episode_0053

Chirp! Chirrak!

Today, amidst the livelier chirping that seemed to resonate more cheerfully, Elaine, who was sleeping in a triumphant pose, woke up.

Even with her eyes closed, a feeling of overwhelming happiness naturally brought a smile to her face.

Slowly rising her upper body, she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

As she habitually tidied her slightly disheveled hair and glanced around with drowsy eyes, bright sunlight poured in abundantly through the spacious windows.

This was Hwangjagung where Eos resided.

She greeted the morning here once again.

Though she had only been here for about a month, it felt as cozy as an old hometown.

“Because Eos is here.”

Thinking it might be the reason, Elaine got out of bed and stretched widely.

Clang!

As she rang the bell placed on the bedside table, a maid promptly entered.

“You called, Your Highness!”

Elaine’s personal maid.

As always, her face was filled with an air of urgency, as if she had no choice but to smile to survive.

“I’d like to wash up….”

“I-I’ll bring warm water right away!”

“Yes….”

Your Highness.

Although not yet married, the people in Hwangjagung behaved much more respectfully than the servants of the viscount’s estate.

Their demeanor, almost always bowing deeply and sweating profusely, seemed almost fearful.

“Perhaps because they were personally selected by the prince….”

In fact, until yesterday, Elaine had felt quite awkward.

After the engagement ceremony, the prince always roamed outside except for sharing breakfast together.

Yet he somehow prevented her from leaving the palace grounds.

Whenever she tried to take a walk out of boredom, Glenitno and Astia would block her way, so she ended up just strolling around the pond in front of the palace.

From the third day onwards, a thought lingered in her mind.

If this was the case, why did they get engaged, and why was she brought to the palace for some unknown reason?

The emperor even insisted they share a room, which made Eos vehemently refuse, leaving Elaine somewhat disappointed.

Her decision to visit the viscount’s estate was a kind of silent protest.

“If you’re going to keep me lonely and bored like this, I won’t stay quiet!”

But that was like a feeble threat, akin to what a small and harmless creature would do when in trouble.

Honestly, even Elaine didn’t think she had provoked Eos in any significant way.

The moment was still vivid in her memory.

Despite insisting she would go out, he readily agreed as if he had been waiting for it.

“Could it be that he dislikes me?”

His indifferent attitude was so nonchalant that it was infuriating.

His bright smile seemed so insincere.

If he hadn’t been handsome, she might have impulsively grabbed his head and shook some sense into him.

In fact, a few days ago, she had asked him while eating, feeling too frustrated.

Eos had simply replied that it was because the empress and the crown prince might have their eyes on him.

Frankly, that explanation wasn’t very convincing.

Nevertheless.

Living like a bird trapped in a cage was becoming unbearable.

However, when she finally visited the viscount’s estate, it felt just as suffocating.

Every time she tried to go out, Bart Viscount would assign nearly a hundred formidable guards, making it impossible for her to go beyond a few steps in front of the mansion.

Continuously confined to the viscount’s estate, Eos’s face began to pop into her mind incessantly.

No matter how much she denied it, the resentful and disappointed feelings were undoubtedly a longing.

However, in romantic relationships, there was always an unseen balance of power at play.

It must have been difficult to say “I love you” so easily because of such fate.

Deciding not to go back was for that reason.

If she were to return as is, she felt she would not only reveal her deeper feelings but also continue to live as if trapped, following his every command like a caged bird, which ultimately made her hesitate.

Lost in such thoughts, Elaine finally made up her mind.

Even when leaving the palace, she had said she would only stay one night.

If possible, she would keep delaying her return, not going back until Eos came looking for her first.

Aquilla appeared then.

-Elaine! It seems Eos missed you a lot. The ship is here; let’s go back now!

In that moment, Elaine tasted a brief yet intense sense of victory.

Declaring defeat so openly like this.

As expected, it was clear that Eos cared more for her than she thought.

Unable to bear the separation any longer and missing him terribly, to the extent of bringing the masthead along, there was no need to say more.

Thus, eventually bidding farewell to her parents and pretending to be defeated, she returned to the palace.

How happy she was to see Eos on the ship.

Just one day had passed, yet it felt like ten years had gone by.

His handsome face seemed to radiate light.

“….”

Elaine extended her hand upwards to see the ground rise.

Shwah-

Dozens of bright clusters of light burst out like droplets, coalescing in the air to form a beautiful sphere.

Divine power.

With just this, she might be considered the strongest on the continent.

Of course, engaging in destructive acts like killing people was something she wasn’t confident about, but when it came to self-defense, she was in a state where she didn’t even need help from others.

Hence, Eos and her father’s overprotectiveness didn’t sit well with her.

But no matter what, revealing herself as a saint was out of the question.

Eos had clearly warned her.

The moment her identity as a saint was revealed, countless troublesome and dangerous things would inevitably happen.

Swish- Pow!

Lightly clenching her fist, the spherical light shattered into pieces, transforming into a whirlwind of light that swiftly enveloped her body.

Still, being able to confide in Leggio, the astrologer, provided some relief.

The day after the engagement ceremony, he unexpectedly came again, kneeling down once more and politely referring to her as the saint, as if she were a subject.

Initially surprised, Elaine soon learned about Leggio’s abilities and came to understand his submissive attitude.

One awkward point, however, was that indeed.

Both the saintly prince and the saintly princess mother kept asking them to reveal their identities, hoping to lead the fallen cult back onto the right path.

Of course, hearing that Eos had already refused several times, Elaine knew she couldn’t offer much help.

‘What does Aurora want?’

There must have been a reason for granting her such immense power.

Then, her eyes fell upon a stack of letters on the desk.

Invitations had been steadily arriving since the engagement ceremony.

Tea parties, balls, various social gatherings—invitations kept pouring in, but none appealed to her.

Partly due to Eos advising her not to attend most of them, Elaine found the gatherings of noble ladies and dignitaries to be quite tedious.

Oh, how burdensome it was to have to decline each invitation one by one personally, in writing!

Despite rejecting repeatedly, she felt slightly uncomfortable as if intentionally being tormented by the continuous stream of letters flying her way.

Every day, spending hours on end crafting replies was no easy task.

It seemed like some action needed to be taken.

This morning, contemplating a conversation with Eos on this matter, Elaine immersed herself in the hot water brought by a maid.

***

Slurp-

After finishing her meal.

Elaine, taking a careful sip of hot tea, spoke up.

“No matter how much I refuse, it’s too difficult to keep writing replies to the constant influx.”

Stacked high on the table were various invitations.

The tone carried a hint of petulance.

The sudden closeness and self-assured gaze seemed to handle me as if declaring surrender at the end of a cornered battle.

…What did I do wrong?

One thing was certain.

Since realizing the Empress’s plan to abduct Elaine, the atmosphere had been like this ever since I went to fetch her.

“Eos. I can’t write replies anymore.”

From the way she was calling my name now, I felt a fisherman’s confident demeanor gazing proudly at his catch.

“….”

What should I do?

Unable to find words amidst her burdensome gaze, I inevitably had to start opening each invitation.

“….!”

As I read through them, a considerable discomfort washed over me.

Though eloquently packaged, the underlying message in the numerous convoluted sentences was singular.

To somehow come to their arranged gathering and become a laughingstock.

I began collecting invitations filled with nonsense.

I intended to trample them one by one later on.

Among dozens of letters, only one lacked malice.

It was from the Lady of Eisen Manor located in the northeastern part of the Mersen Empire.

From the beginning of the letter.

It expressed gratitude to the former Empress Wiblea.

And sincerely wished for the Prince and Princess’s long-lasting happiness in beautifully crafted sentences and elegant calligraphy.

And at the end of the letter.

It politely expressed hope that if time permitted, they could enjoy the beauty of the rugged mountains created by the evil spirit during Eisen’s summer festival held once a year.

I remembered Eisen Manor.

A barren land situated at the foot of the rugged mountain range known as the Evil Spirit’s Ridge.

Although vast.

The entire region was mountainous with scarce farmland.

Therefore, most of the food supply had to be sourced from neighboring lands or supported by the royal family.

If it weren’t a strategic focal point, even that would have been challenging.

Moreover.

With the Demi Palace nearby, constantly under threat of demon attacks, and the Ferum Kingdom eagerly eyeing invasion from the east.

“….!”

And based on a belated recollection.

On the very day the festival began, Eisen Manor was destined to turn into a ruin of death.

A lich who proclaimed himself the Undying King would lead an undead army out of the Demi Palace to lay waste to the region.

Considering other circumstances, this year would undoubtedly be the one.

“How about a trip to commemorate our engagement?”

“Where is that?”

Elaine, who had suddenly sat beside me, slyly snatched the letter.

“Eisen Manor?”

It was the moment I was about to explain to her.

“Your Highness! Her Majesty has sent someone.”

Grentino’s urgent voice came from outside the door.

Something must have happened.