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Chapter 08
‘You worked hard.’
‘……?’
‘The prince’s hand.’
A voice engraved like a mark in the mind, something that even after a long time could not be forgotten.
Even after losing his parents to Emperor Lazere’s hand, wandering across the continent… even after losing countless people who had trusted and followed him due to the enemy’s army…
In the end, it was the voice of a certain girl that made him stand up again.
She probably didn’t even know.
“So this time… I will protect you.”
After a long journey, finally…
Edrion turned his gaze away with a bitter smile.
Beyond the horizon, dawn was breaking.
Even the deep darkness that covered the corridor was gradually pushed away by the bright, radiant sun.
It was just like Edrion’s heart.
An annoying alarm rang in Liris’s ears as she fell into a deep sleep.
“Biii-ri-ri-ri—”
“Ugh…”
Liris was the type who slept a lot, and mornings were especially her weakness.
One of the best things about settling in the southern region was this—she could sleep late without worrying about anyone else.
She habitually reached toward her bedside and rolled over to the other side.
“Biii-ri-ri-ri—”
“Urgh…”
The clock must be on the left, not the right.
Liris turned her body again and fumbled around her pillow—then suddenly froze.
“Biii-ri-ri-ri—”
“…?”
Hmm.
Did alarm clocks even exist in this world?
No, more importantly—since when did alarm clocks fly around left and right while ringing?
At that moment, something softly landed on the bridge of her nose, and Liris opened her eyes wide like someone splashed with cold water.
“Bip!”
The first thing she saw was a pair of tiny, sparkling eyes like beads.
And… a fresh green sprout of leaves attached to it.
“Am I dreaming right now?”
“Bii?”
But if it was a dream, the sensation of the hand—roots—touching her cheek was far too real.
Liris, now fully awake, sat on the bed and let out a long sigh.
“Haaa…”
“Bii?”
The leaf slid down from her nose and circled around her knees.
She seriously had to think about what this thing was supposed to mean—this leaf with limbs—roots—running around and even crying.
“No way…”
A memory from the previous day suddenly came to her mind.
She had found a yellow leaf among her clothes after taking off her outdoor outfit.
It clearly looked like a World Tree leaf, so she hadn’t dared to throw it away carelessly, and instead had placed it in a glass of water.
But she swore she never wanted this result.
She did not want a mysterious leaf flying around her head making noise.
“Bii-ri-ri-ri.”
“Haaa…”
Knock knock—
At that moment, a polite knock came from outside the door.
Liris quickly grabbed the wildly flying leaf like it was a fly and hid it behind her back.
She had already committed enough blasphemy yesterday—she didn’t want to add more sins on top of it.
What would be the punishment for turning a sacred World Tree leaf into something with eyes and a mouth…?
“W-who is it!”
“Good morning, Doctor.”
It was Zenia.
Liris, trembling while holding the leaf tightly in her hands, let out a relieved breath.
Zenia entered with permission. In her hands were clean wash water and grooming tools like a comb.
“It is time to wake up.”
“Already…?”
Looking out the window, the sun was roughly at a height suggesting around 9 a.m.
It was far too early to be active.
Zenia would not be unaware of that, so there was only one explanation.
“So I’m finally being exiled from the Imperial Palace?”
“No, that is not it.”
“Then why do I need to wake up so early…? I’ll just sleep more.”
“I will report it as such, then.”
As Liris slowly tried to crawl back into bed, she noticed something strange.
She quickly placed the flying leaf back into the cup, sealed it carefully with a lid, and asked:
“Report… to whom?”
“To Her Majesty the Empress.”
“…What?”
“If the Doctor requires more rest and therefore has no intention of attending an audience with Her Majesty, I will inform the Empress’s chamber staff waiting outside.”
“…You really want me gone, don’t you. I see how it is.”
Liris shot up from the bed faster than light.
The Empress’s Palace, known as the “Moon of the Empire,” was overwhelming from the very entrance.
Sunlight poured through crystal windows over white Mediterranean marble like foam.
Every pillar was carved with mythological depictions of the moon, and the walls were studded with jewels that looked like scattered stars.
“This way, Princess.”
“But this doesn’t look like an audience hall…”
The place where the chamberlain stopped guiding Liris was the Empress’s private reception room.
Unlike the formal audience hall where scribes recorded every word, this was a secret space where no one outside could know what happened inside.
A place where, if a certain doctor’s head were to suddenly roll off, no one would even know.
“Her Majesty wishes to have a more private conversation with you.”
“…Ah.”
I don’t want that at all.
As Liris stood stubbornly like a puppy that had just spotted a veterinary clinic sign, the chamberlain gestured insistently for her to enter.
In the end, Liris was almost pushed inside while shrinking down like a crumpled paper ball.
‘I’m not actually going to lose my head… right?’
The thought did not last long.
Someone sitting on the sofa in the center of the reception room came into view.
Liris bowed respectfully.
“All glory to the radiant Moon of the Empire. I greet Your Majesty the Empress.”
“You may rise.”
After receiving Empress Aitana’s permission, Liris slowly stood up.
‘Wow… she really looks like the heroine…’
An overwhelming presence.
Even though she had firmly resolved not to think unnecessary thoughts, this was the first time seeing the original story’s protagonist in person.
Aitana, seated on the throne-like sofa, looked exactly as described in the novel.
Fiery red hair, sharp and striking facial features, deep golden eyes, and long limbs.
Most of all, there was a natural arrogance in her piercing gaze.
She was a beauty so dazzling that anyone would turn their head if they passed her on the street.
However, in her hand was a large scar that contrasted sharply with her noble appearance.
A reminder of her harsh past.
‘So that’s from her time as a slave… She doesn’t hide it. That’s very like her.’
The former Emperor Lazere was incompetent.
Born as the eldest of the royal family, he ascended the throne by luck, but lacked any ability to bear its weight.
On the other hand, his son Kairos was kind and wise, praised as the model of a virtuous ruler.
So it was natural that the balance of power slowly began to shift from Emperor to Crown Prince.
‘Lazere couldn’t endure it.’
He was foolish by nature but greedy, and only satisfied when all power and attention were focused on him.
Then the engagement between Kairos and Aitana only fueled the Emperor’s paranoia.
He could clearly imagine a future where the Akshad family, the Crown Prince’s powerful backing, would dominate the empire—and himself being dragged along helplessly.
And so it happened.
‘Execute the Duke and Duchess of Akshad, along with their heir. Strip their daughter of noble status and enslave her.’
The Emperor framed the Akshad family for treason.
The Crown Prince knelt beneath his father’s chambers, begging day and night for mercy for his beloved’s family, until he collapsed from exhaustion.
Meanwhile, the duke and duchess were executed without even a proper trial.
Edrion had been away in his territory at the time, so he narrowly escaped.
But Aitana was not so fortunate.
She had already been brought into the palace before her wedding to the Crown Prince.
‘Aitana! I will come save you, I promise…!’
‘Don’t do it, Kairos. I will find my own way to live. You must survive and become emperor. Promise me you will think only of that.’
As she was being dragged out of the palace, Aitana made that request to Kairos.
Do not think of her—only survive under Lazere and become emperor.
And as promised, once she reached the northern slave market, she killed the guards with a greatsword, smashed the prison to pieces, and escaped freely.
