9. Heart of Fire (2)
The imperial New Year's banquet. This one was clearly organized under the second princess's lead, packed with her personal tastes.
I heard a familiar voice from afar.
"Theo! Fancy seeing you here."
It was Louise Count. As one of the empire's great magnates, he'd probably arrived via gate rather than the train.
"Count. Good to see you too."
"Clothes make the man, eh? You look like a whole new person. Ah, this is Rufus Baron. Say hello."
Being seen on friendly terms with the count made it hard for the nobles to dismiss me outright. No one knew the details of our connection, after all.
Even Melia looked surprised at my ties to the count.
"Pleased to meet you, Baron Rufus. I'm Theodor, engineer of Train 7."
"Ah! I ride that train often myself. Nice to meet you. Next time, I'll make sure to say hi."
Rufus flashed a warm, good-natured smile and offered a handshake. For a noble in this world, he was remarkably polite.
"And this is the lady of Gray Marquis."
"Pleased to meet you. Melia Gray."
She handled it smoothly, but seeing Melia curtsey by pinching her skirt felt downright awkward to me.
"Ah, House Gray! An honor, milady."
As expected. A true gentleman—polite even to a fading marquisate.
As I picked up a glass of champagne, a commotion stirred in the central hall.
"Oh, it's starting. That's..."
Banquets always kicked off with the imperial family's New Year's address. The emperor would select the standout royal of the year to deliver it.
Feels more like a corporate event than family. Who's up this time?
Stepping out with measured strides was the golden-haired, golden-eyed Second Princess, Aria la Morris. Holding a red gem, her slow advance exuded more elegance than the emperor himself.
The princes must be seething.
Either she'd outperformed them all, or they were just props standing off to the side. The emperor watched her contentedly from his prepared throne.
"People of the empire. Thanks to your hard work, we welcome the new year safely..."
Her address droned on for a while, met with even longer applause from the nobles.
"Nobles of the realm. Behold the national treasure, the Heart of Fire. It brims with intense mana—handle with care."
The Heart of Fire. At minimum, an 8th Circle mana artifact. Designated a national treasure for its unparalleled storage efficiency. Think of it as a degraded dragon heart.
But it was broken, wasn't it?
Why bring out a busted relic?
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a radiant glow began to frost the gem.
No way...!
"Thanks to this year's nobles, we've reactivated the Heart of Fire. Especially Marquis Knighton—I know your contributions well."
Naming him directly, the marquis bowed with perfect formality, beaming so proudly he couldn't hide his grin.
Fixing the Heart of Fire? That's a legit feat... How?
"The Heart of Fire will reborn as a weapon to showcase our empire's might against foreign powers. Glory to the empire!"
As her address wrapped, the emperor stepped forward and raised his staff over the hall.
"I, Eckreed Morris, command you: Revel, my subjects."
What a showman.
The emperor lifted his glass high, and the nobles followed suit, cheering in unison. A flawless banquet opener by any measure.
Once the banquet kicked off, nobles busied themselves exchanging pleasantries. This was a romance fantasy world, after all—gatherings were just excuses for schmoozing. A realm where power trumped swords and spears.
I knew that dynamic all too well. That's why I was here.
In the special lounge reserved for imperial rest, a man had abandoned his partner, and a woman her duties.
"Long time no see, Theo."
"Hey, Aria."
"What, no 'Your Highness Princess'?"
She must've been miffed that I'd played dumb earlier. It started when the count was dragging me around the social scene to introduce me.
We'd run into the princess, and the count—ever the gracious host—hailed everyone in sight.
"This is Baroness Catherine. Ah! And here's Marquis Knighton."
After hustling me around, we'd stamped my face in noble society, but inevitably, we ended up greeting royalty too.
"May the skies over Morris ever be blue, Prince Edgar. This is Theodor."
This crazy old man...!
Introducing a mere commoner to princes? If my ties to Aria got out, that'd be trouble. Back then, I'd worn a mask everywhere.
Too many skeletons in the closet...!
Edgar Prince? I'd swiped plenty from him. No good could come from him learning my identity.
Against expectations, Edgar greeted me with a friendly smile.
"Oh, Theodor! Fine name. You're an engineer, right?"
The bright-smiled prince took keen interest in my train. Seemed more talkative than I'd figured.
Was he always like this?
"That train you run—ancient relic, right? How'd they build something like that back then? And you keeping it running? Wild."
"I wonder the same, Your Highness."
"We built up to Train 6 ourselves, but get this? Rumor has it Train 7 hides all sorts of mechanisms..."
"It's imperial property, Your Highness. I know nothing. If I find anything, I'll report straight to the top."
"Hmph... Fair enough. Lately, I'm obsessed with trains. So cool and gorgeous, aren't they?"
"Oh! Your Highness into trains too...!"
Overjoyed at finding a fellow train geek, I launched into chatter. Edgar, starved for train talk, kept it going awhile.
"That massive weight, barreling along—it thrills the heart!"
"Exactly, Your Highness. And Train 7's structure? So mysterious."
Our friendly banter drew noble stares—some curious about my background, others praising Edgar's humility.
"His Highness chats with a commoner... He seeks teachers everywhere."
"Right?"
As we yapped away, the princess approached with firm steps. Too deep in conversation, I missed my escape window.
"Ah, Your Highness Princess. Louise of Evergreen greets heaven's child."
"Hello, Count. Nice to see you. And this is...?"
"Theo, Theodor. My house owes this young man a debt."
No, no... Shut it...!
I prayed silently, but the count blabbed on.
"He even saved my daughter's life! Hahaha!"
"Come, Aria. Join the chat."
Edgar beckoned, and Aria's face twitched—just a flicker.
"No, feeling faint... Sir, would you assist me?"
We're screwed. Totally screwed.
Refusing the princess in front of everyone? Impossible.
"Y-yes... This way, Your Highness."
That icy glare. Definitely the Aria I knew.
Back to now.
"Call me Your Highness, then?"
"Aria, why the anger?"
"Three years, Theo. You vanish, pop up after three years, and you think I'm not pissed? I respected you enough not to hunt you down, Fedor."
"It's Theodor. Fedor was an alias. Theo's the real name."
"...Fine. Theo. Then what's with that cheesy speech pattern?"
She looked seriously annoyed. Unlike her composed banquet mask, her emotions showed raw.
"It's been three years. People change."
"Okay, whatever. Where've you been?"
"You know. Magic Engine Bureau, Train Division. Engineer."
"Why would someone like you...!"
"Aria, it's my life. My choice."
My firm tone shut down her grilling.
"Just tell me why you left."
"......"
"Not gonna, huh."
The princess yanked off her gaudy necklace. Royal blood meant vast mana; channeling it boosted strength to monstrous levels. Like now.
"Stay back, Aria."
"Shut up. Fedor—no, Theo."
She advanced, backing me against the wall.
"I respected your wish for a quiet life. But...!"
Her voice rose, eyes glowing yellow at the edges.
"You showed up in my face. No holding back now."
"Aria, calm down. Breathe."
Screwed. Screwed...!
"You know it, Theo. You can't beat me now. Not with strength, not with anything."
As she said, grabbing my wrist pinned me helpless. The force could've snapped it—miracle it didn't. Aroused, her eyes glazed slightly.
"First, make it a done deal..."
"Done deal my ass, you psycho bitch—!"
Words that'd get my head chopped for treason, but she just laughed.
"There it is, like old times. Fedor."
She licked her lips with a sly grin, like a hunter eyeing prey.
"Couldn't back then, lacked the power... But now."
Her eyes are gone...!
She shoved; I tumbled onto the sofa.
"Ready? Done deal first, then reveal ourselves. Father'll approve."
"Calm down, Aria. A commoner? No way."
"Then I'll take Father's head. Whatever. Once I'm empress, problem solved."
Crazy bitch...!
Aria cloaked in massive mana, straddling my lap, peeling off my shirt layer by layer.
"Ready?"
No. Stop. Don't...
I squeezed my eyes shut. This was the terror of irresistible force.
As her lips neared mine, a shout came from outside.
"Your Highness Princess—!"
"Tch! Didn't I say no interruptions?!"
Unlike her usual poise, her sharp retort flew free. The maid knew better, but something urgent had happened.
"The Heart of Fire... It's been stolen!"
Imperial Year 160, First Month.
New Year's Festival.
National Treasure 'Heart of Fire' Stolen.