Chapter 29

Chapter 29

“Have you?”

“That’s right.”

“Where is it?”

“They haven’t come this far yet. There’s an obstacle in the middle…”

The ink bottle on the desk flew away.

“I opened up the secret passage for you, so what’s wrong?”

“Sorry.”

When the man said so, the man in a black robe bowed down.

“The child… How was it?”

“It seemed that she was not born with magic.”

“Really?”

At those words, the man’s eyebrows twitched as if he had heard a surprising fact.

“…A child that wasn’t born with magical powers, but the people are crowding around her?”

“Perhaps, the notion of trying to make her the successor…”

“What nonsense! A person without magical powers in the magic empire became the Emperor?!”

The man in a black robe quietly lowered his head.

“I shouldn’t have let you go on a trip…”

The woman he had been looking at for many years went out and had a child. It was also a secret that she gave birth to a child, and he couldn’t tell where the child was from though now that he found it, the child didn’t even have magic.

“Faylos… If it wasn’t for that guy.”

The nobles thought they were spared for a while from the reign of terror as Faylos sat on behalf of Isilis. When the Empress was in the seat, it was difficult to plan work under her strict supervision, but it was the same with her representative.

Thus, the nobles’ movements were restricted, and it was difficult for them to plan their work. Although he just barely took advantage of the New Year’s festival, there was still a hindrance.

“It’s Berthas Hillenton.”

The man in black fell over when the man said while tapping his desk.

“I’m sorry. We…”

“No. It has already been done.”

The escort was strengthened by this incident, but it didn’t matter.

“Anyway, the Princess has no meaning unless she has magical powers.”

An imperial family who was not born with magical powers couldn’t succeed to the throne, so he had to occupy the current Emperor’s seat.

“I’m going according to plan.”

“If you say plan…”

“To fill the position of the Empress’ consort as originally planned.”

“Then, I will tell them that.”

“Summon the nobles.”

“Understand. Ah, then the Princess…”

“Kill her.”

As the man in the black robe nodded and left the room, the man who gave the order, Marquis Sirka’s eyes, lit up.

“Isilis. Don’t try to get out of my hands.”

The tapping on the desk was getting stronger.

While walking slowly, Berthas saw a bright light in the distance. He silenced the sound of his footsteps at the presence he felt there.

People’s voices were heard.

“Kill her?”

“He said so.”

“No, how could the Imperial Family…”

As soon as he heard those words, Berthas ran.

Moving in exhaustion, he wrapped an aura around his body. It was a little far from the capital of Larchen, so he could use his aura freely. Because he had been in the dark, when he came out to the light, his eyes ached though that didn’t matter.

The child’s cry struck his ears.

One of the wizards who saw him was able to cast a spell, so Berthas moved quickly. He had to hit them with his body.

Grabbing the wizard’s hand and pulling the child out of the wizard’s arms on the other side, the swift movement made them helpless. He ran to save the child. He could feel the magic of the wizards following him and the swift movements of the knights. However, there wasn’t enough aura to fight back.

As he walked endlessly, he had no stamina left. All he could do was hold the child and run. But even that was soon overtaken by the wizards.

“Where are you going!”

As he resisted by raising an aura to the wizard who had grabbed his body with magic, he managed to avoid the knights’ flying swords. There was not much time left to maintain his aura.

As he struggled, there was a flash of thought. It was the barrier that surrounded Larchen.

He struck down Isillis’ faint magical power.

“My child in my land…”

It was Isilis.

Appearing from mid-air, she slowly descended to the ground. Her blazing red hair dazzled like gazing into the sun. Sparks flashed from her blue eyes as Berthas’ wrecked figure caught her eye.

“Useless garbage…!”

A fire began to ignite in Isilis’s hand. The knights who were throwing swords at Berthas were engulfed in a magically ignited fire and were on the verge of becoming ashes.

“Your Majesty! Calm down…!”

The chief wizard who followed her belatedly tried to stop her. The knights were already on fire by magic, and the wizard who drew the moving magic circle was trembling.

After casting a hold spell to immobilize them, she opened her mouth again.

“The abduction of the imperial family in Larchen, the magic empire… You’re an insane wizard.”

Larchen was an empire with Isilis’ barriers everywhere. It was the emperor who managed the barrier. Therefore, the Emperor must have magical powers, but not the child. That alone was painful, but to kidnap the child, the Imperial Family…

The wizard was trembling while watching her step. As she made a simple gesture, the wizard vomited blood.

“Lock him up. Put restraints to prevent him from committing suicide.”

With Isillis’ command, Allure moved.​

“Larchen owes you.”

Isilis struggled to smile as she looked at Berthas kneeling on his knees and holding the child in his arms. He was relieved by the glimmer of concern in her smile.

‘Still…’

Seeing Isilis’s heart thinking of him, Berthas just smiled.

“It’s nothing.”

“You’re the benefactor of the Empire.”

He smiled bitterly as he struggled to swallow the words that it was natural for the child’s father to protect the child.

“Bring the benefactor!”

Berthas, full of wounds here and there, embraced the child and handed it over to her. Isilis, who looked with sad eyes at Berthas holding the child, took the child. Perhaps, the child liked her father’s arms, she was sleeping.

She had a strange thought.

‘…If that person wasn’t a knight from another country and I wasn’t the Empress, would we have been able to live normally?’

She thought for a moment before shaking her head. She couldn’t have met Berthas if she had not been the Empress. If Berthas had not been a foreign knight, he would not have been on vacation to the port city.

If she wanted to meet him…

‘No.’

Stopping her sprawling thoughts, Isilis looked at Berthas, who was receiving treatment. She opened her mouth as the wizard’s gaze, casting the healing spell, reached her.

“Take him to the Imperial Palace respectfully and give him the best room.”

“Understood.”

Watching the wizard disappearing with him, Isilis tightly blinked her eyes. Berthas’ image, messed up like a piece of painful memory, remained as an afterimage beautifully in her eyes. As she was about to go back…

“Your Majesty.”

Duke Verus, who ran behind her, called her.

“You’re late.”

“The one who disappeared by magic as soon as the barrier was activated…”

“These are the ones who escaped with the Princess. There’s a traitor in the palace. Find it.”

Even though she wanted to quietly seek the Princess without revealing her, since people had found her already, she couldn’t quietly deal with things. She had to grab them all.

Duke Verus replied to her.

“Understood.”

“Search thoroughly and come to me. Find them and have them kneel before me.”

“I will take your order.”

“Let the people of the Empire know this, too. The Imperial Family had a successor, and there were people who tried to kidnap the successor.”

“Yes.”

“Inform the whole Empire with the communication channel.”

“Your Majesty. It seems that it is still too early to establish a successor to the empire…”

“Duke Verus.”

“Yes. I will do as you ordered.”

When Isilis called Duke Verus with a sharp momentum, he immediately agreed. Seeing him bowing his head, she immersed herself in thoughts. It would be known from this day that the Princess had not been able to manifest her magical powers.

‘What should I do?’

“I wish you had red hair…”

“Pardon me?”

She shook her head when the escort knight who was cleaning up the scene asked. Even if she had red hair, nothing would change because she didn’t know what this child would do when she grew up.

Isilis moved her steps slowly with a heavy heart.

…The child must have magical powers to ascend to the throne of the Empire. It was an unchangeable fact.

‘I wonder…’

What will become of her child?

Isilis’s expression hardened as she held the child.

“How is the Princess’ health?”

“She is strong.”

She was still a baby, how could she be strong? The imperial doctor, who sensed something in Isilis’s expression, quickly opened his mouth.

“She’s still young, but still calm…”

“Enough.”

She did not summon the imperial doctor to hear this. Isilis missed the late imperial doctor.

There was nothing wrong on the surface.

“Maybe, she will be surprised when she sleeps.”

The handmaid, who was next to her, replied.

“Surprised?”

“That’s right.”

“How do you know that?”

“There is a child in my house.”

“Is it your child?”

“…It’s my sister’s child.”

Isilis asked as she looked at the handmaid, who bowed her head.

“Your name is?”

“My name is Meryl, Your Majesty.”

“From now on, you take care of the Princess.”

“…Yes?”

To a handmaid, who had nothing to do, taking of the princess was outrageous. She felt all the handmaids around her staring in surprise.

“Since when have you been working in the Palace?”

“Not long ago.”

“I see.”

She was the only maid in the video that Isilis watched before the New Year’s festival who did not pay any attention to the Princess. All the maids here were interested in the Princess at least once—whether they looked at the princess because she was cute or with any intention, interest was interest.

That was unwelcome to Isilis.

Three people died in the place where the princess was. Not only was the place exposed, but now, she had to always keep an eye on the Princess as well. ​

“You’re the princess’s nanny from now on.”

“I take your order.”

As the handmaiden politely knelt down on her knees, Isilis placed her hand lightly on her shoulder.

With this, the position of the handmaid Meryl became the second highest post in the Imperial Palace after the handmaid chief. The quick rise to the post made the other maids look at Meryl with eyes vivid with envy.

‘It is a skill to survive here.’

If she survived the jealousy of the other handmaids and protected the princess, she was about to reward her accordingly.

Isilis fell into thoughts as she watched Meryl holding the princess.

—

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