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Chapter 115
“Whatcha doing, Stefan?”
Stefan, who had been gently stroking Sasha’s shoulder, only realized what he was doing when Jellin asked, and he flinched in surprise, quickly shaking his shoulder free.
“Uh? Nothing.”
As if trying to forget what he had just done, Stefan hurriedly started talking to Jellin without pause.
“Then, if I can’t meet Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess, make sure you introduce the magical device we developed to her instead of me. After all, I did most of the work that day, so the chance to meet her will probably fall to me.”
“Yeah. Got it.”
Jellin nodded solemnly at Stefan’s request.
There was no reason to refuse.
Just being able to present the magical device she and Stefan had developed in front of the Crown Princess could give even a small boost to the magical device industry, which would be more than enough reason to do it.
Ever since rumors spread that the Crown Princess would visit, the academy had been busy. They needed to finish preparing the academy before her arrival.
Perhaps because time was tight, the academy hired a large number of people to repair the roads and buildings damaged by the monsters, and they also pruned the trees lining the streets. The hallways and windows were polished until they shone.
It was hard to believe that the academy had dragged repairs for so long, considering how quickly it had returned to its previous state.
And not long after, the Crown Princess visited the academy.
The headmaster and department heads were to meet her first, followed by the students who had contributed to closing the dimensional portal, who would then have their own audience with her.
Jellin rubbed her sweaty palms on her uniform skirt as she waited for her turn.
She was extremely nervous about greeting someone of such high rank, someone she might never even see from afar.
Luckily, she had taken a civics class where she had learned proper etiquette for greeting members of the royal family. Without that, she would have been at a complete loss.
As expected, Stefan did not get the chance to meet the Crown Princess, so Jellin would be the one presenting the magical device.
Since the device had been instrumental in defeating the monsters when closing the dimensional portal, it made sense to introduce it naturally while being praised for their contribution.
Meeting the Crown Princess was not easy. There were many procedures to go through.
They had to undergo an inspection to ensure they weren’t carrying dangerous weapons, and any message to the Crown Princess had to be approved by an aide beforehand.
They also had to confirm multiple times that the magical device, which did not use magic stones, posed no threat to Her Highness before being allowed to bring it in for the audience.
The temporary audience chamber prepared by the academy opened.
Those who had closed the dimensional portal together during the academy festival entered the chamber, and the Crown Princess rose to greet them.
“Welcome.”
The moment the Crown Princess’s voice echoed through the chamber, Jellin nearly dropped the magical device in her hands.
Her mind went blank, and her body felt frozen, cold as ice.
It was a voice she would never forget, no matter how short or long her life might be.
The voice she had just heard matched the one she had heard the day her mother passed away.
“You have closed the dimensional portal and prevented what could have been a great disaster. I am sincerely grateful. Because of you, the empire’s future looks very bright.”
A clear, bright laugh followed. The Crown Princess praised them with a cheerful, genuine tone.
But some present knew that her words were not entirely sincere.
One by one, the students stepped forward to greet her. The Crown Princess asked them in detail about the day’s events and praised them again.
Jellin, who had been bowing her head, didn’t even realize her turn had come. It was only when Adrian nudged her shoulder that she stepped forward, almost pushed along.
Shaking, Jellin forced her voice to perform the greeting she had learned in etiquette class. That was all she could manage.
Perhaps she had misheard. It had been a long time, and her memory could have been distorted in the meantime.
She had to confirm. Unable to see the royal face directly, Jellin’s eyes, still lowered, focused on the Crown Princess’s elaborately embroidered dress. Slowly, her blurred vision began to clear.
She could see the Crown Princess’s hands resting on the armrests of the chair. Her spotless, delicate hands were adorned with several rings.
One ring immediately drew Jellin’s attention. A lion-shaped ring with a dark red gem—she could not take her eyes off it.
Her memory had not betrayed her.
That ring was unmistakable.
“Ah…”
A short, hushed sound escaped Jellin’s lips. It was her.
The person who had driven her mother to the brink thirteen years ago. The person who had handed her mother a pouch of money as if giving alms in exchange for her life. That person was now standing before her.
She had thought about it hundreds, thousands of times. If by some chance, she ever met them again, what should she do?
Should she scream and ask why? Or maybe vow to make them suffer a death as painful as her mother’s?
But now that the person stood before her, Jellin could not choose any option. No words would come out. It was as if her throat had been sealed shut.
As the silence stretched, the Crown Princess’s aide whispered something softly. It seemed to be the information Jellin had agreed to convey during the audience.
When the aide finished, the Crown Princess looked down at Jellin with a kind smile.
“Yes. You have something to show me.”
Even though the Crown Princess had spoken first, Jellin did not respond. A maid attending the princess scolded her sharply.
“Her Highness is speaking! Why aren’t you answering?”
Even with the maid’s reprimand, Jellin did not move. The maid then looked at her with contempt. Jellin’s hands trembled.
Lionel stepped in for her.
“She must be nervous from meeting Your Highness and forgot what she prepared.”
“That is understandable. Now, what is it you wish to show me?”
The Crown Princess asked in a gentle, motherly tone, but Jellin was not fooled. She knew the cruelty behind that voice.
Eventually, the maid snatched the magical device from Jellin’s hands and presented it to the Crown Princess.
While the Crown Princess examined it, the aide recited the explanation Jellin had prepared in advance.
“This magical device greatly helped in defeating monsters when the dimensional portal opened.”
“I see. Is it stronger than conventional magical devices, then?”
“Yes. Even with low-quality magic stones, it can take on several monsters. When the portal opened this time, it was a great help in defeating them.”
The Crown Princess’s eyes sparkled at the explanation.
“Ho, a truly remarkable invention. A talented student was studying at the academy.”
The Crown Princess continued speaking, but Jellin, lost in her own thoughts, could no longer hear. Her memories of that day were fragmented, like holes in her mind. All she could do was leave the audience chamber as if fleeing.
By the time she entered the chamber, the magical device she had been holding was already gone, though she didn’t even notice.
In her childhood, Jellin had no memory of a father. He had already passed away before her memories began.
Though she did not remember his face, she always felt as if he were near her.
Her father’s presence was everywhere in her mid-level rune textbooks, which she carried everywhere like a part of herself.
Jellin’s family was destitute. The word “poor” was almost too luxurious to describe how desperately they lacked money.
The large medical bills left by her father’s treatment and the tuition for her magical studies became debts, all of which her mother had shouldered alone.
Her mother’s hands were never idle. She worked in the castle and took on menial jobs in the village, slowly repaying the debt.
Though they always worked, the debt was so massive that the small amounts they earned only covered the principal and interest, barely leaving enough for food.
Jellin wore patched clothes and was always hungry. She had none of the simple toys her peers had, like cloth dolls or balls.
Though poor, she was not unhappy. Jellin was always with her mother.
Her mother could not give her material wealth, but she gave love and attention in abundance, something Jellin always felt deeply.
On the day she would never forget, Jellin was with her mother as usual.
That day was different. Her mother woke her up early with a basket and shovel in hand, speaking in a gentle voice.
“Jellin, today we’re going somewhere, just you and me.”
Jellin slowly lifted her sleep-heavy eyelids and asked,
“Ugh… where are we going, Mom?”
