Chapter 55: The Will of the Gods

A voice echoed in my ears—familiar yet distant, like a half-forgotten memory.

Though my vision was dark, I could sense someone standing before me, speaking.

“Don’t you dare look back. Close your eyes and run!”

Why did those words sound so unbearably sad?

My heart ached.

Just as I tried to respond, the speaker grabbed me.

“A sheep running freely across the fields.”

That had always been my dream.

Ever since I’d lived in Meadowland, I’d longed to roam beyond the feared walls that kept others trapped.

Wait…

This isn’t Meadowland. Who is this person?

Suddenly, the darkness lifted.

Though my vision remained blurred, as if through a fogged lens, I could vaguely make out the figure before me.

It wasn’t human.

Something with the form of a beast, yet speaking in human tongue.

Stunned, I looked down at myself—and realized I, too, was no longer human.

I had become a sheep.

Not a beastman, but an actual, woolly, white-fleeced sheep.

What in the world…?

The next moment, my eyes snapped open.

I bolted upright, immediately checking my hands—thank the gods, five fingers still attached.

“A dream where I turned into a real sheep?!”

I’d never had a dream so vivid.

Peering outside the cave, I saw the rain had finally stopped.

But as I shifted, my body throbbed in protest.


Every muscle aches as if I’d been trampled by a horse.

The Emperor hadn’t let me rest all night.

The marks scattered across my skin were proof of just how heated things had gotten.

How am I supposed to face him this morning?!

Mortified, I squeezed my eyes shut, pretending to still be asleep—

“I know you’re awake.”

Damn this man and his supernatural perception.

Even if I kept pretending, there was no avoiding reality.

If we were to leave the cave and return to the palace, we’d have to move together.

With an awkward smile, I sat up.

“G-Good morning, Your Majesty!”

“At least this time, you didn’t run away.”

His words brought back the memory of our first encounter—how I’d used a return stone to flee after that incident with the elephant pheromones.

The embarrassment hit me fresh all over again.

“T-That was a completely different situation!”

Then, I noticed something strange. The mark near his heart looked darker than yesterday. Has it always been this vivid?

“Does this look different to you? And what about my horns?”

His gaze flicked to my horns before he gave a slight nod.

“Yes. They’ve darkened.”

“Why would that happen? And these markings only appeared after that night…”

“No idea. Maybe it’s someone’s idea of a joke.”

“…A joke?”

I stared at him, baffled.

His eyes darkened as he held my gaze.

“Sometimes I wonder… if all of this is just the gods playing games with us.”

“Why would you think that?” I asked.

“Because the gods I know are exactly like that,” he spat, his lips twisting into a bitter snarl.

His icy gaze wasn’t directed at me—but at something far beyond, something unseen.

It wasn’t just anger.

It was hatred.

“…I don’t see it that way.”

His eyes snapped back to me.

“Even if this is all the will of the gods… I believe there’s meaning in it. The god I believe in loves all of us.”

For a moment, the Emperor just stared at me—before letting out a sharp, mocking laugh.

“We live in reality, not a dream. You’d do well to remember that.”

The warmth of last night had long faded, leaving only this cold distance between us.

I hadn’t expected anything to change just because we’d spent the night together, but the bitterness still settled heavily in my chest.

This infuriating man.

I dressed quickly and stepped out of the cave.

A small forest creature startled at our sudden appearance and darted away.

The Emperor grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him.

“Stay close. If anything seems off, tell me immediately.”

“…Understood.”

Even this was just like him—one second, he was snarling at me, and the next, he was acting protective.

His ever-shifting demeanor left me dizzy.

Pick a side, damn it.

You’re giving me whiplash.

We trekked through the forest until, at the foot of a hill, we finally encountered Sir Walton and a group of knights searching for us.

“Your Majesty! Miss Meihan!” Relief washed over Sir Walton’s face as he pressed a hand to his chest. “Thank the gods you’re both unharmed. We’ve been worried sick—”

I cut in, my stomach tightening. “What about Perry? Did you find her?”

His expression darkened.

After a brief hesitation, he answered.

“Lady Veratri found her collapsed in the woods. She’s alive, but… the poison was severe. If not for the rain washing some of it away…”

Right—the man who had chased us had coated his blade in venom.

The rain must have diluted it in time.

“And the attacker?”

“He didn’t escape. By the time Lady Veratri arrived, he was already down—Perry got him.”

“I’ll protect you.”

She’d kept her word.

So why didn’t that make me happy?

She’d done what she set out to do, but I couldn’t bring myself to celebrate it.

My fists clenched as I swallowed back the lump in my throat.

Sir Walton cleared his throat gently. “Let’s return to the palace. Everyone’s waiting.”

***

The palace was in chaos.

The moment we arrived, nobles like Sir Samuel swarmed the Emperor, their voices overlapping in a relentless barrage.

He shot me a glance before finally entrusting me to Sir Walton’s escort and disappearing into the crowd.

“Shall I take you to your quarters?” Sir Walton asked.

“No… I want to see Perry first.”

We headed to the infirmary where Perry was being treated.

There, we found the royal physician, Haphone. I greeted him immediately.

“Hello, Haphone. It’s been a while.”

“What brings you here? Ah, for the little one?”

“Yes. I heard Perry was here…”

Without another word, Haphone led me to Perry.

She lay there, eyes tightly shut.

Her small body was wrapped in pristine white bandages, but her lips had taken on a sickly violet hue.

In the vast bed, she looked so terribly small.

She was so brave.

She fought them off.

So why does she have to be here?

Just looking at her made my eyes burn.

“Perry…”

I clutched her tiny hand and turned to Haphone.

“Why… can’t she open her eyes?”

Haphone let out a heavy sigh.

“The poison has made it difficult for her to regain consciousness.”

“Is there no antidote?”

“Too much time passed before she was found. The only saving grace is that she seems to have some resistance to the toxin.”

“Resistance?”

“It’s likely she’s been exposed to something similar before.”

I remembered what Perry had said to the assassin—

“No wonder you smell so foul. You’re from the desert, aren’t you?”

“I’ve got a personal grudge against you lizard bastards.”

So this wasn’t the first time she’d faced something like this.

Resistance was a small mercy, but it only made me wonder—what kind of life had she endured to develop it?

Perry… you’re strong.

You’ll wake up. I’ll believe in you and wait.

I squeezed her cold hand, making the promise silently.

And if the Grand Duchess was truly behind this—I would never forgive her.

Before long, Haphone gently ushered me out so Perry could rest.

In the hallway, Sir Walton waited.

“Where would you like to go now?”

“I think… I should return to my room.”

The palace was in chaos, and without Perry, I had no desire to wander alone.

I trudged forward, footsteps heavy—when suddenly, a voice called out.

“Miss!”

At first, I thought I’d misheard.

But then it came again.

I turned, scanning the corridor—and saw a familiar figure rushing toward me.

“…Sir Kerif?”