Declaration (11)

A cool breeze blows in from the terrace.

The sky, still bright as the sun hadn’t set, maintained a pristine layer without a single cloud. The blue, rich in variety and clarity, faded towards the horizon, yet never forgot its purity, adding depth. Yes, it wasn’t an empty compliment. The Empire’s sky was indeed this beautiful.

“The sky, isn’t it pretty?”

Shuriel, hearing my words, approached while pressing down on his head. I chuckled and turned my head. Even with my head turned, it was still the sky. Thanks to that, I could see the upper parts of the clouds, something nature rarely allowed.

Watching the clouds move like a flock of sheep brought many thoughts to mind. When was the last time I looked up at the sky like this? It was the sky I saw when I was endlessly violated on the streets, when I washed away the tears I shed from exhaustion with the rain.

“It’s better than a city filled with buildings.”

Shuriel also gave a positive response. Perhaps it was even more special to him, who lived only looking forward. He chuckled and said,

“To think they’d float the banquet hall. I couldn’t have imagined it.”

“You don’t have to worry about it collapsing. If anything, it’s sturdier than before, you know?”

“Do you think I’d doubt your magic skills? After all I’ve seen? If they still scream like little bitches, they’re not humans, they’re monkeys.”

Shuriel spoke loudly enough for everyone in the banquet hall to hear. Monkeys. It was a somewhat extreme choice of words, but it was meant to be heard. ‘Like little bitches’. The nobles who had been buzzing ‘like monkeys’ one by one came to their senses.

“What can’t a magician do? Let’s calm down.”

“They wouldn’t kill us unless they were crazy. Things seem to be a bit twisted… but it’s as the Lekante family head said. It’s a very beautiful sky.”

I don’t know if they were afraid of the high sky or afraid of me, but there were those who tried to calm themselves.

“Oh my… aren’t the clouds so pretty?”

“They’re fleece clouds. You can’t see them unless it’s exceptionally clear…”

There were also those who were captivated by the various shapes of the clouds and the clear sky.

“I can angangdae like a little bitch even if I’m not surprised….”

“…Yujin.”

And one slightly horny bitch, too.

One by one, they were adapting to the floating banquet hall.

“Wow….”

The liberated Amelda placed her hands on the terrace railing and gaped. The girl, who had grown up under surveillance and oppression, and had only received unfair coercion, looked up at the sun alone when everyone else looked down at the clouds.

She stared at the sun as if she didn’t care if she went blind, then bit her lip with reddened eyes. I chuckled at the sight and turned away. It wasn’t polite to steal a glance at a woman’s tears.

“Well! How is it? The aerial garden prepared for the Third Prince, Kalsein Leonhardt-nim?”

As I shouted with a bright smile, Shuriel tactfully vacated his spot. The one who filled the space for one person that was created was the protagonist of the banquet, Kalsein Leonhardt. He muttered with a somewhat calmed face.

“You… haa. There are many things I want to say, but I’ll be merciful and refrain. Fine. As you said, the mood has been enlivened, so I won’t bother ruining it.”

He wasn’t foolish enough to get angry in front of nature. I replied with a fake smile that clearly showed my inner thoughts.

“Hehe. I’m so moved, I don’t know what to do.”

“Before that.”

“Yes?”

“There’s a way out, right?”

Kalsein glared sharply. He was asking if I was planning to leave them like this. I erased my smile and stared at Kalsein for a few seconds.

I thought about scaring him, but there was no reason to.

The reason he was being prickly was because I had taken Amelda away. That was really it. He didn’t particularly hate or antagonize me. Rather, he was trying to continue the conversation rationally. The Third Prince was arrogant, but he knew how to discern reason and when to use power.

I nodded silently. And closed my eyes. Kalsein felt the flow of Mana rising from the floor and took five steps away from me.

“…Haa.”

I lowered both hands towards the floor, and twisted my wrists with a slight gap from my waist. Then, the Mana wrapped around my wrists gathered and clumped together. I adjusted the gathered Mana and slowly raised my arms.

Chwaaaa. Mana poured out from my fingertips like water. The Mana, which had filled the area beneath my feet, spread in all directions and covered the entire banquet hall, and the Mana that couldn’t go any further fell and seeped into the clouds.

• Kugung.

At that moment, the air trembled and the banquet hall shook. Right then, I opened my eyes. The opened eyes had a blue glow as Mana swirled around them. I carefully stretched out my arms, taking in the swirling Mana around me, and said as I watched the clouds begin to glow.

“Certainly… it might have been a bit lacking to call it an aerial garden.”

And once again.

I twisted my wrists.

• Kugugung…

At the ear-splitting roar, everyone’s gaze turned to the outside of the terrace. Something popped out from the clouds. One person, who had been quietly watching the scene, muttered.

“…Rock.”

Rock. The thing that tore through the clouds and soared up was a rock.

And a rock full of life force.

A green clod of earth with grass, flowers, and trees planted in it popped out and decorated the sky.

It didn’t stop there. I continued to twist my wrists, carving out the rock. The clods of earth that had gathered around the banquet hall were connected to form a large sky island, and the exploded water veins created a magnificent waterfall.

Shwaaaaa.

A refreshing sound struck the ears.

“…Oh my god.”

“Are you human?”

Everyone was lost in a fantasy.

Except for one person.

Kalsein.

“…You didn’t think I’d be leisurely indulging in sentimentality, did you?”

He asked again. Where’s the way out? I chuckled and replied.

“You can leave whenever you want.”

And the same goes for when you want to come. I said to Kalsein. Close your eyes and imagine the exit. He glared at me with suspicious eyes, then silently closed his eyes. And a few seconds later, Kalsein disappeared. He figured out the mechanism and reappeared immediately.

He said, unable to hide his surprise.

“Can others come and go as they please?”

“Of course not. This is a space only for the Third Prince-nim. They won’t be able to enter without permission, and they can’t leave either. So, you should be careful when writing invitations from now on. Unless you’re going to face all the nobles directly while making the list.”

“I won’t take your advice.”

“Ah, of course, I can kick them out too.”

Kalsein immediately looked at Shuriel.

“Can’t you?”

“…I stopped it. Can’t you refrain from it for my sake?”

Above the clouds where no one’s gaze reached. A personal space prepared there. It could be used for various purposes, not just the banquet hall. The gift I mentioned was this. A sanctuary that no one could invade.

“Fine. I’ll let it go just for today. I received the gift well. It was an honor to meet you. Red Witch.”

Kalsein’s face, saying that, was unusually excited. He seemed to be in a very good mood. Well, anyone would be happy to receive such a gift.

Kalsein left a small smile for me and turned around without hesitation. He gathered the nobles who followed him and had a blast, eating and drinking. I was left alone before I knew it. Unlike in the past, I, who couldn’t stand loneliness, had a place to go.

I look for someone who is isolated like me. I ran with small steps so that the hem of my dress wouldn’t drag, and after discovering a lonely man who was only sipping wine all day, I immediately joined him. He said, looking at me sitting across from him.

“Is the work all done?”

“Of course. Now all that’s left is to eat and drink until dawn. More than that, I thought you hated alcohol, but you’re drinking it so well? I laughed so hard inside when I saw you drinking milk at the bar.”

“I just don’t drink during missions.”

“Is that so.”

I sip wine following Shuriel. It was a Pykeus red wine. A liquid as dark as blood passes down my throat. It wasn’t astringent, and it seemed that I could savor the taste and aroma differently than in the past.

“I wanted to see you drunk during a mission, but it’s a shame.”

“Is it possible to get drunk with this body? It’ll be the same for you.”

“We can increase the intensity. Wouldn’t we be able to get drunk with distilled liquor with drugs in it? Or by injecting alcohol into our blood vessels.”

The surroundings were surprisingly quiet. I didn’t know what Kalsein had said, but not a single person approached.

Amelda… seemed very busy dealing with the attached nobles. It was obvious without even looking. They must be asking what my relationship with her was. I could hear arbitrary speculations such as I cherished Amelda to the point of turning the Imperial Family into enemies, but I didn’t bother going to refute them.

We spent time sharing trivial stories in the silence that had been prepared for once.

“Does Shuriel have a favorite food?”

“Not really.”

“Then, what about drinks?”

“I’ve never thought about it, but if I had to choose, it would be mead.”

“Honey? That’s unexpected. But Shuriel… why did you look at my chest?”

“…When did I?”

“You can drink as much as you want when we get back, so don’t worry.”

There were times when I changed the subject to stimulate him, and the taste of him being flustered was excellent. Of course, he didn’t fall for it. The agent’s patience didn’t budge even with the seduction of a skilled bitch.

“Hehe… he’s not falling for it easily. Then, it’s a bit boring to just sip wine, so shall we go out together? To the forest or garden. It’s a shame to just let others see the scenery when I made it with so much effort.”

The sky garden, decorated with maximum aesthetic sense, was quite a sight to see. Other nobles were already enjoying the scenery.

“Is there a guarantee that you’ll only be looking at the scenery?”

Shuriel scoffed and said. He’s disgustingly quick-witted. I clicked my tongue inwardly and accelerated my blood flow. Alcohol spreads through my blood vessels. I let out a hot breath with a slightly dazed face.

“…Haa. You have no romance.”

“I don’t call obscenity romance. If you get caught doing that… your brother might commit suicide.”

“Kkeueung. Fine. I’m drunk, so support me.”

Anyway, it’ll be hangover relief in about 3 minutes. This body’s alcohol purification is unnecessarily fast.

…Still.

3 minutes… was enough.

• Dudung.

The music changes. A song with a moderate tempo that’s neither fast nor slow. Just in time, the day was setting and a reddish-orange color began to fill the banquet hall. In the moody atmosphere, I took his hand and fixed my eyes on Shuriel’s face, which was still blurry from the alcohol.

A head’s worth of height difference. I always only saw the area around his nape. But today, I looked properly into his eyes. No, I could only look because I was in this state. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to see properly if I wasn’t in this blurry state.

“Shuriel.”

I spoke just before the drunkenness wore off.

“Shall we dance?”