No Answer
"...Phew."
Ripaelle brushed the handkerchief off her face and quietly glared at Clana.
"Clana? What are you doing?"
She quickly composed her expression into one of feigned kindness, her voice soft and coaxing. It was the repulsive public facade she wore outside, not the one she showed in private.
Thud, thud.
Clana slowly advanced toward her.
Crackle... fizz...
".....!"
With each step, a sharp jolt rippled through the senses of everyone around them.
"W-What... is this aura...?"
The complete form of the Dominance Aura—said to have unified the Western Continent a thousand years ago by the first empress—was emanating from Clana's body, enveloping the courtyard of the Starlight Mansion.
Shing...!
As Clana reached her directly, Ripaelle's guards drew their weapons to block her path.
"How insolent."
Clana regarded them with a dry, dignified voice.
"What authority do you have to point weapons at me?"
The guards, who had only ever seen Clana meekly yield to Ripaelle, faltered.
"Even if I executed you all on the spot right now, there'd be no legal issue."
As Clana quietly gathered a massive amount of Solar Mana in her hand, they backed away in panic, faces pale.
"........"
Ripaelle, who would normally berate such guards harshly, could only swallow dryly in that moment. The Clana before her looked utterly different from the one she knew.
She always maintained an air of laziness, but when serious, she became terrifying beyond anyone—exuding the emperor's oppressive presence and charisma that even Ripaelle feared, amplified several times over.
"It seems my little sister has something to say?"
But Ripaelle couldn't back down. With her guards—her power base—and countless eyes on her, she couldn't show weakness.
"But could you wait a moment? Your big sister has something to do right now. So..."
Even in her flustered state, she forced a smile and tried to drag Frey toward the reporters.
Boom...!
"Argh!"
In that instant, a burst of Clana's Solar Mana struck one foolish guard still aiming his weapon at her.
"...What do you think you're doing right now?"
Clana stepped right up to her, leaving the writhing guard behind. Cracks formed in Ripaelle's kindly facade as she asked.
"You know what it means to throw a handkerchief in someone's face."
Clana replied in a cold voice.
"Of course..."
"...Let's duel. For the imperial succession rank of second place."
At those words, the surroundings fell deathly silent.
Click, click!
"Lady Clana! What did you just say?"
"Did you just challenge Miss Ripaelle to a duel...?"
"Until yesterday, Lady Clana was only fourth in the succession..."
Soon after, pandemonium erupted.
"You won't refuse, will you?"
"...Tch."
As Clana mocked her by mimicking her words amid the chaos, Ripaelle quietly ground her teeth.
'A golden opportunity to make Frey completely mine...'
She glanced quietly at Frey beside her.
'If I don't save him... he won't last much longer...'
Her gaze toward Frey turned pitying.
"So, you're going to him?"
After staring at Frey for a long while, she asked in a low voice.
"Choose wisely. Become my puppet, or go to that fool Clana..."
"........."
But then.
"W-What?"
Frey, who had been following her with dead eyes until moments ago, now stared at her with wide-open ones. Ripaelle's face twisted in confusion.
"Clana... has already awakened?"
A chilling smile crept across Frey's lips as he muttered something incomprehensible.
"...Then there's no reason to bow to you anymore."
Immediately after, he slapped away her hand gripping his arm.
"What the...?"
Stunned by Frey's reaction, Ripaelle blinked.
"I'm withdrawing?"
"...No way."
As Clana beside her spoke again, Ripaelle bit her lip and approached him.
"Such a hassle..."
She glared at him with blazing eyes.
'If this continues, it'll all fall apart...'
Having already sent informants to check Frey's condition, she believed her plan was flawless. Approach Frey, broken by illness and public condemnation; intimidate him just enough; drag him to her room and abuse him for a while. Then gradually treat him well, and the cornered man would have no choice but to depend on her.
Once fully dependent, she'd claim it was all for his sake. And truly, it was—she was saving him, even if the methods were extreme.
"Why are you interfering...?"
But failure at step one changed everything. Her heroic intent wouldn't reach him. This was a misunderstanding. She had to fix it.
"Fine, I accept."
So, she'd deal with Clana first and restart.
'I'll adjust the plan a bit.'
Too much abuse might shatter Frey's mind. After the duel, some warm words—take him to her room, feed him something nice, lower his guard first.
"So, duel format?"
"Simple. First to roll in the dirt loses."
"...Fast and efficient."
Ripaelle's expression turned serious as she gathered Solar Mana in her body.
"Time and place?"
"Right here, right now."
"You mean immediately? Bold. What if our little brother gets embarrassed...?"
Crackle, fizz...
Ripaelle sneered at Clana mockingly, but seeing her already amassed with vast mana, she adopted a battle stance with a surprised look.
"No weapons needed, right? We both have Solar Mana anyway."
"...Right."
"Hm... No precedent, no referee ready, but plenty of spectators and simple rules, so it should be fine?"
So saying, Ripaelle asked with a creepy smile.
"But what are you staking?"
"My succession rank, obviously. What about you?"
"My life."
"Ha."
Ripaelle let out a hollow laugh.
"I don't need something so pathetic... Ah, how about this?"
She whispered softly into Clana's ear.
"...The transfer of the oath Frey used on you."
Crackle, fizz...
At those words, Solar Mana sparked like electricity from Clana's body.
"That much at least..."
"Fine."
"...Good."
As Clana gritted her teeth and replied, a satisfied Ripaelle turned to one of her dazed guards nearby.
"...You there, say 'begin' when you think we're both ready."
"Y-Yes, got it."
Unable to grasp the sudden shift, the guard nodded.
"Th-Then... get ready."
Moments later, the impromptu referee sweated profusely and spoke.
"...Begin."
The instant he finished.
Kaboom...!
The mansion's courtyard was bathed in golden light.
Rumble... rumble...
Soon, as the dust and stone fragments filling the yard settled.
"........!!!"
The reporters, frantically capturing it all with their magic recording devices, froze solid.
"Hurk... ugh..."
Ripaelle—who had dominated with overwhelming skill, gathering factions—knelt clutching her stomach, drooling as she collapsed.
"The duel is over."
Clana stood leisurely, looking down at her half-sister who had once driven her to hell.
"So, everyone, please leave now."
She kicked her into the dirt and scanned the crowd with an icy expression.
"Unless you want to keep watching the imperial family's disgrace."
That day's duel was the fastest in imperial history.
......
"Urk... ugh..."
Time passed, and once the protesters, territory folk, and reporters had cleared out.
"Ughhh..."
Ripaelle, slumped in the yard still dry-heaving.
Creak...
She slowly lifted her head.
"Frey."
Clana, who had been looking down at her moments ago, slowly approached Frey.
"On my birthday, you protected me."
Reaching him, she took his hand.
"Now I'll protect you."
So saying, she carefully embraced him.
'This... this isn't right...'
Ripaelle's face twisted watching them.
'It was all going to plan... everything according to plan...'
The Clana she despised was smiling happily, having stolen Frey—who had been crumbling and compliant under her influence—right into her arms.
And after knocking her down in one blow before everyone.
'Why? Why did it turn out like this...?'
Ripaelle, who always got what she wanted, was deeply shocked by failure.
"........."
Staring blankly at Clana, who murmured something while hugging Frey tightly for a long time.
"Right."
She reached her own conclusion.
"I lack... power."
She pulled out a strange pill from her bosom—the one a woman who called herself the Demon King had given her long ago.
"Looks like you got some lucky encounter somewhere...? Well, I have one too..."
Unknown to the public, all royals except Clana were already the Demon King's side. They swore loyalty in exchange for power from her pills.
Of course, suspicious and cunning Ripaelle had resisted until the end.
But now she chose: offer herself to the Demon King.
If it let her tear Clana apart and turn Frey into her puppet, selling her soul was no loss.
"Heh, hehehe..."
The pitch-black pill writhed in her hand.
Was it really a pill? The doubt meant nothing to her.
Creak...
Her eyes had long been blinded by possessiveness.
"...Gulp."
She popped the wriggling pill into her mouth.
"Lady Ripaelle."
At that moment, Frey appeared before her.
"Your clothes are disheveled..."
".....!?"
He began straightening her dirtied, tattered outfit.
"...You plan to take that?"
He asked softly.
"You'll regret it. Truly. You know how it's made, don't you?"
With the pill squirming wildly in her mouth, she said nothing.
"...Remember that day?"
Frey whispered lowly.
"If you remember me from then, spit that pill into my hand."
"........"
"Hurry."
For some reason, Frey looked sad.
"...Why should I?"
Looking at him.
"Listen to a wretch like you?"
Her face twisted in loathing for Frey to the end.
'I have to eat this to save you, right?'
'Be grateful to me. Don't cling to Clana—praise me, your savior.'
She imagined Frey learning her intent and thanking her.
'No one else in the world can save a wretch like you.'
"...Gulp."
Muttering inwardly, Ripaelle swallowed the now-rampaging pill.
"Tch."
In that instant.
"It was meant for the third-year final boss desperation move, but you eat it now? Unbelievable."
Frey's expression cooled.
"I knew you were irredeemable trash, so I didn't expect much. Still, I gave you one last chance to rot in prison for life..."
Not seeing his face, Ripaelle—smiling happily, envisioning the power to come—drifted to sleep. Frey watched her coldly.
"...Truly no answer."
He muttered icily and stepped away.
Shaaa...
Ripaelle's body was already turning purple.
Crack...!
Moments later, ruby horns sprouted from her head.