ALL NOVEL Chapter 93
The Fifth Prince. Originally, his mother, who should have died early in the imperial palace, losing her child in her womb due to her lover’s obsession and the imperial’s cold treatment, defied fate to give birth to the only anomaly in this world.
“My son and you are on different levels…”
Eonel and Rakrensius existed on entirely different levels of being. Eonel is akin to an avatar of Arshilla, the apostle of Orot. Rakrensius is a human born from a human leak. Naturally, only the latter was allowed to be exceptional under this world’s standard rules. Rakrensius was merely an anchor allowing Eonel to exist in this world.
The always gentle and shining saintess now bore a terribly blank expression. Her face, devoid of any expression, resembled Eonel’s.
“But I have no intention of claiming the throne…!”
“Well, I find it hard to believe. After all, you were originally nothingness. Whether you will become the world’s usurper or let things simply flow as they are.”
Indeed. He was a fate that should never have existed in the first place. Just like he pleaded back then, it would have been better if he had remained as a harmless existence…
“Such a pity.”
Arshilla’s lips curved in a crooked smile. With a light flick of her hand, the image in the air vanished.
* * *
Crump.
A sheet of paper was brutally crumpled in the Pavellian’s hand.
[Date: The 1
st
day of the 10
th
month, 14:00
Location: Near the stables of Elard territory, Nous
Summary: A social gathering held at the request of Prince Erenst of the Laten Kingdom.
Special notes: The target didn’t receive an escort from any man other than her brother.
(…)
Date: The 3
rd
day of the 10
th
month, 18:00
Location: Duke Elard’s residence, outskirts of the capital
Summary: An unofficial celebration for the recovery of Lady Elard.
Special notes: Apart from welcoming the fifth prince and presenting a token of thanks with the duke and duchess, the target had no other contact with any gentlemen.]
He took a deep breath, barely managing to steady himself. “How impudent…”
It was truly unfortunate that Lady Elard had an accident during the hunting competition. But Pavellian thought it was her own fault. Such things could happen during a hunting competition. Moreover, treasure hunts aren’t meant for women in the first place. It was an event created for young noblemen like Eonel, who weren’t yet of age but wanted to showcase their skills. Other participants were mostly cowardly quitters or young noblewomen from modest backgrounds looking to stand out. In short, it wasn’t a place for Lady Elard to be.
“She should have just waited for hunting gifts at the camp…”
Though he had never presented hunting gifts to Lady Elard before, Pavellian blamed her greed. What kind of glory was she after to insist on participating in the treasure hunt?
In any case, the lady nearly died in that insignificant game, and Elard withdrew from the event as if protesting the imperial family’s poor preparation.
To make things worse, she made enemies with Lady Langeusha…
Are women truly such emotional creatures? Up until now, he had thought that Lady Elard was a rational and fair person, fitting to be by his side… but it seemed she had her own unavoidable flaws.
Despite these flaws, the fact that he didn’t want to push her away—what else could that be but affection?
However, the situation was turning strange.
“She declined the gift?”
“Yes, saying it wasn’t appropriate…”
“…This feels like she won’t be satisfied until I visit her personally. Schedule a visit.”
He had sent a gift of consolation, but it was refused.
[I apologize, but my daughter hasn’t yet recovered enough, and it would be a burden to allow Your Highness’s visit.]
He had offered to visit Lady Elard, who wasn’t even his fiancée, but this was also declined.
Then, a few days later, news came that she had hosted a banquet to celebrate her recovery, gathering pro-Elard families among the imperial faction. Sure, his half-brother, with whom he had never had a proper conversation, had saved Lady Elard in loyalty to the imperial family. It made sense for her to express her gratitude. But…
“While ignoring all my sincerity?”
By now, it was clear to him. Elard was holding a grudge over this incident and was trying to drive a wedge between him and Selleana.
“At the Harvest Festival closing banquet, she only danced with her family and then disappeared, probably for the same reason…”
Though the situation was slightly different, his narrow thinking couldn’t arrive at any other conclusion. Furthermore….
[Date: The 5
th
day of the 10
th
month, 20:00
Location: Central Square in the capital
Details: Drinking with a man in front of the Schneider Brewery tent. Later participated in the lantern release event at the Ortheus II bridge. (…) Disappeared after leaving the Michele House. Could not track afterward.
Special notes: No movement was traced after leaving Duke Glen’s residence. The man is assumed to be a commoner.]
“A lover, and yet a mere commoner…”
He had assumed she couldn’t bring her lover to the hunting competition, pretending otherwise, but it turned out her lover was a commoner.
“How dare she….”
Fine. He could tolerate one instance of indulgence. As long as it didn’t threaten the imperial power, even having a lover wouldn’t be an issue…
“But for the woman destined to be an empress to have an affair before marriage? It’s disgraceful to my ancestors…” His molars ground heavily as his anger swelled.
Knock, knock.
A precise knock echoed. It was coming from the chief aide.
“Her Majesty the Empress has come to see you.”
“Understood, I’ll be out shortly.”
Why would Her Majesty come to see him…? Though he was close to the Empress, he maintained a certain level of distance. Ever since he had been named crown prince, his responsibilities had increased, and their meetings were usually scheduled in advance, either at mealtimes or tea times.
Pavellian straightened his clothes and made his way to the parlor.
“May the blessing of Orot be upon this peaceful afternoon, Your Majesty.”
“May Orot’s blessing be upon you. Did I surprise you by coming unannounced?”
“Yes, I was worried something might be wrong…” Pavellian trailed off as he sat across from the empress, whose face bore a gentle smile, reassuring him.
“Now that the Harvest Festival is over…. You must be busy with tax matters.”
“Yes, I am, but I always have time for tea with Your Majesty.”
Arshilla smiled contentedly at her stepson’s devoted reply. She brought up the matter after the chief aide had served some light refreshments.
“It’s about Prince Erenst of Laten. He’s asked for our help.”
The empress took out an envelope from her robe. The seal, once broken, bore the crest of the Marquis Rondel.
“It seems Elard has arrogantly disrespected the royal family of Laten.”
At the mention of Elard, Pavellian’s thick golden eyebrows drew closer together.
“No matter how close Elard is to the imperial family, they still have boundaries they must respect when dealing with foreign royalty…”
“I’m not sure of the details, but it’s regrettable.”
“Indeed. That’s why the imperial family should guide Elard appropriately.”
Arshilla slid the letter toward Pavellian. The smile that appeared on her face had long made it difficult for Pavellian to resist.
* * *
[The imperial family invited all of Elard to Enet Palace.]
“The imperial family?”
Rakrensius’s heart sank. Could it be that they had found out about his closeness with Selleana…?
Knowing what its young friend might be worried about without needing to hear it, the Di quickly added. [It’s probably because of the third prince of Laten. He recently submitted a petition to the imperial family through Rondel.]
“What could a foreign prince have to petition the imperial family for…? Could it be related to Lady Branto?”
[The official reason is that Elard disrespected the Laten royal family, but in any case, wouldn’t that disrespect have started because of that maid?]
Ha.
Rakrensius let out a bitter laugh.
Some people couldn’t even hold hands properly because of external pressure despite their mutual feelings, while others shamelessly try to impose their feelings on others… And now, of all things, he sought the help of the imperial family. What an unfortunate coincidence. Moreover….
“It’s not because of the Master of Tower!”
The angel always dismissed his worries as mere overthinking, but Rakrensius thought differently.
In truth, Rakrensius had just come up with a theory regarding Agnesia. Among them, Agnesia was the closest to the saintess. However, he wasn’t sure if it was okay for Selleana to be cautious of the empress, so he kept it to himself.
Maybe if I didn’t go into detail about Momo, it would be fine. But… even just being close to her might have already drawn significant attention.
Rakrensius clenched the necklace inside his shirt. It was a locket that matched the magical summoning device he had given to Selleana.
“Just in case, I should check it out myself.”
[Are you planning to use the method mentioned by Lady Elard and her maid? Using a bird with good night vision would consume less magic.]
Di chuckled. He had grown quite interested in Selleana, and the odd magic she and Michi had discussed that day in the study. If Selleana hadn’t known that Di was the sword of the founding emperor, Di might have tried to communicate with her.
“Is there really a need to take such a risk?”
[Indeed, if a secret magic is activated nearby, the saintess might notice…]
“No one can sneak around better than I.” A faint smile spread across the man’s lips.
Having decided to protect Selleana no matter what, he trusted in his own unique power. His mother’s magic, which operated differently from the existing magic system, was never detected by the saintess.
Rakrensius himself didn’t know that this magic could only be used by the leaks and their offspring.