Chapter 127
Chapter: 127
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 127
>Chapter Title: Oracle (1)
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As a very young child, little Sisle was always running around.
>She was constantly dashing after her busy father.
>“Your Highness! You’ll fall!”
>The maids chased after her in a panic, stomping their feet, but Sisle paid them no mind.
>Even if she stumbled, she knew a breeze would somehow catch her before she fell completely.
>“Daddy!”
>She loved the way he would stop and turn back quietly when she called out like that. She loved hugging him tightly, the white robes rustling softly.
>“Think of those who have to run with you, Sisle. They can’t keep up with your stamina.”
>She loved when he gently tapped her forehead while cautioning her like that.
>Just as he said, the maids were always exhausted and sprawled out in front of His Holiness the Holy Emperor, unable to even observe proper etiquette, but Sisle didn’t care. She was just happy to be by her father’s side.
She clung to the Holy Emperor so much that even Second Empress Consort Melody showed signs of jealousy.
After spending the whole day holding onto the hem of his robes, she would fall asleep in the office, only to wake up in the Silver Rose Palace the next morning. Then the awakened Sisle would set off running to find her father again.
However, there were times when she had to return to the Silver Rose Palace alone early, and that was on the days the Holy Emperor entered the prayer hall.
He would occasionally send everyone away and spend the night in the depths of the main palace.
Though it was called the prayer hall for convenience, it was actually a vast chamber with an artificial pond. It was ornate and pristine, yet somehow lonely, Sisle thought.
“Why does Daddy have to be alone in the prayer hall?”
As she parted from him at the prayer hall entrance and was carried out of the main palace by Knight Commander Katrina, Sisle asked.
“There are many burdens on His Holiness’s shoulders that we cannot know of, Your Highness.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better if we all stayed in the prayer hall and helped Daddy?”
The gentle knight commander gave a slightly bitter smile in response.
“How wonderful it would be if someone could help him. For now, the best we can do is stay quiet and not disturb him. I’m sure knowing that Your Highness cares for him so much will be a great strength to His Holiness.”
Though Katrina said that, Sisle couldn’t agree.
Puffing out her cheeks, she thought.
Mom always stops me from going to the office because it’ll disturb him, but whenever I show up, Daddy seems happy. So if I’m with him in the prayer hall, he’d definitely like it more, right? Yeah, he would!
It was one such day.
That day too, she parted from the Holy Emperor early and returned to the Silver Rose Palace to fall asleep, but in the middle of the night, she felt as if someone was shaking her roughly.
“……?”
Rubbing her eyes, Sisle woke up.
Was it her imagination? When she sat up, she was alone in her bedroom, and there was no sign of anyone who might have shaken her awake.
No, if she hadn’t been shaken, then maybe the world itself had shaken.
She lay back down to sleep, but her mind wouldn’t settle.
An intense unease. A strange sense of alienation, as if the world around her had completely changed during that night.
With sleep fully driven away, Sisle eventually slipped on her slippers and left the bedroom. Strangely, none of the maids had their eyes open that night, and the guard knights were standing but completely asleep.
Tap, tap.
Unconsciously, Sisle headed toward the Holy Emperor. Then she suddenly remembered he had gone to the prayer hall and hurried her steps toward the main palace.
Even on this warm spring night, a chilling cold seeped in, making Sisle pause now and then to rub her hands together.
And when she finally reached the depths of the main palace, standing before the prayer hall door, Sisle hesitated for a moment.
‘No one is allowed inside…’
But then, a voice spoke in her mind.
[Open the door. Go inside and see what’s happening.]
It felt like someone else whispering, yet also like her own thought. Without resisting the voice, she slowly opened the door in a daze. Creaaaaak….
In that instant.
A thick stench of blood rushed out.
Sisle’s eyes widened as she took in the dark interior of the prayer hall.
There was indeed her father, the one she sought. But something about him seemed off.
Under the faint moonlight, the Holy Emperor stood in the center of the pond, now turned blood-red.
In one hand, he held a blood-soaked nutcracker, staring fixedly at something. His ever-white robes were stained red with splattered blood.
Sensing her presence, the Holy Emperor slowly turned his head toward Sisle.
In the dark hall, only his bright gray eyes gleamed with a chilling silver light.
“……!”
Sisle panicked greatly. The eyes that always looked at her with gentle warmth now appeared utterly cold and emotionless.
Is that person… that thing really Daddy?
Unknowingly gripped by fear, she stepped back, when a low whisper sounded in her ear.
[Yes. That is his true nature. He mercilessly cuts down anything he deems useless. In the near future, you too will meet your end by his hand, just like them.]
…Daddy, me?
[That’s right. How about it? Don’t you want to see the future prepared for you?]
Hahaha. A low laugh echoed.
Staggering backward, Sisle turned and fled to the Silver Rose Palace. The Holy Emperor simply watched her silently, neither speaking nor pursuing.
Returning to her room in secret, Sisle burrowed wildly into her bed. She fell asleep as if fainting but soon groaned in tormented nightmares.
And the next morning, the sacred stigma of a saint suddenly appeared on the body of the precious youngest imperial princess.
The Silver Rose Palace was thrown into chaos, and high priests from the Orthodox Church rushed over, making a fuss about the return of the saint.
Hearing the news, the Holy Emperor visited the Silver Rose Palace as well. His father’s face, looking at her with concern, was as gentle as ever, making Sisle momentarily doubt if the previous night’s events had merely been a nightmare.
However, the scene from that night, that chilling gaze of the Holy Emperor, remained as a vivid afterimage in a corner of her mind. It would resurface from her subconscious at unexpected moments, repeatedly reviving the sensation of that cold spring night.
And after that day, Sisle no longer chased after her father.
* * *
Good news tends to come in waves.
In high spirits from the results of his meeting with Archduke Sigismund, Seongjin stopped by the main palace to report his outing to the Holy Emperor. Upon returning to the Pearl Palace, Bruno the knight commander, who had been waiting, shared new information with him.
“A message from Arenza. Two of the missing persons Your Highness is investigating are currently detained at the Milo Trading Company’s capital branch.”
He then provided quite detailed information on their identities and current locations. They were apparently the guards who had beaten Jonathan and Ashley, the two theology academy students.
“…This is sudden?”
Arenza had been dragging her feet on sharing information, making excuses like the timing wasn’t right, despite agreeing to close cooperation.
Stunned by the unexpected news, Seongjin muttered, and Bruno shrugged.
“I’m not entirely sure about their criteria. However, based on what Your Highness uncovered today, it’s probably information you would have reached naturally by throwing more manpower at the search afterward.”
“Grasping the connection to the Milo Trading Company was the key?”
“Likely so. Though I feel there’s more to it.”
Bruno stroked his mustache lightly.
“Your Highness, this is my personal impression from conversing with them. Arenza seems to assume there’s yet another force behind the Milo Trading Company.”
“Archduke Sigismund said something similar. That Asain or Scarzapino might be involved.”
The Milo Trading Company wasn’t originally active in the north as its main stage.
So, it must have either received tacit approval from Asain, who had spread his hands across the continent through the merchant alliance, or been closely linked to the margrave via Scarzapino, who had deep ties with the northwestern local lords.
And the guy strongly suspected Scarzapino.
“Hm?”
Bruno suddenly furrowed his brow, concentrating on something, then continued.
“Yes, yes. I see. I just asked if it was Asain or Scarzapino behind it, but they say they can’t answer that. However, in some sense, Scarzapino is someone Your Highness needs to keep a close eye on.”
…Really?
“Scarzapino, huh….”
Rather than being behind the gray plague, it might be related to Mores’s past actions. Come to think of it, wasn’t there a mention that the young lord of the Scarzapino family was friends with that Mores bastard?
“But why hasn’t that ‘only friend’ guy contacted me at all?”
With so many recent events, he’d forgotten, but it was odd upon reflection. Quite some time had passed since he woke from the fever, and the visitor restrictions at the Pearl Palace had been lifted long ago.
At that moment, Edith, who had been tending to the bedding behind Seongjin, chimed in.
“Maybe Your Highness has just been ignoring his contacts?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Because the young lord sends invitations to Your Highness every week like this?”
Edith rummaged through the letters piled on the desk and held up a single gold-gleaming envelope.
“…Huh?”
Such things had been coming?
“Yes. They arrive without fail every week, but since Your Highness said to throw away social invitations, I’ve been disposing of them after a while.”
“…….”
Oh, right, he remembered now.
The memory of the first social gathering had been so intense that he’d resolved to self-isolate and told them to clear out all such letters.
Seongjin took the shiny envelope from Edith and checked the sender.
Ricardo Scarzapino….
-I recall Marquis Masain explaining that Ricardo is quite the social figure, famous for regularly hosting gatherings with heirs of prominent families.
The person hosting the most mainstream gatherings in Delcross was really that utter wastrel Mores’s only friend?
Seongjin rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment.
The date on the letter was tomorrow. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to attend once and meet him in person?
“Shall I prepare for an outing tomorrow?”
Noticing his hesitation, Edith quickly asked.
“…Hm, yeah. Do that.”
It felt wrong to ignore the sincerity of weekly invitations. And it didn’t seem like a suspicious gathering.
As Seongjin finally made up his mind and replied, Bruno suddenly flinched, staring into space with a troubled expression.
“…Is that possible? I’m not thrilled about it.”
“……?”
“Yes, I’ll relay that for now.”
Muttering something incomprehensible and frowning, the knight commander turned to Seongjin.
“Your Highness, the head of Arenza says there’s a message that must be delivered to you directly.”
Huh? Suddenly the head?
“Directly? How? Is he coming here?”
“No. He says he can briefly possess me through the open channel.”
“…Possess?”
Uh… is that what I think it is? Like when the twins possessed Ashley and grabbed her by the collar?
Tilting his head, Seongjin nodded in permission.
Whoosh. In an instant, Bruno’s demeanor completely changed. The knight commander’s presence, which had blended softly with the surrounding aura as a former Decaron Knight, shifted to a distinct yet slightly sharp, unfamiliar one.
Above all, his deep green eyes had turned to a pale gray with a strange gleam.
[Your Highness.]
His voice was different too.
A peculiar tone, hard to gauge for gender or age, as if overlaid with an extra layer.
Thus, Bruno—no, the head of Arenza—slowly knelt on one knee and bowed his head to Seongjin.
[It’s an honor to meet you. I am the head of Arenza and currently acting as the Oracle of Kornsiim.]
…Oracle?