Chapter 103
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 103
Jeremia tried to rationalize it. On second thought, “Tart” seemed much better than “Meringue.” She actually found it to be a rather decent nickname.
In truth, Evangeline had never called her Tart. It was just Pudding and Jelly teasing Jeremia, who now wore Azazel’s face.
‘But if she acts like this, there’s no fun in teasing her.’
Seeing Jeremia’s naive reaction, Jelly understood exactly how she had been stabbed in the back by her own twin.
“You’re no fun. I’ll just call you Azazel.”
“I hate that name!”
Seeing “Azazel” puff out her cheeks and stomp her feet, Pudding grimaced and looked away again. Before returning to the dungeon, Evangeline had strictly warned them not to take their resentment for Azazel out on Jeremia.
“Fine, Jeremia,” Jelly replied half-heartedly, clearly finding it a chore.
Jeremia calmed down, satisfied that at least one person was calling her by her real name, even if her original identity had been stripped away. Despite being a princess, she didn't find it strange that Jelly spoke so informally to her.
For one, she had no expectation of being treated like royalty while trapped in Azazel’s body. More importantly, inhabiting this new vessel had granted her senses far beyond those of a normal human. If Jelly and Pudding made her want to bow her head in submission, Evangeline Rohanson was on an entirely different level.
It had been easier when she’d simply thought of Evangeline as a demon. Now, from within Azazel’s body, the Evangeline she perceived was bizarre beyond comprehension.
“Excuse me… is Lady Rohanson actually human?”
The responses to her question were split. Jelly shrugged, admitting he had no idea, but Pudding answered with absolute certainty.
“Lady Evangeline is an object of faith.”
If she was faith itself, then she was a conceptual being that transcended humanity. Pudding explained that this was why he felt an endless urge to submit to and obey her. Jelly tried to draw a line, claiming he wasn't that extreme, but since he rolled over and showed his belly all the same, Jeremia saw little difference between them.
Jeremia turned to the maid, who was busy wiping away bloodstains and erasing any trace of the intruder. Since Evangeline seemed to cherish this maid, Jeremia figured she might know something.
“My lady? Oh, that’s a topic Lady Artemisia would love to discuss.”
Ever since Evangeline had been abducted, Count Rohanson had locked down the mansion and expelled all outsiders. Consequently, Lady Artemisia, who had been making Evangeline's dress, was sent back. She had been utterly heartbroken to leave without seeing her young lady…
A faint blush colored Canna’s cheeks as she answered the girl trapped in the demon’s body.
“My lady is… my beloved savior.”
Then, Canna turned the question back on Jeremia.
“What do you think of my lady, Princess?”
Caught off guard, Jeremia hesitated for a moment before finding her answer. Her impression of Evangeline had remained unchanged ever since she closed her eyes in the forest and beheld the Milky Way.
“A… a star.”
In the end, not even Jeremia viewed Evangeline as a mere human.
Sensing the depth of their devotion, Jeremia finally turned to Gabriel. However, his answer did not come easily.
“I…”
“The sun is coming up.”
While Gabriel hesitated, Jelly cut in, noting the morning light spilling over the windowsill.
“Thank you for the warning, Jelly. It would be best to leave before it gets too bright.”
Gabriel seemed relieved by the change of subject. He lifted Jeremia’s limp body. She was quite light, so carrying her was no trouble for him.
“I’ll go drop her off and be back.”
Jelly waved a hand and vanished, taking Gabriel with him.
Though he had avoided answering aloud, Gabriel looked as if he had reached a definitive conclusion. Jeremia couldn't help but wonder what his unspoken answer was.
Jelly teleported them to the forest where Jeremia’s body had collapsed. On the ground, the knights still lay unconscious. They hadn't been discovered yet because Jelly had cast a perception-blocking spell to keep anyone from wandering near.
“Is it this one?”
Jelly nudged the knights one by one with his foot until he found a familiar face. It was the knight he had personally knocked out a second time.
“Ah, I forgot to kill this one.”
The other knights only knew that Gabriel had attacked them, so they could be spared. But this one had briefly regained consciousness and seen Evangeline. He couldn't be left alive. Jelly brought his foot down on the man's throat, snapping his neck.
Crack.
In the quiet forest, the sound echoed with chilling clarity.
“…Jelly.”
“What? He saw the master. He would’ve snitched.”
Having eliminated the witness, Jelly turned and scolded Gabriel for his sloppy cleanup.
“Don’t be so soft. Once you’ve decided what your top priority is, you have to commit to it.”
Jelly’s eyes curved into crescents as he smiled at Gabriel. Before the knight could say a word, Jelly vanished, likely heading back to the Rohanson mansion.
Looking down at the unconscious knights and the fresh corpse, Gabriel understood the weight of Jelly’s warning. If he had been careless, word of Evangeline’s involvement would have reached Bishop Marik, inviting disaster.
Since he had chosen to turn away from the light of the Sun Goddess, he could no longer afford to feel guilty about stepping into the shadows.
With Jelly’s warning etched into his mind, Gabriel left the forest and made his way toward the Imperial Palace.
* * *
“It is indeed Tenebrae.”
The Emperor inspected Jeremia’s corpse.
Without looking too closely, he checked the color of the necklace, glanced briefly at her abdomen, and made his judgment.
Her features and the black necklace—anyone would have concluded she was Tenebrae. The Emperor’s gaze fell upon the blood-soaked fabric covering her stomach.
A stab wound marred Jeremia’s abdomen. Since the Emperor knew exactly where Jeremia’s crest was located, one might have expected him to find this suspicious, yet he showed no sign of pressing for details.
“Did you stab her?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor let out a small sigh of relief at his reply.
Dealing with Bishop Marik was already a headache, and of all people, Gabriel was the one to bring back his granddaughter’s corpse. The Emperor felt a bitter irony; the children of the tail-devouring dragon always brought chaos. How absurd that the granddaughter who killed his son was, in turn, killed by the son he himself had abandoned.
“Tell me how Tenebrae met her end.”
Gabriel altered the details slightly. He claimed that ‘Tenebrae’ had been attacked by knights and was already dying when he found her. He had intended to bring her back alive, but she had succumbed to her wounds before he could do so.
“Did Tenebrae leave any last words? Though she was a sinner who murdered her own father, I wish to know what she said before she drew her last breath.”
The Emperor asked, perhaps seeking some final testament from his deceased granddaughter. Gabriel, fully aware of the Emperor’s underlying feelings, deliberately chose the words he knew would pain him most.
“She said she did not want to die.”
The Emperor rubbed his face wearily. It was a final wish that could never be granted.
“Anything else?”
“She insisted that she was not Tenebrae, but Jeremia.”
“What?”
Staring at the bewildered Emperor, Gabriel recalled the conversation he had shared with Jeremia just hours before.
* * *
“Do you think the Emperor will be able to tell us apart?”
Jeremia had asked. Gabriel hadn’t answered, but she hadn’t really expected one anyway. The Emperor would never be able to tell her and Tenebrae apart.
“Sir Gabriel. Do you know why Azazel stabbed me in the stomach?”
Gabriel shook his head.
“Azazel was trying to destroy the crest on my abdomen.”
“The crest?”
“Members of the imperial family bear a crest. It’s shaped like a dragon coiled in a circle, called the Ouroboros—the tail-devourer.”
As he listened, Gabriel thought of the scar over his own heart. It matched her description perfectly. The only difference was that his was a jagged scar, not a clean crest. His long-held suspicion suddenly loomed before him, taking solid shape.
“Are you born with it?”
“Of course not.”
Jeremia giggled as if she had just heard a hilarious joke. Jelly, who was waiting nearby to transport them to the palace on Evangeline’s orders, grimaced in disgust at the sight of ‘Azazel’ giggling so girlishly.
Knowing full well that Jelly’s disgust was directed at Azazel’s face and not her, Jeremia remained unfazed by his glare.
“After birth, members of the imperial family are certified by the priest most trusted by the Emperor.”
They brand the newborn’s body with a red-hot iron and heal it with holy water, making the Ouroboros crest undeniable proof of their lineage. The tradition of branding apparently began in the early days of the empire to distinguish legitimate heirs from bastards.
It sounded remarkably similar to the baptismal rites performed at the temple. Gabriel’s body was immune to the effects of holy water. He had only managed to rise to the position of Commander of the Knights thanks to Sir Raphaella, who had taught him a trick to fake his way through the baptism.
But a newborn infant would have been incapable of such deception. What if, after branding the child, they discovered that holy water had no effect? Without its healing power, the brand would not form a clean crest—it would leave a jagged, ugly scar, just like the one on Gabriel’s chest.
Though he knew it was a wild, absurd theory, Gabriel couldn’t stop his racing thoughts. He swallowed hard, his heart hammering against his ribs with an ominous rhythm. Unaware of the shocking realization dawning on Gabriel, Jeremia continued.
“Tenebrae and I are twins, but there is one key difference between us.”
To the public, it was believed that only their necklaces could tell them apart. In truth, there was another secret method known only to the imperial family.
“Our late mother gave birth to me first. It was only after they had finished branding my abdomen that her labor pains started again.”
When Jeremia was born, no one had any idea she was a twin. She was welcomed with blessings and successfully received her brand.
Yet, barely an hour later, the Crown Princess went into labor once more. Before long, the second child, Tenebrae, was born. Even in ordinary households, twins were frequently abandoned as ill omens. For twins to be born into the imperial family—the political fallout must have been catastrophic.
“His Majesty did not kill my younger sister, who was born second, but…”
“He did not brand her.”
“Yes. That’s right.”