Chapter 121

Just as I was about to step into the gate with my luggage, a rough hand pulled me to a halt. Biting my lip, I looked back to see Siphiel, his eyes filled with desperation as he clung to my wrist.

“You haven’t given me an answer yet.”

He was likely asking for a response to his confession from the previous night. I gripped the handle of my bag tighter. I couldn’t accept Siphiel’s feelings. I loved Freyer. My heart grew heavy at the thought of having to say words that would surely hurt him.

“I don’t think I can accept your feelings, Your Highness. I’ll act as if I never heard what you said last night. I’m sorry.”

Upon hearing my answer, Siphiel pressed his hand to his temple, his face contorting in distress.

“I heard that Vice Head Leader Lilithia’s father has been imprisoned in the empire’s dungeon for illegal mine ownership.”

“Rumors travel fast.”

It was a stark realization that news could cross into another kingdom in the blink of an eye. Feeling the pressure of time, I tried to turn back toward the gate, but it was impossible to break free from Siphiel’s grip, the veins on his hand bulging with the strength of his hold.

“There isn’t a soul on this continent who doesn’t know that under Imperial law, illegal magic stone mining results in the extermination of one’s entire kin.”

“I know.”

It was a fact I had seen repeatedly in books while searching for the mine; there was no way I could be ignorant of it.

“You know how dangerous the situation is, yet why do you insist on crossing into the empire!”

“Because he’s my father.”

There was no other reason. Who could look the other way when their only family was in danger?

“…I know it’s a dark matter for your family, but Vice Head Leader Lilithia, your life is what matters most to me.”

Siphiel grasped my wrist with both hands.

“So… please do not go.”

I hadn’t realized Siphiel’s feelings for me ran this deep. As I hesitated, Freyer stepped in, cutting through the space between Siphiel and me.

“Do I need to remind you again who won the duel at the training grounds? I believe I told you before: stay away from Lilithia.”

“That duel shouldn’t have been valid in the first place.”

Freyer and Siphiel’s gazes locked with intensity, a subtle but sharp psychological warfare beginning to spark between them.

“The Prince is crossing the line.”

“What wouldn’t one do for the person they want to protect? And since my heart doesn’t belong to you, stop barking orders at me.”

The tension in the conversation between Siphiel and Freyer escalated rapidly. I tried to intervene, but their irritable tones were so impenetrable that I could only look back and forth between them.

“The thing is, I can’t stand to have what is mine taken from me anymore. My patience is wearing thin.”

“You’d best not voice promises you can’t keep.”

“There is nothing you, a prince of a foreign nation, can do right now.”

“You seem quite confident for someone who is technically a corpse—the late Second Prince Freyer Lundberg.”

A corpse?

I blinked, looking up at Freyer. My questioning gaze didn’t reach him; instead, the freezing stares of Freyer and Siphiel crossed in mid-air, as if causing the very atmosphere to crack.

“I heard there was a funeral for the Second Prince just a few days ago. It’s hard to trust the words of a man who has already lost his power within the empire when he says he can protect the Vice Head Leader.”

“I don’t believe I need to explain my plans to you one by one.”

“From the look on her face, it doesn’t seem like Vice Head Leader Lilithia was included in those plans either.”

Just what on earth was happening in the empire? I realized then that the reason Freyer had appeared before me in a different form wasn’t simply because he “wanted to surprise me.”

“How can a Second Prince who is losing his grip on the empire protect anyone?”

Freyer’s jaw tightened, a slight tremor running through his rigid features.

“The Second Prince has closed his eyes, and rumors say the Emperor’s life is soon to end. Given the state of the empire, the Crown Prince, who returned successfully from the Northern subjugation, will likely ascend the throne.”

If a change in sovereignty occurred, the new ruler would surely punish criminals severely as a way to solidify Imperial power. My father’s illegal mining was a serious crime even under the current reign. If a new Emperor took the throne, they might act even more ruthlessly to ensure no one else dared to follow his example.

“If the power shifts, the punishment will only become heavier.”

The grip on my wrist loosened slightly; the warmth vanished, replaced by a cold draft.

“I am sorry about your father, but to me, you come first. So please, don’t leave. My sister Scarlet and I will protect you.”

I clenched my fists and lifted my head high, facing Siphiel stiffly.

“Vice Head Leader.”

“I’m not afraid. I don’t want to be someone who just receives help; I want to protect the people dear to me with my own strength.”

“You don’t necessarily have to go through such an ordeal, do you?”

“I will overcome these hurdles through my own power, not by running away.”

I pulled my wrist out of Siphiel’s hand.

“I’ll give you my answer to yesterday now. I know you’re a truly good person, Prince Siphiel, but I have too many people I want to protect to stay here in the Kingdom.”

“Vice Head Leader!”

“I will face this head-on and stand tall—not by someone else’s help. I’m running out of time, so I’ll be going now.”

I gave Siphiel a slight nod of farewell and walked toward the gate. Just before stepping in, I spoke to Freyer.

“In the empire, you must tell me the stories I haven’t heard.”

The story of Freyer’s death was nowhere to be found in the original novel. Since the very much alive Freyer was standing right in front of me, I had a mountain of questions.

“I’ll tell you everything. So please, just stay safe.”

His hand trembled slightly as he gently tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. I felt the touch of his soft lips against my forehead.

“I’ll follow right behind you.”

I gave a small nod and stepped into the gate. Facing Freyer, I waved my hand with a bright smile.

“See you in the empire.”

***

I couldn’t judge why Freyer had changed his appearance or how the empire was shifting. It had diverged too much from the original story I knew. However, the determination in my heart to protect the family I cherished remained unchanged, so there was no need to waver.

I just had to forge my own story.

I took a deep breath. Perhaps due to the trauma of the last time, my heart began to throb the moment I stepped onto the gate.

‘Should I have said a proper final goodbye?’

What if I collapsed again, just like I did at the Hunting Festival? Everyone would worry. Just as those anxious thoughts began to flood in—

Vrrrrm—

A vibration rose through the soles of my shoes. I gripped my bag tightly and sucked in a breath.

A constitution that cannot discharge mana.

To be honest, I still didn’t fully understand it. But it didn’t matter. Right now, saving my father was the priority.

When I first possessed Lilithia, my relationship with her father wasn’t that deep. But watching him care for the family and the people of the house, I learned that this was what love looked like. I remembered the time we all sat around the dining table together—the father, myself, Norman, Winnie, and the other servants.

“Baron, is it truly alright for us to join you?”

“Norman, I was the one who suggested it. Asking again makes me think you’ve grown inflexible with age.”

“Haha, I suppose that’s true.”

Even the rigid and stiff Norman never refused the Baron’s requests.

“Leticia. If only you could have seen how much of a fine lady Lilithia has become.”

The image of my father lingering in front of my mother’s tombstone with a sorrowful face was still vivid in my mind. If not for him, I wouldn’t have been able to feel this much happiness in this life. I wanted to protect my family.

The air inside the gate began to sting my lungs with a heavy scent. A ringing sound pierced through my head. At some point, the sensation of the bag handle in my hand vanished.

It felt as though I were floating in a gravity-less void. It was as if every cell in my body was being pulled apart and all my senses were fading, my vision blurring, when—

‘…Who is that?’

I saw two figures. I couldn’t see them clearly, so I frowned and squinted to focus, but the figures were nothing but pure darkness. The two of them were engaged in a fierce argument. Their voices sounded familiar. Regardless of the situation, the warmth in the voices caused my tension to slowly melt away.

‘I can’t hear them clearly.’

[……!]

[But, if …… isn’t there, ……… what are we supposed to do?]

[I’ve allowed …… intervention many times already. No more… If your… could become.]

[It’s fine. If it’s for ……….]

[The chance is only once…]

As the conversation ended, one of the shadows approached me. Fear surged up my spine and I tried to step back, but my body wouldn’t move. In an instant, the darkness engulfed me. Would it be painful? I was terrified, but what I felt instead was a warm energy embracing me. My world was gradually dyed in black until, finally—

“Gasp!”

I took a deep, ragged breath and snapped my eyes open. My strength failed me, and my luggage thudded onto the floor. I fumbled over my body, checking my condition.

“Transfer complete.”

Beyond the wide-open doors, the interior of the Magic Tower, lined with Imperial decorations, filled my vision. A sigh of relief escaped me at the fact that nothing bad had happened.