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Chapter 6 — Will You Choose?
According to the original story, today was the day.
The Emperor would lose control after being driven into a frenzy by the reckless noble ladies who, consumed by the desire to become the Emperor’s Guide, secretly laced his drink with a dangerous drug.
And in a place where no one was supposed to be, the young imperial prince who had followed after his older brother happened to be there.
A tragedy unfolded.
Until, at the end of a path strewn with blood and flesh, the original novel’s heroine bravely appeared and guided him into a silent, peaceful sleep.
That night, after losing all memory of what had happened, the Emperor would spend the rest of his life tormented by guilt. The young prince would eventually succumb to his weakened condition, and the Duke, who had let his younger brother go to the banquet alone, would become irreconcilably hostile toward the Emperor.
‘There’s no way I’m letting things play out like that.’
I had come here to save Ruias.
As for the Emperor… well, the original heroine would surely appear somewhere in this banquet hall with a dramatic flourish and save him.
I was dying to see my favorite sunshine heroine, but unfortunately, I couldn’t move my body freely right now.
And this wasn’t the time for that anyway.
“What a waste of time.”
“Thank you for saying exactly what I always wanted to tell you, Your Majesty.”
That was when it happened.
The tense confrontation had finally come to an end!
My cheeks flushed with anticipation as I watched a group of noble ladies approaching.
They were probably Guides from aristocratic families.
‘Ah, this is my first time seeing the Guides of this world.’
The word Guide still felt awkward to me.
And honestly…
I felt a little sorry for those young ladies.
Once the truth came out later, they would all meet rather horrifying ends.
‘If an SSS-rank loses control, not only the Imperial Palace but the entire capital could be wiped out. No matter what, they were far too reckless.’
At best, they looked like B-rank Guides.
No… maybe even C-rank.
Where had they gotten the confidence to think they could calm an S-rank?
Well, it was a novel.
For a B-rank to successfully stabilize an S-rank, they’d have to possess a compatibility rate so absurdly high it could only be called heaven-sent.
‘Like our heroine.’
Each of them believed she would be different.
Watching them weave romantic fantasies around the Emperor’s inability to find his destined partner made me feel strangely pitiful.
That’s not what’s happening, ladies.
Run.
He’s a wild beast.
Anyway, I turned around.
The moment I did, control over my body finally returned.
“Pwah!”
Without thinking, I let out the breath I’d been holding.
The child clutching my hand flinched in surprise.
Ah…
That was a mistake.
I bit my lip.
For some reason, it felt as though the Emperor’s retreating footsteps had suddenly stopped behind me.
No, no.
Just keep walking.
I didn’t do anything.
I literally just breathed.
I swallowed nervously.
Fortunately, I heard his footsteps move away once again.
The noble ladies with stars in their eyes had called out to him.
The Emperor might be cold toward Espers and Guides alike, but he wasn’t the type to treat them cruelly.
He didn’t ignore their greetings.
‘Thank goodness.’
I let out a long sigh of relief before looking down.
The little boy was staring up at me with uncertain eyes.
Ignoring the whispers surrounding us, I bent my knees slightly until our gazes met.
“Ruias.”
He nodded vigorously.
His round little head looked unbelievably adorable.
“You’ve seen your brother now. You should return first. I’ll have the mages escort you.”
His green eyes wavered.
It was obvious he wanted to refuse.
But that wasn’t an option.
If you don’t leave…
Then everything I’ve done to get here will have been for nothing, little one.
“You have to listen.”
His head drooped sadly.
I felt bad for him…
But there was no helping it.
The mages, who had already received instructions beforehand, quickly stepped forward and carefully escorted the child away.
Only after watching him disappear did I stand up.
People nearby were whispering as though they’d just witnessed something unbelievable.
Seriously?
Is making eye contact with a child really that shocking?
I’m sure Duke Ariel could do at least that much.
When I looked at them silently, every gaze scattered at once.
At times like this, Hilaria’s naturally cold face—which looked angry even when expressionless—was incredibly useful.
Then—
“To think I’d meet Duke Ariel in a place like this. How surprising.”
A clear, confident voice rang out.
The moment I saw her face…
I nearly gasped.
Why is this woman picking a fight with me?
Black hair.
Crimson eyes.
A single alluring black beauty mark beneath the corner of her lips.
I couldn’t remember her exact name.
‘Euroke… something.’
She was the villainess side character who first appeared early in the novel.
More specifically…
She made her debut by bullying the sunshine heroine at the banquet.
I frowned inwardly.
‘The heroine should be around this woman. Don’t tell me… is she here?’
Wait…
Could it be?
My heart started pounding.
For a second, the corners of my lips almost curled upward, threatening to break through my perfect poker face.
‘What?’
But my excitement immediately crumbled.
She wasn’t here.
If you didn’t even bring our heroine with you…
Then why are you picking a fight with me?
My attitude instantly turned sour.
Using the increasingly familiar Hilaria-style sarcasm, I spoke.
“When exactly did the etiquette of high society deteriorate to this extent? Did I greet you first, young lady?”
It was a blatant insult.
A Duke hadn’t even spoken to her first, yet she had dared to address him on her own.
Combined with Hilaria’s terrifying aura—which looked capable of freezing someone solid with a single change in expression—
It worked perfectly.
The woman’s face turned pale.
“Everyone knows… everyone knows that you’re not even a Guide, yet you deliberately attract His Majesty the Emperor’s attention and enjoy it!”
…
Right.
Who exactly was this “everyone”?
And what attention was I supposedly enjoying?
Are you insane?
Anger flared inside me.
I forced myself to suppress it.
The cold and noble Master of the Magic Tower, Duke Ariel, would never explode in rage or curse someone out.
I couldn’t risk exposing myself—not even to a minor side character.
Recalling every infuriating line Hilaria had used throughout the novel to get under the Emperor’s skin, I answered coolly.
“Ridiculous. If you have something to complain about, then take it to the Emperor you admire so much. Do I look idle enough to entertain your childish whining? Move.”
…
After saying it, I realized…
That sounded suspiciously similar to Kaisis.
My mood instantly worsened.
The woman trembled violently, her face deathly pale.
Yet unlike how she’d treated the heroine in the novel, she didn’t dare splash wine over my head or shove me while laughing mockingly.
‘Typical bully. Strong against the weak, weak against the strong. Hmph.’
Hopefully…
The heroine’s suffering had already been erased because of this.
After treating the group of women as if they were beneath notice, I instructed the mages accompanying me to enjoy the banquet before wandering the hall alone.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
‘Something’s wrong. Why can’t I find her?’
The Emperor was still surrounded by people trying to flatter him, wearing his usual arrogant expression.
Knowing exactly what had been mixed into the wine glass in his hand…
I grew increasingly anxious, as though I were watching someone hug a ticking time bomb.
‘Our sunshine heroine… where are you?!’
That bright yellow dress should have been impossible to miss.
After all, the powerless B-rank Guide with no influential backing had been bullied by those same women earlier.
They’d poured wine over her and forced her into a dress they had prepared.
It was a brilliant sunflower-yellow gown.
And according to the novel…
It suited her so dazzlingly well that it caught the Emperor’s attention the moment he saw her.
So then…
Why wasn’t she anywhere?
Huh?
At that very moment—
I felt the Emperor’s presence.
I had been deliberately pretending not to notice him, avoiding getting too close.
But now…
His aura became frighteningly clear.
‘Oh, damn it. Damn it.’
Just as in the original story…
Kaisis, whose condition had already seemed unstable, suddenly released an overwhelming presence.
It expanded as though he were a beast about to tear someone apart.
An Esper’s berserk state.
The very phenomenon that had recently begun spreading in secret—an external substance capable of inducing a berserk episode.
Those foolish young ladies had smuggled it in…
And given it to the Emperor.
At first, I’d considered preventing the entire incident from happening.
But that would have required approaching the Emperor myself.
I’d rejected the idea immediately.
‘If I suddenly changed my attitude now, he’d only grow suspicious.’
Besides…
I knew the sunshine heroine would appear and calm him.
There was nothing to worry about.
Under normal circumstances, what happened after this wasn’t worth even an ant’s toenail of concern.
The Emperor staggered.
The Imperial Knights hurriedly tried to shield him from the sight of the mages.
Especially from mine.
The mages laughing and chatting throughout the banquet remained completely unaware of what was happening.
Only the Espers…
The Guides…
And I…
Watched the dangerous situation unfold while swallowing dryly.
‘What do I do?’
What if our sunshine heroine doesn’t appear?
What if…
Something has changed?
