Episode 87
“Your Majesty, are you certain you don’t want to tell Her Highness the truth?”
In the Emperor’s office, Aaron, as usual, arrived carrying a stack of documents.
Artius, though weary of the never-ending paperwork, accepted the documents and replied, massaging his temples,
“She’s still young. She has no good memories of Heilan. There’s no need to burden her with this.”
“But still—”
“Aaron, why do you think I’m working so hard these days?”
Aaron, taken aback by the sudden question, frowned and replied without hesitation,
“Because you were lazy in the past.”
“…”
“To protect the other officials’ working hours and your own family life?”
“…No.”
“Then why?”
“Because I want the nation she will rule to be peaceful.”
Aaron, who had been slightly annoyed by his denial, nodded in understanding.
It was true. Even he wouldn’t want the future Empress to be burdened with endless work like Artius.
“But Heilan is stirring again. Dianne Rossi, who harassed Her Highness, was actually a Heilan spy.”
They had discovered Dianne Rossi’s true identity, Noah Anglores, when they expelled her.
They had only expelled her, instead of executing her, to observe Heilan’s reaction, to see how they would handle a discovered spy.
But Heilan had abandoned her, as if she had nothing to do with them.
And Noah had gone mad on her own.
“And there’s something strange about House Rossi. There were traces of Noah growing up there, as if she had replaced the real Dianne.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
The thought made Artius’s head throb.
Despite their efforts, they hadn’t made any progress.
Aaron cautiously added,
“Your Majesty, Ravanta has regained its stability. Unlike nine years ago, we can annex Heilan without any issues now.”
“Aaron, you heard that Elonia befriended the Heilan princess. She wouldn’t want that. And she wouldn’t stand by and watch her friend’s nation crumble.”
“Then shouldn’t we abolish the hostage system?”
“I never intended to keep it permanently. It was just bait. We sent the Heilan nobles to the best academy in Ravanta as hostages, to observe their reactions. I was planning to abolish it once they surrendered completely.”
He had been planning to abolish the hostage system this year.
It was harmful to the children.
But Heilan had taken the bait.
And they hadn’t taken it because they were foolish.
They had taken it because they had something up their sleeves.
Artius didn’t know what Felix Heilan, the man who had cowered before him after his father’s execution, was planning, but he knew what he had to do.
He looked at the portrait of young Elonia on his desk and said quietly,
“As long as we have the hostages, they won’t dare attack us. And we’ll remind Heilan of their place before Elonia ascends the throne. So don’t say anything unnecessary.”
“…You used to be so afraid of losing Her Highness that you cried. You’ve changed, Your Majesty.”
The Artius Aaron remembered had been a man terrified of forming attachments.
He had changed for the better in recent years, but Aaron hadn’t expected him to become so bold.
Artius blinked slowly, then turned to the portrait of Philemon, a faint smile on his face.
“I know now that my loved ones didn’t die because I loved them. So all I have to do is eliminate any external threats.”
“Is that why you purged those families nine years ago? Not because they insulted the late Empress, but because they would have been obstacles to Her Highness’s ascension?”
“Both. And they did insult Philemon.”
“Ah, yes, Your Majesty.”
Right.
Aaron, his momentary admiration shattered, quietly sorted the approved and rejected documents.
Then, as if remembering something, he asked before leaving,
“Your Majesty, what about Professor Caroline?”
“Professor Caroline?”
“Yes. She might reveal the truth to Her Highness.”
Right, there was her.
Artius frowned.
That old woman followed his orders, but not always completely.
She was a difficult and eccentric woman.
“I’m not entirely unconcerned, but she’s wise. She won’t say anything unnecessary. If she does, it’s because she believes Elonia needs to know.”
So take those damn documents and leave.
Artius, dismissing him, turned his attention to the new stack of papers.
“Why do you have a prayer altar dedicated to the Calamity God, Professor? You’re the head of the Magic Department.”
Elonia felt like a trapped rat.
Her heart pounded in her chest, her fingertips tingling, then growing numb.
Caroline, however, was still smiling.
“You recognize it as a Calamity God altar?”
Dangerous.
Elonia instinctively swallowed, a sense of dread washing over her.
‘Her constant mention of Chelon Heilan was suspicious…!’
No one in their right mind would dare speak the War Demon’s name to the princess.
And yet, Caroline had.
Could she be a Heilan spy, just like Noah?
Elonia stepped back, regretting her decision to trust her.
Her shoulders slumped, and her breathing became shallow.
Caroline slowly approached her.
She placed a hand on Elonia’s cheek, her voice soft and chilling.
“My, my, the future Empress is trembling.”
“Get your hand off me. Who are you?”
“As you can see, I’m a professor.”
“Not that! Why do you have that altar?!”
“Are you curious?”
“Tell me!”
“Such a strong reaction… It seems you already knew that Dianne was a follower of the Calamity God.”
Caroline lightly tapped her staff on the floor.
The display case opened, and the Calamity God altar flew out, landing gently in her hand.
“Elonia, or rather, Your Highness, take a closer look at this altar.”
“I don’t want to—”
“Do it.”
Caroline’s sudden shift in demeanor startled Elonia.
Her playful and gentle facade had vanished, replaced by a chilling aura.
She held the altar out to Elonia, and the moment Elonia’s eyes met the altar, a shiver ran down her spine.
She could sense a faint trace of the same ominous aura she had felt from the good luck charm Lucius had given her.
Caroline asked,
“Well, Your Highness, what do you think?”
‘What do I think?’
It was terrifying.
She felt like throwing up just looking at it.
She hated this damn god, the god who continued to haunt her even in her new life.
Thud.
She swatted the altar away with all her might, and it landed on the floor with a loud thud.
Elonia glared at Caroline, her eyes blazing with fury, her fists clenched.
“It’s disgusting. Get it away from me.”
“…”
A tense silence filled the room.
Elonia’s eyes were bloodshot as she glared at Caroline.
Caroline, after observing her for a long moment, bent down and picked up the altar, her face creased with concern.
When she straightened up, her eyes were shining with a newfound certainty, the previous tension gone.
She sighed in relief.
“That’s a relief. It seems this altar doesn’t affect those with strong mana, like you and me.”
“…What?”
“You asked me why I have this altar. I received it from Julietta, the head of the Theology Department. Or rather, we confiscated it from Natalie, the Theology Department supervisor.”
“…What are you—”
“I’m on your side, Your Highness. You can trust me. I apologize for not telling you sooner. I am Caroline, your secret protector, assigned by His Majesty.”
Elonia’s eyes widened in disbelief.
What was she talking about?
Artius had assigned Caroline to protect her?
“S-since when? I’ve never heard of this.”
“That’s to be expected. I received my orders after Dianne was expelled and her true identity, Noah Anglores, was revealed.”
So Artius had known about Dianne’s true identity all along?
There was no way Caroline would invoke the Emperor’s name falsely.
Caroline, seeing her disbelief, waved her staff, presenting her with proof.
“This pigeon…”
A blue-eyed pigeon appeared from her staff.
It had the same feathers as the one that had intercepted Elonia’s attack.
“Now do you believe me? I was the one who saved you from committing murder.”
“…That’s impossible. There’s no way.”
“Listen to my story first. You can confirm it with His Majesty later.”
Come, sit down.
Caroline gestured for Elonia to sit, and Elonia, still speechless, remained frozen in place.
After hearing the shocking truth from Caroline,
The final exams arrived and passed in a blur.
The results were as expected.
Alberich and Llewellyn maintained their top positions, and Elonia and Garnethia were, as predicted, the top two students in the Magic Department.
Garnethia, despite her weakness in practical magic, had managed to secure the second-highest score thanks to her exceptional performance in the written exams.
The first semester was finally over, and summer break had begun.
Elonia, leaving the auditorium after the closing ceremony, exchanged brief farewells with Garnethia.
“I’ll see you around during the break, Elonia.”
“You too, Garnethia. Have a good break.”
Elonia headed straight for the main gate.
As expected, her two knights were waiting for her with a white carriage.
“Rica, Ethan!”
“Your Highness!”
They rushed towards her as she ran to them.
It felt like it had been a long time, but seeing their faces, nothing seemed to have changed.
“Your Highness, how have you been?”
“I’ve been fine. You too?”
“We were bored without you. Have you grown taller?”
“Have I?”
Elonia tilted her head, considering his question.
Their chests seemed closer than before.
“Yes, it seems like you’ve grown a little.”
Oh, the power of genetics.
She would finally escape the humiliation of being short.
Ricardo stayed in the carriage, while Ethan went to the dormitory to help her pack.
“Congratulations on getting the highest score, Your Highness. You’re truly amazing.”
“It’s the least I can do as the princess.”
Elonia boasted, her usual nonchalance unable to hide her pride, and Ethan chuckled.
He had become much more expressive compared to when they first met.
They quickly packed her belongings, Elonia sorting through her things while Ethan packed them into a large bag.
He was surprisingly efficient, perhaps due to his knight training.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As they returned to the carriage, they saw two familiar figures waiting for them – the Asta brothers.
“El!”
“Your Highness.”
“What are you guys doing here? Aren’t you going home?”
Elonia looked around, but there was no sign of the Asta family carriage or their servants.
Llewellyn, as if she had asked the most obvious question, replied confidently,
“We’re hitching a ride with you.”
“Who said you could?”
“Mother is at the palace, so… may we join you?”
“…”
Seriously?
She was about to refuse, but at the mention of Lady Asta, Elonia reluctantly agreed.
She missed Lady Asta, and there was plenty of room in her carriage.
And she wanted to go home as soon as possible.
But just as she was about to step into the carriage, she suddenly remembered something, and she stopped.
“El?”
“Your Highness?”
They looked at her, their expressions puzzled.
Elonia turned around.
“…I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
“I haven’t said goodbye to my friend yet. I’ll be back soon!”
They tried to follow her, but she was too fast for them.
Elonia headed towards Garden Fleur.
As expected, Olivia was sitting alone in the empty dining hall.
Elonia called out her name,
“Olivia!”
“Elonia? How did you know—”
Olivia, surprised, stood up.
Elonia ran towards her and said,
“I’ll visit during the break, so let’s hang out.”
“…Your Highness, I told you I can’t be friends with you anymore.”
“I don’t want to.”
“…Elonia, it’s for your own good!”
“Olivia, I’m going to abolish the hostage system. One day, I promise. So please stay friends with me.”
Elonia’s words were childish and demanding.
Olivia, knowing it was for her own good, couldn’t argue.
She simply lowered her head, her hands clenching her skirt tightly, trying to hold back her tears.
Elonia gently took her hand, and Olivia, her voice choked with emotion, finally spoke,
“…Do you promise?”
“Yes, I promise.”
Their pinkies, different in size and shape, linked together.
Olivia, her tears subsiding, hugged Elonia tightly, and Elonia, beaming, gently patted her back.