duchess today. Eva might lose face if I cannot control myself as her partner. I definitely did not want something like that to happen. Shall we go in? I smiled brightly and asked the young Duchess who was tightly holding onto my arm. I didnt forget to lift the veil and make eye contact as well. Eva had a nk gaze for a moment before That sounds great. She then nodded her head with a solemn gaze. Click, screech Therge door immediately opened. Beautiful music and extravagant lighting weed us. * Benjamin and Sir Johann remained in the areas for attendants and guards while Eva and I walked toward the center of the ballroom. Wow Please just move your eyes to look like I am. You look like a country bumpkin if you move your neck as well. Eva sharply rebuked me. I urgently locked my chin forward. The ballroom was not as luxurious as Strauder Pce during the Spring Ball but the participants were quite colorful. Nobles disguised in all sorts of colors were using humorous tones to hide their identities as they fanned themselves. That persons mask is in the shape of a me. This is a peacock and butterfly couple. That Is that a swan? Mm. There were so many guests that I could not find Ganael and Vice Captain lisabeth. I didnt end up hearing what Christelle and Crown prince Cdrics disguises were but Ganael said that they were masterpieces born out of David-nims utmost efforts. But David was someone who would praise the crown prince even if he was wearing rags Ring ring, ring ring! I flinched for a moment. Thankfully, it was not the crystal bell in my pocket but a bell to announce the start of the masquerade. A portion of the guests moved to the outskirts of the ballroom while only the nobles who were going to dance remained at the center. I looked at Eva and gently let out a deep breath. I debated whether I should say something to encourage her or something, when - A slow song started ying. Eva bowed toward me as I froze for a moment. I quickly bowed back and kissed the back of Evas hand as I memorized and took the first step. I was super thankful that I did not forget the movements I had memorized. Tap, tap! Everybodys clothes and shoes were rustling and tapping on beat. That was surprisingly fun. I spun in circles with the young Duchess while grabbing and letting go of her hand. We were taking the same steps just in opposite directions as if we were facing a mirror. We then took some hops as the childughed. You really memorized it all, my lord. I couldnt be a burden to you. I moved my head underneath Evas arm as I answered. I didnt trip over my own feet or step on Evas dress as I worried about. We whispered to each other for a while and then the first dance came to a close. We looked at each other and bowed once the music died down. People pped all around the ballroom. What was next again? Now we all dance together. Yes, my lord. Oh right, that. This time, everybody got into arge circle and danced in pairs with the person on the inside moving to the side to change partners. A new song started ying. - The orchestras song was smooth and pleasing to the ear. I firmly supported Evas waist so that the child could y as much as she wanted. Then we switched dance partners twice and I was relieved that neither of them seemed discontent with how I danced. This was the first time since a field day in elementary school that I had to match rhythms with someone else. I peeked and saw that Eva seemed to be enjoying herself a lot. All of that practicing was worth it. Did you properly nt the tulip roots? At that moment, my next partner suddenly asked. I blinked in shock. The person had extremely basic armorpared to myself and was even wearing a helmet. What? Is that a popr saying in the Beau Monde these days? Im not sure. Wouldnt the gardeners take care of that? I supported the limping person and answered. I couldnt tell whether the armor was limiting him or if he normally had an issue with his leg. He flinched and looked at me. I didnt know whether he actually looked at me but it felt that way. The man did not seem to like my answer as he silently moved mechanically. Was he looking for a different answer? - ! The music ended on a magnificent note and the armor left my side after barely doing what should have been a bow. I tilted my head and walked to the edge of the ballroom. Does he need to go to the bathroom or something? Great job, your highness. Please have some snacks. Thank you very much. This is exercise as well so it is making me hungry. Benjamin and Sir Johann warmly weed me. The table they were at had smoked salmon mousse and olive, and canaps with all sorts of fruits and vegetables. There were about ten tes of ficelle picarde that were cut into small pieces as well. This setup made me think that I would get full off of finger food. Iughed and drank a cool blueberry ade to start. The music changed again and another shy dance took ce. Eva should eat a bit as she ys too. Eek. I then noticed a woman who was so alluring that it gave me chills. She was dancing with the problematic angel I met in the lobby, and the two of them seriously did not seem to go well together. I must not be the only one feeling that way as the two of them were receiving quite a lot of gazes. Of course, the womans dancing was a bit It was pretty bad. It might be exaggerating a bit but she seemed as bad at dancing as Christelle. However, her exceptional costume and peculiar charm was, as they call it, a critical hit. She is going to be very popr. I had a cup in my mouth as I mumbled. She had ck bat-like wings on her back. Batman No way that is the case so the concept must be the devil. A snake-like bracelet elegantly wrapped around her wrist and the way her blue hair that gave off an ominous air was rolled up on both sides looked like goat horns. Her red lips that were visible underneath her skeleton mask curled up. Huh? Wow. I made a bizarre noise and immediately turned around. My cheeks were so flushed that cold food would heat right up if they were ced on them. That extremely beautiful woman looked at me and smiled? Is this for real? Your highness, your neck is red. Please be quiet, Sir Johann. If you are interested in the youngdy disguised as a devil, I can introduce you to her. I just happen to know her. He seemed to be enjoying this quite a bit. Is this what they call the calm demeanor of a married man? Wait, thats not important right now! Really? Prince Jesse. A familiar voice made me squirm as I turned around. It felt as if I got scolded for having weird thoughts while in someone elses body. The person who walked up to me immediately took off his mask. I became dazed and pulled up my veil. Little Bacary? I did not expect to see you again so quickly either. The seer was as stiff as the nutcracker doll as he showed his respects. He then whispered something unbelievable. Normally, I would need to deliver this message to his Royal Highness as he is her Majestys son, however, I have no way of knowing what his Royal Highness is disguised as and havee to find you instead, your highness. Are you saying that I am easily noticeable? You are saying something obvious, your highness. What kind ofpletely unexpected nonsense is this Please be on your guard. I see the shadows of death in this ce. Wait a minute, why is your nose bleeding? I gasped and grabbed a napkin from Benjamin. The young boys nose had started bleeding. I covered his nose with the napkin and looked at him again to see that the seer looked pale and felt extremely cold. Sir Johann closed the chiffon curtain around our area with swift movements. I urgently asked. Is it always like this? Do you bleed whenever you get a revtion? No, your highness. This is the first time There has never been any malfunction like this in the past. Please dont use words like that. Myment made Bacary close his mouth and squirm. Benjamin, Sir Johann, and I exchanged nces. Something seemed to be happening here. * It was different from a normal revtion. Everything turned dark and I could smell the stench of a terrible plot. The way it felt as if my blood was flowing in reverse I recalled the captainsments as I walked out of the curtains. The young boy had calmed down thanks to my healing circle and was now asleep on the couch with attendants looking after him. My heart sank at first thinking there would be a terrorist attack. However, Bacary was certain that it was not that sort of revtion. It was about a single persons pain. I did not see any fire, explosions, swords, or blood. Either way, it should mean that there is a suspicious person in here. And that it would be best to capture that person before they leave. That should be the case. Even if that was the case, I was concerned about Bacarys condition. If it is a different revtion than usual Did he perhaps see something that doesnt happen in the original novel? Is that why his body is reacting like this? I dont have enough clues. They are all just guesses. I mumbled and stood in a random spot. Benjamin had left to inform Duchess nquer and her husband about this. I decided to take a look at the guests in the ballroom while Sir Johann started from the first floor and checked all of the open terraces and balconies on all floors. I nned to inform Eva, Vice Captain lisabeth, and Ganael if I ran into them. It would be great if Christelle or the crown prince bastard spoke to me first Mmph! I gasped while looking at the person who was suddenly in front of me. It was that charming devil youngdy from earlier. Trantors Comments Heeeeeeelloooooo devil youngdy~ Chapter 164: So that love and steps don鈥檛 get tangled (4) Chapter 164: So that love and steps don¡¯t get tangled (4) Hello, madam. I barely managed to speak. The beautiful devil youngdy showed her respects to me, smiled, and slowly offered her right hand. I gulped, took her hand and kissed the back of her hand. I was as anxious as when I first entered the ballroom and felt as if my mind was going nk. Now what do I do? What else am I supposed to say? Ive only been on one group date when I was in college! -! My eyes were rolling around as I thought when, fortunately or unfortunately, elegant music started ying. She used movements as slick as water to wrap one arm around my shoulder. Y, you want to dance together? Mm, please take good care of me. I cautiouslymented and the woman quietly chuckled as if she found it to be entertaining. Thanks to the intense training I had, I did not take any wrong steps or step on her feet despite being anxious. I didnt know where to look so my eyes had wandered around before I decided to look next to her ear. The youngdy chuckled once again. I was so embarrassed that my ears felt hot. Im not like this around my few friends or work buddies. Im really not Rustle, ruuuuustle. Hahaha! Capes and dresses fluttered along with the music while the adrenaline-filled guests wereughing out loud. The devildy seemed to have no sense of rhythm at all but she was okay with my assistance. I supported her hips while debating whether this could potentially be Christelle. However Riiiiiiiip! Ah fuck. During my first meeting with Christelle, she ripped an expensive dress in the temple. After that, she usually did not wear dresses. She said that they were pretty but she had to give them up because they were not very practical. I heard that she destroyed them a lot and tripped over her own dress as well, so I dont think she would look this natural in a dress. Your highness. I heard Evas voice at that moment. I flinched and looked to my side. The young Duchess, who was dancing with another youngdy, was smiling mischievously while looking at me. Did you really turn into a ck knight who has fallen for the devils seduction? The child whispered as if to make fun of me. Those words brought me back to my senses. This was not the time for me to be doing this. I looked at the youngdys eyes that were faintly visible because of a veil and clenched my teeth. Modeste Bacary, the young Captain of the Fleur-de-lis, said that he witnessed the shadow of death in this ce. It wasnt something major like a terrorist attack or an assassination, but there was definitely a suspicious person in this ballroom. I needed to inform my friends who are scattered around this ce about it and find that person. Because You are in danger. There seems to be something that the Almighty God has nned for you. The Ark of the Wind Deitys voice echoed in my mind. Of course, the danger he talked about might not be this situation. This incident may have no connections to me at all and I might just be getting riled up for no reason. However, if the little seer had foresight regarding content that is different from the original, it was hard to say that it was not rted to me at all. Either way, it wouldnt be good to resolve the issue. Madam, if you I whispered to the devil youngdy. She looked up at me and we were so close that the tips of our nose might touch with the slightest of movement. I was about to say something more before closing my mouth. I was about to tell her to let me know if you see any suspicious people, but I could not forget that she might be that person. If you see Dame Christelle de Sarnez or his Royal Highness, please let me know. I changed directions instead. She smiled brightly and nodded her head. After that, I continued to dance with the devil youngdy with a calm and clear mind. Her fingers by my neck tappedpletely off beat from the music and she sometimes moved differently from the proper steps. I looked around for any suspicious people while I danced with her, but nobody stood out. Seriously, I dont have enough clues. It wasnt as if I could just grab anybody and interrogate them. Thank you very much. The dance came to an end. I respectfully bowed to her before quickly leaving the crowd. Benjamin and Sir Johann were waiting for me at the table. I could see the seer sleeping on the couch as well. How did it go? I shared the revtion with Duchess nquer and her husband. Her husband was concerned and asked if we should stop the masquerade. However, Duchess Cecil did not agree. She said that nobody has left the main building until now so it might be better to close it off and catch any suspicious people here. Benjamin exined. It made sense. The Lords Castle had a lot of guards and the strength of the people here was quite high. The Duchess herself was a Grade 8 mage and we also had Christelle, the Crown prince, Vice Captain lisabeth, and Marquis Duhem who arrived not too long ago. Did anybody seem suspicious? I asked Sir Johann. I smiled with an extremely awkward look on his face. There were a lot of people secretly chatting on the terraces or balconies. But to ask them what they are talking about The mood in the air was quite hot. That I see. Mm, that is understandable. There are rumors about Prince Jesse fooling around like that as well. I rubbed my cheek with my hand that was cold from being covered by armor. Both of you did great. Unfortunately, I did not have any gains. I couldnt even find Dame Sarnez or his Royal Highness. Im sorry. Benjamin let out a deep sigh before waving his hand to tell me not to worry. I found David-nim and informed him of the situation so his Royal Highness should have heard by now. Dame Sarnez should have heard as well because she is his dance partner. Thats great. You worked very hard. As expected, Benjamin was our problem solver. I gave him a thumbs up and looked around the ballroom again. I noticed Evaing our way and quickly waved my hand. I thought that I should feed her while telling her about the seer and at leaste up with some sort of n before we moved again. Huh? I could see Vice Captain lisabeth and Ganael as well! * Im sleepy. Eva sat down on a round couch and mumbled. It was understandable because it was already past 11:30pm. Vice Captain lisabeth clicked her tongue and pulled off the childs mask to brush her hair back. It was extremely tricky to find any suspicious guests when we had no clues. Even the attendants handing out champagne on silver tes were wearing masks. In addition Unfortunately, I cannot remove this corsage. The ck. me. Dragon. inside of me will run wild. Ah I see. The nobles who were drunk on this costume concept would say some unfathomable things. Eva had her arm around mine and dutifully participated in the Beau Monde for two hours, but she seemed quite fatigued now. She seemed to want to give up as she said, your highness, it is you. You are the most suspicious here. and pointed me out. She wasnt really wrong so I nodded my head as I responded. Close your eyes, Eva. Ill wake you up when your parentse out. The young Countess gently soothed Eva andid her down on herp. The stamina of a Grade 8 swordswoman was unbelievable and her fiance, Grade 8, was still lively as well. The two of them also thoroughly searched the ballroom without any results. We didnt receive any special messages from Duchess nquer either. I peeked toward Bacary, who was sleeping without any movement. Should we wake him up and ask again, your highness? Ganael, who took off his lion mask and had it at his side, asked. I gently shook my head no. Sir Johann already confirmed that the Captain was not sleeping. He was in mana interphase, a special kind of rest for mages. He would not be able to wake up until the flow of mana inside of him stabilized. I will go once more. Vice Captain lisabeth, get some rest of Ganael. I pulled my veil down as I said that. Sir Johann was working hard so I could still bear with it as well. I made up my mind to do my best for my survival and return home so I nned on working hard even if it did not lead to any results. It would be best if nothing ended up happening. * Ah. Im really sorry. You will need to work harder to earn my loyalty, my esteemed ck Knight. I finally ended up stepping on my partners shoe and the person who was cosying the Phantom of the Pas de Trois respectfully criticized me. My attention seemed to have fallen because I was a bit tired. I smiled bitterly and bowed when the song and my partner changed. I looked at the person in front of me with bewilderment. Hmm? - It was the angel I met at the tower. The silver-haired man tightly held me as if we were wrestling but started dancing the waltz while leading extremely well. I was a bit embarrassed but it was nice because I could rx. Step forward, backward, spin like the water in ake. I moved my feet mechanically and thoroughly looked around. More nobles started chatting instead of dancing as the night grew deep. There were a lot less people in the middle of the ballroom than a few hours ago. Umm, thank you for keeping my identity a secret. I remembered that I did not thank him earlier and did it now. However, the angel just kept his mouth shut despite my whispering. I guess he doesnt talk much. The way his nose is proudly held up and the way he acts is exactly like some- Hold on. My eyes opened wide as I looked at him. I got chills on my arm. I was spun out like a top for two steps before returning on beat. Are you perhaps who I think you are? The man was silent and unresponsive. It was scary because this made him seem even more like that person. I felt as if his face was ovepping on top of this white mask. It was my fault for thinking that there were two punks in the Empire with legs this long, but if this really is him If this really is the crown prince, then the devil youngdy was Christelle. Damn it! Let me go home! Did the two of you note to the table until now to make fun of me? What did you do about your snacks? Did you properly nt the tulip roots? I heard a rough voice behind me at that moment. An extremely ominous feeling struck me on the back of the head. I turned my head to look but the dancers were hidden behind other nobles and I could not see. Is it maybe that armored person from earlier? Is he going around asking that question to everybody? Something is weird. I poked my head around and mumbled. The man who will ask the same question until his voice went out and left without even saying bye after hearing the answer. It seemed too much for just being a concept. The music was slowly getting cheerful. I subconsciously frowned and my face tensed up. The angel peeked toward where I was ring and ! Eek! Lifted me up by the waist on beat. I couldnt breathe for a moment, felt extremely embarrassed and shocked and bbergasted that I let out a weird noise! Have you confirmed his location? The angel stoically asked. I knew it, you are the damn crown prince! Hey, you Only the male lead would be able to let out such a voice. My disbelief would not go away despite returning to the ground. Everybody dancing had done it but I still could not get used to i No. Dont forget your goal, Jung Yeseo. Hmm, ahem. I lost him, your Royal Highness. Lets do it again. I fixed my voice, pulled back my veil, and answered in a solemn voice. The crown prince spun in a circle as he nodded with his chin. And then -! Ugh! He picked me up like a bag of rice on the next beat. I held my breath, opened my eyes wide and scanned the ballroom. Someone who was covered in armor and limping was urgently following someone to the balcony. I got you now, you bastard! Please take care of the rest! Tap! Inded on the ground, left the crown prince there, and ran. I felt like I was the ball in pinball or a falling pinwheel as I tried to get through the nobles who were spinning around dancing. But it did not take long to get to the balcony. I caught my breath and looked back and forth at the two balconies. Shit, is it because Im dizzy? I cant remember which one it is! Chh! Please excuse me! I first pulled open the left curtain. If this is wrong, I can open the right side, Ah I was at a loss for words for a moment. Marquis Franois Duhem, and a young girl who seemed to be his dance partner, were leaning against the ledge looking at me in shock. This was clearly an unexpected development for both sides. We were silent for a moment and did not even greet each other. My fingertips were slightly shaking. My night air felt extremely cold, potentially because it was Fall. Did I get the wrong one? I must have, right? Prince Jesse. I Marquis finally spoke to me extremely respectfully. I flinched. After that Ow, ugh Someone painfully groaned on the first floor. Crunch! I heard a branch break. I could tell what was going on even without looking down. The armored person had jumped off the balcony and ran. Trantors Comments Dun dun duuuuuuun Chapter 165: Exit (1) Chapter 165: Exit (1) I took big steps toward the ledge. Marquis Franois Duhem looked at the unfamiliar girl and spoke gently. Thrse, greet his highness. My name is Thrse Duhem. I greet Prince Jesse Viaan, the Moon of the Holy Kingdom. The youngdy who seemed to be in her teens bowed toward me. Since herst name was Duhem, it was highly likely that she was one of the Marquis three younger sisters. The only siblings I knew about were Captain Herv Duhem and youngdy Antote until now. Hello. Umm, excuse me. I showed my respects quickly before walking in between the siblings. I knew that it was disrespectful, but this was more urgent. The Marquis looked at me with a shocked gaze but I didnt care and inspected the area underneath the ledge. Crack! Ssss! The shrubs groaned as they broke. Its fine, I got him! Someone bring over some rope! Ugh, let me go! Do you know who I am?! Take off the helmet! Take off the helmet first! Haaaa I sighed in relief as I watched. The soldiers of the Duchy rushed over to the flower bed and had the armored man pushed down on the ground. He was around the middle point of the balcony I entered and the right balcony. Duchess Cecil nquer had meant it when she said that they would close off the main building and catch the suspicious person on site. My shoulders and legs rxed as the tension disappeared. Youngdy Thrse must have been scared as she was tightly hugging the Marquis. I leaned on the ledge and looked toward the right. I was extremely shocked. That is That seems to be Duke Sarnez. He entered at the same time as me, your highness! He is disguised as the < Phantom of the Pas de Trois >, which this child right here loves. The Marquis exined in his usual voice. The youngdys face rxed a bit and she smiled. But I could not smile with her. The Duke, who had been alone on the right balcony, waspletely stiff as if he was surprised at someones visit. The unexpected guest used rough hand movements to throw away her skeleton mask and re at him. Those bat-like ck wings and blue hair swirled up like goat horns And those blue-gray eyes that sparkled like Alpha Pegasi in a night in the fall The devil youngdy. Christelle. I quietly mumbled. She, who had been in the ballroom, must have noticed that I was chasing a suspicious person and followed me. I couldnt tell whether it was a relief or misfortune that she checked the other side in my ce. I couldnt hear what they were saying, but the atmosphere there was clearly bad. I gulped and clenched my eyes shut before opening them back. I need to be calm. I needed to calm myself and organize my thoughts. Basically, after hearing Bacarys revtion, we were looking for the shadow of death and someone giving off a stench of a terrible plot. That bastard had asked if we properly nted the tulip roots as if to secretly contact someone. It was as if that was a code. He then followed someone toward this balcony where Marquis Duhem was, or that balcony with Duke Sarnez, before throwing himself into the flower bed. There were a couple things this could mean. First, It was possible that one of these two Pair de Riester really Conspired with the armored man for unspeakable scheming. Let go of me! Give me back the helmet! Shit! Get lost! My goodness, it is the young Duke! What a mess. Call the Knight Captain-nim right away! My goodness. Marquis Duhem gasped in astonishment. My jaw dropped. Something ridiculous that I had not even imagined was happening down below. The first floor terrace was alreadypletely packed with spectators. All of the balconies were full of people. I mumbled in shock. Its Robert nquer. Second. That bastard finished conspiring with a third party and simply used the balcony to run away. I raised my head and looked at the Marquis. His light pink eyes that were sparkling in the moonlight did not avoid my gaze. Marquis, was the young Duke here until a few moments ago by chance? Unfortunately, we did not have such joy. I was chatting with Thrse. Ah, the introductions are quitete, your highness. This is my youngest sister! He hugged the youngdy as he spoke. Thrses eyes that looked almost identical to the Marquis eyes curled up before she buried her face in his shoulder with embarrassment. I had no idea what to say to that. It was at that moment. Ruuuumble! I heard something simr to thunder from beyond the mountain range. The people outside becamepletely silent as if they had cold water poured over their heads. After that Boobooboooom Eek! Ahhh! The ground shook and screams could be heard from inside and outside the main building. The shaking, which was as light as a vibrating cellphone at first, was slowly getting as strong as an earthquake. The Marquis urgently grabbed the staggering Thrse and I and channeled his mana. The instant that I made eye contact with him, I could see that he waspletely focused. * Screech, screech, screeeech No, nothings wrong. Yeah. Nobody got hurt. I did my best to calm and console our little troublemakers that Benjamin urgently brought over from the tower. The coward, Rhea, showed no signs of moving away from me so I had to have Sir Johann and Ganael look after Demy and Perry. Percy was turning into a mocha bread on top of the Imperial Crown Princes head. It was now about thirty minutes since the sudden shaking. All of the guests invited to the nquer Lords Castle, their attendants, and the staff at the castle were all gathered in the za. I was able to evacuate to this ce faster than anybody else thanks to Marquis Duhems teleportation specialty. Evas eyes were wide open as if she waspletely awake now while Crown prince Cdric and Christelle took their disguises off all the way to their wigs before they stood next to me. Maybe it was me, but David seemed a bit disappointed. Are the two of you hurt anywhere? We are okay. What about you, your highness? Im fine as well. I exchanged a short conversation with Christelle. She had Tith on her back and was standing next to Lady Isabelle, but, potentially because of what happened on the balcony, the expression on her face was not very good. Duke Sarnez was a few steps behind them. I could see Modeste Bacary on a servants back as well. This is unbelievable. What is going on? They said that a demonic beast must have woken up! The east truly is wild. It is not that rare. Something like this happened during the Masquerade eight or nine years ago as well. The nobles, who had half their disguises off, chatted, sounding both concerned and excited. They were all speaking loudly, potentially because most of them had a lot to drink. The soldiers of the Duchy were stationed in a circle around therge za to protect everyone. I had heard that the border did not have much friction but that the mountain ranges had a lot of demonic beasts and the cold looks on their faces made it look as if they were used to this. Over there, my mother ising. Eva pointed to a spot. We all turned toward that direction. Duchess nquer, who wasing with her husband and the Knight Captain, was entering the za with quick yet elegant movements. This was quite a dire situation but her face showed no signs of worry. The bound young Duke nquer was being dragged behind her. The nobles were pping their fans while whispering to each other. Your Royal Highness. Duchess nquer. The Duchess showed restrained respects to the Crown prince in the front of our group before looking at Eva for a moment and then breaking the silence. I haven o excuses for making you experience such an ominous incident on a day that should only be full of joy and blessing. I received a message that one of the two dungeons in the territorys mountain ranges suddenly opened out of the blue. The entire Knights Brigade is ready to fight. It is my and the Magic Towers goal to suppress the hoards of demonic beasts until dawn and seal the dungeon. Her voice was as calm as if she was reading the breakfast menu. However, we were the only ones who were quiet. The nobles were now talking loudly with anxious tones. The fact that the crystal bell was quiet must mean that the distance between the demonic beasts and the Lords Castle were far away. I blinked a few times before making eye contact with the crown prince. His orange eyes seemed calm. Dungeons in the QNW world evil caves that were full of demonic beasts. They were usually located high in the mountains and required special interest like an active volcano. The dungeon that opened in Duhem March during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts was one that opened once a year. The residents there could live in peace knowing that the clearance happened right on time every year. I learned from Eva that the two dungeons in the nquer Duchy were also well-maintained. Those areas were not consistently checked, but the Magic Tower located deep in the jungle checked the flow of mana 24 hours a day, making them able to immediately notice the appearance of demonic beasts. In that case, was this just coincidence? The fact that the dungeon burst open when the two main characters are in the territory? Theres no way. I quietly mumbled. It is highly likely that it is because of the divine items, your Royal Highness. Most likely. The crown prince responded in a low voice. Most people only recognized his Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star as a divine item here right now. However, there was a divine item inside my body, Christelles body, and Percy, the bird everybody called The Princes cute chimney bird, was one himself. A total of five divine items were in the territory right now counting the Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life in the forest. Demonic beasts show an instinctual desire to attack divine items, so It was not weird for a dormant dungeon to explode. Is this perhaps what Nikky was talking about? That is correct. However, you cannot forget the most important existence. I recalled his warning about how the divine items were gathering in one ce and getting stronger as well as his warning about he didnt know what would happen if they all came together. I gently rubbed the area around my heart that he had pointed at during our conversation. That must have made me look anxious as Christelle extended her hand and ced it on the back of my hand. I couldnt help but chuckle. Im okay, Dame Sarnez. Still. She quietly whispered. The back of my head felt prickly for some reason. The Duchess continued to speak. I do not have the authority to stop the guests from returning to their respective homes or territories. However, I strongly suggest that you stay here until noon as demonic beasts that came out of the dungeon could attack you on the mountain path. That should be enough time for my knights and I to take care of the weaker ones. This is crazy business. I will be leaving. An old woman grumbled as she put on her jacket. Some of the nobles agreed with her and raised their voices. The Duchess nodded her head to show that she would respect their decisions. In movies, those people are usually the first No, I shouldnt have such thoughts about the elderly. I quickly shook my head. There is actually one more thing for me to tell you. Isnt it an urgent situation, Duchess-nim? Someone suddenly asked. They were grumbling that she was talking so much. The Duchess didnt even blink as she continued to speak. As you all are probably aware, my son, Robert He dishonored his Royal Highness and his guest, Prince Jesse and caused a scandal. It is embarrassing but there was another time when he dirtied our family name in the past as well. Today, he intruded into this building without permission. Everybody closed their mouths and stared at us. I felt my neck getting hot. I stiffened my chin so that I do not pay much attention to the gazes of people I dont know. Eva, standing next to me, had the same look on her face. As a result, my husband and I have determined that Robert is not fit to be the heir of our house. Mother! Duchess-nim! The young Duke bastard shouted in a cracking voice. I could see the young Duchess clenching her fists. She seemed to be barely holding herself back from grabbing Vice Captain lisabeth or my arm. I looked at Eva and smiled. Children grow well if everybody helps them. No! Starting from this moment, my second child, Eva, is officially young Duchess nquer. Wooooooooooow! The nobles cheered. Some of them even pped despite this not being the situation for something like that. Eva smiled as brightly as a Queen of the Night flower in the middle of the night and looked up at me before hugging me so hard that she basically mmed her head into me. It hurt a bit but my joy was greater than my pain. Hahaha. Whimper! Rhea licked Evas cheek, Christelle whispered congrattory remarks, and Vice Captain lisabeth kissed the young Duchesss head saying that she went through so much until now. Small golden pebbles started appearing from the childs body. She must not be able to control her ether because she was so happy. The Duchess and her husband looked at us with a somewhat upset look on their faces as if this had nothing to do with them. I rubbed Evas back and bit down on my lips. I have heard about parents with no maternal or paternal love, but how could they be so business-like? You may all leave if you please. Your Royal Highness, with your permission, I would like to escort you to the tower. I will report as soon as the situation is settled. I will also report any information I get from interrogating Robert. The nobles started scattering as soon as the Duchess said that. The crown prince flicked his chin, and the young master, who had been the official young Duke until one minute ago, was screaming with a red face and kicking into the air. The Knight Captain did not want to hear him anymore and ced a gag in his mouth. It was a desperate measure to maintain his masters dignity. Shall we head back to the room, your highness? I will fill a bath for you. I nodded at Benjaminsment. I could see Duke Sarnez and the Duhem siblings getting onto their carriages through the crowd of people walking around with all sorts of decorations dangling on their bodies. Those people Do I have no way of stopping them from leaving? Trantors Comments Sadly, I do not think so Jesse. Chapter 166: Exit (2) Chapter 166: Exit (2) I bathed clean and put on my pajamas before I stood in front of the bedroom I was invited to with both a pillow and Tith in my arms. It was long past 1 am because of the masquerade and the incident with the dungeon. Benjamin and Ganael were smiling behind me. This was no big deal, but I was getting a bit anxious. Knock knock. Come on in! Once I knocked, someone shouted back in an energetic voice. It was Christelle. I had spent the night outdoors with her before, but this was the first time I was sleeping in the same room as her. Mm I cautiously opened the door. Excuse me. Squeeeeee Squeeeee. Screeeech! Piiiiiiiiii- I said a single sentence, and the little troublemakers, plus Percy, allmented before running into the room. The four people seated on the bed got up and bowed. I wasnt even from here, but seeing my friends while in pajamas made me feel awkward and embarrassed. I bowed back as Lady Isabelle de Sarnez awkwardly smiled and answered. It was my daughters idea, your highness. Thank you very much foring. Yes, maam. Thank you for inviting me. I answered in a shrinking voice. Christelle must have noticed that I was feeling awkward as sheughed mischievously. Eva, who was in Vice Captain lisabeths arms, lookedpletely awake despite thete hour. She looked ready to stay up all night, fueled by her excitement about bing the young Duchess. The child looked at me and proimed in a loud voice. Pajama parties are really fun, your highness. We are all partying together in our castle today! Im looking forward to it. Dont you agree, your highness? Flinch. The one who responded was Sir Johann, who was shamelessly standing there with a smile on his face. I gasped after looking at him, wondering when he showed up. He has no problems being the only guy in a bedroom full of women! * That was how the room that Duchess Cecil nquer had set up for Duke Sarnez and his wife ended up bing the location of our pajama party. The reason was surprisingly simple. Duke Sarnez came right as the masquerade started and left immediately. This made Christelle and Isabelle so angry that they decided to stay here together. But when thinking more about it, they thought it was too much of a waste to spend such a special day like this. They decided to call all their friends and set up multiplefortable bedding on the ground. They asked the staff at the Lords Castle for some alcohol and snacks while they put a lot of firewood into the firece. Crack, crack crack The sound of the firewood cracking was nice to hear. The candles lighting up the room also added to the cozy vibe. I held a cup of warm cocoa with both hands as I sat down, looking toward the firece. Next to me were the four divine beasts and one chimney bird, all fast asleep and curled up together into one bundle. Then the nned opening might be pushed back to November? Yeah. I hope you can go with us too. I can go if his highness apanies his Royal Highness. Vice Captain lisabeth and Ganael, who were basically stuck at the hips, whispered to each other and smiled. I had thought they were as close as siblings when I didnt know about their rtionship, but now that I do know, their level of being lovey-dovey was no joke. When will our main characters end up as such a lovely couple like them? I stared at the Imperial Crown Prince bastard, who was now seated next to me, looking as if he was posing for a nightgown photoshoot, with a sharp gaze. Im proud of him for not missing this sort of gathering, but If you have something you wish to say, speak. Its nothing, your Royal Highness. Does he have eyes on his side or something? I ignored hisment and grumbled internally. Sir Johann was using the light from the firece to write a letter to Gerrit. Even Benjamin and David were enjoying themselves while drinking wine and chatting with each other, but I could only smile bitterly as the few things I managed to hear made it obvious they were talking about attending to the crown prince and me. Christelle, who had been whispering with Isabelle on the bed, came over and plopped down on my left. Oh, its Dame Sarnez. Eva, who was humming a waltz and petting the divine beasts, reacted andid down on herp. Christelle smiled and ran her fingers through the childs curly hair. I asked in a quiet voice. What about your mother? She is asleep, your highness. She usually goes to sleep early. This was already quitete for her. I looked at the bed in the distance and nodded my head. Christelle started talking to Eva. Our young Duchess-nim. That announcement should have taken ce in a much cooler atmosphere. Are you not disappointed? Please give us ament. I didnt even expect it to go as nned. Something weird always happens when Prince Jesse is around. The youngdy, no, our young Duchess nquer, smirked as shemented. She then peeked at me and tightly held onto the hem of my pants. She must have done this in case I was upset at what she said. I chuckled and changed the topic for her. The Duchess didnt mention that Eva was blessed by the divine item. That is important information as well. It was probably because of her pride. My mother is the person who protects the divine item. For her to not urately know who received the Sacred Bows blessing Gao? (TL: A ng term in Korean to mean face. Derived from a Japanese term) She would lose it. Excuse me? I questioned what I had just heard. I was absolutely certain that I had never used such a word in front of Eva. I looked toward Christelle with a shocked look on my face. She looked perplexed and quickly started rubbing Evas head. Stop, what if she loses some hair? Please go to sleep now, our young Duchess. You need to sleep well to grow tall. Christelle whispered. Eva closed her eyes as if she had been waiting for someone to say that. Sir Johann put down his quill pen and put a nket over the child. I was sighing in disbelief, but seeing her like that made my eyes feel as if they would close as well. I buried my face in my knees and enjoyed a few minutes of silence. I dozed off for a minute and woke up to hear Christelle quietly talking. I want to get super strong and protect you, your highness, but you are not the only one I want to protect. I want my mother to be happy and for my other friends to stay healthy as well. I want things to stay like they are right now, without anything happening. But my father has kept himself, hiding in the Lords Castle since my appointment Rumble The ground shook in the distance. Something shed like lightning in the darkness outside the window. The Duchess and her Knights Brigade were busy killing the hoards of demonic beasts on this rainless autumn night. I sleepily looked toward Eva. She was only sixteen, but she quickly fell into a deep slumber as if she was used to this kind of situation. Im sure it wasnt Mr. Franois. His personality is one where he cant ever scheme. Im sure he had a reason for why he left so early today sh. I next heard Vice Captain lisabeths voice. The cup of cocoa that had been in my hands was now ced far away from me. Someone must have taken it out of my hands after noticing that I had fallen asleep. I scrunched my eyes after hearing that important information was being shared. There was no need to make it so obvious that I was not one of the main characters. Please hold on a little longer, mymoners stamina In that case, do you think that Duke Sarnez-nim was the person who met with young master Robert? Ganael whispered with concern. I jerked my head up, half asleep. It made me ufortable and upset that Duke Simon de Sarnez might have been at the center of a scheme that could have been rted to me. I made eye contact with Christelle, whose gaze was sinking deep down. You are putting too much faith in the Fleur-de-lis. Crown prince Cdric, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly interjected. Christelle and I looked at him at the same time. His orange eyes were sparkling the same way as the mes in the firece. The Captain could have lied. Ah, that is true Ganael nodded his head at the crown princes stern opinion. That was true. His uracy is only eighty percent. They said that they will be interrogating young master Robert, so why dont we wait for the results? That question regarding the tulip concerns me, but it is possible that the young master was acting on his own. It could be possible that he didnt follow anyone into the balcony despite looking like it The young Countess spoke in a serious voice. My head nodded on its own, as it was a thought that I had considered as well. Marquis Duhems face flew by through my blurry vision. His gaze toward his youngest sister had been quite gentle, and there had been no hesitation when he evacuated me. The Marquis was talkative, and his movements were quite exaggerated, but he was a good person. As for Duke Sarnez Boom. Ow. I ran my forehead into something and groaned. This was basically how I had been when I was on the train heading home after working overtime. I had been very active, dancing, walking, and running,, so my stamina couldntst any longer. I could hear a low sigh near my head. In the next moment, I wasid down on afortable pillow with a nket rolling over me. I could see Christelles face in front of me. Am I dreaming? Its not a dream. Everybody hasid down to go to sleep now, your highness. She read my thoughts and whispered. I seemed to have taken a catnap. But why are youying down next to me? There is no room on the bed. We did this when we spent the night outdoors as well, so what is the issue? Mm, that is true. Hehehe. Your highness, you are half-asleep right now, so I feel like I can tell you everything. The things that I am hiding. The things that I have not said You probably wont even remember them in the morning. Her warm voice felt like butterflies gentlynding on my ears. I slowly blinked. Its possible. My eyes are peculiar. Actually, I do not know if it is an issue with my eyes or my brain. It is easiest to say that I see some people in 4k and some only in 480p But there is a difference. It is not just an issue of seeing them physically, it is the sense of their existence in my heart? Their liveliness? Something like that is different. Its weird, isnt it? Its fine I knew you would say that, your highness. I tried not to think too much about it either, but Lately, it has been concerning me. Do you think that this might be a form of blessing as well? A blessing from the Blessing of the Blue Sea. Rustle, rustle. Someone moved by the window. Christelle quieted her breathing. This time, she put the nketpletely over her head and whispered. Anyway, both my father and Marquis Duhem Their liveliness suddenly became clear. The Marquis has always been glowing, but he was even brighter today. It could be for a different reason, but I couldnt brush past it You are a special existence, your highness. Other people might not know that, but I do. Nheless Please dont worry. I am right here. A cold finger tapped the tip of my nose before moving away. Her voice started to feel distant. * Cruuuuuuu, cruu! Aigoo. I am getting up, yeeeeesir I am I hugged Demy, who was pushing down on my stomach, and woke up. Rhea and Perry were pulling at the sleeves of my pajamas. I must have slept for a long time, as I could see the sun shining high in the sky. I thought that my back would hurt from sleeping on the floor, but I was feeling surprisingly fine. I guess even the bedding is good in a House of a Duke. Where is everybody? I looked around and mumbled. The fact that the firece was still going showed that someone must havee to put more firewood in the morning, but all of the other beddings were empty. Did they not clean up because they were worried that they would wake me up? It felt like the one time I went to an overnight retreat with a few others and was the only one to wake upte. That was already ten years ago, but it was a greatparison. What time is it? Aarf Tithe was asleep, whining to one side. I slowly got up and checked the bed to see that Eva was hugging the divine beast as she slept. Heres one more sleepyhead. They kicked off all of the nkets. Theyre going to catch a cold. I fixed the nket for the two kids and headed toward the room door. Isabelle and everybody else seemed to have woken up early to eat breakfast. Percy flew over from the window andnded on my shoulder. I slowly turned the doorknob. It felt odd. It made sense that it was quiet since nobody was here, but it felt eerily silent. Click. Wow, your highness. You are up. Ganael immediately greeted me from beyond the door. I seem to have caught him on his way to wake me up. Good morning. I said good morning, but the young boy looked unsettled as he responded with a yes. I tilted my head. This kid was not a good actor, and it was always easy to tell when he was ufortable. Ganael, did something happen? What is going on? Where is Benjamin? Benjamin-nim is getting your breakfast ready, your highness. And, umm It was at that moment. Boooooooom! A shaking more than twice as strong as those ofst night shook the Lords Castle. I immediately hid Ganaels head in my arms and crawled under a nearby table. Demy, go to Eva! You guys protect Benjamin! Whimper! Kiiiiiii! The red pandas quickly ran toward the bed and the hallway. I heard some crumbling noises before the magic lights in the ceiling and the candles started shaking. ng! I heard some pottery breaking in the distance. Ahh! Someone screamed outside the window. I got chills despite it being the middle of the day. I held Percy as well and clenched my teeth. The terrible shaking, thankfully, did notst long. It felt as if itsted for two hours, but it actuallysted for about two minutes. Haaa.. Everything was silent as if nothing had happened. Ganaels gold eyes shook ominously. Your highness, Duchess nquer was unable to seal the dungeonst night. They are still fighting. What? The Magic Tower and the Knights Brigade were not enough. His Royal Highness and Dame Sarnez headed into the mountains before the sun even came up. Vice Commander Moutet and the Imperial Guard as well The young boys voice was shaking. I felt my blood run cold. Trantors Comments Uh ohspaghetti-o. Chapter 167: Exit (3) Chapter 167: Exit (3) Two priests who reside in the Lords Castle left with th I didnt even listen to Ganaels sentences until the end. I ran into the bathroom, cleaned myself, and then put on somefortable shirt and pants before wearing my boots. I just had warm milk and three pieces of chaussons aux pommes for breakfast. Ganael, who saw how little I ate, looked as if he might start crying at any moment. I got ready almost instantly and stood in front of the young boy and Benjamin. Ive packed everything. Drinking water, snacks, painkillers, clean cloths, extra clothes, emergency dagger. The crystal bell is over here. I also put the headdress in there just in case. I picked up the bag that went across my chest as I spoke. Ganael looked pale and Benjamin seemed quite concerned as well. The two of them were saying things like, his Royal Highness and Dame Sarnez did that because they care about you, but they could not actively stop me. I did my best to rx my face that was continuously getting stiff from anger. Even if Im weak, how could you guys go without me? Im the two of your priest partner! Your highness, what about a guard? You cannot go by yourself. Itll be fine because I have Sir Johann. Ganael opened and closed his mouth without being able to say anything at my answer. I knelt down to hug Demy, Rhea, Perry, and Tith. Demy must have read my thoughts as he pushed on my stomach and whined. Yes, how could I trick our boss? You guys stay in the castle. It might be even more dangerous than during the Great Clearance. Screeeech Sorry. Can you stay here and protect our friends? Look after Tith as well. You can do it, right? Whimper Demys ck bean-like eyes teared up. It made me weak but I could not get myself to tell him toe with me. It could not be helped even if someone pointed out that I was doing to them exactly as Christelle and that crown prince bastard had done to me. Even if they had amazing abilities, they were little animals that could not speak humannguage. I clearly remembered how Rhea and Perry had been hiding in the corner of the reed field shaking in fear near the end of the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. It would be different if I was in a situation with no choice, but I could not take the divine beasts as weapons and take them with me. I was their temporary guardian after all. I leave it to you, Demy. I shook hands with him and looked at Percy who was sitting on the back of my hand. The chimney bird tilted his body and made eye contact with me. Percy, you cante with me because you are a divine item. You know that, right? Pipi. Yeah, I wont repeat myself since you are the smartest bird in the world. I tickled the little guys chest and then got up. I did make a deal with Percy but I was not his master. Furthermore, the one who warned me that something might happen if all of the divine items gathered together was none other than the Ark of the Wind Deity. A serious incident might happen if Percy headed toward the Jungle where the rest of the divine items were gathered. Ill be back soon. Aarf Tith let out a short cry. I left the divine beasts and walked down the hallway before peeking into Lady Isabelles room. It seemed as if Eva was still not awake. She was young and, unlike me, didnt have experience with things like this, so she could not go with me. Please take good care of Eva. Yes, your highness. Where is Sir Johann? He is probably in the lobby. Benjamin answered in a low voice. I quickly headed toward the lobby of the tower. I was a bit disappointed that Sir Johann did not stop the two main characters, but I decided to think that it was for the better. I would not have had a strong person to guard me if he left with them to the jungle. Tap, tap, tap! Good morning, Sir Johann. Hello, your highness. I jumped thest set of steps two at a time. Sir Johann, whose white hair was neatly tied down as usual, ced his hand over his chest and showed his respect. The staff who were filling Tiths water tank with new water also bowed. I bowed back and quickly approached the Holy Knight and rattled on. I must ask you for this because you came as my guard. Please take me to where Dame Sarnez and his Royal Highness are right now. I packed everything I need and all we need are two horses. If we ask Lord nquer, Your highness, I must apologize as I am unable to do as you requested. Sir Johann cut me off in a cool tone. I was at a loss for words and looked up at him. Ganael and Benjamin quietly sighed as if they expected this. Your highness, do you remember when I said that there are a lot of things you dont know about Holy Knights? Yes. Why are you suddenly bringing that up, Sir Johann? This is one of those things. His mint-colored eyes gently curled up. It is understandable because you were taught by her Eminence. You should have learned that being by your partners side is the greatest duty of a priest and it is true. You can tell based on her Majesty and her Eminences rtionship. It is different because their rtionship is through a celestial covenant, but it is simr. However, a Holy Knights mentality is overwhelminglyplicated and inconsistent. The way we think is different from priests. I tightly clenched the strap of my bag. This was an unexpected development and I did not have time to waste like this. I needed to find a knight left in the castle to apany me if he was not going to cooperate with me. I said excuse me and tried to walk past him and the door when- Tap Sir Johann moved at a speed I could not even see and got in my way. I looked at him in shock. Sir Johann. There is a difference in how much, but all Holy Knights are obsessed with their priest. They act overbearing to get ether from their priest but they also put their lives on the line for their priest. They also easily make irrational decisions. Please move. I will cancel my request for you toe as my guard. As a result, they frequently headed into battle while leaving their partners, who have no fighting abilities at all, in the rear. His eyes became as dark as a storm. I could not say anything. I knew that he was talking about the Warring Era right now. However, I got chills on my back and goosebumps all around. It felt as if he was saying that if time flowed and a war broke out as it did in the original, the two of them would leave me behind and head into war. That was the development I had wished for half a year ago. However I will be useful. I am an Archbishop. I can say with confidence that the quality of my ether is the highest in the entire continent. I may not have any fighting abilities, but I can defend and I survived the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts without any major injuries. But I did not feel that way now. I did not want those punks to get hurt or be in danger when I was not around. Damn it. Im not even the main character. It shouldnt matter that my situation changed in half a year. People can change their minds! Please let me go. Dame Maartje Zijlstra apanied crown princess Elise to the Imperial Pce, right? It was apletely unrted story. I scowled but nodded my head. Sir Johann continued in a cold voice. Your highness, Im sure you know better than I do, but Dame Zijlstra is a religious figure. Yet she swings around her axe and is as strong as most swordsmen or mages. That is because she is a battle priest. I didnt know. This was my first time hearing that Maartje was something like a battle priest. I clenched my teeth as I slowly started to understand what Sir Johann was trying to say. He smiled awkwardly. Your highness, I cannot let you go because you are not as strong as her. His Royal Highness ordered that I stay here to protect you and the castle. * Fuck. Ruuuumble! The ground started shaking from the mountain range side again. It didnt continue to a full earthquake this time but I saw a white sh of light from the distant sky. I sat on the window ledge, hugged the divine beasts, and grumbled. It had been a while since I had felt such a sense of helplessness. Of course I knew that being in the back was beneficial for my survival. I had no ns of doing things beyond my level and dying an early death. But still Your highness, you only ate two tes of steak et frites? Our chefs is the best in the Empire. Eva, who was drinking some caf auit at the tea table, pouted. She knew the reason, but she seemed upset that I did not eat my usual amount for lunch. I smiled bitterly and apologized. Our young Duchess immediately changed the target. Its the same for you, Vice Captain lisabeths future hubby. The young Countess-nim is a Grade 8 swordswoman. Is there a need for such a look on your face? She will return without a scratch. All of the priests at our castle are healing priests. Ganael, her same aged friend seated on the other side, became shocked and opened and closed his mouth without being able to say anything. At least the young boysplexion looked better than earlier after Eva consoled him like this multiple times. I chuckled and looked out the window. What Im trying to say is that I knew better than anybody else that Prince Jesse was a supporting character in QNW. I just had to p and say, I see, youre amazing, whenever the two of them go somewhere, gain some experience, and return after leveling up. They would never die since they are the main characters and it would probably be rare for them to return with serious injuries as well. My head knew that I was worrying for no reason but my heart was frustrated to the point that I could not eat very well. I feel like I sent my kids to y by the water. Like I said, I am going to leave. Of course, it was concerning that I was terrible with directions. I also knew that the soldiers here would not show me any goodwill as I was the prince of the hostile kingdom on the other side of the border. It was even understandable that this seemed like an obsession. But still, this is a bit Your grace. To do this all of the sudden, What do you mean all of a sudden? I told the Duchess that I was going to leavest night as well. I quickly turned my gaze. There was amotion outside. The knight and soldiers guarding the rear of our tower seemed to be trying to dissuade someone. An old woman wearing in archbishop attire was with her attendant, servant, and a bunch of baggage handlers, trying to leave. I could hear much better once I put my ear against the slightly open window. Your grace, we would not have stopped you if you left at that time. However, the Lords Castle is currently closed off and nobody is allowed to leave until the Duchess-nim says that it is safe. The path is dangerous, madam. Im sure it would still be safer than the guest room. The light fell and I almost died! She waved her Holy Staff around and raised her voice. Ganael, who had approached the window at some point, whispered to me. That is Archbishop Eugnie Kessi. Yesterday, in the za I suddenly recalled an image after hearing the young boysment. This is crazy business. I will be leaving. The old woman who had pulled her jacket over her shoulders and snapped at the Duchess I blinked my eyes. She never left? I dont know what she is thinking, but She is that person, your highness. She is also the Archbishop who refused to meet you in Srnit. My jaws dropped on their own. The first time I went around my territory, I wanted to meet the Archbishops of Srnit and the entire Southwestern Archdiocese. However, she rejected it saying she was busy. Benjamin had exined that it was probably because she was keeping me in check. That was this grandma? Please move. My ward is waiting for me. Your grace! The knight who was ced in aplicated situation chased after her. His figure disappeared but I could still hear him desperately asking her to please stay inside. I was listening to it as if it had nothing to do with me before I quickly snapped back to my senses. Jackpot. This means that there is no knight in the back right now. Hey kids, it is your turn to perform. I buried my face into the bundle of red pandas and whispered in a sullen voice. Ganael and Eva both flinched. * Thats perfect. Our esteemed divine beasts are truly the best. Oh wonderful messengers of the Almighty God, I will continue to serve you with everything I have. Kiiiiiii! Squeak! Kyuu. Rhea, Perry, and Demy appealed their greatness one after the other. I nodded my head like a car air freshener and hung my leg over the window. I grabbed the bag I packed just in case, confirmed that the vines around me were firm, and took a few deep breaths. Benjamin, who heard the news and came over, stood next to Ganael and watched me. Eva had gone down to the lobby first. It was so that she could distract Sir Johann. Please dont worry. I will ce a Divine Oracle on a soldier and safely enter. I will not go all the way up to where they are fighting and just check from a distance. I wille right back if the two of them seem okay. I had no desire to act foolish and end up a nuisance. I was nning on running away as quickly as possible if things seemed off. Please be careful, your highness. Benjamin tightly held the vine tied to the bedpost and pleaded. I gave him a thumbs up, smiled, and descended the wall of the tower without any hesitation. Jung Yeseo will return in < I quit my job and ended up as a noble youngdy in another world 2 >. Tap! My descending speed was pretty fast but my experience doing this twice in the army helped. Mm, the tip of my nose is twitching. Tap! Alright, Im all the way d! Your highness. Mommy! I felt my body go stiff and stopped 5 meters in the air. I started shaking after hearing the breeze-like voice. My neck felt as if it was creaking as I turned. Im sorry, your highness. I could not trick him. Sir Johann is extremely cunning like a white fox! Eva, who was being carried by the Holy Knight, iled as she shouted. Damn it, Im back to square one! Trantors Comments Sir Johann is indeed a difficult boss to ovee. Chapter 168: Exit (4) Chapter 168: Exit (4) Stab! Duchess Cecil nquer stabbed her staff in between the gravel and tree roots. After that Paaaaat! A bright light lit up the forest again. This was the power of a mage whose specialty was light. Cdric closed his eyes as if he was familiar with this and hid his body behind a tree. They had done this many times until now. Growl, raaaaaaaawr! The demonic beasts that came out of the dungeon could not handle the pure white light and cried in pain. The air roared and the leaves trembled. One, two, three. The crown prince urately opened his eyes as the light settled. The moment he got rid of the covering sh! He sliced his sword horizontally. Red mes shot out like a herd of animals from his ck de. Craaaackle! Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! Growl! Groooooooooooowl! Demonic beasts resembling lions sharply roared as their bodies burned from the holy fire. He had seen this over ten times already. Some of the ones with thicker hides ran toward the crown prince as if they were resisting death. The young man did not dodge. Drops of blood-like mes dripped from the tip of his sword. I wont let you! Tatap! sh! lisabeth suddenly appeared and swung her rapier. She couldnt cleanly slice the neck off because the demonic beasts muscles were tough, but, Grr, grr, whimper! The main-gauche in the young Countesss left hand sessfully ended the beasts breathing. Boom! Cdric confirmed that the demonic beast was dead before observing around him. He saw a pair of brightly sparkling blue-gray eyes. Stab! Next! Christelle shouted in a rough voice. Her pink hair sshed like a strong wave. She pulled over water from the nearby streams to form numerous short ice spears and was stabbing them into the heads of demonic beasts without getting any rest. It was clear that she was running wild as the Blessing of the Blue Sea guided her as there was no need to control her strength here. Squeeeeeeeeeeeeal! A roon-like demonic beast started running away from her ice and- Get back here! Flick! Christelle swung her whip while shouting in a scary voice. Swooosh, ding! The leather strap became tight after wrapping around a tree trunk. The demonic beast that was running away without thinking about anything else could not stop even though it saw her trap. Trip! Its two front legs got caught on the rope and Squeeeeal! It noisily rolled on the dirt and rocks. Christelle ran over almost as if she was flying and crack! She stabbed a sharp icicle into the demonic beasts neck. It could not make any more noises. Ha! Huuuuuu! She blew back the hair in her face before standing up and making eye contact with the crown prince. Both of them were tense right now, making each others ethers feel even more ufortable. However, they could deal with this. Their partner did not like unnecessary bickering between the two of them. This was how Cdric, lisabeth, Christelle, and Duchess nquer were taking care of therge and dangerous demonic beasts. The Imperial Guard and the nquer Knights Brigade took care of the weaker ones escaping to the sides or the rear. The weaker and smaller ones were still fearsome existences to regr people. This repeated without stopping. Unlike the Great Clearance where high-grade and higher difficult to handle demonic beasts sporadically appeared, this was a continuous onught of low to mid-grade demonic beasts. Cdric put his Sword of Wisdom back and headed toward where the priests were waiting. He needed to efficiently use this short period of rest before the next attack happened. Y, your Royal Highness. Please ept this ether. The priest that came with them from the Lords Castle bowed with his circle open. Cdric was used to people bowing toward him like this, but for someone giving him ether It felt ufortable seeing them like this. He must have gotten used to a certain someone who never lowered his gaze. He had expected it, but the ether of the priests were subpar. However, he did not show anyints this time. He was a quick learner. His Godmother, his instructor that he didnt like very much, and his partner nagged him so much about actions you should not do toward a priest. At some point, even Sand had stopped avoiding him or crying. It would have been great if Marquis Duhem stayed behind, your Royal Highness. Christelle, who was seated on the other side receiving ether from another priest, suddenlymented. lisabeth, who was standing next to them, chuckled and nodded her head. His close friend seemed to think that Christelle was talking about the fire power that man would have added, but Cdric understood the hidden meaning behind Christelles words. She wanted Marquis Duhem to bring Prince Jesse here. She wanted him here right now. There was no way to keep that man here. The crown prince responded. Franois Duhem was a Pair de Riester, and without clear evidence, Pair de Riester were not immediately imprisoned or interrogated for anything other than murder. This was an extreme privilege that has been a custom for a long time. Christelle blinked as if his response was unexpected before chuckling and leaning her cheek against her shoulder. She seemed fine despite demonic beast corpses being all around them. I wonder what he is doing. She did not specify who she was talking about, but Cdric understood her once again. lisabeth had stepped off to the side to receive a report from the Imperial Guard. The crown prince focused on the warmth around his heart as he responded. Hes probably eating snacks. Please let me touch your ne one time, your Royal Highness. That is not even funny. Youre so cheap, your Royal Highness. The look on Christelles face was not bad despite saying those words. She clearly joked knowing that she would be rejected. Cdric kept the holy stone ne as he received it. He had not used the smallest amount of ether inside it. Christelle looked at the Duchess who was talking to the Knight Captain and rambled on again. He is probably angry. We left him behind. But we had no choice. Well, his highness will probably not understand why we did it. Cdric slightly frowned. He was the heir of the Empire and did not need the princes understanding, but it made him feel ufortable. Why could that guy not ept a life where he was being protected? The partner of the future Emperor would normally never get to leave the area around the Imperial Pce for their own safety. Furthermore, he had his life endangered twice already Your Royal Highness, I want to be cautious but I would like to share some good news. Duchess nquers emotionless voice cut off his thoughts. The crown prince looked at her. It looks like Dungeon 1 is now sealed. It does not seem to show any more mana reactions and the Magic Tower has reported the same. Oh Almighty God, thank you very much. The Duchesss soldiers who were staggering all around them sighed in relief. The crown prince calmed his te that was not even a quarter recovered and walked out of the Holy Domain. The priest became shocked and looked at him. Go heal the soldiers. Excuse me? Yes, Your Royal Highness. It was impossible for him to be satisfied with ether from anybody but the prince. He had never experienced something like that in his life. lisabeth motioned with her chin and a portion of the Imperial Guard left on a final round of patrol. The whole situation would probably end in about one or two hours. Will you head back right away, your Royal Highness? The young Countess asked the crown prince respectfully. The moment he opened his mouth, -baaaaaaaang! They heard a loud noise that tortured their ears from the other side of the mountain range. A couple soldiers fainted, unable to handle the fatigue and shock. As that happened, bang! Ruuuumble! A rumbling that could notpare to anything they felt until now shook the whole area. It felt as if there were thunderbolts underground. It was so strong that you might cut off your tongue or your chin would break if you closed your mouth the wrong way. The crown prince used his scabbard to maintain his position while lisabeth threw herself on top of Christelle, who had fallen over. Her grey eyes looked up as she shouted. Dungeon 2! It ising from that direction, your Royal Highness! Ugh! She groaned after a stone hit her head. Duchess nquer, who was covered in dirt, cast arge defensive magic formation to protect the group. Her lip was ripped and bleeding. The crown prince clenched his teeth and looked around. He had an ominous feeling. Rip! Crunch! crack! He could hear the terrible noise of old trees continuing to break somewhere in this dense jungle. ng! Cdric pulled out the Sword of Wisdom and remained standing. His instincts were whispering to him. This is not a proper flow of events. However, as the son of Frdrique Riester, he did not understand the concept of withdrawing or running away. That is why Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! No matter what came at him, no matter what trials came his way, he would face it head on. The ether in his body was significantlycking, but he had the me of the Sword of Wisdom. It would prevent his appearance from changing and keep him from fainting. Boom! Boom! Flutter! Caw! Birds in the distance flew up to escape. The young mans instincts were telling him something. These were footsteps. Something heavy was stepping through, destroying, and conquering the mountain range as it approached them. Christelle staggered and stood up to stand on his right. lisabeth stationed herself to his left while Duchess nquer held a long staff as red mana flowed out of her entire body. She had not gotten any rest sincest night but she looked unwavering, fitting for the person in charge of protecting this border. Crack! Boom! Rocks were breaking and the ground was splitting nearby. The forest then quickly became dark as if dark clouds had rolled in. Christelle was the first to look up at the sky. She nked out and mumbled. Holy shit, what is that Boom! Boom! That was not even a demonic beast. The thing that seemed to be a head did not have any eyes, nose, or mouth. A doll made by puttingrge boulders together with mud. That seemed to be the best way to describe this monster. She had chills from her head to her toes. It squeaked as if it was being controlled by someone and destroying anything and everything it touched and stepped on. Duchess nquers voice cracked for the first time. Golem. Excuse me? That is a golem. Jacques! Yes, my liege! The Knight Captain, who was bleeding from his head, immediately answered. The Duchesss brown eyes were sparkling. Immediately send a message to her Majesty, hurry! You need to personally go! As youmand! The Captain wiped his blood on the armor before quickly leaving the defensive magic formation. The golem immediately swung its moss-filled arm. Ooooooong! A dull rock attacked the Captain. Shhh! Christelle flicked her whip to pull him back in. Unfortunately, she was toote. The voices of the Holy Knight and the soldiers cracked with grief. No! Captain, Captain! It was at that moment. [Stop!] Shaaaaa! A holy gold light burst out of the air. It felt as if the entire mountain range was being dyed gold. * I urgently inspected the patient as soon as Inded. Look! Another mess because the main characters went off on their own! Are you okay, sir? Did it hit you? No, it did not, your highness Prince Jesse, why are you here The nquer Knight Captain was breathing heavily as he looked at me with a chaotic look on his face. I was scared because of the bleeding, but thankfully, he did not seem to have been hit by that stupid pile of rocks. I wanted to open a healing circle to take a look but I couldnt deactivate my Holy Land right now. Oh right, clean cloth. I packed some clean cloths. Please wait a minute, I have something in my backpack to help stop the bleeding. Prince Jesse! Christelle ran over to me as quickly as she could muster. She seemed quite shocked based on her teary eyes. I should be angry at her since Ive been angry at them for ditching me, but it was hard to do so. I handed the cloth to the Captain and pouted. Oh my. How did you end up here, your highness? It was all thanks to him. I looked up toward the sky. Sir Johann, who was floating in the air, waved at Christelle. The crown prince scowled. You went against your orders, Teach. Did you not expect it, your Royal Highness? How would I be able to stop his highness? He smiled. He then nced at the stiffly frozen rock giant with a cold gaze. I was so relieved that the Divine Oracle worked at the right time. Of course, the first lucky thing was that Sir Johann changed his mind. He had been holding Eva with one arm while saying the following with a firm gaze. This should be enough of a lesson as it rtes to Holy Knights. I can escort you there now, your highness. Excuse me? Please let me down! This is fun but I will still not forgive you. You glutton! You white fox! It was a lesson on priests for my dear students. Even if they want to keep their partner away from the battlefield, at this point, they are probably thinking that they shouldnt have done so. Should I have them write letters of apology? Basically, the reason he sent the two of them and also the reason he stopped me was to teach us something. This was a different way of teaching than my teacher. If that happens to be a golem Her Majesty will need to know. I will notify her. Could you please protect the Lords Castle as well? Duchess Cecil nquer struggled to get her words out. It was probably painful for her to leave the Castle to a Holy Knight from the Holy Kingdom, but it was a swift and wise decision. Sir Johann nodded his head and instantly disappeared to the other side of the sky. Christelle cked her beautiful white teeth. Im sorry, your highness. I will write you a letter of apology when we get back. Would you look at this punk. Do you know what you did wrong? Leaving you behind. But it was because I was worried We cant have you getting hurt, your highness. You are our treasure. She tried to exin herself. Is that short for backup battery? (TL: Treasure is bobae in Korean. Backup battery is bojo battery. Just a pun that works in Korean but not in English) Trantors Comments Backup battery yoooooooo Chapter 169: Exit (5) Chapter 169: Exit (5) I knew that Christelle didnt think of me as a backup battery, but I still pouted. The main charactersrge eyes seemed full of dark clouds after seeing that I avoided her gaze and did not answer. I wont do that ever again, your highness. We are partners. What kind of partners stick together in the peaceful and good times but separately in the hard times? Furthermore, you didnt discuss it with me once again. Youre right, your highness. But it was dangerous, no. Everything you say is correct, your highness. Booboboboooooooooom A boulder moved and the air suddenly changed. We looked up at the dark sky at the same time. The golem that was frozen like a statue because of my Divine Oracle Craaaaack! It was continuing to swing its fist. My goodness! The soldiers gasped while the nquer Knight Captain clenched his teeth. He put the cloth that was pressed against his forehead in his pocket and pulled out his sword. Thankfully, everybody was inside my Holy Land. Duchess Cecil nquer lifted her staff into the air. Paaaaat! A light that seemed to make the whole world white appeared. Close your eyes, your highness! Christelle turned my body toward the opposite direction. Boom, boom! The golems footsteps became distant and then close over and over. The sh of light seemed to have caused chaos for this thing despite itsck of eyes. Crack! Baaaaang! The bushes were crushed and rocks pummeled in directionspletely away from us. Vice Captain lisabeth shouted. If that is a golem, Divine Oracles should not work on it because it has no soul. I think it just stopped for a moment because it was shocked at your ether, your highness! How can we defeat it?! Christelle asked. I desperately tried to recall any information. I clearly remembered reading about it in the < Great Encyclopedia of Demonic Beast >. Golems were not demonic beasts but demonic items that appeared in old tales. They were created in locations where mana was gathered and condensed for long periods of time. Unlike demonic beasts that had souls and intelligence, they had no conscience. The ancient citizens of the continent called golems the Punishers of the Almighty God. Divine Oracles did not work on them and it was difficult to defeat them with water or fire, so the people of the time probably saw them as divine punishment Baaaaang! Aaaaaah! The golem finally struck down on top of our heads. The Holy Lands golden dome blocked the attack and the priests healing the group screeched. My eyes opened wide. Duchess nquer had stopped the sh of light and was preparing for her next attack. The Imperial Crown Prince, who had pulled out my emergency dagger from my bag at some point Siiiiiiizzle Pababat! He heated up his dagger and mine to the point they were glowing red before throwing them toward the golems right shoulder. He was aiming for the area connected through mud. sh! They moved so quickly that I could hear them cutting through its body. At the same time, Duchess nquer moved arge boulder with psychokinesis and baang! Chuck it at the golems left shoulder. She was also trying to cut off its arm. Christelle firmly held her whip and stood in front of me. We gulped and observed the situation. Craaaack It worked! It was cut, my liege! The Knight Captain shouted in an excited voice. The mud was indeed falling and the golems arms wereing apart. The soldiers looked relieved for a moment. However Ooooooong! An extremely ominous sound soon followed. The falling mud and boulders stopped in the air andpressed red mana appeared. Crown prince Cdric clicked his tongue. The worst possible situation was starting to open. Boooom! There was an odd noise before its arms went against gravity and reattached themselves to its shoulders. The priestsmented as they prayed to the Almighty God. The legends were true. There is no way to instantly put this bastard to rest. All we can do is hold it here in the mountains until it uses up all of its mana and naturally dissolves on its own. Duchess nquer calmlymented. Damn it, it really is like that. The book said that too! Jacques, you lead the Knights Brigade to Dungeon 2. We will take care of this bastard. My liege! It is not going to be easy. If another headache has appeared by that Dungeon, you all will need to stop it with your lives. Her brown eyes looked extremely serious. The Captain clenched his teeth and silently bowed. Vice Captain lisabeth gave an order to the Imperial Guard As well. You all will return to the Lords Castle. Vice Captain, what do you mean?! It is for the same reason as the Duchess. As her Majestys second sword, go protect the citizens of the Empire. Boom! Boom! The golem started to once again run wild in the forest now that the light had disappeared. It instantly shrank the distance from us with a single step. I urgently looked at the Duchess and the young Countess. My voice naturally became louder because of the roaring ground. Please have the Knights Brigade and the Imperial Guard each take a priest. I will take care of all of you! The two of them solemnly nodded their heads. Christelle smiled anxiously while the crown prince silently pulled off his glove and looked at me. I smiled to tell him to rx. Yes, you little punk. You can use your powers to your hearts content now. * Boooom! Boom! That stupid son of a bitch! Christelle did a flip in the air above the leaves and gravel as she shouted. Puuk! There was a deep hole where she had just been standing. Taaaat! Vice Captain lisabeth, who took a giant leap to hang onto the golems leg, stabbed her rapier into its knee and released her sword aura. They were cutting off its limbs so that it used its mana in regeneration, but the pile of rocks seemed to have gathered a lot of mana for hundreds of years as it continued without showing any signs of stopping. I was wondering where it was trying so hard to go, but I will take care of the Sacred Bow. Tang! Duchess nquer firmly held her staff as she stood in front of the ancient tree. The golem was, in the end, a monster created from mana, and it was naturally trying to attack the divine item. It didnt care about Christelle, the Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star, or even me as it rampaged through the forest to get to the Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life. I anxiously looked toward the majestic and magnificent existence at the center of the forest. Boom! Boom! I have a bad feeling about this. The Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life, at a nce, was just a tree. Of course it was as tall as an apartmentplex and was about two thousand years old, making it not normal at all. The green jewel at the center of its body clearly revealed that the tree was a divine item. It looked nothing like a bow at all, but as Percy has shown us already, this might not be its true appearance. I couldnt believe that Eva came so deep into the forest to get the divine items blessing. Tap, tap! I became shocked and looked forward. The crown prince bastard was basically flying around after receiving a ton of my ether. He got on the golems back with light movements before almost instantly arriving at the back of its neck. Baaaaang! Crack! The golem iled its arms as if it was swimming. The Duchessunched light waves and electric current attacks nonstop. Paaaaat! Ruuuuumble! The middle-aged mage, who had not had any time to sit down or for mana interphase until now, seemedpletely fatigued now. She still stood firmly but fatigue was visible in her dark eyes. It was already extraordinary that she had not fainted after continuously using mana for sixteen hours. I maintained my Holy Land while anxiously standing there by myself with the dagger that the crown prince returned to me in my hand. It made me anxious when I couldnt see what was going on, but it wasnt like seeing it would make me feel any better- Shhhhhhhhhhhh! Duchess nquer! Just as the Grade 8 mages movements showed an opening, the golems house-sized fist flew toward her. I ran as fast as I could toward the Duchess. And just barely! Baaaaang! My Holy Land covered her and a portion of the Sacred Bow to protect them. I breathed heavily as I plopped down on the group. The mage staggered from the shock. Duchess nquer, I think that you need to get some rest. It is going to be difficult to continue like this. I cannot rest until that thing falls, your highness. I understand your sentiments, but- Craaaackle! Stab! I heard the sound of a me and a terrible stabbing noise. I urgently turned around to see that the Sword of Wisdom, which was covered in bright red mes, was stabbed into the golems neck. The crown prince gentlynded on the ground with his ck hair fluttering in the air before standing up and extending out his left hand. And then Oooong, paat! The sword pierced through the other side and returned to his hand. The young man then snapped with his right hand. Snap! Baaaaang! The golems neck went flying. The mes that he had slowly nted inside the dirt had all exploded at once. Boom! Boom! Its heavy body lost direction and started wandering. The opponent had no brain, but its head still seemed to be important. Its two thick legs got tangled up and Ruuuumble! Booooooooom! The golem fell like a stone tower falling. Christelle and the young Countess, who had attempted to cut off its legs countless times, quickly moved. The destruction of the demonic item made the ground shake and dust rise up from all around them. Cough cough! Cough! I covered my mouth with my sleeve and looked around. The main characters, young Countess, and Duchess were all fine and none of the demonic beasts seemed to have followed us here. The dismembered golem looked like an ancient stone tomb. It must have run out of mana after regenerating its body too many times. The back of my arm became warm as I sighed in relief. Are you hurt anywhere, your highness? Im okay because I was inside the Holy Land. Everybody, pleasee here. I will heal you. Vice Captain lisabeth smiled and pulled up her bloody sleeves before walking over. Christelles clothes also had rips in multiple ces and she looked full of scratches. The crown prince silently swung the Sword of Wisdom once to put it back in its scabbard. Yes, Im sure you must be feeling great that you did not get hurt. Big bro is so happy for you. I quickly observed Duchess nquer. She was letting out a deep breath. Duchess nquer, please get some rest. I brought some magic tool res with me just in case as well. It should be fine to wait until we get reinforcements from the castle if it is difficult for you to move- It was at that moment. Baaaaaaaang! The golems arm, well, the part that had been its arm, aimed for the Duchess. To be more urate, it was itsst attack toward the Sacred Bow. All of it had happened in an instant. As soon as I threw myself on her and rolled- Ruuuuuuuumble! There was a loud noise and the ground started to split. Your highness! Dame Christelle, no! Vice Captain lisabeth used her whole body to stop Christelle from running to me. Thest thing I saw was the crown prince pulling out his sword toward the remains of the golem. Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuumble! Ahh! The precarious groundpletely crumbled. A deep ck hole in the center of the forest opened its mouth. All of the hair on my body was standing up as I instinctively iled my arms. Grab! Eek, ugh I was holding on for dear life and my arm was shaking as if it would explode. It was a miracle. That was the only way to exin it. I was holding the unconscious Duchess nquer with my right arm while dangling on a vine or tree root that was supporting the weight of two people with my left arm. I could smell a stench of iron. The Duchess was bleeding quite a bit from her head. I couldnt help but groan at the fear that was filling my heart. My mouth tensed up. Your highness, please hold on for a bit! You are still there, right?! Yes! Im down here! Christelle shouted with desperation and I responded as loudly as possible. However, the ground was too high up. Even if I used every ounce of strength I had to slowly crawl up, I would probably run out of strength and fall down. Ruuuumble! The ground shook again and poured dirt and rocks to my legs. The battle had resumed up there. I barely managed to focus and release a healing circle. Its okay. Duchess nquer, you have received the blessing of a divine item, so You will live a long life. You are not someone who will leave this world in a ce like this. I struggled to whisper. I suddenly recalled the girl with the pretty ribbon in her curly red hair shouting, why are you not taking me, your highness? I am a young Duchess now too! Eva had badgered me so much before I left. A bitter smile appeared on my face. I knew it was best not to bring her here. Children should stay in peaceful and safe ces. Please, please I desperately mumbled. Blue ether pebbles were gathering at the side of the Duchesss head. She was bleeding a lot and it was making me anxious that it was not healing very quickly with my circle. Dangling there was so hard that my neck was getting stiff and my waist was going numb. I had no feeling in my left arm at this point. But I could not give up. However Baaaaang! Ugh! There was an intense shock. I immediately started plummeting into the abyss. The world was slowly getting farther and farther away. An emerald-colored divine light created an aurora as the sun was setting in the sky. I clenched my eyes and tightly hugged the Duchesss head. I also did not deactivate my healing circle either. I did not want to deliver bad news to Eva who respects her mother so much. For someone other than us to experience something like that again- Piiii, pipipi! I heard the familiar chirping of a bird. As my eyes opened p, p p! My body shot up like a bullet. I could finally release the breath that I was holding. I didnt even have time to thank Percy when I saw five different colors of light all around me. I finally realized the situation. It was so thrilling that a painful chill went down my back. Haaa.. A total of five divine items were gathered in one ce, releasing their abilities. Trantors Comments Uh oh. Chapter 170: Exit (6) Chapter 170: Exit (6) It reminded me of that time. I remembered when Sir Geens attacked to kill me and the small bird opened up the ark to protect me. This But this time, everything waspletely different other than Percys appearance. The golem, which had attempted to regenerate dozens of times already, floated in the air piece by piece as if time had stopped. I was holding the still unconscious Duchess nquer and flying in the air while covered by her blood. Dust fell from my body each time Percy pped his wings. However, everything in front of me was so full of light that I could not pay attention to anything else. I squinted and looked at the ground. The first person I saw was Christelle. She was looking down at her body with an extremely shocked look on her face. Blue light wasing out of the main characters body as she created a water drop. Paaaaat! Dame Christelle! Vice Captain lisabeth ran over to her in shock. The lighting out of Christelle pierced through the center of space in between the setting blood-like sun and the rising white moon. Her two feet floated up from the ground and then slumped. The strange actions did not stop there. Ooooooong! The Imperial Crown Princes Sword of Wisdom, which was releasing a light from its red jewel, shot a red light toward the heavens as if following Christelle. Crown prince Cdric scowled and looked down at his sword. The young Countess urgently caught Christelle but she seemed unconscious. I stomped my foot to go down, but Shaaaaa! Ugh! The jewel at the wing joint of the Ark of the Wind Deity shot out a light purple colored ray of light. I staggered after being pushed back from the recoil. Percys ray of light shot out brightly toward the same spot in the sky. Last was the divine item of the east, the Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life. Wiiiiiiiiiiing! The green jewel at the center of the tree released a magnificent ray of light. This emerald-colored ray of light shot out toward the same location as the other three divine items. Four magical rays of light were gathering at the extremely tall and endless zenith in the sky. This beautiful yet chilling sight was visible throughout the continent. However, what happened next was something that everybody, including me, and perhaps even the author of QNW, would have never expected. Thump. Eek. My heart beat wildly. No, maybe it stopped. I gasped as my heart suddenly tightened and my mind was turning white. My stiff body repeatedly heated up as hot asva before getting as cold as a cier. Ha, ugh, oo I ced a hand on my chest instead of my neck and iled in pain. I couldnt breathe but my instincts were telling me this was different from suffocation. It felt as if I was not supposed to be there, as if my soul was being repulsed by the world for not belonging here. My jaw dropped from an instinctual fear of something being wrong and my lips were shaking. The ark became perplexed at my iling and flew lower. That was a relief. Plop! Eek! I ced Duchess nquer on the ground with shaking arms before slowly crawling away from her. It didnt matter where I ended up. This was an extremely dangerous development. My instincts were telling me that I ended up as an extremely ominous existence. I needed to go somewhere without people. Veins were visible on my temples and my eyes felt as if they would burst out. Ooo, ugh Your highness! Prince Jesse! Vice Captain lisabeth, who was on the ground holding Christelle, shouted. Her voice sounded extremely anxious. I wanted to tell her that I was okay but I didnt even have the strength to turn my head. My hips felt weak and I felt as if I might fall at any moment. As I dangerously staggered Tap Ugh What is it? My gaze was forced up. My vision was blurry and I couldnt see the mans face very well, but I could tell his orange eyes that looked as if gas had been embedded in there. He pushed my chin up even higher with the tip of his scabbard. My vision cleared up for a bit before bing blurry again. State the issue. way. Properly. un,awa Tsk. He bent down and used rough movements to rummage through my bag. Painkillers, other medicine, as well as numerous tools that I urgently packed all fell to the ground. The crown prince peeked at my condition before picking up a magic tool re. He couldnt just feed me any medicine so he probably thought that it would be faster to call for reinforcement. My stomach was churning but I still gasped and shook my head. Hey idiot, thats not it U Gasp. Jesse. Louder. G, get lost! Beeeeeeeeeep! My ears were ringing. Something came up from my stomach. Everything turnedpletely white and Baaaaaaaang! Sadie! A golden light burst out of my body. The young Countesss shouting became faint. * ng! Wake up, Herv. Frdrique Riester had a tired smile on her face as she brushed her hair back. The holy sword in her right hand, Durandal, was showing off its nimble appearance. It was just another afternoon at the Riester Imperial Pce. The interior training ground, which had shed all of its dirt and scars to be remadest June, was to the Empresss liking. There was that annoying issue of her punk of a son and the little Sarnez girl half destroying the training ground, but she was satisfied because a luxurious onyx couch and silver table was brought in here after the renovations were finished. Aurlie frowned but pretended not to see. Ugh, your Majesty May I please have one minute toply with that Imperial Decree? You sure love to exaggerate. I will give you five seconds. Ugh. The Captain of the Imperial Guard, who was currently mmed against a corner of the training ground groaning, could not go against his masters order and struggled to lift his body up. Herv Duhem was one of the Empires greatest mages who was confident about hisrge physique and quick speed, but unfortunately, he was no match for the Empress. In fact, her being willing to spar with him like this was an extreme honor and one of the few opportunities for him to grow stronger. Frdrique, go easy on him. What if Herv gets too hurt to get off the bed for a while? Then I will have to protect the Pce. That punk, lisabeth, isnt here either right now. Ooooooooong! Her sword masters aura gathered at the tip of Durandals de. The Empress shrugged her shoulders and Aurlie shook her head as if she knew she couldnt stop her. She took a sip of coffee before starting to speak again. The children still havent contacted us. Didnt they say that they wereing back today? They must have gotten too distracted with the dancing. That might be true. Cdric is very good at the waltz. I taught him. The Empress, who didnt even know the definition of being humble, smiled as she answered. Hervughed out loud before he received her sharp gaze. The Cardinal truly couldnt hold back a smile this time. It was fun waiting for the children who went to all corners of the Empire to cause trouble, save others, and grow. However, resting with her long friend and soulmate was just as fun. Lately, every day seemed quite peaceful and warm. Should we go to the regional portal to greet the kids? m! Someone disrespectfully mmed the training ground door open and entered. The Empress and the Captain of the Imperial Guards gazes moved at the same time. The Cardinals beige-colored eyes opened wide. The person was surprisingly the Chief of Staff, Laura. There was only one other time in the past few decades that Laura had acted like this. That day, Frdrique and Aurlie had lost the most important man in their lives. Laura? What happened? The Cardinal urgently stood up. Click! She was so anxious that she spilled her hot coffee but she could not pay any attention to it. Frdrique quickly approached her, grabbed her wrist, and clicked her tongue. Laura showed her respects and broke her silence. Your Majesty, we received an urgent message from Sir Johann Geens. A golem has appeared on the east side of the Empire. In the nquer Duchy A golem is running wild right now. What? His Royal Highness and the others are working with Duchess nquer to fight against it, but the message says that it is not easy to take down as Dungeon 1 had opened right before it showed up. Anxiety could be seen in her cherry-colored eyes. This was unbelievable news. Thest time the appearance of a golem was recorded was 500, no, almost 600 years ago. She was extremely shocked and bewildered but still made a quick judgment. That was the most important duty of a ruler. Make an emergency summon for the Chambre des pairs. If the Pair de Riester themselves are currently absent from the Imperial Capital, make their heir participate. Send 3,000 soldiers and thirty knights at Grade 5 or higher to the Duchy immediately. Have them wait at the boundary of the territory until the Duchess requests for their assistance. As youmand. And one more thing, your Majesty. Theres more? The Empress looked at her right hand woman. Frdrique finally realized that Lauras wheat-colored hair had a few strands sticking out and that her sincere gaze was shaking so much. The Chief of Staff continued to speak in a shaking voice. Outside, on the eastern sky Something has happened. You need toe out and take a look, your Majesty. What the hell The Empress scowled and started walking. The Cardinal and the Captain of the Imperial Guard followed behind her. Tang! Frdrique basically kicked the training ground door open and stepped out. Fuck. She then swore. The entire Imperial Pce was chaotic. She could see someone fainted on the ground. Everybody was looking at something with shock and fear that nobody even turned to see that the Empress had arrived. Frdrique red at the eastern sky that the gardeners, attendants, royal servants, and soldiers were all staring at with nk gazes on their faces. She was certain that everything outside the pce was crazy right now. Laura. Yes, your Majesty. Send the soldiers into alert immediately. Contact Admiral Corleone as well. She sounded as if she was ready to chew someone out. Aurlie closed her eyes. She then mumbled the name of her one and only student. * Blood! Baarf. Cough cough! Cough! Barf Blood continued to pour out of my mouth nonstop. The fishy, salty, and disgusting taste filled my tongue and cheeks. It was scary and dreadful but the thing that gave me the chills was that I couldnt even remember how long I had been doing this for. Plop. Holy stones fell like hail from my ripped shirt. I nkly stared at the stones in the puddle of blood and coughed again. Cough cough! Baaarf, haaaa. Shaaaaaaaaaaaa The holy stones started absorbing the blood. I couldnt help but be surprised despite trying to catch my breath. The holy stones sucked up my blood as if they were sponges and as if my red blood was like a water of life. I got chills and moved back out of reflex. I could feel the rough ground as they pushed against the dirt. Cough. For better or worse, it felt as if my bleeding and coughing was slowing down. Haaa, mmph I barely held myself back from barfing again and looked around. The light was not there anymore. I could feel the ark on my back. I could see Duchess nquer, who was still on the ground just as I left her, as well as the crown prince who was unconscious under a tree. On the other side were the unconscious Christelle and Vice Captain lisabeth Booboboboooooooooom It sounded as if there was an earthquake in the sky. I jerked my head up to see if there were any flying demonic beasts. I needed to open my Holy Land to protect every- What is that? I nkly mumbled. It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. The spot where the four rays of light had gathered was quickly growing in size. The dot soon became a screen before that almost instantly became arge hole. It looked as if some dangerous extraterrestrial creatures or a UFO woulde through it. The warning about not knowing what would happen when four divine items gathered together filled my head again. No, I cant even tell after looking at it. I cant even tell if my body is normal. What the hell is going Huff. Huu. It was hard to breathe. My fingertips were shaking. I stood up as if I was possessed by something. The thing that appeared through therge hole in the sky Our house Thats our veranda. p! My two legs floated up. I felt everything go blurry as I flew higher. It was something I could not mistakenly identify. The ce where the grass doll that Eunseo grew in middle school was nted in a pot. The ce where my brother would ce a fishing chair and blow bubbles whileing up with ideas for the next chapter of his wuxia novel I reached out with both hands like a crazy person. p, p! This was an exit to go back home. Eunseo. Pow! A strong shock struck my body. I couldnt even groan. Chhh, rustle! I brutally fell into a soft pile of maple leaves. I could smell the thick stench of blood and the fragrance of flowers. I could also hear the man breathing heavily. The man who mmed against me with his body to break a wing, was looking down at me with a gaze full of anger and a sense of betrayal. His orange eyes were thest things I saw as I became unconscious. Sorry I wasnt trying to hurt you. I whispered to him. Then everything became dark. Trantors Comments Theres no ce like home. Chapter 171: Superficial Archbishop (1) Chapter 171: Superficial Archbishop (1) I felt as if I heard an extremely warm yet sad voice in my dream. I cant Feel anything. You are right, Sadie. Must you do that? Aak. I made a bizarre noise as my eyes opened. The patterns on the ceiling and the luxurious golden decorations were familiar. I finally realized that this was my room in Juliette Pce after my breath calmed down. The sunlighting through the curtains let me know that it was early morning. Nobody was by my side but a savory and fragrant smell filled the air. I slowly unburied myself from the nkets when my stomach growled. This is because Ah. The incident at the nquer Duchy flew past my mind like a phantasmagoria. I got chills all over my body and I was filled with fear. Dungeon 1 in the mountains was opened during the masquerade. Duchess Cecil nquer and her people left to take down the demonic beasts. Unlike the original n, she was unable to seal the dungeon by the next morning and Christelle, the Imperial Crown Prince, and Vice Captain lisabeth went to help her without my knowledge. I was concerned about my friends and asked Sir Johann to follow behind them. Boom! Boom! [Stop!] Then the golem appeared. Fuck. Everything went wrong from there. No, the more I think about it, the fact that the Duchess and the Knights Brigade were unable to seal Dungeon 1 was already weird. They werent right next to each other, but it could have been because there were too many divine items in the territory. That was the same reason the difficulty had significantly increased during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. The Duchess had been clearly tired by the time the golem started rampaging and I threw my body to protect her. However, the ground cracked open from the shock of the golems attack and I fell p! Holy moly, Percy. I gasped and put my feet on the ground. I did not see the little guy who came to save me. I was about to look for the chimney bird when I noticed the magazine on my side table. < Biweekly Riester > October 15 Edition. October 15? The day I went into the mountain with Sir Johann was October 1, so then I was unconscious for over two weeks? My jaw dropped in shock. I urgently picked up the magazine. The extremelyrge text on the cover ruthlessly stabbed my eyes. Golems rampage, the perforation in the sky Discussion with Archbishop Kessi A quick analysis of the will of the Almighty God An interview with a witness What does it mean for the soldiers to be on alert? There was scary artwork as well. In the center of the sky with the sun setting in the west and the moon rising from the east, there was arge ck hole. My hand grew weak. Thinking about what I saw that day made a strong emotion rise up before calming back down. The orange eyes that were thest things I saw were very clear in my mind. Sorry. Tap! The magazine fell to the ground. I flinched at that sound and snapped back to my senses. I needed to urately figure out the situation first. I was certain that what I saw was our veranda, but I had no idea whether that was real or just an illusion. Chh! I used swift movements to open the curtains. I thoroughly inspected the sky but there were no clouds let alone a hole. My heart instantly sank. I took some deep breaths and organized my thoughts. The reaction that the four divine items and I created was definitely unusual, but I had no idea what principles caused it to create a fissure in the sky. As a result, the most important thing was whether everybody was safe. The unconscious Christelle, Vice Captain lisabeth, the Duchess who had bled quite a bit And that punk as well. Scratch, scratch1 Scratch! I jumped in shock and looked toward the door. Someone was scratching at my bedroom door. Scrreech, screech, screeeech Demy! m! I mmed the door open and Cruuuuuuu! Aaaaaarf! Piruuuuuuuuuu! Demy, Rhea, and Perry even brought Tith over to jump into my arms. Percys little wings were pping so much that I was worried that they would break as he pecked away at my pajamas. I knelt down and felt their warm bodies as I shared my apologies and gratitude. Im sorry to scare you. Thank you for waiting for me. These little guys must have had a lot of things that made them sad or disgruntled as they all opened their mouths to cry and rage. However, they grew all sorts of flowers and medicinal herbs in their front paws and the tips of their ears. Tithe pped his flipper and seaweed started growing on the carpet. I ended upughing. You guys want me to boil some medicinal herbs and seaweed soup to quickly get better? Is this all for big bro? Squee Im fine now. But still, thank you. I touched noses with the red pandas before gently patting the harp seals white back. It was at that moment. ng! I heard the weird sound of a te breaking. I looked up in shock to see a pair of golden eyes sobbing in the next room. At the young boys feet were the destroyed tea set and silver tter. I urgently started speaking. Ganael, be careful. Youll be hurt if you step on it. Your highness! The young boy elegantly avoided the pieces of ss and ran over to hug me and the little troublemakers. He then started crying out loud. I thought I would never get to see you again. Your whole body was covered in blood. Hearing the child cry while saying those things made my nose start to twitch as well. I couldnt say anything and just rubbed Ganaels back. It was hard to say something because I was full of guilt. I couldnt even easily tell him not to worry because I was okay. Ugh, sob! Waaaaa Did you really think about leaving kids like this behind, Jung Yeseo? You were going to leave without saying goodbye. Without giving them even the shortest exnation. * Juliette Pce was basically flipped over once I woke up. Chef Laurence came and cried up a storm before leaving; the attendants, royal servants, and even the soldiers guarding the hallway all came up to greet me. The Imperial doctor who came to check my condition said that I was healthy, making everybody p. But he still said that he woulde to see me daily for a bit. The reason that the bedroom was full of bread and tea was quickly revealed as well. My family here left food by my side every meal so that I could eat whenever I woke up. By the time I heard that story, my sense of guilt was striking the heavens. It truly is the blessing of the Almighty God. I quickly snapped out of my thoughts. The beige-colored eyes I saw warmly curled up. Yes, your Eminence. Thank you very much foring. Your angelic face is now a quarter of its usual size. That hurts me so much. Cardinal Boutier quietly whispered. It wasnt honestly a quarter of its usual size, but I just let her touch my cheek without saying anything. I also received some kisses on my forehead and head. I was thankful that my teacher did not just wait for me in the Empress Pce and calm all the way to my distant home. Benjamin, who was standing on the other side of the table, dried his eyes with his handkerchief. Seeing the usually calm and serious person showing emotions as well hurt me so much. I didnt end up like that because I wanted to worry them, but still Eat some more. Yes, your Eminence. It is delicious. I stacked some roasted goose confit and white beans on warm bread and wet it with some stew before putting the whole thing in my mouth. The crunchy goose skin and the fatty meat underneath melted in my mouth. The baguette, which was rough and hard inparison, broke down with the soft white beans and the difference created a beautiful array of textures in my mouth. The stew was seasoned perfectly as well, making the whole thing marvelous. My teacher pushed some other dishes in front of me as I chewed and smiled. Is it okay to eat three servings after having an empty stomach for two weeks? Not at all. I should eat four servings because Im hungry. When will I be able to see Dame Sarnez? Vice Captain lisabeth and Eva as well. I ced my spoon in the third te of navarin as I asked. At least I got a lot of good news after waking up. Christelle was unconscious that day but regained her consciousness in one day. She only had scratches and bruises, her memory and personality was exactly as we remembered, and her ether was also fine. I was concerned because the Blessing of the Blue Sea released the light from her body, but that was a relief. The young Countess also quickly recovered from her injuries thanks to a healing priest. It is wonderful that everybody is safe. I was quite scared that Duchess nquer would not make it. My teacher didnt answer but I became happy and kept talking. The red and hot navarin had a deep broth that made it obvious that it had been steeped for a long time. The taste of tomatoes was something I fell in love with aftering here; eating it after being unconscious for half a month made this broth taste wonderful. I spooned up somemb meat and sliced it into small pieces before eating it with some shallots. I basically gobbled the ragout. I thought that I saw a green light when we fell underground. Even though she wasnt its master The divine item must have healed the Duchess. The Sacred Bow of the Tree of Life was famous for choosing the person to protect it and blessing them with longevity. But that was not all. The earth attribute divine item had the power of healing. Apparently the Duchesss head injury had already healed by the time reinforcements arrived from the Lords Castle and found them. She went through mana interphase and woke up three dayster. I was concerned about the Duchess but I was more worried about how shocked Eva must have been. Lets talk about that dayter. The Cardinal had a faint smile as she brushed back my hair. This was an unexpected response, but it felt like she was doing this for me so I just nodded my head. I know I coughed up a bucket of blood but Im fine now. How is his Royal Highness? I havent been able to supply him with ether for half a month Has he been receiving another priests help during this time? I naturally changed topics and started attacking the sde nioise. However, I didnt receive a response even after I stabbed my fork through the colorful vegetables, boiled egg, and olive. I felt oddly anxious and looked at the Cardinal, who struggled to speak. That child says that he will not meet with you, my little prince. Something must have upset him. I think he will need some time. She seemed to be consoling me. I couldnt figure out what to say and slowly put down my fork. My teacher ced her hand on the back of my hand and continued to speak. And for a while Anybody other than the Imperial family will be restricted from entering Juliette Pce. It will be difficult for you to have guests. That- Christelle, lisabeth, Eva, Johann, all of them Are no longer able to get closer than the garden. Why? Did something happen, your Eminence? I urgently asked. This was basically the same as being confined. Has the Empires affairs be extremely serious because of the hole in the sky? I havent had a chance to properly read through the < Biweekly Riester >. It has to do with the unique authority of the master of Romero Pce. The Cardinal smiled bitterly as she answered. I was confused. The master of Romero Pce is responsible for Juliette Pce and the decisions he makes regarding Juliette Pce are things even the Empress cannot overrule. This is a custom that has been passed down since thete Emperor Romero. Hold on just a minute. Basically, are you saying that his Royal Highness decided to confine me? Yeah. I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything. I quickly looked up at Benjamin but he just nodded his head with a somber look on his face. Wait Seriously? * Am I imprisoned again? What should I do? Squeeeee? I paced around the window and mumbled, making Demy stop crawling up to my chest and tilt his head in confusion. He seemed to be saying that there was nothing I could do except be a pce bum. I sighed and supported his butt. That was rxing and great for me too. Based on how tightly the soldiers were guarding outside Juliette Pce, I didnt even have the will to take a single step outside. Romero Pce on the other side was standing firm like Jack Frost, blocking my view. However, it was possible that I found a way back home. Even if that was not the case, I wanted to at least say hi to Christelle and the young Countess. I was also really curious about how Eva has been since the masquerade and the golems rampage. I wanted to hear about Sir Johann and the Imperial Guard members who protected the Lords Castle from the remnant demonic beasts as well Oh right. Demy, I heard that you and Perry went outside the castle gates to fight as well. Benjamin told me. Cree! It was just like the divine beast who bit a person (me) so that I would take him with me to the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. You are so brave. Are you sure you are not the real MC of QNW? Pruu! The divine beast stuck out his tiny tongue before dangling upside down on my body. Such a joke was an amazingpliment for the little guy. I smiled brightly and extended my hand to give some ether to him. Now that I think about it, I only gave him fruit and flowers during the meal as well, not giving him the most important aspect of his meal. Sand must have suffered feeding the kids until now. I need to pay him back for that. Here, our Demys favorite thing. I opened up all five fingers. Then the golden ether pebbles Huh? Sqoo? Demys tail tilted in the opposite direction as my neck. I became anxious and clenched my eyes shut. However, there was no reaction at my fingertips even when I opened my eyes again. Thisck of reaction was shocking. I stood stiffly and looked down at my heart. Why is no ethering out? Trantors Comments Wait wuuuuuut? Chapter 172: Superficial Archbishop (2) Chapter 172: Superficial Archbishop (2) Calm down, Jung Yeseo. Benjamin, Ganael. Stay calm. It looks like Im about to be a cker. I could not bepletely calm. After assessing the situation, I had the divine beasts dangling on me as I proimed that, witnessing the two attendants faces going dark. The teary Ganael iled both hands around saying that something like that would absolutely not happen. Youll get your ether back soon, your highness! Hemented. Benjamin calmly nodded his head. Huh? Hold on. How did you know? I blinked in confusion. I never told them about my ether noting out but the two of them already seemed to know about my condition. Benjamin and the young boy exchanged nces before struggling to speak. Your highness Our dreams returned to normal since you lost consciousness. All of the staff in Juliette Pce have been clearly feeling that. However, nobody dares to speak about it. Ah. I forgot there was something like that. It is not that we are suddenly struggling with nightmares. It just became simr to how it had been during the winter before you entered the pce, your highness. We have not said anything about it because we thought you might get shocked if we told you first. We have simply returned to our old normal, your highness. Please do not feel apologetic. In fact, we have been benefiting from such an esteemed individual until now. Thank you very much for everything until now, your highness. The middle-aged man smiled benignly. Ether truly was not flowing through me and the regr people around me knew about it as well. In that case, that damn Imperial Crown Prince obviously knew about my condition. I barely managed to flick my chin as I worked hard to gather my scattering thoughts. I could not continue to live in a shocked state. I needed to calmly n for theing days. Did her Eminence leave anything for me? I asked. My teacher should have been the first person in the Imperial Pce to inspect me. There was no way that she would not know about such a peculiar situation, and the Imperial family might be even more desperate than I am right now because her godson needed a priest partner. Benjamin and Ganael both nodded their heads at my question. I had been correct. She left behind a few books for you to read and a letter, your highness. She also said that she woulde again when she has time. Ganael cautiously answered. I humored the harp seal on my back and solemnly clenched my teeth. Yes, it was time to return to my basic schedule since I have finally returned to the Imperial Pce for the first time in a long while. I needed to stay as a hermit in Juliette goshiwon, studying and eating hard. (TL: Goshiwon are a kind of single room upancy ss of building found in South Korea. Originally designed for students preparing to take exams, they are characterized by low rent, shared bathrooms and kitchens, and very limited private space.) I could not let my will be broken because my superpower has disappeared. I already made up my mind to survive and return home no matter what it took. * Then it was the next day. It felt as if I returned to March when I first transmigrated into this world. It was like that first week where I had no abilities and studied my butt off to survive. The priest will end up dead Nope, not that one. I received the warmth of the autumn sun as I sat out on the first floor terrace. I heard that the weather in the Imperial Capital was pretty gentle other than the heatwave season, and it really was the case. It was the middle of October but the air was pretty warm until the sun went down. The wide table was full of snack tes and my teacup, with the < Biweekly Riester >, a guide to the Church of the Almighty God, and other books opened as well. The page of my notebook where I had summarized the < Kaboom! Yves Great Adventure > fluttered up and down from the breeze. The message my teacher left for me was at the center of the table. Listen to this, Tith. There are two main reasons a priest would be unable to use their ether. Aarf I exined to the harp seal on my knees. One is because their heart stops. Then the body is unable to create anymore ether. They die. Oo It must have been too scary of a story for the little guy as Tith moved his ck eyes and nose away and ttened himself on my knees. The red pandas, who had been biting on themp on one side of the table, ran over and smacked me with their fluffy tails. Outsiders didnt know about this but the divine beasts of the Empire were so ferocious and violent. I scoffed and apologized. Im sorry, I scared your youngest bro. I didnt do it on purpose. Cruuu. Ill reflect on my actions. The second is the ether disappearing because they broke a Promise of Ether. This is a simr reason to a Holy Knight. I recalled a few facts about the Promise of Ether of a believer of the Church of the Almighty God. They received the penalty of loss if they broke a Promise of Ether, but a priests penalty was random while a Holy Knight would only receive the divine punishment of their power being sealed. In reverse, a priest could be extremely unlucky and have their power sealed. Based on what I read in the books, there were indeed cases of priests losing their ether instead of money or memories and returning to life as normal people. However, this seemed to only be the case when they broke an extremely grand Promise of Ether. But me? Ive never broken a Promise of Ether. So this is not it either. I crossed things out in my notebook. There was only one time I even made a Promise of Ether. That had already happened five months ago. On a night before the heatwave [I swear.] You are making a Promise of Ether. I promised to Sadie that I have not beenmunicating with the Holy Kingdom and that I would continue to not do that. I had not gone against that, so it wasnt as if my ether was sealed as a penalty. This should be obvious, but my body did not fall under a typical case. My eyes darted over to Cardinal Boutiers letter again. On the day that the hole appeared in the Almighty Gods sky, I heard that you went into ether overload. I did not personally see it, so I cannot tell whether it was overload or something that showed simr symptoms. Vice Captain lisabeth and Crown prince Cdric had seen me that day. The two of them do not know that the Paten of Wishes is inside my body, so it probably looked like ether overload to them. The bleeding and fainting that followed the intense golden ether exploding out of my body made that a logical conclusion. If that was overload, I think a temporary shock has closed off your te. We are considering a temporary seque and researching it. We are also looking into whether there were any priests who temporarily lost their powers because of ether overload. Seque I petted Rhea, who was dangling on my neck, and mumbled to myself. I was about to organize my thoughts but Perry bit my quill pen and would not let me. Demy plopped down on my notebook and didnt budge either. Big bro is not hurting anymore. I am not overdoing it. Ill sleep with you guys in your yroom tonight. I had to console them for a long time before I could get my stationery back. ck letters quickly appeared on top of the white paper. A gate to go home has opened. Reason 1: Because four divine items gathered together in one ce and activated Reason 2: Four divine items gathered together in one ce and activated + The Paten of Wishes activated Reason 2 is probably closer to the truth. I went through the things I saw that day frame by frame. Ooooooong! First, the four divine items, including Percy, released lights. Those lights shot out likeser pointers to the center of the sky. A weird reaction happened from me a bitter after that. Thump! My heart loudly thumped and Eek! My breathing was interrupted and I felt an extremely ominous feeling. The feeling of the whole world rejecting me endlessly pressed down on my peripheral nerves. Thest thing I saw was ether bursting out of my body and shooting up into the sky. When I snapped back to my senses, I was coughing up blood and there was already a hole in the sky. Then Screeeech! Sorry. Big bro held you too tightly. Does it hurt a lot? Im really sorry. I was shocked by Rheas screeching and snapped out of my thoughts. My palms were damp. The red panda that was tightly held by me had her mouth open in shock. I urgently apologized and patted her back, but she acted as if she was dying and went over to lie down next to Tith. What I, this powerless temporary guardian, could do was to rub her ck belly and blow air at her. I continued to write in the notebook with my other hand. Principles behind the opening of the gate (hypothesis): four divine items reached the sky > Something happens > The Paten Activates > Listens to my wish of wanting to go home Sounds possible? It sounds reasonable enough. I mumbled to myself. If these were all correct, that something happens section is especially important and mysterious. The paten inside my body had been quiet all this time. Of course, it did provide a ton of extremely clean and pure ether and my Holy Land beingrger than most Archbishops was probably rted to it, but that was it. It had never responded to my wishes or desires. Mm. If I put all of my imagination to work The other four divine items set up a sort of foundation. That was why the paten, which has been quiet until now, activated. But after that, no ether ising out. Pruuuu! Demy and I looked at each other and tilted our heads. Did it use up all of its powers to open the gate? Pruu? No That seemed unlikely. It was the patens power that gave a second chance to the dead Prince Jesse by transmigrating me here and turning back time. At least that was my thought on the matter. If the divine item was a one time use item, I would not have had so much ether until now. It would have just kept me alive and then left me all alone to fend for myself. Furthermore, Christelle, who also has a divine item inside her body, did not lose her powers. I chewed on a pickled orange peel as if it was a squid and scowled. Then is it really seque? When will I recover? Piruuuuu, pipipi Percy, who finished his afternoon stroll,nded on the terrace ledge. I was about to greet the chimney bird when I gasped. Percy,e here. What are you holding? I saw something sparkling next to his two small feet. I was scared that he might have looted the Empress or a guest of the Imperial Pce! Pii! Dont turn around and bring it here. One. Piiriii Two. Piruuuuu Two and a half. Pipo! Percy looked at me as if he knew he couldnt win, somehow managed to bite down on the golden item, and ced it in front of me. He then pped his wings extremely discontently andnded on Tiths back. What, are you angry and going on a drive to cool off? What are you going to do if your beak gets into such bad habits? Hmm? Who taught you such a thing? Piiiii I cant call you the Jung family chimney bird if you do things like this. Im too embarrassed. I attentively inspected the sparkling item Percy brought. This looks like some kind of emblem The Riester Imperial family coat of arms is in the middleholy shit. Percy Jung, you, this I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything as I looked at the troublemaker looking back at me with extremely innocent looking eyes. I urgently ced the little troublemakers on the table and leaned over the ledge. I could see a familiar silhouette on the other side of the garden. The man must have had an event somewhere as he was wearing formal attire with a luxurious cape as he stood there with his attendant next to him. There was an empty spot on his chest, which made it look very likely that Percy stole the emblem from there. His orange eyes made eye contact with mine. The crown prince did not approach me or even greet me with his gaze. He immediately walked into Romero Pce as if he did not see anything. He waspletely ignoring me. I need to apologize to him. I quietly mumbled. I hurt that punk so I wanted to properly apologize but it seemed difficult to even create an opportunity to do so right now. * Sending him a letter should be okay, Cdric. lisabeth grumbled. Eva, who was stuck next to her, looked extremely anxious. They were not the only ones with such gloomy expressions on their faces. Next to Cdric, who was seated at the head of the table, Christelles blue-gray eyes were sending daggers at him. I would understand if you confined him to protect him, your Royal Highness. Her Majesty had done so when crown princess Elise hade, and his highness Is the most powerless he has ever been right now. Her voice became quiet. Christelle had deeply despaired after entering the Imperial Pce despite Cardinal Boutier sending her a message in advance. She could not feel the Princes warm and clear ether despiteing all the way to Romero Pce, which was right beside Juliette. There wasnt even a trace of it, as if it was some terrible trick or a magic spell. Her instincts as a Holy Knight naturally made her frustrated and sad. However, that was that and this was this. Prince Jesse was her partner, but more importantly, he was her friend. But I dont understand why you are preventing us from sending him letters and presents, your Royal Highness. Why are you going so far? There is no need for me to exin the will of the Imperial family. The crown prince growled. His ether then viciously threatened and tried to suppress Christelle. Share barely managed to hold back against his fiery provocation and scowled. Something was weird. The crown prince was clearly overreacting, and this was not like him. Even if he has not received Prince Jesses ether for half a month Something must have happened that day, didnt it, your Royal Highness? Christelle tilted her head and inspected the crown princes face. She too had seen something when she regained consciousness for a moment in the middle. However, she could not tell whether she really did see it or if she had just imagined it. That was why she was more concerned about it. Her throat felt dry and it made her nervous. She was curious whether her partner and her partners partner had also seen what she had seen. Had they also seen the veranda of a house that looked like it was in Korea through that ck hole? Trantors Comments Ohhhh so Chris saw it too. Chapter 173: Superficial Archbishop (3) Chapter 173: Superficial Archbishop (3) Another day calmly passed by. I stared at Romero Pce with a piercing gaze while standing on the balcony of Juliette Pce. I tried sending code by reflecting the crystal bell a few times but I received no response. Well, that is to be expected knowing the punks personality, but Mm. It put me in an awkward position. Everything was simr to when I first got here but different. At that time, the Imperial Crown Prince swung his sword in the training ground when it was time for my walks. Thinking about it now, it was probably because he became cognizant of my ether. He probably wanted to know who possessed such ether. However, I did my best to avoid the guy and did note face to face with crown prince Cdric for close to one month while living next door. Of course, Sadie was an exception. Who the hell could have known that the two of them were the same person? Kiiiiiii! Squeeeeee! Whimper! The red pandas had Tith on their backs as they dizzily ran around me. I chuckled and ced a sweet piece of pear in Demys mouth. Crunch crunch, he ticklishly bit down on the fruit and my finger. The situation was worse now than when I first entered the pce. The only thing that was the same was that I was studying hard; I couldnt use any ether nor could I even go out for walks. I couldnt even see anybody from the balcony because none of the guests of the Imperial Pce were allowed into the garden. It is fun watching the soldiers and gardeners, but Its a bit much because they all look at me with pitying gazes. Sqoo Demy slurped the fruits juice as he answered. I wiped his mouth and whiskers with a wet cloth. How can you think it is a good thing to confine a friend to his house because he is suddenly weak, crown prince? This is why some of the readers called you Crapdric. Those words lingered on the tip of my tongue. I suddenly recalled an image from that day. Eunseo. Pow! If you ask me if I felt bitter that the crown prince pushed me down, then, well I was definitely disappointed, but seeing his gaze made me feel more apologetic. I also never expected to go home in such a way. My instincts had lifted my body up, and Percy, who had read my mind, pped his wings, but it was true that I didnt think about what would happen next. Could I really have gone back home if I went through that hole in the sky? Then what about Prince Jesse? Would his body remain here while my soul returned? All sorts of questions filled my mind but there were no answers I could get right now. To bepletely honest, I cant do something like that twice. Pipipi Percy, who was sunbathing on the ledge, agreed. I was truly apletely average person. The shock from my body beingpletely repulsed by the world and coughing up so much blood that it created a puddle followed by being unconscious for two weeks I would prefer a less extreme and scary method. I had nothing to say if it was mentioned that going across dimensions was not an easy feat, but the human mind was always cunning. I felt wronged since I didnt transmigrate here by choice. I came peacefully while sleeping so I wanted to have an easy trip back as well. Sorry, Percy. I know we have a deal. Piiriii I petted the bobbing chimney birds little body as I whispered. I wont be able to fulfill that promise for a while. I have no ether so I cant go anywhere. The chimney bird nodded his head as if he understood. I ended upughing out loud. There really wasnt much to my deal with Percy. It was quite simple for being a deal with an amazing divine item. I recalled the events of Aightz Vige and smiled. The moment I needed sturdy wings to go to the celebration during the eve of the crown princes session confirmation ceremony Do you remember saying that I am not your master? Piiiii So, lets make a deal. I ced him on the back of my hand and thought hard. If you let me use your wings when I want, I will help you find a master. Pii? A cool person for you to follow. A great person who has strong Divine Power and character. I heard that youve never chosen a proper master until now. I will help you find one even if I have to search through the entire continent. It was possible for me to say such things at that time. I could go anywhere as long as I informed my teacher in advance and the crown prince did not seem to mind that either. Furthermore, as the partner of the two main characters, it seemed easy to run into important figures as I followed the two of them around. That should have made it not that hard to search for a master for Percy. Basically, I was not bluffing. However, the chimney bird had attentively observed me without reacting. That is my condition. What do you think? I had nervously asked. A momentter Ooooooong! The little bird started glowing with a light purple light around its body. After that p! It turned into arge wing on my back. The deal had been made. That was already more than two months ago. Well, there hadnt been much progress in finding a master for Percy until now. Thank you for your understanding, oh great and mighty Lord Ark of the Wind Deity. Pipo I bowed and showed my respect, making the little guy open his wings and bow back. He looked super cute. Knock knock. Your highness. I heard Ganaels voice behind me at that moment. I turned around to see the young boy with an extremely odd look on his face. He seemed a bit anxious while also a bit amused. Ganael, what is it? That, umm I think a rumor has spread that you are not eating well, your highness. Thats random. How did that happen? I dont think Im eating much less. I tilted my head and his golden eyes roamed around. There are stories of how youe out to the terrace with a grief-stricken look on your face and are suffering from loneliness because your only conversational buddies are the divine beasts. That is quite a distortion of the truth. I knew that the Imperial Pce staff enjoyed gossiping but they were quite active ating up with rumors. That was all I said because I knew saying anything against it wouldnt change anything. I was curious about how my friends were doing and wanted to see them to share a meal and chat, but I was not struggling. I had Benjamin and Ganael in Juliette Pce and the staff were all still nice to me despite myck of ether. They were all good people. Yes, your highness. Anyway, such aint seems to have been brought up to Romero Pce as well. Comint? My rumor turned into aint? Is the Romero Pce the HOA or something? Ive heard that Vice Commander Moutet, Dame Sarnez, and young Duchess nquer have all voiced their disagreement to his Royal Highness. Theyve told him that he cannot continue to confine you in the pce like this. Because of that His Royal Highness has called some clowns over to Juliette Pce. He did what? I stopped cleaning the table and my eyes opened wide. My voice must have subconsciously be louder as Ganael became flustered. Apparently we can send them back if you dont like it, y, your highness! They are the most famous clowns in the Imperial Capital and have entered the pce this morning after going through a thorough body and belongings inspection with the Imperial Guard. Pierre is so excited that he is jumping very high that his head might hit the ceiling. Laurence seems to be looking forward to it as well. My goodness I realized that the look on Ganaels face was not one of nervousness and amusement but awkwardness and excitement. He seemed excited to see all sorts of acrobatics and puppetry. He probably felt awkward about it because he would have no choice but to send them back if I said no. I chuckled as I could clearly see what was going through the young attendants mind. Furthermore, they will be severely punished if they cannot make youugh, so Ive been told that the clowns will definitely give it their all. My mouth became dry. I was certain that the crown prince of the Empire was a crazy bastard. You can just receive my apology and we can let things go. Why are you scaring innocent people? Is it really okay for Christelle to date and marry a guy like this? I became concerned about the couple from the original novel. My face must have looked upset as Ganaels eyebrows sank down. Should I send them away, your highness? No, you can let them in. It sounds fun. I quickly answered. I had no idea what kind of harm the innocent clowns would go through if I rejected them, so epting them was for the best. Ganaels face lit up as he bowed and left. I then heard cheering from the other side of the door. That must have been nice to hear as the divine beasts and Percy started jumping up and down as well. Totally unbelievable. I sighed and shook my head. I couldnt leave the twenty five month old little kid like this. * Night was calm at Romero. The pce was also quiet during the day, but it was even quieter at night. Cdric nonchntly skimmed through the magazine on his office table. He loathed both the < Biweekly Riester > and its Managing Editor, but he did not look down on the impact of mass media and their informationwork. He then confirmed the report from the Imperial Guard he received. He looked to see if there was a difference in the information, but the only difference was that the official document was more detailed. It made sense because he didnt even care for interviews full of the nobles exaggerations. Flip, he turned the page. Results of interrogating young master Robert nquer. The overview of the case was as follows. After his duel with Cdric, Robert nquer received an injury that could not be healed and has been residing in a vi at the corner of the territory. He then received information about the masquerade. The sense of crisis and anger from the thought of losing his young Duke position to his younger sister made him get help from his wet nurse to escape from the vi. He then infiltrated the Lords Castle, disguised himself in an armor, and snuck into the ballroom. He nned on harassing his sister, but seeing her being thoroughly protected by her friends made him think against it. He then decided to escape from the ce. However, the prince and his people noticed his suspicious actions, making it difficult for him to escape using normal methods. As a result, he was trying to run through the balcony when he got caught. He confessed that he didnt properly talk to anybody since entering the ballroom and does not even remember which balcony he jumped off of. He imed that the question regarding the tulips roots was to scare his dance partners to hide his identity. His orange eyes sharply read through the report. Duchess Cecil nquer and her husband have decreased their sons stipend to a third of what it used to be and has received a contract stating that he will never approach the Lords Castle or young Duchess Eva nquer for the rest of his life. They have publicly dered that he will be forever banished and disowned should he break this promise. Currently, young master nquer is residing in his vi. Cdric scowled. Things had been taken care of well but it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Christelle de Sarnezs voice suddenly echoed in his ears. Something must have happened that day, didnt it, your Royal Highness? He had not answered her question in the end. The incident that day and the masquerade all had numerous things that annoyed him. Chhhhh, the crown prince suppressed the me at his fingertip and calmed himself. It was at that moment. Rooooooooll He nimbly looked up. It was the sound of something small and round rolling across the carpet. It was so quiet that a normal person would not be able to hear it. However, he was not amoner. Cdric grabbed his Sword of Wisdom and stood up without making any noises. The uninvited guest was in the room connected to his bedroom and the crown princes sharp instincts as a swordsman let him know that it was not his attendant. He quickly approached the door and pulled it open- R, rooooooooooooooll He saw the most unbelievable scene. Eek. The person let out a surprised noise. Something else was rolling on the floor. This guest of the night looked extremely flustered as he picked up the fallen holy stones. Cdric had ced them on the table in this room. This persons blonde hair was sparkling radiantly under the fall moonlight. His waist and ankles were covered by vines and tulips. Screech! Shh, Demy. Well get caught. Squeeeee I told you, nobody knows we are here yet. Big bros hearing is sharp. The person whispered. Apparently this persons hearing was sharp but he was quite dull at noticing a persons presence. Cdric held back his anger and a sigh as he approached behind the prince. Based on this, this person was quite dull when it came to sensing a sword hidden in the darkness as well. It made him feel that it was almost extraordinary that this person managed to slip through Prince Consort Werners grasp until now. All done. Lets barge into the bedroom now. I know where it is because I was herest time. Pruuuu Over there. The prince confidently pointed toward the office. Cdric gave up on being patient. ng! Eek! The crown prince pulled out the Sword of Wisdom and pointed it at the mans white neck. The princes purple eyes immediately looked up at him. The clouds shifted just at that moment and Cdrics animal-like silhouette revealed itself. The prince gulped. The crown prince growled in a voice that seemed to be boiling. The Diplomatic hostage of a hostile nation has infiltrated the crown princes pce. Umm. How should I interpret this? Your Royal Highness. Do you want to die? Hey. The prince scowled. He became upset and his eyes started sparkling. Jesse Viaan was the only person who would greet him so disrespectfully like this. The clowns you sent were so great at walking on the tightrope that I decided to copy them, your Royal Highness. I had no choice because I wanted to apologize to you but you had no intention of hearing me out. What else could I do? Lets talk it out, talk it out yo. There is nothing you cant resolve by talking it out, your Royal Highness. The three earth attribute divine beasts all poured out of his arms. Cdric clenched his teeth. His sword moved down against his wishes. Trantors Comments Jesse acting a fool to get to Cedric. Chapter 174: Superficial Archbishop (4) Chapter 174: Superficial Archbishop (4) Swoooosh! I heard the Imperial Crown Prince pull back his sword. This extremely crazy bastard. Obviously all of the stats for his humaneness went to his face instead. Haaa.. I sighed in relief and hugged the red pandas that were trying to escape. Although we were uninvited guests, we needed to be respectful as we were still guests. I calmly asked the most important question on my mind. May I let the kiddos down, your Royal Highness? Crown prince Cdric angrily red at me. Others might think this was him saying no, but I was quite familiar with this punks speech and gestures. Since he didnt say something like do you think it would be? This meant that it was okay. I put the kiddos down and Rhea and Perry quickly ran over to the crown prince and dangled on his knees. They seemed very happy to see him. Seeing the two of them put a smile on my face but then I looked up to see that the crown prince had a slightly calmer look than earlier. But he still looks like he has no intention of treating me as a guest. Why dont we first sit, your Royal Highness? I said that and slowly stood up. My eyes got used to the darkness and I could decently make things out. The embers were still crackling in the firece and there was a pot and some cups, so Ill at least be able to make it look the part. * Chhh I carefully poured tea into two cups. There just happened to be a box of dandelion tea on the mantle in the next room, so I personally brewed it. Thankfully, I did not make any major mistakes. It was smart of me to watch Benjamin and Ganael as they made tea everyday. It would be great to have some cookies as well, but, unlike my room, this ce did not have any snacks. Well, its not good to eat sote anyway. I looked up and made eye contact with the crown prince. He had quietly sat here while I turned on some candles, brewed the tea, and warned the divine beasts to be good. Although I was not a Holy Knight, even my eyes could see that he looked edgy and unstable. Is he properly getting ether? That, mm I looked toward the balcony while warm steam rose from the cup. It was so that I could organize my thoughts before I started speaking. The floating bridge I had crossed was on the ledge. The three red pandas worked so hard to make it out of vines, allowing me to not step on the ground even once while crossing here from the balcony in Juliette Pce. It was close, but the guards did not see me. For reference, Percy yed a big role in getting the vines to reach this far. The chimney bird bit the end of the vines and quietly moved it here, allowing us to sessfully create the bridge without any issues. No, thats not what is important right now. Im sorry, your Royal Highness. I immediately apologized. The crown prince silently observed me. I had no intention of running away or leaving without saying anything. I still dont have such thoughts. At that time I dont even know what was happening. I smiled bitterly. That was the only way for me to exin it. It was a time when my instincts moved before any calctions and thought. However, I have never forgotten that I am your partner and Dame Sarnezs partner. I have also not forgotten that I said that we would do things together. The crown princes orange eyes became calmer, looking closer to the color of night than day. I emphasized once again. I was not trying to hurt you, your Royal Highness. An extremely shoddy housent. He bleaklymented. I blinked because I had no idea what he was talking about. A tiny little chair and just as tiny windows. You wanted to go back to such a ce? He was almost growling at me. I was wondering what he was talking about before realizing that he was talking about the pot with the little grass doll and the fishing chair. My jaws dropped on their own. You saw our veranda as well? I understand how you were treated at your home castle. Hold on, your Royal Highness. You must not be used to the luxury and freedom of the Imperial Pce. That is true, but This is driving me nuts. I quietly mumbled. I wanted to say that he was in a swamp of delusion but it was weird for me to say so, because I knew that Prince Jesse was a scoundrel in the Holy Kingdom. We were not financially struggling, but our house probably looked like a barn to the crown prince of the Empire. Mm. Technically, what you said is not wrong, your Royal Highness. But Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii! Demy. You cant randomly touch things when you go to a friends house. I peeked at the crown prince and urgently got up. The little troublemaker, who had been roaming around the table, had started showing interest in the holy stones I had dropped earlier. The punk used his round front paw to poke at the gold te with the minerals. I sat down supporting Demys chubby belly and apologized. Im really sorry, your Royal Highness. As you are well aware, Demy is quite the curious creature I then suddenly stopped talking. I noticed that the holy stones on the te all contained me, water, or wind. I was certain that the red, blue, and white ether respectively belonged to the crown prince, Christelle, and Sir Johann. I had not noticed when I dropped them earlier because my mind was preupied. My eyes opened wide and I looked at the man. My voice cracked a bit. Did you figure out how to stabilize the holy stones while I was unconscious, your Royal Highness? Technically, what you said is not wrong. He used the same words I had said just earlier. I slightly red at him when I heard his cold voice. Your blood. Excuse me? After absorbing a priests blood, the holy stones were able to be stable when storing the power of a Holy Knight. I got the chills for a moment. I recalled how these stones had sucked in the blood that I had coughed up. I had expected priests to y an important role because the holy stones kept my ether contained without any leakage. However, the only things I had considered were coating the holy stones with pure ether in advance or putting the two ethers inside at the same time. I had never even considered something as scary as blood. Even the Empress of the Empire did not ask about such methods. I barely managed to get the next words out. Isnt this the ones we were using to test things out, your Royal Highness? I believe that the holy stones used by Viaan during the Warring Era were much bigger than these. There were records of them putting holy stones ranging from the size of a person to a carriage on catapults tounch them. The Late Emperor Romeros Imperial troops were an overbearing force, however, they were unable to quickly gain victory because of the divine weapon filled with ether. We made eye contact for a long time before the crown prince answered. They must have made it absorb even more blood. While even killing the priest if necessary. He did not say that part but I could easily anticipate it. It would have been difficult for the Holy Kingdom to avoid defeat or surrender without having such a vicious mindset. Queen Liliane, the ruler at the time, was called the Iron-blooded Puppeteer. She was such a cold-hearted strategist who even sent her only son, who was fifteen years old, to the vanguard to raise the morale of the troops. It was totally possible for Liliane to shed the blood of priests to create weapons. It was a dreadful thought. Furthermore, the cause of the war was not some political or religious conflict but because of the love and sorrow of two lovers. What did her Majesty say about it, your Royal Highness? I cautiously asked. Holy stones were currently being mined in Aightz Vige, one of the Imperial familys territories. I knew that the Empress did not like war, but she might be inclined to create some weapons for a potential war. One of the reasons she had epted Sir Johann seeking asylum here was to have a Cardinal-Grade Holy Knight on her side. She scorned it. The crown prince responded. His tone was extremely unfriendly and it was just a short answer, but my face immediately brightened. The current Empress truly was different. Even as a politician who needed to consider numerous decisions, she seemed clear on the line she could not cross. The fragrance of the dandelion tea tickled my nose and calmed me down. I hugged Demy, sat down, and smiled. I really like the Riester Empire. A cool Empress, the Cardinal who supports her, and the ce where the cheerful main character and my good friends can all be found. If possible, I would like to continue staying here. But these are all things I have already said to you before, your Royal Highness. Sweet talk will not work. The crown prince sharply answered before burying his mouth behind the teacup. He seemed to be thinking that I was talking up the Empire to please him. Im being serious. Could you please let me meet my other friends as well? I slightly scoped him out. It did hurt my pride that I had to ask permission to a punk who was four years younger than me. However, this was not my first time dealing with such a situation since transmigrating here. I looked at Rhea, who was climbing up to the crown princes neck, with a desperate gaze as I waited for his answer. It would be bad if she falls and cries in pain. Are you not scared? He asked back. What is he talking about? You have no powers right now. Ah. Thats what you are talking about? I chuckled. On the other hand, the crown prince scowled. Im sure you heard from her Eminence, but my ether is something that suddenly appeared. Your Royal Highness, I know you must have heard about how I was called a Superficial Archbishop in the Holy Kingdom. That is why the current me is closer to the real me. Could I even be considered a Superficial Archbishop right now? My strength and defense are all at zero. I smiled after seeing that Rhea sessfully climbed up onto the crown princes neck. The little punk smiled back. Hes excited to see a big bro he likes. I do admit that I am a bit scared that my chances of falling into danger have increased. I will need to be helpful. But it will be fine because I lived close to thirty years without having any ether. You and many others around me are helping me. This was the truth in the real world as well. Our three siblings had a lot of good people around us. My aunts from my mom and dads sides became best friends after taking turns looking after us and my parents friends, whom weve known for a long time, called us to check in very often. Weve also stayed in the same ce for a long time, so we had a lot of neighbors we were close with as well. Despite not having any superpowers, we were able to get through any difficult situations with the help of warm individuals around us. What if your ether does not recover. The young man responded in a low voice. His orange eyes seemed gloomy. Then I am worried about you, your Royal Highness. I answered. I would be fine with it but I was worried about this punk, who had only physically grown up but not mentally. Unlike Christelle, the crown prince had a critical weakness. You are one of only two Holy Knights in the Empire but your partner would not be able to do his part. I will cultivate my soul daily, study hard, and do my best to keep myself healthy for my ether to return. Your Royal Highness, it might be best for you to find a new priest for the worst possible situation. Boom! He stood up from his seat. The chair fell and rolled on the ground. Rhea and Perry got scared and quickly climbed down from the crown prince and climbed up my thighs. I looked at him in shock. His gaze was so hot that just looking at it made me feel like I would burn. I will keep you confined until your powers return. Why are we back to the beginning Do not even think about escaping from life with an Imperial family member. mes sparkled at his fingertips. The three red pandas raised their tails as if they were wary of it. I was at a loss for words as I petted the three red pandas. I finally felt as if I was experiencing the reason that the QNW cursed him so much. The male lead had no hearing issues but you couldntmunicate with him. It felt bleak that the main character had to fix this guy. Your partner I am not saying I will not be your partner. Stay calm. It is because he didnt get to socialize much when he was younger. If I can fix this punk a bit right now, Christelle will suffer lesster. I am simply saying that you need to make a rational decision as the future heir to the throne, your Royal Highness. Especially if you are to get a Religious Partner, I would think you should look at the Archbishops- There will be restrictions, but I will allow some walking and visitors. The crown princemented. He gave the next order before I could even say anything. Escort the prince to Juliette Pce. As youmand, your Royal Highness. Eek! I grabbed all three red pandas and gasped. David was now standing by the door. The middle-aged man bowed to show his respect. How long have you been there, Lord David? Since you asked if you could put the kiddos down, your highness. Thats from the beginning! * Although I was kicked out like that, I was able to go take walks in the garden starting the next day. I was also able to have guests, despite having some restrictions. They had to first request an audience with the crown prince and those who received permission coulde see me. I waited for the only person who passed the crown princes approval as I enjoyed my walk in the garden. Benjamin and Ganael knew who it was, but I asked the two of them not to tell me. It was fun to guess. Male or female? Male, your highness. Holy knight? No, your highness. Mage? No, your highness. Ganael was smiling as he walked on beat with Percy. I was enjoying the colorful maple leaves and the outside breeze before I stopped. If the person is not a Holy Knight or a mage, is it Sand? I feel like Sand is the limit of who the crown prince would allow Herees your guest, your highness. Benjamin gentlymented and pointed toward the entrance of the garden. I quickly turned my head. I couldnt help butugh because I was shocked but happy to see the person I had not expected at all. Gerrit! You came to see your uncle? The little boy, who was tightly holding Sir Johanns hand, quickly ran over with arge bag on his back. I lifted him up and gave him a hug. Therge mint-colored eyes of the young boy sparkled with the same emotion as mine. I turned back to see that Sir Johann, who had not received permission to enter, was smiling from a distance. Trantors Comments Aww poor Johann just in the distance. Chapter 175: Decipher (1) Chapter 175: Decipher (1) Screeeeech! Squeeeeee! The excited red pandas ran around near the field of flowers. Percy must have gone somewhere to y as I couldnt see him while Tith was not in Juliette Pce because Pierre had taken him to the seawater pool. I warned the little troublemakers with a stern look on my face. You cant bother him when he works. Be good. Cruuu. Demy rolled on the ground like a panda and fooled around. It meant that he was going to do whatever he wanted. Gerrit dangled on my arm and chuckled. I couldnt help but sigh and smile at the same time. The garden at Juliette Pce was beautiful in the fall. The gardeners were hard at work, taking care of the trees and newly grown nts. I was terrible with flower names but Benjamin was different. Gerrit and I were able to be energized by his exnations to learn about a lot of new nts. The magenta flower over there is an anemone, these over here are a pretty bundle of Sweet Williams. In the back are some coneflowers. This outdoor tea time with butterflies and dragonflies joining us was wonderful. The weather was great, the sky was clear and having a guest for the first time in a long while made me very happy. Its delicious, isnt it? Should I ask them for more? I asked Gerrit. The little boy, who had been chewing on his snack, curled his eyes and nodded his head. This tarte mbe, which hadrdon, emmental cheese and mushrooms to suit my tastes, was closer to a pizza than a tart. Seeing as how this little kid enjoyed it as well, Chef Laurence truly had a way of cooking that just drew you into her food. Ganael, three tes of this and fouace please. For the fouace, make them the ones with the orange confit inside. Gerrit likes them. Yes, your highness! Ganael, who was attending to us, looked extremely happy as he walked away. Gerrit looked at me in shock. He seemed to be trying to say that he could not eat that much. I wiped the sauce off the childs chin and gently smiled. Dont worry. Uncle will help you. Gerrit looked relieved after hearing that. Now that I thought about it, I ate quite well when we all went out togetherst time. His first impression of me must have been quite memorable. I confirmed that he was drinking some warm milk before turning to the side. Benjamin was carefully pouring some tea at the next table. He must have sensed my gaze as he stopped what he was doing and handed over Gerrits bag. Hes so observant. Thank you very much. Gerrit, can I open it? Nod nod. Little Geens white hair, which looked exactly the same as his fathers, fluttered in the wind. Sir Johann had brought Gerrit to the entrance and then entered into Romero Pce. Maybe he was looking at his son out a window the whole time. The bag Gerrit brought with him was sorge that it covered his whole back and it was very full. I cautiously opened the bag. I naturally started smiling once I saw what was inside. It is full of letters. I guess you are a mailman, Gerrit. The child chuckled with joy. Gerrits medicine and a book for him to read were inside as well, but the rest were letters from my friends. I pulled out the colorful cards and letters and made eye contact with the little boy. Thank you so much. I was curious about how my friends were doing. Wasnt it heavy to carry? Shake shake. Thats a relief. I emptied the bag and slowly reached over to fix Gerrits hair. The boy smiled as if it felt nice. Benjamin was nice and took the sun halo weed from Gerrit and started brewing the tea for him. I heard that the medicine was quite bitter but the little boy dangled his legs and waited for it without the slightest look of detest. He was so good and pure that I couldnt help but pity his situation. Lets see. It was quite peaceful after that. I enjoyed reading the letters from Christelle, Vice Captain lisabeth, Eva, Marquis Duhem, Sand, Agnes and my otherpanions. There was even one from Chantal, the Chief of Staff of the Srnit Lords Castle. It was even more entertaining as I felt like I could hear the voices of the writers as I read them. Gerrit watched me read with interest. His Royal Highness keeps crossing the line, your highness. Yesterday, I almost requested a duel with him because I really couldnt get through to him. I am at least extremely relieved to hear that you woke up safely, your highness. I was so shocked after hearing that you coughed up blood that I destroyed my bed. My mother heard the noise and ran over bare feet. Christelles handwriting was full of anger and energy. Eva, who was apparently in the Imperial Capital, wrote down a detailed ount of what she has been doing these days. I was relieved to see that she did not seem to have any difficulties or issues. Vice Captain lisabeth exined the situation outside the Imperial Pce in a calm demeanor. Both the Imperial Capital and the entire Empire is quite rowdy about it, your highness. Im sure you read about it in the < Biweekly Riester > but the reaction is actually much hotter than that. The alert status for the soldiers was removed after a week but the citizens on the streets are still talking about the sky and the golems movements. There are people who say ominous things but also a lot of people who consider it to be a blessing of the Almighty God. I thought about the young Countesss exnation. The golems movements themselves had been extremely dangerous, but there were also records of the Empire having bountiful harvests following the appearance of golems every couple centuries. It was not surprising to hear that there were mixed reactions. Vice Captain lisabeths parents, Margrave Caroline Moutet and her husband, had also sent a card asking about my well-being. The message from Sir Michel was especially long. Your highness, the flowers and trees in our greenhouse are growing extremely healthy thanks to the magic stone sprinkler you gifted usst summer. I pray that you also work hard for your recovery as well. (Omit) I also heard that you requested to her Majesty to allow for the growth of sun halo weed in the Imperial Pce. That was truly a wise decision, your highness. The sun halo weeds phenomenal detoxification abilities and its endless regenerative power is an extremely curious research subject for a botanist and doctor like myself. Our benevolent Majesty has called me to the Imperial Pce to personally observe the roots and leaves and has allowed me to dry the flowers and store them. I am currently investigating things rted to Sir Geens son, Gerrits condition I stopped reading Sir Michels message and looked at Gerrit. The child who had received the cup from Benjamin was maturely drinking the medicinal tea. I heard that he has been using the same medicine since he was a baby but the bitter taste must be hard to get used to as he frowned every so often. I stabbed a piece of Membrillo with my fork and silently waited. Ill feed it to him once he finishes it. It was at that moment. Hmm? Gerritsrge eyes blinked a few times before he extended his teacup toward me. There were about two sips left. I tilted my head. Are you done drinking it? The child shook his head at my question. He then pushed the cup even closer to me. I became a bit anxious. Are you trying to give it to me? His small head moved up and down. Ganael, who had brought over the requested bread and a bunch of dessert, gasped in shock. Benjamin looked ufortable for a moment as well. My two confidants, as well as the people around me, clearly remembered how the sun halo weed and moon halo weed had affected me in the past. Sir Geens had put sun halo weed extract on my teacup and thenter had me drink moon halo weed tea to make me suffer from ether disturbance. He then used that to try to kill me. Thank you, Gerrit. But uncle is not sick so it is okay. This is your medicine so you dont have to save some for me. I carefully chose my words. His mint-colored eyes were shaking. The child opened and closed his mouth as if he wanted to say something but no words came out. He must have been upset about that as his face looked sad. Aigoo. I mean it. Uncle ispletely fine. So lets drink all of it, Gerrit. Im sure your dad wants you to do so as well. Waa A cry-like groan came out of his mouth. I gasped and covered the childs hands, which were holding the cup, with my hand. Gerrit was looking at me with a desperate gaze. Your highness, you dont need to drink it. Yes sir. Benjamin quietly advised and I immediately flicked my chin. The dark tea was releasing the peculiar bitter scent of medicinal teas. The reason I suffered from ether disturbance was because of thebination of sun halo weed extract and moon halo weed. My head knew that tea made from sun halo weed would not negatively affect me in any way. That would exin why the Imperial Crown Prince punk allowed this child to bring his medicine with him. The surface of the tea was slightly shaking. It took me a long time to realize that it was because my hand was shaking. I guess Im still scared of it. I guess you must have heard that I fainted, Gerrit. That is why you are giving me this medicine? Thankfully, my voice sounded fine. The young boy looked at me with teary eyes and nodded his head. Gerrit was ten years old but he was as short as a seven year old and his physique was weak because he has been weak since birth. I smiled while looking at the child and Your highness! Gulp gulp. I drank the rest of the sun halo weed tea. Ganael looked extremely anxious as if I had swallowed poison but Gerrits fingers twitched with joy and relief. The child quickly ced a piece of Membrillo in my mouth as soon as I ced the empty cup on the table. The soft and sweet taste melted in my mouth and washed away the bitter taste. I couldnt help but chuckle now. It looks like uncle will get healthy thanks to you, Gerrit. Maybe my ether will return tomorrow. I ced a purple berlingot in Gerrits mouth. My little mailman and doctor smiled brightly and nodded his head. He seemed to be agreeing with my statement. * That night Dame Christelle de Sarnez, I have so much respect for you. It is an extreme honor to meet you. To fight against a golem You are as brave as our ancestors. Thank you very much. I am pleased to meet you as well. This fancy tavern in the Legault district, the central district of the Imperial Capital, was so full that there was no room to move. Christelle was smiling brightly while receiving the greeting of some noble youngdy. The persons face turned red and she didnt seem to know what to do before kissing the back of Christelles hand and walking away. This was already about the fifth time she had faced this sort of situation tonight. It is great that my daughter is so popr. Yes, I agree, mother. Christelle responded with a smile to Isabelles whisper. The mother and daughter pair, who were actually pretty simr in age, clinked their sses against each others and giggled. The young Holy Knight was doing her best not to recall the view of Korea she had seen that day. All it was doing was to make her upset. She was neither sure about how to create that hole in the sky again nor how she could get there. She did not want to be tortured by a useless hope that she may be able to return to her original world. It was better to forget about it. Cheers. Cheers! The sweet yet bitter taste of the wine flushed down her throat with those memories. The city area had beenpletely empty two weeks ago when the soldiers had been moved to alert status. The knights in the garrison defending the Imperial Capital were patrolling the streets night and day while the regr nobles andmoners with no talents in magic or sword arts stayed in their homes. But it was different now. Everywhere except the borders had returned to normal. In fact, it seemed even livelier than when that hole in the sky and the golem appeared. Christelle let her ears take in the waves of chatter she could hear from those around her. The harvest festival is already next month. I am excited to see how much we can gather in my territory. Oh, the storehouse at our Lords Castle was lootedst month. I hope we can make up for the losses with this harvest. My goodness, Baron. Was it perhaps that thief? Her blue-gray eyes inadvertently looked through the tavern. It then stopped at a certain spot. Although this man had a robe covering his face, Christelle was certain that she knew this person sitting at a corner table. Now that she thought about it, she had not checked to see if he was okay since theyst saw him at the nquer Lords Castle. An odd sense of curiosity as well as mischievousness filled her heart. Christelle called an errand boy over to say that she wanted to send a drink to that gentleman over there and asked for paper and pen. She then excitedly wrote down a message. You cant get married if you cant drink this in one shot. Oh, detestable sir What happened with the prophecy you made at the nquer Duchy? C. S. The errand boy quickly delivered champagne and the message to Modeste Bacary as Christelle smirked and observed his face. The young seer seemed surprised at thispletely unexpected show of goodwill. Christelle was not acquainted with Bacary but knew that he was the one who had viciously red at Prince Jesse during the Crown princes session confirmation ceremony. She had also heard about how he had left an ominous prophecy to the Prince and his friends at the masquerade. As someone who listened to his warning and assisted in searching through the ballroom, she thought that she had the right to hear the backstory. However, he showed a surprising reaction. Bacary looked at Christelle from the distance before calling the errand boy over to write a response. This was an interesting development. Christelle calmly read the message from the seer that the errand boy delivered. I will ept the drink with gratitude. However, I do not know what you are talking about with a prophecy, Dame Sarnez. Unfortunately, I have lost my memories of that night. M. B. What does he mean? Her face stiffened. Is he saying that his memories of making the prophecy arepletely gone? Trantors Comments Dory, is that yooooou? Chapter 176: Decipher (2) Chapter 176: Decipher (2) How does that make any sense? Hes not a street fortune teller, he is the Captain of the Fleur-de-lis. Mother, I am going to go to that table for a moment. Christelle looked at Isabelle as she said that. Lady Isabelle seemed shocked but she nodded her head as she was now used to her daughters sudden actions. Ever since waking up through Isabelles prayersst spring, Christelle has done whatever she wanted to do and did not regret her decisions. She was maybe even acting as she pleased in order to not have any regrets. Of course, she was not trying to make any important decisions because she was worried about her memories returning in the future, but there were no hesitations when it came to her words and actions. Christelle called over a guard knight of the Dukes House of Sarnez as soon as Isabelle gave her permission. Please look after my mother. Please dont worry, youngdy Christelle. The woman with a sword on her side responded reliably. Christelle nodded her head and headed toward the table where Modeste Bacary was sitting by himself. Quite a number of gazes were locked on her before they whispered and disappeared. Hello, Captain Bacary. Dame Christelle de Sarnez. His young face looked up at her. His round sses and silver eyes gently sparkled under the shadows of his robe. Christelle put his note in her pocket as she spoke in her usual voice. You are drinking alone. Are you the type who treats solitude as his snacks when he drinks? I do tend to be that way. The young man answered without any hesitation. She had heard that this guy was only twenty years old, so the fact that he already enjoyed solo drinking made her think that this little kid in front of her was quite entertaining. Christelle motioned with her eyes to the seat across from Bacary. He understood what she meant and nodded her head. Abination that nobody could have ever expected was instantly formed. The sharp errand boy brought over another ss. To my knowledge, you went up to Prince Jesse during the masquerade to make a prophecy. You said that you saw the shadows of death. There was also something about the stench of a terrible plot and about a persons pain. I heard about it as well. That is the reason my friends and I investigated the ballroom. Christelle threw it straight at him. The seer lowered his head. His night-colored hair weakly fell forward. I heard that was the case as well. The voice of the boy who was in between a child and a youth in age sounded extremely somber. Bacary reached out and grabbed the champagne that Christelle had sent over. Tap Christelle snatched the bottle from him and filled his empty cup. The captain looked at her in shock. It is bad luck if you fill it yourself. What do you mean by that? Do you usually lose your memories when you make a prophecy? Absolutely not. That day was the only exception. Bacary stared at the champagne before chugging the whole thing. She had not expected him to oneshot the whole thing as this was not soju. Christelle calmly observed him. When I saw you at the masquerade, you were already sleeping. I was told that you had entered mana interphase. The image of his mask being off as he was nursed on the couch was still vivid on her mind. However, it had been chaotic because of the sudden opening of dungeons in the nquer Duchy. Everybody had been busy evacuating to the za and she had not been able to talk to Bacarys family members that day. The investigation ruled that Marquis Franois Duhem and Christelles father, Duke Simon de Sarnez had not done anything wrong. Of course, the two of them had not even known that they were the subjects of suspicion. The prophecy had been quite abstract and that trash, Robert nquer, imed that he did not make contact with anybody. Yes, Dame Sarnez. I apparently used a significant amount of mana that made it so that I had to go into interphase as soon as I made the promation. The servants of my household have also confirmed that my nose bled quite a bit. As a result, what you said must be the truth. However You are saying that you yourself have forgotten? That is correct, Dame Sarnez. His voice was very quiet as he answered. He clearly wanted to deny the truth. It is something that I cannot understand at all. Since I was named Captain of the Fleur-de-lis this year I have never made such an error. Error? It was an odd choice of word. The Holy Knight scowled and poured some more alcohol. Bacary chugged the champagne as if he had been waiting for her to pour. The highest-grade brie and raw oysters that came out were getting cold. Hes just drinking on an empty stomach. Must be nice to be young. As her Majestys magic tool, I cannot have such a defect. I Yourepletely drunk. Christelle instantly cut him off. She did not want to hear him talk about how he has a defect or made an error. He was not some sort of artificial intelligence. She got up without any hesitation. The mans blurry gaze followed her movement. Either way, you are saying you dont know the reason. Then I will be on my way now, Captain Bacary. My mother is waiting for me. Also, a person is not a tool. It looks like you are about to ck out, but I am still telling you this before I go because I feel like I will regret it if I dont. You are saying the same thing as the prince. Prince Jesse? Christelle asked back in a loud voice. The Prince Jesse she knew would definitely say something like that. She was just amused that there was an exchange between this twenty year old solo drinker and that handsome man who only drinks herb tea. She was lost in thought for a bit before smiling and leaving thesest words. Next time, dont drink on your own. Instead, visit Juliette Pce if you are struggling. Nobody can go there right now but the restriction will be removed soon. At least I believe it will be. What do you I think itll be about three months for him to go over. Christelle mumbled before starting to walk. She had not gained any info because the seer had lost his memories, but, thinking about it in reverse, learning about the fact that he forgot the events of that night was actually a great gain. If he received such a shock that he forgot everything, the revtion itself was highly likely to be important information. I should let his highness know as well. She thought to herself. Since Gerrit managed to earn that damn Imperial Crown Prince bastards trust thanks to his young age and innocence, he should be able to deliver a countless number of letters for her. * Yes sir. I am currently out in the Juliette Pce garden. This is our third day for tea time underneath the beautiful sunshine of Fall, with our Juliette Pce family and our special guest, Gerrit. Mr. Gerrit Geens, you were once again the only outsider to receive permission to enter Juliette Pce. Could you share how you are feeling about that? Hmm. I spooned up some vacherin and ced it in front of the childs mouth like a microphone. Gerrit smiled with an embarrassed look on his face before opening his mouth to eat the ice cream. You must be feeling good. I slyly added on before taking a big bite myself. The vacherin with chestnut paste and puree was stickier and sweeter than usual. The way the refreshing cream gently melted on top of my tongue instantly made me feel better. I petted the water deer, Chestnut, who came with Gerrit to y, and then smiled as I watched the two kids run off to a side of the field. Our nice Ganael went with them as guardian. Benjamin was seated at the next table writing his manuscript while the divine beasts were all gathered together taking a nap. The gardener carefully walked to not step on the little troublemakers. I should study again. I firmed my resolve and looked at the table. The area around me was full of scratch paper, books, letters, my notebook and quill pen. The Empire-wide harvest festival is set to happen next month. This was a grand celebration thatsted not just a few days but the whole month of November. The food in the Imperial Pce is generally made with fresh seasonal ingredients, but the feeling that the festival was arriving could even be felt in this cold remote pce. There were luxurious decorations everywhere and excited staff could be seen hurriedly running around. It was clear that there would be many events looking for Crown prince Cdric and Christelle. It was especially important for the former to maintain his condition. I know that he has a busy schedule in December as well, so I needed to at least figure out what was going on before then. The Arks warning. Dont know what will happen if the divine items gather together: I can pass on this because I have an idea about this now. The danger that the Almighty God prepared for me: ? I tapped on that second line with my quill pen. I then drew an arrow and extended it to the side. The danger that the Almighty God prepared for me: ? The chance that Bacary foresaw it. This was the important part. Modeste Bacary had made an extremely scary prophecy at the masquerade and I believed that he saw something that did not happen in the original novel. It was because he said that the way he saw that vision was different from how he had received his revtions until now. I couldnt be certain because I had no other clues other than that, but I peeked at the letters next to the notebook. Hello your highness, its me! Did you enjoy your meal? I am writing once again with the belief that Gerrit will manage to deliver my letter to you as before. I wanted to let you know that I met Captain Bacary of the Fleur-de-lis at the tavern two days ago. But The handwriting that perfectly reflected Christelle was running around on top of the paper like a little horse. The information she shared was quite shocking. He has no memories. I mumbled to myself. He started bleeding after seeing the future and his body and mind took such shocks that he had to go into mana interphase as soon as he finished his prophecy but he cant even recall the event after regaining consciousness? Did he really see something that did not happen in the original novel? In that case, the author personally intervened with Bacarys mind or The author used some means to erase the memories of this character. It was a bit scary. I sipped on the plum blossom tea as I calmly organized my thoughts. The danger that the Almighty God prepared for me: ? The chance that Bacary foresaw it Based on the fact that he lost his memories, highly likely that it was not something in the original novel I am the only existence here that is not from the original Are you really calling this organized, Jung Yeseo? Nothing stands out because you just wrote down whatever came to mind. I clicked my tongue and scratched out the things in the notebook. It might be better to draw it out. Almighty God (Danger) Bacary got a peek Me Thats much better. I nodded my head. I had considered that Bacary had made a prophecy about Eva because that bastard, Robert nquer, imed that he was trying to harm his sister. But in that case, I saw no reason for him to lose his memories. Eva was important to me but she was not an important figure in the original QNW. It was a name I had never heard Eunseo mention. If it is not in the original, it should not be rted to the war. It was called a scheme A conspiracy rted to me. The faces of Marquis Duhem and Duke Sarnez shed in my mind. I quickly shook my head. Its not either of them. I hope it is not either of them. It is probably not. Move on for now. I quickly turned the page. I was feeling iffy about it but I had no way to look more into it for now. It was this next topic that I needed to contemte right now. Seque from activating the Paten of Wishes: Ether blocked When will it get better? Can I even get better? I hade up with some theories about this as well while eating well and sleeping thest few days. First, the Paten should not be a one-time use item, so I was certain that it was still inside my body. The paten used such a strong power that others thought I was going into ether overload before bingpletely silent. In that case, there was only one conclusion I could deduce. Cool time. That has to be it. I solemnly mumbled. The paten was closer to an item than a skill, but it was easy to understand the situation if I considered it as a skill. QNW was, in the end, a novel written by a Korean author in the 21st century. It would have been hard not to have received some inspiration from the systems seen in games. When will it get better?: When the patens cool time is over. Can I even get better? After writing about the cool time, I red at the bottom line and brought the teacup up to my mouth. My body was fine and the paten should be fine as well, so I should be able to get better some da Blegh, why is this so bitter? I scowled and looked at the teacup. I saw that this was not my plum blossom tea but the sun halo weed medicinal tea that Gerrit had been drinking. I must have identally picked up the childs cup. It had no effect when I drank it two days ago, but the little kid did not give up and shared his medicine with me yesterday as well. I felt less repulsed because I had read Sir Michels letter about the sun halo weed. He seems to have purposely left this where I can reach it Should I just pretend that I am drinking some red ginger and gulp it down? Ugh, this is even more bitter than red ginseng. Huh? It was at that moment. I blinked, wondering if I was seeing things. Shaaaaaaaaaaaa Small golden pebbles were rising up from my fingertips. My jaw dropped at this unbelievable development. All of a sudden? The cool time is over? No, wait. I urgently inspected the empty teacup. Is it this thing? Is it because of the sun halo weed medicinal tea? Tang! ng! I flinched and looked behind me. Benjamin raised my head in shock as well. A balcony door in Romero Pce was broken and fluttering like a rag. The orange eyes that resembled the sun were staring at me with a scary gaze. I could see David pounding his chest behind this guy when I heard the low voice that dug into the ground. Finally. Wow, this ether pig is so sensitive to ether! Trantors Comments Ether piging for his fooood! Chapter 177: Decipher (3) Chapter 177: Decipher (3) ck, ck My goodness. I get to experience all sorts of things in life. Frdrique grumbled. As usual, only Aurlie had joined her on thergest and most luxurious carriage in the Imperial family. It had already been a few hours since that phenomenal urgent news hade from Juliette Pce. She wanted to order Prince Jesse toe to the Empress Pce at once to figure out what was going on, but unfortunately, she was a ruler. It took time to even take care of the urgent things first and push back the less urgent issues. The Cardinal smiled brightly from the other side. Thats what makes life so entertaining. Im sure Cdric will be very happy. It looks like you are even happier about it. The Empresss red eyes sparkled with discontent. Aurlie did not retort. The fact that her one and only student regained his ether made the Cardinal extremely relieved and happy. She cared a lot about her precious godson, but she also had affection for the Prince and a desire to see him grow to be a Cardinal. This was a win for everyone. How long has it been since the Empress went out to Juliette? I have been talking about that this whole time. Aurlie saw the upset Frdrique andughed out loud. It was because the two of them were headed toward that cold pce to check the princes condition. This had never happened since after the Warring Era. The reason that the prince could not follow proper etiquette ande to the Empress Pce was clear. The master of Romero, the Imperial Crown Prince, had restricted him from exiting his pce. The Empress could not believe her heirs tyranny. Since when has Sadie been so obsessed with the things in his hand? Im not so sure that it is in his hands yet. Dont say such terrible things, Adam. Hes already ordering his mother toe and go. The carriage slowed down at that moment. They could see the sun setting over Juliette Pce outside the window. The divine beast babies and the water deer were ying in the pretty and cutely decorated garden. The prince and the attendants seemed to be struggling to calm the animals down. The divine item that had turned into a chimney bird was nonchntly sitting on the crown princes pnquin. They could even see the white-haired child dangling around the princes waist. Anybody would be able to tell that this was that mercenary punks son. She couldnt help but sigh. Theyve created a little paradise in the Imperial Pce. Yeah, isnt it nice? The Empress peeked at her soulmate. The carriage thenpletely stopped. Chief of Staff Laura, staff of the Empress Pce, and guests exited the carriage behind them. The princes purple eyes lookedpletely frozen in the distance. He was out to greet the Empress, but he seemed to have gotten anxious after seeing the number of people who had shown up. The corners of Frdriques lips curled up mischievously. Well, it doesnt hurt to get some air. The Empress stepped down as soon as the carriage door clicked open. The group with the crown prince in the front politely showed their respects. Frdrique escorted Aurlie before leisurely approaching the prince with the Cardinal on her side. The divine beasts looked up at the Empress and tilted their heads. Tith, she is the eldest senior. My urgently whispering voice sounded quite funny. I came because I heard that a great event has happened to you. Thank you very much, your Majesty. I should havee to you, but please forgive me for not traveling to the Empress Pce. The prince bowed his head. His blonde hair sparkled like a jewel from the autumn sunlight. That was not your fault. The Empress said that and then looked at her son. He had his usual stoic look on his face but, as his mother, she could see her sons slightly shaking pupils. You really are running rampant. If youre done, go to the bedroom and get ready. I am here to bestow upon you some Imperial benevolence. Excuse me? The prince raised his head in shock. The words Imperial benevolence had made his cheeks flushed. Just as Frdrique was about tough, the Cardinal used swift movements to pinch the Empresss arm. Ah. Its just a terrible joke, my little prince. Shall we go check your condition? Her eyes then benevolently curled up. The Empress could only grumble internally. * I quietly sat to one side of the living room and cooperated. I could see people no matter which direction I looked. My Juliette family members were busily running around with refreshments, tables, and chairs. I had never seen thergest room in Juliette Pce being so busy. Sun halo weed is a nt with basically no poisonous traits. It definitely is not a typical situation. Yes, that definitely does seem to be the answer. The prince had been unable to use his ether for close to twenty days, but having used the medicinal tea for three days Your Eminence, Prince Jesses respiration and pulse are all normal. Numerous priests, the Imperial doctor, their attendants and assistants, Sir Michel, who had rushed to the pce, and most importantly, Empress Frdrique and Cardinal Boutier. There did not seem to be an end to the guests here. Even Sir Johann had been called over by an Imperial Order. Captain Herv Duhem and Vice Captain lisabeth were standing guard outside the pce. Juliette Pce was currently the safest ce in all of Riester. Aarf. Yeah, theres a lot of people, arent there? Its quite the show all of a sudden. I patted Tiths butt and calmed him down. The little guy seemed quite upset that he was woken up from his nap. It was around then that Sir Johann, who was holding Gerrits hand, started speaking. Everybody turned to look at him. Gerrits illness has no cause. At least that is what all of the doctors told me. Chief of Staff Laura quickly motioned for the unnecessary staff to leave. Only a few people remained in the reception room. We needed to urately determine Gerrits illness in order to learn about the effects of the sun halo weed, which would make it easier to understand the effects it had on me. This, if it went well, could end up being a medicinal herb that could help a lot of people. There are actually a good amount of children in the Holy Kingdom with simr symptoms as my son. The citizens of the Holy Kingdom call this the divine illness. There are many children who pass away because they are unable to ovee the pain. The Empress stopped drinking her coffee and scowled. Is it an illness that only affects the young? Sir Johann gently covered Gerrits ears. To be more urate, it is extremely unlikely for them to survive until they are adults, your Majesty. Tsk. The Empress clicked her tongue and observed Gerrit. The little boy squirmed as if he didnt know what to do. I could tell that she was looking at Gerrit and thinking about the crown princes childhood. Anytime I hear things described as a divine illness I presume that it is rted to a persons te or ether. Yes, your Majesty. However, the authority of the priests is even higher in the Holy Kingdom than in the Empire. Themoners would never be able to take their children to a healing priest. The fact that using sun halo weed as a medicinal tea is helpful is known by everyone, but even that is extremely expensive and difficult to procure. My teachers face frowned after hearing Sir Johanns answer. She asked in a sad voice. Then has your child not been able to be checked out by a healing priest either? The Holy Knight looked down. The crown prince, who was seated to my right, looked ufortable. It should not have been that hard after seeking asylum in the Empire. Sir Johann, there are healing priests in the Imperial Pce as well. They are all talented people. I couldnt be so shameless. The Holy Knight looked at me and smiled bitterly. My goodness, Sir Michel gasped. I was shocked after understanding the meaning behind Sir Johanns words. Basically, he felt so apologetic for tricking my friends and I and trying to hurt us that he did not ask for our help. He probably thought that the Imperial Pce starting to grow sun halo weed and providing them to Gerrit free of charge was already extremely benevolent. Sir Johann was the instructor of the crown prince and a Pair de Riester, with the official title of an Imperial Instructor. He could have used that to get to know a high-ranking healing priest at any point My fists clenched on their own. I had been too insensitive. I had been thinking that he would have seen a priest a long time ago. I was so stupid. Little kid,e over here. The Empress suddenly called out to the young boy. The way she was shaking the little stuffed doll in her hand made it seem as if she was quite familiar with this. The area around her seat was full of Gerrits things from the past three days. Its okay. She continued to speak. His ears were still covered, but the child read the lips of the extremely important person and looked up at his father. Sir Johann let his son go. Gerrit stiffly walked up to her and the Empress smiled before putting the pig doll in his hand. The child of a Holy Knight truly is brave. It is rare to find a child who is willing to make eye contact with me. The child shyly smiled. The Empress looked at me. Did you give all these toys to him? Most of them were gifts my friends gave to Gerrit, Your Majesty. It was their way of thanking him for giving me their letters. Sounds like them. She looked at the crown prince as she calmly spoke. She then looked toward Sir Johann. I respect your conscience. However, as a father, you are allowed to be more shameless and pathetic. As long as you are notmitting such sins again, nobody with a child would be able to point their fingers at you. I probably know best about how you feel. Her cherry-colored eyes heavily sank. I finally remembered themon factor between the Empress and the Holy Knight. A spouse who left the world early and their only child who had been in pain since their birth. I turned my head and immediately made eye contact with a pair of eyes that resembled the sun. May I take a look? My teacher was the one who broke the silence. She, who had been standing next to the Empress, took a step forward toward Gerrit. The little boy was feeling shy but did not avoid her gentle hand. Sir Johann very slowly knelt down on one knee and bowed toward the two seniors. Please, I beg of you. The mans voice was quiet and low. However, everybody in the room clearly heard his words. * The Empires one and only Cardinal. The Empresss Religious Partner and the crown princes godmother. Someone who had rejected the title of Duchess twice. The greatest healing priestess in all of Riester. Shaaaaaaaaaaaa Cardinal Boutiers clear and blue healing circle gently wrapped around Gerrit, who was lying down on the couch. Sir Johann was standing next to the child with a gentle face to calm him down. The design on the circle was soplicated that it looked as if a person would never be able to memorize it. It was so splendid that my jaw dropped. My teacher had not been trained as a healing priestess since she was young, but her healing powers were so skilled that she had developed her skills on her own. Despite not starting on the path of a healing priestess until the middle of her twenties, it took less than ten years for her to rise to the top. Someone called a once-in-a-generation type of genius truly was different. The health of the Imperial family was checked first by her and the Imperial doctor to this day, and my teacher was always the first to check on me whenever I fainted as well. Just looking at this makes me understand. I can feel just how amazing her Eminence is. Christelle nkly stared at Cardinal Boutiers healing circle andmented with amazement. Yes, I finally met the main character of QNW once again! Christelle was the first person outside the pce to hear about my recovery. She departed as soon as people were allowed back into Juliette Pce and supposedly jumped off the carriage before it even stopped, but her body was still cold. Her temperature was always low but it was even worse because she had been out in the cold autumn evening breeze. I had never heard about Holy Knights catching a cold but I grabbed her a nket and some warm rose tea. She then smirked while looking at the crown prince. She seemed to be happy that we were all gathered together for the first time in a long while. I felt the same way. It looks like you haventpletely recovered yet, your highness. The flow of your ether is weak. Is that so? Yes, your highness. But it does feel like you are slowly getting stronger. I can feel it more clearly than when I first entered through those doors. Congrattions! Christelle chatted away with a brighter face than ever before. The crown prince seemed to agree, as he didnt say much about it. I found it odd that he had not asked me for ether right away, but that punk must have recognized the weak flow as well. Thanks for being considerate, but couldnt you have told me about it? Why does that balcony look like that? The Empress, who was holding her coffee cup and looking out the window, asked in annoyance. She had noticed that one of the windows of Romero Pce was destroyed. David lost hisposure and started giving excuses in his masters ce. What a difficult job I get the gist of it. I also understand that Marquis Srnit is extremely popr. The Empress motioned toward a small table with her chin as shemented. I leaned over to take a look. What was over there again? Gasp. That is not the case, your Majesty. I urgently denied it. What she had seen were letters from the nquer Duchy, with most of them being from the knights and soldiers of the territory. Most of them were just thanking me for saving Duchess Cecil nquer and Knight Captain Jacques. There were thank you letters from the Duchess and her husband as well. They were just formalities. The Prince of the Holy Kingdom managed to win over the hearts of the fierce East. The people who live in the Duchy at the border of the two nations, at that. Shemented in a mischievous tone. I had an awkward look on my face when the Cardinal suddenly gasped. We all looked toward the other side of the room. [My goodness, Johann.] My teachers beige-colored eyes looked extremely flustered. Sir Johann became shocked as well and looked at her. [There is ether in this childs te.] Trantors Comments Priest Gerrit? Chapter 178: Decipher (4) Chapter 178: Decipher (4) Your Eminence, what do you mean Sir Johann, who always maintained his calm, asked in a shaky voice. I stood up in shock. I heard Empress Frdrique gasping and saw Christelles jaw drop in shock. My little prince,e over here. Cardinal Boutier withdrew her Divine Oracle and calmly called me over. I slowly walked over so that I wouldnt scare Gerrit and saw that the little kid lying on the couch was smiling at me. I felt relieved that he didnt seem to be in pain sinceing to Riester. However, I was still confused about what she meant by there being ether in his body. Sir Johann seemed to be hearing this for the first time as well. What is going on, your Eminence? I quietly asked as I stood next to my teacher. She pointed at her healing circle and looked at me. Look over there. Can you recognize the background of the design? I focused on the area she was pointing out. There wereyers of extremelyplicated designs that created a sophisticated pattern. However, my teacher advised using the same method to learn every new circle. Find the simplest image that creates the background of the circle. Then you will be able to easily tell what condition the circle is focused on. The soul. This is a basic circle that looks into the form of a te. I responded. She nodded her head and looked at the childs father. Thats right. But if you look over here, the reaction is very weak. There is no issue with the te itself, but it is extremely thin. Is that problematic, your Eminence? Sir Johann held Gerrits hand as he asked. His extremely desperate voice made me feel terrible. My teachers eyebrows drooped as if it was a pity. It would not have been an issue if Gerrit was born as a normal person. However, there is a tiny amount of ether in his te. I think he would have also not been in pain if he had the powers of a priest. Pure ether is static and does not put much burden on a persons te. However It must be attributed ether. Sir Johann sounded as if he was in pain as he buried his forehead in Gerrits palm. He must have looked extremely pitiful as Christelle walked over and rubbed his back. She then turned her head and asked. Then does that mean that Gerrit is a Holy Knight? However We were not able to sense anything. I believe that Sir Johann and his Royal Highness would say the same thing. That was right. Holy Knights could sense the ether of other religious figures; they could even use that to tell a persons condition or emotions if the other person did not actively hide it. Yet none of the three Holy Knights in the Empire managed to detect Gerrits ether. I quickly figured out the situation and answered. It is because the ether has nevere out of Gerrits soul. It should be the result of his instincts protecting him because his te, which is weaker than average, could break at any moment. It kept the ether confined inside instead of letting it go in and out. Wait a minute, your highness Attributed ether actively tries toe out of the body Christelles voice trailed off. That must be why he has always been sick. She mumbled. The Cardinal looked down with a look of sorrow on her face. Attributed ether always tries toe out of the body, but Gerrits weak te had been using all of its strength to prevent that until now. The flow of ether itself would have burdened his te, so it chose to seal it at the source for his survival. That lonely fight was causing the pain in his soul. It naturally led to dyed growth and weak physique. It must have been so hard on him. Then There is no way to heal him. Sir Johann looked crushed. He looked as if he was crying despite there being no tears. There was no way to heal a te that a person was born with; there was also no way to remove ether from inside the body. This was your typical incurable illness. The Cardinal chose to remain silent instead of putting him in more pain with an answer. I plopped down in front of the couch and made eye contact with Gerrit. The child, who had eaten a lot of delicious things today, made sure to take his medicine, and had fun running around the garden with Chestnut, now looked sleepy. I smiled and patted the childs chest. Yeah, now I remember. Kids this age dont really know if its about them or someone else when the adults talk about serious things around them. You noticed that uncles ether had an issue even without me telling you. Thats why you shared your medicinal tea with me. Nod nod. His small head slowly moved. Hes such a good boy. Thank you. Im going to get better really fast thanks to you. Our Gerrit is so smart. I whispered to him. He looked so cute smiling back. Ill wake you up before dinner time. You can take a short nap. Youve been working so hard until now. The child closed his eyes without anyints. Christelle put a nket on Gerrit while David threw some more firewood into the firece. The Imperial Crown Prince approached at some point andmented. So then the sun halo weed must help with the pain of his soul. Yeah. It either helps the te or the ether. Or maybe both. Even after using the medicine for a long period of time, the pain will return if he stops using it. I guess it cannot leave asting effect. I quietlymented. Christelles eyes sparkled. If there are no side effects, what if we feed him as much sun halo weed as possible? Couldnt that potentially lessen the burden on him? We will help. Sir Johann looked at her. The main character continued on without any hesitation. We cant just have him drink a ton of medicinal tea. Sun halo weed pudding, sun halo weed cake, sun halo weed with Parmentier de Canard. Maybe even some sun halo weed kimchi. She mumbled in a serious voice. We couldnt help but chuckle quietly. Of course, I was the only one who understood thatst part. Werner Viaan truly is a motherfucking bastard. The Empress, who had silently been listening, suddenlymented. Everybody turned toward the Empress who was leaning against the window. Her red eyes were full of rage and loathing. There is no way that a senior member of the royal family does not know about this divine illness. Even if you say that people dont know because they are busy surviving, it is different for the upper echelon. How could someone who calls himself a parent do that? The Empress said that and then stopped. It felt as if her holy sword, Durandal, slightly shook for an instant as well. Sir Johann gently rubbed the back of his sons hand and broke the silence. He looked much calmer than earlier. If it is as her Eminence mentioned, then children like Gerrit who suffer from the divine illness cannot be Holy Knights. They are basically born with a disability in their soul, and there is not even enough medicine to lessen the pain for everyone. As a result, the Viaan Royal family probably considered them to be unnecessary existences. A child of a noble suffering from the same illness could grow up without issues because they would be able to procure the sun halo weed, but that was probably it. I had no idea what to say to that. I was astonished. Even if there was ack of supply of the medicinal herb, because these sick children could not grow up as useful members of society They are still people. How could they ignore their citizens despite knowing about the illness? I could hear Christelle swearing under her breath. The Empress motioned to the Chief of Staff with her gaze. Laura, summon the Chambre des pairs again within the week. We need to figure out if there are simr patients in the Empire. Inform the librarian of the Empress Pce to look for rted records in the library. Inform her that she can call the Imperial doctor if necessary as well. We will also need some manpower to decipher the ancient texts as well. As youmand, your Majesty. Laura bowed perfectly before withdrawing. While that was going on, Sir Michel had asked Benjamin and Ganael to help him brew arge pot of warm sun halo weed medicinal tea. I quietly organized my thoughts before looking up at crown prince Cdric. I could see his firm and chiseled chin. I remember this guy struggled with severe ether depletion since he was young as well. Since his condition is still not that good and he cant prevent himself from turning into a child Maybe he is suffering from the same thing as Gerrit? Then is it possible for him to be helped as well? Please check my soul now, your Eminence. I want to help. I looked toward my teacher and asked. The Cardinal looked a bit shocked before warmly smiling at me. * The situation ended up growing significantly. The Empress did not return to her pce even once the sun set, making all of the reports arrive at Juliette Pce instead. Staff came over to help from Romero Pce as well and the reception room turned into a form of an open-concept business center The inside resembled a y area. Percy, the divine beasts, and Chestnuts were ying in the real y area, but either way Would you like some more? The attendants were walking around the area with gold tters of Pan bagnat and starfruit juice. We decided to have a simple dinner as well to fulfill the Imperial Decree of learning more about this. I raised my hand and counted in my mind. Sand just got here so two more for him, Christelle and the crown prince should each eat at least one more, Sir Johann has been through a lot today so he should eat some more, and I should eat some more too. Please bring another six pan bagnats. As for the juice, only fill the empty sses. Yes, your highness. I will bring over ten of them. My teacher watched my conversation with the attendant and chuckled. I became anxious and sat up straight. Her clear healing circle was slowly revolving with me at the center. Your Eminence, was the flow broken because I talked? No, thats not it. The flow of your ether gets very strong when you eat something delicious, my little prince. Is that a good thing? I guess it is good. I nodded my head and took a big bite of the pan bagnat. The crunchiness of the whole wheat bread, the savory tuna and tomato, boiled egg, and olives mixed together. Chef Laurences vinaigrette sauce was, as always, the perfect mixture. The celery and peppers exquisitely maintained the bnce, giving just the right amount of refreshing and clean taste. This truly was amazing. I heard that she made them in a rush but they are still perfect. The world needed a webnovel with Chef Laurence as the main character. Ive never experienced something like this before. Right?! I dont think I will ever get to experience something like this again. Sand and Christellemented while seated on the couch eating sandwiches. The priest who urgently rushed over after being summoned, cried after hearing the whole story. He mentioned how Gerrit always seemed as happy as a puppy chasing a butterfly whenever he opened his Holy Domain. He seemed to have gotten close to his little servitor while looking after him and teaching him. Gerrit, who was seated next to his dad on the other side, stopped drinking his juice and peeked toward the window. I subconsciously followed the childs gaze. The Empress, who had taken her jacket off and rxed her cravat, was plopped down on an armchair looking through documents. She looked serious but this was my first time seeing her dressed so rxed. Isnt she cool? I whispered. Gerrit nodded his head. Her Majesty is even more dazzling when she smiles. The childs eyes started sparkling. I debated whether to tell him the story of the day I became a Marquis when the crown prince bastard, who was seated at the head of the table, red at me. Now what? I think hes ring at you because he is worried you will be his stepfather, your highness. Cough! Cough cough! Cough! What?! Hey! I iled from the pain of hearing something so unbelievable and the double pain of coughing at the same time. I buried my mouth in my sleeve and started coughing. I noticed that Christelle and the crown prince were viciously ring at each other. While that was going on, the MCs joke seemed to be to my teachers liking, as the woman who had been seriously observing my soul suddenly lookedpletely red. Damn it Aurlie? What happened? The Empress asked in from the other side. The Cardinal instantly covered up the look on her face and adjusted her monocle. Wow, as expected of an adult. Its nothing. My little princes ether was reacting so vividly. What nonsense. Anyway, Im happy. It is slow but his power is definitely being generated in his heart. He was the same as a regr person while he was unconscious. She looked at me and exined. I awkwardly rubbed the area over my heart as I smiled. The Paten of Wishes in my heart seemed to have recovered after the cooldown time and was working again. The time seemed to have ended quickly thanks to the sun halo weed. My little prince, will you drink some of the medicinal tea right now? Lets use the circle to urately assess the changes. Yes, your Eminence. The Cardinals attendant, Natalie, handed me the cup at that time. I put the sandwich down on the te and received it. It was at that moment. Knock knock. Your Majesty, Your Eminence. Vice Captain lisabeth urgently entered the room. Everybody looked at her because she looked quite serious. Laura was quite sharp and had everybody bringing food leave the room for now. The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard looked around the room. The Empress motioned with her chin. Its fine if they hear. Speak. This is urgent news we received from Aightz Vige, one of the Imperial familys territories. She cleared her throat. Some skeletons have been discovered while mining the holy stones. The report says that there seem to be dozens of them. The remains do not seem to have been recently buried; based on the jewelry that was found with the remains Her grey eyes slightly shook. The tension made me tightly clench the cup. They are believed to be the remains of priests from the Holy Kingdom who passed on the Empiresnds. Trantors Comments Dead bodies?! Chapter 179: Decipher (5) Chapter 179: Decipher (5) And the nquer Duchy? We have no news from there yet, your Majesty. But Yeah. Its very likely going to be the same situation. Empress Frdrique was silent for a while after saying that. The Imperial Crown Prince and Sir Johann seemed to understand the context but Christelle, I, and the rest were confused. Why is she suddenly bringing up the nquer Duchy? Remains of priests of the Holy Kingdom? My brain was hard at work as my body got the chills. Based on Vice Captain lisabeth and the Empresss conversation, they must be mining for holy stones in the Duchy as well. How did they end up doing that over there Ah. I flinched and looked at the teacup in my hand. The white sun halo weed medicinal tea was inside it. The Empress spoke to me in her usual tone. The distribution of sun halo weed and holy stones are roughly the same. The stones appeared when we dug into the ground where the medicinal herb was growing. There were quite a lot of them in the deposit. That must be why you checked the sun halo weed habitat in the border as well, your Majesty. The nquer Duchy is the nearest territory. She nodded her head at myment. Holy stones seemed to be forming inrge numbers in Riester now. However, her blood-colored eyes looked extremely grim. Sun halo weed has a medicinal trait that is beneficial to either ether or a persons te. Underneath the areas they grow are holy stones, and if you keep digging I guess you will find the remains of priests? The reception room became as cold as the middle of winter. I gulped. I put the teacup down out of reflex. All sorts of chilling thoughts and hypotheses filled my mind. No, those thoughts were basically established facts at this point. The body of a priest creates these holy stones after a long period of time, which grows these divine medicinal herbs. Nobody was saying anything when an unexpected person raised his hand. The Empress motioned with her chin for him to speak. Umm Your Majesty, the Holy Kingdom buries the dead after a funeral, but I heard that the Empire cremates the remains. But the remains that were found It was Sand. The young man fidgeted as he asked, making the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard send him a gaze that seemed to say that she understood why he was confused. Yes, the majority of the Holy Kingdoms soldiers who passed in the Empires territory were cremated and scattered in the Sea of Silence. If the Imperial Soldiers were unable to do it, the people stepped up sometimes to burn them. The remains that were found are the exception. They must be the remains that were cast aside while the Imperial Soldiers retreated or the people evacuated. If remains are found in the border, there should be a lot more than that at Aightz Vige. Thest battle was extremely fierce. Sir Johann added on after hearing Vice Captain lisabeths exnation. Benjamin, Ganael, and the other attendants all started whispering. Christelle raised her hand this time. The Empress allowed her to speak. If the remains of the priests are responsible for the growth of the medicinal herbs, how is it that the sun halo weeds that were rented in the Imperial Pce are still growing fine? There is nothing underneath the pce. That is something we will need to investigate. Sir Michel Moutet answered. He patted the young Countesss shoulder twice before continuing to speak. I have a few ideas about it, but everything will only be certain after clearly figuring out the nts abilities. Your Eminence and Prince Jesse, I believe I will need your assistance. Everybody in the room looked toward me. It made me feel embarrassed and the sun halo weed scared me, so I lowered my gaze. Just looking at the calm surface of the tea was giving me the chills. Is this that Venerable Wonhyo and the water in a skull effect? (TL: See https://rb.gy/9n4as9 for more info) I will do my best. I barely managed to speak. I was honestly disgusted and felt extremely leery about bringing this tea back into my mouth, but doing so could end up helping someone. Gerrit and the crown prince were in front of me and there could be a lot of patients in the Empire we dont know about. My te, which was just starting to recover, was currently the best test subject. I just needed to clench my teeth and deal with it a few times. I couldnt throw a fit when there was a child here who had to consume sun halo weed for the rest of his life despite knowing about everything. I solemnly raised my head to see Cardinal Boutier smiling to encourage me. * It waste into the night. This was the first time a party was so lit in Juliette Pce at such ate hour! Lord David, can we throw those boxes away? No. Sir Michel will probably use it againter so just leave them there Chief of Staff-nim, should I tell them to leave the military reports in the Empress Pce? Both the reception room and the hallway were busy. Ganael took Gerrit to one of the empty guest rooms, and as for the little troublemakers who had fun running around causing chaos for the royal servants, they were fast asleep by my side. My teacher and I, as well as some others, washed up and changed intofortable clothes. Christelle borrowed Vice Captain lisabeths on-call sleeping clothes. I told her that she could return to the Dukes Estate to get some rest, but she seemed to have no thoughts of leaving until being certain about my condition and the effects of the sun halo weed. I was the main characters partner as well, so I did not push the issue anymore. Mm. I know it doesnt fit the current mood, but I feel like I just invited my friends over to y. It was different from when they had been with me at the Srnit Lords Castle. Okay, lets take half a gulp more onest time. Yes, your Eminence. I quickly snapped out of my thoughts. I followed my teachers order to empty thest of my, I dont even remember how many cups Ive drank of this at this point, tea. Gulp, the scary and bitter liquid flowed through my throat. And then Shaaaaaaaaaaaa! A portion of her healing circle lit up as if the light was turned on. It was the result of my soul reacting to the medicinal herb. Two healing priests were quickly drawing it onrge parchments to record it. Cardinal Boutier and I were the only priests to reside in the Imperial Pce, but they could not leave after work today because we needed public records of this. Sir Michel was in charge of looking it over and correcting any issues. After that, my teacher checked their results, and All done. The cause and effect are clear now. She then withdrew her circle. The light was finally gone! Wow, were done I was basically wiped out andid down on the group. Even the top of my mouth tasted bitter. I thought that my stamina was decent but, potentially because I was tense all day, I feltpletely drained. Natalie quickly came over and cleared the teacup while Christelle patted my arm saying that I worked hard. I finally started smiling once Benjamin ced a nougat in my mouth. My teacher looked at me with a benevolent gaze. She did not look tired at all despite using her energy for over six hours. You worked so hard, my dear disciple. Thank you very much. I just did as you instructed, your Eminence. Thank you for all of your hard work. I responded. She gently brushed my hair to the side and looked up. Frdrique, we are done over here. Will youe here if you have time? I could feel someone moving. I quickly sat up. The Empress snorted at me before motioning for me to stay seated. The Cardinal looked around once the Empress and crown prince Cdric sat down on the couch. Huh? The Duhem brothers are here. Your highness. Franois and Herv Duhem both saw me and winked. I know you are both handsome and I am also happy to see you guys, but please dont First, we have confirmed that the sun halo weed affects not the te but the ether. That is the result of analyzing our little prince and Johanns tes under the same conditions. I see. The Empresss response was oddly slow. However, I could not read anything from her imposing face. My teacher continued to speak. Furthermore, the way it affects a Holy Knight and a priest arepletely different. It calms a Holy Knights dynamic ether while a priests calm ether bes extremely active after consuming sun halo weed. That must be why it was helpful for Gerrit, your Eminence. How amazing. The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guardmented in a shocked voice. Thanks to the herb calming the violent nature of the attributed ether trying to leave the body, the child could be safe from the pain of his te shaking. And why it helped our little prince as well. The Cardinal responded. I awkwardly smiled and agreed. Yes, your Eminence. I was able to confirm that the ether in my heart generates faster after drinking sun halo weed. That shows that the pure ether is getting more power. ording to Dame Sarnez, the flow of my ether rapidly became stronger as well. However, everything returns to normal after some time if it is not continuously consumed. There is nosting effect. The Empress looked amused. Basically, my hypothesis about the sun halo weed decreasing the cooldown time for my paten was correct. My ether would have returned eventually even without the tea, but it was certain that the medicinal herb hastened its return when my ether waspletely dormant that I couldnt even sense it. As terrible as its background was, this miraculous medicine was definitely effective. I gently shuddered as I shook my head. What about the sun halo weed growing in the Imperial Pce? That is also because of ether, your Majesty. Sir Michel answered the Empresss question. The table at the center that had been urgently prepared was full of all sorts of magic tools, beakers, and petri dishes. The sun halo weed that the attendants had dug up all the way to the roots were cut and sliced in many different ways. These were all the traces of the experiments. I put some ether in there earlier too. We exposed sun halo weed to Dame Sarnezs water attribute ether and his highnesss ether for the same period of time and thenpared the results, your Majesty. And? It was as we had expected. Sun halo weed grows from consuming the remaining ether from a priests remains and does not react to attributed ether. That was the case even when it was water attribute ether. However, the nt that received his highnesss ether changed visibly, including the size of the leaf. How marvelous. The Empress mumbled. She then stared at me with a piercing gaze. I became scared and my eyes wandered. It is you again. Jesse Viaan. Excuse me? What Michel is saying is that the sun halo weed in the Imperial Pce is growing thanks to your ether. Aurlie is my contractor. That was true. Cardinal Boutiers te had be one with the Empresss te through the Covenant of Paired Stars. That meant that she was unable to connect at the soul with anybody other than her contractor. She could not share her ether with others and even Holy Knights were unable to detect her power. The Empress was right. The fact that this medicinal herb could grow here when there were no holy stones Was because of my ether. The reason that the sun halo weed in the greenhouse has been witheringtely should be because of his highness as well. He has not been able to use his ether for a while. I gasped at Sir Michelsment. These innocent nts suffered as well because I was unconscious? What a heavy responsibility. The sword master instantly approached without a sound before extending her arm to lift up my chin. I had no choice but to make eye contact with the Empress. She scrunched her cherry-colored eyes. Growing this medicinal herb is temporarily your responsibility. Think about what you want in return. Your Majesty. Wait! Whether it is Aightz Vige or the Duchy, do you really think I will let the medicinal herb grow using the dead as their roots? I also do not need an ore that desires blood. I closed my mouth. Frdrique Riester was definitely not someone who would want something like that, and her Empire was strong even without such cruel weapons. The Empress looked at me and chuckled before releasing my face and giving the order. Excavate and cremate all remains of the Holy Kingdoms priests, respectfully treat them as fallen soldiers, and scatter their ashes in the Sea of Silence. We should be able to leave that to the expert, the Admiral. Send the order to Duchess nquer as well. Yes, your Majesty. The excavated holy stones will be stored and watched over in Aightz as the territory belongs to the Imperial family. I dont want them getting embezzled or misused. As youmand, your Majesty. Transport all of the sun halo weeds that are dug up in the process to the Imperial Pce. The Prince will look after them. Chief of Staff Laura bowed before leaving. The Empress then motioned toward the Duhem brothers with her finger. They started talking about wartime portals, so they will probably be looking for the remains of Holy Kingdoms soldiers from past generations. Extremely important decisions were all being made overnight. I grabbed the arm Christelle extended to stand up. I wonder if the Empress Pce is always this chaotic? Now you get to grow flowers too, your highness. Her pretty eyes curled up as she teased me. Although I was supposedly growing them, I just had to be a good little diplomatic hostage in the Imperial Pce, as I had been doing until now My shoulders feel heavy. I shared my honest feelings. Sir Johann joked along as well, asking me to please take good care of them. I was sighing when I suddenly made eye contact with the crown prince who was standing by the balcony. I couldnt help but wonder when he had walked over there. Now that I thought about it, the seniors of the Imperial family had been silent about the crown prince while discussing the effects of the sun halo weed. It was probably because his condition was top secret information. Maybe I should stealthily go over and offer him some tea. Your Royal Highness, excuse me That young mans orange-colored eyes looked extremely desperate. I gasped in shock. That was the reason for it. That was the reason I followed the punk out to the balcony, which was extremely cold except for the warmth of the crescent moon. Trantors Comments Romeo and Juliet and the balcony. ssic. Chapter 180: Decipher (6) Chapter 180: Decipher (6) ¡®First, we have confirmed that the sun halo weed affects not the te but the ether.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­I see.¡¯ It was hard to breathe. The Empress and the Cardinal continued to speak to each other. C¨¦dric could not hold on any longer. He knew that he needed to persist; however, at that moment, he wanted to get away from noise, light, and the gazes. He thought that he should stay there and discuss the future ns with his mother, but he disappeared. Now that they decided on what to do with the holy stones and the medicinal herb together, he wanted to be alone. He quickly walked. It was a childish and impulsive decision. ¨C m! ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­ A gentle breeze was blowing on the balcony. However, his body and head were hot right now, making it so that most things could not cool him down. That was why he did not care. He wanted to stand here all night if possible. It would be fine if he stayed somewhere nobody could find him to burn his heart, scatter the ashes, and return to being the Imperial Crown Prince. He was well aware of the fact that his mother and godmother would have despaired as much as he did. His ck hair fluttered from the breeze. ¡°¡­¡­¡± A te could not be fixed. People would have be immortal if it was possible to repair their souls. He knew it to be an unquestionable fact, but what had he been hoping for? His gloved hand tightly clenched into a fist. Crack, the edge of the ledge made of stone crumbled. ¨C Click. An uninvited guest entered through the unlocked door at that moment. He could tell who it was without confirming the person¡¯s face or voice. It was not difficult to feel this person¡¯s presence even while hundreds of steps away from him. There was only one person on the entire continent who had the same aura as the treasure around the crown prince¡¯s neck. His pure ether was unchanged despite just recovering. He was the person who had filled this ce that was known as the ¡®Cold Pce¡¯ with unnecessary warmth. ¡°Get out.¡± C¨¦dric growled without even turning around. He did not want to talk to his person right now. He was well-aware of the fact that he was currently in a vulnerable state. He could not show himself like this. ¡°I will remain quiet, your Royal Highness.¡± A calm voice responded back. The priest did not say any words of affection or ask any useless questions. C¨¦dric then heard him sit down on a chair. C¨¦dric almostughed at the fact that he was incapable of ordering this person to get out. He was tired of this life where he was controlled by and went crazy for ether. He was curious to know why he was born with such a fate, just why the hell the Almighty God was testing him and his family like this. No¡­¡­ He could honestly confess that such curiosity had disappeared a long time ago. C¨¦dric was simr to Fr¨¦d¨¦rique but also different. He believed in the Almighty God but also loathed the Almighty God. ¨C Pipo! ¡°Aigoo.¡± The prince mumbled as if he became anxious. C¨¦dric could hear the quiet sound of wings fluttering. ¡°Percy, why are you here? Did you stop sleeping toe out here?¡± ¨C Pipipipi ¡°You want to give that back? I thought it was yours now.¡± His tone made it obvious that he was feeling awkward. The crown prince scoffed. ¡°Let¡¯s give it to him tomorrow, okay, tomorrow.¡± ¨C Pipi. ¡°Good. You¡¯re the best little chimney bird in the entire continent.¡± C¨¦dric could not hold back and turned around. They immediately made eye contact. It was dark but the prince¡¯s eyes still sparkled like amethysts. He looked a bit concerned as he broke the silence. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, your Royal Highness. I was trying to be quiet, but Percy suddenly came out of the nket.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± That was the second unbelievable thing C¨¦dric had recently seen. The first was the moment the prince had stealthily infiltrated into the room next to his bedroom. This time, the Prince had a teacup with sage tea in one hand and a thick nket on his other side. The te on top of his knees had arge piece of Tarte Trop¨¦zienne. The chimney bird was sitting on the prince¡¯s shoulder nonchntly tilting his head. Between his beaks was the Imperial family crest that the crown prince had noticed was stolen a few days ago. C¨¦dric scowled after seeing the bean-like eyes look at him as if the bird was asking him if he had any issues with this. ¡°Why do you look like that?¡± ¡°David prepared the tea for me, your Royal Highness. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth gave me the nket and the tarte was something I brought¡­¡­ Because I thought you might be cold and hungry.¡± The prince exined. He snorted. He could not believe that someone would think that a fire attribute Holy Knight would get cold, and that that someone he was talking about was his confidant. However, the most daring was the prince in front of him. C¨¦dric forgot about how he had ordered the prince to leave a few minutes ago and stated , ¡°What a spectacle.¡± ¡°I was nning on handing over some refreshments if you eventually talked to me, your Royal Highness. I thought that you might need it.¡± ¡°And if I ignored you?¡± The prince¡¯s eyebrows sank. He seemed to have not thought that far. ¡®How foolish¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°But isn¡¯t it better than being alone during a difficult time?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Even if it is someone you are going to ignore, the fact that they are there, mm. But I don¡¯t mean that you should ignore me, your Royal Highness.¡± He smiled before continuing to speak. ¡°We need to have at least a basic level of respect between friends.¡± He then looked past the balcony door toward the Empress and the Cardinal. Their faces looked rxed as if they could wait as long as they needed. The warm gaze was full of respect and affection. There was no need to guess. The prince had already given his heart to everybody here. C¨¦dric clenched at this person¡¯s spotless and pure presence. If he likes the Empire, couldn¡¯t he be satisfied with that? ¡°¡­¡­¡± He had to admit it. He did not want the prince to return to the Holy Kingdom. He wanted the prince to choose Riester out of his own volition without having to enforce the power of the treaty and the authority of the Imperial family. The crown prince silently looked down toward the priest¡¯s ankles. ¡°Will you really not drink any tea, your Royal Highness? It¡¯s going to get cold.¡± ¡­¡­He had sworn to the Almighty God that he had no intentions of harming the prince to keep him tied down in the Empire. The two adults would not want such a method either. However, a me kept roaring inside of him. The abnormal and irrational violent nature of a Holy Knight was twisting his weakened sense of reason, trying to twist out. A me appeared in his tightly clenched fist. His magic tool glove was burning. ¨C Siiiizzle¡­¡­ It didn¡¯t matter. He was someone who had already burnt hundreds of pairs of gloves until now. And the prince was still his one and only opportunity. ¡°Then I will take just one sip, your Royal Highness.¡± His easygoingment buried the ominous noises. The Holy Knight slowly raised his left hand. The desires and fear inside his heart were whispering terrible things to him. ¡®He will leave one day.¡¯ ¡®You might as well burn him up if you are unable to keep him tied down.¡¯ ¡®Why is it bad to overload?¡¯ The chimney bird¡¯s urgent chirping became distant. Everything turned red for the royal crown prince. The veins in his temples were getting red and the swamp of pain opened its mouth. Crackle¡­¡­! ¨C m! It was at that moment. Someone kicked the balcony door open and ran out. ¡°Ahem!¡± ¨C Craaaaaack! The reprimanding sound immediately came before the crown prince¡¯s arm became frozen up to his shoulder. It finally snapped him back to his senses. The back of his neck felt cold and he got chills down his spine. The man opened his orange-colored eyes wide and checked on the prince. The way the prince was looking at him¡­¡­ ¡°Are you okay, your Royal Highness? Percy was really loud until just now. Dame Sarnez, his Royal Highness¡¯s arm is going to be frostbitten if you keep that up.¡± ¡°You should be more worried about yourself, your highness!¡± Christelle de Sarnez shouted in frustration. The shocked prince stopped scolding the bird and looked at her. Violent waves seemed to be sshing around in her blue-gray eyes. ¡°What is the problem now, your Royal Highness? Please tell me.¡± ¡°Dame Sarnez. I don¡¯t think right now¡­¡­¡± ¡°No, your highness. This was an explosive situation. You almost turned into a human barbeque.¡± She sharply retorted. The prince¡¯s eyes opened wide. This was an obvious reaction as he could not feel other people¡¯s ether. However, it truly had been dangerous just now. C¨¦dric created mes to melt his left arm and clenched his mouth shut. The other two were looking at her. ¡°Please don¡¯t even think about running away, your Royal Highness. Our instructor felt it from inside the room as well.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but grind his teeth. Johann Geens was quite the persistent and annoying instructor. He was debating whether to jump off the balcony when the prince started speaking. ¡°If it is because of your te, we can talk about itter, your Royal Highness. Please tell me when you feel like sharing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± C¨¦dric looked at him in shock. He had not expected this guy to have analyzed it to that extent . He could not see any cheap pity or fear in those purple mirror-like eyes. The prince calmly continued to speak. ¡°My ether is returning, so I will be able to help you out again, your Royal Highness. You also have the ne I gifted you.¡± ¡®If you haven¡¯t used it yet.¡¯ The prince mumbled to himself. Christelle became upset and added on. ¡°It¡¯ll turn into poop if you just save it without thinking, your Royal Highness. Please use it if it bes necessary.¡± She then rattled on extremely quickly as if she was a waterfall. ¡°If it is your me, I can always put it out for you. But I can only prevent a fire if you exin the situation to me first. If you hold it in and don¡¯t share it with me, who knows when you will explode next time?¡± ¨C Pipipi! The divine item loudly agreed. C¨¦dric did not answer. To share his secret with someone required enough trust for both sides to put their lives on the line. That was why¡­¡­ ¡°Your Royal Highness, if you tell us, I will also share a secret of mine.¡± Christelle solemnly proimed. The two men looked at her this time. ¡°It is not something normal ormon. It is such a shocking secret that you might not even believe me. You could even say that you would never see me ever again. But it is true so I will offer it up.¡± ¡°Dame Sarnez.¡± ¡°It is something I wanted to tell someone. It¡¯s so frustrating that I can¡¯t go forever like this. I will happily wee it if it is the two of you. I will wait until his Royal Highness opens his mouth first as you said, your highness, but there is no promise of when that would happen, which is why I am adding a stimulus.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The prince¡¯s eyes violently shook. For some odd reason, seeing him react like this made C¨¦dric curious about Christelle¡¯s secret. He didn¡¯t know why he felt this way, but he felt that her story might be hiding an amazing inside story. Her water-like gaze stared daggers at the young man. ¡°Deal?¡± She said something he couldn¡¯t understand before extending out her small fist. C¨¦dric was silent for a moment before raising his arm as if he was used to this. This was an exchange where he had nothing to lose anyway. This exchange was basically nonexistent if he chose to never share first. ¡°¡­¡­I will ept it.¡± The crown prince bumped the fist dripping with cold water. The prince quietly groaned. That was how the chaotic situation came to a close. On this night where the crescent moon was shining brightly¡­ Quite a lot of things were deciphered and new things for them to research had appeared. For example, the way Jesse Viaan was looking up at the stars in the sky with a concerned look on his face was one such thing. * I was so tense that day but thankfully, nothing happened. What I mean is that the crown prince did not suddenly share about his body¡¯s condition, leading to Christelle confessing to being a transmigrator. Actually, it was peaceful for over a month. I slowly but surely regained my powers, the sun halo weeds in the Imperial Pce¡¯s greenhouse grew very well, and the Empress and Cardinal searched the entire Empire for patients of the divine illness and the remains of the Holy Kingdom¡¯s soldiers. Everything felt back to normal by the start of winter. The restrictions on entering Juliette Pce were released the day the Empress came over. I was back to my usual routine of going to the temple to hear confessions and learning from Cardinal Boutier. I watched Sir Johann¡¯s lessons, went on walks with the red pandas, and even spent two hours watching Tith¨¦ swim around on his back. Doing so made the memories of that time slowly be faint. Even the memory of the hole in the sky. ¡°This is thest day so there will be a lot of people all around, your highness. Please be careful.¡± ¡°Benjamin, you¡¯re going with me as well. Please don¡¯t worry.¡± I smiled at the middle-aged man. I then put on an Empire-style coat as well as thick boots that Pierre had brought over for me. November 30th was quite a special day. It was thest day of the harvest festival that had the entire Imperial Capital rowdy. ¡°The carriage is ready, your highness!¡± Ganael appeared at the door and shouted with a smile on his face. The young boy was quite excited about being able to walk around with Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. I gave the divine beasts a hug and got up. Demy whined and wrapped around my ankle. It was an expert¡¯s way of preventing his fruit shuttle from leaving. I sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll be back early. Big bro wants to take you, but there are too many people.¡± ¨C Cruuuuuuuuu The red panda opened his mouth and growled before slowly climbing the table. He then curled up on top of a history book. I could now see just a portion of the cover to see which book he was pointing out to me. Demy was quite obsessed with a certain word these days. < The Pope Chronicles > ¡®Pope.¡¯ Our esteemed divine beast sure had big dreams. ¡°Yeah. If the purple smoke arises from the border in the future to announce that a new Pope has been determined, I will make sure that you are in the front to watch, Demy. Even if it requires me to ask her Majesty to make it happen.¡± ¨C Whimper! I consoled him with a chuckling voice and rubbed his tummy and back quite a bit before leaving the room. I could see the Imperial family¡¯s carriage as well as the Imperial Guard members outside the window. I was excited as it had been a while since I got to go out. I made sure to grab Sand¡¯s housewarming gift and walked out for the cold and refreshing air to brush past my cheeks. I got onto the carriage with a bright expression on my face. The celebration for Sand¡¯s naturalization, the harvest festival, and meeting up with friends. All of these were keywords for a fun and rxing time! ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments ssic fun times areing! Chapter 181: The woman who will steal the prince (1) Chapter 181: The woman who will steal the prince (1) The Imperial family¡¯s carriage for undercover use did not have any crests on it. We left through the main entrance of the Imperial Pce and then rode around the city a few times until we confirmed that nobody was paying attention to us. Crown prince C¨¦dric was in the carriage in front of us. ¡°Your highness, I want to take a look too.¡± Ganaelmented in an extremely excited voice. The young boy¡¯s cheeks were red even in the carriage while wearing a thick coat. I looked disgusted as I handed him a piece of paper. The neatly folded parchment was moved toward Benjamin and Ganael. Both of their mouths dropped in shock. ¡°My goodness. Joanne de Haas truly has devilish talents.¡± ¡°It is truly an amazing portrait, your highness. It seems to contain about seventy percent of your beauty, your highness. I thought it would be impossible to do that!¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I answered in a shrinking voice. That was all I could say because I was so embarrassed. Joanne, who was currently donating her talents to the beautification of the S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦ March, was apparently about to finish thest piece. Imissioned her for the art at the start of September, so she finished most of it in three months. The two attendants were looking at the rough sketch that Chantal had sent from the Lord¡¯s Castle. ¡®Why did she have to put my face in the front area of the territory¡­¡­¡¯ I was at least relieved that there was no bad news in her letter. ¡®A bizarre thief is running amoktely in the nearby territories, but this ce is as rxed and peaceful as its name. The stone walls and fences are full of beautiful and holy paintings. The March was quite packed throughout the harvest festival with visitorsing to see the art from the free city of Haas. Furthermore, the livestock have not gotten sick, and the harvest yields have increased significantly, making all of the residents praise your name, my lord. They are all full of admiration for your magnanimous care and your deep insight¡­¡­¡¯ I awkwardly smiled. That was something anybody could have thought of. Chantal was so nice to phrase it like that. She also mentioned that some wealthy nobles were inquiring about purchasing the wall art. ¡®It¡¯s not like I can let them take the wall.¡¯ ¡®Should I send Joanne to those territories to draw for them and use the money for welfare projects? Is that okay?¡¯ ¡°What are you going to do with this esquisse, your highness?¡± Ganael asked with a sparkle in his eyes as I sat there deep in thought. I had received the sketch Joanne had drawn of me using crayons. ¡°I was thinking about putting it in between two thick books¡­¡­ Do you want it, Ganael?¡± ¡°Thank you so much for your benevolence, your highness! I will cherish it as a family heirloom of the House of Camard!¡± I had cautiously asked, making the young boy so excited that he looked ready to jump up and down. Apparently that was the right answer. I felt even more awkward because Benjamin had a disappointed look on his face. I looked out the window following his gaze to see people enjoying the festival with all sorts of street foods in their hands. ¡®That looks fun.¡¯ ¨C ck, ck¡­¡­ ¡°We will be arriving soon, your highness. Please prepare your disguise.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± I immediately nodded my head at the middle-aged man¡¯s words. A disguise was the top priority for an undercover trip. The < I quit my job and ended up as a noble youngdy in another world > world did not have pictures or videos, but there were paintings and mass media. The crown prince had even used a crystal board during his session confirmation ceremony to show his beauty to the citizens of the Empire, giving them a memory they would never forget. Celebrities like Christelle and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth had detailed descriptions and paintings in the < Biweekly Riester > as well, making disguises a necessity. ¡°It reminds me of Lucas Vige.¡± I put some magic tool dyes in my hair and eyebrows as I said that. Ganael chuckled in agreement. Christelle, our party supplies fanatic (which ispletely different from a party fanatic), bought some items from the Legault Central Commerce Center at least once every two weeks. Transformation-rted items were her number one choice of things to buy. The dye and eye color disguises were all things Christelle gave me as well. ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaaa??????! I could hear the twenty-four hour transformation magic happening in my hair. Red powder fluttered in front of my eyes. I sessfully ced two drops of the magic eye drops in each eye and then blinked. Ganael tapped his feet and watched me transform while Benjamin pulled out a mirror. ¡°Oh no, what should we do? His highness might get stolen like this. He¡¯s too handsome!¡± It was apletely unexpected reaction. I barely managed to swallow my embarrassment and looked at the small mirror in Benjamin¡¯s hand. ck hair and blue-gray eyes¡­ It was abination of the crown prince¡¯s ck hair and Christelle¡¯s eyes. I looked nothing out of the ordinary. ¡®But there is someone who is absolutely not going to look ordinary.¡¯ I had to bite down on my lips to prevent myself fromughing. To exin, about a week ago¡­¡­ ¡®Your Royal Highness and your highness. I think we should do a random draw for our disguise.¡¯ Christelle had brought it up during a Holy Knight lesson. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who hade with her, shamelessly imed that it was a part of her job. The two of them were saying that they might as well make the disguise selection entertaining if we were going to go undercover to enjoy the festival and see how the citizens were living . Sir Johann seemed quite amused and happily shortened the lesson. He was an Imperial Instructor born in the Holy Kingdom, and his fame had increased after protecting the nquer Lord¡¯s Castle during the Golem¡¯s Rampage, but he did not need a disguise. Basically, all of this chaos was not a concern for him. ¡®A disguise is top priority for the four of us. So I propose that we mix our four hair colors and eye colors and pull one each. You can get any color except your own.¡¯ ¡®How frivolous.¡¯ ¡®It sounds fun.¡¯ The crown prince and I answered at the same time. The surrounding had turnedpletely silent as if someone had poured cold water over them. It was an expected reaction from the crown prince as he did not like using any sort of medicine on his body. All he had done was use magic tool sses when we went through the Lucas Vige night market. I was debating whether I should just suggest the three of us do it when the crown prince stared at the innocent Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard. After that¡­ ¡®¡­¡­We will do as the two dames have suggested.¡¯ That was what he had said. As a result, Sir Johann oversaw the random drawing as it solemnly happened in front of Sand and our little troublemakers. I was wondering why it needed to be so serious like this but the mood instantly changed as one of us pulled the drawing jackpot. ¨C Woah, woah! ¨C Neeeeeeigh! I heard the coachman stop the carriage. I quickly raised my head. There was aparatively small residence a bit away from the central region. It was the house that Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique had bestowed upon Sand after epting his naturalization. I could see Sand waving to us in the front yard. Sir Johann, Gerrit, and Eva were already there. It was hard to see our young Duchess these days as she was busy receiving her official heir education. I quickly alighted from the carriage. I was thankful that they were out here to greet us in such chilly weat¡­¡­ ¡°Ack! Hahahaha! Eek!¡± ¡°So funny, oh my gosh! Ahahaha!¡± Her loudughter echoed in my ears. I looked to my side in shock. I could see the young Countess, currently sporting casual clothes and blonde hair, burying her face in her hands as if she was close to tears. Christelle, who had her dark green hair braided down, was smacking the ground with her hand as sheughed. Her orange eyes were not very visible because her eyes were curled up inughter. I urgently looked toward the man everybody was focused on. The crown prince¡¯s grey eyes sparkled as he red at me. His beautiful pink hair slowly fluttered in the wind. I felt as if I could hear ¡®shla¡¯ in the background. Only David, who was standing behind him, looked touched while Benjamin and Ganael were whispering to each other as if they had seen a ghost. As for me¡­¡­ ¡°Do you have something to say?¡± He asked in an angry voice. ¡°¡­¡­No, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡®Did I expect too much? Honestly, it¡¯s not funny at all that I am disappointed.¡¯ Whether it was pink or ck, he was so overwhelmingly handsome that it didn¡¯t matter. * Sand¡¯s naturalization celebration and housewarming party was quite rowdy from the start. Eva stared at the crown prince every five minutes because she could not get used to her cousin¡¯s new hair color while Marquis Duhem, who arrivedter, was almost sliced apart by the Sword of Wisdom for letting out a quiet chuckle. We were currently gathered around the kitchen having a serious discussion. As discussed in advance, Sand¡¯s two servants were given the gift of leaving early. We were going to prepare all the food on our own! ¡°Your Royal Highness, do you know how to cook?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°C¨¦dric is only good at grilling meat. His temperature control is top notch. Other than that, he is a precious member of the Imperial family who has never gotten a drop of water on his hands.¡± The young Countess answered as if making fun of him at Christelle¡¯s question. Her eyes that were gold instead of purple mischievously sparkled. She had chosen my hair color and eye color in the drawing, but she chose the color of her fiance¡¯s eyes as they did not sell purple eye drops. The crown prince seemed discontent but did not say anything. Sir Johann, who had been silently listening, raised his hand. ¡°I will do the cooking. I have experience cooking.¡± ¡®Experience?¡± Eva poked his side as she asked. Everybody added ament while showing interest in his past as a mercenary. While that was going on, Marquis Duhem picked Gerrit up and made a promation. ¡°This little young master who adores my polo skills is curious about my cooking skills as well, so I guess I can¡¯t just sit still!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. This mister is very good at cooking. Anything he makes is delicious.¡± ¡°The Marquis?¡± Christelle¡¯s voice became loud after Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth validated Marquis Duhem¡¯s cooking. It was shocking that a Marquis was capable of both inventions and cooking. The man who caught an opportunity to talk started exining things nobody asked about. ¡°Madam, I believe that there are no differences between cooking and the science of magic tools. If you approach it with thorough measurements and precise timing, even the tricky B¨¦arnaise sauce can easily¡­¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get out of this exnation now, huh?¡± Christelle mumbled in a low voice. I sighed and peeked at the sun halo weed kimchi that the main character brought over. She couldn¡¯t properly do a kimjang so she seems to have made small geotjeoris instead, but it looked the part. ¡®I want to eat some hot rice and roasted Boudin nc with a piece of this kimchi on top¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Then it is settled. Mr. Fran?ois and Sir Geens will be in charge of the cooking, Dame Christelle and I will support them. Young Duchess Eva and Gerrit will be in charge of setting the table¡­¡­ C¨¦dric and Prince Jesse will be in charge of serving and the dishes. The staff here are all off for the day. Priest Sand, you¡¯ve provided your residence for us to use, so please get some rest.¡± ¡°Excuse me?!¡± The young Countess¡¯s promation made Sand turn pale and shout. ¡°I appreciate it very much, but please don¡¯t burn down my new home!¡± he begged in a pleading tone. The Imperial Crown Prince¡¯s honorary firefighter, Christelle, was there, so we didn¡¯t have to worry about a fire. * The sun set outside the window. The street right outside was full of excitement and cheering for the end of the harvest festival. We enjoyed our meal while talking about useless things and some serious topics as well. Benjamin choked on his food when Sand said that < Reason, Sensibility, and Holiness > was one of the reasons he decided to be naturalized, but his secret identity was not revealed. ¡®I was so nervous too!¡¯ ¡°Wow, I feel like my stomach is going to explode. Thank you for the delicious meal!¡± ¡°It was delicious.¡± Christelle and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabethmented one after the other. I was not done eating yet but I got up because I thought it was about time to bring in some desserts. Ganael¡¯s butt looked as if he wanted to get up but I made him sit and rest. It had been about thirty minutes since Marquis Duhem headed into the kitchen saying that he would make some delicious sa. Everything was simplepared to the food we usually ate in the Imperial Pce, but that made it even more delicious. Sir Johann¡¯s tartiflette was a gratin that really felt like a home-made meal. The vor was amazing despite using whatever cheese and cheap white wine was in the kitchen. ¨C Step, step I put Christelle¡¯s sun halo weed kimchi on top of that and¡­¡­ I was in heaven. It didn¡¯t have the unique taste of chili pepper kes and salted anchovies like normal kimchi, but I could honestly say that it was the most Korean dish I had since transmigrating into this world. The sun halo weed stem that had the extract removed before it was mixed with a red sauce gave off a scent that reminded me of scallions. It was quite spicy but Gerrit enjoyed it as well. Thinking about it was making me drool. ¡°Slurp. Maybe I should ask her how she made it.¡± ¡°Are you talking about food again?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± I gasped and froze in ce in the hallway. The crown prince bastard, who had followed without making a noise, stood there in the full glory of his pink hair as he looked down at me. I red at him. ¡®He¡¯s always like this. Does his instincts tell him to pick a fight with me or something?¡¯ ¡®Is it because I¡¯m the second male lead?¡¯ ¡°Ask her Majesty for it if there is something you want.¡± ¡®Ah, you¡¯re talking about that?¡¯ I nodded my head and started walking again. The Empress left the cultivation of the Imperial Pce¡¯s sun halo weed to mest month. She definitely did say something like that when she gave me the order. ¡®Think about what you want in return.¡¯ ¡­¡­Honestly speaking, there was something I had thought of, but I had not been able to bring it up yet. It waspletely out of the blue and I didn¡¯t know how the Imperial family would take my suggestion. I slowly broke the silence as if I was rehearsing it with the crown prince. ¡°Umm, about Lady Sarah Belliard¡­¡± I could see him scowling. He was very open about not liking her so this was not unexpected. ¡°I heard that she has a sick grandchild¡­ It¡¯s been weighing on my mind-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± I was instantly cut off. ¡®Mm.¡¯ ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Chapter 182: The woman who will steal the prince (2) Chapter 182: The woman who will steal the prince (2) ¡®Sarah Belliard doesn¡¯t deserve such consideration.¡¯ Yes. Sadie definitely said that in the past. It was a spring day in the dusky Imperial Pce Temple¡¯s Confessional before I learned about the child¡¯s true identity. I clearly remembered the sharp gaze of the young boy who ended up being the Imperial Prince. It was such explicit repulsion that it was hard to miss. I had a guess even at that time. I considered that there might be a not-so-great past between him and the Managing Editor of the < Biweekly Riester >. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, your Royal Highness. I did think that there may be some issue between the Imperial family and Lady Belliard.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Step, step, thump, thump. The two sets of footsteps echoed in the narrow hallway. This was a family home where everything was different from the pce, so it was not far to the stairs heading down to the kitchen. The savory fragrance of just-baked sas rose up from the lower floor. I calmly continued to speak. ¡°I was contemting how to use this precious opportunity that her Majesty gave me¡­¡­ But I am so well cared for in basically every aspect that there is nothing else that I need. That is why I started thinking and wondered if there was anybody around me I could help.¡± The crown prince¡¯s pink hair silently fluttered. I did my best to share my thoughts as carefully as possible. I could not be too stubborn without knowing the situation between them. ¡°But everybody seemed to be doing fine. Isn¡¯t that wonderful? There are also some things that I can now do on my own without borrowing her Majesty¡¯s authority¡­¡­ Of course, I am not talking about the sun halo weed, your Royal Highness. That is not to be distributed outside of the pce yet.¡± ording to Cardinal Boutier, they could not reveal any information about the medicinal herb until the remains of the Holy Kingdom¡¯s soldiers in the Empire¡¯s territory were recovered and we assessed the present situation of the divine illness patients. The people who are currently ill would naturally get priority, but maintaining the Empire¡¯s order was also important. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique did not want to see any of her people giving up their jobs to be remain hunters, or for the sun halo weed to be traded on the ck market. Of course, there was probably the opinion that the Imperial family needed to have as much information about any divine cures as well. ¡°I continued to think about it until Lady Belliard came to mind, your Royal Highness. We are not close, but I was feeling sorry for her sick grandson. It is also a pity that his illness has split the family apart as well.¡± ¡®It is amon story. A child is sick and the parents work hard to heal them but nothing works.¡¯ Lady Belliard¡¯s grumbling in the temple echoed in my ears. The old woman¡¯s voice had been very dry but I didn¡¯t think it was because she felt no emotions toward it. It was probably because there was a vast desert in her heart that could not be fully wetted with her tears. I stealthily peeked at crown prince C¨¦dric¡¯s side. His dyed ash-colored eyes were stoically looking forward. ¡®But he is not showing anger like before. Can I take this as a positive sign?¡¯ ¡®Or maybe he gets more emotional in his child form?¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know whether her grandson is suffering from the divine illness. I have not heard about any other symptoms other than the fact that he is unconscious. However, I¡¯m sure that they would have tried everything¡­¡­ So I thought that it might be good to offer them something else to try.¡± The punk remained silent. I quietly sighed and looked forward. I had nothing else to say. I had no idea what had happened between them. ¡®I wonder if I¡¯ll find anything if I rummage through the Imperial Family Library?¡¯ ¨C m! The kitchen door mmed open at that moment. Marquis Fran?ois Duhem¡¯s light pink eyes blinked as he appeared with a dramatic gesture. ¡®His timing is always so spectacr.¡¯ ¡°Your Royal Highness, you are here right on time!¡± He had an azalea-colored apron on and had a big round pan on one arm. The steaming golden brown chickpea pancake had fragrant herb powder on top of it. My tongue was the first to react, potentially because I had not finished my dinner yet. Anybody would think that this dish looked delicious. ¡®Is there anything this handsome man cannot do?¡¯ ¡°Feel free to take a close look, your highness. Enjoy this scent that makes it impossible to control your body! This is one of the snacks that Antote, Maria, and Th¨¦r¨¨se enjoy the most. The lovely Maria especially enjoys the crunchy edges.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± He rattled off too much information about his younger sisters even without being asked. ¡®Right, this is this guy¡¯s issue¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± -???! We heard cheering and music outside the window at that moment. The three of us all exchanged nces. They must have heard the same thing in the dining room as we heard the noises of chairs being dragged before¡­thump thump! We heard the sound of people running in the hallway. I chuckled. I was certain that Eva and Gerrit would have been the first to dangle on the windows. It was also highly likely that Christelle and Sand were with them. ¡°The parade must have started. Shall we head out to see it, your Highness?¡± The Marquis sent over a handsome wink as he asked. I would usually not ept any of his suggestions, but this time, I happily obliged. This was my first festival in the QNW world! * ¡°We will be back soon!¡± Eva was holding little Geens¡¯ hand as she energetically shouted. There were two pieces of sa that were as big as Gerrit¡¯s face in her other hand. Marquis Duhem would take a warm pancake out of the pan and I would wrap it in a thin piece of paper. Christelle would finish it off by adding some pepper and salt. Everybody was lined up in front of the door to get some dessert. The crown prince was no exception. ¡°Please eat it now, Sir Johann. It will not be as good when it cools.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, your highness. I will see you outside.¡± Sir Johann received his sa before heading out with the two kids. He seemed concerned about my safety but now that my ether had returned, the safety of the children was more pressing. I also had my partners. ¡°Thank you very much, mister. It looks delicious.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting outside, your highness!¡± ¡°Thank you very much, my lord. I also want to thank you for keeping my kitchen clean!¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, Ganael, and Sand all said bye before heading out the door. Sand even bowed almost ny degrees and was shaking with excitement. The Marquis warmly smiled toward the young Countess, who he cherished as if she was his blood niece. ¡°His highness is a gourmand, so he should probably pack two slices.¡± ¡°He will ept nothing less than four, Marquis Duhem. Alcohol is probably best bought outside, right?¡± ¡°As you wish. There should be a lot of charming stands in ire za right now. There is a luxurious tavern in the eastern district that makes a magnificent cointreau. Every year, during the harvest festival¡­¡­¡± The drinking buddies, the Marquis and Christelle, were happily chatting away. I packed some sa for David and Benjamin as I smiled. I felt sorry that I was suspicious of this guy, even if it was only for a short moment. He was a weirdo whose mental realm was something normal people could not understand, but he was a kind person who cherished the Imperial family more than anybody else. ¡°Your Royal Highness, your highness. We will open up a path.¡± Benjamin benignlymented. I nodded my head and packed our portion of the snacks. The crown prince put on a in ck robe and even put on a hat. Christelle chuckled as his intentions were clear. ¨C Screeeech, thud! The door closed behind us once we walked out. ¡®Don¡¯t forget to do the dishes when we get back, Jung Yeseo.¡¯ ¡°Wow. There are so many people. Please follow me properly, your highness!¡± Christelle shouted in a loud voice. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle because I had never been treated like this even when I was a kid. We seeped into the crowd so instantly that it almost felt magical. I took a bite of the warm and salty sa and thought to myself. No issues hade up since Robert nquer was put on house arrest at the vi. What could the ark¡¯s warning and Bacary¡¯s prophecy have been trying to tell me? ¡®¡­¡­Maybe I seeded in avoiding the Almighty God¡¯s danger?¡¯ * ¡°Jackpot.¡± The parade truly wasrger and more magnificent than I had expected. A sparkle that was different from the elegance of the Imperial Pce was all over the pce. The night street was full of red, blue, and other bright lights. The loudughter and chatter was also something that was difficult to hear in the pce. My jaw dropped and I watched the dazzling procession with a nk look on my face. It was just disappointing that Eunseo and my brother were not here with me. -??¡î! Flinch. I snapped out of my thoughts thanks to a trumpet yer who squeaked a note. I gasped. The bugle, cymbal and an old violin yed the same song but each as they pleased. It wasn¡¯t as elegant or delicate as the music I heard in the S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦ Lord¡¯s Castle, but it was still nice to hear. Everybody seemed happy and full of life. ¡°Look over there, my goodness! The decorations on that wagon are so splendid!¡± Christelle¡¯s pretty orange eyes sparkled as she pointed to the procession. I nodded my head vigorously so that she could see it. There were as many people here as on a major street in Gangnam during Christmas. There were so many people that we couldn¡¯t even see the shops on the other side. We were not walking as we pleased but just following the waves of people. When I snapped back to my senses, we had flowed all the way into ire za. The air was pretty cold as it was near the end of Autumn, but the vin chaud that Sand shared with everyone warmed my hands. ¡°Is that a peacock?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a turkey!¡± Christelle and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth were basically shouting at each other to hear. Ganael was holding hands with his fiancee. The house-sized turkey filled with straw, cheap cotton, and old clothes moved right past us on top of a wagon. ¡°How dedicated they are. I can¡¯t even imagine how long they must have spent to make that. It¡¯s so pretty.¡± The main character looked extremely excited. I was the same but I couldn¡¯t help smiling brightly after seeing her enjoying it as if she was really neen. The eve of the Imperial Crown Prince¡¯s session confirmation ceremony was a big celebration as well, but I was away from the crowd the whole time. Being able to be among the Riesterians like this was different and fun. A participant who lost a shoe, bouquets that were stepped on, a baby who was crying because his mother¡¯s disguise was scary¡­¡­ The half-baked nature of some things added a warm excitement to the situation. We could only write into our mental diaries with our eyes and ears because there were no photos or videos. In front of the turkey was arge Imperial family crest made of ficelle. Behind it was¡­¡­ ¡°It¡¯s the circus troupe, your highness!¡± ¡°Yes, we see them again.¡± Eva, who was taking good care of Gerrit, shouted with joy. I smiled brightly as I responded to her. The Imperial Capital¡¯s greatest circus troupe that the crown prince had called to Juliette Pce was also a part of the parade. The punk noticed my gaze and snorted. One of the acrobats jumped onto a rolling wheel with his bare feet, making the excited Gerrit throw flower petals into the air. The simrly-aged children on the other side were cheering so loud they sounded like screams. One entertainer was juggling eight balls. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°Holy Almighty God!¡± Christelle gasped and Marquis Duhem honestly gasped while throwing gold coins. The way everything was so chaotic made it quite cheerful. Next was a flower cart full of actors who were dressed up. Benjamin and David handed the crown prince and I each a tulip as if they had been waiting for this. I tilted my head in confusion. ¡°We end by honoring her Holiness, the Pope, your highness. You just have to throw the tulip.¡± ¡®Ah, I see.¡¯ I held the tulip in my hand and looked forward again. It ends by honoring the Pope, but the continent has not had a Pope since Elene Sneijder closed her eyes around one hundred years ago. That actress at the center of the cart must be dressed as Elene. The reaction of the crowd was much different from earlier. ¡°Oh Almighty God.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, thank you very much!¡± Instead of whistling and mischievously cheering, the crowd was throwing tulips and silently praying or quietly pping. The actress wearing the Pope¡¯s mask used benevolent hand gestures to pretend to bless them. This year, Riester was said to have had the greatest harvest in history. That was the reason the golem¡¯s rampage and the hole in the sky was able to be dismissed so easily. We did hear people talking about the soldiers being on alert as we walked here, but none of them looked concerned. They were all treating it as a shocking story to share with others. ¡°¡­¡­The Pope.¡± I mumbled to myself as I threw the tulip. To bepletely honest, I felt like I could understand what smart little Demy had been trying to say to metely. I tried not to pay any attention to my pumping heart. The Paten of Wishes, and¡­¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± I made eye contact with Elene at that moment. At the same time¡­ ¨C p! She pulled off her fake Pope¡¯s robe. I could see her smiling under the mask. I froze, feeling a chilling ominous sensation. I could feel the crown prince channeling his energy. The instant the crowd¡¯s cheering turned into anxiety¡­ ¨C Bang! ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± ¡°Aaaaah!¡± There was a small explosion and the Pope disappeared. People were screaming and our surroundings became a mess with a small crowd trying to run off while arge crowd pushed forward. There was only a thick wooden pir where she had been standing. My eyes opened wide to see what was dangling on the wooden pir. It was a white cloth withrge writing so that anybody would be able to read it. The handwriting was extremely elegant. ¡®I¡¯m going toe to steal the moon of the Holy Kingdom. ¨C Madame Victoire.¡¯ ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Chapter 183: The woman who will steal the prince (3) Chapter 183: The woman who will steal the prince (3) The entertainers who had been showcasing their skills in front of her froze in shock. The conductor and the parade of flower carts behind them urgently stopped as well. The actor who had been protecting ¡®Elene¡¯ had a shocked look on his face as he shouted, ¡®Garrison! Call the Imperial Capital Garrison!¡¯ This current situation was so sudden but very real. I couldn¡¯t help but scoff in disbelief. ¡®¡­¡­Maybe I seeded in avoiding the Almighty God¡¯s danger my ass!¡¯ ¡°What does it say there?¡± ¡°The Moon of the Holy Kingdom? Are they talking about Prince Jesse?!¡± ¡°Ah ah! Please don¡¯t push!¡± ¡°Madame Victoire? That mysteriousdy thief?¡±The noise level exploded around us. Even the people who had not been around corralled around the flower carts, making it so that we could not move at all. Christelle and some of the others got separated from us because of the crowd and we could not see them. My shoulder that was being pushed down really hurt now. While that was going on, I still managed to see the Imperial Crown Prince, who was standing there like a totem, reaching toward the Sword of Wisdom! ¡°Your Royal Highness, you can¡¯t do that.¡± I gasped and quietly whispered. His dyed grey eyes sparkled underneath the robe like well-sharpened knives. The fact that a punk like him who looked so cold was so hot-tempered was definitely hereditary. ¡®He¡¯s definitely Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique¡¯s son!¡¯ ¡°There are too many people who cannot defend themselves. It would getplicated if you used your sword in such a ce.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡®Although the honor of the Imperial family might not be okay.¡¯ I did my best to hold my tongue about thattter part. ¡®Think about it, oh crown prince. What was the reason I could start freely going in and out of the Imperial Pce again? ¡®It is because there is always a Holy Knight by my side and I possess ether.¡¯ I was pretty confident about keeping myself safe. In fact, I was more worried about Eva, Gerrit, and Sand, but I had to trust that Sir Johann was taking good care of them. ¡°The Second Sword!¡± I heard Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth shouting from somewhere. Suddenly, people I did not recognize around us¡­ ck! ¨C ck ck, ck! I heard some unified footsteps before they quickly changed. Their gazes suddenly became sharp and their mouths closed. They no longer looked like the rest of themoners around us. They instantly formed a circle around us. It felt like a scene out of a y was happening in front of our faces. I was truly amazed and my jaw dropped in shock. ¡®The Empress¡¯s second sword.¡¯ That was the codename of the Imperial Guards led by Captain Herv¨¦ Duhem and the young Countess. ¡®They were disguised right around us.¡¯ ¡°Please move! Hurry!¡± ¡°We are the Imperial Capital Garrison! Make way!¡± However, that was not the end of the chaos. The garrison members observing the parade must have sent in a report as the knights of the garrison were making their way through the crowd. Themoners were shouting, ¡®Eek, sir!¡¯ The knights were pushing and shoving as they moved. I was worried that children or the elderly might fall. Some of the Imperial Guard members protecting us openly scowled. ¡®I heard that the garrison and the Imperial Guards did not have a good rtionship with each other¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Hey! Over there! Freeze!¡± One of the knights shouted loudly toward a flower cart. However, his voice must not have reached the person. The supporting actor who had been next to the Pope was lifting up the cloth tied to the wooden stake. His face looked both curious and scared. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°My goodness, it is real! The stake has Victoire¡¯s name!¡± ¡®Aah!¡¯ I barely managed to stay standing. I almost got dragged, with both feet lifted off the ground. The garrison wearing armor rushed in and destroyed the Imperial Guard¡¯s formation. The crown prince and I were pretty far apart now as well. ¡®Wow, this is scary!¡¯ ¡°Did you expect it to be fake? Poof! She disappeared like magic!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t really see it! Turn the stake!¡± The shouting became so loud that my ears hurt. I frowned out of reflex. I even debated opening my Holy Land to give a Divine Oracle that would calm everybody down. However, that would reveal my identity and location to the whole crowd. It would be foolish as this Madame Victoire person might still be hiding somewhere nearby. ¡®The people in charge are already here as well¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡®I knew it was weird that things were peaceful for the past month. ¡®I¡¯m an idiot for nking out at a festival where the main characters are with me!¡¯ ¡°Prince Jesse, please follow me!¡± Cold fingers suddenly tightened around my wrist. I was happy to see those blue-gray eyes. ¡®Christelle?¡¯ ¡°I will escort you to somewhere without people! Your safety is the top priority, your highness!¡± She grabbed me and valiantly started moving through the crowd. The flow of people that had not moved until now magically started creating gaps. Adaptability must have been important here as she was quite skilled at finding any and all gaps for us to wade through the crowd. ¡®Is it because she is strong as a Holy Knight?¡¯ ¡°Ugh.¡± The main character¡¯s grip was so strong. Even through the chaos, I could feel my wrist starting to go numb. We moved away from the main street and toward a back alley and I apologized to people as we moved. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, excuse me. Please let us through.¡± Christelle started moving faster as we went. We were at a point where the signs of the shops were more visible than the shadows of the crowd. ¡°Haaaaaaaaaa!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a bizarre sigh of relief once we werepletely out of the crowd. I could finally breathe, but my pushed and shoved body was feeling stiff. I took some deep breaths and looked toward Christelle. Well, I tried to, but¡­¡­ ¡°We need to keep going, your highness. It is dangerous here!¡± She said that and then dragged me toward an alley. I was anxious as Christelle had never used such force on me before. The path became narrower and darker as we moved. The rumblings of the crowd became distant. I didn¡¯t think that the thief who left the note would have immediately left, but was there a need to get this far away from our group? ¡°Please calm down, Dame Sarnez. You are too riled up. Our friends should be on the street so we should first reunite with them.¡± My mind suddenly became clear as if someone had poured ice water over my head. I couldn¡¯t help but clench my teeth at my own stupidity and naivet¨¦. I tasted blood in my mouth as I red at the pink hair shaking under my nose. I got the chills all the way down my side. Pink. That was the crown prince¡¯s hair color today, not Christelle¡¯s. [Let go of me, get lost!] ¨C Paaaaat! I immediately opened my circle. The alley that was full of rats filled with a magnificent gold light. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¨C Thump! The woman who was dragging me was flung away. Crash! She mmed into a pile of thick oak barrels and iled around. I instinctively flinched and took a step away. ¡®Was the Divine Oracle too strong?¡¯ I was not trying to harm her. ¡°Mm, ugh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡®Damn it, I look like a total pushover right now.¡¯ However, I could not help that the words came out of my mouth before I could even think. ¡°You are quite sharp¡­¡­ Your highness.¡± She smiled before staggering and standing up. Thankfully and surprisingly, she did not seem that hurt. Listening to it now, I could hear that her tone was slightly different from Christelle¡¯s. It was amazing vocal mimicry, but her tone and the intonation was a bit off. I got scared thinking about how far I would have been dragged if I had not snapped back to my senses. Of course, I was pretty strong as long as I could open my mouth, but anyway¡­ ¡®How did she know it was me despite the disguise? Also, how did she know that I would be here today? ¡®Is she Victoire herself?¡¯ No¡­¡­ There was no need for me to figure that out. I quickly emptied my mind. [Stop right the-] ¨C Taaaat! She instantly stepped on a rolling oak barrel and jumped up. I stopped talking in shock and looked up at her. Unlike the real Christelle, whose strength made the area under her feet sink when she jumped, this person showed feather-like movements. She flipped in the air and grabbed aundry line hanging from a house before spinning like a gymnast and! ¨C Tap, tap! Tatap! [Fuck!] She used building roofs as steps to jump away from my view. I clenched my teeth and extended my right arm on top of the circle. ¨C Shaaaaa! ¨C Ooooooooong! Then I released my ether to strike. Golden light burst out of my fingertips. My Holy Land grewrger and fiercely caught up to her. The entire alley became as bright as the middle of the day. ¨C Paaaat! ¨C Tatap, tap! My circle that was reflecting its master¡¯s emotions released a threatening light. She staggered but did not slow down. A wave of ether instantly struck where the woman had stepped. It felt as if a human and the authority of god were in a race. I debated chasing after her but I did not know theyout of this ce at all. It could be a trap, so it was better to stay here where my visibility was not limited. ¡°Jung Yeseo, are you going to keep nking out like this?¡± I was grinding my teeth as I criticized myself. ¡®You were just watching acrobats performing in front of you, so why are you so amazed by what she¡­¡­ ¡®Wait a minute, an acrobat?¡¯ A thought shed in my mind. I felt as if I had figured out a clue. ¨C Ooooooooong! The size of my Holy Land was reaching its limit. I quickly plopped down on the ground and opened my eyes wide. I then ced both palms on top of the circle. The ether that burst out of my heart followed the shape of my fingerprints as they spread into the circle. It was a bit much to call this my special move but it wasn¡¯t like I was just eating and ying around while my ether recovered. [Come out, omnipotent arm!] I just said whatever came to my mind. I had no choice despite it being so embarrassing. I had to say something, anything, to release the Divine Oracle for the ether to explode even stronger! ¨C Chhh! A dolphin-shaped bundle of ether shot up from the edges of my Holy Land that had reached its full 200 meters in diameter and shed into her ankle. She was truly shocked this time and slipped. Although I couldn¡¯t attack her directly, I could at least surprise her like this! ¡°Ugh!¡± The women fell on a roof and rolled. I was worried that she would fall but she barely managed to catch herself at the ledge. It was at that moment. ¨C Swooooooosh! I heard the air roar and a white gust started blowing in the air. I looked up at the night sky out of instinct. I could see neatly tied white hair fluttering in the wind. The man raised his empty arms and moved as if he was pulling a bowstring. He then urately aimed for the fake Christelle. His movements had no unnecessary actions; everything was extremely efficient. His mint-colored eyes were glowing so cold that it was scary. ¡®¡­¡­Huh?¡¯ ¡°Sir Johann, you can¡¯t kill her!¡± ¨C Shhh! I urgently shouted as the wind arrow shot forward. I didn¡¯t even have time to give a warning. ¨C Baaaaang! Crumble! A portion of the roof crumbled down. I saw the woman weakly falling for a moment. I gasped and ran toward the alley. ¡°Your highness!¡± ¡°Straight, she had gone straight over here.¡± Sir Johann called out to me but I didn¡¯t have the mental capability to answer. As I moved through alleys, a cat I ran into meowed while a couple who were having a secret rendez-vous flinched in surprise. I nervously bit down on my lips. I was clearly the victim and she was a criminal who attempted to abduct me, but I was not feeling well about this. Despite having spent three seasons here, there were bound to be things that didn¡¯t change. After living twenty eight plus years as a regr Korean person, I did not have the balls to easily brush off someone dying in front of me. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± I was out of breath after running as quickly as possible. ¡®She just needs to pay the price for her sins. Killing her¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°So many guests today.¡± Flinch. I stopped near the destroyed roof. I did not see the fallen women nor any blood. Instead, there were old women wearing thin old robes looking at me. Theirrge baskets of old pumpkins, pomegranates and other things made it look like they were vendors selling things to people passing by. One of the seniors huddled together pulled out a red apple. Her calm gaze made it clear that she was full of goodwill. ¡°Here is a fruit as pretty as you, young master. Would you care for a bite?¡± ¨C ng! A sword was pulled out behind me as soon as she finished speaking. I could easily tell who it was once again. The punk had no thoughts of moving forward and just pointed the sword at the grandma¡¯s neck. The poor old woman gasped in fear. A low voice that sounded as if he was barely holding back his anger made the back of my head feel cold. ¡°Bind all of them and take them to the Imperial Capital¡¯s prison.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I looked up at him as slowly as possible. I did not want to rile him up. The crown prince must not have used a lot of the eye dye as one of his eyes was already burning up in his original orange color. ¡°Your highness!¡± ¨C Boom! The ¡®real¡¯ Christelle ran toward me with a giant jump as well. She had Eva picked up like a princess in her arms. Marquis Duhem arrived by teleportation with Gerrit in his arms. I could see Sand, Ganael, Benjamin, and David running over in the distance looking extremely pale. I then heard the young Countess giving orders to the Imperial Guard across the block. They looked ready to start searching and checking identities right away. ¡°Your highness, you airhead!¡± ¡®That scared me.¡¯ ¡°Why do you follow strangers? Did she say that she will buy you some delicious food or something?! You dolt! You bonehead!¡± ¡°No, that¡­¡­¡± Eva rattled off insults toward me. I awkwardly smiled and looked over at Christelle. She looked extremely upset and her lips were twitching. She looked ready to release her anger somewhere. I just trusted the main character saying follow me and did as I was told. I had no idea things would end up like this. ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments This trantor¡¯sment was stolen by Madame Victoire Chapter 184: The woman who will steal the prince (4) Chapter 184: The woman who will steal the prince (4) After that, we returned to our respective spaces. The chaos in the middle of the night thankfully ended without anybody getting hurt. I was feeling guilty about not doing the dishes for Sand but unfortunately, I was forced to return home. I decided to at least treat him to a nice feast of meat in the future. * The next day brightened. We were immediately summoned to the Empress Pce after breakfast. ¡°The incident in the alley yesterday was quietly settled. There are no talks among themoners about seeing his Royal Highness or Prince Jesse.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth reported while standing at attention. Her eyes that had returned to their original ash-color were sparkling intelligently.¡°As for the original actress who was supposed to y her Holiness, the Pope in the parade, she was found tied up and asleep in the circus troupe¡¯s lodging. ¡°Tsk.¡± The Empress clicked her tongue. She seemed discontent despite drinking coffee that was not too hot. ¡°The business card lists Victoire D¡¯Andresy. The reports indicate this is the same name that has been left behind until now. However, it is very likely that this name was created without any meaning behind it. The Count¡¯s House of Andresy has, early on, denied that this person had any rtion to them and it has been confirmed that no such person is listed in their family tree.¡± Captain Duhem exined. ¡®It is written as D¡¯Andresy but it is the Count¡¯s House of Andresy? Is there a preposition in front of the family name? Then I guess the territory name and the family name is the same, like the House of Sarnez. The French style was still difficult for me to understand. I paid close attention to the report from the Imperial Guard and looked around. This was my first time in the salon of the Empress Pce but everything wasrge and luxurious as expected. The walls that were decorated with gold and jewels had the portraits of the past rulers of Riester on them. ¡®If that is thete Empress C¨¦line, then the left is¡­¡­Is that the war lord of ire za, Romero Riester?¡¯ The man was handsome with bright blonde hair and blood-red eyes. For some reason, everybody in that family was handsome or beautiful. It made sense because they were the family of the male lead of a romfan, but¡­ ¡°The noble who was the first to be harmed by her is Baron Savanier, whose territory is next to the Andresy territory. A portion of the storehouse in the Lord¡¯s Castle was looted, and the looted goods were given away to the poormoners. The Baron became extremely angry and sealed down the territory to do a thorough search, but he was unable to catch the culprit. That happened in May of this year, your Majesty.¡± ¡°How foolish.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabethmented and the Empress dryly responded. Crack, crack. The mes were peacefully crackling in the wall furnace. As for me, I was cautiously cutting a Bouch¨¦e ¨¤ reine that an attendant ced on my te with a knife. The crust of this perfectly sized dessert gently crumbled like a nket. The truffe, button mushroom, chicken, and pieces of octopus that were drenched in white sauce slowly flowed down. ¡®It smells amazing. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be delicious as well.¡¯ ¡°After that, multiple locations have been hit. However, there is arge period of time in between each incident, and her characteristic is that the scale of her theft grows as she goes. Most recently, the Holy artifact of the Marquis¡¯ House of Ciss¨¦, the Saddle of the Late Empress, has been stolen.¡± ¡®A bizarre thief is running amoktely in the nearby territories but this ce is as rxed and peaceful as its name.¡¯ I suddenly recalled the letter Chantal sent from the S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦ March. The thought I hadst night while going through the files was that only the Imperial Capital had been quiet. ¡°I heard about that as well. Apparently the item is not showing up even in the ck market.¡± Cardinal Boutier sipped her coffee beforementing. The Empress peeked toward her before grumbling. ¡°And this time she is aiming for the Prince?¡± ¡°¡­¡­That does seem to be the case, your Majesty.¡± The Captain and Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard answered at the same time. Everybody seated at the table turned to look at me. I froze in ce in the middle of moving my spoon. Christelle was quietly chuckling. ¡®¡­Am I not allowed to eat¡­¡­?¡¯ ¡°Eat as much as you want. Our chef has been waiting for the day youe, my little Prince.¡± My teacher warmlymented. I felt relieved and consumed the snack. I thought the only seafood here was octopus but I could taste pieces of plump shrimp as well. The way the seafood and meat mixed together was amazing. After I tasted the smooth and not greasy at all sauce, the soft pastry revealed its presence. Dipping the bouch¨¦e top was quite delicious in its own way. ¡®I¡¯m having at least five of these.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­How did the search go?¡± Crown prince C¨¦dric looked at me as if I was an idiot before taking a sip of his espresso and asking. I continued to chew as I internally sneered at the punk. ¡®I¡¯m certain that this punk¡¯s personality ended up so bad because he only drinks espresso.¡¯ ¡°First, no traces of blood were discovered anywhere. Sir Geens simply shot a warning shot. She also did not fall very far, making us believe that shended without any major injuries.¡± Captain Duhem answered. I looked at Sir Johann and smiled. His drooping eyes curled up before he answered back saying it was nothing. His gaze had been so viciousst night that I was scared he was really going to kill her. But as expected, Gerrit¡¯s dad was a pure soul. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Based on the fact that she didn¡¯t even have a dagger, she is probably not a swordswoman. I have also heard rumors that she is not a mage. That should mean that she just used her physical abilities to jump across roofs and disappear like smoke¡­¡­¡± Christelle was drinking an Iced Americano despite it being cold as she gasped in admiration. She had been extremely angry at mest night because she was worried about me, but she seemed to be feeling better now that a day had gone by. I rinsed my mouth with some cherry blossom tea and broke the silence. ¡°I believe that she is most likely amoner. It is highly likely that she is a member of the circus troupe his Royal Highness had called over to Juliette Pce or is involved with them in some way. She could be one of their friends.¡± Everybody¡¯s gazes gathered on me once again. I felt embarrassed but couldn¡¯t find many spots to look at. The Empress opened her mouth. ¡°Alright. We called the entertainers to the Imperial Pce at your request. You are going to meet with them one by one to check?¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡± ¡°That is definitely an efficient way. Exin.¡± Her cherry-colored eyes sharply sparkled. An exnation was essential as I had requested outsiders into her pce. I nodded my head and continued to speak. ¡°There is no guarantee that the woman who tried to abduct me is Victoire herself. She could be one of her subordinates. However, what is clear is that she showed movements simr to that of an acrobat.¡± I had shared the same deductions with Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth prior to returning to the pce. She immediately arrested all members of the circus troupe in the parade as well as the old women I met and the couple having their secret rendez-vous in the alley. As for the rumors that she even interrogated the stray cat that meowed at me¡­¡­ That was quite shocking. The Imperial Guard was truly thorough. ¡°Of course, it is possible for a noble youngdy to learn such movements. However, that person used her own vocal cords to mimic Dame Sarnez¡¯s voice. She could have perfectly copied the Dame¡¯s voice had she used a magic tool, but she did not do so. And although she was covered by a robe, thinking back on it now, her clothes and boots did not seem high-end.¡± I organized my thoughts as I continued to speak. Christelle was extremely entertained at the fact that the culprit had mimicked her voice. ¡°She probably does not have the money or the identity to buy magic tools or expensive clothes to camouge herself. She simply used her abilities to mimic Dame Sarnez as much as possible. She is alsocking in high-end information, as she has stolen a precious holy artifact but is unable to put it out in the ck market.¡± Marquis Fran?ois Duhem, who was seated on the other side, smiled. ¡®I guess this incident is to his liking.¡¯ ¡°Furthermore, any noble of the Empire is bound to leave traces whenever they move around. If they ride their carriage, there would be records of them going through the territory boundaries. It would be the same if they use a portal. If Victoire was a noble, her movement route and looting records would create a pattern that would have made her easy to catch. However, the reality of the situation is that her traces are ambiguous despite her movement throughout the Empire. I presume she paid a luggage carriage or a mail carriage to hitch a ride or moved as a group. In that case, she could hide herself. However, this is not a method that a noble would choose. Most nobles can¡¯t even imagine getting on a carriage with amoner.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± The Empressughed out loud. If I was to analyze the way she was looking at me, she seemed to be saying something along the lines of ¡®look at this punk.¡¯ She leaned her cheek in one hand and tapped on the table with the other as she spoke. ¡°I¡¯m happy to see that there is no issue with my young Marquis¡¯ head.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Thank you very much, your Majesty.¡± Suddenly, the crown prince looked at his mother and I with an odd gaze. ¡®What?¡¯ ¡°However, there is a w with your deduction.¡± Her mouth curled into a smile. I sat up out of reflex. ¡°She could just be waiting for the attention to die down before she puts it out on the ck market. Although it is urate that the nobles of the Empire put a lot of importance on face and authority, there are lots of exceptions as well. Like yourself.¡± The Empress¡¯s index finger pointed at me. I quickly figured out what she was saying. ¡°Your Majesty, are you saying that Victoire might be an illegitimate child of a noble or a child who has been cast away?¡± ¡°Yes. Our Empire isrge and has a lot of people. However, it would probably be more likely for you to be correct.¡± I nodded my head. ¡°There is one more thing, your Majesty. The fact that I would be observing the parade on thest day of the Harvest Festival was something that only a few people in the Imperial Pce and my friends knew about. But thinking about it¡­¡­¡± I trailed off and peeked toward Benjamin, who was standing in the back. He sighed as if the world was crumbling before struggling to open his mouth as if he did not want to say it. ¡°When the circus troupe entered Juliette Pce, the attendants were fired up making their bets. They were betting to see if his highness would be able to observe the parade during the Harvest Festival.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The room becamepletely silent as if someone had poured cold water over us. Basically, the attendants who got a taste of losing all their emergency funds making bets in the Imperial Pce had amused themselves, betting on when the crown prince would release my confinement. The Empress and Cardinal silently looked at Benjamin for a while. They then looked toward their son or godson. However, the crown prince simply raised one eyebrow as if he was telling them ¡®what do you want me to do?¡¯ ¡®This damn fire attribute filial bastard.¡¯ ¡°The pce was quite a ruckus, so anybody with good hearing would probably have been able to hear. That was the only situation where an outsider may have found out about his highness¡¯s ns to leave the pce¡­¡­ Please kill me, your Majesty.¡± The pitiful middle-aged man bowed his head. The Empress let out a big snort. And then¡­ ¡°¡­¡­All staff of Juliette Pce will have their pay reduced for six months.¡± She made it an Imperial Decree. My heart sank but there was nothing I could do about it. It was rare to see my teacher scolding me like this as well. ¡°My little prince, you can¡¯t let your people do as they please. You need to show them dignity befitting the royal family and the title of Marquis. You allowed your attendants to put their guards down that much when outsiders were in the pce?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, your Eminence. I will try harder.¡± I apologized. Everything she said was correct, but I had never had people under me before. Most of the attendants were still young as well. It was still not easy properly acting as a prince. ¡®I need to get better.¡¯ ¡°Anyway, such a reason does make sense. If she was lucky, she would have known that you wereing to the parade, but she probably did not hear that you or your group would be disguised. That is why she openly disguised herself as the little Sarnez girl.¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty. She knew one but not the other.¡± I agreed with the Empress. However, Christelle tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Your highness, I am asking you this because I truly am curious. How could you follow her so innocently? I had Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s hair colorst night. My eye color was different as well.¡± I slightly bit down on the inside of my cheek. My neck instantly heated up. I did pretty well working for apany so I had no idea why I made so many mistakes in this world. I felt embarrassed. ¡°Umm¡­¡­ What I usually see is pink so I had an error in judgment. It was quite a chaotic situation as well. But I did realize the truth while we were on the move.¡± ¡°Then I guess you wouldn¡¯t have known until the end if I did not go in a disguise? Since the color was the same?¡± ¡®¡­¡­Damn, I just went up 2000 won in price. Is the intion rate in Riester going to be okay?¡¯ (TL: So this is a ng phrase that started in 2020. When someone is hit by facts, they say their value went up 2000 won because they also use ¡®got struck in the bone¡¯ when hit by a fact bomb. Getting hit in the bone makes the meat fall off, making you boneless, and boneless chicken costs 2000 won more, leading to this phrase. Yeah, it is weird.) I was smacked around so much by facts that my mind was getting jumbled. Even the crown prince and Sir Johann were looking at me as if they wanted an answer. I buried my lip onto the cherry blossom tea to cover at least a portion of my face. I would sound like an idiot regardless of what I said right now, so I chose to use my right to remain silent. ¡°There is only one conclusion. I will not give them the attention that they seek.¡± The Empress looked at us and proimed. ¡°Confining the prince in the pce, openly sending out the Imperial Guard or the Imperial soldiers, all it will do is raise the fame of the criminal and fill their desires.¡± It sounded as if important things were to be discussed. I put the teacup down and looked at her. The Empress¡¯s eyes squinted like that of a wild beast that found an entertaining prey. ¡°So you guys will personally y detective.¡± ¡®¡­¡­Why did the conclusion suddenly¡­? Excuse me?¡¯ ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Which famous detective will make their presence known? Hmm¡­ Chapter 185: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (1) Chapter 185: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (1) ¡°There is no way the Prince Consort is aiming for your life. If he does not want a war, that is.¡± Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique suddenly continued. My eyes opened wide at the sudden mention of Werner Viaan. It was quite an unfriendly statement to add to the Imperial Decree for us to y detective, but I clearly understood what she meant. That was the reason I had requested a nobility title in the first ce. ¡°Your Majesty, you must be saying that he does not dare to touch me because I am the Marquis of the Empire.¡± ¡°Yes. I can no longer feign ignorance if he tries to harm you. The Queen has also regained her sense of reason.¡± She responded. She meant that Prince Consort Werner was probably not the mastermind behind Madame Victoire trying to abduct me.The Empress seemed to believe that these series of thefts were the actions of an attention seeker within the Empire. In that case, that was probably correct. I heard that she tended to be correct about these kinds of things and I was certain that she probably saw and heard a lot more information than I had. However¡­¡­ ¡°This is very presumptuous for me to say, but your Majesty.¡± ¡°What is it? Are you not confident?¡± She smirked as she looked at me. Her cherry-colored eyes did not show any signs of anxiety. ¡°It is a pity for you youngsters to only stay in the Imperial Pce and your homes. Back in my days, Alexandre and Aur¨¦lie went around the entire Empire causing trouble.¡± ¡°Fr¨¦d¨¦rique, you and I were the troublemakers. Alexandre was in charge of dealing with things once we ran through.¡± Cardinal Boutier put down her coffee cup and answered with aplicated look in her eyes. I finally felt as if I could understand the Empress¡¯s mentality. She had lived a long time as the ruler of this Empire. There were too many reasons she could not roam through the Imperial Capital with her friends to cause mischief or go on new adventures. The duties and dignity of the throne held her back and did not let her go. To her, we were just snotty kids. She seemed to be saying that she would live vicariously through her son and his friends acting like fools. ¡®Almighty God, my goodness, seriously?¡¯ ¡°As long as this prince doesn¡¯t nk out and follow strangers, it should be quick to find the culprit. Isn¡¯t that right, Herv¨¦?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Prince Jesse is the first to see Victoire up close and engage her, your Majesty. We were also unable to discover, in past incidents, any clue about her being part of a circus troupe.¡± Once the Empress and the Captain of the Imperial Guard finished their conversation, Christelle and the Imperial Crown Prince stared at me. Sir Johann was smiling brightly as well. I felt my ears turning hot again. ¡®Ohe on, people can make mistakes from time to time.¡¯ ¡°The heir to the throne, the little girl who will carry on the most famous house of the Empire, and a Royal Priest. There is also a punk who has learned the sword of the Margrave and a Cardinal-level Holy Knight. What are you allcking that you can¡¯t catch a simple thief?¡± ¡°Please let me raise a ss to your extremely astute statement, your Majesty!¡± Marquis Fran?ois Duhem yed along and raised his teacup high into the air. His light pink eyes were sparkling as if he was about to roll over onto the ground inughter. ¡®Please shut up if you are not going to help us!¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­Mm.¡± Well, technically she was correct. Our party had Divine Power, wealth, strength, governmental authority, bloodline authority, and intellect. ¡®I¡¯m fine but my friends are all busy people. Will we really be okay?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Christelle and Crown prince C¨¦dric had been riled up by the Empress¡¯s words and their eyes were sparkling withpetitive spirit. They looked like fraternal twins. ¡®I was worried for nothing.¡¯ ¡°Then I guess it has been decided.¡± The Empress cheerfullymented before picking up her teaspoon. Her eyes were looking right at me. ¡°I am officiallymissioning the case to you, Detective Prince. Go capture that criminal.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I will do my best, your Majesty.¡± I could not go against an Imperial Decree. I nodded my head and finished the remaining bouch¨¦e ¨¤ reine in one bite. I needed to eat well starting now since it looked like I would be putting my body through a lot of work. It was true that I wanted to capture that attempted abductor and have them be punished. I had done all sorts of nonsensical things sinceing here and now that would include being a detective. ¡®I¡¯ve never even seen a detective in real life!¡¯ * ¡®¡­¡­But since I¡¯m in charge of it, I should do it properly.¡¯ I felt the heavy weight of my responsibilities as I stood in front of the group of people. Christelle, the crown prince, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, and Sir Johann were here in Juliette Pce. We were gathered in thergest reception room to discuss our n. After that, we were going to call the circus troupe to interrogate them. ¡°Your Royal Highness, there is something I would like to request before we get started.¡± His orange-colored eyes immediately turned toward me. The crown prince was seated extremely rxedly with his legs crossed as if Juliette was his house. The red pandas, who were plopped down on the ground looking like pancakes on the soft carpet, perked up their tails after hearing my voice. Percy was plopped over on the crown prince¡¯s head as usual while Tith¨¦ was dozing off in Christelle¡¯s arms. ¡°You are going to ruin your back sitting like that, your Royal Highness. Please uncross your legs.¡± ¡°Is that your request?¡± He scowled and elegantly uncrossed his legs. ¡®Do you really think that is it?¡¯ ¡°No, your Royal Highness. Do you remember the fortune teller we met in front of the Legault Central Commerce Centerst summer?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± His handsome face instantly stiffened. I knew he would recall the person right away, but he was still full of repulsion. Christelle raised her hand into the air. ¡°I remember her. You are talking about the olddy who said that I was the closest to the center of the world, right, your highness?¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± I responded. That was already five months ago. I had been trying to stick Eva, who had just been a youngdy of the House of nquer at the time, with the main character couple, and the crown prince had chosen shopping. He had even done the weird thing of renting out the entire Commerce Center for the whole day. Thanks to that, Eva gave me a gift and we had a fun time, but it was an extremely unexpected person who ended that day. I would call it the ¡®forteller cliche.¡¯ ¡®Please ept my deepest apologies, your Highness. This olddy is a street fortune teller¡­¡­¡¯ I recalled the awkward look on the Commerce Center employee¡¯s face. ¡®Sir, you are not from here.¡¯ ¡®Excuse me?¡¯ ¡®And it looks like our esteemed sir will lose a connection once again. How pitiful¡­¡­.¡¯ The olddy¡¯s subtle voice was still vivid in my mind as well. The fortune teller had spoken as if she knew that I was from outside QNW. The crown prince simply called her words nonsense, but I could not get rid of that entric feeling. I added on. ¡°I would like to know how that olddy is doing. Would you be able to ask around for me, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°The reason?¡± ¡°Because of Captain Modeste Bacary.¡± The crown prince squinted after hearing me quickly respond. His gaze seemed to be saying that this was unexpected so he was willing to let me exin. I took a sip of Laurence¡¯s special tea, apple juice boiled with cinnamon, cloves, and sugar. The sweet and warm liquid instantly cleared up my mind. ¡°It is not rted to this incident. I had forgotten about it for a while, but seeing the olddies in the alley selling stuff yesterday suddenly made me recall it. It has also been weighing on my mind that Captain Bacary made a prophecy in the nquer Duchy and lost his memories. She is the only one aside from him who made anything simr to a prophecy in front of us, so I wanted to check on her.¡± ¡°She is just a lowly scammer.¡± The crown prince growled. His ether must have started going wild as Christelle gasped and went over to sit on the couch. She then consoled Tith¨¦, who was woken up from his nap, with a water bubble. This reaction was to be expected as the olddy made an ufortable and rude prophecy regarding the crown prince. I released a lot of ether in the air to calm him down. ¡®It¡¯s partner duty time!¡¯ ¡°I understand how you feel, your Royal Highness. I am also not saying that what the olddy said is true. I am simply curious about her recent well-being. I will also stop giving her any attention if she goes around telling anybody such things without any reason. Then she would really be a fake.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I calmly exined. He settled a bit down after hearing that. I couldn¡¯t feel the power of a Holy Knight, but Christelle¡¯s quiet sigh let me know what was going on. We were only exchanging nces for a while when the young Countess broke the silence. ¡°Please leave that to me, your highness. I will look into it for you.¡± ¡°¨¦lisabeth.¡± The crown prince called out her name in a low voice. She did not budge. ¡°Your low growling doesn¡¯t work against me. Your highness, I should be able to get some information for you quickly if I send two or three Imperial Guard members. I will get you some information soon.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth.¡± I smiled. The young Countess said it was nothing and sipped her tea. The crown prince seemed discontent but did not say anything. Sir Johann, who was sitting there quietly like a shadow, finally said something. ¡°How do you n on catching Victoire, your highness?¡± ¡°That, I do have something I¡¯ve thought about. I would like to request all of your advice and cooperation.¡± I cautiouslymented. I thought about it on our way back from the Empress Pce but there were not many methods we could use against an elusivemoner bandit. The Empress said that she did not want to noisily send the troops to capture her. She believed that that kind of interest and attention seemed to be what Victoire wanted. I agreed with her to an extent. It would be a lie for a bandit who left an advance notice for her crimes and performed magic on scene to not enjoy the attention. ¡°¡­¡­What if I show my face and use myself as bait?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Christelle asked in a shocked voice. I gently smiled and exined. ¡°I know it is difficult to trust me right now. I followed the thief, so there is really nothing I could say even if I had ten mouths. However, what is clear is that Victoire is aiming for me and actually tried to take me away. In that case, I would be the best bait we could use without getting the troops involved. At least thinking about it in reverse, that is what I came up with.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I think that the first step is to take the ball out of her court. The citizens will naturally focus on Victoire¡¯s movements if it is known that I am roaming around the Imperial Capital. She would feel the pressure to do something. If the days go on without anything despite her advance notice, people will lose their illusion of her.¡± The other four were silent. I could hear Benjamin and David, who were standing by the door, letting out deep breaths. I already felt apologetic since I would be making these hardworking attendants worried. I wet my lips with the tea and cleared my throat. ¡°It would be great if she shows up to capture me. She may disguise herself as Dame Sarnez again, but I will not be fooled twice. I did think from the beginning the other day that something was weird.¡± ¡°Your highness.¡± Christelle called out to me as if telling me to stop lying. I smiled and exined. ¡°Dame Sarnez never used her strength toward me like that. She never grabs me by the arm or wrist because she is worried that I will be hurt. You even control your strength when you hit me whileughing, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never felt pain because of you, Dame Sarnez. That was why I felt something was off when I was with the fake.¡± Christelle¡¯s face turned extremely odd. Her chin wrinkled up like a walnut, then her lips looked like chicken gizzards¡­¡­ ¡°Hehe.¡± Then smiled brightly as if she could not hold it in any longer. Tith¨¦ must have felt something in her arms as well as he cried ¡®Aarf!¡¯ with joy. . Christelle got up from the couch and quickly walked over before plopping back down at the chair by the table. It was the seat closest to me. ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, your highness.¡± She announced. That must have been entertaining as Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth punched the crown prince on the shoulder and startedughing. His face turned even more vicious that he looked more like the main viin than the male lead. I thought that I was pretty close to this punk now but I had no idea what was going through his mind at times like these . Only Sir Johann remained calm as he spoke. ¡°It is not a bad idea if you have a guard near you, but I think you will need secret codes. The enemy is skilled at disguise and mimicry.¡± ¡°That is a good point. I made a request for that reason¡­¡­¡± I turned around. Ganael and Pierre, who had been waiting for me to summon them, walked over with a wide wooden board. This was the item I was going to use as a chalkboard today. ¡°Thank you. I think it will be good to put our secret codes on here ande up with a short n. I also prepared some writing equipment as I thought it would be needed. Please feel free to give me your suggestions.¡± Benjamin handed everyone some ink, quill pens, and paper. The young Countess seemed to be enjoying herself, talking about how this reminded her of her home tutor from her youth and wanting to work in Juliette Pce. I could only smile brightly as I had no words. I didn¡¯t know how to be a proper detective, but I felt as if we would be able to put our heads together,e up with a n, and put it into action. ¡°Would you like some more tea? It is made with apples from the olddy vendors, and they put so much care into growing the apples that it is delicious. There is also toast with pomegranate msses.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the olddies we met in the alley?¡± Christelle¡¯s eyes opened wide at myment. ¡°Yes, I felt like they lost a day¡¯s worth of sales because of me¡­¡­ I bought all of the vegetables and fruits they were selling.¡± The crown prince scoffed while Sir Johann shook his head in disbelief. I quickly added on. ¡°I did so with my personal funds. Of course I made sure to get them tested for poison, so please feel free to have them without worry.¡± The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard suddenly plopped down on the table. Christelle did the same, looked at her, and chuckled. Ganael leaned his head in and asked, ¡°Vice Commander Moutet, are you really going to request a transfer to Juliette?¡± He seemed really excited at the thought. ¡®¡­¡­Will we really be able to pull off being detectives? We should be able to, right?¡¯ ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Thanks for all your guesses but I guess the title gives it away now¡­ Chapter 186: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (2) Chapter 186: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (2) After that, we made up a general n, came up with things to watch out for, and decided on our secret codes. Christelle seemed quite used to this, potentially because she hade up with ¡®Operation Verona¡¯ in the past. It was lunchtime by the time we were done, so all of us had lunch together. It would have been better if we could rx as we ate in the dining area, but the Imperial Crown Prince could not push back all of his administrative duties and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth had Imperial Guard work as well. Chef Laurence urgently cooked up some tartines and sent them up to the reception room¡­¡­ ¡°Wow.¡± It was extremely delicious. ¡®This is truly master chef level.¡¯ ¡°I am truly debating asking for a transfer. To be honest with you, it was my stubbornness that led me to enter the Imperial Guard. My parents were against it as well. But people in Juliette Pce get to eat delicious food like this every day?¡± The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard looked cute as she finished off her sandwich and said that. I answered with a smile.¡®The Margrave¡¯s Lord¡¯s Castle up north should have fed her well and the meals for the Imperial Guard should be the highest-ss as well. ¡®She probably thinks it is even more delicious because she is eating with friends. ¡®Well, our master chef is truly amazing as well.¡¯ ¡°Your highness, the Imperial Guard has entered Juliette with the circus troupe. I will get them ready to be questioned whenever you call for them.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Benjamin.¡± I quickly answered and bit down on thest slice. Arge baguette was sliced in half andthered with freshly made tapenade, topped with Saucisson Sec that gave off a strong fragrance of cheese, and finished with crunchy cucumbers and tomatoes. This sandwich was truly close to perfection. While I was wiping my mouth with a napkin¡­¡­ ¡°Tith¨¦, is this your rattle?¡± ¨C Aarf! ¡°Gasp, it disappeared! Where did Tith¨¦¡¯s rattle go?¡± ¨C Aaarf¡­¡­ ¡°It¡¯s over heeeeeere? Wow, so amazing!¡± Christelle, who had finished eating, was holding Tith¨¦ and ying with him. She created a cute little rattle with water and shocked the harp seal by hiding the toy in between her hair and taking it back out. His ck eyes opened as wide as the full moon before curling like a crescent moon. The corners of my lips curled up as well. Tith¨¦ was so good that he listened to everybody including me, but he especially liked Christelle. He seemed to feel an instinctual level of peace with her because they both had the water attribute. On the other hand, he was a bit scared to be around crown prince C¨¦dric. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C Screeeech The crown prince was about to stand up but stopped momentarily as Demy grabbed his ankle. Perry and Rhea rushed up his legs as if they had been waiting for this. The young man let out a quiet sigh before leaning back against the chair. ¡®Even you know that resisting against the Three Red Panda Musketeers will lead to defeat.¡¯ ¡°Ganael, we will start the questioning as soon as the table is cleared. Please prepare the other room.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Tell the other attendants to behave themselves as well.¡± I awkwardly gave the order. It was to set the discipline as my teacher said. My tone probably sounded weird but the young boy¡¯s golden eyes sparkled as he nodded his head. David used this down time to hand the crown prince some administrative documents. I peeked at him and then tried my best to give off a solemn vibe. ¡®Should I act all lofty like himter? Puff up my chest while scowling the whole time?¡¯ ¡°Haha.¡± Sir Johann quietly chuckled after seeing what I was doing. ¡®I¡¯m so embarrassed I want to crawl into a hole and die. Can¡¯t believe he saw me doing that.¡¯ * The crown prince and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth ended up having to leave for a bit. The ceremony to open the Imperial Capital¡¯s Garrison Officer Candidate School, which was scheduled to take ce in November, had been pushed back to December. There was a lot of work to do because of that. ¡®Wasn¡¯t that originally supposed to take ce in October?¡¯ Anyway¡­ ¡°Your highness, I will first bring in the longest tenured member of the circus troupe, Serge the Clever.¡± Ganael vivaciouslymented. I wrote down ¡®1. Serge the Clever¡¯ on my paper. I sat at the center of a long table with Sir Johann to the left. Christelle on my right, was mumbling some weird things. ¡®Mr. Serge, we will see you at the next stage.¡¯ ¡®This is not the acrobat survival program!¡¯ ¨C Click. ¡°Stand at the center over there.¡± The door opened and Benjamin gave the order. A clearly scared man walked into the room. He seemed to be in histe twenties and his alreadyrge eyes stood out even more because of the dark circles around them. It was difficult to recognize him because he had beautiful makeup on his face when they came to perform in Juliette Pce. The way his chopstick-like thin body was shaking made him look pitiful. However, this was an interrogation to find a serial thief and attempted abductor, so I could not show anypassion or sympathy. It was possible that he was in cahoots with the thief. I firmed my resolve and opened my mouth. ¡°Mr. Serge, I will ask the first question.¡± ¡°Ahhh, your highness!¡± Serge jumped up and bowed down with his head on the ground. He soundedpletely scared. It was understandable. They were arrested during the parade, given only minimal amounts of water and food, interrogated by the Garrison and the Imperial Guard, before finally being dragged to the Imperial Pce anding face to face with me, a prince and a Marquis. Even I felt as if I would experience phantasmagoria. ¡°P, please don¡¯t kill me, your highness! I, we, absolutely¡­¡­ We absolutely do not know anything about this Madame Victoire person. I swear to the Almighty God, your highness!¡± Serge desperately pleaded. I asked as calmly as possible to help him settle down. ¡°I heard that you are the longest tenured member of the troupe. But when the troupe came to perform at Juliette, I saw an olddy. What about her?¡± ¡°Uhh, umm, that¡­¡­ My apologies, your highness. Olddy Pomme passed away¡­¡­ Yes, your highness. S, she passed away.¡± Serge answered before lowering his head. I became shocked and exchanged nces with Christelle. She sharply asked. ¡°When did she pass away?¡± ¡°That, umm. She was struck by a carriage the day after we came to perform for his highness¡­¡­ We did not see it happen, your highness. The one who was with her, her granddaughter, Henriette¡­¡­ S, she handled the body. She didn¡¯t even call us¡­¡­¡± This was unexpected information. Serge¡¯s voice started choking up. I prayed for her deep in my mind. If it was right after they performed for me, it should have been the middle of October. I only saw them for the two hours or so of the performance, but I could easily tell that the members of the troupe were extremely tight with each other. Olddy Pomme had a clown¡¯s makeup but did not participate in the performance and just sat in the distance. That was why I had been curious about her role at the beginning of the show. ¡®Good job, Serge. Our clever little boy.¡¯ ¡®Thanks, granny.¡¯ I was able to quickly figure it out without asking. She kept a watch over the belongings of the young performers and gave them water, endlessly cheering them on and whispering to them what they did well and what needed improvement. I recalled thinking she was like a warm ¡®manager¡¯ type as I watched her. Her back was bent and she seemed to have trouble moving, but Olddy Pomme had not rested at all during the show. ¡°Are you saying that her granddaughter, Henriette, took care of her grandmother¡¯s funeral on her own and then came back?¡± Sir Johann asked. His mint-colored eyes looked as cold as the aurora in the North Pole. Serge struggled to breathe before he answered. ¡°N, no sir. She must have received quite the shock.¡± Sob. ¡°She just gave us a short goodbye and headed back to her hometown¡­¡­ She headed south. We have not seen her since she left the troupe, sir. She hasn¡¯t responded to any of our letters as well¡­¡­¡± The man sniffled. I exchanged a meaningful gaze with Sir Johann. ¡°One more question. Comparing Victoire¡¯s whereabouts to the circus troupe¡¯s travel path, they are notpletely the same but there are many suspicious aspects. It seems that whenever she is robbing a territory, your troupe was performing in the next territory over. That is what is written in the report from the Imperial Guard. Of course, this is the first time Victoire was found at such a close distance.¡± ¡°Ah, ah! I swear that we had nothing to do with it, your highness! We really have no idea!¡± Serge was almost frantic now. I was scared that he might end up fainting or something. The young performer jerked his head up and proimed with teary eyes. ¡°Y, your highness¡­¡­ We are p, pitifully poor and don¡¯t even know the origins of our birth. We are lowly beings who have grown up only relying on one another. Crawling into the homes of esteemed individuals and stealing from them¡­¡­ We have never even considered doing something like that. If we are ever caught doing something like that, w, we would be immediately executed. The fact that our path ovepped with the thief, that, that is just- A, co, coincidence, your highness¡­¡­¡± He ended up crying. His mental fortitude must have reached its limits as his pale face was sweating as if rain was pouring down on him. I couldn¡¯t do it. I called Ganael over to get Serge a nket and some tea. Sir Johann smiled bitterly as if I could not be helped. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Sir Johann.¡¯ ¡°Please rx, Mr. Serge. I can determine whether you are lying or not, so all you need to do is confess the truth. I will do as I always do as well.¡± Imented. Acting all lofty unlike my usual self was as ufortable as forcing myself to wear clothes that were too small. There was a thick nket over Serge¡¯s shoulders as well. He was holding a cup of warm passionflower tea in his hands and I had them bring in a chair with a back. I looked at me with a confused gaze before quickly lowering his head when we made eye contact. At least he looked much better than earlier. ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ ¡°Then shall we continue?¡± Christelle asked me in a bright voice. I smiled and nodded my head. * On the second day of December¡­ I was standing outside Juliette Pce while facing a pretty cold gust of wind. The attendants were standing in a line to see me off. Something simr was happening at Romero Pce on the other side. I could see the crown prince and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth getting on horses. ¡°Your thumb guards as well, your highness.¡± ¡°Thanks Ganael.¡± I received and put on the thumb guards. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure that I heard that the weather was pretty calm other than the heatwave season. That¡¯s what I heard, but¡­¡­¡¯ I guess everything was an exception when the main character of a novel appears or a hero rises on the continent. ording to Benjamin, it had been exceptionally cold since Fall this year. Strong gusts of wind had started now that it was December. ¡®Of course, of course.¡¯ It had been a while since Imented my role as a supporting character like this. I was already anxious. How would Prince Jesse¡¯s body, which could not handle the heat at all, react to the cold? ¡°Your ears will get cold while you are riding, your highness.¡± The kind Benjamin put my hood on for me. Today¡¯s goal was clear. We safely concluded the interrogations of the performers yesterday and set a course for our investigation. That was why we could not push it back any longer. It was time to put the ¡®bait¡¯ n in action by riding away without any carriages. We were riding out to capture Madame Victoire. ¡°Hi, nice to meet you.¡± ¨C Neeeeeeigh I greeted the horse I would be riding today. I petted his neck and the good little boy epted my touch with no issues. The little guy was a two-years-old white horse that Benjamin preparedst spring as a birthday present for me. They escorted this precious horse from his family¡¯s territory, The Girardin County, which was famous for their great horses. In other words, it was my first time meeting this horse. I didn¡¯t even have a name for him yet. ¡°Big bro won¡¯t be that heavy. I¡¯m not a beginner, but, mm. Please take good care of me, little guy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a female horse, your highness.¡± ¡°Eek, sorry. I forgot. Please don¡¯t knock this old man off your back.¡± ¨C Hnnnng¡­¡­ I quickly changed my words but she seemed a bit disgruntled. It was clear that I had lost some points starting from our first meeting. I hugged each of our little troublemakers once, said bye to Gerrit, and quietly got on the horse. I wasn¡¯t taking the divine beasts with me in case I needed to disguise myself during the trip. Only Percy, who was easy to hide, wasing with me. He was in my clothes and just poking his head out while chirping. ¡®You little chatterbox.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Don¡¯t worry about me and please get some rest. Demy, make sure to listen to Benjamin and Ganael. Tith¨¦, not too much night swimming.¡± ¨C Whimper ¨C Aarf At least both of them sounded as if they were saying yes. I chuckled and kicked with my spurs. Sir Johann, who was guarding me, stuck right behind me. ¡°Huut!¡± You are not supposed to let a horse run fast in the Imperial Pce, but I was excited as this was my first time doing something like this. The cool breeze brushed past my cheeks and hair. I almost instantly arrived in front of Romero Pce, only to find the crown prince, seated on an elegant ck horse, looking at me as if I was immature. ¡®Okay, ss president. I won¡¯t run in the hallway anymore.¡¯ ¡°Wee, Prince Jesse. Your horse is so beautiful.¡± ¡°Is this your first time on horseback?¡± ¡°Your highness!¡± The young Countess, pig, and Christelle each made ament. I looked toward the loudest of the three, our main character. A doll on a horse was approaching us. Her pink hair was neatly braided underneath a macaron-like hat. She had a cape that came down to her hips, and there was a pipe releasing blue smoke in her hand¡­¡­ ¡®Hold on.¡¯ ¡°Dame Sarnez?¡± ¡°Shall we go capture Henriette, Watson?¡± She made a clicking sound with her tongue. Then she winked at me. I could not respond right away and simply opened and closed my mouth a few times. ¡®Is it that concept I am thinking of? Isn¡¯t there too much time difference with that world? ¡®No¡­¡­ Is it toote to have such thoughts?¡¯ ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Chris gets to have all the fun cosys in this series. Chapter 187: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (3) Chapter 187: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (3) ¨C ck, ck¡­¡­ Five horses left the Imperial Pce with their masters on their backs. Therge ck door went ¡®Thunk!¡¯ It closed behind us. I turned my head to see knights standing at attention saluting us. I slightly bowed my head and then focused forward. ¡®Act naturally!¡¯ ¡°Like I came out to y.¡± I mumbled to myself. I could feel the Imperial Crown Prince looking at me. I thought that I grew from a regr homebody to a magnificent pce body, but going out in a new world was always exciting. I was a bit nervous as well, as I was revealing my full body, unlike being in a carriage as usual.I could smell the gentle aroma of winter in the clear and cold air. ¡°Oh, my goodness!¡± ¡°My goodness! Your loyal subject greets our esteemed Royal Highness.¡± ¡°We greet Prince Jesse Viaan.¡± Some of the nobles who saw the door to the Imperial Pce open bowed to us on the streets. Crown prince C¨¦dric didn¡¯t even pretend to look at them. It must be rare for him to go inspect the Imperial Capital with his friends as the first people to see us reacted quite excessively. People who noticed the halo of our male lead from a distance were quickly approaching as well. Thedies all had flushed cheeks. The most handsome man in this world truly seemed to be different. ¡°Prince Jesse!¡± ¡°Hello.¡± I greeted them and the bowingdies folded up their fur fans and rubbed their cheeks. The way they avoided my gaze did not seem very positive. I felt embarrassed and awkward so I just smiled. I still did not know fan etiquette yet and wondered if that was something I should learn as well. ¡°Too slow.¡± The crown prince let out a short grumble. I looked at him and let out a fake cough. ¡®I was just thankful that such beautifuldies were talking to me, you little punk.¡¯ I was having a staring contest with him despite knowing I would lose when the white horse started moving faster. ¡®This girl is very smart.¡¯ ¡°Your highness, we are heading to the tavern I was atst time first, right? To meet that Baroness?¡± Christelle clearly asked from the back. I immediately nodded my head. ¡°Yes, Dame Sarnez. You heard the Baronessining there, and the Baroness is supposedly a regr at that ce so I think it would be great to hear directly from a victim.¡± I responded. Christelle mentioned meeting Modeste Bacary of the Fleur-de-lis in a tavern not too long ago. She even wrote me a letter saying that he lost his memories about the prophecy. The thing she added on during our strategy meeting was information that was useful to this incident. ¡®I was there with my mother. I heard a Baroness talking about it at the table next to us. He said that the storage rooms of the Lord¡¯s Castle were looted so he needed to make up for it during the Harvest Festival.¡¯ ¡®It might have been Madame Victoire.¡¯ ¡®Yes, your highness. The person who was with him asked if it was the work of ¡®that thief.¡¯ I do not go to that tavern very often, but I see him every time I go so he must be a regr.¡¯ That was why we were first heading toward the fancy tavern, Blois, that Christelle visited every so often. The names of the nobles who were harmed by Victoire were already given to us in the Imperial Guard¡¯s reports. However, most of them did not give very sincere statements and refused to interview with the < Biweekly Riester >. The first victim, Baroness Savanier, and Marquis Ciss¨¦, the one who had the holy artifacts stolen, were the exceptions. I was wondering why these nobles were so passive about it, but I learned it was because of face. They did not want others to know that a thief stole their wealth. They did not want to mention it because of shame and humiliation. ¡°He should talk if he¡¯s been drinking. His voice was quite loud at that time too.¡± ¡°Yes, Dame Sarnez. His Royal Highness is with us as well so he probably wouldn¡¯t dare to keep his mouth shut.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who was in the front opening up a path, answered. The crown prince and I were behind her with Sir Johann and Christelle in charge of the rear. The young Countess was holding the reins with one hand as she turned to look at me. ¡°Your highness, you wanted to go to themoners area after that?¡± ¡°Yes, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. Henriette will only appear once I show that I am easy to approach.¡± ¡°Do you really think that Henriette is the culprit, your highness?¡± Sir Johann asked in a quiet voice. We both looked toward him. The nobles were following us with a bit of a distance behind Gerrit¡¯s father. There seemed to be at least one hundred people already. I could seemoners all around the city bowing down while sneaking looks at us. ¡®This is totally, what did they call it? Gueri Date was it?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m not certain either. However, she is the only one who seems like she might be the culprit.¡± Imented. His mint-colored eyes gently curled up as if he was cheering me on. Christelle puffed on her pipe as she added on. For reference, this was not a real pipe but a candy pipe. The blue smoke that puffed out was supposedly blueberry vored. ¡°I agree. The only people who heard that you might go to the Harvest Festival were Serge the Clever and olddy Pomme, but Serge and Victoire are very different in physique. He also does not specialize in vocal mimicry. Since olddy Pomme has passed away, her granddaughter Henriette seems to be the most suspicious.¡± Furthermore, all of these were things I confirmed as the truth through a confession. The fact that the granddaughter left the troupe and seemed to have disappeared was suspicious as well. ¡°The fact that Henriette is a woman in herte twenties is also an important clue. The Victoire that his highness described seemed to be in her twenties to her thirties as well.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth added on. ck, ck. Peaceful cking of hooves were the only sounds for a while. It was a nice and rxing silence. I turned back toward Sir Johann again when¡­ ¡°Holy Almighty God. I wish I could caress that snow white hair just once!¡± ¡°Sir Geens, didn¡¯t you say that your son needs a new mother?¡± ¡­¡­An extremely active fandom seemed to have appeared. Ladies wearing beautiful dresses and attires were flirting hard with Sir Johann and asking for his attention. I could even see some olderdies as well. I quickly turned my head, worried that I might make eye contact with them. I heard the Holy Knight¡¯s gentle voice. ¡°It is not my style to approach unfamiliar people. Thank you for your concern, madam, but Gerrit seems quite happy these days.¡± ¡°Oh my, are you ying hard to get? You are such a bundle of charm.¡± ¡®Wow, he¡¯s able to respond to them? I would not be able to say anything.¡¯ Christelle watched and started whistling. Sir Johann did not seem fazed at all. ¡°Finding you in the crowd despite you being disguised.¡± The crown prince suddenly spoke. I turned to the side to see his orange eyes as close as the winter sun. I tilted my ears to his side out of reflex. The two horses got closer to each other. ¡°The thief probably remembered the appearance of your attendant. Young master Camard would not be hard to spot.¡± ¡°Do you really think that was the reason, your Royal Highness?¡± I seriously nodded his head at my whisper. ¡®We agree for once.¡¯ The reason that the thief was able to aim for me despite having disguised myself with ck hair and blue-gray eyes¡­¡­ The only possible answer seemed to be that she recognized Benjamin and Ganael. Young master Ganael Camard¡¯s bright sky-colored hair and gold eyes were quite rare. Once she spotted the young boy, it would not be hard to find me as I was always by his side. Despite the colors being different, my ears, eyes, mouth, and nose were the same. Anybody who knew what I looked like would be able to easily spot me. ¡°It must be someone who knows the faces of the attendants of Juliette Pce as well as got information from Serge or olddy Pomme. Serge proimed that he did not share the details of my travel with anybody, so it narrows down to Henriette once again. There is no way that a staff member of the Imperial Pce or their associates are the culprit.¡± The crown prince sent a gaze of agreement. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth heard our whisper and quietly chimed in. ¡°We will soon receive information from the Beng Baronessy.¡± ¡°Yes, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. Thank you for taking care of that.¡± I answered. Not long after I transmigrated into this world, my life was threatened by assassins who disguised themselves as attendants. The Beng twins who were murdered by those two assassins, their territory was Henriette¡¯s hometown. We decided not to have any major military movement so the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard only sent a few subordinates to the Baronessy. If they found someone named Henriette, they were to immediately arrest and transport her to the Imperial Capital. If they did not find her, they were to gather any and all relevant information. ¡°Mm.¡± I quietly fell deep into thought. Now that I thought about it, Baroness Beng and his wife had been the ones to auction off Julite¡¯s headdress at the Haas auction house as well. I felt as if our rtionship was oddly continuing for different reasons. I had been frequently donating money to them after hearing that they used the money I sent them for funeral expenses to build an orphanage, but¡­¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but hesitate when thinking about going to see them. ¡®I feel like the two of them would find it even more difficult if they were to see me.¡¯ ¡°We are here. I can see the sign of the tavern over there!¡± Christelle raised her voice. I jerked my head up. I could see a pretty luxurious and clean building. In front of it was a wide wooden sign sculpted with ir. ¡®Blois ¨C Drunken Chatter¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­It does not seem to be a ce with much constructive discussions.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± I shared a short remark and the crown prince agreed. Christelle and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth startedughing with excitement. Even Sir Johann chuckled. Our main character even said that I seemed like an extremely devout Archbishop at the moment . She seemed quite happy as she said that. The people following us seemed awestruck by Christelle¡¯s bright smile despite not knowing what she wasughing about. ¡®Did I seem too much like a boomer?¡¯ ¡°Hahaha, then shall we go in?¡± The young Countess barely managed to calm herself as she spoke. Nobles rushing out of Blois spotted us and jumped in shock before quickly bowing. I then noticed that the carriages in front of the tavern were quickly leaving the area. ¡®Did something happen? ¡®¡­¡­Well, it¡¯s good for us since it gives us a lot of ces to rest our horses.¡¯ * ¡°Over here please. Thank you for working so hard in the cold.¡± ¡°T, thank you for your divine benevolence, your highness! Please leave it to us!¡± A young errand boy bowed deeply. They were going to take care of our horses and even promised the highest-grade fodder, so I handed over arge sum as a tip for everybody¡¯s valet parking. Percy pulled a silver coin out with his beak while in my clothes and the crown prince sent a gaze that seemed to be saying that he had never seen this sort of currency before. Honestly speaking, he seemed a bit spoiled and annoying. ¨C Click, screech¡­¡­ The eldest looking young boy carefully opened the door. There were loud chatters and music ying inside. ¡°W, wee to Blois, your Royal Highness. Please enjoy your stay.¡± ¨C Bang! Boom! There were sounds of a table falling and chairs breaking inside. The crown prince and the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard immediately grabbed their swords as soon as I flinched. The errand boy looked extremely anxious but the pushed door was extending out with no signs of stopping. What we then saw in front of our eyes¡­¡­ ¡°Hey! Get back here now!¡± ng! A middle-aged noble jumped on a table and shouted. The noble she pointed at squinted at her. ¡°What? Hey? Hey you, Lord Baroness! Did you sell off all your dignity as a noble? Let go of me!¡± ¨C ng! The enraged man used psychokinesis to throw a bottle at the wall. He was a mage. The wallpaper that ended up as the target was drenched with alcohol. The clothes and hair of the two individuals were quite messed up. Ripped cravat, fallen cufflinks, all sorts of brooches and a hat were rolling around the floor. There were quite a lot of people fighting one another. ¡®Wait, this¡­ ¡®How is this a Drunken Chatter? Is this for real?¡¯ ¡°Over there, please stop them! Please stop this person first!¡± The person pointed at another individual who angrily shouted, ¡°Who are you to give me orders?! I¡¯m someone who has received a medal from her Majesty!¡± It was still early in the evening but they all seemed too drunk to think straight. The spilled alcohol and empty alcohol bottles made everything smell like alcohol in here. This was neither a drinking party nor a fighting ring. It was just a giant shitshow. ¨C Step. ¡°No, please hold back. No matter how stupid they are acting, you cannot kill people, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I barely managed to stop the crown prince from stepping in. His eyes were burning with rage. The errand boys were already bowing at his feet while shaking in fear. Christelle mumbled about what a mess this was before clicking her tongue and her whip at the same time. I agreed with her. Seeing this pandemonium in front of me made me almost forget my reason foring here. It was at that moment. ¡°Your highness, that person unconscious on the ground seems to be Captain Modeste Bacary.¡± Sir Johann spoke in his usual tone. I urgently looked toward where he was pointing. My eyes then opened wide. Bloodied dark blue hair and eyebrows, dripping double bloody nose¡­ The inside of his mouth must have been busted as well as there was lots of blood in between the twenty year old kid¡¯s lips. He seemed to be in the worst condition of everybody in there, but nobody was looking after him or helping him up. My jaws automatically dropped at the shocking sight. My instincts were telling me. ¡®¡­¡­The fight broke out because of him. But he¡¯s on his own.¡¯ I clenched my fists. I instantly got upset and angry. [Everybody stop! Shut up and get down!] ¨C Paaaaat! I shouted loudly. The entire room filled with a bright golden light. ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Put them in their ce! Chapter 188: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (4) Chapter 188: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (4) ¨C Paaaaat¡­¡­! ¡°Ugh!¡± The light then subsided. The incident instantly stopped. All guests of the luxurious tavern, Blois, were down on the ground in front of us. They must have known that they did something wrong as they were all pale as they looked at the Imperial Crown Prince and me. Christelle ran over to Modeste Bacary and pulled out her handkerchief. The young seer was dripping blood but managed to pick his body up to lean against the wall. He tried to push away her goodwill, but¡­ ¡°Bad.¡±Our main character used a single word to suppress him. I quickly withdrew my Holy Land, walked up to him, and opened up a healing circle. His bloodied eyes became filled with shock. The sharp errand boys prepared a couch for Crown Prince C¨¦dric while that was going on. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was looking at the faces of the nobles and writing something in a notebook. ¡®Yes, all of them should be summoned by the Imperial Guard to be interrogated.¡¯ [The Almighty God¡¯s tears shall gather your blood.] ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­ I quickly chanted the incantation. The pebbles of ethers rose up from the circle and gathered at Bacary¡¯s forehead, nose, and cheeks. Christelle created a water drop to wash away his blood. Plop. I got upset again seeing the liquid gathering on the ground. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ [You are all adults. ADULTS. Captain Bacary is barely twenty years old. He¡¯s only been an adult for four years. He barely just got past his teens. He may have a high position but he is still a child. What did you do to someone much younger than you?] ¡°Mmph, mmph¡­¡­¡± [I did not ask that because I wanted an answer. I am asking because I am angry. Even if the Captain did make you angry, who beats someone until they are injured like this? Is this something that the nobles of the Empire, who should be setting an example for others, should behave? Feel free to answer if you have a mouth.] ¡°Mm¡­¡­¡± Of course, they could not say anything. I had given them a Divine Oracle to shut their damn mouths. I continued to re at them. [Do not re at me like that. I am the prince of a kingdom, a Marquis of her Majesty, the disciple of her Eminence, and his Royal Highness¡¯s partner.] ¨C Pipo! Percy poked his head out of my clothes and chirped as well. Christelle whispered in a serious voice. ¡°Your highness¡­¡­ Is it possible that they can only look at you that way because they are down on the ground?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Are you done?¡± I heard a calm deep voice. Both of us looked toward the direction of the voice. A man who made even the most basic of couches look like the greatest of treasures was elegantly sitting down looking at me. ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness, well¡­¡­ I said everything I needed to say.¡± I oddly felt embarrassed and nodded my head. His sparkling orange eyes immediately headed toward the nobles. He really resembled Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique right now. ¡®He¡¯s notughing, but is he enjoying this?¡¯ ¡°I guess it is time for all you lords to speak to me.¡± The crown prince sounded extremely angry. The young man who instantly changed the mood resembled a burning ruby. Sir Johann quietly took off his coat and pulled up his sleeves. The nobles who were on the ground with their eyes rolling around turnedpletely pale. ¡°You will face my sword if there is anything you are hiding.¡± The Imperial Prince viciously warned them. Gulp. I heard someone gulping in fear. * All of the nobles involved in the mess were standing in line. The crown prince was seated at the highest spot and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was at the table to his right. Sir Johann was standing to the crown prince¡¯s left, observing the nobles. The first to speak was the middle-aged woman we saw when we entered Blois. The heavy drinker who was shouting on top of a table. Coincidentally, she was the victim of the theft that Christelle mentioned seeing here. ¡°I will summarize. Baroness, you are the owner of Blois. Both you and your close friend were victims of Madame Victoire. This was the two of your eleventh time drinking together to rant about it when you ran into Captain Bacary. You provoked him because you had nowhere to release your anger and a fight started. Is that correct?¡± The young Countess asked in a strict tone. The Baroness, Joan Tillier, shouted in disagreement. ¡°No ma¡¯am! That¡¯s not how it went down. I simply spoke the truth. However, that Captain said something extremely disrespectful back to me. It was a promation that I could not let pass as the only daughter in three generations of the house of the strongest fist in the central region. Yes ma¡¯am that¡¯s what it was.¡± She shrugged. A noble who was waiting his turn in the back shouted, ¡®she¡¯s right!¡¯ He was agreeing with her. That person seemed to be the Baroness¡¯s friend. The crown prince looked at the man and woman as if he was looking at the stupidest people in the world. Baroness Tillier seemed to get into quite a lot of fist fights as her nose was seriously twisted and her knuckles were uneven. There was arge burn on her neck as well. She took off her luxurious jacket but she still reeked of alcohol. She was the typical stupid and wealthy upper ss who had no qualms about being an alcoholic and a bully. People talked about things being the same no matter where you went and there were bound to be bad eggs everywhere, but¡­¡­ I couldn¡¯t believe that things were like that even in a novel. I clicked my tongue and rubbed Bacary¡¯s robe with a wet cloth. Christelle was seated next to me working on his vest. ¡°There is no need for you to do that, your highness. I can just throw those clothes away.¡± Bacary, who was seated with a nket over him, tried to stop me. He seemed to be much more timid than when he warned me to keep my distance from Dame Sarnez when we met in the nquer Lord¡¯s Castle. ¡®That was annoying and rude but I prefer him like that.¡¯ ¡°We still need to take however much blood we can out of it and dry them for you to wear back home. It is cold outside. You said you didn¡¯t evene with an attendant to help you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I answered. There was no response. It was warm and bright in front of the furnace, making it the perfect ce for an injured person like him to recover. A nice errand boy brought over the hot cocoa I had requested at that time. I received it and offered it to Bacary, whose silver eyes opened wide. ¡®No need to make a fuss.¡¯ ¡°Drink it. Your hair is still not dried either. Please just sit here and rx. You can consider it as you cooperating with our investigation.¡± Christellemented in a chuckling voice. His blue hair that she had washed for him was dripping down. The little kid looked at her and then at me before struggling to speak. ¡°I¡­¡­¡± ¡°Madam Vice Captain. What did I do wrong? You¡¯ll find it difficult to find an upright territory lord like me anywhere. I have not raised their taxes by even a cent for the past twenty years and don¡¯t touch themoners because I fear that they may run away in the middle of the night. I only beat down nobles even after I drink. In fact, this is the first time I¡¯ve ever punched someone at my ce of business.¡± ¡°Your tongue sure is long, Lady Baroness. Have you ever thought about cutting it because it is ufortable?¡± Sir Johann slowly asked as the Baroness spouted nonsense. I gasped and looked toward him. ¡°Your hair seems to be three times as long as mine.¡± He gently added on. ¡®Oh good. He scared me for a second.¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t want to use up the precious time of an Imperial family member to discuss your vulgarity. What I want is information about that thief named Victoire D¡¯Andresy.¡± The crown prince had enough and growled. He did not like people and his personality was like fire. I was scared that the Baroness might make some other ludicrous statements when she quickly lowered her tail. She tried to straighten out her crinkled clothes. ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness. I will inform you about everything I know. You see, I¡¯m quite good at information. You will find that the Tillier name is famous for knowing about everything in the central region, including the slums.¡± ¡®Probably famous for your uncontrolled fists.¡¯ I sneered. The Baroness was weak against the strong and strong against the weak even when she was drunk. ¡°You see, please listen to what I have to say, your Royal Highness. I¡¯m sure you are all aware of the story of the Count¡¯s House of Andresy. I¡¯m talking about those nerds who continue to im that this damn thief, Victoire or Bertans or whatever, has nothing to do with their House despite her using their family name.¡± She rattled on. The nobles lined up started loudly whispering. Christelle and I exchanged nces. ¡°Is there anybody who doesn¡¯t know that the House of Andresy has more illegitimate children than legitimate ones generation after generation? It is something even the dogs on the streets know about in our Tillier Barony. If there is one legitimate daughter, there are at least two bastard children and if they give birth to two legitimate sons, there are at least four bastard children they have cast aside. That is the House of Andresy.¡± ¡°Holy Almighty God! Baroness! Please watch your words!¡± ¡°But I have heard about those rumors as well.¡± ¡°So they really are true? A House like that still exists in the Empire?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure there are a lot!¡± ¨C Snap! The crown prince pulled off his glove and snapped his fingers. The room became quiet as if he had poured cold water over everyone. Ironically, there was a ball of fire burning brightly at his fingertip. I closed and opened my mouth a few times, trying to process what I just heard. My conversation with the Empress shed in my mind. ¡®Although it is urate that the nobles of the Empire put a lot of importance on face and authority, there are lots of exceptions as well.¡¯ ¡®Your Majesty, are you saying that Victoire might be an illegitimate child of a noble or a child who has been cast away?¡¯ ¡®Yes.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­Maybe? Did the Empress know about it? She knew about this from the beginning?¡¯ ¡°Hmph! That is why the Savanier Barony, which is right next to Andresy County, ended up as Victoire¡¯s first victim. She probably experimented with a nearby territory as a test. She left her name behind to frustrate her family members. Ah, I am just saying that is what I would have done if it was me.¡± She nodded her head as if to say that she knew people would agree with her. The nobles started whispering again. ¡°Your Royal Highness, Baron Savanier is my close friend. I have heard some things directly from him. He talked about why he stepped forward as the first victim. How could he show his face to the residents of his territory when different locations at the heart of his territory were looted? He contacted the Imperial Guard out of frustration as their neighbor, Count Andresy, feigns ignorance despite her name card stating Victoire D¡¯Andresy.¡± ¡°Hoooo!¡± ¡°Tsk tsk.¡± The nobles pulled out their fans and were pping them as they whispered to one another. They were basically spectators at this point. ¡°The situation is clear. Crystal clear, your Royal Highness. Victorie is an illegitimate child of that family. She clearly did not get treated well by them since they have more children they cast aside than they raise. She was most likely cast away and lived by herself in a tiny little house. This is revenge, your Royal Highness. She will not stop until she properly puts a stain on the Andresy name. Ahem!¡± The Baroness finished off with a fake cough. A portion of the spectators apuded her. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth cut through the noise and sharply questioned. ¡°Lady Baroness. ording to what you just said, you have friendship with two of the victims. You yourself were also a victim. But Victoire is famous for being a righteous ouw among themoners. She is known to take the items she steals and share them with the poor.¡± ¡°My goodness. Madam Vice Captain. Are you saying that it is okay for the nobles to be robbed because themoners are happy? I guess all the stories I have heard about you being young and talented are just lies?¡± The middle-aged woman snarkily asked. I felt as if even her coat of arms reeked of alcohol. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m so done with her.¡± Christelle twitched as she mumbled. The young Countess¡¯s grey eyes did not shake at all. ¡°They are not lies, Lady Baroness. Let me ask you one question. What is the average tax rate in the Tillier Barony?¡± ¡°Oh, of course it is the thirty percent her Majesty has decreed.¡± ¡°Baroness.¡± The crown prince called out to her in a low voice. Everybody looked toward him. The young man¡¯s sculpture-like face showed no emotions at all. His be was straight and his lips looked the same as usual. However, anybody withmon sense should be able to tell. The crown prince was on the verge of exploding. I knew I was hearing things but it felt as if a fuse was burning down. His gaze was as dark as the fires of hell. The Baroness¡¯s voice became a bit quieter. ¡°¡­¡­I take an extra twenty percent. It is not forced. It is an offering my family takes as a custom.¡± ¡°My goodness.¡± My jaw dropped in shock. The room felt as cold as if a ghost had gone through despite the crackling furnace. That was unbelievable. The Empress was restricting the tax rates of the territory lords to a maximum of thirty percent and chose to only receive ten percent for the Imperial tax. This was the first thing I studied when I was given a territory. A territory lord taking over forty percent should have only existed back in the Warring Era, but even higher than that at fifty percent¡­¡­ ¡°And your friend¡¯s territory?¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth spoke in an emotionless voice as she looked to the back. The bastard who is the Baroness¡¯s friend cleared his throat. ¡°I, I collect a total of forty percent!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He sounded as if he was trying to say that he was better than the Baroness. They were the same to me. I got goosebumps on my arms. I turned to see that Christelle¡¯s eyes were full of anger. She whispered to me. ¡°There is no way that her Majesty did not know about this. The story about the Count¡¯s House of Andresy as well.¡± ¡°Yes. Her Majesty did not act the way she did simply because she didn¡¯t want to give Victoire any attention. Her Majesty¡­¡­¡± The Baroness quickly kowtowed to the crown prince. I jumped up from my seat. ¡®I won¡¯t let you.¡¯ ¡°Baroness Tillier, you are going to be her Majesty¡¯s prisoner anyway. So please apologize before you are dragged away.¡± ¡°Your highness, by apologize, you mean¡­¡± ¡°Why did you hit Captain Bacary? Exin that and properly apologize for your actions. You can run your mouth about the rest once you get to your cell.¡± ¡®Did you think that I would forget?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but grind my teeth. I could feel the seer¡¯s gaze on the side of my face. ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Jesse gets angry when you hit people. Chapter 189: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (5) Chapter 189: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (5) ¡°Please tie it gently! Please?¡± ¡°You¡¯re arresting us for drinking and throwing some punches? Her Majesty isn¡¯t such a petty person! I know her¡­ ow! My arm! That hurts!¡± Baroness Joan Tillier and her friend were tightly bound by the Imperial Guard members. This would normally fall under the garrison¡¯s jurisdiction and not the Imperial Guard, but there was an Imperial family member at the scene of the incident and it involved the issue of heavy taxation, so the Imperial Guard was summoned. The imperial family carriage and escort carriages were lined up outside Blois. The horses that we rode would apany us without anybody on them. The sky that was visible through the open door was already dark and resembled Modeste Bacary¡¯s hair color. I turned to the side. The seer had a robe over him with an extremely calm look on his face. The areas we spot cleaned to remove the blood were still wrinkled.¡®Terrible Eyes. That is the nickname of that second son of the Viscount¡¯s House of Bacary. Everybody calls him that behind his back. He should be aware of it as well.¡¯ That was what Baroness Tillier said when I asked her to exin the whole story. My friends and I were shocked. ¡®What does that m¡­¡¯ ¡®Please think about it, your highness. The captain sees death. My future was read by that person? My final moments, which I don¡¯t even know, were found out by him? What else could be shittier and more ominous than that? But then his job is to report them to her Majesty on a regr basis.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s not like he asked for that power. I¡¯m sure he has a lot of sorrow and difficulties as well. Even if you can¡¯t understand him, can¡¯t you at least respect him?¡¯ ¡®Then how much sorrow and difficulties must those around him feel? Why else would his parents have named him Modeste? They wanted him to be an average person who doesn¡¯t stick out. He brings misfortune wherever he goes.¡¯ She clicked her tongue while reeking of alcohol. It wasn¡¯t difficult to figure out the situation based on the Baroness¡¯sments. A child who did not have his family¡¯s protection and support. Outsiders who know that and know it¡¯s fine to pick on him. My instincts made me step in front of the seer. I couldn¡¯t let him continue to hear these things. My voice came out sternly. ¡®Please stop with your verbal abuse. I did not ask you about the situation for you to hurt him like that.¡¯ ¡®I am not hurting him, your highness. That is simply the truth. I asked the esteemed Lord Terrible Eyes for a prophecy. I asked him if I would be able to get my stolen wealth back and this is what he said to me.¡¯ Bacary, who had been silently standing behind me, finished it off for her. ¡®Nothing will change regardless of what I say. You will soon hit me. That is all you know how to do.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®That is what he said, your highness. He then took off his sses.¡¯ I became shocked and looked down at the young man. The seer seemed to finally remember as he slowly pulled out his round sses from his pocket. The thug of a Baroness chuckled while looking at him. ¡®I¡¯m sorry for hitting you. You made me extremely upset.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®So why would you make that kind of prophecy? You sounded like someone who wanted to be hit. Ah, yeah, sorry about that.¡¯ I red at her and she quickly apologized to Bacary again. Anybody could tell that she did not mean it. She was so annoying and making me angry that I was grinding my teeth when¡­ ¨C Pow! ¡®Ugh!¡¯ Christelle dashed in like a flying squirrel and smacked her on the back. I didn¡¯t even have the time to stop her. The main character kicked the staggering Baroness¡¯s leg to trip her and¡­ ¨C Bang! ¡®Ow!¡¯ Smashed her upper body down like a bolt of lightning. ¡®You are sure acting your age!¡¯ ¡®Ow! Ow ow ow! That hurts! Ahh!¡¯ She firmly grabbed one arm and twisted it! The Baroness¡¯s scream echoed throughout the tavern. The astonished nobles moved back like the tide. The Baroness, currently in an armlock, iled around while Christelle¡¯s blue eyes red at her as she watched with clenched teeth. Sir Johann, who was protecting the Imperial Crown Prince, mentioned that she was a quick learner. ¡®Dame Sarnez is a great student.¡¯ He thenplimented her. When did you teach her this?! ¡®My arm is going to break! It¡¯s going to break! Ow!¡¯ ¡®Apologize! Apologize properly! Why did you only learn bad shit while growing up?!¡¯ Christelle shouted at her. Crown prince C¨¦dric snorted from the head of the table. I was certain now. ¡®You are drinking bottles after bottles of cider right now, aren¡¯t you.¡¯ ¡®Ow! Granny! Granny, your granddaughter is about to die!¡¯ ¡®You won¡¯t die from a broken arm! Apologize right now!¡¯ ¡®Let me go! Ow ow! Let go of me!¡¯ ¡®Oh yeah? Fine! Let¡¯s see if your arm breaks first or if I get tired first! By the way, I¡¯m a Holy Knight!¡¯ Her veins were visible as she shouted. The middle-aged woman¡¯s face that was flushed red from being drunk turned red from pain instead. The Baroness ended up shouting so loudly that she was spitting. ¡®I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m really sorry! I¡¯ll reflect on my actions!¡¯ ¡®Speak formally!¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m sorry, sir! I will never speak ill of you anymore, nor will I swing my fist as I please anymore, sir! Oh Captain my Captain!¡¯ Tap! Christelle let go of both arms and jumped up. The Baroness¡¯s friend quickly rushed to help her. The other nobles who had quietly been watching pped and cheered for Christelle. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth shared a tight hug with Christelle and whispered about how she drank a hundred cups of cidre. I peeked behind me to see the look on Bacary¡¯s face. ¡®¡­¡¯ His silver eyes were opened wide. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t see any negative emotions behind them. Maybe this was his first time receiving an apology? Or maybe it was his first time having anybody take his side. ¡°Let¡¯s head back, your highness. I think it would be best to cancel the other ns as this caused quite a ruckus.¡± I heard a reliable and warm voice. I quickly snapped out of my thoughts. The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard and the coachman were looking at me and smiling. I could see people gathered on the streets whispering. It was definitely eye catching to have important figures go in to drink, only to get on the wrong side of someone even more important and get dragged out of the tavern. I asked the two of them to wait and went to look for Bacary. The little kid was getting onto a carriage of the Viscount¡¯s House on his own. Sir Johann followed behind me. ¡°Little Bacary.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡°Prince Jesse.¡± The night air was cold. I carefully chose my words. ¡°Umm, the other nobles fought for you as well. They didn¡¯t think it was right for you to be beaten up like that so they were trying to stop the fight before it became worse. But I¡¯m sure you already knew that.¡± The seer was silent. I had nothing else to say. It was nice to see that there were more good people than bad in the world. However, it was also true that there was nobody who looked after him when he was injured. Maybe they didn¡¯t want to approach an existence who could see the future. ¡°I will take my leave now if you have nothing else to say, Prince Jesse.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t youe eat some bread?¡± I suddenly blurted out. Percy dug into my pocket as if he was embarrassed. The seer looked at me with a look of disbelief on his face. His uniquely arrogant attitude seemed to have already returned. I could hear Sir Johann quietly chuckling behind me. I was embarrassed about my failed conversation but I mentally ced a mask made of gold and titanium. ¡®I am Ironman¡­¡¯ ¡°Juliette Pce is epting guests again. There is no bread our Chef Laurence does not know how to bake. Please feel free toe visit if you ever feel like it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I also wee any information about Victoire d¡¯Andresy.¡± I quickly added on and smiled. Bacary looked at me as if I waspletely weird before bowing and getting into the carriage. I sighed at my terrible art of conversation before walking back. Percy chirped as if to console me. ¡®Could you really not think of anything cool to say, Jung Yeseo? You are eight years older than him. He cane at any time if he has something he wishes to say.¡¯ ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± I came back to see that there were people already in the carriage. ¡°You are slow as usual.¡± ¡°May I ride with you, your Highness?¡± The crown prince and Christelle were seated next to each other looking at me. There was no reason they couldn¡¯t ride with me, and seeing the two of them sitting so nicely next to each other made me smile as I got on. Christelle then got up and sat down next to me. My front and side were now blocked off by the duo. Sir Johann sat diagonally from me. ¡®Mm, this is not the right seating arrangement.¡¯ However, the carriage started to move despite the thought on my mind. ¨C ck, ck ¡°¡­¡± We quietly left our bodies to the shaking of the carriage for a while. However, it was clear that everybody¡¯s minds were moving quickly. At least mine definitely was. I looked out the window and organized the things I learned today. 1. Victoire might really be an illegitimate child of the Count¡¯s House of Andresy. She might have started stealing to get revenge against her family. 2. She really was a righteous thief. She didn¡¯t steal and give to themoners to earn their goodwill, she stole from the nobles who actually harmed their constituents. 3. There was no way Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique did not know about something like that. 4. This was very weird. If she had only been stealing for revenge, why did she suddenly try to steal me? Such a plot would only put herself in danger. Was it simply for fame? Her infamy would have spread throughout the Empire eventually even without me. ¡°Huh?¡± I opened my eyes wide and quickly ced my forehead on the window. The carriage was now going around therge ire za. I could see the escort carriage with the criminals and the soldiers behind us. However, what I was looking at was not our procession. Christelle and the crown prince looked as well. The main character¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°My goodness, that is that person, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, it does seem like her!¡± I urgently knocked on the roof of the carriage. Knock knock knock! The clear noise made the coachman go ¡®woaaah, wooaaaah!¡¯ He started stopping the horses. The speed slowly decreased. The colonnades and the street vendors made it hard to see, but I was sure about one thing. There was someone with long hair and a cape looking at us from next to Warmonger Romero Riester¡¯s statue. She was monopolizing the moonlight. ¡°Madame Victoire.¡± ¨C Click. The carriage door opened. The coachman looked confused. ¡°Your Royal Highness and your highness. Why-¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be right back!¡± We all rushed out of the carriage. The smart Percy went ¡®pop!¡¯ and flew out of my pocket. I put my forehead to his and prayed together. ¡®Oh Almighty God, please allow us to capture that thief today.¡¯ ¨C Shaaaaaa, p! Swoooooooosh! I grabbed Percy¡¯s wing and instantly shot up into the air. My robes fluttered in the wind. As I quickly got closer¡­ ¡°¡­She¡¯s not there. Damn it!¡± I clenched my teeth. The area around Romero¡¯s statue was empty. Themoners who were enjoying food and wine in the streets looked ready to faint in shock after seeing me and bowed down on the ground. It looked as if they had no idea that Victoire had just been there. ¡°It¡¯s fine, everyone! Please get up. I¡¯m just passing through.¡± I waved and carefullynded next to the statue. p. Percy gently folded up his wing. Sir Johann, who flew over with us, smoothlynded and guarded me. I could see Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth in the distance dispatching the Imperial Guard with the crown prince giving the order to do so. Christelle was checking the faces of everybody in the za to look for the thief. I thoroughly inspected the area around the statue. Maybe Victoire left some sort of clue behind. Most likely not, but¡­ ¡°Oh, there is something?¡± I nkly mumbled. There was a tarot card fallen by Romero¡¯s ankle. I pulled a handkerchief out of my pocket and carefully wrapped the card. ¡®The sun.¡¯ On the corner of it was some blood that we would need to thoroughly inspect. * The next day, we gathered in Juliette Pce. Sir Johann must have enjoyed my conversation with Bacary as he suggested we use the codename, ¡®Bakery¡¯ for the reception room. The crown prince and I said no but Christelle and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth said that sounded exciting and agreed, making them win the majority. ¡®Eunseo would grab her phone and go crazy if she knew that the male lead was the only one on my side.¡¯ Of course, the dignity of the Imperial family was that guy¡¯s number one reason for saying no. ¡°We had no other gains throughout the night other than the evidence that Prince Jesse found. Her Majesty does not want a grand scale search, so all we did was look through the alley. We didn¡¯t even receive any reports about any suspicious individuals. Baroness Joan Tillier and her friend were transported to the Imperial Capital¡¯s cell. Tax issues are her Majesty¡¯s top priority, so it will be difficult for them to easily snake their way out of this issue. There is also the violence incident as well.¡± The young Countess clearly organized the situation for us. We nodded our heads and carefully listened to her. Benjamin and David ced a giant pile of newly baked bread on the table. As I made up my mind to fill my stomach with snacks before we got started on our deductions¡­ ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Your highness, you have a guest.¡± ¡°A guest? Eva?¡± ¡°No, umm.¡± His golden eyes looked awkward for a bit. ¡°The Captain of the Fleur-de-lis ims he is here for some bread¡­¡± The young boy¡¯s voice became quieter. Christelle and the young Countess both started rolling on the floorughing. ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Bacary actually showed up? Chapter 190: When the clock rings multiple times (1) Chapter 190: When the clock rings multiple times (1) However, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was a pro. By the time Ganael escorted Modeste Bacary to us, she had her solemn look as the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard. Christelle pretended as if she was suddenly having a serious discussion with Sir Johann. ¡°Oh, definitely. Gerrit, as expected, likes me more than he likes his Royal Highness.¡± ¡°It does seem that way. However, the pouch of gold coins his highness gave him as an allowance is by his head when he sleeps.¡± ¡°Ah. His highness is trying to buy his way to victory again.¡± Christelle grumbled in a truly heartfelt tone. ¡®Is this really an important conversation?¡¯ ¡°I greet our esteemed Royal Highness and Prince Jesse Viaan.¡± The seer entered our detective agency and stiffly showed his respect.His sulking face from yesterday was gone and he was back to his perfectlyposed self. His silver eyes underneath thoserge round sses were glowing intelligently. I greeted him back when I happened to gaze at the young man¡¯s robe. The luxurious material that I had removed the blood from with a washcloth was still stained and wrinkled. ¡®I thought that he would have another robe. Is that his only one? ¡®No, that¡¯s not what is important right now.¡¯ ¡°You really came for some bread, Little Bacary. Do you like fougasse? It is fresh and still nice and warm.¡± I smiled and asked him. I hoped he woulde when he needed someone to vent to, but I never expected it to be this quick. He scowled as if he heard something weird. ¡°Wasn¡¯t bread a form of code, your highness? I came to give you information regarding Victoire D¡¯Andresy. I recall you mentioning that you would ept information rted to her. I also heard that everybody here was chasing after that thief under an Imperial Decree.¡± ¡®Uhh¡­¡­¡¯ I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything. I had said that because it felt weird just telling him toe eat some bread. I didn¡¯t expect the seer toe right away for that reason. The young Countess, who had magnificently covered up her expression earlier, pulled her lips in and looked out the window. Crown prince C¨¦dric simply enjoyed his espresso in silence. The one to speak was our main character. ¡°Of course, our Bakery Detective Agency is always open to clients and informants. We are full of anticipation for the story you will share with us, kind sir. Please take that empty seat right there.¡± Christelle motioned with her chin before taking a pipe out of her pocket and putting it in her mouth. This time, a strawberry vored candy released pink-colored smoke. Bacary moved without any objection. I was the only one questioning things. ¡®A bakery is a bakery and a detective agency is a detective agency. What the hell is a Bakery Detective Agency?¡¯ * After that, I was a bit busy. The red panda three musketeers used the moment the door was opened to charge in and hug me. I ced a pomegranate in Demy¡¯s mouth, stopped Perry from flipping the table over, and gently soothed Rhea, who seemed to want to take a nap. Bacary had an odd look on his face as he watched. ¡®This is nothing. It is three times as chaotic when Jung Percy and Jung Tith¨¦ are around as well.¡¯ ¡°Our Agency is one with a caring culture in the office. Have you heard about how it takes a vige to raise a child?¡± Christelle brought up some nonsense before taking Rhea and hugging her. The red panda iled her short legs with her eyes half closed before falling asleep in Christelle¡¯s arms. I moved Perry over to the damn crown prince¡¯s knee before finally managing to take a breath. The punk¡¯s eyebrow twitched as he ignored the divine beast crawling up his six-pack. Bacary looked at us with a chaotic gaze. ¡°¡­¡­I will get right to the point, your highness. Victoire has left the Imperial Capital and is heading south.¡± He immediately shared. I asked back in shock. ¡°She left? How do you know that?¡± ¡°I was passing through ire za in a carriagest night when I saw a figure standing next to thete Emperor Romero¡¯s statue. You personally chased her, so I am inclined to believe that she is Victoire.¡± ¡°Yes, that is what we believe.¡± I answered. Bacary¡¯s tone became sharp. ¡°It was only for an instant, but I saw her future. She put an old robe around her to fully cover herself at dawn and got on a cargo carriage to leave the Imperial Capital. I couldn¡¯t confirm her face but the revtion itself is certain.¡± Christelle puffed on the pipe. ¡°This is quite the information if it is true.¡± ¡°Of course it is true. I am a Grade 8 mage and the Captain of the Fleur-de-lis, the group who answers all of her Majesty¡¯s important questions.¡± The young man stood up straight after saying that. His eyes were firm as he was certain about his prophecy. This was an unexpected demeanor. His unprecedented level of foresight made it so that he did not have his family¡¯s approval or protection and other people were ostracizing him, but¡­¡­ He himself seemed quite proud of his special ability. I still thought it was an issue that he called himself a magic tool, but it was surprising to see that this kind of situation was possible. ¡°Any other information?¡± The crown prince asked in a low voice. His orange eyes gave off their particrly authoritative glow. Bacary¡¯s momentum was slightly dampened. ¡°Please ept my deepest apologies, your Royal Highness. That was all I saw before that criminal disappeared. I cannot tell which carriage she got on nor her exact destination.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s already very helpful. Thank you for the information, Little Bacary.¡± I smiled as I answered. He looked at me for a bit before getting up. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wait, where are you going?¡± Of course, Christelle and I gasped and made him sit back down. It was unfathomable that we would send him away on an empty stomach when we had a mountain pile of freshly baked bread. I only felt at ease after making him eat a thick slice of painplet with a bunch of honey and cheese and a warm cup of Caf¨¦ auit. The Captain seemed to be in quite the shock but at least he ate everything we gave him before he left. I tried to pack him some Pissdi¨¨re as well but the crown prince explicitly showed his difort, making me unable to do so. ¡®What a funny little punk. He took all sorts of goodies from me when he showed up looking like a kid. ¡®¡­¡­Maybe outsiders are not allowed take out?¡¯ ¡°If she left the Imperial Capital and headed south, could she have headed toward Andresy?¡± Christelle stood in front of the furnace and seriously asked. She marked Victoire¡¯s movements on a wooden board with red thread, staying true to her detective agency concept. The top even has the words, ¡®The n to Arrest the Thieving Madame Victoire¡¯ in terrible handwriting. She used blue thread to mark the circus troupe¡¯s movement path. Tith¨¦, who had returned after a swim, was rolling in front of the furnace with the red pandas. ¡°That ce does seem to be most likely. It is highly likely that she has a grudge toward the House of Andresy. I was chatting with my subordinates this morning and basically everybody from the central region knew of the Count¡¯s House and their illegitimate children story. They shared the same information as the thugs we met at the tavern. However, it only seemed to be at the level of gossip.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth responded. The crown prince called David to prepare carriages to head for Andresy. ¡°Then why did she suddenly pivot? Why would she suddenly say she would steal Prince Jesse?¡± ¡°Maybe she wants people to focus on the Imperial Capital while she gets the ultimate revenge on her family? Maybe she is nning on murdering the Count.¡± Christelle and the young Countess continued their exciting deduction show. I was staring at the exnation of tarot cards on the table. Next to it was the sun tarot card that Victoire left behind. To be more urate, it was The Sun Reversed. ¡°The Sun probably does not mean Her Majesty¡­¡­ Right? It seems weird that she would talk about her Majesty while aiming for me. Also, her Majesty is a sword master. Beyond all of that, it is a rebellion to aim for her Empress.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The crown prince, who was sitting there like a statue, answered. I continued to point to the exnation. ¡°But The Sun Reversed can mean so many things. ¡®Inner child,¡¯ ¡®negative disposition,¡¯ ¡®overly optimistic,¡¯ ¡®depression¡¯¡­¡­¡± ¡°The range is quite vast.¡± ¡°Yeah. I have no idea what to make of it. Also, it is concerning that there is blood over here.¡± I grabbed the corner of the card. There was a faint blood stain on the yellowish card. ¡°It is extremely faint.¡± Sir Johann silently approached and picked up the card to sniff it. ¡°Yes. If she was trying to send a message through the blood, she would have put it at a more visible spot and made sure it was very visible. It feels as if it was identally smeared onto it. Maybe it was a mistake.¡± ¡°Does the suspect have any history of murder or violence?¡± The crown prince asked in a sharp voice. I immediately shook my head. ¡°No, your Royal Highness. The troupe is mainly made up of orphans with no family name. You know that they would receive a severe sentence without trial if theymitted a crime like that.¡± ¡°What about any disease?¡± ¡°I did ask Serge the Clever about it, your Royal Highness. However.¡± Rustle rustle. I found the page I took notes on during his interrogation and ced it on top. The crown prince squinted after reading through it. ¡°¡­¡­The deceased olddy.¡± ¡°Yes your Royal Highness. Olddy Pomme was the one who suffered from tuberculosis. Serge and the other members all testified to it. The olddy frequently coughed up blood but did not listen whenever the others talked to her about retiring. She apparently shared her wishes to be on stage until herst moments. In the end, she passed away because of a carriage ident. Her granddaughter, Henriette, is said to sleep a lot. They said that she sometimes even slept eighteen hours a day. That was why they often took turns performing. Other than that, there was nothing else that stuck out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The crown prince became scarily silent. I cautiously observed his face but could not read anything. He would hide like a hermit crab if I asked about it, so I decided to do some deductions on my own. ¡°Mm.¡± Personally, the thing that weighed on me the most was the Empress¡¯s attitude toward all of this. Why had she not shared everything she knew with us? Was it to test us? But why? Was it really because she thought it was terrible for us to waste our days in the Imperial Pce? Or maybe it had to be us? Because I was the one who was almost abducted?¡¯ The Empress would not answer my questions even if I barged into the Empress Pce and asked. It could have just been our Monarch being capricious, but for some reason, that kept weighing on me. Just why¡­¡­ Suddenly, the magazine Ganael left for me caught my attention. < Biweekly Riester > December 1 Edition. It was the new one I had not had a chance to read yet because things were so hectic. I inadvertently turned the page. The issue with the notice during the parade on thest day of the Harvest Festival was not there. It was possible that the Imperial family pressured them not to, but it was probably not easy to add an article the day before release. ¨C p, p¡­¡­ ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a story about your territory as well, your highness.¡± Christelle walked over and pointed at a spot. We put our heads together to read Lady Sarah Belliard¡¯s article. ¡¸Prince Jesse, the Marquis de S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦¡¯s territory, greeted this writer with apletely different scenery from one year ago. Would you believe me if I said that everything above ground had been reborn? Everywhere you can see, and of course, even the locations with little to no traffic, are full of vibrant paintings bothrge and small. The residents plucked wildflowers to decorate the fences and the cksmiths pounding away at the harvesting tools seemed as happy as sculptors that have found their muse. The colored leaves of fall are saying their goodbyes but the trail of touristsing in their carriages show no end. However, this is not all. The person his highness personally pardoned and hired as the territory¡¯s painter for life, Joanne de Haas (our readers may know her better has Haade. O. Jansen)¡¯s new work, ¡®The Portrait of the Moon¡¯ is set to be revealed at the beginning of December. The genius artist¡¯s new piece is oil on canvas and will be ced at the entrance of the temple in the S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦ March¡­¡­¡¹ Jolt! A possibility strongly struck my mind. ¡°Eek.¡± I quickly raised my head. Christelle¡¯s blue-gray eyes were opened wide. ¡°Your highness, didn¡¯t Miss Haas say that she was going to draw you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Ganael has the rough sketch. It came with the letter from Chantal¡­¡­¡± She said that Joanne has drawn my face and will ce it in the small temple at the entrance of the territory. ¡®I¡¯m going toe to steal the moon of the Holy Kingdom. ¨C Madame Victoire.¡¯ < The Portrait of the Moon > I took a deep breath. The crown prince immediately stood up. ¡°It¡¯s not Andresy. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, please prepare some guards to go with us to the S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦ March. Please call Benjamin and David as well!¡± ¡°Yes, your highness!¡± She instantly rushed out of our agency. Sir Johann handed me the tarot card at that moment. The way he hid his tongue made me think that he tasted the blood. ¡®My goodness.¡¯ ¡°The blood is not old, your highness. I think it must have gotten on there the day she left the card.¡± His eyes then curled up gently. I looked stunned as I received the card. Percy trotted over afterward and then fluttered over to sit on the tarot card exnation. He tilted his head before stabbing at a word with his beak. The four pairs of eyes naturally headed toward the word. Another meaning of The Sun Reversed¡­ ¡®Sadness.¡¯ The breathing mocha bread¡¯s hint was intense. A Count¡¯s house that throws away their children, a deceased grandmother, the granddaughter¡¯s disappearance, the Portrait of the Moon, blood stain, sadness. The puzzle was quickly being solved in my mind. ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments *Insert Inside Out¡¯s Sadness here* Chapter 191: When the clock rings multiple times (2) Chapter 191: When the clock rings multiple times (2) The sun was setting. ¨C Rustle, rustle¡­¡­¡­¡­ The ¡®woman¡¯ stumbled as she stood on the vast grassy field. She put down the basket that she struggled to bring all the way here. It really was hard to breathe now. Her knees felt as if they might buckle at any moment, but she decided to push farther. The power to persist was a part of her soul. ¡°Huff, huff, ugh¡­¡± Desperation, vanity, futility. Those empty words flew across her mind.Her body was at its limit. The small territory in the southwest region was peaceful like its master and there were no cold winds. Meeting her end in a warm ce might be the greatest luxury for this ¡®orphan.¡¯ Her life started with empty hands and was ending with nothing. It was not just her; it was the same for everybody in the circus troupe. That was why a lonely death was destined from the beginning. But why did it feel so absurd? What the hell did she push herself for during her short life? ¡°Ha. Hahaha¡­¡± The womanughed after seeing the view just around the corner. The Riester Empire was a rich and powerful ce. The current Empress cared for her people and showed off her firm authority. Even as a clown at the bottom of the Empire¡¯s totem pole, she had heard about the kind of person the Empress was and learned it. However, the Empress was at too high of a ce. That was her only w. No matter how much she loved and worked hard for those beneath her, there was no way for a ruler to thoroughly look through all corners and gaps of her Empire. It was physically impossible. The Empress was still human; she was not the Almighty God. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± The woman mumbled. The Empress might have been even colder toward her had she been the Almighty God. The one and only god of the continent who was known for being capricious was, at times, extremely cruel. ¡°¡­Why the hell did I pray so hard?¡± She did not manage to seed in her revenge nor did she manage to save those who were as important to her as her own life. Looking back at her life, it felt as if she had never received the Almighty God¡¯s blessing. If she had, the end of her life would not be cracking so much like the ground during a famine. ¨C Quack quack, honk! A group of geese waddled as they iled their wet feet. She was envious of them. The woman stood up straight and greedily took in the warmth of another existence. That was her final theft. She then waited for her final moments. The horizon was turning dark blue now that the sun had gone across. There were no stars embedded in the sky. * * * ¨C ck, ck, ck! ¡°I see it, your highness! It¡¯s the temple for the March!¡± Christelle pointed outside the carriage window. I tightly clenched Julite¡¯s headdress. We frantically left Juliette Pce a few hours ago. We were busy jumping into carriages and portals, giving me no time to put the headdress back in the box. I kept it carefully inside my inner pocket with the crystal bell as we were in a rush. I could see the two knights guarding the temple looking shocked as an Imperial family carriage suddenly arrived without prior notice. ¡°Woah, woah!¡± ¨C Neeeeeeigh! A procession quickly formed at the entrance of the S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦ March. We quickly alighted once the coachman opened the door. Percy was with us, but he instantly flew up into the sky and hid himself. A knight confirmed our faces and quickly ran toward the Lord¡¯s Castle. He was probably delivering the message to the Chief Attendant, Chantal. The other one quickly bowed. ¡°I, I greet our esteemed Royal Highness and Prince Jesse Viaan.¡± ¡°Hello. Umm, where is the painting? I¡¯m talking about Joanne¡¯stest work. < The Portrait of the Moon >.¡± I urgently asked. The knight was about to respond, when¡­ ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t it our flower of a Marquis?¡± A familiar face walked over from the end of the colonnades. The couple soldiers keeping an eye on her quickly bowed silently toward us. ¡°Did youe down because it was cold?¡± The first born of the fallen Baron¡¯s House of Haas, Joanne de Haas. There was nothing very different about her except the luxurious cloth wrapped around her head was thicker for the winter weather and her cheeks and hands had paint on them. She must have eaten well and been well as her light brown skin sparkled healthily. She smelled like oil as she waved her arm. She then finally noticed crown prince C¨¦dric and gasped before she got down on the ground. ¡®You finally noticed that handsome face?¡¯ ¡°Your loyal subject greets our esteemed Royal Highness. Yessir.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡°Where is the painting?¡± The crown prince held back a sigh as he asked. This punk also seemed quite ustomed to Joanne¡¯s nonsensical actions. Joanne jerked her head up and tilted it side to side in confusion. ¡°You all came down to see my painting in advance? My lord, you have that much interest in art?¡± ¡®I guess it was good to send her the esquisse.¡¯ She smiled like a troublemaker. The way her face had a bunch of white paint on her face made me think of the three little troublemakers back home. I looked at her with a desperate gaze without answering and Joanne awkwardly rubbed her nose. ¡°I did finish it. I hung it in the lobby but I can make changes before the reveal. You¡¯ll be able to see it right away if you walk inside, your highness.¡± ¡°Could you please confirm that it is inside?¡± I immediately asked the temple knight. He reliably nodded his head and ran to the lobby. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth motioned with her chin and a portion of the Imperial Guards went with him. ¡°Were there any suspicious individuals?¡± The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard sharply questioned. Ganael was hiding behind his fiancee while poking his head out. Joanne¡¯s eyes rolled around in thought as she asked. ¡°Mm¡­ Who are you looking for? This is a temple. Anybody is free toe and go. Thanks to our esteemed Marquis¡¯s desperate plea, everybodyes and goes without caring about their position or status. Basically the whole neighborhood came to watch when I was drawing his portrait. ¡± ¡°What about anybody who came today? She should have been on her own. A womanpletely covered in a robe and about Dame Sarnez¡¯s height. Her health might not have been good as well.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Oh!¡± Her mouth opened and closed at my question. She suddenly pointed up into the air. Christelle looked as if she ate four sweet potatoes without milk as she asked, ¡°hat is it?¡± The artist scowled. ¡°But¡­she didn¡¯t seem that suspicious.¡± ¡°We will be the judge of that!¡± Christelle showed the reaction of an intense Korean person. It was at that moment. ¡°Your highness! My lord!¡± The temple knight who went to the lobby urgently ran out. Our gazes focused on him. He bowed and reported to us. His face was pale underneath the torch. ¡°T, the < Portrait of the Moon > has fallen on the ground, your highness. Someone seems to have tried to move it and failed. There is a pool of blood that seems to belong to the culprit. The trail continues to the back door and the Imperial Guard is currently investigating the area around the temple. ¡± Christelle, the crown prince, and my gazes quickly met. Joanne shouted, ¡°My masterpiece!¡± Then she ran inside. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth quickly motioned with her hands. ¡°Sir Geens and I will be in charge of guarding his Royal Highness and Prince Jesse. The rest of you chase after Victoire while you go to the Lord¡¯s Castle to urately exin the situation. Don¡¯t miss a single drop of blood!¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± ¡°Yes, Vice Captain!¡± The Imperial Guard quickly moved out with some torchbearers. We moved as one without saying anything. We quickly entered the temple lobby to see the trail of blood on the floor. Sir Johann bent down to thoroughly inspect the blood. I quickly whispered to him. ¡°Sir Johann, you can¡¯t taste it this time. You can get sick like that.¡± ¡°Haha. I¡¯ll keep that in mind, your highness.¡± He answered in a gentle voice. I had no idea what kind of things he experienced as a top grade mercenary. I turned my gaze to see Christelle nkly looking toward Joanne. The young artist was petting the side of her portrait in relief. I thought that it would be the size of the Mona Lisa or something but the canvas was as tall as the crown prince! ¡°That could have been bad. It¡¯s been a while since I worked so hard on a project like this. I would have been so upset if it got ripped or scratched!¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s a relief.¡± I barely managed to answer. Joanne¡¯s new painting, < The Portrait of the Moon >, was apleted piece, unlike the rough sketch I received before. Each strand of my blonde hair was so vivid that they looked as if they could be touched. The purple eyes that seemed to be looking at you no matter what angle you looked at them, were magical and full of life. I don¡¯t recall ever smiling brightly in front of Joanne, so I had no idea how she could imagine up and draw out such an expression. Technically speaking, this wasn¡¯t my face, but it still felt embarrassing to look at it like this. ¡°I gotta have this. It¡¯s so pretty.¡± Christelle mumbled almost as if she was bewitched. I questioned my ears. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Please sell this to me, Miss Haas.¡± Christelle sternly asked. Joanne¡¯s lemon-colored eyes blinked. I immediately iled my arms. ¡°Dame Sarnez, you can¡¯t forget our main purpose foring here. We are here to capture Madame Victoire-¡± ¡°There is an old saying, your highness. Buy pretty things even if they are expensive. Even if you regret it in the future, the pretty things will remain.¡± ¡®You just made that up!¡¯ ¡°She¡¯s so cool.¡± ¡°Ganael, you can¡¯t take after her in things like this. Everybody, please focus. Joanne said that she saw a suspicious person. We need to hear the rest of her testimony.¡± I gently calmed the two children. Joanne tapped the tip of the canvas and scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t remember how much I told you.¡± ¡°Ah, I should have brought some cidre.¡± Christellemented. I did not get flustered. ¡°You said that you saw someone but she wasn¡¯t that suspicious.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Yes. She came with a robe full of holes and was staggering, so the soldiers helped her to the seats. That was about two hours ago. I thought that she came to pray because she was hurting a lot-¡± ¨C Pipipipiiiii! Percy chirped oddly and flew into the building at that moment. He sat on the crown prince¡¯s shoulder and jumped a few times, moved to Christelle¡¯s arm to wag his tail, thennded on my palm and chirped some more. The little guy¡¯s small chest repeatedly filled and released. ¡°Calm down, Percy. You¡¯re going to end up exploding. What is it?¡± ¨C Piruuuuu, piipipi, pirruuuuuu! I gently petted his stomach area with my thumb. His ck eyes looked at me and sparkled. ¡®Maybe?¡¯ ¡°Did you find Victoire or something?¡± ¨C Pipo! The inside of his yellow beak opened wide. ¡®Right answer!¡¯ ¡°Sir Johann.¡± ¡°Please leave it to me, your highness.¡± I urgently called his name and he quickly understood what I was trying to say. His mint-colored eyes curled up as a warm breeze wrapped around us. * ¡­ This really made no sense. ¨C p, p! How was something like this possible? ¡°Marquis-nim, you are not heavy at all! You are as light as a feather!¡± ¡°I understand¡­¡± I said that and closed my mouth. Then I stared at any spot in the night sky and quietly let myself be carried. Yes. Miss Christelle de Sarnez, the main character of < I quit my job and ended up as a noble youngdy in another world >, was carrying me! Until now, I thought that I would have to drag or lift up another person to fly together when Percy turned into the Ark of the Wind Deity. The Ark did significantly decrease the air resistance, but I believed it to require a good amount of my own strength as well. However, this divine item that ignored thews of nature and flew with a single wing was truly different. I now learned that anybody was capable of flight as long as they didn¡¯t move away from me. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be easier if one person carried the other?¡¯ ¡®Yes, we can try that.¡¯ Christelle asked, so I naturally thought that I would be carrying her as we flew. The results were theplete opposite. Christelle simply seemed extraordinary to make such a suggestion without knowing any of the principles behind how Percy flew. The wing was on my back but the main character was walking through the air¡­ ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth didn¡¯t even hide herughter now. The young Countess and the crown prince, who were flying thanks to Sir Johann, were as rxed as if they were out for a walk. I was the only one in this party who was embarrassed. Christelle looked at me and smiled as beautifully as a star in the night sky. It felt as if my face would explode before Percy exploded. ¨C Swooooooosh! The Ark suddenly descended at that moment. Christelle screeched with excitement. I quickly looked down on the ground. The spot Victoire was at was, as expected, a familiar ce. A small hill with argeke behind the Lord¡¯s Castle. The ce we went out on our pic. I saw a small and feeble figure at the center of the hill. ¡°I smell blood.¡± Sir Johannmented. We quicklynded on a grassy field. Christelle carefully put me down. The woman¡¯s back reacted as if nothing was weird. ¡°You¡¯re here, your highness.¡± The old robe and her long hair were fluttering in the wind. It was different from when she pretended to be Christelle, but her voice was still clear and sounded young. I smiled bitterly as I responded. ¡°Yes. You seemed very tired.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I want to help you. Olddy Pomme.¡± ¡°Hohoho.¡± The woman quietlyughed after hearing me. The clear voice slowly became rough and her firm back slowly bent forward. We quietly watched her. ¡®Cough, cough!¡¯ Her body bobbed up and down from the heavy coughing for a while before she stopped. She moved her thin neck to slowly look at us. Her wrinkled eyes that were visible underneath the moonlight were familiar. ¡°I have an apple that is as beautiful as you, Marquis-nim. Would you like a bite?¡± ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Why does she sound like the Queen from Snow White? Chapter 192: When the clock rings multiple times (3) Chapter 192: When the clock rings multiple times (3) ¡°My goodness.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth gasped. It was because the person was a face we recognized. The night of the Harvest Festival parade, one of the olddies selling goods in the narrow alley¡­ The kind olddy who handed me an apple¡­ She was Olddy Pomme, who supposedly passed away after being hit by a carriage, ¡®Madame Victoire.¡¯ However, this olddy had been questioned along with the other olddies and was released. The Imperial Crown Prince scowled. I too was surprised as I did not know that she was Olddy Pomme. ¡°It is not that precious youngdy¡¯s fault. It is not your subordinates¡¯ faults either. Cough! It¡¯s just that I am old¡­¡± The woman coughed andughed as she spoke.The moonlight shone down on her and I could see that her hair was not the typical brown. Her head, full of thin white hair, fluttered in the breeze. Christelle nkly looked at her. ¡°Marquis Jesse did say that he thought you might be alive, Olddy Pomme. But how¡­¡± ¡°Nobody suspects you for anything when you get to my age. Nobody sees you as suspicious. That is the secret.¡± Cough cough! The old woman coughed as if her body would break apart. Some blood gathered at the corner of her thin lips. I quickly pulled out a handkerchief but Olddy Pomme waved her hand. ¡°They pity me and don¡¯t even charge me for riding the carriage a lot of the time¡­ They believe me when I tell them I am basically blind and when I say that I can barely walk. Nobody treats it as weird even if I am roaming around the walls early in the morning. An old woman over seventy years old, cough!¡± Her body convulsed for a moment. We flinched and took one step toward her. However, the olddy ced both hands on her knees and managed to remain standing. Her deep eyes were glowing just as bright as the moon. ¡°Danger¡­ Who would think of me as dangerous? Who would think that I am an acrobat running across roofs¡­¡± ¡°You were great at vocal mimicry as well.¡± I added on. She chuckled as if she was amused. The way her face lit up for a moment made her look like a seven year old child. She looked extremely pure and full of joy. ¡°The events of that night¡­ I¡¯m sorry about what happened. But I was able to have fun thanks to you. After ying two roles and using up every ounce of strength in my body, I was sick for quite a bit. When our little ball of talent told me to retire¡­ I should have listened to him.¡± She whispered thatst part before she started falling down. I didn¡¯t care about anything and ran to catch the old woman. ¡°Your highness!¡± Sir Johann¡¯s voice trying to dissuade me became distant. Plop. The body that fell into my arms felt extremely light and small. Her bones felt sturdy but that was it. My instincts told me that she was on herst few breaths. The old woman looked up at me and continued to speak. ¡°What a nice young man. How could someone so important¡­ Look at someone like me with such eyes?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but clench my teeth. ¡°Did the House of Andresy cast away their children? Is that how you ended up alone as well, Olddy Pomme?¡± ¡°Henriette was angry about it. As for me, I just lived my life forgetting the reason to be angry¡­¡± Her lips twitched. Christelle cautiously approached before sitting down across from me to listen to the woman¡¯s story. I looked into the main character¡¯s warm gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t even remember. Was it the Count from two generations ago who threw me away¡­ Why would that be important? It is something that happens all the time. I was just amon orphan. As for Henriette¡­ She is a child the current Count Andresy threw away.¡± This was shocking information. I looked at crown prince C¨¦dric. His orange eyes were burning with rage. The old woman¡¯s story continued, despite sounding as if she might be unable to talk at any moment. 25 years ago. She was traveling and performing with the troupe as usual. They were camping out in a forest near the Andresy Lord¡¯s Castle when she saw someone throwing a basket away. It was a servant from the Count¡¯s House who hade to see the show. The fact that he was out at such ate time and avoiding people¡¯s gazes to leave this basket in such a sketchy ce felt weird. Olddy Pomme checked the basket once he left. There was a kid, about two years old, asleep in silk clothes. That was Henriette. ¡°Why? Why are they throwing away these innocent babies?¡± An upset Christelle asked. Olddy Pomme made some gurgling noises before spitting out some blood. I was worried that the blood would get stuck in her airway and quickly supported her head. Her deep wrinkles looked full of pain. ¡°Cough. Because they were sick¡­ That¡¯s all I knew. All of the illegitimate children who were thrown away were sick¡­ I was weak over here¡­¡± She lifted her shaking finger to point at her lungs. Her palm had dried blood and was dark red from new blood as well. ¡°Henriette¡­ Needed to sleep a lot. I guess to those fancy nobles, that was a terrible illness as well¡­ Hehehe.¡± She made a face that made it hard to tell whether she wasughing or crying. The young Countess was grinding her teeth. ¡°The Count¡¯s House of Andresy is famous for their indecisiveness. Maybe¡­ It is possible they were trying to get rid of existences that might be a stain on the family name.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The crown prince was as silent as the calm before the storm. The reason that Henriette, who was thrown away in Andresy, was believed to havee from the Beng Barony, was because there were not many territory lords who epted orphans into their territory. However, Baron Beng was not the type of person to see someone in need and not help them. Within two years of roaming the Empire with the circus troupe, Henriette became a child who called the poor Barony of the south her home. Olddy Pomme¡¯s gaze looked past the stars. ¡°Last spring, after we saw the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts together, I¡­ told her the truth on our way back to the inn. Where I picked her up, who her real family was¡­ Even now, I have no idea why I did that.¡± We had no idea at all. On that spring day when light pink flower petals were filling the air, the two women were in the stands watching us. ¡°Seeing an important person who came to this Empire by himself as a diplomatic hostage being so amazing¡­ What is our Henriettecking that she needs to live as an acrobat in the streets? I must have had an arrogant thought like that. I didn¡¯t know my ce.¡± The olddy mocked herself. Percy, who had been quietly sitting on my shoulder, nodded his head. I quietly responded. ¡°Baron Savanier, whose territory is next to Andresy County, was Victoire¡¯s first victim. That was in May. That must have been Henriette¡¯s first crime.¡± ¡°Ah ah, that was not her first¡­¡± Her hand twitched. She seemed to want to reach into her pocket, but she had no strength to even lift up her robe. Christelle couldn¡¯t watch anymore and helped the olddy open her inner pocket. What her rough hand pulled out was an old notebook, and¡­ ¡°My goodness.¡± ¡­An extremely splendid diamond ne. Christelle and my jaws dropped. The olddy chuckled after seeing our reactions. ¡°Kill¡­ Henriette went to kill the Count but, cough! She only stole this ne. She said that she couldn¡¯t get herself to kill someone¡­ Of course she couldn¡¯t. How could she kill, kill a person! Cough, cough!¡± She could not stop coughing for a while. I bit down on my lips. I knew she was at a point that I could not heal her, but I wanted to at least try. ¡°I am going to open a healing circle.¡± ¡°No, no. That¡¯s not right¡­ The excitement will be broken if the phantom thief is caught. A clown should go while ying on the stage.¡± Gulp, she forced down something that wasing up her throat. She then looked at me and whispered. ¡®Feeling unnecessary guilt is not a profitable business, Marquis-nim.¡¯ ¡°That is why she changed her mind. She chose to steal instead of to kill.¡± The crown prince mumbled in a low voice. The olddy shushed him and chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s right, your Royal Highness. That¡¯s right¡­ And that child became as hot as a ball of fire with this feeling of revenge. She said something about how she was going to smudge the name of the family that made this old granny suffer or something¡­ As for me, I forgot how to even get angry. It wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. Why did she feel so wronged that she was thrown away¡­ There are orphans everywhere in this world.¡± She then closed her mouth. A thick stream of blood trailed down her cheek. I could tell that she was suppressing intense sorrow. Sir Johann, who had been quietly listening, chimed in. ¡°Then the one who was hit by the carriage must have been Henriette.¡± ¡°He¡­¡± The olddy scowled. Christelle used a handkerchief to dab at the olddy¡¯s eyes. The tears did not stop and the main character¡¯s hand did not stop either. ¡°Andresy. She was hit by one of their carriages¡­¡± ¡°Oh Almighty God.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth looked up into the air. I blinked a few times as I was at a loss for words. This was unexpected. We had been too half-baked to expect such a tragedy. ¡°After performing at your pce, Marquis-nim, we were rewarded handsomely and all that was left was for us to get even more famous¡­ There are so many things she has yet to do because she¡¯s so young. Food she had yet to try, ces she had yet to see¡­ But the coachman of the Count¡¯s House gave me a gold coin.¡± Crackle! A me finally crackled at the crown prince¡¯s feet. I immediately opened up my Holy Land and ced him within it. I was releasing my ether for him to calm down, but the young man could not easily calm himself. He didn¡¯t reject me, but his me fiercely crackled with rage. On the other hand, the olddy¡¯s voice became extremely quiet. ¡°They¡¯ll give me enough money so I should go get the body cremated¡­ And for me not to go around saying useless things. That was all. The noble inside the carriage didn¡¯t evene out to look.¡± I looked at her scowling forehead and her cheekbone with a nk gaze. How could they do that? How could things be like this? ¡°That is why I decided to carry on in her ce. The things that child did not manage to gain, manage to do, manage to pay back¡­¡­ I wanted to do it for her. But I didn¡¯t have time.¡± ¡®Time¡­¡¯ She sounded as if she wasmenting or singing. It was as my friends and I expected. The reason Victoire suddenly said that she would steal me was because she did not have time. The woman wanted something that would have the greatest impact before she passed, making people talk about the name of Andresy. However, she did not have any ns of really aiming for me. She was nning on using themotion from the abduction to keep all attention on the Imperial Capital while she infiltrated my territory and stole the portrait. What she was looking to do through this was to get the attention of the Imperial family. It was not for her own satisfaction but for revenge. ¡°Marquis-nim, you smiled so beautifully. At your age, most people find acrobatics to be boring¡­ It was a smart move toe to the tavern to draw me out. I wanted to y to my heart¡¯s content with you, cough!¡± She gasped to breathe. Dark red blood dripped down her chin. I tightly grabbed her shaking hands. The crown prince silently walked up and stood behind me. His rage made him warm, making it feel as if the tension was calming down a bit. ¡°Cough. All I managed to do was leave a will-like card¡­ It was a boring act.¡± ¡°No, it was wonderful. We struggled so much because we couldn¡¯t decipher the tarot card. We only figured it out thanks to this little guy.¡± I smiled brightly and pointed to Percy. Thankfully, my voice came out normal. Olddy Pomme¡¯s eyes curled up. ¡°Thank you, even if they are just empty words. I had no strength to even pick up a canvas¡­ I¡¯m basically a living corpse.¡± She slowly turned her head. Christelle moved to allow the olddy to see past her. Therge white moon was filling the dark sky and the clearke. The two lights that were as bright as the eyes of the Almighty God faced the thief. ¡°At least this moon seems to belong to that child. It is not the full moon nor is it a new moon¡­ This moon that¡¯s nothing special seems to be our stolen goods.¡± I could barely hear the end of it. The woman¡¯s breathing became weaker. I was unable to say anything when Sir Johann knelt down on one knee next to me. ¡°Your highness. You must do it even if it is painful. That is the only way to help the two of them.¡± His voice was not shaking at all. His mint-colored eyes sparkled resolutely. I clenched my mouth. [Oh Almighty God, please forgive the lies she has confessed to me.] I called for the Divine Oracle. I needed to know. We needed confirmation, with everybody here as witnesses, that what the olddy said was the truth. It had to happen before she left. ¡°¡­¡± Our surroundings were silent. All we heard were the cries of geese. There were no reactions at all to my circle. I urgently exined. [I¡¯m sorry for this, Olddy Pomme. I did not do this because I did not trust what you said. That you told the truth-] ¡°I know¡­ I know. I know you are not someone who would do something like that, Marquis-nim.¡± She looked at me and smiled benignly. ¡°Who, tell me, who in the Imperial Pce¡­¡­ Would buy items from an old peddler in the streets?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Will you forgive me?¡± That was the olddy¡¯sst question. It was hard not to know what she meant. My throat felt as if it was clenching up. I clenched my teeth and bowed down so that she could hear me well. I then proimed with full sincerity by her tired ears. [I forgive you. The Almighty God will also forgive you.] ¨C Shaaaaaaa¡­¡­! Golden ether burst out of my Holy Land. Victoire D¡¯Andresy met her eternal rest with a peaceful look on her face. ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments My eyes¡­who cut the onions?! Chapter 193: When the clock rings multiple times (4) Chapter 193: When the clock rings multiple times (4) The Holy Land then disappeared. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was the one to break our long silence. ¡°¡­ Treat her with respect.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± Her subordinates responded immediately. Olddy Pomme¡¯s body was quickly covered up by the Imperial Guard members who were now surrounding theke. I realized that the basket the olddy brought with her was an extremely old item belonging to the Count¡¯s House of Andresy. Inside were the silk clothes that Henriette had been wearing on the day she was thrown away, along with some apples. Christelle ced the olddy¡¯s belongings, the diamond ne and the old notebook in there. I tightly clenched the basket and did not let go. These were all evidence.¡°Riquiescat in pace¡­¡± Sir Johann mumbled while looking at the olddy¡¯s body being carried away. It was something said in an ancientnguage of the continent that I did not know, the Holy Language. ¡°¨¦lisabeth, send an urgent message to the Imperial Capital. Inform her Majesty about the situation and get the circus troupe that came to Juliette Pce here immediately¡­¡± The Imperial Crown Prince ordered in a scary voice. He had quickly made a judgment and acted on it. I knew that he was not a kid but, maybe because his rage was vividly visible, every decision seemed dramatic. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth quickly did as the crown prince ordered. ¡°Marquis-nim, Benjamin and Ganael are over there. I see Miss Haas as well.¡± Christelle pointed toward the Lord¡¯s Castle. I quietly nodded my head. I took a look at the two moons over theke one more time before leaving the grassy field. Percy rubbed his body against my neck. * The next morning¡­ The greatest circus troupe in the Imperial Capital arrived at S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦. They had received quite the thorough protection on their way over and the Imperial family paid for all expenses. Chantal, the Chief Attendant of the Lord¡¯s Castle, was great at her job. She immediately contacted the Bishop of the S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦ diocese as soon as Benjamin exined the situation to her. She had everything quickly prepared for us despite our sudden arrival and even prepared the guestrooms for the circus troupe overnight. ¡°Thank you very much, Chantal. The rest of the staff as well. You all worked so hard for us despite it being sote.¡± ¡°It was nothing, my lord. It is my duty to decipher your wishes and fulfill your orders.¡± She gently smiled. Saying something like that was one thing; Chantal truly seemed toe from a famed family that had served the Imperial family for a long time. It would not have been easy to ept the circus troupe, who were basically treated as the lowest ss of people in the QNW world, as guests. I was thankful that she saw through my heart and prepared things for them as she had done. ¡°Please sit over here, my lord.¡± ¡°Thank you, Benjamin. Ganael, youe here as well.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± I motioned to Ganael who was a good boy and sat behind me. I smiled seeing him sitting right next to the young Countess. The young boy¡¯s eyes were swollen after crying his heart out once he heard the full story. The only temple in S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦ was small and simple. Over half of the seats were filled by the circus troupe members who were present for Old Lady Pomme and Henriette¡¯s funeral service. Henriette¡¯s body was already cremated and gone, but we decided to hold a service for her as well. Christelle, crown prince C¨¦dric, Sir Johann, the attendants, the Imperial Guard and I sitting down as well made itpletely full. Joanne also attended while sniffling. Everybody other than the clergy were wearing white veils on their heads. ¨C Dang, dang, dang¡­¡­ The bell outside the temple rang a few times. This was how they announced the start of the liturgy. The room that had been full of sobbing and noises quieted down. ¨C Click, creeeeeak. The door opened and Bishop ise Vaughn of the S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦ diocese walked in with small steps. It was such a small diocese that there was only one priest behind her. The two of them looked reverent as they stood in front of the altar and bowed toward the old woman inside the coffin before going to their respective spots. The bishop extended her arms toward us. ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­ A golden Holy Domain wrapped around the crown made of wildflowers. The warm light reached a portion of the seats and consoled the crowd. [We pray that the Almighty God will show mercy to those who have returned to their true hometown.] ¡°Sob, ugh, soooob¡­¡± Serge the Clever, who was in the front seat, was crying without being able to hold back his sadness. The other acrobats seemed to be barely holding themselves back as well. The friends who had learned about the two women¡¯s situation toote were clenching their teeth with their hearts in pain. They were all mumbling in sorrow, asking why they had never been told about it, wondering if the two women had never meant it when they said that everybody in the group was one. The Bishop¡¯s prayer calmly continued through the storm of tears. [Oh Almighty God. Please forgive the sins of your children, Pomme and Henriette, and please remember their lives forever¡­] I suddenly looked to my side. I immediately made eye contact with a pair of sunken orange-colored eyes. Thank you very much.¡± I whispered to him. The crown prince responded in his low voice. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For allowing them to have a proper funeral like this. I know their story is sad, but the two of them were criminals, so I know that all of this is thanks to your benevolence, your Royal Highness. You even allowed the circus troupe toe all the way here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He looked at me for a bit before silently turning his head to look at the Bishop. The corners of my lips curled up. Christelle, who was seated to my right, was praying. I followed her lead to close my eyes and sp my hands together. I then prayed desperately for the two women who had passed away. ¡°Thank you for your Imperial benevolence, your Royal Highness. Thank you very much, your Royal Highness. We truly thank you from the bottom of our hearts¡­¡± By the temple entrance after the service¡­ The circus troupe bowed toward us. It was right after they closed Olddy Pomme¡¯s casket and wrapped it in silk to take it to be cremated. A gentle southern breeze brushed through everybody¡¯s hair. ¡°S, such esteemed individuals have bestowed upon us an u, unbelievable benevolence¡­ Granny¡­ And Henriette, I¡¯m sure both of them were touched as well. Yes indeed¡­¡­¡± Serge the Clever stumbled over his words as he spoke. He didn¡¯t have manyyers on him as he had rushed down, and his face looked thin as he had been interrogated until not too long ago. It was fine here because it was warm, but he would be very cold once they returned to the Imperial Capital. I pulled off the robe I had been wearing since we left Juliette Pce and wrapped it around his back. David, who was standing to the back, anxiously gasped. The acrobat became shocked and bowed even lower. His skinny body was shaking. ¡°M, my lord¡­ How could you put such precious cloth on, on someone like me¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get cold very easily.¡± I scratched my cheek as I answered. It wasn¡¯t a lie because I really didn¡¯t get cold very easily as Jung Yeseo. ¡°If you ever decide that you want to settle down¡­ Please bring your friends ande to S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦. We have quite a bit of emptynds and houses. ¡°I really like people who are skilled in different ways.¡± I added thatst part to lift the mood but Serge and the acrobats sounded as if they were distressed as they ced their foreheads on the ground. Joanne, who was shoving her veil into her pocket, chuckled. I turned around to see if I said something wrong. Benjamin and Chantal¡¯s wrinkled eyes curled up and they nodded their heads. ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, granny!¡± ¡°It¡¯s our turn to escort her from here. Our turn.¡± The acrobats slowly got up and lifted the olddy¡¯s coffin on their shoulders. They then energetically started walking toward the one and only crematorium in S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦. Two soldiers from the Lord¡¯s Castle served as their guide. I heard the song of a young performer I had never heard from. ¡°We cried once so it is time to go to the pub. Gulp. We drank once so it is time to go y. Yahoo! We yed once so it is time to go to sleep. Zz, zz. We slept once and damn it was all a dream. Haha¡­¡± We quietly stood there for a while watching them. Joanne broke the silence as the distant acrobats turned a corner. ¡°Marquis-nim, that granny¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can I draw her? I saw an empty wall on my way here.¡± ¡°I would be grateful if you would do that. Could you please put her granddaughter¡¯s name on it as well?¡± I looked at her and answered. Joanne smiled before giving us a half-baked bow and quickly leaving with some guards. I was sure that she left to find some paint and a brush. She was the type of genius artist who needed to draw as soon as she got an inspiration. It was possible that a masterpiece that < The Portrait of the Moon > could not evenpare to was about to be created. We then thanked Bishop ise and the priest for their service and said goodbye. The thoughtful Bishop blessed us and then- ¡°I will leave after ringing the bell to calm the soul, your Royal Highness and Marquis S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦. That is thest step of the liturgy.¡± She then left with the priest. Only our group was left in front of the building. ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaa¡­ ¨C Dang- dang- dang¡­ The leaves and trees waved with one heart thanks to the wind. The clear sound of the bell felt as if it was ringing both near and far. Sir Johann¡¯s white hair fluttered like a kite. Christelle and the young Countess were leaning against each other. I petted Percy and looked up at the clear sky. ¡°Divine illness.¡± The crown prince quietly said something at that moment. This time, it was my turn to look at him. I¡¯m sure I saw it wrong, but his orange-colored eyes seemed scared for a moment. ¡°If the deceased girl needed to sleep up to eighteen hours a day, it is highly likely that she had an ether problem.¡± ¡°¡­Your Royal Highness, Henriette just slept a lot. I heard that she has never even seen a healing priest. How do you¡­¡± I stopped talking and my jaw dropped. The crown prince seemed so certain about a person he had never even met. ¡®Maybe?¡¯ ¡°Did you experience the same thing, your Royal Highness?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Christelle cautiously asked and he did not answer. It was his way of saying yes. The man¡¯s gloved hand clenched into a fist. I opened and closed my mouth a few times but chose not to ask any of the raging questions in my mind. It may have been indirect, but this was the first time he told us anything about his condition. I didn¡¯t want to cause a fuss and make him take two steps back. I already knew that his ether depletion had been severe since he was a baby. ¡®Let¡¯s not scare him.¡¯ I calmly continued the conversation. ¡°I see. Then I guess you should put the orphanage into the group of people to investigate for the divine illness, your Royal Highness. If there are any children who were cast aside that show the same symptoms¡­¡­¡± ¡°What you said is true.¡± The crown prince was looking right at me. ¡®What did I say?¡¯ ¡°Sarah Belliard¡¯s grandson is innocent.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± I blinked at the sudden change of topic. The man¡¯s deep eyes sparkled with sincerity. He was currently talking about what I told him on the day of the Harvest Festival parade. It was the conversation we had in Sand¡¯s ce. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, your Royal Highness. I did think that there may be some issue between the Imperial family and Lady Belliard.¡¯ ¡®We are not close, but I was feeling sorry for her sick grandson.¡¯ Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique had temporarily left the cultivation of the sun halo weed in the Imperial Pce to me. She had asked if I wanted anything in return. After contemting it for a while, I had shared my thoughts with the crown prince. It had been a while since Lady Belliard¡¯s young grandson lost consciousness. What if we tried using sun halo weed? He had shown intense repulsion at that time. ¡°¡­ Do as you wish.¡± But not today! ¡°Thank you very much, your Royal Highness.¡± I smiled brightly. I couldn¡¯t tell what kind of change happened to the crown prince. All I could do was have a general theory that the story of the two Victoires affected him in some way. Still, I was truly happy. I had no idea whether the journalist¡¯s grandson actually suffered from divine illness, but at least I could offer a new medicine to him. The fact that our punk of a crown prince shared his inner thoughts with us a little bit was also a significant development. Christelle heard it clearly as well, so maybe she had a desire to be nicer to the male lead? ¡°Well, I guess things worked out well? Although I have no idea what you are talking about.¡± Christelle¡¯s blue-gray eyes sparkled as she extended her neck. I happily answered. ¡°Yes. The first button seems to have been properly buttoned.¡± ¡°Then shall we go button the second one as well?¡± The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard suggested in a marvelous voice. I was confused as to what she was talking about when Sir Johann, who was holding the basket of evidence, smiled like a portrait. ¡°We¡¯re talking about the Count¡¯s House of Andresy, your highness. Maybe we will capture the patriarch first and OO¡­.¡± * I never heard what he said! It was because Christelle had gasped and quickly covered my ears. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth had also covered my eyes as if she was worried that I would read his lips. I was still super curious despite a day having passed. I was not a child but a man who hadpleted his required military service. Sir Johann was also not someone who said bad things. ¡®What the heck was it?¡¯ ¡°Her Majesty, Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique now entering!¡± I heard the heavy thud of the audience room door opening. The attendant loudly announced the arrival of the monarch. The Pair de Riester, who had been endlessly chatting away, quickly shut up and lowered their gazes. As for us, who returned to the pce from S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦st night, we were now standing at the center of the Empress Pce. A pair of seemingly new boots moved through the long red carpet. Step, step, step. ¡°Send in the criminal immediately. I do not wish to waste my time.¡± The Empressmented before even getting up to the throne. The attendants grabbed the Imperial Decree and withdrew. At the end of my deeply bowed eyes was an extravagant formal attire and the holy sword, Durandal. The sword master instantly dominated the top of the tform. She then proimed. ¡°Count Gerald Andresy and his family will receive this Empress¡¯s judgment today.¡± ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Off with their heads I say! Chapter 194: Purple Tulip (1) Chapter 194: Purple Tulip (1) The Pair de Riester immediately started whispering to one another. ¡°Holy Almighty God.¡± ¡°The Count finally touched the reverse scale.¡± ¡°What is it? Isn¡¯t the House of Andresy an extremely devoted house?¡± ¡°That itself was the issue.¡± Only the Empress¡¯ closest confidants such as Duke Simon de Sarnez and Marquis Fran?ois Duhem maintained their poker faces. Most of them looked astonished. Eva, who was here in ce of Duchess Cecil nquer, looked quite shocked as well. I slightly turned my head.Beyond the sculpture-like side view of the Imperial Crown Prince, I could see Cardinal Boutier to Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique¡¯s right side. ¡°Leave it to us from here.¡± She mouthed to me. The sentence was pretty long but that was the gist of it. ¡°These are her Majesty¡¯s criminals, Count Gerald Andresy and Lady Andresy!¡± ¨C Boom! As soon as that happened¡­ The attendant made the announcement and therge doors to the audience room opened. Captain Herv¨¦ Duhem dragged the Count in with his thick arms. Lady Andresy was walking about two steps behind them, with the Imperial Guard keeping their eyes on her. I was surprised after looking at the couple. The two of them looked gentle and elegant. They did not look like terrible people who had iron for blood to throw children away and live as if nothing had happened. The criminals quickly arrived at the bottom of the steps up to the Empress. ¨C Plop! Captain Duhem basically threw the Count down. The Captain¡¯s light pink eyes were full of scorn as he looked at the man. It was to be expected, but he seemed to have heard the whole story about Madame Victoire during the night. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Count Andresy.¡± ¡°I greet the sun that has descended to the ground.¡± The middle-aged man was kneeling as he calmly showed his respect. He did not bow to beg, nor was his voice shaking. He truly looked and sounded like a noble. The Empress¡¯s cherry-colored eyes sparkled like a newly-sharpened de. ¡°You should know of your crimes.¡± ¡°¡­ It will be a crime if you call it a crime, your Majesty.¡± ¡°My goodness, Count Andresy! Snap back to your senses!¡± Christelle, who was standing behind her father, scowled while I bit my lip in shock at the Count¡¯s response. ¡®Did I hear him properly? He himself does not believe he did anything wrong?¡¯ ¡°Do you want to see the de of Durandal?¡± ¡°Quickly confess and ask for her imperial benevolence!¡± A portion of the nobles were loudly scolding him. However, the Count simply looked forward with a calm demeanor. He was so calm that it gave me the chills. The Empress broke the silence. ¡°Twenty five years ago, you threw away your two year old daughter in the forest near the Lord¡¯s Castle. That child grew up to be a thief.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Victoire. That was the only thing written on the note your servant hid in the basket.¡± ¡°Victoire D¡¯Andresy. It¡¯s the thief who tried to steal Prince Jesse,¡± Eva pointed out. The nobles¡¯ jaws dropped after hearing that. Some of the people here knew about it, but more people did not know the details of the Count¡¯s crime. Some of the people who finally put the puzzle together became loudly angry and pointed at him. ¡°How could you throw your own flesh and blood in the mountains?! That¡¯s basically telling them to die!¡± ¡°You should have sent them to be adopted. No, you should have never had a child in the first ce! Is that something you should do as a child of the Almighty God?¡± ¡°I did it because I am a child of the Almighty God.¡± The Count suddenly answered. The crowd turnedpletely quiet as if someone had poured cold water over them. The Empress was looking down at him with a calm gaze. ¡°Do keep running your mouth.¡± ¡°¡­A healthy te and aplete body. If theyck such basic foundational pieces, how can they fulfill the will of the Almighty God in their life?¡± ¡®What¡­ What kind of bullshit is this?¡¯ ¡°I am not talking about above average intelligence or physical strength. I am simply saying that they must do the basics if they are born. If they are unable to honor the Almighty God, there is no value in continuing their already deficient life.¡± ¡®This trash-like bastard!¡¯ ¡°Please watch your mouth!¡± I suddenly shouted. I felt extremely upset. The entire hall froze up at my shouting. I was so angry that I was boiling inside. ¡°Who are you to put a value on someone¡¯s life and control their life and death? Choosing a path forward should only be based on a person¡¯s own decision. Until a child bes cognizant enough to make such a decision, any and all of them should be protected. Whether they have physical difort or their te is broken¡­ Why does any of that matter?¡± Huff, huff. I was breathing extremely heavily. I quickly tried to catch my breath and looked around. I finally realized that all eyes were focused on me. Christelle was nkly looking at me. My lips dried out thinking I had made a mistake. My cheeks instantly flushed and my neck turned red. I was so embarrassed it even felt as if my eyshes were shaking. Crown prince C¨¦dric quietly looked at me before giving a short nce to the attendants of the Empress Pce. ¡°Excuse us, your highness.¡± ¡°Uhh, of course.¡± They instantly brought over a chair for me to sit on and an appleade with mint leaves and ice was ced in my warm hands. I nkly answered and looked up at the crown prince on the tform. ¡®Umm, your mother and godmother are the only ones seated right now. Is it really okay for me to sit? ¡®¡­Is the appleade in ce of cidre?¡¯ ¡°The prince has made things easier for this Empress.¡± The Empress calmlymented. I gulped down the sweet and cool ade as my eyes roamed around. I couldn¡¯t tell whether the Count and his wife¡¯s faces were red or blue. They were probably humiliated at the fact that I exposed them but could only grumble internally without responding back. ¡®Such crude and wicked people. Go to hell.¡¯ ¡°The silk clothes you put on the child when you threw her away and the diamond ne she stole from the County are here as evidence. The Imperial appraiser confirmed this morning that it is the real 120-year-old article.¡± ¡°¡­¡± My teacher slowly exined. Her beige-colored eye blinked emotionlessly underneath her golden monocle. I got chills for a moment. ¡°Child abandonment is not your only crime. Your wife¡¯s carriage hit that child and killed her, but you did not report it. You paid off her family to quiet them instead of going through the court per thew. Prince Jesse has confirmed that this testimony was true and the witnesses to the confession include four people, one being the crown prince.¡± ¡°These motherfucking trash.¡± Margrave Caroline Moutet, who returned to the Imperial Capital for the first time in a long while, swore in front of the Empress. However, nobody dared to even re at her as she was a sword master. In fact, everybody seemed disgusted at the Count¡¯s cruelty. Eva was covering her mouth with both hands as she looked up at me. I slowly nodded my head. Everything was true. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you are both well-aware of the fact that this is a concealment of fatality. You two are supposedly blessed with intelligence, per your own words.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You both should also know that this is not the end.¡± The Count jerked his head up after hearing the Cardinal¡¯sments. His eyes shed. ¡°Your Eminence, that is not true. Please do not mock our family like that. My father and grandmother made extremely rational judgments¡­!¡± ¡°You threw children away. Multiple children over three generations. Maybe it started long before that.¡± I quietly sighed. As I expected, the Empress and her partner were aware of it. The nobles in the back were loudly condemning the Count¡¯s crimes. However, the Count did not lower his head. The man¡¯s gaze sparkled with lunacy. ¡°It is for the mighty god of our continent. We have served our lord with perfect mind and body!¡± ¡°The Almighty God does not want tyranny from humans. There is no such verse in the holy text either.¡± The Count suddenly tried to dart. The Captain of the Imperial Guard quickly pushed his shoulder down to suppress him. The man was basically spitting as he shouted. ¡°Humans must be wless. You know that is the case. Your Eminence!¡± ¡°Stop.¡± She cut him off. Her voice was as cold as an iceberg. ¡°I will not vouch for your family¡¯s faith.¡± ¡°Ah ah! How¡­ How could this be¡­¡± Lady Andresy started tearing up. It was the face of someone being persecuted by the world. I was at a loss for words and just quietly sat there. It was terrible. The couple were already at a point where they could not apologize for their actions. The dead Henriette was their daughter. But their only sadness seemed toe from the fact that the ¡®Royal Daughter of Faith¡¯ would not approve of their faith. This was not the thought process of normal people. ¡°The olddy who looked after that child was a daughter thrown away by the Countess two generations ago. It was probably for the same reason you bbed about.¡± ¡°Ha, ha¡­.¡± The Empressmented. Count Andresy¡¯s face took turns turning blue and yellow. He was gasping through hispletely dry lips. It seemed quite humiliating that their ¡®life as believers¡¯ was ending during his generation. However, there was no mercy. The Imperial Decree came in a stern voice. ¡°Starting today, this Empress is relieving Count Gerald Andresy of his title and taking back his territory. The Imperial records will also not recognize any of his or the past Count¡¯s achievements. The Count and his partner will be imprisoned for life for child abandonment, abuse, and concealment of fatality. Based on the severity of their crimes and theirck of remorse for their actions, they will also not get any chance of bail. The staff whomitted the sins at theirmand will not be able to avoid this Empress¡¯s wrath either.¡± ¡°Your majesty! This is not fair!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Some shouted and some pointed their fingers. I could see Eva clenching her small fists. I really wanted to be standing by her side. Marquis Duhem had his eyes closed. Duke Sarnez was looking at the Count and his wife with a tranquil gaze. ¡°Your child is still not of age, so I will choose to believe that they have notmitted the same sins. As a result, a small amount of funds will be left for him as he will have to now be self-reliant. The rest of your wealth will be confiscated into the Imperial Treasury. This will be used to create an orphanage in the Imperial family¡¯s territory and to hire medical staff.¡± ¡°No, you cannot do that, your Majesty! My son!¡± Lady Andresy started shouting. There wasn¡¯t the slightest movement in the Empress¡¯s steel-like demeanor. She gently motioned with her chin and, ¡°Stand up.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, your Majesty! Please listen to me, your Majesty!¡± ¡°Your Eminence!¡± Captain Duhem and the Imperial Guard grabbed the two of them and dragged them to the door. I was tightly clenching onto the cup and red at them until they werepletely gone. ¡®Be persecuted forever and suffer in prison. ¡®No matter how terrible your lives be, it won¡¯t be as bad as what Olddy Pomme and Henriette had to go through.¡¯ ¡°You all should have seen clearly.¡± The Empressmented. Her head was looking forward. Everybody looked toward the throne. ¡°This Empress respects each and every one of your rights to autonomy. I have no interest in pressuring those who are doing good jobs.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°However, do not believe that you will be safe if youmit crimes while avoiding the eyes of the Imperial family.¡± She warned in a husky and gloomy voice. ¡°Do not believe that I will also overlook the issues that my mother and my grandfather missed.¡± She looked so scary. I got the chills despite not having done anything wrong. It reminded me of an old saying, ¡®confess and find the light.¡¯ Everybody must have been feeling simr things as they did their best to not make eye contact with the Empress. Only Marquis Duhem was smiling elegantly as he shot finger arrows at us. ¡®Must be nice being a proud coteral line of the Imperial family¡­¡¯ ¡°Next.¡± However, that was not all. I flinched and turned my gaze. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who had been standing at attention, moved as soon as the Empress spoke. She walked to the door and opened it without any hesitation. ¨C Boom! Abination of familiar and unfamiliar faces showed up. Numerous bound nobles were waiting outside. ¡®That person is the one who hit the twenty year old young man in the tavern¡­¡¯ ¡°Now it is time to fuck up the people who disobeyed the Imperial Decree and excessively taxed themoners, threatening their livelihoods.¡± The Empress almost growled. I bit down on the piece of apple in the ade and nkly looked at her. ¡®Damn, I might fall in love with her like this.¡¯ * Some time passed after that. The sun started setting outside the Empress Pce and the criminals were all dragged out. I thought today¡¯s judgments were all done. However¡­ ¡°Prince Jesse. Her Majesty has invited you to the Rear Tulip Garden.¡± Chief of Staff Laura bowed toward me as she said that. I slowly put down the sixth piece of bugne I was eating as snacks. The Empress and my teacher had already left the audience room, and the other nobles were quickly leaving as well. Benjamin and Ganael were walking over in the distance with a robe and gloves. I wiped my mouth with a napkin and nodded my head. ¡®¡­Do tulips even bloom in December?¡¯ ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Ether pig gonna go crazy if you say that out loud¡­ Chapter 195: Purple Tulip (2) Chapter 195: Purple Tulip (2) Anyway, it was a good thing. I had something I wanted to ask Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique. ¡°Please let me escort you there, your highness.¡± An attendant supporting Chief of Staff Laura bowed as she said that. I was right in thinking that I was not the only one to be invited by the Empress. The lineup was Christelle, the Imperial Crown Prince, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, me and Eva following behind me. Thest thing I saw before leaving the audience room was Marquis Fran?ois Duhem and Duke Simon de Sarnez. The two of them were chatting with extremely serious looks on their faces. ¡°How shameless.¡± Christelle mumbled in a low voice. I looked around, wondering what she meant by that.She was looking back and forth at her father and the attendant in front of them. ¡°That person, she is the woman who was with my father.¡± She whispered. I flinched and looked at the attendant. I did not remember it right away because there were a lot of staff in the Empress Pce. Now that I took a closer look, she did look familiar. On the day of Christelle and Crown prince C¨¦dric¡¯s Holy Knight appointment, Duke Sarnez and a woman were caught by us while secretly meeting in Laura¡¯s office. That woman was the one who was leading us at the Chief of Staff¡¯s orders. ¡°Apparently, she is part of the ounting staff in the Empress Pce. She is twenty-nine years old. She¡¯s the daughter of a Viscount with a bad reputation. She supposedly has not married yet because she has no desire to do so, but I wonder if she has such thoughts these days.¡± Christelle whispered while grinding her teeth. I became anxious and opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything. The crown prince looked as if he heard everything she said, but his pupils didn¡¯t even move. ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. I looked into all of it. I was too disgusted and angry to look past it. I couldn¡¯t even sleep that night. Where else would I use my status as a noble youngdy?¡± Christelle truly liked Lady Isabelle de Sarnez and cherished her like an older sister. I could understand where she wasing from. Our conversation was stopped for a bit after that as we got into a carriage. We were in one carriage while Benjamin, David, and the attendants were in another one. Click. As soon as the coachman closed the door¡­ ¡°It is annoying, your highness. I know I run into her because of work, but I still don¡¯t want to see her face. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen my father, but he makes me angry as well.¡± Christelle grumbled. Eva, who had no idea what it was about, tilted her head in confusion. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth seemed to know the situation. The young Countess must have thought that it was not a good topic for the little young Duchess, as she gently changed topics. ¡°It is my first time going to the Rear Tulip Garden. I don¡¯t know if we will be allowed inside, but I¡¯m so excited.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah. I think it will be so pretty!¡± Eva quickly iled her sleeves and answered. Christelle also did not seem to want to discuss her father¡¯s affair any longer as she smiled and nodded her head. Her heart seemed to be suffering a lot about it, but it was extremely personal as a family issue so I had no way to help. ¨C ck, ck. The carriage slowly moved forward. The five of our heads shook in the same direction. I contemted things before releasing some ether for Christelle. She looked at me and her blue-gray eyes gently curled. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ Her lips moved as well. I could feel the crown prince, who was seated by the window, immediately ring at me. ¡°¡­¡± ¡®Ohe on, are you jealous?¡¯ I had no choice but to release some ether toward him as well. The punk, as expected of a male lead, could not even watch two friends chat with each other. The orange eyes looking at me instantly calmed down. ¡®Yes, this is an all you can eat so eat as much as you want.¡¯ ¡°Where exactly is the Rear Tulip Garden?¡± I held back a sigh and asked. The Imperial Pce was the home of the Imperial family. There was obviously no map for outsiders, and as a diplomatic hostage, my movements were even more restricted. The young Countess smiled and answered. ¡°It is the only ce on the entire continent that has received the blessing of the Almighty God and grows purple tulips. They are not regr tulips so they bloom even inte winter. I¡¯m sure the gardeners will be very happy to hear that you are getting to see them, your highness.¡± My eyes opened wide. I thought it was possible because she asked us toe to the rear garden in such weather, but it really was the location of that flower. Everybody knew the story of the purple tulip and the Empire. Every history book I¡¯ve read here mentioned the story without an exception. So basically¡­ It happened one thousand years ago. A long long time ago, the Riester Empire and the Viaan Holy Kingdom were one nation. The nation was named Unio. Unio was split into two due to religious warfare, leading to present day Empire and the Holy Kingdom. There were lots of ethnic minorities and feudal lords in the Empire at that time causing chaos, leading to almost fifty years before things became stable again. On the other hand, Viaan managed to band as one right after the split. The Holy Kingdom¡¯s royal family mentioned things about how Holy Knights never came from the Riesternd and how despite the difference in poption, the Empire had fewer priests than the Holy Kingdom to proim the legitimacy of their nation. They believed they were chosen by the Almighty God and proimed that the Empire would eventually perish. While that was going on, a hero appeared in the Empire. It was the great unifying monarch, Arian Riester. ording to the books, she, with a Cardinal named¡­ I forgot his name. Anyway, she worked with someone and used his religious foundation and her leadership skills to unify the Empire. Once the nation reached a time of peace, thete Empress suggested that the Cardinal be her ¡®second soulmate.¡¯ She recognized the influence that religion had on the nation and determined that it would be difficult to protect what she had with just her husband from a political marriage. However, the Cardinal could not easily ept her suggestion. Rather than be something like a concubine as seen in the feudal states, he wanted to remain as someone who had no rtions with Arian at all. It was because he loved her. This was the part that made it clear that QNW was a romance fantasy. ¡°As a result, his Eminence, Cardinal Philip, offered thete Empress a tulip bulb.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s exnation continued. ¡®Oh right, the name of the man who loved Arian was Philip.¡¯ ¡°He then said the following. Your Majesty, I am already your ally. However, if you desperately want me¡­¡± ¡®And if the Almighty God blesses our union, a purple tulip will grow from this bulb.¡¯ One of the meanings of the ancient nation of Unio meant bulb. Purple was the color of the Church of the Almighty God and the tulip was a flower with an important religious meaning. However, purple tulips had only been seen in people¡¯s imaginations at that time. Such flowers had never grown anywhere. Arian received the bulb, returned to the Imperial Pce, and personally buried it in the field. However, she had no expectations at all that it would bloom into a purple tulip. She just considered it her friend¡¯s way of rejecting her in a roundabout way. But that spring, a purple tulip bloomed. Everybody called it a miracle of god. ¡°In the end, his Eminence, Cardinal Philip, epted the will of the Almighty God and became her Majesty¡¯s partner. Thete Empress respected his Eminence and coined the term Religious Partner for such connection of souls.¡± I nodded my head. Eva¡¯s cheeks flushed and she whispered about how it was so romantic. Just like that, Philip only loved Arian for the rest of his life. The purple tulip formed a colony by the time the two of them became old and became a symbol of how the Empire received the Almighty God¡¯s affection. Thete Empress, who did not know anything about Philip¡¯s feelings, wanted him to form a family and be happy. However, he remained single in the Imperial Pce until hisst breath. ¡®You could call him this neighborhood¡¯s OG second male lead¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Woah, woah.¡± I heard the coachman stop the carriage at that time. I quickly leaned my neck toward the window. The crown prince happened to be leaning back. I thought I saw some purple, but that was it. The rear garden was not very visible because of the trees. The vines and trunks were long and thick despite the leaves sleeping for the winter. ¡°Get off to take a look.¡± ¡°I guess I should.¡± The crown prince sneered. I subconsciously answered and quickly alighted from the carriage. My heart was beating wildly because it was my first timeing to this part of the Imperial Pce. I was also nervous to know why the Empress called us here. Her sword, Sir Johann, was waiting for us at the arched entrance to the rear garden. ¡°Wee, your highness. You were so cool in the audience room.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you very much. ¡° His drooping eyes curled up as he spoke and I barely smiled as I answered. My ¡®talk a lot when I get upset¡¯ personality just had to be unable to hold back my anger and burst out at that moment. I didn¡¯t regret my actions, but I felt as if I caught too much attention. ¡°Will the attendants please wait in the carriage? I have received an Imperial Decree to only allow his Royal Highness and hispanions inside.¡± Sir Johann exined. Ganael seemed a bit disappointed, but he said it was an honor to evene this far. I told him to stay warm before we followed the white-haired Holy Knight. My jaws dropped once we passed the gate. ¡°Wow, everything really is purple¡­¡± ¡°My goodness. It¡¯s so pretty. This is so crazy.¡± Christelle sounded extremely astonished. The thousand year old rear garden which was surrounded by a white birch forest waspletely purple. The miraculous tulips waved at us as they grew on the sides of the pure white tiled pathway. There was arge and elegant pond toward the horizon with a pce I didn¡¯t know beyond it. The orange sunset that surrounded us like curtains created a beautiful picture. Unlike Eva, who was looking around extremely amazed, the crown prince showed no joy at all. ¡°Have you been here before, your Royal Highness?¡± I asked, and the punk flicked his chin as if that was obvious. ¡®I guess it makes sense. This is his house.¡¯ ¡°Her Majesty and her Eminence are waiting. Shall we go?¡± Sir Johann motioned with his hand. It was only then that we noticed the perg and the table at the center of the rear garden. The Empress and Cardinal were seated across from each other, enjoying their coffee. Chief of Staff Laura was busy attending to them. The Chief of Staff quickly walked in front of the group. It was absurd to make adults wait for us in this cold weather. ¡°I greet the sun that has descended to the ground and your noble Eminence.¡± ¡°Your majesty. Your Eminence.¡± We bowed in one voice and the crown prince added that shortment. The Empress put her ss down and chuckled. * ¡°Sir Geens, hurry. The rabbit over there!¡± ¡°Young Duchess nquer. Won¡¯t we be punished for catching a rabbit in the Imperial Pce?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not catching it, you dummy. I just want to hug it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I did not understand your deep thoughts.¡± Sir Johann and Eva were having fun by the pond. I chuckled while drinking some warm lemon verbena tea under the perg. I thought it would be cold but it was so warm here that I could take my gloves off. ¡°There is temperature regting magic on the perg. Thanks to that, it is warm even in the middle of winter.¡± My teacher warmly exined it to me. ¡°¡­¡± Everybody quietly picked up our cups and watched the Almighty God¡¯s flower field as the sun set. I slowly peeked toward the Empress. ¡®She¡¯s showing no signs of saying something. Is it okay for me to ask something first?¡¯ ¡°Do you think it was foolish?¡± Flinch. I became shocked at the Empress¡¯s sudden question and my body shook. She slowly turned her head to look at us. Her cherry-colored eyes were sparkling tiredly. ¡°I knew about it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°My grandfather knew about it as well. We knew about the rumor that the House of Andresy throws away children.¡± She exined. I got the chills for a moment. I held back a gasp and tightly held onto the teacup. ¡°However, the Count¡¯s family was very active throughout the war in protecting the central region. In the end, my grandfather closed his eyes to their sins.¡± ¡°My goodness.¡± Christelle whispered. The Empress continued to speak. ¡°The same rumors flowed into the Imperial Pce during my mother¡¯s generation. However, the problem this time was that the Warring Era had ended.¡± ¡°Why¡­¡± ¡°My mother was busy looking after and reconstructing the injured Empire. She decided that capturing a Count who was called a hero and punishing him for his sins would shake the hearts of the people. She also didn¡¯t have any proof.¡± Basically, the two former rulers knew of the rumors but did not look into the situation for the greater good. The young Countess lowered her gaze. She had aplicated expression on her face. ¡°I do not think that the two of them were correct. This may be arrogant of me, but I believe that I would havee to a different decision had I been on the throne at the time.¡± The Empress¡¯s husky voice was full of scorn. My teacher looked at her soulmate with a pitying gaze. The two women made eye contact. ¡°However, what can I do despite it being stained with blood? This is the position I have carried on.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Fixing the mistakes of my predecessors and making sure not to do anything my son will have to fix in the future. That is my duty.¡± The Empress calmlymented. The winter sun was already down and gone. The purple color of the tulips slowly spread into the sky. Laura, who had quietly been standing there, lit up some lights throughout the perg. The Empress¡¯s red eyes stared at the crown prince for a long time. The mother¡¯s eyes were full of affection that could not be put to words. ¡°That is why I left the task to all of you. I wanted to experience the fetters of an extremely long sin.¡± She then looked at me. I could not avoid her gaze, almost as if I was captured by them. ¡°Since you are the punks who will carry on the future of the Empire.¡± My jaw dropped down. ¡®The future? ¡­Me too?¡¯ ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Yes, you too, you numbnut. Chapter 196: Purple Tulip (3) Chapter 196: Purple Tulip (3) ¡®This¡­¡­¡¯ This was my mistake. I reflected on my actions and buried my lips in my teacup. I could feel the Imperial Crown Prince¡¯s piercing gaze on the side of my face. ¡°The little Sarnez girl will soon be the young Duchess.¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty. My father has said so as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique offered a future and Christelle immediately answered. ¡®The future?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that I thought I was useless. I was the partner of the main character of < I quit my job and ended up as a noble youngdy in another world > as well as her future husband¡¯s partner.I decided not to be the second male lead, but I still had a role that was just as important. I was also no longer just a diplomatic hostage. I was one of the Empress¡¯s marquises, given some territory, and the Empire¡¯s one and only Cardinal was my teacher. I also had friendships with Riester¡¯s four major noble families. Furthermore, I decided back in S¨¦r¨¦nit¨¦ to ept my own feelings. I like the people I met here and I wanted to be with them. ¡°Mm.¡± I looked toward the pond in order to calm my chaotic mind. Sir Johann was teaching Eva something. ¡°Put it in like this and pull, my young Duchess. If you make a small circle, it bes a clover ring.¡± ¡°And if you make it a big circle?¡± ¡°Then I guess you could use it as a bracelet.¡± ¡°¡­Sir Geens, you are more useful than I thought. This is great.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± ¡­That was why it really was my mistake. I was so focused on the things that I needed to take care of and didn¡¯t think deeply about what kind of existence I would be to others. I liked Riester, but I wanted the prince to be able to see his siblings in the Holy Kingdom as well. At the same time, I needed to go home. I was so focused on these three things that were contrary to each other that I did not focus on external factors at all. What am I supposed to do if my friends want to do things with me in the future? ¡°¨¦lisabeth, you will probably take over the position of Margrave when your mother retires as well.¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty. But it seems like she will easily keep it for another twenty years.¡± ¡°Hmph. Caroline would definitely do that.¡± ¡°Do you have any ns on getting married?¡± The Empress chatted with Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth as well. Cardinal Boutier brought up a topic that you would normally expect from your extended family during the holidays. The young Countess turned red and said that nothing specific has been set in stone. Christelle chimed in loudly. ¡°The Vice Captain said she will wait until her fiance is twenty years old. But he seems ready to marry her at any moment.¡± ¡°Oh my.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± My teacher acted shocked in order to y along with Christelle. I felt like I could hear a teasing tone ying in the background. Iughed at the two of their cruel joke. The people who were from this ce naturally were nning for theing days and dreaming of their future. That was as obvious as breathing. I was the same way in my house with Eunseo and my brother. ¡°¡­ Anyway, don¡¯t just stay like hermits inside the Imperial Pce and your house.¡± The Empress looked at us and proimed. The Cardinal added on. ¡°It¡¯ll be hard for you to go out even when you want to once you ascend to the throne in the future.¡± ¡°Go out and have fun while you can and see the lives of your people. If I ever make a mistake, your jobs are to tell me about it.¡± ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡± The crown Prince¡¯s orange eyes calmly sparkled. My teacher gently patted the back of my hand. ¡°You worked hard this time too, my little prince.¡± ¡°It was nothing, your Eminence.¡± ¡°To be honest with you, I brought it up to Fr¨¦d¨¦rique first. I told her that we should leave the Madame Victoire issue to you guys.¡± I blinked my eyes. I was well aware of the Empress and the Cardinal being one mind and body, but I had no idea that it was my teacher¡¯s idea. She had made it sound like the Empress randomly thought of it when we were there. ¡®That was all just an act?¡¯ ¡°If our hypothesis would have been correct, it was an extremely personal act of revenge. I thought using force would not have allowed Victoire¡¯s story toe to light. It would have just ended as a thief running wild before feeling the iron mace of the Empress.¡± ¡°We did not want that. We were also able to learn of the nearby territory lords¡¯ arrogant actions thanks to thatmoner. I hate owing a debt.¡± The Empress quietly grumbled. Basically, she purposely did not use force against Victoire. There would have been no benefit to the thief getting caught early, and she also wanted the thief¡¯s situation to be revealed in a more dramatic fashion. However, they had not expected Victoire to be two people and not one. They also never expected Olddy Pomme¡¯s tuberculosis or the carriage ident. As the Cardinal mentioned, it was because the two of them could not go out to the scene of the crimes. ¡°That was why¡­ Ah, the snacks are empty. Are you hungry?¡± My teacher looked at Christelle and I and warmly asked. We looked embarrassed but said yes. Laura walked up to the Empress around that time, and¡­ ¡°Your majesty. Dinner has been prepared.¡± She shared the greatest news with us. Eva then turned toward us and her ears perked. Sir Johann must have heard everything from over there and informed her about it. ¡®Air attribute really is amazing.¡¯ * Dinner was amazing. The food at the Imperial Pce was always delicious but eating outside like this made it even more fabulous. I was relieved after hearing that the attendants waiting outside were also eating at a nearby pce. It was now dark and the white moon was floating in the sky. The air was clear so we could also see a ton of stars. The tulips took in the moonlight and waved together with the wind. It felt like I was in the middle of someone¡¯s sweet dream. Magical purple flowers, the clouds floating by¡­ And an unforgettable cup of after-meal wine. ¡°Cough, cough! It¡¯s bitter, your Majesty. It tastes weird!¡± ¡°I told you it won¡¯t taste good.¡± ¡°But Dame Sarnez said, ¡®ah¡­ There¡¯s nothing better than this¡­¡­¡¯ It feels like I am burning inside. Maybe it went bad, your Majesty?¡± The Empress chuckled at Eva¡¯s reaction. The young Duchess red at Christelle, who was seated next to her. The main character chuckled and put a lemon tart in the child¡¯s mouth. Sir Johann quietly chuckled after seeing Eva eating it. The staff who were taking out the empty dishes smiled while looking at us as well. Eva had alcohol for the first time today, the first time since she became an adult. The child was busy going back and forth between the Lord¡¯s Castle and the Duke¡¯s Estate in the Imperial Capital to get her lessons for being the heir. She never got any drinks from her parents, so the master of the Empire happily bestowed a cup to her. It would have been fine if it was a newly pressed wine or beer. ¡°I think it is too early for you to be drinking armagnac, Eva.¡± I pushed a cup of water toward the child as I said that. Her brown eyes turned sharp. Her ears were red despite drinking just a sip. ¡®That¡¯s brandy with fifty percent alcohol by volume!¡¯ ¡°I can drink, your highness!¡± ¡°You can drink it, but your head may hurt in the morning.¡± ¡°Adults have to go to work even if you have a headache. That is what Vice Commander Moutet told me.¡± I looked at the young Countess with a calm gaze. She did her best to avoid my gaze and ate a piece of pastille. ¡®Aren¡¯t you teaching her the sorrows of life too early¡­?¡¯ ¡°She¡¯s going to feel terrible if we send her back like this. We will send her for a walk. C¨¦dric, go take your cousin for a walk.¡± The Empress sounded entertained as she said that. The Cardinal sighed. Although I couldn¡¯t be sure, I was almost certain that she was nagging her soulmate in her mind. The crown prince elegantly got up, walked over to Eva, and silently offered her his right arm. I couldn¡¯t help but gasp in admiration. He would seem like the male lead of a romfan even if I got a nce while passing them on a train. ¡°Umm, uhh, thank you very much.¡± Eva was as red as spicy fried chicken now. The young Duchess seemed stiff as she got up and linked arms with the crown prince before slowly walking around the tulip garden with him. I smiled as I watched them disappear in the distance. It was disappointing that the crown prince punk didn¡¯t act this way toward Christelle, but it was nice for cousins to treat each other well. The young Countess must have been worried about Eva as she went after them. ¡°Prince Jesse. There is something I am curious about.¡± ¡°Yes, Dame Sarnez.¡± I turned my head and looked into Christelle¡¯s eyes. She gently shook her cup before asking in her usual tone. ¡°Is ¡®push-up position¡¯ a term only used in Viaan?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± My neck creaked. I almost dropped my fork. It took me three seconds to fully understand her question. I got goosebumps on my arms and my neck felt cold. The incident where we met Modeste Bacary at the luxurious tavern, Blois, quickly brushed through my mind. [Everybody stop! Shut up and get in push-up position!] (TL: This came up in ch 187 but I had to change from get down to make this above part work). ¡­I definitely gave such a Divine Oracle to the people fighting. My hand felt damp and my lips started drying. I was a hopeless fool who would have destroyed a country if I was transmigrated as the main character of a story. ¡®Jung Yeseo, how can you use such a Korean term just because you were angry? Especially when the main character next to you is from Korea?! Have you forgotten about that this whole time?!¡¯ ¡°I asked Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and she said that the Empire does not have such a term or movement. That was why she was shocked while watching you scolding the nobles, your highness. I was shocked as well. Because you were so stern.¡± She squinted and mischievously added on. She must be a bit drunk as she slurred her words a bit. Christelle seemed to not think of it as a big deal, but I was at a loss for how to respond. I wanted to lie that it was something from the Holy Kingdom, but¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Sir Johann was across from me. ¡®This is driving me nuts!¡¯ ¡°Maybe it is the way the Viaan Royalty trains their soldiers?¡± The white-haired Holy Knight broke the silence at that moment. I dropped my jaw in shock. ¡°I¡¯ve never been to the Royal Pce, but I¡¯ve heard rumors about how the training there is extremely difficult, to the point where many people give up. In return, their special forces are as strong as your average low-grade knight.¡± His mint-colored eyes curled up as he looked at me. I nodded my head like a broken robot before drinking some water. My mouth would have said, ¡®thank you very much for helping me,¡¯ to Sir Johann had I not consciously thought about not doing it. Christelle said something about how she knew that had to be it before chuckling as she took another sip of the armagnac. ¡®Thank goodness she¡¯s drunk¡­¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ve heard the stories of how the Holy Kingdom runs even their untrained soldiers to the ground as well. How interesting.¡± The Empressmented once the topic of soldier training was brought up. This was an unexpected flow of conversation. I was basically binging the plum sherbet that came out because I was worried they would ask me something when Laura quietly came over and bowed to whisper something in her master¡¯s ear. The Empress heard the Chief of Staff¡¯s report before looking toward the entrance of the rear garden. Everybody looked toward the same spot. ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡°It is Marquis Fran?ois Duhem.¡± ¡°Tsk. Is it already that time?¡± The Empress clicked her tongue and got up. I tried to get up as well but she waved her hand to stop me. ¡®That time?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m going to go chat for a bit.¡± ¡°Give him my regards as well.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The sword master ced her sturdy hand on the Cardinal¡¯s shoulder before walking away. I was curious about what they would talk about as the Empress went to him instead of the Marquising to her. However, my teacher didn¡¯t seem to think much of this situation. Her face that was visible under the magic light seemed a bit sad. It seemed like a personal issue so I decided not to ask about it. The Empress walked quickly and was already patting Marquis Duhem¡¯s arm. ¨C Boom. I flinched and turned my gaze. I saw that Christelle had mmed her head on the table and was asleep. I was surprised shested this long as she was basically having a drinking contest with the Empress with an extremely strong alcohol. It wasn¡¯t cold thanks to the magic on the perg, but our friendly neighborhood Sir Johann pulled off his coat to cover her. Seeing her mouth open as shey there made me chuckle. ¡®The main character is pretty even when she¡¯s so drunk she knocked out.¡¯ ¡°Did you have fun?¡± My teacher suddenly asked. Her wrinkled beige-colored eyes were looking at me with a warm gaze. I smiled and took another spoonful of plum sherbet. ¡°Yes, your Eminence. It was informative and fun. Her Majesty especially told us many wonderful things. Her advice about making sure to always pay attention to our power and authority whenever we are starting something new or investigating something, in order to not be a tyrant, was especially memorable. Of course, I will never ascend to the throne, but¡­¡± ¡°You could have a different role.¡± She gently butted in. I slowly swallowed the sherbet. I finally realized that the Cardinal was talking about more than just tonight when she asked if I had fun. ¡°Your Eminence, I¡­¡± ¡°I hope that you continue to have fun here, my little prince. I mean it.¡± She touched my cheek affectionately with her hand. Yes, this was the problem since earlier. ¡°If it is what you want¡­¡± If my friends here wanted a portion of my future, how much am I allowed to give them? ¡°The purple tulips will only grow at your feet, my little prince.¡± My teacher finished herment almost in a whisper. Beyond her shoulder, I could see a young man standing stiff at the center of the purple rear garden. A pair of small suns were looking right at me. My eyes slowly opened wide. ¡®Wait¡­ What did I just hear? Get the author here right now.¡¯ ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Jesse has a bone to pick with the author now! Chapter 197: Purple Tulip (4) Chapter 197: Purple Tulip (4) Last night¡­ ¡®I¡¯m not trying to force you. Your thoughts on the matter are most important, my little prince.¡¯ Cardinal Boutier definitely said that. ¡®Will you keep it a secret from C¨¦dric? He will get angry if he learns that I brought it up.¡¯ She whispered that to me as well. As for me, I was not the type of person who could say no to an awkwardly smiling senior¡¯s face. All I could manage to say to her was¡­ ¡®umm¡­¡­ I will think about it and give you an answer, your Eminence.¡¯ That was all I could muster. My teacher lovingly nodded her head as if she could wait forever for my answer. I seemed to be the only one shocked after hearing something like that as Sir Johann lookedpletely fine as he ate a bite of the mocha Pots de Cr¨¨me. It felt like a dream even after waking up and thinking about it again. ¡®I would have to think hard even about spending thirty years with my friends here and investing in real estate, but¡­¡­ How does this make any sense? Is this sort of development really okay?¡¯¡°Has QNW¡¯s rating hit rock bottom? Did I go too far?¡± ¨C Cruuu. ¡°Think about it, Demy. It¡¯s been almost nine months since I¡¯ve transmigrated here but the main characters are still not dating. I would have stopped reading a long time ago.¡± ¨C Cruuuuuuuuu The red panda made a noise that sounded as if he wasughing. Rhea and Perry were each asleep on one of my thighs. I petted their warm bodies as I wracked my brain some more. Only the furnace in the room peacefully crackled. ¨C Crackle, crack crack¡­¡­ After hearing the Cardinal¡¯sments and returning to Juliette Pce, I couldn¡¯t sleep untilte into the night. I may not have been a QNW reader, but I was decently sharp. There was no way to wrongly analyze that statement. Purple tulips could mean a lot of things on the continent. The Almighty God, the Pope, the miracle of faith, the Covenant of Paired Stars, etc. But that will ¡®only grow at my feet?¡¯ Furthermore, she said something like that while in the rear garden? In the ce the tale of how Arian and Philip became the first Religious Partners is passed down? My teacher¡¯s meaning was clear. She was telling me to be the Imperial Crown Prince¡¯s Religious Partner. ¡°Is the author being serious?¡± I quietly mumbled. It was obvious that Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique felt the same way. Our two elders moved with one mind. ¡°They even said that Christelle will soon be the young Duchess. Then she can¡¯t marry a member of the Imperial family. This is serious.¡± ¨C Squeeeee? ¡°Yeah, she can¡¯t. In this world, only the second child and younger can dere their independence to their family. The rule is that the eldest child or only children must carry on the duties of the family. Someone from another family will have to marry into their family.¡± I recalled a story Christelle once told me. If she and crown prince C¨¦dric got engaged, Duke Sarnez would adopt a close nephew to carry on the family name. This was because Christelle was an only child. ¡°It will be a big problem if the two of them don¡¯t start dating before she bes the young Duchess.¡± ¨C Whimper My monologue became longer at this sense of crisis. I wasn¡¯t even in the right state of mind to take out my notebook. I blurted out my hypothesis like a crazy person. ¡°If she bes the young Duchess and then starts dating him, that¡¯s a bit¡­¡­ No. That¡¯s not bad either. It will still avoid the worst case scenario.¡± However, that wouldplicate things. If Christelle dates and then marries the crown prince after she is announced as the young Duchess, the House of Sarnez would have to ept that they would be absorbed by the Imperial family and their legacy would disappear into history. They would be the talk of the Beau Monde if they adopted their nephew and forced Christelle to step down from her position at that time. Neither was an option a famous family like that would like. ¡°Haaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. I buried my head onto the soft couch and closed my eyes. Percy, who had been ying on the armrest of the couch, flew over andnded on my neck. My shoulders felt heavy. I had decided to be friends because it was hard to avoid them, but now they were asking me to be in charge of his ¡®te.¡¯ The love story of the main characters seemed to be the most difficult thing to achieve in this world. ¡°I¡¯m suddenly being struck by reality. Do the main characters have to date?¡± ¨C Piiiiiii¡­¡­? The chimney bird chirped oddly. He seemed to be saying that this was unexpected of me. My eyes instantly opened wide. ¡°Of course they do. We have to keep the flow of the original,¡± I mumbled as if to firm my resolve and sat up straight. As mentioned before, I had never read QNW. As a result, I had no idea how close or different things were from the original flow of things. Of course, I was sure that I was quite far from the original script. The two of them were originally not Holy Knights and the real Prince Jesse had no ether inside of him. There were even a few days that the main characters declined or avoided events that only I knew about. But if I stopped thinking about it and just ignored the major plotline of this novel to just que sera sera¡­¡­ There will be nopass to guide me. To bepletely honest, I had no confidence that I could handle such anxiety. I wouldn¡¯t have anything to say back even if people called me weak. ¡°Plus, it is nice to see the two of them together. They are so beautiful and delightful to see together.¡± This was the truth. ¨C Piiii Pooooo ¡°What is up with your tone?¡± Percy sounded like a little punk as he chirped. I chuckled and touched the tip of his beak. I was a little, just a tiny bit angry, with my teacher. In the original novel, she was the one who yed matchmaker for Christelle and the crown prince, making the readers call her Teacher Au. But why now¡­¡­ ¨C Knock knock. Someone knocked on the door at that moment. It was time for the guests to arrive. Iid the red pandas to the side and immediately stood up. I made sure I looked okay and rubbed the back of my head as well. Ganael poked his head through the slightly opened door at that moment. ¡°Your highness, Lady Sarah Belliard is here.¡± ¡°Yeah. Please tell her toe in.¡± I smiled. The box on top of the table sparkled. * Ganael pushed Percy and the little troublemakers in a flower cart while Pierre went to get Tith¨¦ from the ice water. My guest soon entered. ¡°This is my first time in Juliette Pce. It is an honor for our House of Belliard, your highness.¡± The journalist elegantly bowed. Lady Belliard was wearing a beautiful dress as usual. Her robe that was adorned with luxurious fur and gloves also looked expensive. Her imposing voice was the same as usual. I greeted her back and gestured toward the couch. She used a sharp gaze to look around before sitting down. I felt as if I could clearly see the contents of the uing < Biweekly Riester >ing out on the fifteenth. ¡®Good thing I had them get a room we don¡¯t usually use ready.¡¯ ¡°Please enjoy.¡± Benjamin ced some refreshments down and walked out of the room. He had the perfect poker face on. Our beloved writer was great at separating his main duty with his side hustle. ¡°I never expected you to reach out to me first, your highness. To be honest with you, something like this usually never happens.¡± ¡°Haha. I¡¯m sure everybody is hesitant to invite a journalist to their private lives.¡± I yed along. I officially invited Lady Belliard to the pce as soon as we finished Old Lady Pomme and Henriette¡¯s funerals and headed back. I wanted to give her some sun halo weed for her sick grandson. I received permission from the crown prince early on and carefully asked the Empress and Cardinal for their permissionst night as well. Of course, she seemed to have no idea at all. ¡°If it is because you have decided to proceed with another interview, I will serve you to the best of my abilities, your highness.¡± ¡°Another interview?¡± ¡°We have received quite a lot of questions since then. Our readers truly seem to love you. The May first issue with your interview has sold three times our usual numbers, your highness. It was the first time something like that has happened in thirteen years.¡± She seemed happy as she said that. I couldn¡¯t answer as I was worrying about how to bring up the reason for her visit. Lady Belliard seemed to take that as my willingness to be interviewed as she pushed up her small sses and pulled out her notebook and pen. ¡°Please let me know when you are ready, your highness. Please excuse me, but how much time do we have?¡± ¡°I am pretty free today. It is the weekend.¡± ¡°Oh. I must be very lucky.¡± Her short white hair shook as she nodded her head. I looked at the spiced flower tea she had yet to touch. ¡®Oh, I think she said that she doesn¡¯t drink anything when she is doing an interview.¡¯ ¡°Lady Belliard.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. I will get started.¡± ¡®Oh dear, she¡¯s so fast.¡¯ ¡°We are receiving so many questions from our readers regarding the Madame Victoire incident. The holy artifact of the Count¡¯s House of Ciss¨¦ was found in the shabby room she was using in an inn. Even the old street vendors thought that she was a local and didn¡¯t suspect anything at all¡­¡­ I heard that you as well as his Royal Highness personally captured the culprit.¡± ¡°Well, that is true.¡± ¡°Thanks to that, people are believing that his Royal Highness is already creating his own group of people.¡± ¡®I don¡¯t know about a group of people, but he definitely seems to be trying to get a soulmate.¡¯ ¡°As a result, here is my first question. Your highness, are you no longer just a Confessional Priest in the Imperial Pce-¡± ¡°Excuse me, it is okay for you to drink the tea today.¡± I had no choice but to interject. She blinked her eyes. I pushed the steaming teacup toward her and carefully chose my words. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you, but I did not call you here for an interview, Lady Belliard.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± ¡°How is your grandson doing these days?¡± Lady Belliard¡¯s face instantly went dark. She should be one of the best in the Empire at maintaining her poker face, but she became so weak whenever her grandson was mentioned. She had been the same when I first met her in the Temple Confessional. She finally started to speak. ¡°¡­¡­Your highness, you are the only one who asks about him so often.¡± The child still seemed to be unconscious. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if my question has made you feel ufortable,¡± I apologized. The old woman quietly sighed before taking her sses off. ¡°I did not say that to rebuke you, your highness. I was just wondering how you could be such a good person. I am a reporter out hunting for stories and the wife of not even a Baron but a Bar.¡± ¡°Your background ys no factor in why I called you here today.¡± I said that and opened the box on the table to show her what was inside. Lady Belliard looked back and forth at the wooden box and at me before a questioning look appeared on her face. ¡°What is this, your highness? A flower tea?¡± ¡°It is simr to that. You truly are sharp, Lady Belliard.¡± I smiled. ¡°This is called sun halo weed. It is a new medicinal herb that her Majesty has not announced yet, so I ask that you do not speak of it until it is announced.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I understand, your highness. But why are you giving this to-¡± She suddenly stopped talking. Her green eyes looked at me with disbelief. I became embarrassed and rubbed my neck. ¡°This herb is able to help the ether inside a person¡¯s body. We have patients who have benefited from using this herb as tea. They have been using it for a long time without any adverse side effects.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The woman¡¯s lips were shaking. I pretended not to see that and continued to speak. ¡°I¡¯m sure your grandson has already seen a healing priest, but¡­¡­ They probably were unable to open the circles necessary to search his te. That circle is extremely difficult to memorize and takes a lot of ether to use. It is hard for anyone other than the high-ranking priests whoe and go from the Imperial Pce to use.¡± I naturally couldn¡¯t do it either. I thought about our good and brave little Gerrit and smiled. ¡°That is why I wanted to give this to you. Of course, it is possible that your grandson¡¯s condition has nothing to do with ether, but you know how people are. We want to use every possible medicine out there to see if it will help.¡± ¡°Has her Majesty approved of this?¡± he asked in a shaking voice. I quietly nodded my head. ¡°She did not give me a quick answer when I asked. However¡­¡­ She told me to do as I wish. Is there a problem?¡± Lady Belliard urgently shook her head. She then bowed deeply. The old woman¡¯s breathing was heavy. ¡°Thank you very much, your highness. This divine benevolence¡­¡­ I will never forget it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We haven¡¯t even seen if it is helpful to him yet,¡± I answered brightly and handed her the box after closing it. Having high expectations would lead to greater hurt if it didn¡¯t work. Lady Belliard covered her mouth with her handkerchief and tried to calm her breathing. She too seemed as if she wanted to not focus too much on the sun halo weed. She knew better than anybody else about the hurt from disappointment. ¡°Is¡­ Is there something you want from me, your highness? I¡¯m sure there has to be something.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± The reporter suddenly said something like that. I became flustered. ¡®I didn¡¯t do this expecting something in return?¡¯ * However, it seemed stupid not to take it when she offered, so¡­¡­ I shared a small hope of mine with Lady Belliard before saying goodbye. I didn¡¯t know whether it woulde true, but I thought it was fair since we didn¡¯t know if the medicinal herb would work either. Our diligent attendants entered the room and cleaned up the couch and table. Pierre ced the fluffy and dry harp seal in my arms. ¡°Thank you and good work. Did you have fun? Was it okay ying without your big bro there with you?¡± ¨C Aaarf! Tith¨¦ iled as if to say no. I smiled brightly and was consoling him when¡­ ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Prince Jesse.¡± I heard Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s urgent voice. I had an ominous feeling as I looked toward the door. The Vice Captain¡¯s usually well-kept short hair was a mess from the wind. What she said to me was even more surprising. ¡°The old fortune teller you mentioned¡­¡­ She does not exist.¡± ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Cutie Vice Captain say WHAAAAAAT?! Chapter 198: Purple Tulip (5) Chapter 198: Purple Tulip (5) I nkly blinked. ¡°Please sit down.¡± I had Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, who looked cold, first enter the room and sit at the couch in front of the furnace. Ganael warily watched before brewing a new pot of spiced flower tea. He then served a cup of cocoa to his fiancee before quickly leaving the area. He must have recognized the serious mood. I quickly whispered once the two of us were left alone. ¡®What do you mean by that? What do you mean that the old fortune teller does not exist?¡± The Vice Captain¡¯s grey eyes looked perplexed. It looked as if she was having trouble figuring out where to start with the exnation. I had made a request to the Imperial Crown Prince a while ago. It was during the Madame Victoire incident but had nothing to do with that thief. Last summer, there was an olddy who left an ominous fortune for the crown prince. ¡°It looks like our esteemed sir will lose a connection once again. How pitiful¡­¡­¡± I had suddenly be curious about her well-being. It was because I heard about how Modeste Bacary lost his memories after foretelling something that did not happen in the original. Seeing the olddies selling goods in the alley made me think of that fortune teller. ¡®I also want to see how she is doing.¡¯¡®She is just a lowly scammer.¡¯ Crown prince C¨¦dric had almost immediately shut down my request. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was the one to listen to my request in the end. ¡®Please leave that to me, your highness. I will look into it for you.¡¯ However¡­ ¡°There are no traces of her, as if she never existed in this world.¡± ¡°Do you mean that she no longer tells fortunes in that area? Someone should have still seen her,¡± I asked. The young Countess frowned. ¡°That is exactly the problem, your highness. Even the witnesses cannot remember anything about that fortune teller.¡± ¡®What¡­¡­?¡¯ ¡°After asking around, I went to look for the staff from the Legault Central Commerce Center who dragged the fortune teller out that day. However, he gave an odd testimony when the Imperial Guard questioned him. He remembered pushing an old woman away from in front of his Royal Highness, you, and Dame Christelle, but¡­¡­¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s voice turned odd. It sounded as if she could not believe it. ¡°Who she is, when she appeared, and when she disappeared¡­ He couldn¡¯t even remember what she was doing. He tried his best to recall her appearance, but the face in his mind turned ck as if someone spilled ink on it¡­¡­ And he could not recognize it.¡± I got chills. ¡°That¡­¡­¡± ¡®Is that possible?¡¯ I sipped my tea to stop myself from asking that part. It was scary but it sounded usible, as long as the mysterious old fortune teller was not just a passing cliche. ¡°Then you probably couldn¡¯t find any family or friends either.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. We looked everywhere, but we could not find anything as nobody remembered her. All they would answer when we ask them is that they do remember a woman like that passing by. However, that was it, and all of their testimonies lined up. Her face¡­¡­¡± ¡°They couldn¡¯t see it. It looked as if it was painted ck.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. It is extremely odd. They couldn¡¯t even remember her voice,¡± the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard added on with a heavy voice. Silence filled the room for a moment. Only the sound of the young Countess sipping her cocoa every so often and the crackling inside the surface echoed in the room. I wondered if I would be the same and calmly organized the file cabs of my mind. It was around the end of June and we were about to get on the carriage after finishing our shopping in the Commerce Center. There was some chaos on the other side of the road¡­¡­ ¡®Grandma, are you unwell?¡¯ Christelle¡¯s voice. Then the old woman had shown herself. She looked to be over ny and her eyes were small and murky. I gulped out of reflex and tightened my grip around the teacup. I remembered. My mind clearly remembered her. ¡®Sir, you are not from here.¡¯ Her profound and mysterious voice was vivid in my mind as well. As someone from outside the novel, I was different from the others. ¡°¡­¡­Thank you very much, Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth. A lot of my curiosity has been resolved.¡± I barely managed to get those words out. She tilted her head like a curious cat. ¡°Are you really okay with this, your highness? You were curious about the wellbeing of that old woman and we found out nothing. Please allow me to represent the Imperial Guard and apologize for all of us.¡± ¡°That is not necessary. I am so thankful that you were willing to help me with this personal issue.¡± I smiled as I said that and the Vice Captain smiled as if she was relieved. She asked if I wanted her to do additional investigation, but I politely said no. I wasn¡¯t 100 percent sure, but I got the general sense about what happened. Modeste Bacary lost a whole night after making a prophecy about something that was not in the original novel. It was highly likely that the prophecy was rted to me. As for the old woman in question, she made a confusing revtion before disappearing. Just calling it a disappearance made it seem like she was missing, but that was not the case. It was more like she was erased from the minds of the natives of this world. It was enough to deduce that the olddy had peeked into something outside the original novel just as Bacary had done. ¡®She figured out right away that I wasn¡¯t from here too.¡¯ Then who or what power had erased her? ¡°A person who does not exist¡­¡­¡± I looked at the crackling firewood and mumbled to myself. ¡®If I presume it is the same power that erased Bacary¡¯s memories, is it really the author? Maybe the olddypletely disappeared while Bacary only lost his memories because¡­¡­ She was ¡®less important¡¯ in QNW inparison? I guess a minor role is easier to erase than a supporting character.¡¯ ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Your highness.¡± ¡®If I presume everything I¡¯ve deduced is correct so far, who is the person going up against the author to warn us about the future? Is it just a mistake or a deviation?¡¯ My brother, the wuxia author, did say something like that before. Once he formed a character, the plotline sometimes flowed forward even without the author¡¯s intentions. He said that it was as if the characters had their own will and created their own futures. Using Mr. Jung Hyunseo¡¯s experiences as reference, there were two possibilities. First, there was an external figure resisting against the author. Second, the author modified an unexpected action of a character at ater time. ¡°Your highness.¡± ¡®¡­¡­Huh? Hold on. Couldn¡¯t all of this be part of the author¡¯s n? What if the author is the one to throw us the bait and then profoundly erase itter as well?¡¯ ¡°Prince Jesse.¡± Flinch. I snapped out of my thoughts when someone ced their hand on my shoulder. Benjamin was looking down at me with a warm gaze. ¡°Please ept my deepest apologies for breaking your train of thought, your highness. I called out to you a few times but you did not respond.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. Is everything okay?¡± I took a sip of tea to wet my throat as I asked. The middle-aged man answered as if it was nothing big. ¡°Romero Pce has summoned you, your highness.¡± ¡°Okay. Wait, excuse me?¡± My eyes opened wide as I looked at him. ¡°It is the same request as usual. His Royal Highness wishes for some ether.¡± Benjamin was calm. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth was calm as she looked at us as well. I was the only one in a sea of anxiety. There was no need to feel this way, but maybe hearing Cardinal Boutier¡¯s suggestionst night was making me restless. It wasn¡¯t as if the crown prince was calling me out of nowhere, but my neck was stiff with anxiety. ¡®I¡¯ve been doing my part as his priest partner to supply him with ether regardless of the day of the week.¡¯ ¡°That.¡±¡­.. But it was awkward to see his face right now. Slightly awkward, but still awkward. ¡°Are there any special snacks you would like, your highness?¡± ¡°No, I¡­¡­ Am not feeling well. If his Royal Highness is okay with it, I would like to get some rest at Juliette Pce. There is a device I gave him with ether inside, so could he please use that for today?¡± I made as pitiful and weak a look as I could muster. I knew that I was not skilled in acting but I did my best. And then¡­¡­ ¡°Oh Holy Almighty God, please have mercy.¡± Benjamin turned serious. He opened the door to the next room like a sh of lightning and summoned the attendants¡­ ¡°His highness is unwell. All staff will be working at the emergency service level until he gets better, so inform everyone. Let Chef Laurence know that we will need special meals.¡± He gave such an unbelievablemand and then¡­ ¡°Ganael, get Pierre and escort his highness to the bedroom. His precious feet must not touch the ground.¡± He threw such a bomb as well. ¡°Yes, Benjamin-nim!¡± This was my first time hearing such an orderly response in Juliette Pce. The hallway suddenly became rowdy, doors opened on all sides, and the soldiers and servants outside were whispering as if something serious had happened. ¡®Your highness!¡¯ Ganael came over almost sobbing and grabbed both of my hands. I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything in shock. I felt like the boy who cried wolf except they took everything I had at my first attempt at lying. I was so close to saying that I was sorry and to stop what they were doing. ¡°Pfffft¡­¡­.¡± I looked to the side to see that the young Countess was holding her cup of cocoa and trying her hardest not tough. I looked at her desperately as the attendants carried me away. I did everything I could to mouth some words to her. ¡°Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth, this is a secret to that crown prince bastard!¡± ¡°Yes, your highness, a se, pfft, secret¡­¡­ Pfft.¡± She was raising her pinky as a promise before stuffing her face into a cushion. I clenched my teeth. ¡®Why is it that everybody, other than Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth who can¡¯t act, was fooled?!¡¯ * My fake illness couldn¡¯t evenst a day. I had to humbly ept my shorings. Acting and faking were not specialties I could digest. That was our main character Christelle¡¯s specialty. A supporting character like me should not dare to copy such a thing. I barely managed to stop them from calling the Imperial doctor yesterday, but then¡­ ¡®Then we will ask her Eminence toe take a look.¡¯ Benjamin said something even more threatening. At that point, I didn¡¯t know whether he was trying to nurse me back to health or just pranking me. I finally jumped up off the bed and proimed to them. ¡®Umm, I think my condition is just not good because I am tired. I should be fine after getting some rest so please stop worrying and return to normal procedures. Please.¡¯ ¡®¡­As youmand, your highness.¡¯ I felt sorry that they were all suffering because of a fake patient and could not remain on the bed. That was how I ended up as the guy who was sick for a bit and quickly recovered. I ended up taking a break from my lesson with my teacher as well. However, the conundrum did not stop there. ¨C Kiiiiiiiiiii, kiiiiiiiiii! ¡°Yeah, Demy. Big bro will go out too. Don¡¯t worry.¡± I was currently in front of the red pandas, ring out the window. Tith¨¦ was in my arms and Percy on my head. I felt bad because dealing with the Victoire incident made it so that I did not have time to y with the divine beasts. I had a thick coat and a fluffy robe on top of it. I had lined mittens as well along with winter boots made from demonic beast fur. I nned on taking the kids for a walk, getting some exercise, and then cheering Tith¨¦ on as he swam in the ice at the seawater pool. Benjamin was worried about my getting cold air as soon as I got better, but it was fine since I was never sick in the first ce. That was the case, but. ¡°Hey. Are you doing a fan meeting or something?¡± I grumbled. The crown prince was out in the Juliette Pce garden. There were noble youngdies surrounding him as well. I was worried that there might be ady well-suited for the crown prince, but thankfully, there was nobody better than Christelle. The crown prince seemed nonchnt as well. The Grand Duke¡¯s fur coat I saw in Yvelines was around his wide shoulders. His sculpture-like cheek looked quite pale under the winter sun. ¡®That should be because his skin is wless, right? No way it ended up like that because I didn¡¯t give him ether for a day.¡¯ ¡°Your highness, the preparations have beenpleted for your walk. You can head out at any moment,¡± Ganael walked over with arge pic basket and told me. The young boy who was wearing earmuffs that he knitted himself looked like a skyblue retriever. I found some internal peace for a moment while looking at Ganael before it disappeared again as I looked beyond the window. ¡°Mm.¡± ¡­¡­Avoiding him again was definitely not the right thing to do. I thought that I should greet him as we were still friends. That Religious Partner nonsense might just be something the adults were thinking about. This punk might have no intentions of that at all, so I thought I might be going overboard for no reason. In conclusion, I had no desire to agree to my teacher¡¯s request. I had no desire to do so and I could not do so. It was impossible considering my goals. ¡®You were just extremely flustered yesterday, yeah.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s go out there and deal with him like an adult. I am older than him.¡± ¨C Pipipi! Percy chirped, as if telling me to do that. It was at that moment. ¡°Ah, look over there, your highness. It¡¯s Captain Herv¨¦ Duhem!¡± Ganael excitedly pointed to a corner of the window. The Captain of the Imperial Guard, who looked as big and handsome as ever, was out at a remote area with soldiers I did not recognize. He seemed to be training the new soldiers. He raised his muscr arm to point at Juliette Pce before pointing at Romero Pce. An amazing idea suddenly shed through my mind. It felt thrilling! ¡°That¡¯s it, Ganael. I will use the Imperial Guard as a shield.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, perfect. They are at the door. Let¡¯s hide among them and run away to the pond!¡± ¨C Screeeech! I quickly ran down the hallway. The excited red pandas ran behind me. ¨C Pruu! ¡°Your highness, please wait!¡± Ganael called out to me in a voice that was a mix ofughter and perplexion. I sincerely apologized to the crown prince in my mind. ¡®Sorry, I contemted things but I don¡¯t think I can do it today. Please deal with the ne until big bro¡¯s mental fortitude is restored!¡¯ ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Jesse avoiding responsibilities so I can too, right? Chapter 199: Purple Tulip (6) Chapter 199: Purple Tulip (6) ¨C Click, click, click! The Imperial Guard marched in formation. That¡¯s right. Our covert operation was a sess! Surprisingly! ¡°There are many new faces here.¡± I used Captain Herv¨¦ Duhem¡¯s wide back as a shield as I stealthily moved with the group. I was holding Tith¨¦ and Rhea while Ganael had Perry and Demy. Percy was quietly sitting on my shoulder without making a scene. ¡®As expected of the continent¡¯s smartest chimney bird.¡¯ ¡°Yes, your highness. These are new knights and soldiers from the Sarnez territory. We have recruited many of them with Duke Simon de Sarnez¡¯s support,¡± Captain Duhem smiled elegantly as he exined. He seemed a bit shocked at Ganael and my sudden appearance, but seemed delighted when I told him that I came to exercise for the first time in a long while. He emphasized twice that I need to be careful not to lose my muscles, but that was it. The Captain of the Imperial Guard did not question us joining him and happily agreed to escort us until Tith¨¦¡¯s pond. He truly deserved to be in the TOP 10 list of most charming bachelors in Riester. He was a rare case of being beautiful both inside and out. ¡°I guess the Imperial Guard has suddenly grown in size then.¡± I tookrge steps as I talked. I wanted to get out of the area around Juliette and Romero Pces as quickly as possible. I could feel the new Imperial Guard members stealthily peeking at me. I could not get used to this no matter how much time had passed. ¡°Hahaha, yes, your highness. We have been recruiting sentries sincest spring but it is rare for knights and elite soldiers to be recruited inrge numbers like this. But there were strong opinions that we needed to strengthen the Imperial Pce troops because of that hole in the sky incident¡­¡­ And we have more important figures to protect in the pce now, making this number appropriate.¡± His light pink eyes handsomely curled.I looked at him and was about to ask another question when I made eye contact with someone past the Captain¡¯s thick shoulder. It was a coincidence. ¡°Eek.¡± I quickly lowered my head. The ck bastard was burning up in the distance. ¡®Hey, someone is going to think the garden is on fire!¡¯ ¡°Is he really angry?¡± ¡®I¡¯m sure he is not. The Imperial Crown Prince has that same gaze when he is eating breakfast.¡¯ I tried to look at this as rationally as possible. While that was going on, Rhea was pushing my cheeks with her front paws in joy. ¡®Your highness?¡¯ Ganael cautiously called out to me. I smiled at the young boy before quickly rattling off anything that came to mind. ¡°That, ahem. I saw your brother the other day, Captain Duhem. He had requested an audience with her Majestyte at night¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Captain Duhem¡¯s eyes shook for a second. I felt as if I had made a mistake. I had not asked about it in the Tulip Garden because my teacher had looked somber, but I had brought it up so easily to that person¡¯s brother. I quickly added on. ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer that. I¡¯m sure he had his reasons.¡± ¡°Yes, my brother¡­¡­ Will be staying in the Duhem March for a while. But I presume he will return before her Majesty¡¯s birthday,¡± He gently smiled as he answered. It was normal for the Marquis to stay in his territory, but it sounded as if there was a situation that requested his presence. I thought to that point and nodded my head. It was a bit disappointing that I would not be seeing the Marquis for a while. We chatted about different things as well as we walked. Thankfully, crown prince C¨¦dric did not run over to punch me. He also did not light anything on fire. ¡°Over there, I can see the pond, your highness. There is some thin ice so it will be great for our esteemed divine beast to y.¡± The Captain of the Imperial Guard pointed toward Tith¨¦¡¯s pool. The harp seal in my arms arrfed with joy. I smiled brightly as I rubbed his mochi-like cheeks. * After sacrificing my body all day on Monday to y with the divine beasts¡­ ¡®Big bro can¡¯t enter ice water. It doesn¡¯t matter if you look at me with those pleading eyes. I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ ¨C Ssh! ¨C Ssh ssh. ¡®Ahh! Tith¨¦-nim, please don¡¯t ssh the water!¡¯ ¡®Ganael, run!¡¯ Ran around while getting hit by the winter gusts of wind¡­ ¡®Rhea, Perry! Huff, could you guys put on some leashes or something?¡¯ ¨C Kiiiiiiu! Demy cleanly gathered even the leaves that were spit onto the ground. ¨C Ptui. ¡®The world is strange¡­¡­¡¯ This was my first time learning that when earth attribute divine beasts got extremely excited, they grew flower petals in their mouths instead of foaming at the mouth. Ganael gasped, but Iughed for a while because it was shocking yet cute. It was a fun time. And now, it was Wednesday. Cardinal Boutier did not even mention the R in Religious Partner during our morning training at all. However, Sir Johann¡¯s Holy Knight ss was in the afternoon, and I had to do my duty as the priest partner for the main characters. ¨C ck, ck. The carriage heading to the interior training ground crossed through the Imperial Pce. Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique¡¯s birthday was only a month away and December 31st and January 1st were important celebrations in the QNW world as well. Arge number of people, iparable to what I saw during the Spring Ball time, were moving furniture and decorations around us. They all were dressed in thick clothes taking extremely small steps. It was interesting seeing beautiful live flowers in this cold weather, but they supposedly used expensive magic tool pots to maintain their worth and life force. It was quite the extravagance. I looked out to the lively window and mumbled, ¡°I really can¡¯t avoid him now.¡± ¨C Piiiiiii¡­¡­! Percy solemnly responded to me. I exchanged heavy gazes with the little kid. ¡°Show them the mind of a mature twenty nine year old. For real this time.¡± ¨C Piruuuuuuuuuu Then Benjamin, who was checking out supplies on the other side, started frowning. Ganael had a look on his face that seemed to be saying that he couldn¡¯t stop me. Both of them seemed to have recognized that I was avoiding the crown prince. However, it was even more embarrassing that they did not ask why. I silently kept my mouth shut. The Imperial Pce was not a daycare¡­I felt like I was being too childish. ¡®I¡¯ll be thirty in Korean age after a bowl of rice cake soup next month.¡¯ Even if my mind was in a chaotic state, it was not right to not see him like this. ¨C Knock knock, click. The carriage stopped as I was deep in thought. The coachman politely escorted us. I barely managed to move my feet that felt glued down. ¡®This is nothing, Jung Yeseo. Just pretend like nothing happened. It¡¯s not like you had that conversation with that bastard himself.¡¯ ¡°I will be opening the door now, your highness.¡± I snapped back to my senses to see that we were already by the training ground. I calmly nodded my head. Clunk! The sound of the door opening echoed through the wide room. I saw the figures of three men inside. ¡°Hello, your highness.¡± ¡°Have you been well, Prince Jesse?!¡± Sir Johann and Sand happily greeted me. I sheepishly greeted them back. I then made eye contact with the problematic person. I subconsciously gulped. ¡®¡­¡­I¡¯m screwed. That bastard is right about to blow up.¡¯ ¡°Your Royal-¡± ¡°Prince Jesse? Are you okay?¡± I heard a clear voice at that moment. I urgently turned around like a person who found an oasis on a scorching desert. Her pastel pink hair was beautifully fluttering as usual and I could see her blue-gray eyes that sparkled like stars. Christelle stood there in a thick robe with her head tilted to the side. ¡°Why is your ether so unstable? Did something happen, your highness?¡± ¡°Dame Sarnez.¡± ¡®Is the flow of my ether bad right now?¡¯ The main character easily figured out something even I did not know about. I just smiled so as to not worry her and Christelle¡¯s gaze instantly became sharp. She moved as if to protect me and took turns looking at the people in the training ground and then at me. Sand nervously tapped his feet after sensing the hostile mood while Sir Johann was as calm as the windless sea. The crown prince was ring at her with a gaze as hot as a smelting furnace. Christelle suddenly grabbed me by the wrist. As usual, it did not hurt at all. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked like an idiot. The attendant from the Duke¡¯s Estate who came with her dropped her jaw in shock. ¡°You are struggling right now, your highness. I don¡¯t know why, but I will protect you. Let¡¯s run away together.¡± Tatap! There wasn¡¯t even time for me to answer. Christelle instantly abducted me and ran. I couldn¡¯t even resist ¨C or maybe I had no desire to resist as I ran with her. Percy was behind us, causing a gust of wind to move us even faster. I still could not cast away my anxiety and urgently looked toward Benjamin and Ganael¡­ ¡°Hohoho.¡± The middle-aged man was standing thereughing with his hands behind his back. The young boy standing next to him was smirking while his cheeks were flushed red. I felt an instinctual sense of crisis. ¡®Excuse me, please don¡¯t get the wrong idea! This is absolutely not two lovers running away to elope or something like that!¡¯ ¨C Baaaaang! There was a loud explosion inside the training ground. I gasped and looked forward. The blue robe fluttered. Christelle was looking at me and smiling brightly. The cool winter breeze sted right through me. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. * Every single day had been happy for Johann Geens these days. His student created a giant hole in the perfectly usable training ground, but, well¡­ It didn¡¯t change his mood much. ¡°Move.¡± ¡°That is difficult, your Royal Highness.¡± The crown prince growled but Johann did not shake. His opponent was a special person chosen by a divine item as well as a Grade 7 mage and a Grade 8 swordsman. However, he was a Cardinal who awakened his stigmata at twenty-seven. There was a clear difference in strength between the teacher and the student, so there was no reason for him to yield. Johann was instead concerned about the safety of the innocent priest. His liege would not want Sand getting hurt. The man raised an arm and motioned, making the na?ve young man¡¯s body float up into the air. ¡°Aaaaah, Sir Geens!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Please sit over there safely and get some rest.¡± ¡°Yeessssiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir!¡± The priest iled as he flew to a couch at the corner of the training ground. Johann thoroughly confirmed that Sand was safe as Sand tightly hugged a couch cushion. That young master definitely became bolder than before. He no longer ran away or started crying in such a situation. ¨C aaaaang! The Sword of Wisdom from the ming Star came at him from the front. ¨C Creak, creeeeeak¡­¡­ The Cardinal slowly turned his head to look into the pair of orange eyes. Beyond the two swords pushing against each other, he could see that the crown prince¡¯s pupils were as narrow as a sun being covered by the shadow of the moon. He seemed angry that the Cardinal managed to block his attack without even looking. Johann¡¯s weapon, as usual, was a white and opaque air de. The two men¡¯s arms shook as they pushed against each other. Screeeech, screeeech¡­¡­ ¡°Why are you getting in my way?¡± ¡°Because Dame Sarnez is correct, your Royal Highness,¡± He answered in a low voice. ¡°My master is currently in a state of chaos. I can¡¯t send you to him right now, your Royal Highness.¡± Johann looked as if he knew the reason behind the chaos. C¨¦dric clenched his mouth shut. ¨C Boom! The ground underneath the ck boots sank down as two figures blinked and disappeared. ¨C Baaaaang! ¨C ng, ng, kakakang! They then appeared on the other side of the training ground. The des were shing so quickly that most people would not be able to follow the movements. They had never sparred so intensely when the prince was watching. The young man¡¯s hair that resembled sunspots coarsely fluttered. The man spoke while gritting his teeth. ¡°The prince has not exined himself to me.¡± ¡°That is why you must wait, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Why.¡± ¡°Because his highness is always waiting for you as well, your Royal Highness.¡± His voice that sounded as if he was chiding a child, his rxed gaze, everything was annoying. He continued to grind his teeth. Johann knew exactly how to deal with C¨¦dric when he was like this. ¡®If fate allows¡­¡¯ He opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sure you will mix it up with crown princess Elise again in the future.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you cannot defeat me, you cannot even dream of defeating her.¡± ¨C Craaaackle! The Sword of Wisdom crackled with mes. His mint-colored eyes curled up in a refreshed manner. Swooooooosh! A breeze blew in through the hole in the wall. * ¡°Huuuuff¡­¡­ I can¡¯t run any, cough!¡± ¡°There are not many people here. Let¡¯s go to that pce over there!¡± Christelle pulled me forward onest time. She made sure to do it gently and change positions as she moved to prevent my arm from getting bruised. My lips kept curling up because I was thankful that she was being so considerate. I had no idea how far we ran as we ran like hell, but this area of the Imperial Pce definitely had a lot less people. I looked around. ¡®This is my first time here. Is it an empty pce? Or is it used for guests like Strauder Pce?¡¯ I had no idea what it was used for. ¡°Back door, back door¡­ Oh, it¡¯s open. Lucky duck.¡± Christelle said something that would instantly make it easy to tell where she came from without any hesitation. She sounded exactly like Eunseo. I barely held back fromughing as I caught my breath. The main character looked at me and winked with each eye before quickly opening the door and pushing me into a pce. This made me feel like I returned to being a student. ¡°Cough! Haaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­¡± ¡°Please let me escort you inside, your highness. It is shabby, but, no. This is the Imperial Pce so it is probably disrespectful to call it shabby, right?¡± Christelle ced a handkerchief on the hallway floor before quickly correcting her statement. I chuckled and epted her act of goodwill before taking out my own handkerchief and cing it next to hers. Christelle happily sat down. We did not say anything for a while. We heard the voices of attendants and servants a couple times outside the window but it was pretty quiet otherwise. Nobody looked into the backdoor or came in, potentially because this was a masterless pce. I heard a warm voice just as I finished catching my breath. ¡°You can tell me now, your highness. I will hear you out.¡± I turned my head. Her pretty face was very close. ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments Why they always putting gs for Jesse and Chris? Chapter 200: Purple Tulip (7) Chapter 200: Purple Tulip (7) ¡°¡­¡­Haha.¡± Christelle¡¯sments made meugh. Her eyes opened wide as she looked at me. ¡°I mean it, your highness. Feel free to tell me, whatever it may be. Of course, I will keep it a secret as well.¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± I simply thought it was funny. Just a few months ago, I was doing everything I could to avoid Christelle and told myself not to get involved with her multiple times. It was funny that we were sitting next to each other in some hallway chatting with each other. Furthermore, I was clearing my throat as she requested. Eunseo emphasized many times that conversation was important. I, too, wanted to be able to share these thoughts with someone and not just my notebook. And if that person was Christelle¡­it might just be my own hopes, but¡­¡­ She might understand me better than anybody else in this world. ¡°It isn¡¯t much, but it is quite chaotic.¡± I broke the silence as if to make a confession. Her blue-gray eyes looked at me warmly as she awaited what I said next. ¡°There were a few rules that I set for myself aftering here. It was just rules for myself. Don¡¯t do things like this, only do things like that¡­ I made up my mind for some of those things.¡±¡°I see.¡± ¡°That slowly crumbled. Of course, looking back¡­¡­ I think that even I didn¡¯t really dislike the fact that those rules broke down.¡± I smiled and Christelle¡¯s eyes curled up. She leaned her head against the wall and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m also happy that we got close, your highness. Also at the fact that we made many other friends and traveled to all sorts of ces, experiencing weird things. Every moment has been exciting.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smiled brightly after hearing that. As I expected, she was aware of it. She knew that I had drawn a line and kept my distance from her and the others for some reason, and that the line I had set had be almost nonexistent starting at some point. As for that line¡­ it was so faint now that even I couldn¡¯t tell where it was located. ¡°That was fine, and I could happily ept it. However, my mind isplicated for the days toe.¡± I sighed as I exined. Christelle looked at me. ¡°I¡­¡­ Have to go back at some point. But the people here speak so naturally about a future with me in it. You can say that I am foolish, but I have not thought about that. I haven¡¯t had the time to do that either¡­¡­¡± My voice trailed off. But saying these things out loud made my dizzy head feel as if it was bing ordered again, and I was able to think clearly. Maybe I was consciously avoiding a future in this ce. I made excuses to myself about how there was no room to think about something like that as I was too busy keeping myself from getting killed. That was why the original novel, which I barely knew anything about, felt like a rope from heaven. It became my pir of support and acted as mypass. To bepletely honest, I was feeling something in one corner of my heart. It was possible that I may have to live here forever without being able to go back home. ¡°Isn¡¯t that extremely lonely, your highness? Doesn¡¯t it make you feel so alone?¡± Christelle asked at that moment. I blinked and looked at her. The main character, who was hugging her knees, was smiling toward me. ¡°I felt the same way.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°To be honest with you, I still feel that way. I¡¯m having so much fun with you like this, but what if I suddenly break away? What if old Christelle¡¯s memories return and I end up not existing here anymore? In that case¡­¡­ How am I supposed to live, preparing for that moment? I can¡¯t help but have those thoughts.¡± My jaw slowly dropped. She continued to speak with a bright expression on her face. How could she make such a face while sharing such thoughts? ¡°At first, I thought that I lucked out. I awakened in a beautiful young body, so I could just pretend like I got a second life or something. I had no idea what was going on, but it felt as if I had hit the jackpot. That is how I felt. But it took less than two days to figure out how stupid I had been.¡± Christelle sharply added on before chuckling. I couldn¡¯tugh. She was acting like a noble youngdy who lost her memories after being sick for a long time, but she was a Korean person who lived much longer in Korea. Our foundations were different, as I was able to recognize that I was in a novel. I had knowledge I had heard about the different characters, their appearances, and personalities. I also had some ideas about the flow of the novel. I was able to maintain my mental fortitude thanks to that, but Christelle¡­¡­ ¡°Things I didn¡¯t recognize, faces I did not know, the food and neighborhood were all foreign. While I had to adapt to it, there were lots of expectations from those around me and everybody treated me as if they knew me. That was very hard. It was like that despite being a youngdy of a rich family who never had to go hungry¡­¡­¡± She waspletely alone in this world. She was just suddenly dropped into a new ce. When she woke up, she also had a superpower she was not familiar with. The water power, the Blessing of the Blue Sea. ¡°How did you get through that, Dame Sarnez?¡± I barely managed to ask. Christelle immediately understood what I said despite the words barely escaping my throat. Her pretty lips opened without any hesitation. ¡°A mutepp? mindset.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but scoff. That word came from Japanese, so I couldn¡¯t let it show that I understood her, but it was hard to hold back. Christelle then put a serious look on her face. ¡°Let things happen as they will. I will just walk down my own path. That mindset surprisingly provided me with a lot of strength. Maybe it can help you out as well, your highness.¡± ¡°I will keep that in mind, Dame Sarnez.¡± ¡°Doing that allows you to focus on the present. You don¡¯t need to struggle too much with difficult issues.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The smile disappeared from my face. She looked up as she continued to speak. ¡°It is like I told you earlier, your highness. What if I disappear from Eva¡¯s side in five seconds? What if I wake up tomorrow and I¡¯m not at the Duke¡¯s Estate? Instead of worrying about things like that¡­¡­ I have chosen to live in the present to the best of my abilities. My mindset is that I will at least leave behind the traces that show I lived the best life while I was here. Maybe I may not be able to catch the bouquet at Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s future wedding, maybe a different Christelle will be the one to attend it, but¡­¡­ I can at least be happy today nning for that day with her right now.¡± ¡®I can at least be happy today nning for that day with her right now.¡¯ I repeated that sentence in my mind multiple times. Christelle quietly added on. ¡°If my memories were to return, I¡¯m sure the Christelle of that time will hate the present me. I¡¯ve done quite a lot of weird things. I tried my best to do only the things I think are eptable, but that ended up being impossible because of my personality¡­¡­¡± I smiled at her. The many instances where she did something shed through my mind. The crassdy who poured water on the inn owner, beat up a demonic beast, and secretly came to visit me when I was confined to the pce. ¡°You won¡¯t even be able to lift up your spoon to eat if you consider any and all situations. Things are like this anyway, so let¡¯s just go wild! I got upset and did those things. I¡¯m so irresponsible, aren¡¯t I, hehe. An adult my ass¡­¡­¡± Christelle mumbled thatst part in a quiet voice. I quietly watched the side of her face that was so close that she should be able to feel my breath. Not only was she all alone in the QNW world, her feeling of guilt toward the real Christelle was building up inside her. The fact that her transmigration was not by choice did not change anything. The guilt was probably minimal on some days, but other days, she was bound to be feeling intense levels of guilt. I would have been feeling the same way. If I did not know the Prince Jesse was a character in a novel, I would also be having a much more difficult time. Christelle was truly a strong person. ¡°¡­¡­Christelle, you are such a strong person.¡± I spoke my thoughts out loud as well. She looked at me in shock. It was only then that I realized that I called her by her name. Not by herst name or her title, but her first name. ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear.¡± Christelle gentlymented. I pursed my lips in embarrassment. She slowly leaned her body toward mine. Christelle got so close that she could not get any closer, and¡­ ¨C Bonk She slightly touched her forehead to mine before moving away. She then said the following. ¡°Ham Ga-in.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Excuse me?¡± My jaws dropped in disbelief. Eunseo¡¯s voice echoed like a tsunami in my mind. ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaa! If memories had a button, Christelle definitely pushed one of them right now. My sister¡¯s voice that was stuck deep in my subconscious vividly echoed in my mind. It was something that a high school senior said while lying on the couch with her top being her school uniform and her bottoms being her gym ss shorts. ¡®Alright, let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s p that face! Let¡¯s go ham, Ham Ga-in!¡¯ ¡®Bro, what is wrong with her?¡¯ ¡®She¡¯s been eating honeyed sweet potatoes all week and finally got a sprite shower.¡¯ ¡®QNW?¡¯ ¡®What else could it be?¡¯ ¡­¡­Ham Ga-in was the name of the main character who was inside Christelle¡¯s body. I was so shocked that I didn¡¯t know how to react and just opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish. Christelle must have thought I didn¡¯t understand what she meant by her name, as she smiled brightly and exined. ¡°My traces. It is the most important part of it, so I will only let you know, your highness. I haven¡¯t even exined it to my mother yet.¡± ¡°When you say traces¡­¡± ¡°In the future, if you ever say Ham Ga-in and I don¡¯t understand, I will no longer be the Christelle you know, your highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Christelle¡¯s face was firm as she said that and her blue eyes were not shaking at all. A feeling that could not be exined in words overwhelmed me. I tightly closed my mouth and barely managed to nod my head. I then realized how spoiled I had been with my issues. How weak I was, to be twenty nine years old and run away from an unexpected variable. I started with a lot more hints than Christelle, but was so upset and acting immature less than one year into this life¡­¡­ ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Instead of continuing to me myself, I said something I needed to say. She tilted her head in confusion. The winter light came through the clean window of the nameless pce. The main character¡¯s hair shone brightly as it received a gentle pat from the sky. I could hear birds and the breeze tickle the back door as well. Christelle would have no idea about this. She had no idea that her existence alone had supported my sister and was now being an anchor for me. ¡°For telling me such a great story. I will learn to be more like you, Christelle.¡± ¡°Let things happen as they will and just walk your own path?¡± ¡°Yes, including that.¡± Christelle then scowled. She then chirped away like ark. ¡°What else did I say? I can¡¯t have you learning bad things, your highness.¡± I ended upughing out loud. * It waste into the night. I was okay now. After have a heart-to-heart conversation with Christelle and returning to Juliette Pce, I feltpletely free, and my mind felt much lighter. Benjamin and Ganael kept looking at me with odd gazes andughing. I felt like they were misunderstanding something but I thought it would make it worse if I denied things first, so I just left it alone. ¡®Let¡¯s sincerely apologize to the Imperial Crown Prince tomorrow. Then I can just return to my daily schedule.¡¯ ¡°Okay, let¡¯s give it another try. Perry, I know you like rainbows. There¡¯s a rainbow here in the picture book.¡± ¨C Cree! ¡°Rhea, you like me too? I see. Big bro likes you too, Rhea.¡± I was currently standing in the middle of the bedroom with the red pandas, trying a new experiment. Despite no longer worrying about my future, I still had to work hard for my survival. No, I had to work even harder because I snapped to my senses toote. I reconfirmed my goal of going back home. Being more urate and getting more information would be the tools to get me home. ¡°Do you see thisst color over here? This is called purple.¡± Demy tilted his head in a way that seemed to be asking, ¡®so what?¡¯ ¡°And this is the tulip Demy grew earlier.¡± Sniff sniff. Demy sniffed around. ¡°If you are okay with it, can you help big bro grow a tulip of this color? Not any other color, just this one.¡± ¨C Squeeeeee! Demy jumped up on his hind legs, iled his front feet around and walked over. I quickly knelt down and hugged him. There was only one goal for today. I needed to confirm whether an earth attribute divine beast could use their abilities to grow purple tulips or sun halo weed. ¡°Good, you¡¯re so smart. You want to give me a purple tulip first? Demy, no. I know big bro¡¯s eyes are purple, but¡­¡± The divine beast started licking my eyelids and cheeks. I was instantly attacked by the other two as well and rolling on the ground. Percy, who was on his bed, and Tith¨¦, who was on mine, chuckled as if they found it entertaining. ¡®Come save your soulmate¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Perry, hold on. There is a cold breezeing in. The window must be open.¡± ¨C Pruu I barely managed to stand up with a red panda scarf, red panda earmuffs, and a red panda belt. Cold air wasing in from somewhere. Ganael didn¡¯t open it so it had to be Percy or the little troublemakers¡­¡­ ¡°Why are you avoiding me?¡± I turned around and froze like an icicle. It was a familiar boy¡¯s voice. Large orange eyes and ck hair¡­ My jaw dropped in shock. It was not because Sadie had suddenly shown up in my bedroom. This was not the first time such a thing happened. But, no way, is he¡­ ¡°¡­¡­Are you crying?¡± I gasped. I quickly ran in front of him and knelt down! ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments 200 chapters! Join our discord to find out about a server event! Chapter 201: Purple Tulip (8) Chapter 201: Purple Tulip (8) ¡°¡­¡­You are someone who prefers conversations.¡± His young voice sounded weak, as if he was speaking underwater. ¡°Stop talking for a second.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who said there is nothing you can¡¯t resolve by talking it out?¡± Sadie struggled to speak but seemed to not want to lose out even once. A transparent drop fell to the young boy¡¯s chin. I took another look and saw that it was not a tear. However, his forehead was drenched in sweat, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had a high fever. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were not focused. I tightly held both of his arms as he staggered. ¡°Why are you doing so terribly? Hmm? Does your mother know about this?¡±¡°Speak. I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± I¡¯ve never seen the young boy suffering so much. He wasn¡¯t even this bad the first day I met him at the Temple Confessional. I didn¡¯t need to think about anything else. I gently carried the boy and stood up. ¡®Heave ho.¡¯ I was expecting him to resist but he did not kick me or il as he did in the past. He was slumped over like wet cotton and looked extremely pitiful. The Imperial Crown Prince¡¯srge fur cape dragged on the ground. ¡®Aigoo, how did you end up like this?¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s goy down. You need to bring that fever down.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Don¡¯t avoid it.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t avoid you anymore. I promise. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I wrapped my hand around the back of his hot head as I whispered. I felt extremely sympathetic as I put his boiling forehead against my shoulder. He was showing signs of serious ether depletion, but my abilities should be able to heal him. However, it could be bad to let my guard down when he was sweating so much. Even Holy Knights might catch colds. That was why, in this current moment, there was only one sentence floating through my mind. ¡®How to deal with my younger sibling¡¯s fever, subsection: age 5 ¨C 7.¡¯ ¡°Demy, there are some washed handkerchiefs on the table over there. Can you get them for me?¡± ¨C Cruuu. ¡°Perry. Are you able to close that open door on the balcony by yourself?¡± ¨C Kii! ¡°Thank you. Tith¨¦, will youy down with our friend over here?¡± ¨C Aarf ¡°Good. Rhea, can you move Tith¨¦ a bit to the side?¡± ¨C Screeeech! The good little divine beasts all helped me and were not selfish for my attention. Iid Sadie down on my bed and immediately opened my Holy Domain. ¨C Shaaaaaaa¡­¡­! The bright and clear golden light wrapped around his small body. The young boy was already unconscious. It was clear that he used most of his strength toe here and talk to me. He was clearly suffering from ether depletion, but it was still winter. He would have faced some cold windsing over the balcony and the gardente at night. It would probably be good for him to take a fever reducer. ¡°I know I put some meds he, ugh.¡± I stopped opening the drawer on the side table and staggered. It was because I lost a significant amount of ether at once. The sleeping Sadie was absorbing my ether as if he was possessed. Percy, who had flown next to the young boy¡¯s head, looked at me with concerned eyes. I smiled toward the chimney bird. ¡®I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m just reaping what I sowed.¡¯ I urgently pulled out the fever reducer and emptied the tray with the teapot and teacup. Thankfully, the dizziness quickly subsided. ¡°Thank you, our big boss. Tith¨¦, can you pour some warm water in here? Let¡¯s give our friend the cold water you love so much when he gets better.¡± ¨C Aaarf I then ced the handkerchief Demy brought over onto the silver tray and wet it with warm water Tith¨¦ created. While I was wiping Sadie¡¯s face and neck, Percy grabbed another towel with his beak and ced it on the tray. He flew up and down to wet it as well. ¡°Our Percy is an angel.¡± ¨C Pipo! Percy proudly chirped with his beak open. Ssh! The towel fell on the tray and sshed water everywhere. Rhea¡¯s whispers got wet and she shook her head side to side. I chuckled and started undoing the patient¡¯s shirt buttons. I then stopped moving. I could not believe what I saw. ¡°¡­¡­He didn¡¯t use the ne at all.¡± The holy stone ne full of ether that I gave him was sparkling brightly underneath the white cloth. I held myself back from getting upset and angry. I could not say crass things to a child even if he was asleep. I just swore internally. ¡®Crazy bastard. Why did you not use it and let yourself get to this point? Are you going to boil it into soup or something? Is this a disposable item? I would have filled it for you if you emptied it. Why are you hoarding it like a packrat? Should I draw a recycle logo on the back?¡¯ ¡°My poor life¡­¡­¡± Imented before moving the wet towel again. I made sure to check my ether level as well as I could not end up fainting. ¡®After this, I¡¯ll feed him some medicine and wake him up depending on how stable he gets.¡¯ * At dawn as the sun started to light the sky¡­ C¨¦dric Riester woke up. He was not in his bedroom. The young man slowly sat up. His head felt clear and his body felt light. His body filling his shirt was his original appearance. The young and weak appearance that a certain someone calls ¡®Sadie,¡¯ was gone. ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was some food next to him so he instantly consumed it. His orange eyes then squinted in the darkness. One side of the bed curtains were open. He could see a long couch beyond it. Prince Jesse was sleeping there with the divine beasts andyers of nkets. He must be deep asleep as there were no movements in his eyes. He could only hear the breathing sounds of the person and the creatures. The crown prince got off the bed. It was only then that he realized that the nket had been all the way up to his neck. The Prince tended to go above and beyond for the weak. ¨C Piiiii The chimney bird flew over from somewhere and sat on the chimney bird. Next to the divine item was a tray with water, a wet towel, and a medicine bottle. He could even see a record of things on a scrap piece of paper. ¡®2:30am, slight fever. Still absorbing ether. 3am, fever almost gone. Only need low amounts of ether. Breathing stable.¡¯ The bird¡¯s ck eyes were staring at him. C¨¦dric tilted his head. ¡°Are you saying I should know how much work he put in?¡± ¨C Pii! The young man didn¡¯t budge. ¡°He simply paid the price for avoiding a member of the Imperial family.¡± ¨C Piiriii! He gruffly responded and the divine item jumped up and down as if it was angry. The crown prince ignored the protesting bird and observed the open drawer. The first area had the crystal bell that he had gifted, as well as all sorts of medicines neatly organized. The prince basically never got sick, so these were not for him. C¨¦dric was certain that the prince had these to take care of him in his young appearance or his staff at Juliette Pce. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨C Clunk He opened the second drawer without any hesitation. He saw a notebook. It was something that seemed extremely important to the prince, who would pull this out from time to time during tea time to write things down. The crown prince¡¯s eyes clouded over. The chimney bird flew over andnded on top of the notebook. ¨C Pipo! He even let out a cute warning with his yellow beak. ¡°How loyal.¡± ¨C Pipi. The bird puffed up his body like a ball to threaten him. C¨¦dric was not fazed and picked up the notebook. The divine item got angry and pecked at the back of his hand. However, the young man had no reason to give in. The prince chose to avoid him and dared to run away to his father¡¯s ce, Charpentier Pce, and did not attend the lesson without giving any excuse or apology for his actions. The crown prince ended up using arge amount of ether sparring against Johann Geens before losing. ¡®¡­¡­I could have held on because I have the Sword of Wisdom.¡¯ However, he did not want to do that. ¨C Piruuuuu Piruuuuuuuuuu! The prince and everything about him did not move as he wished. That was extremely annoying and frustrating. That was why he needed to know. He needed to know what the hell that small head was thinking about. ¨C Pipipipiiiii! ¡°Quiet.¡± He growled in a low voice. It was at that moment. ¡°Jung Eunseo, get a half gallon when youe home¡­¡­ Take my card.¡± It was weird sleep talking. C¨¦dric scowled and looked toward the couch. The prince was quietly dreaming away as if he had never made a sound. Seeing the prince like that suddenly made him think about ¡®that day.¡¯ The sky that had caused a bizarre shudder¡­ The bloodied man who was flying with both arms extended¡­ His metal wing that was sparkling in light purple and his desperate amethyst eyes¡­ ¡®Eunseo.¡¯ ¨C Pow! C¨¦dric snapped out of his thoughts. The Prince had said ¡®Eunseo¡¯ at that time. Furthermore, he just said something simr again. The crown prince¡¯s lips slowly moved to speak those foreign words. ¡°¡­¡­Jung Eunseo.¡± What could that mean? It sounded weird. It did not seem to be Viaan lexicon, but based on the context of the sleep talking, it was highly likely to be a person¡¯s name. He was acting too frivolously for it to be a lover back home. The rumors about him didn¡¯t seem to be true either¡­¡­ He was also not someone who would address his younger sibling in the Holy Kingdom or his attendants like that. He was well-aware of how the prince was extremely careful with his choice of words around children. ¡°Eunseo. Jung Eunseo.¡± ¨C Piruuuuuuuuuu! C¨¦dric quietly said those words and the chimney bird jumped up and down, demanding that he returned the notebook. The back of his hand was now bleeding. The crown prince silently looked at the thing in his hand. If he turned on a light and opened this up right now¡­ He felt as if all of the questions he had about the prince would be answered. An extremely impulsive thought was smashing at his brain. However¡­¡­ ¡®That child is pure. He would not push your hand away.¡¯ His godmother had said that to him back during spring. ¡®C¨¦dric, you want to trust his highness. Then do it.¡¯ His childhood friend had said that to him in the forest of the March ¡®It¡¯s not easy to earn trust. Work harder at it.¡¯ His mother had also advised him in the banquet hall. ¡®You must wait for him, your Royal Highness.¡¯ The voice of that extremely disrespectful teacher of his echoed in his ears¡­¡­ ¡®Do you really want to return Prince Jesse¡¯s goodwill with that, your Royal Highness?¡¯ The clear voice during that summer day in Yvelines scolded him again. ¡®Please show him your sincerity. Then you will be able to get closer.¡¯ Christelle de Sarnez. The crown hand automatically tensed. He didn¡¯t want to admit it, but her way of doing things always brought better results. There were no logical ws and the prince also showed extreme goodwill toward her. Looking into those blue-gray eyes that ruthlessly pointed out his ws, whenever he saw that arrogant attitude of hers up close made him feel an instinctual difort, but¡­¡­ ¨C Tap C¨¦dric ced the notebook back in the drawer. The divine item shook his stomach as if he was surprised. He must not have been able to easily calm down as he was huffing. On the other hand, his orange eyes were now calm. She was right. ¨C p! The crown prince put on his cape that was on the chair. He looked at the couch once more before heading toward the balcony. ¡®I won¡¯t avoid you anymore. I promise. I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ The night did not go as nned. He had not been able to get any exnation from the prince as he had lost consciousness too quickly. However, he did get a short promise and an apology. The prince had forgotten about how he pretended ¡®Sadie¡¯ and he were two different people and had urgentlymented. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He decided to be satisfied with that for today. ¨C Rustle. C¨¦dric pulled a small card and a few orbs out of his cape pocket. He then silently ced them on the empty tray on the table. Since he was getting some things, he needed to give some things as well. That was how rtionships worked with the Imperial family. He had no idea what the prince would think of it, but this was what he was used to doing. ¨C Squeeeee? As he did that, the divine beast whose tail had a white tip woke up and looked up at him. He just noticed that there was arge picture book and tulips scattered around the couch. ¡®What is all of this?¡¯ As for the prince, he was still inland. The crown prince snorted before leaving the bedroom. * ¡®Why did he do that? This curiosity is going to kill me.¡¯ ¡°No, seriously.¡± I was seated alone at the brunch table, seriously looking at the card and the orbs. These were the things Sadie left behind early this morning. Honestly speaking, I waspletely out of it this morning. Ganael came to wake me up at the usual time and gasped after seeing us crumpled up on the couch, before lookingpletely stunned after noticing the wet towel and tray of water on the table. He mistakenly thought that I had been sick while I was alonest night. It was understandable for anybody to make that mistake as the room looked like a mess. In the end¡­ ¡®Demy was sick.¡¯ I had to make up that story. The whole pce would go wild if I said that I was sick and I couldn¡¯t share the crown prince¡¯s secret. This was the only answer I had. ¡®Excuse me¡­¡­?¡¯ ¡®We were experimenting. I pushed Demy too hard untilte at night to see if divine beasts could grow purple tulips or sun halo weed. Demy got sick because of that.¡¯ Half of it was true. ¨C Whimper, whimper, whimper. Demy made some whimpering noises before rolling on his back. He weakly wagged his tail and looked at Ganael. ¡®He would totally win a golden globe for his acting.¡¯ The young boy looked extremely shocked. ¡®I, I guess esteemed divine beasts get sick as well¡­¡­ I thought the messengers of God were all powerful.¡¯ ¡®Yeah, I¡¯m strongly reflecting on my actions as well. Please forgive me, Demy.¡¯ ¨C Screeeech! Demy acted as if he was telling me to serve him properly. Anyway, that was how I barely managed to cover up something that could have turned into a major incident, sent Ganael away and pushed back my breakfast, went back to bed and slept a few more hours¡­¡­ ¡®Sincerely, Baron Fabrice Beng and Lady Anne Beng.¡¯ I received an extremely simple invitation from the southern part of the Empire. ¡ª Trantor¡¯s CommentsBookmark (0)Please login to bookmarkClose Username or Email Address Password Remember Me No ount yet? Register Chapter 202: Purple Tulip (9) Chapter 202: Purple Tulip (9) It¡¯s the fact that the Imperial Crown Prince left this invitation here in the middle of the night. ¡°¡­¡­That should mean it is okay for me to go, right?¡± ¨C Pruu Perry, who was ying with a ball underneath the table, answered. No matter how I thought of it, that had to be what it meant. I was well aware of the fact that the Imperial family went through any mail directed to me. Most of them were delivered to Juliette Pce, but any problematic ones were filtered by them. The fact that the master of Romero Pce personally left this for me was an extremely positive sign. ¡®Is he feeling a bit better? ¡­¡­I identally said that I¡¯ll stop avoiding him and apologized when he was in his ¡®Sadie¡¯ form, so did he ept that as an apology?¡¯ ¡°Ugh.¡± The embarrassment filling up inside me made me clutch my forehead and groan. I had no way of defeating crown prince C¨¦dric when he became young. Of course, I was the one in the wrong and I know he didn¡¯t purposely show up in the worst possible condition because that would only make things difficult for him, but¡­¡­ ¨C p! I gently pped my cheek and gasped.¡°Focus on the present, Jung Yeseo.¡± ¡®Our main character told me to do that too.¡¯ I snapped out of it and looked at the card from the Baron couple again. I was attacked by twin assassins from the Holy Kingdom disguised as attendants not long after transmigrating into this world. Prince Consort had brainwashed thirteen year old kids to use them as assassins. The two of them had murdered the children who were supposed to be my attendants in order to infiltrate Juliette Pce, and those sacrificial victims were the twins from the House of Beng, Renault and ¨¦tienne Beng. After that, I had sent money to the Barony for a while to at least help with the funeral expenses. After learning that the couple were using the money to fund an orphanage and create a canal, I anonymously sent some donations as well. However¡­ ¡®A letter to the esteemed moon of the Holy Kingdom, Prince Jesse Viaan.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­Our small territory is extremely shabby and poor; we would usually never even dream about hosting such an esteemed guest as your highness. However, our territory is celebrating a small happy asion, so we, despite the shame we feel about our humble territory, have sent this invitation, your highness.¡¯ ¡®The orphanage that was able to break ground thanks to your help will be having a simple opening ceremony thising December 19th. The rumors of how your highness is busy assisting our valiant Royal Highness and his friends have reached the edges of our Barony as well, but¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®If a Royal Priest who has received the blood of our Lord would grace us with his presence, it would be a once in a lifetime blessing and sce for the children of the orphanage.¡¯ ¡­¡­I never expected them to want to see me first. ¡°I must go.¡± ¨C Aaarf I mumbled to myself. Tith¨¦, who was lying down on a soft cushion, yed along. I petted his round head. My ability to leave the Imperial Pce had been pretty free since receiving my Marquis title (other than the short period of time when I lost my powers), so I should be able to travel south if I inform the adults in advance. The southern tip of the Empire was even farther than the Duhem March. ¡®It would be great if we could all go together.¡¯ ¡°Then this is the only thing left now.¡± ¨C Piiiii Percy flew over and stood next to the te to introduce the next item. It was what the punk of a crown prince had left along with the card¡­¡­ ¡°That will be three types of holy bombs.¡± ¨C Pipo! The chimney bird chirped as if to say I was correct. I thoroughly observed the three orbs that were glowing blue, red, and white. ¡®I¡¯m sure this is from when I was unable to use my ether and lived in confinement¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®Did you figure out how to stabilize the holy stones while I was unconscious, your Royal Highness?¡¯ ¡®Technically, what you said is not wrong.¡¯ They were what I saw when I crawled into Romerote at night to chat with the crown prince. The orbs that contained Christelle, the crown prince, and Sir Johann¡¯s powers were naturally powerful weapons. During the Warring Era, the Holy Kingdom is said to have used holy stones with special ether andunched them with catapults. Basically, these were grenades the Imperial family had created as experiments. The trap was that these did not have safety pins. Anyway, what would be the reason he gave me something that would get me in a lot of trouble if it was taken out? ¡°¡­¡­Probably for my protection. I am not a battle priest like Maartje.¡± ¡®There was that time recently when I let my guard down and followed a stranger and was almost abducted.¡¯ I did my best to rationalize the situation. However, the fact that I could ept it did not mean that I was not shocked. No matter what, I was a diplomatic hostage in the Imperial Pce. Until now, I had never had anything that could be a weapon. Other than cutlery, I couldn¡¯t even have a paper knife in my room, but now I had bombs? I was thankful but maybe he was trusting me too much. ¡®Did he get permission from his mother and godmother?¡¯ ¨C Squeeeeee Demy started climbing the leg of the chair and snapped me out of my thoughts. This punk had shown quite a bit of curiosity toward the holy stone orbs that day as well. I supported the red panda¡¯s butt to help him climb. Then I opened the bag that Ganael gifted me not too long ago. The young boy could not stand the fact that I was carrying my notebook, crystal bell, and snacks for the kids in my pocket and personally made it for me. Anyway, it wasn¡¯t bad that I had the means to protect myself. I valued my life. ¡®I should keep it in here with the other stuff from now on.¡¯ ¡°Bell, notebook, badge, snacks, three holy bombs¡­¡­¡± ¡®And one more notebook.¡¯ I cautiously picked up the old diary. Demy put his head in the bag and tilted his head. It was Olddy Pomme and Henriette¡¯s keepsake. I thought that this was evidence for the Madame Victoire incident. That was why I expected the Imperial family to ask for it, but nobody requested it. The fact that the two culprits were dead and that all of the nobles who were victimized had been exploiting their residents was extremely important. That was why the diamond ne from the Count¡¯s House of Andresy ended up in the Imperial Safe but this notebook ended up staying with me. I decided to take good care of this. ¨C Knock knock. Ganael and Benjamin walked into the dining area with arge cart. I quickly closed my bag and hung it on the chair. ¡°Your highness, here is a simple brunch. Scrambled eggs with truffle oil, three freshly baked michettes with fig jam, sd with fresh goat cheese, kidney bean potage, and a lot of meat for now!¡± The young boy opened his arms and his gold eyes sparkled. I startedughing. * Today was Thursday, so I didn¡¯t have my lesson with my teacher in the morning. That said, there was the Holy Knight lesson in the afternoon. However, thetter was canceled as well. The interior training ground needed fixing after the crown prince and Sir Johann¡¯s spar while it was raining outside. I could see a piece of ice outside the window being wrapped by rain before slipping off. ¡®It does seem very cold.¡¯ ¨C Shaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­ ¨C Crack, crackle¡­¡­ The sound of rain and the firewood crackling echoed in the room. It was dark outside, but Juliette Pce was bright and loud. I was smiling as I sat across from the wall furnace. ¡°It¡¯s my turn!¡± Eva, who hade to y for the first time in a long while, energetically held the mallet before walking to her spot. ¡°Young Duchess, please show us your abilities!¡± The attendants of Juliette Pce were gathered together cheering the child on. The attendants of Romero Pce were cheering the crown prince¡¯s team. The croquet room, which was an empty resting area that was modified, was so full that there was no room to move. Participants, royal servants and soldiers who came to watch, staff delivering snacks, and people betting on the oue were being rowdy. ¡°I will strike Sir Johann¡¯s ball.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so scared. Please forgive me this one time, young Duchess.¡± The Holy Knight sulked. The room was full of energy because of this 3 on 3 croquet battle. Christelle, Sir Johann, and Sand were one team while the crown prince, Eva, and Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth were the other. I decided to just watch because the numbers didn¡¯t match. It was disappointing because we could have yed 4 vs 4 if Marquis Fran?ois Duhem was here, but it was more entertaining watching my friends than hitting a ball. ¨C Screeeech ¡°Demy,e here. Apparently we can¡¯t y with that ball.¡± I hugged Demy, who was trying to run out to the middle of the ying area. The red panda iled his front paws andined. ¡®Oh no, your Majesty. I ask for your benevolence.¡¯ ¡°We can y with itter at night. Should we attempt to create a purple tulip again as well?¡± ¨C Whimper ¡°¡­¡­You didn¡¯t just say no, did you?¡± I chuckled. The other two were apathetic about it as well. We tested it a few times but earth attribute divine beasts were unable to make purple tulips or sun halo weed grow. I didn¡¯t know whether it was impossible or just something we should not do, but that was the situation. The two nts truly seemed to be miracles only the Almighty God could do. ¡°Wooooooooooow! The young Duchess did it!¡± I suddenly heard some loud cheers. I jerked my head up in shock. ¡°nquer! nquer! nquer!¡± Eva really did seed in striking Sir Johann¡¯s ball and earned an extra shot, allowing her to hinder his progress as well. I energetically pped as well. ¡°Oh no, this is so bad now.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t act weak, Sir Geens. I can see your tail.¡± The young Duchess¡¯s lip twitched as she primly spoke. She seemed to be trying to look mature in front of Sir Johann despite being happy about her sess. Sand tightly grabbed the mallet and looked extremely nervous as he walked forward while Gerrit¡¯s father was smiling. Christelle shouted, ¡®Priest-nim, kill them all!¡¯ Ganael and Pierre followed her and repeated, ¡®kill them all!¡¯ As well. ¡®We can¡¯t let the kids grow up to be hooligans¡­¡­¡¯ ¨C Piiiii Percy pecked at the notebook on the table. He seemed to be urging me to stop watching and organize this first. I chuckled and petted his back with my finger. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll focus and finish quickly.¡± ¨C Pii! He then looked down at the traces of the quill pen. ? (Probably) the prophecies looked outside the original novel. ¨C Old fortune teller ¡ú Missing A. Me: Not from this world. B. Christelle: Nice, bright energy, close to the center of the world. C. Crown prince: Will lose another rtionship ¨C Modeste Bacary ¡ú Memory loss. A. The shadow of death. B. The stench of scheming. C. Only one person¡¯s pain. A few days ago¡­ Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth shared the old fortune teller¡¯s non whereabouts, and this made me think hard about the existence trying to deliver this prophecy to us. I wanted to know who it was and why they were seeing these revtions. There was only one conclusion for this as well. ¡®But it¡¯s not important.¡¯ Just like how I had no idea who used the Paten of Wishes to transmigrate me to this world, the principal agent of the prophecy may be somewhere I couldn¡¯t reach as well. That meant that what was important was the ¡®now.¡¯ Not the person who allows us to see a future that may note true, but the contents of it. ¡°But Bacary¡¯s prophecy¡­¡­ Seems to have fizzled out. You have been quiet since you returned from the Duchy as well.¡± ¨C Pipi? Percy seemed to be saying, ¡®what did I do?¡¯ As he tilted his head. This divine item hade into my dreams to tell all sorts of scary stories on my way to the nquer Lord¡¯s Castle. Something about how the Almighty God had prepared something for me, my being in danger¡­ That was why I had been tense after hearing Bacary¡¯s words but it had been quiet. ¡°How will you take care of this situation, hmm? Mr. Jung Percy?¡± I whispered and tickled his stomach with the feather pen. Percy ran away with his short legs. I chuckled because he looked so cute when I made eye contact with the crown prince who had a mallet in his hand. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The reason Christelle received a revtion about being close to the center of the world is probably because she is the main character. It was also a fact that I didn¡¯t belong in this world. However, Bacary¡¯s ambiguous prophecy and the thing about how the crown prince would lose another rtionship had note true yet. Losing another rtionship meant that he lost someone in the past. ¡®Is it perhaps talking about his father, Prince Consort Alexandre? Then who is the person he will lose in the future?¡¯ Of course, something like that must absolutely not happen, but we had to be prepared just in case. If it is someone so important that he needed a prophecy¡­¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go break some ttukbaegi!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s gooooooo!¡± ¡°Dame Christelle, I don¡¯t know what a ttukbaegi is, but you cannot break it with a mallet.¡± ¡®Is it Christelle then? Is it talking about how Miss Ham Ga-in and the crown prince will be separated?¡¯ ¡°That can¡¯t be. That would be a betrayal to the readers,¡± I coldly criticized. I admit that I was overly obsessed with the original, but I would not allow that to happen even if sand was thrown into both of my eyes. ¡°Your Royal highness, we have received a message from the Empress Pce.¡± David came over to the crown prince at that moment. I packed my notebook and perked my ears. The divine beasts and Percy all extended their necks to look at him as well. ¡°We received news that the inaugural ceremony for the Imperial Capital¡¯s Garrison Officer Candidate School has been confirmed for December 19th. As a result, I am thinking about reorganizing your schedule for that day as well as the day before and day after, your Royal Highness.¡± ¡®Ah.¡¯ ¡°Then I guess I can¡¯t go,¡± I quietly mumbled. The opening for Baron Beng¡¯s orphanage just had to be on the same day. I was going to officially ask about it, but that opportunity hadpletely disappeared. As the crown prince¡¯s priest partner, my priority was following his schedule. ¡®¡­¡­I wanted to go. I wanted to say hello to the children¡¯s parents as well.¡¯ ¡°I will be in the Beng Barony until the morning of the 18th, so reorganize with that in mind.¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ I jerked my head up. His orange eyes were silently looking at me. My mouth dropped, wondering if I had heard correctly. ¡°Are you heading south, your Royal highness? This is the first I¡¯ve heard of it.¡± Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth¡¯s eyes opened wide as she looked at her childhood friend. I smiled brightly and answered in his ce. ¡°Yes, we received an invitation from a territory on the southern tip. Would you like to go with us?¡± ¡ª Trantor¡¯s CommentsBookmark (0)Please login to bookmarkClose Username or Email Address Password Remember Me No ount yet? Register Chapter 203: Purple Tulip (10) Chapter 203: Purple Tulip (10) At that moment¡­ ¡°No, your highness!¡± Eva suddenly shouted. We looked toward the young Duchess. Unlike Christelle or Sand, who had lost the train of the conversation, the child seemed to have fully understood the contents. ¡°I have a lot to do and you need to help me, your highness. You cannot go.¡± She came closer and I could see that her brown eyes were sparkling. It put me in an awkward position. I didn¡¯t know what she needed help with, but I wanted to help her. But I also wanted to go to the orphanage¡¯s opening ceremony. The croquet match naturally came to a pause. The attendants started whispering. Sir Johann came over and asked in a gentle tone. ¡°Young Duchess-nim, please excuse me for asking this, but is your reason more important than your cousin¡¯s schedule?¡± ¡°T, that¡­¡­¡± The child took one step back and warily looked toward the Imperial Crown Prince. She looked as if she realized her mistake. I urgently looked toward the crown prince. His handsome orange eyes were sparkling with joy of his victory. ¡®Hey, I¡¯m thankful that you put it in your schedule, but you can¡¯t bepeting like this with a sixteen year old!¡¯¡°Eva, what is it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s not much, your highness. It is basically dustpared to his Royal Highness¡¯s precious steps.¡± ¡°No. It is just as important to me. I¡¯m sure Christelle feels the same way.¡± I looked toward Christelle as I said that. Crack! The firewood crackled quite loudly in the furnace. Christelle started chuckling as she consoled Eva. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m very curious as well. What could our Eva have nned all by herself? Hmm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing amazing, it¡¯s just¡­¡­ I have decided to take control of that tavern.¡± The young Duchess spoke quietly while in Christelle¡¯s embrace. We looked around at each other, wondering what she meant by that. Sand, who had quietly been listening, asked Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth a question. ¡°Do you think she is talking about that luxurious tavern you mentioned going tost time? The ce where you rescued Captain Modeste Bacary¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ah. Are you talking about Blois?¡± The young Countess¡¯s grey eyes opened wide. All of us looked toward Eva again. That was the ce that had been run by the wealthy juggernaut, Baroness Joan Tillier. The self-proimed information center of the central region and Fist Queen was now Empress Fr¨¦d¨¦rique¡¯s prisoner for illegal taxation and violence. ¡®I had been curious about what would happen to the ce because the owner was in prison, but Eva bought it? Seriously?¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡­¡­ I¡¯ve said that I want power.¡± ¡°Yes, you have.¡± That was right. Eva had wanted to get to a high position since she was just a youngdy, which was the reason she desired the young Duchess position. She was also confident that she would do a great job. She looked so innocent, making me wonder if she even knew what power was. However, the nobles here received their titles at a young age and personally experienced the economy and politics as they grew into leaders. That was why it was fine for Eva to slowly learn as well. I was sure that she would be a great Duchess that a punk like Robert nquer could never even dream about bing. The Eva I had observed until now was a smart girl who was clear about what she wanted. ¡°My mother told me somethingst week. She said that using power as you please is violence. She said that power that people ept and approve of is what you would call true power.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡± We all gasped in admiration. ¡°That is why I started thinking about how I could get true power like that.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°The friends I have right now are not enough. I need to grow my own force.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I blinked in confusion. Crown prince C¨¦dric tilted his head. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are a lot of noble children like myself in the Imperial Capital. Maybe their family is weird but they have nowhere to talk about it¡­¡­ Or they have a lot on their mind because they became the heir at a young age¡­ Anybody with a tired soul?¡± The child spoke without confidence. Christelle brushed Eva¡¯s curly red hair as shemented. ¡°So Eva wants to gather people who are in a simr situation to her and create a social club. The Empire¡¯s Beau Monde is the center of power.¡± ¡°Mm, it is simr. Yes, something like that.¡± The young Duchess leaned on Christelle¡¯s shoulder as she mumbled. Vice Captain ¨¦lisabeth and the crown prince exchanged nces. ¡°However, I do not like the Beau Monde. I can¡¯t go around with Gerrit. That child cannot drink alcohol and needs to rest early. He¡¯s napping in the next room right now too.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sir Johann looked at Eva with shock. The child put up one finger at a time as she continued. ¡°Somewhere that people can drink only herbal tea like his highness if they want, a ce where people even younger than me could rest without issues, a ce where nobody would say anything even withmoners being around nobles¡­¡­ I would like a ce like that. But there is nowhere like that outside of Juliette Pce.¡± Eva said thatst sentence very quietly. Rhea, who had beenying down by my feet, rubbed her cheek against the young Duchess¡¯s dress. I watched her before opening my mouth to speak. ¡°That is an amazing n.¡± ¡°Really, your highness?¡± The little girl¡¯s eyes opened wide. I couldn¡¯t help but smile. I was certain that this child had thought about a lot of things during the Empress¡¯s trial for the House of Andresyst week. After taking in the cruel history and the victims of the Count¡¯s family¡­ Then learning about politics from the Empress in the rear tulip garden¡­ Followed by her mother teaching her¡­ She had thought about what she could do. ¡°Yes. I want to support Eva¡¯s shop as well, no matter how small my support may benefit it. I will help you aftering back from the orphanage.¡± I was thankful about that. Eva had grown up into such a good person all on her own to care about the weak. I was proud of that. It was also respectful that she wanted to gather them and hear their stories. Maybe a person¡¯s own force was not something that had to be huge. ¡°That sounds fun. Should we rece the wallpapers and the linoleum? How about we go to the Commerce Center after croquet to look at some materials?¡± Christelle kissed the child on the head as she made those suggestions. ¡°What is linoleum?¡± Eva innocently asked. Iughed out loud before looking to the side. The crown prince very quietly snorted while the young Countess nodded her head and Sand smiled brightly. Lastly, Sir Johann silently bowed toward me. * Inside a Lord¡¯s Castle with an extremely long history¡­ The boy, who had been the heir to Andresy County, bowed his head again toward ¡®the man.¡¯ There was a bag of medicine the size of a pebble in his hand. ¡°Thank you very much. Truly, thank you very much, sir.¡± ¡°I give you my respect for your valiant decision. I will pray for your soul as well,¡± he territory Lord solemnlymented. The child¡¯s eyes glowed with lunacy. As expected, the entire family was not normal. Growing up under such parents, it was obvious what kind of faith education he had received. However, the man had no n on setting this boy straight. In fact, he nned on thoroughly utilizing him. The trash of the nquer Duchy wasn¡¯t a bad card either, but he alone was not enough. A multi-prong operation was the basic of basics. ¡°I will head out now, sir.¡± ¡°Safe travels.¡± The territory Lord said goodbye and the Chief of Staff by his side escorted the boy out. Only the man remained in the vast reception room. He had been very busytely. He was diligently looking after his territory and taking care of his administrative affairs but had to send all of the staff, minus his closest confidants, on paid breaks. It was smart to consider anybody he couldn¡¯t fully trust to be traitors who had yet to be discovered. Furthermore, no matter how his scheme ended, it was better to have fewer people around him. It would allow him to minimize the victims other than himself if it were to fail. If he were to seed, it would be easier to prevent people from leaking the information. ¡°¡­¡­Haha.¡± He basically fell to the couch as he bitterlyughed at himself. Everything was as simple as a ss of wine. He was someone who was famous for being a talented Pair de Riester, but even he had no idea that he was talented in this aspect as well. His brain was endlessly spinning and setting the field as if it was born for betrayal, as if it had been waiting for a chance like this. The blood of the spy flowing through him roared with impure delight and guilt. He did not drink enough to get drunk, but his fingertips were tingling. The man opened and closed his fists as he looked at his desk. An empty parchment was waiting for his ink. ¡®It was a decision for our survival. That is why I am not ashamed of it.¡¯ He was having that annoying hallucination of his great-grandmother¡¯s voice again. The man clenched his teeth. This hallucination would disappear if he pushed through it for a bit. The frequency had definitely gone downtely and it was not loudly tormenting him anymore either. That was why it was okay. For his family¡¯s honor and prosperity¡­ And to protect his family in the Imperial Capital¡­¡­ ¡°Gasp, cough. Cough cough!¡± He could handle something like this. The man jumped up and walked toward the desk. Now that he had finished fine-tuning the details, he had to report to the man with the rope around his neck. ¨C Scribble, scribble scribble¡­¡­ He frantically wrote away with his quill pen. It was extremely disrespectful when considering that he was writing to the Prince Consort of a nation. However, the man¡¯s hands showed no hesitation. He was breathing heavily despite not running around. The drops of sweat on his forehead fell to the parchment and the wooden table. ¡®A single purple tulip bloomed under Arian¡¯s feet. It pains me so, the Empress¡¯s hunting dog was color blind. He drooled as he ripped the flower apart. She med her innocent cat. This happened on the neenth sun of the tenth month.¡¯ Tap. He almost threw the pen down. He didn¡¯t even have the energy to look back at what he wrote. However, he had a feeling that this would be enough. Werner Viaan would instantly understand, but anybody who had no idea what it was about would simply read it as a tale. The man thought about the date on thest sentence as he stood up. He needed to hand this over to the spy in the Imperial Pce¡­¡­ ¨C Knock knock. ¡°Come in.¡± He made sure he looked and sounded as if nothing was wrong and efficiently ced the letter in an envelope. ¡°Master. Archbishop Eug¨¦nie Kessi¨¦ has arrived.¡± His loyal Chief of Staff, who was in his eighties, did not say a thing despite seeing his master covered in sweat. The man did his best to smile before wiping his neck with a handkerchief. Kessi¨¦ was ying an important role in his n, and, unlike the snotty little boy he met earlier, she was not easy to handle. He had been working with her until now, so he needed to continue to do so. The man calmly cleared his throat. ¡°Thank you. Please escort her in after 10 minutes.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord. Shall I prepare a carriage for the Imperial Capital?¡± The old man was sharp. He had recognized the envelope in the man¡¯s hand. ¡°No, I don¡¯t n on leaving the Lord¡¯s Castle for a while. I told my family I will see them at ater time.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± He bowed and left without saying anything else. The man let out a deep breath. He was relieved that everything would be finished before his dear Empress¡¯s birthday. * Five dayster on December 15th. It was very early in the morning when everything was still dark. ¨C Screeeech! ¡°Yeah yeah, it¡¯s so cold. This is no joke.¡± I could see my breath every time I spoke. I wrapped the three red pandas around my chest and walked out of Juliette Pce. Percy buried himself in the crown prince¡¯s fur coat while Tith¨¦ looked excited in Christelle¡¯s arms. It was great that the little guy did not get cold easily, but I was the issue. ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± ¡®I¡¯m seriously going to freeze to death!¡¯ The fact that I had the thickest clothes on out of everybody here was useless. My teeth started cking and my shoulders shivered. Prince Jesse¡¯s body did exactly as I had expected. After the summer where I had to escape to Yvelines because of the heat, this body couldn¡¯t handle the cold either. ¡®How does the temperature instantly feel as cold as it is in Seoul? Wasn¡¯t it fine untilst week? Please return the gentle weather of the Imperial Capital setting!¡¯ ¡°Your highness, are you very cold? You struggled with the heat before as well.¡± Christelle walked over, looking concerned. I instinctively took a step back. It wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t like her. It was because as a water attribute Holy Knight, she gently released coldness. She squinted at me but I moved away toward a pir that was warm. Sir Johann looked at us and quietly chuckled. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was wondering why when I turned around to see that this was not a pir. It was the crown prince. He was a human hotpack. Furthermore, he felt like a newly opened hotpack! ¡°It looks like this trip to the south has been scheduled for the perfect time, your highness. The Beng Barony should feel like early fall right now.¡± ¡°Apparently it feels like summer in the middle of the day, your highness!¡± Benjamin and Ganaelmented while putting the luggage onto arge carriage. I nodded my head, praying that the weather would be nice there. Just as we finished the preparations to leave, Eva, who waspletely bundled up except her face, grumbled toward me. She was tightly holding Gerrit¡¯s hand. ¡°You must leave once the opening ceremony finishes, your highness. Okay? You can¡¯t stay an extra day because you are having fun.¡± ¡®Yes, I promise you. See you on the 20th.¡± I smiled as I responded. We had a lot of fun thest few days with Eva. We ordered a painting to hang on the shop¡¯s wall from Joanne and ordered a new sign from Frank, the Imperial Pce¡¯s cksmith. Eva said she picked out the wallpaper with Agnes over the weekend, so we just needed to figure out furniture when we got back. ¡°We need to look at lights too, your highness.¡± ¡°Ah, I almost forgot about that.¡± I hugged Gerrit as I quickly added on, ¡°Uncle will bring you back some yummy food. Make sure you listen to big bro Sand and big sis Eva. Make sure to eat your medicine as well. Let auntie ¨¦lisabeth know if anything happens. Okay?¡± ¡°Your highness, I¡¯ve already told him about that five times.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve informed him about it as well.¡± Sir Johann and Christelle jokingly chimed in. Gerrit just nodded his chin as he was still sleepy. I made sure that the child¡¯s ears weren¡¯t cold multiple times before getting on the carriage. I felt like we needed to quickly leave for the kids to go back to sleep. ¡ª Trantor¡¯s Comments I wonder if Liz is thinking about how she ended up as an auntie while Chris is just big sis¡­Bookmark (0)Please login to bookmarkClose Username or Email Address Password Remember Me No ount yet? Register The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!