Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: The Emperor's Arrival
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Your Highness, is there truly nothing else you need? Please, just say the word, anything at all. And if you could at least tell me your rough destination, I could somehow try to...
Philomel opened her mouth cautiously.
“Could you lend me some money?”
“......”
Philomel's face flushed slightly with embarrassment.
'Even I hesitated to say this to my former fiancé!'
But pride was a luxury she couldn't afford, and her thinning wallet was harsh reality.
She had lived as frugally as possible these past few days, but her remaining gold coins were few. She might not even have enough to borrow a communication stone.
“Ah, money. Well... I don't have any on me right now.”
Nassar fumbled awkwardly in his pockets, uncharacteristically flustered.
She understood. Nobles often left small change and pocket transactions to their servants.
“I'll borrow some from someone else and give it to you. Sir Aaron, hand over all the money you have on you. I'll repay you several times over when we return.”
“There's no need to go that far!”
Philomel quickly stopped Nassar from politely extorting the knight standing nearby.
“I must have looked desperate begging like that... My apologies.”
Embarrassed, Nassar's face turned red all the way to his neck.
'Was he always like this?'
It was something she hadn't noticed back when they exchanged only polite, scripted words. It was too late to learn now, and it changed nothing.
What if, just what if. 'If we'd opened up to each other a little more, could we have become something like friends?'
Philomel stared blankly at Nassar, lost in thought.
At that moment, a man who appeared to be one of Duke Averyden's knights came rushing from the hotel.
“Young Duke! This is bad!”
“What is it?”
“His Majesty the Emperor is here!”
Philomel doubted her own ears.
Wait, wait, wait. What the hell was this guy saying?
The knight, pale-faced, blurted out incoherently.
“He appeared out of nowhere just moments ago, and strangely, he has no attendants with him... But it's definitely His Majesty. We've only seen him from afar, but we're certain!”
Before she could fully process the knight's words, a towering figure entered her view.
“Philomel.”
Like a single black dot painted on the clear morning sky with thick ink. Yet that one black dot made the entire world feel like night.
It was Emperor Justis.
Dressed in his nightclothes as if he'd leaped straight from bed, the Emperor seized Philomel's shoulders.
“Where... where on earth have you been until now? Do you have any idea how much we've searched for you?”
The surreal scene froze Philomel's thoughts.
'How can the Emperor be here?'
Even if the messenger bird Nassar sent had arrived early, for him to come straight to Singen upon receiving it...
The distance from the capital to Singen was vast; it should have been impossible...
No. There was one way.
The method Philomel had used to flee.
Teleportation magic.
She'd never heard of the Emperor using it, but he was the one who had infused divine power into the Ring of Crimson Flame. It wouldn't be strange if he could wield it.
Her heart pounded uncontrollably. She felt the blood drain from her face.
This was truly the end of the road now. No escape in sight. The guillotine execution she'd imagined thousands, tens of thousands of times replayed in her mind.
He would kill her. She was done for.
“......Philomel? What's wrong? You look ill.”
“Your Highness? Are you unwell...”
Something was off.
The voices of Justis and Nassar grew fainter and fainter. They dwindled to a buzzing murmur she could no longer make out.
Her vision blurred white from the edges. Her body felt heavy as waterlogged cotton, her limbs trembling uncontrollably.
She had to run, now...
Soon the world tilted. No, it was Philomel's body that was tilting.
“Your Highness!”
“Philomel!”
Instead of the hard, cold ground, a firm yet warm embrace enveloped her entire body.
With that, Philomel's consciousness sank into darkness.
“Philomel!”
The Emperor caught her collapsing body in his arms. Her face within his embrace was heartbreakingly pale.
“Philomel, Philomel! Come to your senses!”
The Emperor repeatedly called her name, stroking her face, but her closed eyes did not open.
Nassar's heart plummeted.
“I'll fetch a physician!”
Even the obvious step of calling a doctor only dawned on him after the knight shouted it.
Before the knight could move, a brilliant glow emanated from the Emperor, enveloping not just him but Philomel as well.
And then, the spot where the two had stood was empty. They had vanished via teleportation magic, just as the Emperor had appeared.
Nassar stared dumbly at his own hands.
Her hand, peeking out from the Emperor's arms, was as deathly pale as her face. He had wanted to grasp it, but he couldn't. It felt profane for someone like him to even touch it.
In the end, the warmth he couldn't reach slipped away into nothingness.
Nassar clenched his fist so tightly his nails dug into his skin.
If the Emperor was taking his fiancée somewhere, it was obvious where.
“Wha-what? You were definitely here.”
The knight who had dragged the hotel's resident physician out looked around in confusion.
“They're gone.”
To a place his hands couldn't reach.
“We're heading to the capital.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. Among the mages Duke Averyden brought, is there anyone who can cast teleportation magic immediately?”
Last night, he had let the mages rest at the hotel after they exhausted their mana traveling to Singen.
“Pack your things quickly... No, I'll go ahead first. You follow later.”
Full recovery overnight was impossible, but teleporting just one person—Nassar—should be feasible.
“Well... actually...”
“What is it?”
“The mages all left at dawn. The Duke sent word that he needed them for other matters...”
“Damn it.”
Duke Averyden had been skeptical about searching for the missing princess from the start.
He hadn't opposed it outright, but his displeasure with his son's actions was clear.
“Enough with the fool's errand. Focus on the new tasks at hand.”
The day she vanished. The day another princess appeared.
Having witnessed the sudden arrival of the girl at the council meeting, the Duke seemed convinced she was the real one. She must have strongly resembled the late Empress.
Still, Nassar didn't believe it. There was only one princess he served.
“Should I scout for other mages in the city? The moment the local mages' guild opens, I can run there and...”
“No. I'm going to the Magic Tower. That's where the most capable mages will be.”
Amateurs wouldn't do. He needed someone who could transport not just himself but others as well, straight to the capital in one go.
“Bring fresh horses instead of the ones that ran all night. The fastest ones.”
“What about breakfast? You spent last night in the carriage too.”
“I'm fine.”
Food wouldn't go down. He couldn't bear it without seeing her healthy face right away.
Nassar mounted his horse and gripped the reins.