Chapter 116

Chapter 116

I Proposed While Drunk and Now the Princesses are Obsessed.

Episode 116: Honeymoon Night (?) (10).

Jaekiel was not completely intoxicated.

It wasn’t an acceptance made in a drunken stupor. He had just realized there was no other way to obtain Sun Water.

Being born with a limited time, he needed to take the Sun Water to survive, and the only way was through relations. The First Princess agreed, so there was no issue.

“I always thought of you as a simple man, but perhaps I was wrong.”

The First Princess, Ether, wore a strange smile.

“However, it’s a bit disappointing that you’re embracing me just to take the Sun Water. You should be holding me with uncontrollable passion for it to be truly meaningful.”

“It’s not just because of the Sun Water.”

Jaekiel shook his head.

Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, but his emotions and words were rather honest.

“Ether, who could possibly hate you? Rather, the time spent with you is…”

“Haha, to hear such words from you directly.”

Ether interrupted Jaekiel with a hearty laugh, but in truth, it was hard for her to listen to him all the way through.

She wasn’t used to receiving compliments from Jaekiel.

After sitting side by side, Ether filled their glasses.

“As a warrior, one must also fight with all their heart in matters of affection. How about it? Shall we finish this bottle together and then retire to the chambers?”

“…”

Jaekiel didn’t respond.

He just stared at Ether quietly.

He could feel his voice trembling slightly. Ether’s face had reddened a bit, but it didn’t seem to be entirely due to intoxication.

It was a stark contrast to the dignity she usually displayed on the battlefield. A face no one had ever seen.

At that moment, when their glasses clinked together.

Rumble.

It started with a faint vibration.

At first, it was just a small tremor underfoot, but it soon spread, shaking the table and bottles.

The epicenter seemed to be quite deep. The tremors gradually grew closer, causing a loud rumbling.

“Hmm?”

Ether furrowed her brows.

Jaekiel also felt it. Something was off in the air.

And at that very moment.

Bang! Boom!

The sounds from the distance were alarming. The clash of weapons and shouts mixed together in a chaotic cacophony.

“Corpses! The corpses are moving!”

“Necromancy…! It’s not just Brogar. They’ve all sold their souls for power!”

“Don’t retreat! Crush them all!”

The Northern warriors’ urgent shouts could be heard. Ether picked up the bottle and drank directly from it.

“…Even death is a trivial and noisy affair. How annoying.”

Jaekiel muttered under his breath as a messenger quickly approached, standing beside the First Princess and Jaekiel.

The messenger bowed respectfully before speaking.

“Brogar and his followers sold their souls, and now necromancy is causing the corpses to rampage. The warriors are holding their ground well, but—”

Boom!

Before the messenger could finish, an explosion rang out.

“As you just heard, the corpses are exploding, and that’s quite troublesome. Judging by the size of the blasts, the Goddess’s power is no small matter.”

It was chaos. The vast territory under the First Princess’s control had turned into a battlefield, filled with turmoil.

Bang! Bang!

As the corpses self-destructed, there was a voice that echoed among them—strange and distinct.

─Bring the First Princess!

─The First Princess is weak. You are all deceived! All of you!

The messenger muttered in disbelief.

“…The corpses are talking?”

“They aren’t speaking on their own. It’s the Goddess of the Demon Realm using their bodies to speak.”

Jaekiel didn’t consider this a significant matter.

“If the First Princess shows herself, this will end quickly. Her aura burns demonic energy, after all.”

“Ah, well, that is…”

The messenger trailed off.

Jaekiel couldn’t understand. This seemed like the easiest solution. There was no reason to hesitate.

But why, then?

The First Princess’s condition seemed strange.

It wasn’t just from the intoxication. Her body seemed sluggish, as if she were in pain. Considering Ether’s strength, it was hard to believe, but she truly didn’t seem normal.

Jaekiel could feel it physically.

Ether’s aura flow was abnormal. What was usually precise and clean was now scattered like a tangled ball of thread.

Cough!

It was then that the First Princess coughed up a mouthful of blood. Jaekiel and the messenger’s eyes widened simultaneously.

“…Ether?”

“Pr-Princess!”

Ether waved her hand as if to say she was fine, but her body told a different story.

Cough, cough!

When they touched her forehead, her body was burning hot like a furnace. The messenger and Jaekiel nodded to each other and quickly moved the Princess inside the mansion.

And when they checked her condition, it was truly shocking.

“…!”

They had only removed her outer garment temporarily to lower her fever, but her body was tightly wrapped in bandages. There were even strange wounds that couldn’t be covered by the bandages.

Sizzle!

Ether’s flesh burned as if she were being scorched, and new skin regenerated almost immediately. This process repeated several times within a short period.

‘This is not a pain any human could endure.’

The sensation of newly grown skin immediately being seared again—he couldn’t even begin to imagine how great the pain must be. It was not something one could endure with a clear mind.

“What on earth…?”

As Jaekiel struggled to find words, the messenger spoke up.

“Every time she comes into contact with Sun Water, this happens. Her body can’t handle it, but she never shows it.”

Even Jaekiel hadn’t known this.

He recalled the Imperial family’s past. Hadn’t the Emperor thrown the First Princess into Sun Water while she was still alive?

How many deaths had she overcome since then? How much pain had she endured every time she received Sun Water simply because of the weight of being the First Princess?

Once again, he felt the immense weight of the title of First Princess.

Goddess of War, Queen of All Weapons, the Strongest…

She could never show weakness. Even a hint of suffering would cause doubt, and then challenges would pour in.

“Your Highness, I am deeply concerned. Are you alright?”

The messenger asked, filled with concern.

Jaekiel also felt a deep sense of responsibility. The Sun Water he had received from the Emperor was the reason Ether was suffering now.

“Ether, you shouldn’t have taken the Sun Water.”

“…How could I not? It was for my teacher.”

Ether smiled weakly, even in her pain.

She had known all along how much suffering would follow, yet she went through with it to help Jaekiel take the purified Sun Water. He felt both gratitude and guilt.

Meanwhile, the corpses continued to shout.

─Witness the weakness of the First Princess!

─Face the truth!

─Keuk… You’re all deceived!

─Give me back my man!

The “Goddess” who had taken Brogar’s soul seemed to have noticed the First Princess’s condition, as the corpses began to hurl accusations at her state.

Naturally, the warriors’ faces showed signs of unease. Even in the midst of battle, they occasionally glanced toward the mansion where the First Princess was.

Doubt had begun to settle in.

“…It seems I have no choice but to step in.”

Ether muttered with great effort.

“I’ll handle it quickly and return. Wait here.”

But as soon as she stood up, she staggered weakly. Her mind was holding out, but her body couldn’t keep up.

Only now did Jaekiel understand Ether’s earlier actions.

She had been drinking straight from the bottle earlier, likely trying to numb the pain. The agony was far too great.

“Just because she’s the First Princess doesn’t mean Sun Water suits her constitution. She overcomes it through sheer will every time. But today… the symptoms seem especially severe.”

The messenger’s expression was more serious than ever.

“…Unless someone could cool it down.”

The messenger bit his lip as he said this, knowing how impossible it was even as he spoke the words.

Ether chuckled softly.

“Cool down the Sun Water? You know it’s impossible.”

There was a hint of melancholy in the Princess’s voice.

“When I was young, every physician who touched me was burned black and died. I am the only one who understands this pain, the only one who can endure it. There’s no other way.”

But at that moment, a low murmur was heard.

“I’ll do it.”

The First Princess and the messenger both turned toward the owner of the voice. The one gathering an intense chill.

It was Jaekiel.

“No. Your safety is at risk. Your body will burn.”

Ether immediately refused firmly.

Jaekiel quietly turned one of his hands a deep blue.

“You were talking about my safety.”

He murmured softly.

Before Ether could respond, he placed his hand on her back.

“Ether, my safety is not as important as yours.”

Ssssss!

Inside the mansion, steam rose rapidly.

An immense cold and searing heat began to clash violently.