Lian opened his mouth, wanting to say something to the girl before him.
‘I have to explain myself. I have to. I can’t change back right now… I don’t know why I’ve become like this. Sephy doesn’t know either; there’s nothing she can do.’
He should have been angry. But why?
What right did he have to be angry?
Why did it have to be him?
Why did he have to be the one to make her wear such an expression?
Why wasn’t it him, but that man named Edmund, who protected her from the bear?
Why hadn’t he been by Meliya’s side when she injured her finger?
‘What unforgivable thing did I do… for that man’s sins to be visited upon me in such a cruel way? I only had a drink like everyone else… Was it because I shouldn’t have gotten up at night to look for food?’
‘And why did Vera become like that…? Should I blame her for being such an idiot, remembering a bastard for so many years? Or should I blame myself for forcing her to face three Magus alone during the challenge against the Demon King?’
“Brother Leon — did I say your name… correctly?”
It was that girl’s voice.
“It’s not… Brother Leon’s fault… I was the one… who insisted…”
Lian — Leon felt as if he had been transported back to that bone-chilling night three years ago.
He knelt on the ground while the young girl touched his cheek with her blood-stained, severed finger, comforting him with a voice that grew weaker by the second… until she finally grew cold in his arms and passed away.
No… that wasn’t right! The one to blame was himself — the self that hadn’t chosen to become a Hero from the start and failed to protect her!
“You do not possess the qualifications to be a Hero.”
Vera walked up to him, her eyes overflowing with despair.
Her robes were stained with the purple-red blood of the Demon Race murderers… and in her hand, she gripped the Demonic Sword of Pale Ice.
…
……
………
“You can’t change back, can you? You liar, you madwoman.”
Milin, clutching the collar of the dazed Lian, let out the miserable laugh of a fluke victor.
The moment she let go, Lian collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut.
“I expect you to appear at the martial arts arena tomorrow on time. There, I will defeat you, along with that person’s power that remains within you — the power you are so proud of, the power for which you revere him.”
“Now, get out. I don’t want to see your face again today.”
Following her proclamation, the float passed through the festival’s triumphal arch.
The arch was built over the boulevard and draped with ribbons of the yellow, black, and white tricolor flags, leading into the crowded Civic Square.
The facades of the buildings surrounding the square were freshly painted in the same three festival colors.
The balconies extending from them were packed with noble ladies holding folding fans and gentlemen puffing away at their snuff bottles.
Some cast their gazes toward the square, while others looked out toward the float.
In the center of the square, several groups of street performers dressed in vibrant colors were putting on a show.
They tossed colorful balls and jumped through hoops of fire… performing the kind of spectacular acts usually only seen in a circus.
The surrounding citizens responded with thunderous cheers.
However, their cheers were soon drowned out by the tenth bell, which rang simultaneously from the mansion’s tower and the distant church.
A herald wearing a sash — who was neither Vera nor Meliya — stood on the high platform of the mansion.
He unfurled a scroll and announced the official start of the Flower Crown Parade to the entire square through a Magic Power megaphone.
An honor guard, which had been waiting in the Civic Square, began to march toward the float.
Among them were soldiers with muskets on their shoulders and swords at their waists, as well as a band in tall hats carrying giant drums and various brass instruments.
Some were staff members from Vera’s mansion, the remaining elites who originally belonged to the Second Royal Guard Division.
As they struck up a cheerful tune, the doors to the third floor of the float finally opened to the guests.
Nobles stood on the observation deck in small groups, looking with confusion at the two girls standing opposite each other.
‘It’s the Princess and that maid… why are they here? Didn’t they say the third floor only opened just now?’
The group’s suspicions failed to take root, for Lian had already stood up.
She removed her apron in front of the guests, wrapping the broken ceramic shards within it.
After bowing to the arriving guests, she headed down the stairs.
She brushed past Prince Nolan and the Princess as they ascended to the third floor.
No one noticed the brief look the two of them cast toward her… for everyone was captivated by the dazzling smile of the girl wearing the flower crown and the magnificent scenery behind her.
“Is everyone satisfied? This is Cyrus… the city my Mother and Teacher built and protected with their own hands.”
The guests were generous with their praise, complimenting both the view and the girl’s beauty.
“Old man Edmund… look at that child’s eyes. They’re completely red.”
“…What happened? Was she crying?”
“…Sister Milin? What on earth happened between her and that woman…”
…
……
………
However, among the crowd, there were those who noticed things other than beauty.
The streets behind the mansion were also alive with celebration.
At a street-side table of a restaurant directly facing the mansion’s back gate sat a middle-aged man dressed in expensive clothing.
“Hiss… it’s too cold. Someone move this sunshade. I need some sunlight.”
“As you command, Lord Yebul.”
Upon hearing the order, one of the burly men standing behind him like bodyguards stepped forward and moved the silk sunshade to the side.
“Ah… finally a bit warmer.”
The man who moved the umbrella felt a bit speechless; his superior’s behavior was simply too dramatic.
While the deep autumn in the Northland was indeed cold… the man was wearing an entire fur coat that looked stiflingly hot.
Furthermore, the sky was perfectly clear. He knew his colleagues behind him were thinking the same thing, but like him, they didn’t dare show it on their faces.
As officials of the Imperial Capital Supervisory Bureau, they knew exactly how impatient their superior was at this moment.
‘Those damn Demon Race, why haven’t they appeared yet? If they wait any longer, they’ll miss the best opportunity to strike.’
The imperial official named Yebul wrapped his fur coat even tighter. His index finger tapped incessantly on the small table before him, as if releasing the irrepressible anxiety building in his body.
He was very close to that woman… the woman who, with a single gesture and a single look in the imperial court that day, had caused him to lose all face and lose control of his bladder.
Ayavela Elancia. Just thinking of the name made Yebul grind his teeth in hatred.
Since retreating from the court that day, he had been burdened with the foul reputation of the “Count of Urine.”
Because of this, he had suffered the mockery of the Imperial Capital’s noble circles… and even his own kin.
Since then, he had wanted nothing more than to return the humiliation he suffered that day to that woman.
This was why he had accepted the invitation from the Dukes of the Four Borders to become a member of their alliance against the Royal Family and the Northland forces.
Over the years, he had joined them in the Noble Council to impeach her, causing her to lose her military power.
He had whispered in the ear of the aging Emperor to drive a wedge between father and daughter.
He had even used bribery and threats to alienate her officers, causing her troops to fall apart.
Through these long-standing efforts, that woman had finally lost almost all her power, leaving her with nothing but a nominal royal title.
Meanwhile, Yebul had arrived here as a senior inspector of the newly formed Imperial Capital Supervisory Bureau — a department created by the noble alliance specifically to target the Duchess of the Northland — to attend their Harvest Festival.
‘A member of the Brave’s Party? A war hero? The Emperor’s last daughter? You have no titles left now.’
He believed his efforts had stripped the woman of almost everything she held dear.
But when he was rejected with a smile by that commoner-born Duchess of lowly blood when he asked to attend the opening ceremony together, he realized he hadn’t done enough… not nearly enough.