CH 84

“Come to think of it, Princess was said to be someone who smelled like winter, which means that the soul is torn.”

It was said that the first Silkisia died with her soul torn apart.

So, there was a possibility that the soul inside the Princess would also be torn. But that was a nonsense.

‘I still don’t know to what extent does the emperor knows.’

He found that information first. He felt displeased so he frowned.

“It would be good if we could find some information inside the Central Library about the first Silkisia.”

The Central Library was a place in the center of the capital where all the books in the empire were collected.

Psychke took his word.

“I think it’s better to know the power of the first Silkisia. Is there such a book that records each power of people?”

“There’s no such a thing. There’s nothing good about each power known to the world, and except for Evergreen, people with the same power do not share each other’s specific powers.”

“All right.”

“Let’s go together later.”

After the Magic Association incident, he didn’t let Psychke wander around alone.

He couldn’t be with her all the time so he always sends Crow and Croa but she always finds them and asks Isolet to put them down.

Psychke shook her head.

“I am all right. I will look for myself.”

Verndia will suffer the most since he was with the ‘criminal’ inside the Second Prince’s banquet at that. Besides, what is such a help when it was easy to navigate in the library? He wanted to stop her, saying that it’s risky to go alone but he was blocked by the words that followed,

“If I get hurt again, I’ll wear a bell. The one with the yellow ribbon you bought for me back then.”

“… Not the yellow one, but the red one.”

So, Psychke went to the library alone.

* * *

“Why are you so late?”

Upon returning late at night from the library, she was greeted by Verndia warmly and he checked if she got any injuries, muttering in a slightly sullen tone.

“You are fine. It would be okay to be pricked by a needle, but let me poke it.”

“멀쩡하군요. 바늘에 찔리는 정도는 괜찮을 텐데 내가 찔러볼까.”

“Pardon? What did you say?”

“Nothing. Did you find out anything?”

“There was nothing special today. But-”

Psychke pulled her note from her pocket.

“Looking at it, there was something like a rumor, so I wrote it down.”

“Rumor?”

He took the note and confirmed it with her.

「 The first Silkisia was very close to Lestir.

Yet were married to different people. 」

「 Silkisia’s spouse was the first Emperor.

After their marriage, the imperial family and Lestir’s relationship became very estranged. 」

「 Periodically, Silkisia travels to the North to see Lestir.

However, at some point, she stopped going to the North altogether. 」

「It was said that she died because of disease, but she actually died while wandering in the snowy fields of the North in a daze. 」

「There are accounts of Lestir raising an army after Silksia’s death and marching on the imperial capital, but there was no evidence. 」

「It was unlikely that the Empire would allow a family to rebel against them. 」

“The last two sentences were definitely new to me.”

“I think I have checked every book there was. So, I am planning to ask Duke Evergreen but I doubt if he’d answer.”

Even if he does answer, he was a hostile person.

Her smaller body was not even helping her, but it was obvious that Duke Evergreen would neglect that.

‘Well, as Miss Stella said, he likes perfume.’

No matter how much she try to make an appointment, he won’t accept it. It’s hard to even meet, so what should she do?

“Right, princess.”

Verndia, who had taken care of her notes, changed her subject.

“Soon, there’d be a conference meeting on how to deal with you, Princess. You can go there yourself, or should I just tell you the results? Which are you comfortable with?”

“I will go myself.”

“As long as the Duke of Silkisia is also present, I don’t think it will sound good. Is that okay?”

“Sure. It’s my job, I have to go.”

Psychke answered without hesitation and clenched her fists.

Since she was still a sinner, she had no right to speak at the meeting, but she wanted to witness what would the outcome be.

As if she knew it would come out like that, Verndia silently nodded his head.

* * *

It was muggy at dawn in late summer.

It was deep inside the imperial garden.

The flowers were in full bloom in the garden, but without paying attention, Logan only looked at the emperor’s back as he walked ahead.

Before the Second Prince’s banquet, when the news of Glorielle started to spread, he asked for an audience with the Emperor to which he declined.

Then, today, when the conference meeting was going to be held, and the Emperor wanted to see how the wind would blow this time so he appeared.

He just walked for an hour and didn’t say anything.

If that’s the case, why did he want to see him? It’s time for the great conference to begin soon.

Logan couldn’t stand it and opened his mouth.

“Your majesty.”

Suddenly, the tree branches stepped on by the emperor made a harsh sound.

He stepped onto something he shouldn’t have. The emperor indicated for him to shut up.

The flesh he had been biting for an hour tasted like blood already.

It was not enough time to prepare for the meeting, so what the hell was he doing now?

“Do you think that preparing a little more will make a difference?”

Suddenly the question seemed to penetrate his thoughts.

It was a question, but a sarcastic tone.

His heart was twisted, but Logan couldn’t say anything as the opponent was the Emperor himself.

The emperor spoke again.

“I would like to choose you and not Glorielle.”

“…”

“I was thinking about it.”

The emperor stopped in front of a fountain from which a statue of white ivory spouted water.

Half-turned, he stared coolly at the stiff Duke.

“The reason why I should choose you over Glorielle.”

“…”

“But nothing came to mind.”

The Emperor ruthlessly scanned Logan’s face, then moved his gaze toward the fountain.

His voice was usually sharp, but it sounded even colder today to which Logan clenched his fists.

“That child cannot use her powers, but I can grant your wishes with forbidden magic.”

“Forbidden magic?”

The emperor laughed when he remembered the eternal life magic circle that was never completed.

It was an obvious laugh.

“You mean Shiona. Is she even still alive?”

“She is not a woman who dies so easily.”

Logan answered, yet he was not confident because his opponent was Lestir.

In fact, he knew not too long ago that Shiona had fought against Berndia.

He wondered why the proud Magic Association didn’t claim compensation from Lester who blew up the building.

A few days ago, he realized it after seeing the association’s announcement, ‘Thank you to Duke Lestir for finding the hidden worshipper.’

That there was some connection between the collapse of the association building and his loss of contact with Shiona.

“She was still looking for a place to settle in so please wait a little longer-”

“Whether that little bit will be 10 years or 20 years.”

The bony sound made Logan shut his mouth.

He knew that this alone would not change the emperor’s mind.

He opened and closed his fists nervously. After some thought, he opened his mouth again, wondering why he remembered it only now.

“You must never keep that child around you to prevent chaos. Thus, this is the right thing to do with this chance.”

The emperor, who had been staring at the fountain, finally turned to Logan. He was still a numb pupil as if he were looking at things.

Here, even a wrong word could mean the ignition of wwar, so Logan chose his words as carefully as possible.

“I dare not harm Your Majesty, but there is no harm in doubting anything.”

The second prince’s coming-of-age ceremony was slowly coming to an end.

The emperor, who said he would hold an oracle-related meeting as soon as his birthday banquet was over, was silent.

He does not know if the main character of that oracle was Psychke, but if this goes on, his justification of burying this child would vanish.

Logan persuaded the emperor with all his zeal.

“Even more so, she was the daughter of Leas. Her lineage cannot be fooled, and there was a high possibility that she would follow the same path as her mother, ignoring the grace of His Majesty who bestowed her with kindness.”

“The same thing…”

The emperor meaningfully lengthened the tail of his horse.

Logan recognized the meaning, but his expression did not change.

“Yes. So, it seems right to keep a distance from her before it becomes the seed of trouble.”

“If someone can handle her well, she wouldn’t be the speck of dust, let alone the seed of trouble.”

A single word was enough to break Logan’s long persuasion.

The Emperor muttered to the frozen Logan.

“Take a closer look. Since what was given away was not enough and cannot be recovered, was destroying her the only countermeasure for current Silkisia?”

“…”

“As expected, fakes are different. I thought it would be similar since I inherited at least a little of Shia’s blood.”

The emperor made no secret of his disappointment.

Logan finally realized what answer the Emperor was expecting.

It was beyond his ability, and without Shiona, it would be close to impossible, but he couldn’t say he couldn’t, so Logan swallowed dryly.

And he said something that would appeal to the emperor.

“I will return Psychke to Your Majesty.”

“How?”

“I have the means to separate her from Lestir.”

There was something he heard from Marquis Esland, who had recently come to borrow money.

He also heard it from his daughter, Hilvia. It was not yet confirmed if what he heard was true, but it was said that Lestir has a high chance of falling in love with Psychke.

“Even if it was not the case, this was what I was trying to present during the meeting.”

Logan lowered his voice, making sure no one was around to eavesdrop.

However, despite the effort, the emperor who had heard the story was still blunt.

“Do you think Lestir will just fall apart with that?”

“Even if he doesn’t fall right away, it’s enough to create a crack and when there’s a crack, the rest would be easier.”

Ding- Ding- Ding-

In the distance, the bell rang announcing that the start of the conference was approaching.

The Emperor glared at Logan with a look that said he didn’t expect much.

And he turned his back.