Succession Ceremony (2)
It's been so long since I last went out. Selena thought as she rode in the carriage. Her new life, all thanks to Grills's grace. She had no intention of squandering it.
Her ultimate goal was to steadily support Grills until he could escape the Four Seasons Forest. She'd scoured books for information on the forest and sent elixirs his way whenever she could.
Mr. Grills is already influencing countries big and small. The succession ceremony is bound to bring it up.
That was the real reason she'd attended this succession ceremony—to gauge public opinion about Grills.
Someone might dismiss it as just a fixed nick on the Gallery, but nothing could be further from the truth. Grills had already turned El Dorado upside down, teetering on the brink of civil war. And Jungwon? The successor to the Blood Cult's old leader—a villain from the past—had emerged. Sure, it was a gorilla, which was ridiculous, but that alone had the Blood Cult stirring again.
Cheonma put out the immediate fire in person, but...
The Blood Cult could pop up anytime without warning. The more Grills delved into the Four Seasons Forest, the more the world shook. He'd even proven the existence of sky whales, straight out of myth. Selena had rubbed her eyes countless times after seeing that post. She'd only heard of sky whales in fairy tales based on myths. And he'd obtained dragon whale ambergris, a byproduct of those beasts—no need to even mention its value.
SunForever just burned it as incense. Olfather was too hasty too.
When Grills offered her some of the ambergris, Selena had agonized over whether to accept. In the end, she declined. Legends were one thing, but myths? Legends had documented effects, but myths were oral traditions pieced together recently. They couldn't even explain how ocean whales swam the skies—ambergris? Who knew what it might do. That uncertainty made it terrifying.
SunForever lighting it up was reckless, shouldering unimaginable risks because he treated it lightly. The Four Seasons Forest was a demonic realm shrouded in mystery. Even Selena couldn't hope to grasp it all. That's why she planned to seek out others who shared her views.
They won't advertise it openly, though.
The Gallery was seen as a vulgar lump of base desires among nobles. Better not mention it in public. But nobles were human too—plenty probably used it. Their roundabout speech made spotting them tricky, though.
I need to reenroll at the academy too... This is tough.
She'd taken indefinite leave due to her Nine Yin Severed Meridians, but she hadn't dropped out. And as the new face of House Mercedes, Mary needed her there. Helping Grills didn't mean she could ignore reality.
"Selena. If you feel dizzy, tell me right away. No need to push yourself, dear."
Selena was lost in thought when her mother, seated across from her, asked with concern. Her father beside her looked worried too.
Selena wanted to smile reassuringly, but her lips wouldn't quite cooperate. She was never good at warm smiles, then or now.
"Don't worry about me. I can handle rough exercise now, see?"
To ease their concerns, Selena extended her arm. Once skeletal like a barren twig, it was now fleshed out with muscle, radiating healthy vigor. Her skin gleamed with luster, far from her old frail image.
Mary stared at her sister's lovely arm with wonder before speaking up.
"But sis—"
"Sis."
"...Selena sis. What did you eat yesterday to make your skin like this?"
Mary's question was perfectly reasonable. Even their parents looked curious. Selena hadn't gone outside before her full recovery, so her skin had been snow-white—and it stayed that way after. But now, somehow, it had transformed unrecognizably. Not a change in tone, but a radiant glow that made her beauty shine even more.
"Maybe all that steady exercise? You'll get there too if you try, Mary."
"But I hate exercise..."
Laughter filled the carriage at Mary's grumbling. Even stone-faced Selena's lips twitched ever so slightly.
Just from eating some honey, and it does this?
What Selena had eaten was honey from Grills—a gift from the Four Seasons Forest. It tasted amazing, but she'd never expected this effect.
Good things are good.
As a woman, she wasn't complaining. Of course, the social gatherings after the ceremony would draw stares. The thought was annoying, but she'd endure for her goals.
"Mary. After the ceremony, stick by my side no matter what. Got it?"
"Yes!"
"And about what the nobles say..."
For the first time on the official stage, Selena briefed Mary on precautions. Their parents watched warmly. The family had lived in gloom from her incurable illness, but no more. Happy days and a bright future awaited. This ceremony was the start.
"Looks like we've arrived. Let's get down."
"Yes."
House Mercedes reached the imperial palace for the succession ceremony. Selena descended with her father's escort.
Exclamations from the crowd hit her ears the moment she stepped out. Here we go, she thought, brushing off the praise—until...
"...Huh?"
Her eyes locked with someone else's. If Selena had snow-white hair, this woman had silver like moonlight. Her beauty was stunning, but her uniform added undeniable dignity.
Ash? But...
The empire's strongest swordmaster, Ash Menesil, appearing was surprise enough. But something else nagged more—her skin. Luminous, flawless. The tones differed, but eerily similar.
"Hm. Count Menesil's attending too."
"Yeah, I heard she was in seclusion."
"Count Menesil? You mean Swordmaster Ash?"
Selena averted her gaze at the voices. Staring would just get awkward, suspicions or not.
What the hell?
Even entering the palace, she stole glances at Ash. Maybe coincidence. But the timing was too perfect. Did Ash think the same? Or was it just her looks drawing eyes? Plenty to ponder. No certainty yet.
"Ash... I mean, Count Menesil was stunning too. Not as much as sis, though."
"Really? I think Count Menesil's prettier."
"What? No way, sis is still better. Her skin's kinda similar, maybe?"
"...You thought so too?"
When Mary mentioned skin, Selena probed carefully. Mary nodded and spilled her thoughts.
"Yeah, same vibe as yours. Really from exercise?"
"Probably. So you exercise hard too."
"Ugh... but exercise sucks..."
If even Mary noticed, it wasn't imagination. Had Ash eaten the honey too? Grills's honey. He'd surely shared with close fixed nicks. Selena knew Grills's allies well.
...No. Too early to judge.
She'd figure it out talking later. Even if Ash was one of Grills's helpers, nothing changed. No point pretending to know each other. The Gallery was full of embarrassing stuff—best to zip it and play dumb.
But if Ash really is the fixed nick who helped Mr. Grills...
Selena pondered even in the audience chamber. Grills's close fixed nicks had strong personalities. One linked to Ash? Obvious.
SwordTasteStar.
Ash was a swordsmanship legend who'd trained countless disciples. SwordTasteStar shared techniques on the Gallery, boosting the continent's average strength. The overlap was too neat.
Come to think of it, SwordTasteStar helped Grills big time after that mad dog attack. Even with elixirs.
Elixirs weren't easy to get. But Ash? The empire would cling to her skirt if trouble brewed. State perks included elixirs. Selena's brilliant mind connected the dots.
"...Thus, I declare the birth of the empire's new sun!"
Clap clap clap clap clap!
Selena snapped from her reverie at the applause, looking forward. The emperor's throne in the chamber's center. Before it, Crown Prince—no, now Emperor Arnold—waved in his crown. Former Emperor Robert clapped quietly behind.
The ceremony had ended while she zoned out.
...Gotta focus.
Selena clapped impassively. Not clapping now would draw stares. Socializing would follow—stay sharp.
Ash is... over there.
Emperor Arnold exited for the procession. The chamber morphed into a social hall. Rare to use it thus, but this was the succession—special allowance with all ministers present.
This vibe's been a while.
Selena sipped a drink, feeling the social buzz. She'd attended countless before, bored to annoyance. But as weakness grew, she realized human contact's value...
...Nah. Just do what I need and bail.
Still hated it. Gallery addiction had turned her into a homebody too. Endure, though. She hung back, not rushing in.
"Um, sis. What do I do now?"
"Hm... Go chat with those young ladies over there? Same age as you."
"O-okay!"
She didn't neglect helping her cute sister spread her name. Then...
"Pardon the interruption."
A big shot approached. A pleasant alto voice caught Selena's ear. Turning, she faced a familiar face. Tall for a woman, uniform hugging a toned build. Stunning beauty amplified by luminous skin.
She's here.
Someone she'd never expected to talk to, now top of mind. Selena kept her blank expression.
"Countess Menesil, I presume."
Still probing. But sometimes action beats caution.
"You know my name. An honor, Princess Mercedes."
"The honor's mine that you know mine. But what brings you?"
Ash hesitated at the question, glancing around like checking for eyes. Selena wondered—then...
"Your skin looks sweetly honeyed, so beautifully. I couldn't resist approaching."
"..."
Cheesy line. Could make you question her tastes. But not for Selena. To her, it translated as:
[Hey? I'm a Gallery buddy! Nice to meet ya!]
As Selena suspected, Ash had suspected too. In this iffy spot, a code only Gallery users would get.
Selena blanked briefly but steadied. If they revealed first(?), she couldn't ignore.
"...Thank you. Your skin's lovely too, Countess."
"Thank you."
"And you, Countess..."
Selena trailed off, then ventured carefully.
"Must've had some good honey."
Said plainly, but it meant:
[Hey! Gallery buddy here too! Let's get along!]
Unintended camaraderie formed.
Never speak of this.
She's sharp—keep your mouth shut.
They both realized they'd collateralized each other's lives.