Chapter 03

 — To the Royal Palace (2)

“…I’m only a human. Lord Lux has merely lent me His power.”

Phaeon answered while avoiding my gaze.

“No, you’re definitely an angel. Mister Knight punished the bad people. And now all my hurts are all better with just poof!”

“No, that’s not what I—”

He frowned as if trying to explain, then paused.

“The reason those people are being punished is because of Your Highness’s quick thinking. But… how were you able to use magic? That should be impossible at your age.”

“I found that stone in the forest. It was all shiny and pretty. Every time those people were mean to me, I’d hold it really tight, and somehow those scenes got trapped inside it. I think Asha found a magic stone.”

I’d expected him to ask, so I’d prepared an excuse in advance.

“Even if you happened to find a recording stone, you still have to infuse it with mana in order to record images. At your age, you shouldn’t even have developed mana sensitivity yet… It seems Your Highness possesses enough mana to unconsciously manipulate it.”

Of course I do.

I’d heard Princess Beatrice had been one of the royal family’s greatest court mages.

Thanks to her, I’d inherited an extraordinary reserve of mana.

And yet…

Not once had I lived long enough to properly master even defensive magic, let alone offensive spells.

Ugh… Just thinking about it makes me feel cheated.

I was born the daughter of the continent’s strongest Holy Knight and a royal court mage…

…yet I kept dying like some fragile little fish.

“…As expected of her daughter.”

He murmured so quietly I almost didn’t hear him.

Her daughter?

Don’t talk about my mother like she’s someone else’s story!

I’m your daughter, you know?!

Every single thing this man said made a vein throb in my forehead.

But I endured it.

Again and again.

Remembering my goal.

I smiled brightly and pretended nothing was wrong.

“Can Asha use magic too?”

“Once you’ve learned proper court etiquette and the fundamentals, you’ll undergo a mana sensitivity examination. After that, you’ll be able to request a royal court mage as your instructor.”

“I wanna study really fast. Asha loves reading books. I wanna learn lots and lots so I can become really, really smart. I read in a book that people don’t treat smart people badly.”

That part was true.

Reading had always been my favorite thing.

In the royal palace, where I hadn’t had a single real friend…

The books in the library had been my only companions.

It would be frustrating having to relearn even the most basic subjects from the beginning.

Still…

I’d pretend to be a genius and race through everything.

There was far too much I needed to learn if I wanted to achieve my goal.

Then…

An overwhelming wave of drowsiness suddenly crashed over me.

My mind might have belonged to an adult…

But my body was still that of a small child.

Now that the tension had faded and the warmth of Holy Power had relaxed my body, exhaustion finally caught up with me.

“Your Highness…! Your Highness?”

His voice gradually drifted farther away.

Before I realized it…

I had fallen asleep in his arms.

◇ ◆ ◇

“This is outrageous, Father!”

Inside the audience chamber of Santora’s royal palace—

A girl of about twelve, with luxurious reddish-brown curls and noble green eyes, shouted at the king seated before her.

Her name was Stella Michelle Entimos.

The Third Princess of Santora.

And Anastasia’s aunt.

“You intend to acknowledge a bastard whose father isn’t even known as a princess?! The entire continent will laugh at us!”

“It’s not as though I’m pleased about it either.”

The king rested his chin on one hand and sighed.

His white hair and neatly groomed white mustache gave him a kindly appearance, but the sharp turquoise eyes beneath them betrayed his displeasure.

“Big Sister deceived every one of us.”

“We thought she was fighting monsters on the frontier for the kingdom!”

“All that talk about serving the nation…”

“And meanwhile she was sleeping with some nobody from who-knows-where, secretly giving birth to a child—”

“Even if there are no outsiders listening, I’d appreciate it if you refrained from using such vulgar language, Stella.”

The woman who interrupted her had the same rich reddish-brown hair, though hers fell in smooth, elegant strands.

She spoke calmly.

It was Aquila Erica Entimos—

Santora’s Second Princess.

“We are royalty.”

“Quila!”

“Aren’t you angry at all?”

“You could lose your claim to the throne to some four-year-old brat overnight!”

“It was never mine to begin with, so I have no reason to be angry.”

She answered without raising her voice.

“I am simply concerned for Santora’s future.”

Her sharp eyes turned toward their father.

“Do you truly have no idea who the child’s father is?”

“The will only states that he was a mercenary from Kalisa whom Beatrice met on the frontier.”

“With only that much information…”

“Finding him would be nearly impossible.”

“Hah! Kalisa!”

Stella scoffed.

“She defended Kalisa every chance she got, and in the end she even fell in love with one of them—a commoner, no less.”

“And after all that, she died at the hands of Kalisa’s own king.”

“I suppose that does sound like Tris.”

“Stella.”

Aquila shot her a warning glance.

“Your Majesty…”

“You must make this decision with the utmost care.”

“The very foundation of Santora could be shaken.”

Her voice remained composed but unwavering.

“If that child is recognized as a princess, she will inherit succession rights under Santora’s Law of Absolute Primogeniture.”

“That would mean…”

“The first illegitimate monarch in Santora’s history.”

“Absolutely not!”

Stella cried, her face turning pale.

“Let’s pretend none of this ever happened.”

“Silence everyone who knows.”

“Leave that child in her little backwater village.”

“As for that…”

A young man dressed in white priestly robes entered the audience chamber.

His light brown hair and monocle gave him a refined, gentle appearance.

“I believe Your Majesty should hear yesterday’s divine oracle before making a decision.”

“High Priest Bellus…!”

“May Santora’s heavens watch over you.”

Bellus bowed respectfully to the king.

“An oracle?”

Stella exclaimed.

“There hasn’t been one in over a hundred years.”

“The oracle proclaimed…”

Bellus smiled serenely.

“‘O crimson jewels of Santora, the one who arrives today shall be the one who brings light to Santora.'”

“What?!”

Both princesses cried out in shock.

“Is… is that truly what it said?”

“Are you certain it refers to that child?”

“Could there have been some mistake…?”

Stella asked anxiously.

“And what exactly does ‘light’ mean?”

Aquila added coolly, though she couldn’t entirely conceal her own unease.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean the throne.”

“Divine oracles have always been somewhat ambiguous.”

Bellus nodded.

“However…”

“Once an oracle has been bestowed…”

“That person becomes one of the God’s Children.”

“And that means…”

The king finished the sentence grimly.

“Even if we refuse to acknowledge her as royalty…”

“We can no longer cast her out of the royal family.”

◇ ◆ ◇

Thanks to that grand oracle proclaiming me ‘the one who would bring light to Santora,’ I remained under the royal family’s protection for quite some time.

But it was nothing more than appearances.

Princess Aquila managed the royal household.

She provided me with only the bare minimum needed to survive.

The maid assigned to me came to work only sporadically before quitting altogether after six months.

The servants avoided me because they feared displeasing Aquila.

So I quietly did my own laundry, cleaned my own room, and handled every menial chore myself.

Compared to life in the forest cabin…

Those things weren’t difficult.

What truly hurt…

Was the contempt.

The cold indifference.

To live inside such an enormous palace…

Surrounded by countless people…

Yet exist as though you were invisible…

It was unbearably lonely.

Painfully sad.

Utterly miserable.

That oracle must have been complete nonsense.

Far from bringing light to Santora…

I’d never once seen light in my own life.

At this point…

I wasn’t even sure whether God truly existed.

And if He did…

Perhaps He was a devil.

“Your Highness, we’ve arrived in the capital.”

Phaeon’s voice pulled me back to reality.

“The carriage ride has been long, and you must be exhausted. However, His Majesty is waiting for you, so we will proceed directly to the royal palace.”

Outside the carriage window…

The capital spread before me once again.

Seeing it after so many years filled me with quiet emotion.

I hadn’t often been allowed outside the palace…

But I’d always loved the capital.

Rows upon rows of colorful buildings with red rooftops stretched into the distance.

Beyond them rose the magnificent royal palace crowned with golden roofs.

“Mr. Angel…”

“I have a favor to ask.”

I continued gazing out the window as I spoke.

“…Why do you insist on calling me that…?”

He sighed.

“…Never mind. What is your request?”

“I wanna stop by the temple and pray to Lord Lux.”

“‘Cause He sent Mr. Angel to Asha.”

“That…”

He hesitated.

Refusing outright would be difficult.

After all…

He was known throughout the continent as the True Apostle of Lux.

“…Very well.”

“I’ll take you to the Grand Temple first.”

After thinking for a moment, he nodded.

“Thank you!”

Perfect.

Everything was going according to plan.

There was no way I could go straight to the palace.

A little while later…

The carriage jolted to a stop.

He lifted me into his arms to carry me down.

The moment the carriage door opened…

The freezing winter air rushed inside.

“So cold…”

I shivered.

Just as he was about to set me down…

He stopped.

“You can put me down…”

“Asha’s heavy…”

Several knights standing outside immediately looked toward him.

Their expressions practically screamed,

“Surely even the Commander wouldn’t dare call a child that small heavy?”

Apparently feeling those accusing stares himself…

He simply held me closer.

Wrapping his robe around me, he shielded me completely from the cold.

“I should have brought you a cloak.”

“We came in such haste that I couldn’t even bring attendants.”

“My apologies.”

“It’s okay.”

“Mr. Angel’s warm.”

“…Mr. Angel?”

A black-haired knight stared at me in horror.

“I didn’t mishear that… did I?”

“An… angel…”

“The Commander… an angel…”

Some stood frozen with their mouths hanging open.

Others desperately bit their lips to stop themselves from laughing.

Just what kind of reputation does this man have within the Holy Knights…?

The moment Phaeon glanced at them—

Every knight instantly looked somewhere else as though nothing had happened.

“We’ll stop by the Grand Temple first.”

“Inform His Majesty and ask for his understanding.”

One knight immediately sprinted toward the palace.

The rest accompanied us.

After walking for some time…

We arrived before an enormous snow-white building that radiated holiness.

Phaeon passed through the main gate and headed directly toward the Hall of Prayer.

Along the way…

People of every age secretly peeked at us from behind pillars.

Whispers followed wherever we walked.

When we reached the grand entrance to the Hall of Prayer…

Phaeon gently set me down.

“…Would you like some privacy?”

I nodded.

“I’ll wait outside.”

Alone…

I walked toward the center of the hall.

The ceiling was covered in vibrant frescoes.

Countless statues encircled the vast domed chamber.

A white marble pathway led toward the central altar.

Beneath it flowed an open channel where emerald holy water surged like a fountain before spilling into a massive waterway.

The gentle sound of flowing water…

The bluish mist drifting through the air…

Everything created an atmosphere of breathtaking mystery.

I reached the altar.

Then quietly dropped to my knees.

Pressing my small hands together…

I began to pray.

God…

I finally know who my real father is.

He’s someone You cherished.

I shut my eyes tightly.

So is that why I’m being punished instead?

Because he betrayed You?

Every ounce of anger I’d buried exploded forth.

I’ve been burned alive.

Frozen to death.

Beaten to death.

Torn apart by beasts.

I think I’ve suffered enough punishment already.

I’d died countless painful deaths while still so young…

Until eventually…

I lost the will to live.

In one lifetime…

I’d even taken my own life.

It hadn’t changed anything.

Perhaps God intended to keep me trapped inside this hell…

Until I escaped it through my own strength.

I’ll believe this is my last chance.

I clasped my hands together with all my strength.

Then slowly approached the edge of the marble walkway.

Please…

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Just this once…

Let me survive.

Splash!

And I threw myself into the emerald waters below.