Chapter 102

The very next morning, preparations for departure were quickly finalized due to the urgency of the matter.

Recently, Iclea had been quite noisy due to the tense situation, but perhaps because of the early hour, silence reigned everywhere now. It was a peaceful view that didn’t look like a territory on the brink of war.

‘No, perhaps it’s the calm before the storm.’

I gazed at the faintly lit city, then looked down at Nine’s hands, which were adjusting my clothing.

Everything my eyes touched was something I loved. Nine and the people of the Eclipse Ducal House. All the territories, including Iclea. The elegant North, where I could feel many things besides just the cold, unlike before.

I wanted to keep this place that Nine loved—all these things that I loved—safe.

‘I won’t let it be ruined by a territorial war.’

The envoy delegation heading to the Imperial Palace was, as decided in the meeting, to be dispatched from Blueberry County. I had contacted the county so my parents would have selected the appropriate personnel by the time I arrived at the capital.

The problem was having to reach the capital in a single day, so for the forced march, we packed with only the minimum necessary baggage and personnel.

“Chacha. Are you listening?”

“Of course. I’m listening.”

Perhaps feeling uneasy, Nine was full of worry and nagging even as he saw me off.

“No matter how urgent it is, make sure to take breaks in between.”

“Yes.”

“Haa, there’s no need to ride a horse, is there? A carriage is perfectly adequate…”

“Nine.”

I listened to the endless nagging, then hugged him tight.

“I’ll be back safely.”

“…”

Nine stopped his nagging and quietly looked down at me in his arms. He didn’t want to send me and was worried, but he knew well that he ultimately had no choice but to let me go.

“…Okay.”

Finally, Nine hugged me tightly and whispered in my ear.

“I love you. Come back safe.”

***

After riding horses non-stop and utilizing several portal stations, I arrived at the southern portal station of the capital, Calipha.

As I entered the station, I saw people dressed in conspicuous pink knight uniforms lined up in formation. They were the knights belonging to the Pink Marten Private Army dispatched from Blueberry County.

I greeted the familiar person standing at the very front of the line with a welcome.

“Wilhelm!”

Wilhelm, upon spotting me, performed a practiced salute. However, he kept fidgeting with his collar, perhaps displeased or uncomfortable with the pink knight uniform that didn’t quite suit him.

I looked at him standing beside me and then quickly scanned the private army who had come to meet me. Trained thoroughly by Wilhelm, they showed no signs of nervousness, but the atmosphere was understandably heavy.

Seeing this, I deliberately spoke to Wilhelm in a light tone.

“What’s wrong? Pink suits you, Wilhelm. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes! That is correct!”

“Madam…”

It was a small joke, but this single light-hearted remark slightly eased the tension in the atmosphere.

Wilhelm exaggeratedly slumped his shoulders, then straightened his posture again and asked me, “Are you heading straight to the Imperial Palace?”

“Yes, I must.”

I immediately boarded the waiting carriage. There was no time to stop at the mansion. Inside the carriage, I changed from my riding clothes to a dress and finished a simple makeup and hair arrangement. This was thanks to my parents, who, knowing my situation, had arranged for a maid to wait with the carriage.

Finally, upon reaching the main gate of the Imperial Palace, the Imperial Knight guarding it greeted us with a nervous expression. This was natural, as the carriage bore the crest of the Eclipse Ducal House, which had been declared under suspicion of treason just the day before.

“Duchess Chacha Eclipse is here.”

Wilhelm stepped forward to announce my visit. The knights looked hesitant but disarmed our family’s private army and allowed us to easily pass through the main gate.

As we entered the gate, the rumbling sound of the carriage wheels seemed unusually loud. My nerves were on edge, more tense than when I had previously come to meet the Emperor. I slowly took a deep breath, clutching the hem of my dress with my clammy hands.

The carriage soon arrived at the palace entrance.

‘Whether the Emperor is truly being controlled by something or not, it must be resolved.’

Firmly setting my mind, I stepped out of the carriage.

The imperial chamberlain approached and guided me to the Emperor’s Audience Chamber. Fortunately, perhaps because we had already been disarmed, Wilhelm, who followed me, was also allowed to enter the Audience Chamber. I was secretly relieved. Although the fact that he was a Sword Master was not public, there was a possibility that his entry could have been denied due to his dark skin color, which signified a minority ethnicity.

The doors opened, and the audience chamber was, contrary to my expectation, completely empty, all the vassals having been dismissed. The Emperor sat alone in the center of the empty chamber, watching me.

‘…What is this?’

Trying not to be swayed by the strange atmosphere, I walked in quietly and first offered my greeting.

“This vassal from the North greets the Sun of the Empire.”

“…”

I waited with my back bowed, but the Emperor gave no command to raise my head. Just as the sense of unease was chilling my spine further, a sharp, unfamiliar voice rang out above me.

“Oh my, you finally came to see me? I was getting tired of waiting.”

At the voice, which definitely could not be the Emperor’s, I abruptly raised my head.

A woman, whose presence I could not explain, laughed heartily and looked down at me from in front of the Emperor. She was certainly not there when I entered the audience chamber.

I was so startled that I instinctively took a step back. Wilhelm also tensed up and stood close behind me.

“…Who are you?”

When I asked, she let out a short ‘Ah’ and performed an awkward bow. The sharp voice spoke in a gentle tone.

“Pleasure to meet you? I am Roon. The devout High Priestess serving the God Urkel.”

After finishing her greeting, she sat on the Emperor’s lap and crossed her legs seductively. She was a woman who was clearly suspicious, yet beautiful. Blood-red eyes, and hair as dark and vivid as fresh crimson spilling over her shoulders. A slender finger smoothly tucked a luxurious strand of hair behind her ear.

While her every action was alluring and sensual, the Emperor remained seated on the throne with a vacant, dull expression.

‘Something is definitely going on!’

At that moment, the woman, smiling with her red lips, looked at me and said, “By the way, you are an interesting child. To not be a soul of this world.”

“…What?”

The moment I asked in astonishment, the woman was standing in front of me in the blink of an eye. Her hand, having suddenly closed the distance, reached out toward me.

My body was frozen, unable to grasp the situation, when Wilhelm behind me quickly pulled my arm. The breath that had been held in my lungs burst out from the sudden sequence of events.

Wilhelm put me behind his back and spoke.

“Lady Chacha. Do not listen to the words of the monster.”

“…”

A monster?

I looked at Wilhelm in confusion, and he maintained a rigid expression, staring intently at the woman, clearly extremely tense. Hearing that, I looked back at the woman, but on the surface, she looked no different from a human. That was to be expected, as monsters were beings without reason and only displayed aggression towards living creatures, making a conversation like this impossible.

I therefore thought for a moment that Wilhelm might be referring to her as a monster because she was an incomprehensible existence. It was almost certain that this being before my eyes was the main culprit of the incident.

“Huhu.”

The woman let out an unpleasant laugh and stretched out her hand. In an instant, her fingernails sharply elongated, piercing Wilhelm’s shoulder and arm.

“Wilhelm!”

“Ugh.”

Wilhelm groaned but tucked me under his arm and leaped back, creating distance. Drops of Wilhelm’s blood pattered onto the floor.

The content of the original novel belatedly flashed through my mind. A single line of dialogue that was too brief, which I had only thought of as a setup at the time:

‘There was a strange existence. Perhaps it was a humanoid monster.’

However, that plot point was never resolved even by the end of the novel.

Realizing that many truths were hidden behind the original story, I stared directly at the woman before me.

‘If that woman is a humanoid monster, is the Urkel Church really involved with monsters?’

When I resolutely glared back, the woman smiled broadly, seemingly pleased. She licked the drops of blood flowing from her sharp nails and said to me, “I wonder what your soul tastes like?”