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Chapter 14: I Have No Choice but to Reveal That Power
“May the blessings of the fae be with you. This is Thanasis Vasca de Callon, returning to the capital after pacifying the border.”
Rose took a deep breath as she faced the protagonist of the original story.
‘Whew. My eyes are truly blessed today.’
As expected of the protagonist, Thanasis’ appearance was striking. His skin was so flawlessly pale it resembled white jade, elevating his already stunning features to a radiant brilliance.
His lightly wavy silver hair shimmered mysteriously. It was long enough to cover the nape of his neck, with a peculiar style—only the hair on either side of his face was grown out and left dangling. A look that could have seemed ridiculous on anyone else suited him perfectly, giving him an otherworldly, fairy-like aura.
His cold, blue eyes shone with an intelligence sharper than that of any other royal. With a gaze that revealed nothing of his thoughts, he carried an intimidating air that kept others at a distance.
“Come forth, Thanasis. You’ve worked hard,” the Emperor greeted.
“I merely supported the Imperial Knights, Your Majesty.”
“Too modest. I heard directly from Baron Officier. He said the enemy fled the moment they saw you appear.”
“Then Sir Officier must’ve exaggerated.”
The Emperor went on to list Thanasis’ achievements one by one.
“Your Majesty,” Thanasis interrupted, “May we begin the meal? I was delayed in returning and haven’t yet eaten dinner.”
“Yes, you must be hungry. Come, join us.”
As Thanasis took a seat, Aracne hurried to his side, acting coy.
‘Oh, really? Look at her.’
Rose stared in disbelief at the scene.
“I apologize for being late. What were you discussing?”
“We were talking about the launch ceremony,” someone replied.
“Yes, I heard you and the youngest worked hard for that.”
At the mention of the ceremony, Thanasis turned a sharp gaze toward Rose and studied her closely.
‘Ugh, this is terrifying.’
In the original story, Thanasis had discarded Rose like she was nothing. She forced a smile and prayed to survive this encounter.
“Then I must properly commend your contribution. Rose, ask for whatever it is you desire.”
At the Emperor’s words, all the royals turned their attention to her. Composing her awkward expression, Rose returned to her earlier thoughts.
‘What should I ask for that might actually help my situation?’
Then, she remembered the coming adulthood ceremony.
‘Right, in the original…’
A clever idea suddenly came to her, and she smiled slyly. She lowered her eyes demurely and, spreading the sides of her dress, knelt slightly toward the Emperor.
“Have you decided? Tell me, what do you wish for?”
“I, Third Princess Rose, humbly request to take on a lady-in-waiting.”
“A lady-in-waiting?”
The Emperor’s expression subtly twisted.
“Do you not already have one?”
“No, I currently live with only the palace maids. But as I am approaching my coming-of-age ceremony, I ask that Your Majesty take this into consideration.”
“True. It would be helpful to have one during the preparations.”
While there had been occasional inconveniences, it had never been unbearable for her. She had come from the modern world, where handling things herself was the norm. But there was a reason she wanted one now.
‘In this place, a lady-in-waiting isn’t just someone who serves tea and dresses me.’
They were messengers who could deliver secret instructions, informants who could serve as eyes and ears within the palace. She had focused too much on securing Arsen until now and had neglected this part. It was time to gather her own people.
From across the table, Aracne’s face contorted in anger. She whispered something into Thanasis’ ear. Worried he might oppose her, Rose tensed—but he simply looked at her coldly, saying nothing.
After a brief moment of thought, the Emperor agreed. It seemed the fact that she was approaching adulthood weighed most in his decision.
“I’ll have appropriate families reviewed within a few days.”
With that, the Emperor signaled the start of the banquet. The royals clinked glasses and chatted. Despite the grand feast before her, Rose couldn’t eat in peace—because Thanasis spoke to her.
“I was honestly surprised to hear you attended the launch ceremony without notice.”
“The people’s interest was lacking, so I thought it was important for royalty to be present. Aracne and I were already in the palace, so we went.”
“You came up with that. Yourself.”
Thanasis tapped the table twice, a heavy motion. Familiar with his habit, Rose flinched each time his finger moved. Trying to appear calm, she answered.
“Even the great Emperor attended the launch. As a descendant, I couldn’t let the meaning fade.”
“Oh, how noble. Would you believe she graciously forgave those rude dark-haired knights?”
Aracne sneered, recounting the day of the ceremony.
“She went with the knights from Dunstane Island. And as soon as the ceremony ended, they caused a scene at the banquet!”
“Is it so hard to acknowledge the knights’ efforts? You could try being more generous, Sister.”
“You little—!”
Aracne, who had suddenly raised her voice, noticed Thanasis’ unchanged expression and coughed awkwardly.
“Hmph. Anyway, I must summon that arrogant knight order someday. I was so worried the ship would sink before it even launched.”
“Aracne.”
The frosty voice stopped her. Aracne looked up and met Thanasis’ icy gaze, freezing on the spot.
“Remigis Knights are the Empire’s finest navigators. There’s a reason they were sent to the ceremony.”
Thanasis was defending them.
‘Exactly, exactly, he’s totally right.’
Rose nodded subtly, cheering for the protagonist’s words.
“O-of course I know that! But I just can’t overlook the insult to royalty.”
Aracne, somewhat cowed, muttered in protest. Rose coldly retorted.
“I believe I already let that incident go. Are you planning to bring it up again?”
“And who are you to decide whether to forgive or not?”
“Enough.”
“T-Thanasis…”
He spoke without a shred of emotion in his voice.
“Shhh. The adults are eating. Show some manners.”
“But—!”
“You’re not planning to cause a scene here, are you?”
“……”
Rose stared at Aracne in disbelief. She screamed at her, but clammed up completely in front of the crown prince.
‘How infuriating.’
The bitter taste of power. Rose lost her appetite and stood up.
“I guess my actions at the ceremony really upset you. To avoid further offense, I’ll take my leave.”
“Very well.”
Thanasis watched her retreating figure until she was gone. Then Aracne quickly grabbed his hand.
“Thanasis, are you just going to let the youngest have a lady-in-waiting? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten how hard I worked to keep noble houses from siding with her!”
“Of course I haven’t.”
“Then why are you on her side?!”
Thanasis narrowed his brows at her sharp breath. Brushing off her clinging hand, he answered curtly.
“There won’t be any family willing to serve Rose.”
Aracne grinned seductively. She suspected Thanasis must have done something. She couldn’t imagine him giving Rose even a sliver of leeway.
Thanasis calmly rose from his seat.
“Leaving already? Stay a little longer—the wine is excellent.”
“You’re leaving, Your Highness?”
“Yes. I’ve yet to recover from the journey, so I’ll retire early.”
Brushing off Aracne’s reaching hand, he exited into the garden. As he emerged alone, Dian came running up breathlessly.
“You’re already done? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?”
“I left as quickly as I could.”
“Sure, sure. Must’ve taken a lot of effort to turn down that fancy banquet. What a waste, seriously.”
Thanasis loosened the tight cravat around his neck.
“Could the Duke of Benoît’s house not afford such a banquet?”
“I was the disowned son, remember? Haven’t eaten like that since pledging my life to you. Not that you ever enjoyed that stuff anyway.”
Dian gulped at the sight of the towering stacks of food over the stone wall.
“Always war, always blood. I guess living covered in gore is its own kind of luxury feast.”
Their casual tone didn’t reflect a typical master-subordinate relationship. Dian shrugged and asked,
“Did His Majesty say anything?”
“No. He’s always the same.”
“So much for showing up late to throw him off.”
The relationship between the Emperor and Crown Prince was complex. They seemed worse than strangers, yet the Emperor cherished him deeply. Dian offered a lighthearted comfort.
“Oh, by the way. I saw the Third Princess leave. She looked younger than I expected, considering she went to the launch.”
“Younger?”
“Yes. Maybe because people keep calling her the youngest.”
Dian refrained from saying “dim-witted.” As casual as he was, royalty was still royalty.
Thanasis remained silent as he climbed the stairs. Despite Dian’s words, the Rose he encountered had shown shrewd eloquence. As if she’d become a different person overnight.
“More importantly, we need to recruit someone.”
Dian’s teasing expression turned stiff in an instant. He didn’t miss the flicker of amusement on the prince’s lips.
“Find someone loyal, discreet, and preferably ambitious.”
After leaving the banquet, Rose roughly tore off her tight headpiece and flopped onto her bed, still in her gown. The maids had spent days preparing it, and now it was hopelessly wrinkled.
“Phew. So that’s what a true heir looks like.”
Thanasis was not an easy opponent. A man who had overwhelmed the court and seized the throne with sheer talent. Just remembering those piercing blue eyes made her shiver.
‘Of course he wouldn’t just let this go.’
He was surely plotting something. His unreadable nature made him unnerving. She had liked him as a fictional character, but standing against him in reality was a whole different matter.
‘If only I could read minds like in the book…’
She bit her lip.
“I should’ve secured Arsen more firmly!”
Her plans had gone off track because Thanasis returned too early.
‘If this keeps up, my life is in danger.’
There was only one way to survive this crisis.
‘I have no choice but to reveal that power.’
