Chapter 40
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 40
Edric pulled out his discarded knight’s coat, shook off the dust, and draped it over his shimmering golden Orichalcum armor. The tabard, a masterpiece crafted by the fairies themselves, was embroidered with ancient script and the crest of a golden chalice wreathed in flames. A specialized spell had been woven into the fabric to ensure it remained undamaged even under the most powerful impacts. However, it seemed even magic was powerless against wrinkles.
He patted down the crumpled hems of the long garment, wiped the dust from his sabatons, and stood straight.
Having finished his brief grooming, he stepped out of the tent to find the sky choked with a hazy, overcast gray. The wind had been howling since noon, and the heavy clouds suggested a sudden downpour was imminent.
Frowning, Edric grabbed a raincoat and made his way toward Thalia’s tent. Just then, the tolling of the Holy Bell echoed from behind him, signaling the start of the ritual.
He hurriedly looked over his shoulder. The Crown Prince and the First Imperial Princess had finished their preparations and were entering the temple, followed by a trail of attendants.
Edric rushed across the camp. Passing between massive pillars that looked as if they had been carved from solid stone, he entered the arched gateway. The interior of the temple, bathed in an ethereal bluish light, came into full view.
He paused for a moment, scanning the attendants filling the congregation seating and the knights lined up along the walls.
The Crown Prince and the First Imperial Princess stood before the altar. It appeared they were receiving a consecration prayer from the head priest before the ritual officially commenced.
Tapping his foot anxiously, Edric spotted Lord Sieorkan waiting at the transept and hurried across the main aisle.
“Commander, the Second Imperial Princess will be ready soon. Could you please wait just a moment?”
As he approached and spoke cautiously, a calm, steady gaze shifted toward him.
Edric reflexively held his breath.
Instead of his standard knight’s uniform, Barkas wore a black doublet beneath a breastplate engraved with the Black Horse Crest of House Sieorkan, a uniquely shaped cloak draped over one shoulder. Even to Edric’s male eyes, the man was chillingly handsome. Suddenly, he recalled the Princess calling him ugly. If she had grown up looking at a man like this, it made sense that almost any other man would seem unsightly to her.
While Edric was lost in these stray thoughts, his superior, who had been looking down at him quietly, let out a faint sigh and walked slowly toward the altar.
“I believe the ritual must be paused,” Barkas announced. “Her Highness, the Second Imperial Princess, has expressed her intent to attend the consecration.”
The priest, who had been chanting prayers, looked back and forth between Barkas and the awkwardly standing Edric with a flustered expression.
As a member of the Imperial Family, Thalia had a duty to participate in the ritual. Had she refused, it would be one thing, but since she had expressed her will to attend, it was only right to comply. However, the head priest did not dare answer immediately; instead, he glanced nervously at Gareth.
“Are you telling me to wait for that bastard?”
The Crown Prince glared at Barkas with a menacing look, spitting out each word as if he were chewing on glass.
“Proceed with the ritual at once! I have no intention of wasting a single second on that bitch!”
Edric’s face hardened. He had seen firsthand just how extreme the Crown Prince’s hostility toward the Second Imperial Princess was. He had expected that Gareth might not agree readily, but he hadn’t imagined the man would openly express such vitriol in front of everyone. After all, the Second Imperial Princess’s participation in the pilgrimage was the express will of the Emperor himself.
Edric hesitated before speaking up.
“She is also a member of the Imperial Family recognized by His Majesty the Emperor. According to custom, she has the right to receive the blessing of the saints.”
The Crown Prince, who had been glaring at Barkas with burning eyes, snapped his gaze toward Edric.
Edric swallowed hard. His face twisted into a crooked scowl, the Crown Prince approached him like a prowling tiger.
“Do you even know who you’re running your mouth in front of?”
“I apologize, Your Highness. I only meant…”
Edric hurriedly bowed his head to offer an excuse, but he suddenly gasped for air as a force tightened around his throat. Gareth had seized him by the collar and yanked him forward roughly.
Edric did his best not to grimace as he looked directly into that savage face. Perhaps finding that defiance irritating, the Crown Prince’s dark green eyes flashed as he growled like an angry beast.
“A mere knight dares to lecture me?”
“I-I am sorry…”
Edric clenched his fists tight to keep himself from shaking off the hand choking him, struggling to force the words out.
At that moment, Barkas placed a hand on the Crown Prince’s shoulder.
“Your Highness.”
At the low, resonant voice, Gareth’s shoulders went stiff. Edric could see a faint flicker of tension pass over the Crown Prince’s arrogant face.
Barkas spoke in a soft, dangerous tone.
“There are many eyes watching.”
A faint flush rose to Gareth’s cheeks. It seemed he felt a surge of shame at the fact that he had been intimidated, even for a fleeting moment.
The Crown Prince released Edric’s clothes and glared at Barkas with fierce intensity.
“I warned you never to lay a hand on me again, didn’t I? Do you think I’ll keep putting up with your insolence forever?”
Gareth roughly shook off the hand on his shoulder and thrust his face threateningly close to Barkas’s, huffing with rage. The tension was so thick it seemed he might strike at any moment; the knights, and even the First Imperial Princess, rushed over to restrain him.
Then, a cold, melodic voice, like the clinking of ice beads, echoed through the main hall.
“If I had known such an entertaining spectacle was waiting for me, I would have joined the previous rituals as well.”
Startled, Edric turned his head and caught his breath. He saw Thalia slowly walking down the main aisle, followed by several maids.
The woman who had seemed so desperate to cause trouble at every opportunity was now walking toward the altar, dressed in perfect formal attire.
The pale sunlight streaming through the windows vividly illuminated her face—which so closely resembled the Former Empress—and her delicate body draped in a platinum-colored bliaut.
Edric blinked blankly at the surreal sight. Realizing that not only he, but everyone in the congregation was staring at her in a daze, he checked the expressions of the Crown Prince and the First Imperial Princess.
The Crown Prince was glaring at his younger sister with the face of a demon. While the First Imperial Princess maintained a calm expression, her knuckles were white from how tightly she was clasping her hands.
Sensing the taut tension flowing between the three royals, Edric quietly went to stand by the Second Imperial Princess’s side. However, no one there paid him any mind. Only Thalia Roem Guirta spared him a brief, sidelong glance.
But her attention quickly returned to Barkas and Gareth.
“What are you doing just standing there? Weren’t you about to start a brawl?”
The Crown Prince ground his teeth so hard his jaw looked ready to break, slowly backing away from Lord Sieorkan. He scanned his sister from head to toe and twisted his lips into a cynical sneer.
“I don’t know who you’re trying to impress by dressing up like that, but surely you don’t think it will hide your filthy origins?”
“Didn’t you scold me just a few days ago, saying my attire wasn’t respectable? You complained so much that I took special care today, so it’s disappointing to hear you say that.”
After a brief pause, the Princess approached him, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.
Edric watched her with horrified eyes. He felt beyond shocked—even stunned—by her behavior, provoking the Crown Prince again after being treated so harshly just yesterday.
But regardless of his alarm, the Second Imperial Princess leaned her face close to the Crown Prince’s and added softly:
“I worked so hard to dress exactly to my brother’s taste…”