Episode 36
Oblivious to her own flawed acting, Elonia was ecstatic.
‘If a Sword Master teaches me, I’m sure I can become one too in this life.’
In her past life, she had no one to learn from, so she had to rely solely on self-teaching.
Elonia’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“But I can’t bring a sword into the Imperial Palace, so I’ll have to ask His Majesty first…”
Lady Asta’s words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Elonia’s excitement.
Wait, even her own aunt, a member of the Asta family, couldn’t bring a sword into the palace?
Usually, a loyal subject of Lady Asta’s standing would be allowed to carry a weapon when meeting the Emperor.
“But you’re my aunt. Why can’t you bring a sword?”
Elonia was confused.
Had Artius become that paranoid?
It was ridiculous for him to be suspicious of Lady Asta.
Lady Asta’s expression turned somber at Elonia’s question.
“Is there a reason you can’t tell me?”
“…It’s a sensitive topic that involves a very difficult time in your life.”
“Ah.”
She meant the time when Artius was at his worst.
‘Well, I’m not a child anymore.’
She wouldn’t be that hurt… maybe a little, but her curiosity outweighed any potential discomfort.
Elonia pleaded with her aunt.
“I want to know. Please tell me.”
Lady Asta hesitated, her eyes darting around, before finally speaking.
“Do you know that His Majesty went to war against Delan, Heilan’s brother nation, right after you were born?”
Elonia nodded.
It was the incident that marked Artius’s downfall from a wise ruler to a tyrant.
While the world sympathized with the Delan Kingdom, a seemingly innocent nation attacked by its brother nation, Elonia, as a member of Heilan’s royal family, knew the truth about Delan.
“Delan acted innocent on the surface, but they were secretly supplying Heilan with weapons and funding the war, in exchange for a promise of protection from Heilan.”
“That’s terrible.”
Elonia feigned surprise, pretending she hadn’t known.
Lady Asta nodded grimly.
“Indeed. …Before you were born, His Majesty was a man who sought peace. He went to war to eradicate the root of the conflict. But he was worried about leaving you behind in the Imperial Palace, a helpless newborn.”
“Worried?”
What nonsense was this?
Elonia couldn’t keep the disbelief off her face.
When Artius first saw her, he had only come to check if she was alive or dead.
He hadn’t wanted a child, and he had resented her for causing Philemon’s death.
Worried? Him?
“It’s understandable that you find it hard to believe. The Emperor you’ve known was never a kind man.”
Lady Asta chuckled bitterly.
“In any case, he was deeply troubled back then. …He looked like he was half out of his mind.”
In other words, he wasn’t in his right state of mind.
‘But if that’s the case, wouldn’t it have been easier for him to just kill me?’
Or maybe he knew, deep down, that she was the only child Philemon had left behind.
Seeing Elonia’s confusion, Lady Asta continued.
“Anyway, that’s how I ended up being responsible for the security of the Imperial Princess’s Palace.”
“But we first met this spring, didn’t we?”
“That’s right. You were just a baby then, and I had just returned from the war. I wasn’t allowed anywhere near your room, in case I carried any diseases.”
“Ah…”
So that’s what happened.
It made sense. Back then, she was just a tiny baby, confined to her cradle.
In those turbulent times, the young and only imperial heir had to be kept safe and secure in the most peaceful environment.
“Things were fine for a few months. But the fact that I was the only noble allowed to carry weapons into the Imperial Palace became a problem.”
“A problem, you say?”
“An assassin disguised themselves as me using magic and tried to infiltrate the Imperial Princess’s Palace. It was one of the nobles who wanted their daughter to become the Empress. Fortunately, the attempt failed, but His Majesty was horrified when he heard the news and rushed back from the war.”
‘What?’
He was that shocked?
And something like that had happened?
The more Lady Asta spoke, the more bewildered Elonia became.
She suddenly remembered what Artius had said when they first met.
“I only came to check if you were dead or alive. Don’t bother me.”
‘So that’s why…’
She would never forget the look in his eyes.
It was pure hatred, a testament to his genuine resentment towards her.
“…And after confirming your safety, His Majesty declared that there would be no exceptions. No one was allowed to enter the Imperial Princess’s Palace with weapons. He also kept me away from the Imperial Palace, fearing that another assassin disguised as me might appear.”
“…I see.”
“It’s thanks to Llewellyn that I can finally see you now. His Majesty chose him as your playmate.”
Elonia, after hearing the whole story, simply nodded and fiddled with her teacup.
‘What is wrong with that man?’
He hated her, then he worried about her.
He was easier to understand in the past.
No, she still believed he was the same person at heart.
But after hearing Lady Asta’s story, she couldn’t make sense of him.
Lady Asta gently squeezed Elonia’s hand, sensing her confusion.
“Anyway, since you asked me personally, I’ll try to persuade His Majesty.”
“Do you think he’ll allow it after what happened?”
“It’s your request, Your Highness. I’ll do my best.”
After all, you’re the true power in the Imperial Palace now.
Lady Asta smiled playfully.
Elonia left the tea party with Lady Asta, her mind filled with questions and uncertainty.
***
“He refused.”
Despite her confident claims, Lady Asta hadn’t been able to sway Artius.
Ricardo, who had eavesdropped on their conversation, reported back to Elonia.
“Well, after that incident with Dolce, he probably doesn’t want to take any more risks.”
Besides, it was a miracle that she was even allowed to learn swordsmanship at her age.
Ricardo quickly added, worried that Elonia might be disappointed.
But Elonia was no longer concerned about learning from Lady Asta. She was more interested in figuring out what was going on in Artius’s mind.
“Rica, I think he’s truly lost it.”
“Uh… you just realized that now?”
“I’m going to see him myself.”
“W-what? Right now?”
Ricardo was taken aback by Elonia’s sudden declaration.
Elonia had always believed that Artius hated her from the start.
But after hearing Lady Asta’s story, she began to doubt her own assumptions.
‘It doesn’t make sense that he would rush back from the war just because his only heir was almost killed. The knights in the Imperial Palace could have easily handled the situation.’
Lady Asta, a reliable source, had told her the story herself.
She wouldn’t lie.
‘Based on her story, could it be that Artius still remembers me… and my dying wish?’
She had assumed that he had gone mad and forgotten her wish, considering how cruelly he had treated her.
But maybe she was wrong.
Elonia hated uncertainty.
She wanted to see for herself, with her own eyes and ears, what Artius was truly thinking.
‘Maybe I can learn something by observing him when he’s off guard.’
You couldn’t slay a dragon without entering its lair.
Currently, she was alone in her room with Ricardo, under the pretense of studying magic.
She had built a certain level of trust with Ricardo, and Ethan no longer tried to interfere, knowing she wouldn’t appreciate it.
Elonia began preparing for her secret mission to the Main Palace.
Ethan might be waiting outside, but Ricardo was on her side.
‘He’s my disciple, trained by me. Evading Ethan should be a piece of cake.’
She felt a twinge of guilt for always leaving Ethan out of the loop, but this was more important.
“He’s still in the audience chamber, right?”
“Yes, but are you sure about this?”
“Yes. Take me to his office. And make sure Ethan can’t enter my room.”
Ricardo had long given up on trying to stop Elonia.
She was surprisingly stubborn, so it was more efficient to let her do what she wanted and get it over with.
“Let’s go.”
Ricardo held out his hand.
Elonia took it, and in an instant, they were inside Artius’s office.
“Call me when you’re done.”
“Okay.”
Ricardo left, leaving Elonia alone.
She scanned the office, looking for a place to hide.
And that’s when she hit a snag.
“…There’s nowhere to hide.”
Artius’s office was surprisingly bare.
The few pieces of furniture weren’t suitable for hiding.
‘Why doesn’t he even have a sofa or a table for guests?’
She had assumed she could hide under a table or behind a chair.
‘Damn it, is there really nowhere to hide?’
Elonia paced around the office, growing increasingly frustrated.
She even climbed onto his desk, trying to find a blind spot, when she froze.
“…Huh?”
Hanging on the wall directly opposite the desk was a familiar face, someone she had never met in person but had seen countless times in portraits.
She had definitely seen this portrait in the Asta mansion.
“Philemon?”
There was no mistaking it.
Mint green hair, gentle green eyes, and a face that mirrored her own.
It was Empress Philemon.
‘…He must have loved her very much.’
The Philemon in the portrait was gazing at Elonia with an expression of pure adoration, as if she was looking at the most precious person in the world.
She was clearly smiling at Artius.
Elonia tried to imagine how she would feel if she were in his shoes.
She had never experienced romantic love in her life, but she knew it would be devastating to lose someone you cherished so deeply.
‘They were so in love. It must be agonizing for him to see her eyes every time he sits here.’
He could simply remove the portrait, but humans weren’t always rational. They were governed by emotions, and that was what made them human.
The longer Elonia stared at the portrait, the more she felt herself melting under Philemon’s warm gaze.
She felt a strange sense of shyness, overwhelmed by the boundless love in those clear green eyes.
‘…Wait, I can’t get distracted.’
Artius would be returning to his office soon after his meeting with Lady Asta.
She had to find a hiding spot before he arrived.
Elonia frantically searched the room again.
She accidentally kicked something on the desk, almost sending it tumbling to the carpet.
“Whoa!”
She managed to catch it before it fell.
She levitated the object with magic, examining it closely.
It was…
“…A family portrait?”
Inside the small frame was a photo of a young Artius with the late Emperor and Empress, their faces beaming with happiness.
Elonia climbed down from the desk and sat on a chair, her gaze drawn to the other items scattered on the surface.
Besides the frame she had almost dropped, there were several other framed photos.
One with the late Emperor, Artius, and a newborn baby who was presumably his younger brother.
Another one that looked like it had been taken with Philemon.
And…
“That’s me.”
Mint green hair and a face that was a carbon copy of Philemon’s.
But her eyes were a pale violet, inherited from Artius.
There was no mistaking it. The child in the photo was Elonia.
She looked barely old enough to speak.
Maybe around two years old.
The Elonia in the photo was glaring at someone beyond the frame with a fierce expression, despite her young age.
Elonia was utterly bewildered.
“Why…?”
Why did Artius have a portrait of her?
‘Especially from this time… We hated each other back then.’
And weren’t portraits supposed to capture happy moments?
There was no trace of a smile on her face in this photo.
It was as if it was meant to be a record of fact, not a cherished memory.
As Elonia stared at the portrait, lost in confusion, she sensed someone approaching the door.
“…!”