Chapter 193
Chapter: 193
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 193
>Chapter Title: Sigismund Territory (2)
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That afternoon, in the imperial palace.
Chloe Mia de Valois stepped down from her carriage and crossed the garden of the Silver Rose Palace with a touch of excitement. She had received a formal invitation from Princess Amelia.
Lately, she had been visiting the palace frequently under the pretext of studying with Prince Mores, which had already earned her plenty of envy from the other young ladies her age.
But when the prince left on his trip, he personally introduced her to Princess Amelia. They had agreed to hold regular tea times together, and this was her third visit.
*At this rate, becoming the queen of the next generation's high society isn't just a dream!*
Exchanging with the beautiful princess known to be the Holy Emperor's most favored daughter.
Even if the princess were to marry foreign royalty and leave Delcross someday, the deep friendship they built would surely be a great asset for Chloe in her future social endeavors.
*And besides, Her Highness is just so cool!*
On the day of her first invitation, Princess Amelia had unexpectedly asked Chloe for a favor. She wanted to properly study Bretenu and other foreign languages, so could Chloe provide regular help?
And surprisingly, the princess was already quite proficient in Bretenu and Rohan.
Chloe herself wasn't deeply versed in Rohan yet, so she happily agreed to form a study group where they could help each other.
It had been a thousand years since Imperial Tongue had become the continent's common language.
The prevailing view was that wasting time on foreign languages was inefficient.
Yet Chloe found learning them utterly delightful.
How words derived from certain roots, what differences each country showed now.
What nuances arose from direct translations of sentences. How the minor grammar rules varied.
Chloe loved the moment she noticed those tiny differences, the process of harmonizing what seemed mismatched.
And recently, starting studies with Princess Amelia had broadened Chloe's horizons in astonishing ways.
Conversations with the princess, who knew so much about the continent's nations, made those languages come alive, blending seamlessly into their cultures and histories.
Before she knew it, building connections had taken a backseat; she now genuinely looked forward to meeting the princess.
Conversely, Chloe had clearly left a good impression on her. After their first tea time, the princess had smiled brightly and said,
"You're exactly as Mores described. He said you're the talent who'll lead the Foreign Ministry someday..."
Foreign Ministry? All I want is to become the queen of high society and live a fabulous life for all to see?
But since that day, Chloe occasionally imagined herself as a capable civil servant rising through the ranks.
*Did I arrive a bit early...?*
Standing before the antique drawing room, Chloe smoothed her elegant purple skirt and thought. With Saint Grazier's feast day approaching, she had deliberately chosen a color reminiscent of the Saint Grazier Knights' uniforms.
Her high updo was also adorned with plenty of purple clover, whose flower language was [Sacrifice]—a virtue the Saint Grazier Knights held most dear.
Others might shoot her disapproving looks for overdoing the symbolism, but the princess had immediately recognized Chloe's thoughtful preparations last time.
*So this time too...*
With cheeks flushed in anticipation, Chloe was led into the drawing room.
"Lady Chloe! Come in. Ah, Saint Grazier's feast day is almost here, isn't it?"
Princess Amelia greeted her with a smile as radiant as a rose.
See? I knew Her Highness would notice.
"I must be too early. But what's all this?"
Sitting on the sofa and looking around, she saw the tea table cluttered with a sewing kit and small scraps of fabric.
*...Sewing by hand?*
Sure enough, the princess's delicate fingers were dotted with needle pricks.
What on earth was Her Highness making that she'd injure herself like this?
Puzzled, Chloe noticed a few crumpled little pouches on one side of the table.
"A pouch...? Did you make these, Your Highness? What's it for?"
For a moment, a shadow crossed the princess's face.
"It's nothing, Lady Chloe. Truth be told, I had a nightmare last night. Our cute little 'Saint Aurelion' fell down, down, and shattered into pieces. It was so terrifying. When I woke up, I felt so anxious that I just had to do something for this little statue."
So she had been hand-sewing a pouch to fit the little saint.
"But don't you have dedicated maids? They'd make a pretty pouch for you."
"I don't know how to explain it, Chloe, but somehow, it felt like it needed to be made by my own hands to mean anything."
Chloe stared incredulously at the princess's desk.
There sat a bald old sage wrapped in colorful silk, smiling benignly. It was the statue of Saint Aurelion that Princess Amelia had proudly shown her last time, saying it was a gift from Prince Mores.
Chloe had thought then,
*Prince Mores really has no eye for the nuances of gifts...*
To treasure such a modest present so much—it seemed the Holy Imperial siblings shared an unusually deep bond.
Thinking of her own brothers, who never brought gifts from their trips abroad, Chloe felt a twinge of envy toward the princess.
"I thought it would be simple in my mind, but why do they always end up so wrinkled and shrunken after sewing?"
Amelia sighed, eyeing her failed attempts.
She actually had a model in mind for the pouch: the white lace one Sisle had shown her at Pearl Palace during lunch.
*I had a nightmare last night where the bald sage was engulfed in flames. So this morning, I made a pouch for him with Seiseo. I layered and stitched consecrated veils, so it'll surely be a small blessing on Mores's journey.*
That was why Amelia, already unsettled by her nightmare, had resolved to make one herself with care.
"I want to bless that child's journey too. I wanted to help even a little like this..."
The princess looked so dejected that Chloe finally rolled up her sleeves.
"Then, would it be okay to lend a hand? I'm not great at sewing either, but together we can make an even prettier pouch."
And so, they set aside language studies and spent hours sewing.
It was ironic that Chloe, on her first try with needle and thread, sewed far more deftly than Amelia.
After much struggle, they produced a clumsy pouch that fit the little saint perfectly.
As a bonus, it featured a tiny floral embroidery at the end and a cute pointed hat suited to the bald sage.
*...Somehow, this feels rewarding.*
Their prepared study materials were forgotten, and the clover in her hair was a mess.
*But isn't this good in its own way?*
Gazing at the princess's smile, which lit up the drawing room, Chloe realized she had been laughing along happily for some time.
* * *
Having keen senses was one thing, but being blind was incredibly inconvenient.
An obvious fact, perhaps, but Seongjin had felt it bone-deep after just half a day in the carriage.
Time passed quickly enough with meditation, but with his eyes covered, unexpected minor issues kept cropping up. Even with Edith tending to him closely.
Fed up, he sneaked a chance to lift the bandage when no one was around.
[I'm watching you, Lee Seongjin.]
The Demon King warned in a sinister voice in his head.
[I'll tell the scatterbrain everything. Then he'll blab to your guardian.]
*...*
Who're you calling guardian?!
Though Seongjin belatedly protested to the Demon King, his hand had unconsciously dropped from the bandage.
The image of Sir Masain's stern, scowling face came to mind.
[Hmph!]
The Demon King snorted and burrowed back into his mind, rustling about at something.
What the hell has that guy been doing since earlier?
After dinner, Captain Bruno—who had been absent all day—came looking for Seongjin. He looked utterly exhausted.
"There was a bit of trouble at the palace today. Until afternoon, His Holiness the Holy Emperor hadn't regained consciousness, so Arenza was on full alert."
What? Until afternoon? That long?
Seongjin shot to his feet without thinking.
He had already heard from Sir Sharon about the Rift opening in the palace last night.
But he figured the Holy Emperor would handle it fine. Hadn't he prepared causality in advance for such occasions?
"Ah, he's safely back now and resumed duties. No need to worry."
The captain said this while holding back Seongjin, who looked ready to bolt out of the carriage.
He sat back down, but couldn't fully relax. He recalled the severe motion sickness from last time.
Even a brief visit had been that rough— was the old man okay now?
"According to Arenza's intel, the [Rift] wasn't open long. His Holiness's unconsciousness seems due to another cause."
Captain Bruno was one of the few who knew about [Rifts] properly.
Even back when he was the Holy Emperor's close aide, he had noticed inexplicable oddities around him occasionally.
Now, as Arenza's payroll thief, most info restrictions were gone.
Thanks to that, Seongjin got a more detailed account from the captain about last night's events.
The strange phenomena surrounding Seongjin as he fell after felling the demon tree.
The demonic energy swarming him, and the holy aura that suddenly appeared to purify it all.
"Yeah. Sir Masain, huh..."
Seongjin fell silent upon hearing that Sir Masain, who had shielded him without tending his own body, suffered severe corrosion that was normally irreversible.
Sir Masain, you had every right to be pissed.
If he wanted to smack him, Seongjin figured he'd gladly take a flick on the forehead.
"But fortunately, the same energy that expelled the demonic energy and restored Your Highness also completely healed Sir Masain's corrosion."
It wasn't just Sir Masain. Even with aura protection, no knight could fully block the smoke-like demonic energy in the air.
Most who fought had suffered minor or major corrosion.
But what should have required priestly treatment and prolonged suffering vanished entirely, caught up in the holy aura.
Even the merchant guild's supplies were the same.
Items that would have been demonic-tainted and ruined were largely purified and salvaged. It allowed them to replenish essentials until Milo Guild returned.
"The Grand Prince Sigismund and Wolf Knights seem to believe it was a miracle from the divine blessing bestowed upon the Holy Imperial Family..."
But both Captain Bruno and Seongjin easily guessed who caused it.
While unconscious, the Holy Emperor must have come to them.
"So, is Father okay now?"
"Yes, Your Highness. He even received a full report from Sir Sharon earlier."
"Good."
Silence filled the carriage for a while.
* * *
"...We can't just let this slide."
Seongjin, who had been mulling silently with pursed lips, finally spoke in a subdued tone.
"Who decided to use those supplies? Some random person purified the ruined ones completely."
The Holy Emperor's half-day unconsciousness was surely tied to this. They couldn't just gloss over that effort.
"We'll make the Milo Guildmaster and the margrave pay for it."
"Pardon? How on earth?"
When the baffled captain asked, Seongjin twisted his lips into a nasty smirk.
"Sell it to the margrave for money. Isn't that obvious?"