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Chapter: 17
Come to think of it, it was a strange matter.
She was undoubtedly the first princess, beloved by the queen. So why would she try to leave the Holy Nation, even going so far as to make such a contract with him?
Seeing the people who came to see her off when the princess left the palace, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t been loved.
Moreover, she didn’t seem to feel much regret at parting from them either.
“Hm?”
Yet suddenly, something nagged at him. Something he hadn’t realized yet…
“Duke.”
Startled by the voice calling him, Derbel snapped back to attention.
“…Linette belongs to the house of Duke Chrisian. Even if she goes to the Holy Nation, she will meet them as the Duchess.”
“I thought you had other ideas, but I see you’ve been listening all along.”
“It is Your Highness’ words. I wouldn’t dare take them lightly.”
Derbel replied calmly. He hadn’t been ignoring the words; they had simply entered his ears without outward reaction.
He had not missed the irritating thought about what would happen if his fiancée returned to the Holy Nation and, fulfilling her duties as a princess, neglected him.
“Still, it must be worrying. What if the princess says she won’t return…”
Derbel cut off the crown prince’s words.
“I told you that’s impossible, Your Highness. My fiancée values me and the house of Chrisian even more than herself.”
A smile crept onto Derbel’s face, curling the corners of his lips.
Though his mouth smiled, his eyes were full of irritation, betraying the anger beneath.
The crown prince looked at him with a gentle smile.
“I misspoke. I forgot that you and the princess are bound by a love of the ages.”
“…….”
“Someday, have the two of you come to the palace together. I’ll serve the tea that just arrived recently.”
“Your words are kind, but I think I will have to focus on securing Aster’s room for the time being, so it might be difficult.”
“Ah.”
The crown prince seemed slightly taken aback by Derbel’s refusal. After a moment, he laughed heartily.
“Right. You’ll be leaving for the Holy Nation soon anyway, so I may have asked too much.”
He continued, still smiling.
“But this is sincere. I hope you’ll visit my palace with your fiancée. It doesn’t matter if it’s after your trip to the Holy Nation.”
“…….”
“And next time we meet, I hope we can be as open as before. Weren’t we friends?”
Before Derbel could answer, the crown prince’s attendant approached.
“Your Highness, the time…”
“Ah, has it already come to that?”
He turned to Derbel, still smiling.
“Then until next time, Derbel. Come to the palace often.”
The crown prince patted Derbel on the shoulder and left.
Watching him go, Derbel shook off the place Harmon had touched.
“Annoying.”
He tugged at Tai, who had been tightening his grip around Derbel’s neck while clicking his tongue. Olof had quietly approached as well.
“You’re getting more mischievous by the day.”
Unluckily, Derbel understood what words were left unsaid, so Olof lowered his head slightly.
“Let’s head back.”
Derbel turned and began walking.
“But…”
After walking for a while, Derbel suddenly spoke as if a thought had occurred to him.
“Has the crown prince trained in combat?”
“He has learned basic knightly skills, but I’ve never heard he has exceptional talent as a knight.”
“…I see.”
He did not speak further.
Derbel clearly remembered that the crown prince had appeared without making a sound just moments ago.
“Wow… it’s all cleaned up neatly.”
Linette admired the annex before her.
Before Derbel had been summoned to the palace, it had been a place scattered with broken debris.
With such a huge monster crashing into it, there was no way the building could have remained intact.
Still, the first floor seemed mostly unharmed, retaining a semblance of structure.
The second floor had vanished entirely, with no columns left.
“Really, nothing is left.”
Of course, the house of Chrisian had people with extraordinary abilities not found elsewhere.
Even so, the foundations and pillars usually remained, but here, the first floor alone remained, wiped clean of all traces above.
“It was so pretty…”
The annex had been hidden in the forest, like something out of a fairy tale.
Linette approached the annex.
The entrance door still remained.
A shield and a star.
“The house of Chrisian is definitely connected to the Holy Nation.”
With the star displayed so plainly, it was hard to deny it.
Linette ran her hand over the embossed emblem on the door. But then—
“Hm? What’s this?”
Perhaps it had been broken in the chaos. Unlike when she first came here, the star on the shield had a crack.
And she saw something sparkling within it.
“Gregorian.”
[Yes, Your Highness.]
“This… this is…”
Linette took a deep breath to calm the excitement rising within her.
This was undoubtedly a sensation she felt with her soul. A feeling only perceivable because she was a princess of the Holy Nation, a descendant of the founder, Igrein.
Linette whispered softly, smiling.
“The Star of Fortune.”
It was the sacred artifact of the Holy Nation and Igrein she had been desperately searching for.
[But it seems it’s no longer alive.]
The joy was brief.
Gregorian spoke cautiously, watching Linette’s expression.
“…I know.”
Yes, she already knew.
The Star of Fortune was dead.
It had already exhausted its power and was now just an ordinary stone, no longer a sacred relic.
Yet perhaps because it had been a relic—or because Linette was a direct descendant of the queen—she could sense the remaining traces.
The moment her fingertips touched it, her heart thumped, responding to the blood flowing hidden in its soul.
[At least Your Highness can feel it. Other royals probably wouldn’t have realized this is the Star of Fortune.]
“…I suppose.”
Among those other royals Gregorian referred to were her mother and younger sibling.
Since long ago, Linette had reacted sensitively to the Holy Nation’s relics.
Just as she could sometimes understand animals, she could sense the presence of sacred artifacts.
Though this ability did not always manifest consistently.
‘If that’s true, then my mother didn’t hate me for lacking power… or maybe she hated me even more because it was useless.’
A small laugh escaped her without intention.
Nevertheless, it felt like the first time since arriving in the empire that she had taken a step closer to what she had been seeking.
“…I don’t need to take this with me, right?”
[It’s a powerless relic. It won’t help you, Your Highness.]
“Right…”
Her words trailed off. Even with clues right in front of her, it felt frustrating to have to leave it behind.
[It’s firmly embedded in the door, so it will be difficult to remove.]
“Probably.”
Still, she wanted to at least inspect it.
But she had no tool to pull it out.
If she had a small dagger, she could try somehow. But she had no metal tools with her at all.
“Shall I try removing it with an earring?”
[…You must be joking.]
“…Yes.”
Linette’s answer came a beat late.
Gregorian frowned at the princess, suspicion clear in his eyes.
“I’m joking. Really, I’d use an earring or ornament to get it out? If there were any sharp stones nearby, I’d break it to retrieve it…”
“Break it to retrieve… what, Princess?”
Hic.
The unexpected voice made Linette’s heart sink.
She was so startled she hiccupped.
“……”
Linette forced an awkward smile and slowly turned around.
Sure enough, as she had suspected.
Derbel stood there, leaning slightly with his head tilted, looking at her.
The color and detail of his attire differed from a few days ago, but the handsome man in dazzling formal wear still stood there.
“Could you tell me what exactly you’re doing here, Linette?”
