IRMDH 27

Chapter 27

After sending Father off, the Crown Princess’s Palace became quiet again.

I sat in thought for quite a while, then cautiously placed a hand over my chest.

Thump, thump—hearing the lively beat of my pulse only left me confused.

But this strange power Ariel possessed, being a necromancer… it was highly likely connected to my mother.

And when I thought of Father’s face going pale, as if he had let something slip by accident…

It wouldn’t even be surprising if Ariel had actually died once when she was a child.

Of course, even so, the body I had possessed now was without doubt a whole and complete one.

Still, there were far too many things that didn’t sit right.

For instance—why had this magic stone pendant, which Father said belonged to Mother, turned up in Seira’s room?

Seira couldn’t even use it…

And she hadn’t taken it with her, despite leaving the temple on her own accord in what was practically a disappearance.

As if all she needed to do was hide it to achieve her goal.

The pendant itself was odd, too.

On the surface, it looked plain, and Father had said it was just a low-grade magic stone…

But could there be some other power hidden within it that I didn’t know about?

After staring at it for some time, I sighed and put it back where I had kept it.

Most of the time, agonizing alone never gave me answers anyway, only headaches.

Sure, a mage could possibly figure out what traces remained in the stone…

But honestly, mages weren’t exactly common in this novel’s world.

And summoning one just because I was the Crown Princess felt… awkward.

“Your Highness, I heard from Emil.”

Lily, who had stepped out while I was speaking with Father, returned with a bright smile.

Emil… if I remembered correctly, he was a servant attached to the Crown Prince’s Palace.

When I lifted my head to look at her, Lily shyly pulled a white envelope from her arms and approached.

“This is for you, Your Highness.”

“From Emil?”

Inside the envelope was a letter and something like an invitation.

Judging by Lily’s beaming face, she thought it was a love letter from Blake.

“It must be the Crown Prince reassuring you not to worry, right?”

“Haha… maybe.”

But since I already knew through the original novel that Emil was planted here by Empress Temia…

This letter was most likely from Temia herself.

Glancing at Lily, who was staring at me with sparkling eyes full of expectation, I gave her a weak, embarrassed smile and quietly asked her to step back a little.

If this really was from Empress Temia, it was undoubtedly political.

Not the sort of thing Lily needed to know.

[To the Crown Princess, who will illuminate the future of the Escani Empire.]

The opening line alone was proof this wasn’t from Blake.

I skimmed to the signature at the end.

Temia Espero.

Written in elegant script—not the name of any imperial royal, but the maiden name of Empress Temia.

After carefully reading the letter, I folded it back up.

If I stripped away all the flowery words, the core message was this:

“I heard you commissioned an invitation to our family’s secret salon through the information guild. Why bother? I’ll give you one myself. Attend, and afterward, pay me a discreet visit.”

In other words, this was Empress Temia’s scheming.

To others, she might seem like a woman abandoned—isolated, powerless, and forgotten by society.

But in the original novel, she was ambitious, and she ended up being of great help to Blake. I had no intention of making her an enemy.

Still, the fact that she had sent me this letter first…

It must mean she had already resolved to tie herself to Blake.

I decided to burn the letter and envelope, leaving only the salon invitation.

Whether to ally with Empress Temia or not—that was Blake’s decision to make.

And leaving evidence of a letter like this lying around before anything was decided would do no good.

“Ah! Your Highness! Why—why are you suddenly burning the letter? Did you have a fight with the Crown Prince?”

Lily’s horrified expression made it easy to guess what kind of misunderstanding she had.

Well, let her think what she wanted—no harm done.

“Prepare for an outing in two days, would you?”

“Two days from now? But that’s the day His Highness’s confinement ends… Are you saying you’re going out that day? Did you two fight that badly?”

“We didn’t fight.”

Of course, I couldn’t completely deny it was also a form of escape.

If I recalled what Blake had said…

What? That the moment his confinement ended, he’d come straight to my chambers?

That if just a kiss made my heart race, he was curious how much more it would pound from other things?

The way his face had shifted—from looking dejected to suddenly flashing that brazen, unrepentant expression…

Was this even the same person who once apologized after stealing a kiss?

I had no idea what he was planning once he got out.

He definitely knew his looks were my weakness.

That teasing smile was proof he realized beauty was a weapon against me.

Just what exactly did Blake want to do with me?

Shaking my head, I couldn’t help but think I’d never truly understand this protagonist.

“Did you hear? Dominic’s been released from confinement at the palace.”

At Seira’s words, Vi, who was lounging lazily like a cat, replied without changing his bored expression.

“It’s fine. We tied him down long enough.”

“But why did you kill the imperial knight? Stop doing these unnecessary things that aren’t part of the plan.”

“Because he failed his duty. Trash like that doesn’t deserve to breathe.”

Vi’s eyes curved in a smile.

Of course, it wasn’t because he was genuinely pleased.

The reason was obvious.

It was Ariel Lecaysha again. That woman.

Unable to hide her irritation, Seira turned her face away from him.

Vi’s white hair swayed softly, and his half-lidded crimson eyes gleamed with languid indifference.

When he flicked his fingers lightly, one of the magic stones on the table lit up.

At the same time, the blood-soaked sword he had discarded at the palace appeared before him, now spotless.

He wasn’t even particularly skilled with swords, but if he wanted to mimic Blake, it was necessary.

“Haaahm…”

Vi yawned, leisurely rising to his feet and fastening the sword loosely at his waist.

“Anyway, since that fool’s out now, it’s about time you started moving too, Seira.”

“…”

“If you don’t want to be treated like a doll, then act properly.”

Vi tapped her shoulder lightly, smiling.

His face was gentle and warm, but his words were a warning, and she knew it.

He never bothered to hide how tiresome and bothersome he found her, and the way she only pressed her lips together in silence amused him.

As if she thought he didn’t know she had her own schemes.

But Vi knew far more than she realized.

Far more than the stupid Dominic in the palace knew.

And because he knew, he was here now, apart from Ariel.

While that fool, ignorant of everything, could only smile at her side.

That was the only difference.

God loved both Dominics equally, and fairly.

But… if one had to choose, surely being the ignorant one at Ariel’s side was the better fate.

The thought left Vi secretly sulky.

Though his face betrayed nothing, Seira’s stiff reaction at the word doll made it clear she was deeply offended. She brushed past him without a word.

Watching her go, Vi’s smile remained, but his thoughts wandered toward things she herself didn’t even know.

For example—what exactly had “gone wrong,” as the god had said.

Or why the time was turned back specifically to the day of the wedding.

The most important hint lay in Seira herself.

Her brilliant platinum-blonde hair shone with divine luster under the light.

Her golden eyes, brimming with sacred power, were the very image of the god humans so fervently worshiped.

And yet, the reason she had been abandoned by that same god was also clear.

She had failed to fulfill the role given to her.

Whether that was truly her fault was debatable, but…

In the end, she had only one value.

To follow the god’s script, supporting the hero Dominic in preventing destruction.

No one knew why things had gone awry like this.

But the key fact was this: the soul meant for Seira had gone to another body.

Leaving Seira’s body as an empty doll that somehow developed a will of its own.

Seira believed Vi was helping her to assist in preventing the world’s destruction…

But maybe, deep down, she already knew.

That in Vi’s mind, there was only a future with Ariel.

That his only true goal in aiding her was to kill that stupid Dominic, Blake.

And… to find a way to sever his cursed bonds and survive.

Ah, that part—maybe she didn’t know.

Vi gazed at the spot where Seira had vanished, his red eyes gleaming as he chuckled softly to himself.