episode_0112

“Whatever the case, once I made my decision, I felt a strange sense of relief afterward. Thank you, Cecilia. If not for you, I would have kept agonizing over pointless dilemmas. Though I suppose that version of me was exactly what Eric wanted.”

Though Elia spoke with self-deprecation, Cecilia couldn’t deny it. The ideal versions of themselves that Eric desired were the complete opposite of who they were now.

Elia brushed past Cecilia lightly and stopped before the door.

“I know things didn’t go as originally planned… but, rest easy. If you feel strange about returning, you’re free to use my room for the day.”

Thud.

The door closed softly, leaving Cecilia alone in Elia’s room.

“…What in the world…?”

Cecilia murmured quietly, unable to suppress her fear. Just desperately replaying Elia’s words in her head made her mind scream.

What she had created was not some convenient, easy-to-control puppet—but a monster that might devour even her. Though she had forced herself to appear unaffected, acting nonchalant and unaffected, deep down, Cecilia was terrified.

From now on, Elia would throw all restraint to the wind and begin moving for Eric’s sake with everything she had. And there was no doubt that her methods would include something beyond what Cecilia could even fathom on her own.

Within the Hero’s Party, Elia was the only one who could align closely with Eric—even if her conclusions always ended up opposing his. And precisely because of that, she had always looked down on him. But now, knowing the pain and curse Eric carried better than he knew himself, there was a real chance she might start acting before even he could.

And if that happened, Cecilia and Kristin wouldn’t stand a chance against her. That much, Cecilia judged coldly.

Haa… haa… Inhale… exhale…

Steadying her breathing, Cecilia slowly mapped out the future in her mind.

“Kristin… It’s probably too late for her now.”

Though Kristin was her comrade—the one who had supported her both physically and emotionally during the Fairy Child subjugation mission at the church—Cecilia coldly severed the possibility of her help. The fact that Elia had prevented Kristin from meeting her could only mean Kristin had already been swayed by Elia’s reasoning. If even she had been shaken this much, persuading Kristin would have been child’s play for Elia.

“I shouldn’t be wasting time like this. Right now, I have to—!”

Frantic, Cecilia began gathering her things. She needed to escape this imperial palace as soon as possible—to tell the others before it was too late. To ensure Lucilla pulled the Holy Sword and became the Hero as quickly as possible.

Even Elia wouldn’t be able to act recklessly once Lucilla drew the Holy Sword and was chosen as the Hero. And once Lucilla obtained it, Eric’s own freedom to act would expand significantly.

With that thought, Cecilia reached for the door—only to find it immovable, as if fused to the wall.

“…So this is why she brought me to this room.”

The royal chambers, designed to prevent assassinations during sleep, were as impregnable from the inside as they were from the outside. Cecilia knew it was impossible for her to undo magic of this level—the kind even Elia and Kristin, who specialized in magic, would struggle to dispel—overnight.

“…Guess I’ll have to wait until morning.”

Resolving to leave the palace with Eric the moment dawn broke—or the moment the room’s magic was lifted—Cecilia leaned against the door and slipped into a shallow sleep.

Laying down in Elia’s bed felt far too unsettling.

—

“Mm…?”

Forcing my heavy eyelids open, I found myself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling—one adorned with uselessly extravagant decorations and blindingly bright jewels. I didn’t visit often, but I still remembered what kind of room this was.

A royal chamber.

Before I could even begin to question why I was here, hushed bickering reached my ears from nearby.

“I clearly told you to rest, so explain why you’re here.”

“It was just far too unsettling to leave you and Eric alone together. Sorry, Elia. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve relaxed, but… given the situation…”

“You’re going that far over one little argument? Harsh. Especially coming from the one who tried to manipulate me first.”

Manipulate her? Who manipulated whom?

Intrigued by the sudden turn in the conversation, I deliberately closed my eyes again, feigning sleep. Thankfully, I had only barely opened them earlier, and no one had noticed—too focused on each other to pay attention to me.

“We already agreed you didn’t need to apologize for that, didn’t we? More importantly, explain why you tried to lock me in that room! Because of you, I was stuck there all night, uncomfortable and unable to move!”

“Had I not, you would’ve left the palace without even saying goodbye. It was a necessary measure. And… ‘uncomfortable’? It was my room—if even that was beneath your standards, then you must’ve led quite the luxurious life as a Saint.”

“Don’t twist my words. I slept on the floor last night, not the bed. For some reason, laying in it just felt… wrong.”

“Hmph. Even though I cast a sleep-enhancing spell on it…”

“That explains it. Wasn’t that a little too much?”

“Every object in the room was enchanted to activate the moment I left—don’t take it personally. Capturing an intruder alive is far more valuable than killing them outright.”

“So you were planning to bind me to the bed anyway!”

“Yet the sleep spell was exactly what you needed most, wasn’t it?”

“My comfort comes first—and it certainly wasn’t there!”

“Both of you, quiet!”

A third voice cut in before I could turn my head to look.

“If Brother wakes up because of you two, what then? I only let you in here because you promised to stay quiet.”

Kristin’s hushed scolding was met with an equally muted retort from Elia.

“‘Let in’ is hardly the right term. This palace room was lent by me, not you.”

“You’re the one who forced them to stay when they wanted to go home!”

“Ahem!”

Elia cleared her throat pointedly.

“Regardless, Eric needs rest now—intensive recovery, in fact. While the Grave Ducal House certainly has capable attendants, none compare to those of the imperial palace.”

“Oh my, if that’s how you feel, we at the Church would gladly take him in! Even if the Central Church collapsed, many chapels across the land remain standing. Besides, the Pope and the high-ranking priests have already begun returning—”

“Is now really the time to brag?”

“Fair point. Has Lucilla contacted you separately?”

“Just a short ‘Understood.’ That’s it.”

“She’s still as hard to read as ever, huh?”

“From a Hero’s perspective, that’s actually reassuring, but…”

The three of them continued whispering about Lucilla and other trivial matters before eventually falling silent. Probably waiting for me to wake up.

“Mmm… Hmph!”

Putting on an exaggerated show of waking, I stretched and sat up.

Pretending to sleep was getting exhausting, and being stared at by the three of them wasn’t helping.

“Ah, Eric!”

“Brother, how are you feeling?”

“Your exhaustion hasn’t fully faded. Rest well.”

Their concern warmed my heart—or at least it would have, if circumstances were different.

In previous iterations… No, better not dwell on that.

“Where… are we?”

“A spare prince’s chamber. Since there’s no current occupant, you may rest here undisturbed.”

A spare prince, huh? Not every emperor kept only the necessary number of heirs, nor were all of them frugal.

For all I knew, this room once belonged to a failed successor—one who’d lost his head before even entering the imperial succession battle.

In other words, this was a defeated prince’s room.

…Well, that thought ruined my mood.

Thwip!

Pushing the covers aside, I spoke.

“How long was I out? I distinctly remember crashing on some random bed with Cecilia last night…”

“Your memory is correct—up until separating from Cecilia. After that, I discreetly arranged for my personal attendants to tend to you.”

“Why would you do that? You know how dangerous it is for you to openly move or give orders, even if it’s to help me.”

“At this point, saving you takes priority over maintaining my standing as emperor. I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be. I can hardly blame you for helping me. Save the apologies for those who put their faith in you—your people. More importantly, what’s happening outside?”

“Frankly, not great.”

Perhaps displeased that Elia and I were conversing without her, Kristin quickly cut in.