Lexi? The Emperor's Summons
“Lexi?”
Another unexpected figure was rushing toward me.
He came to a stop right in front of me, his breath heaving up to his throat.
“Huff, huff.”
“Calm down and breathe slowly.”
“Huff, i-it’s, f-fine, heave.”
“You don’t look fine at all.”
I frowned at Lexi, who was supposed to be at the Fade Base.
“What’s going on? Why are you here?”
“Aigoo, huff, it’s a real disaster, Young Duchess!”
A bit calmer now, Lexi took one last deep breath and pointed behind him.
“An imperial messenger has arrived!”
“What?”
I whipped around in surprise to look where he pointed. There stood a man who looked like his soul had fled his body, staring blankly.
“An imperial messenger?”
“……”
But the man, dressed in the gold-trimmed robes symbolizing the imperial family, had a dazed look in his eyes. He wasn’t even looking at me.
“…Huff, this, this place is insane.”
“……”
I nodded in understanding at the faint mutter he gasped out, just like Lexi.
Lexi, who shuttled between the outpost and the ducal residence as Father’s messenger, was one thing. But this southern messenger had likely never left the south even once.
Imperial messengers had to deliver the decree by hand. Yet this poor southerner, battered by the harsh north, didn’t seem in his right mind.
I shook my head and approached him.
“Hey, snap out of it.”
“I wanna go home… sob.”
“……”
This guy was in bad shape. Completely out of it.
Flustered, I turned back to Lexi.
“What’s he here for?”
“Well, whew.”
Lexi caught his breath again and spoke.
“His Majesty has issued an imperial decree to you, Young Duchess! The details…”
“……”
As eyes turned to him, focus gradually returned to the messenger’s gaze.
Up close, he looked a total mess. Had he run into bandits on the way? His clothes were riddled with holes and caked in mud. At least there weren’t many bloodstains, so no major wounds—small mercies.
The messenger cleared his throat and held something out to me.
“Ahem, I come bearing the command of His Majesty the Emperor, sun of the Rampas Empire.”
“…I receive His Majesty’s command.”
In a daze, I took the letter he offered.
To think he’d send a messenger all the way to this remote outpost just to deliver it personally.
The letter, sealed with the imperial crest on gold wax, was surprisingly pristine compared to the messenger’s state. I could feel the man’s dedication to protecting the emperor’s missive, no matter what.
I gave a brief bow of respect and tore open the emperor’s letter.
“……”
“…What does it say?”
Jade asked impatiently when I stayed silent.
I stared at the letter, at a loss for words.
This was the first time I’d received a letter directly from the emperor. Father had always handled them before.
The emperor had invited me several times to hold my debutante ball in the capital. But they were just invitations—no force behind them. So I’d ignored them, focusing on slaying monsters instead.
Thanks to that, I was well past debutante age without ever formally entering high society.
And now, this. The emperor’s letter carried a sharp, intimidating edge.
I swallowed hard and spoke.
“So, uh, what happens if you disobey an imperial decree?”
“Pardon?”
The knights exchanged puzzled looks at my question. Jade answered calmly.
“It depends on the offense, but it could mean execution.”
“Execution!?”
“What on earth does it say?”
I clutched my spinning head.
“Haah, how long until the ball?”
Lexi, Father’s messenger, counted on his fingers.
“About a week now… wait, no way?”
“Whew.”
“Is it an imperial decree to attend the ball?”
Lexi blurted in shock, and I nodded weakly.
The letter contained just one sentence from the emperor.
[The lady of Carpoem, Abigail Carpoem, shall obey this imperial decree and attend the New Year’s Imperial Ball.]
No threats for refusal. But this was an imperial decree. Disobeying it would bring punishment even Father couldn’t block.
Not execution, probably, but it’d make things annoyingly complicated from here on.
Two years of ignoring my debut to fight monsters, and this was the backlash!
“Whew, what now? How am I supposed to get to the capital in a week?”
“There’s a warp circle at the ducal residence, so if we hurry there…”
“Even riding nonstop for a full week, we wouldn’t make it.”
“Ugh, then…”
I huddled with the knights to brainstorm, but no good ideas emerged.
“Damn, guess I’ll go late and beg for mercy…”
“Um…”
“Yeah?”
Someone who’d been quietly listening raised a tentative hand.
Only then did I remember he was there.
“I think I can help again.”
I stared blankly at Ren’s shy smile.
“Ren, you?”
“Yes.”
“You can do long-distance warp magic?”
Even as a kid, Ren could warp. But not over long distances. Memories flooded back of coaxing him to sneak out to the night market.
“Yes. If I prepare now, we can reach the ducal residence in no time.”
“How long to prepare?”
“My mana’s almost depleted right now… And drawing the magic circle will take some time too.”
“In a week?”
“Yes, it’s possible.”
Ren’s beaming face looked angelic.
“Ren! Thank you!”
“It’s nothing.”
His shy smile again overlapped with the little Ren from back then. Without thinking, I grabbed his hand like old times.
“Ah! S-sorry.”
“I-it’s fine.”
I let go of the hand I’d grabbed by accident and apologized.
Ren waved it off, face flushed.
Jade approached with a displeased look.
“Lady Abigail. Shall we head to the office now?”
“Ah, right.”
I scanned around and pointed at Paul, standing dumbly.
“Paul, find Ren some quarters and show him in.”
“M-me?”
“Yeah, Paul. Who else did I call?”
“Ugh, yes.”
Paul seemed timid among the knights, but he was surprisingly meticulous and reliable. We senior knights often gave him tasks, though he probably saw it as bullying.
I chuckled and headed to the office.
“See you later, Ren.”
“Yes.”
Before entering, I glanced at Ren’s hand gripping his staff.
When did those hands grow so big?
My hand that had touched his felt hot for no reason. I shook it off and led the knights away.
* * *
A week flew by in no time.
Tonight, the empire’s capital, Regia, would host a grand debutante ball combined with the New Year’s gala.
The monsters that had plagued Volta Base had quieted down too. No reports from other bases meant they’d stay dormant until spring.
I needed to wrap up in the capital fast and get back to work.
Standing on the magic circle, my mind was already on post-ball duties, not the event itself.
“Jade, I’m counting on you.”
“Don’t worry.”
I was handing most of my authority to Jade before leaving.
Inside the circle stood me, Ren, and Ian. Long-distance warps couldn’t handle crowds, so we’d go first.
Father would be at the ball anyway, so capital matters weren’t a big worry.
“Ren, ready? Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Come to think of it, this was my first trip to the capital.
Abigail had preferred the south over the north, living mostly at the capital residence before Father’s curse.
Her memories had faded quite a bit now; I couldn’t recall clearly.
Well, I’d see for myself soon enough.
Excitement bubbling, I watched the world around me warp.
“…Lady Abigail!”
“…My liege!”
“Urk.”
The backlash from long-distance warp made bile rise.
Someone caught me as I struggled to focus.
Who? Ren? Ian?
Whoever it was adapted fast.
I barely quelled my churning stomach and opened my eyes.
“Whew, ah, th-thanks… huh?”
“……”
“……”
I looked up to see who’d caught me—and it wasn’t just one person.
Two hands gripped my arms.
I alternated glances between Ren and Ian’s cold stares at each other.
“Ha, haha. You two adapt quick.”
Ren made sense—he cast the spell. But Ian was a surprise.
Way too devoted to his guardian role.
Chuckling, I pulled my arms free.
Then I greeted Dominic, waiting anxiously by the warp circle.
“Long time no see, Doni!”
“Haah, indeed it has been.”
Six years had aged Dominic noticeably. I stepped off the circle.
“Father?”
“He went ahead, of course. He had no idea about the decree.”
“Hmm.”
The emperor had really blindsided us this time.
To issue the decree to attend the ball without Father knowing.
Father, assuming I’d skip again with no reply, had already left. He’d only learn upon arriving in the capital.
I could already picture the stare-down with the emperor at the ball.
“Anyway, we gotta hurry. How many magic stones left?”
“Pardon? You’re going like that?”
“Yeah, why?”
Dominic scanned me up and down in shock.
I wore my usual black uniform: red embroidery and gold epaulets marking the heir.
I’d put some effort in for the ball, but apparently not enough.
Dominic muttered.
“The maids were thrilled to dress you up after so long…”
“No time. We go now.”
The ducal warp circle linked to the capital residence basement. From there, straight to the palace by carriage.
Time check: we had to leave immediately to arrive just before the emperor’s entrance.
“Hurry! Dump every magic stone we’ve got!”
“Y-yes!”
Urgent, I prodded Dominic. He and the servants poured magic stones into the circle.
I eyed Ren worriedly—he’d have to cast another long-distance warp.
“Ren, you okay? Not too tiring?”
“I’m fine. This many stones should be plenty.”
His relaxed smile eased my mind; we’d make it on time.
Relieved, I jumped back into the circle and shouted.
“See ya later, Doni! Let’s go!”
“Safe travels!”
Ren’s incantation rang clear, and the world melted away once more.