TESL 17

Chapter 17

I was sinking deeper into my thoughts.

“Miss.”

The words stopped me, and Dale quietly called my name.

We were already at the mansion.

Clenching my fists tightly, I stepped decisively out of the carriage.

“Thank you for today, Dale. It might not have been easy, but I appreciate you keeping up with my schedule all day.”

I greeted him and then jumped out of the carriage. I needed to get to the back of the mansion quickly.

If I returned to my room through the secret passage I’d prepared, I could finish today’s outing safely without my mother noticing. That would put Samara’s mind at ease too.

“Miss.”

At Dale’s call, I looked back. He was looking at me with a faint smile. Suddenly, he handed me a paper bag that had been beside him.

“Take this.”

“What’s this?”

“Fig bread.”

Fig bread.

It was a type of bread currently all the rage in the capital. Soft dough mixed with meringue, topped with sweet fig jam and fig pieces, baked to perfection. It was immensely popular among young ladies in the capital.

But I had only ever heard rumors about it; I had never actually tasted it. I had tried a few times, but every time I went, it was sold out. Such a popular bread.

I awkwardly stepped closer and took the bag from him. How did Grandpa Dale get this? Why give it to me?

I looked up at Dale in puzzlement. Then I noticed him looking at me with a faint smile—the kind of expression he had never shown me before.

“Miss, Masa liked you. And so do I. For the three years you stayed in your room, this house was always gloomy and quiet.”

Dale continued softly.

“Today, I was very happy to accompany you. Don’t say it was bothersome. Seeing you back to your old self, laughing as you played in the garden soil—it made me realize the real Miss is back.”

“Dale…”

I had always thought he disliked me.

Surprised, I clenched the paper bag tightly in my hands. I had never heard Dale’s true feelings before. I had thought he only saw me as the employer’s child.

Hearing him speak, my eyes unexpectedly felt warm.

Seeing my expression, Grandpa Dale smiled again.

“Masa just… just wants you to be happy. And I apologize for being so talkative today.”

“…Thank you, Grandpa.”

I murmured my thanks to him sincerely.

At that moment, all the thoughts in my mind seemed to clear up. All the worries I had were gone.

Everyone truly wanted my happiness—even Grandpa Dale, who I had assumed was cold toward me.

And perhaps, to find that happiness, I needed to act differently. Not by clinging desperately to Rubellus.

Of course, a matchmaking meeting was just a meeting. Expecting too much would be unreasonable. But still…

Alright. Let’s see.

This matchmaking meeting.

At least, for now, I needed to do something for myself.

Clenching my fists tightly, I looked Grandpa Dale squarely in the eye and said,

“I’ll try it.”

Of course, I had no idea then how wildly things would turn out.

• Your Majesty, your eyes are different from others.

• I know that, Master.

Rubellus replied, pen in hand. It was basic imperial studies class, with familiar textbooks and notebooks. Even he noticed his hand holding the pen looked very small.

Ah, it’s a dream.

At that moment, Rubellus realized it naturally. He was five years old, having just learned letters, composition, and calligraphy.

Only his existence had been known; his face and voice were never revealed, earning him the nickname “the ghost prince” at the time.

It was the moment when the Duke of Wildenbiston first handed him a lens.

• According to the history of Zahard, those red eyes are a curse from a white serpent eaten by a giant eagle. The great divine bird Zahard, which ruled this land, devoured the white serpent that once slept here, and cursed that its headless body would produce descendants who would inherit its will. …Thus, anyone with these red eyes has never been recorded positively in history. They are feared as harbingers of misfortune and are often dethroned early.

• And I am the one with those red eyes.

Rubellus swallowed a sigh and replied. Yes. He had red eyes.

Until he turned seven, he had to live like a ghost prince, hidden deep in the palace, his existence denied.

But it couldn’t be helped. Rubellus’s red eyes emitted a strangely fluctuating energy, and after his birth, countless unusual events occurred in the royal family. All were ominous signs.

For example, when people passed near Rubellus’s quarters, their shadows would flicker and change size even in broad daylight. It frightened many maids into fainting.

• …What do you think, Your Majesty?

It was then that the Duke of Wildenbiston asked “those questions.”

Steps to present solutions that could change Rubellus’s life.

The young Rubellus did not answer immediately but quietly observed the duke’s face. Wildenbiston, even then, was a sharp, cold beauty with black hair and blue eyes, entirely unlike the white-haired figure he would become later.

The child bore an uncanny resemblance to his father. Even as a child, if he kept his mouth shut, his expression seemed piercingly cold.

Of course, he had never spoken this to anyone, anywhere. Probably around the time he had just turned two.

While Rubellus remained silent, the Duke asked again:

• Do you truly believe, Your Majesty, that someone with red eyes cannot become a proper sovereign?

Rubellus thought for a moment and slowly shook his head.

• No.

• But no emperor with red eyes has ever been recorded favorably in history.

• I am different from them.

Rubellus answered quietly. It wasn’t some naive sense of entitlement. He was confident in himself.

From the moment he became aware of himself, he knew he had an invincible body, was sharper than anyone, and far superior.

If not him, no one else could become emperor.

Then the Duke smiled brightly at Rubellus. The child instinctively knew he had passed a series of tests.

The Duke had glimpsed potential in him and was convinced.

• You answered correctly, Your Majesty.

The Duke, watching him silently, smiled warmly.

• Your Majesty, there have been twenty-three emperors of Zahard. Among them, only three had red eyes.

The Duke continued slowly.

• But fifteen of the twenty-three emperors, including the three with red eyes, could command shadows and monsters with their abilities.

Rubellus’s eyes widened. The seven-year-old fully understood the words.

• Whatever power Your Majesty holds, whatever abilities you command, God trusts that you will use them for Zahard.

The Duke carefully presented the lens and its case.

• God does not intend to insult the former emperors without red eyes, but presents a possibility. The choice is yours.

The young Rubellus simply stared at the lens case for a long time.

And then…

At dawn, silence settled.

Alone in the room, Rubellus opened his eyes.

“……”

He did not rub his eyes or shift in bed. He just sat upright against the headboard, quietly scanning the empty bedroom with his red eyes.

He had been dreaming when the darkness warned him.

Rubellus clicked his tongue lightly and spoke.

“Should I tell them to come out?”

It was then.

Masked intruders silently descended from the ceiling. Each carried sharp weapons. They crouched low, eyes fixed on Rubellus.

Rubellus recognized the aura filling the space instantly. Killing intent. He had faced it many times before, and would again. A cold, viscous air.

Yet Rubellus’s movements did not falter in the slightest. He sighed and spoke again.

“Is my uncle well?”

“……”

His tone was overly polite, but of course they did not answer. Still, Rubellus waited a moment before continuing.

“He might not be well, since you were sent. He must have been anxious.”

“Die quietly.”

As soon as the words ended, one of the assassins muttered.

They still didn’t understand their situation. Rubellus regarded them with a faintly sorrowful expression. Then he muttered a short incantation.

“Light.”

The room brightened at once. The assassins were fully revealed, and their shadows began to flicker.

Panicked, they all took out small spheres with their other hands. One shouted:

“Extinguish!”

In an instant, all light in the room went out. Rubellus raised one eyebrow lightly. One of the assassins muttered with a sneer:

“Did you think we would come unprepared? Zahard knows Rubellus controls shadows. Even without light, we could take your life. Ominous red eyes…”

“Wait, hold on.”

Rubellus interrupted, voice full of amusement. He then burst into a lively laugh that made even the well-trained assassins flinch.

“I knew you’d prepare, but I didn’t expect you to turn off the lights.”

“…What?”

“Think about it—shadows exist in darkness.”

“…Wha-”

Without waiting for them to respond, Rubellus snapped his fingers. A corner of the darkness seemed to shudder, and a scream of agony echoed from the corner.