Chapter 174: The Witch Behind the Mask 1

“Well done, everyone. You may return and take your rest now.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Lady Baiken.”

After concluding the day’s training and inspections, the muscular female figure dismissed her soldiers.

Baiken Andreas, the second daughter of Bohemia’s sovereign and a 6th-rank mage, felt a tinge of fatigue as she made her way back to the royal palace upon completing her duties.

‘Now that I think about it, Santana returned yesterday, didn’t he? I wonder if the wedding in the Dragonian Empire went smoothly.’

Her brother, who had been away from Bohemia for some time due to his impending nuptials, had finally returned.

Yet Baiken, unlike her brother-obsessed youngest sister Desth, felt little particular interest regarding Santana’s homecoming.

Though bound by blood, the prolonged physical separation and their perpetually occupied lives had reduced their relationship to a largely professional dynamic, with Santana perceived more as a capable superior officer than a familial sibling.

Thus, from Baiken’s perspective, Santana’s political marriage merited little more than a cursory acknowledgment of “So it goes…”

Instead, her thoughts dwelled upon another family member – her cherished elder sister whom she had long admired yet now fretted over her concerning disappearance.

‘I wonder where that sister has vanished to? It seems most others have abandoned hope, but I cannot bring myself to believe she is truly deceased.’

The prevailing assumption suggested Queen Andreas had likely been abducted by agents of the Holy Imperium’s Emperor.

Though opinions diverged on whether she had subsequently been slain or imprisoned by the Emperor for potential leverage, the truth remained elusive.

Yet Baiken clung to a distinct belief – or perhaps a desperate hope – that her sister’s fate lay elsewhere, beyond the realms of death or imperial incarceration.

‘There is no way that sister would have meekly allowed herself to be captured by the Emperor. At least, I cannot accept that possibility…’

Reassuring herself with such vague optimism, Baiken eventually reached the palace gates, where a familiar voice greeted her ears.

“Well done, my lady.”

“Thank you for awaiting me.”

Her adjutant and secretary, a capable attendant, accompanied Baiken into the royal grounds.

Nearly a fortnight had passed since her return from extended training duties, allowing her to bask in the comforting familiarity of home as the tension bled from her frame.

“Was there any noteworthy occurrence during my absence?” she inquired as they traversed the palace gardens.

“Nothing untoward, my lady. As you are likely aware, Lord Santana has returned with his new bride, the Dragonian princess, but apart from that, all has remained routine.”

“I see. So the new sister-in-law is indeed of Dragonian royalty? What impressions did you form of her demeanor?”

“Not an unpleasant one, it would seem. Contrary to some expectations, the pair appear remarkably well-matched and affectionate with one another, or so I’ve heard.”

“Is that so? Then it bodes well.”

Reassured that no significant issues had arisen, Baiken set aside her cursory interest in her brother’s marital affairs.

Then, at that very moment…

“Hm?”

An inexplicable sensation gripped her as an unfamiliar figure caught her eye – a masked woman swathed in heavy robes striding through the palace’s ground floor corridor.

Though her face and identity remained utterly obscured beneath those layered garments and mask, an eerie, indescribable sense of… familiarity…washed over Baiken.

Unable to articulate this peculiar impression, the closest analogy her mind could conjure likened it to an acute yearning – as if confronted by something she had sorely missed.

Puzzled by this strange intuition, Baiken addressed her attendant:

“Who is that? That shrouded figure seems highly suspicious.”

“That is Lady Freddie Mars, my lady. Apparently an escort assigned by the Dragonian Empire to guard the princess. I am told she possesses formidable arcane abilities exceeding even Count Tuahn’s prodigious talents.”

“Surpassing even Father? Quite the powerhouse, it would seem.”

Curiosity momentarily overshadowed Baiken’s inexplicable sense of déjà vu as she resolved to approach this mysterious, heavily-cloaked woman – her duties for the day being concluded.

As she advanced, the hushed whispers and furtive glances from the surrounding staff and guards reached Baiken’s ears – their words brimming with bewilderment, trepidation, and profound reverence towards this figure’s presence.

The Draconian archmage…

A formidable sorceress outmatching even Count Tuahn’s might…

Within her mask, Queen Andreas’ expression contorted with intricate complexity as she overheard these murmurs surrounding her return to her homeland – Bohemia’s sovereign Count Tuahn’s eldest daughter, born and raised within this very realm.

“Sigh… Of all the ways for events to unfurl…”

Queen exhaled a weary sigh, cautiously treading the corridors even as an undercurrent of discomfort gnawed at her homecoming.

Despite finding herself back amid her birthplace, she remained compelled to conceal her visage behind a mask and her frame beneath heavy robes – utterly obscuring her identity.

Currently operating under the guise of “Freddie Mars,” a Dragonian witch dispatched to guard Santana and Caseross at her master’s behest, any revelation of her true identity as Queen Andreas risked igniting innumerable complications.

‘Though I have returned home, I hold no desire to revert to my previous existence as a Bohemian noblewoman.’

At long last, she had encountered a capable mentor and received invaluable tutelage, enabling her to fulfill her long-cherished dream of attaining the “recognition” she had craved.

With Santana’s position as heir firmly secured, Queen harbored not an iota of longing to reassume her role as a mere “nuisance” destined for disfavored treatment within these halls she had departed.

Yet, in an almost paradoxical sense, she could not deny the faint upturning of her lips as the hushed murmurs of awe and deference from those who had once disdained her as an embarrassment now reached her ears.

Those who had inwardly scorned and shunned her very existence now trembled with trepidation, their apprehensive unease palpable at her mere passing.

This reversal aligned with Queen’s heart’s deepest yearnings – a dynamic she had always believed befitting of her stature.

And to sustain this lifestyle under her guise as “Freddie Mars” rather than her original identity, Queen resigned herself to enduring any indignities necessary to preserve the secrecy shrouding her true self.

‘Gratefully, none would dare attempt unveiling my face. Even if such requests arise, illusory magic should suffice to obfuscate my features. As for my voice, I acquired a voice-altering artifact in the Dragonian Empire to forge a credible counterfeit.’

Navigating this peculiar homecoming scenario as an esteemed “guest” within her own household, Queen made her way towards the quarters assigned to her persona.

Then, that achingly familiar voice rang out, freezing her in her tracks:

“One moment, if you would.”

“…!”

Queen’s heart skipped a beat as the unmistakable timbre washed over her, its owner’s identity immediately recognizable without need for visual confirmation.

For that voice had never truly abandoned her side throughout her entire life.

A profound chill gripped her as Queen slowly turned to face the speaker, already knowing full well whose presence awaited her.

“Pardon the intrusion. I am Baiken Andreas. Are you the one called Freddie Mars?”

‘Shit…’