Chapter : 9 — It Was Me Who Really Came
“Hey.”
“Why?”
“Nothing.”
Mihael turned his head slightly to the side so he would not become intoxicated by the scent.
Neither of them paid much attention to the assassins.
Riarte was stronger than the assassins, and Mihael was accustomed to killing.
“I’ll deal with those for now. You can close your eyes or turn your head away.”
The water had firmly bound the assassins’ bodies.
Mihael approached with his dagger in hand, but suddenly stopped.
I hear a strange sound.
Most assassins carried poison for suicide in case their assassination attempts failed.
It was understandable that there was no sound of breathing if they had committed suicide.
But then, from somewhere, the sound of sand falling began to be heard.
Rustle…
“Mihael, wait.”
At that moment, something collapsed with a heavy thud from the spot where the assassins had been bound.
Riarte’s water caught the objects that came tumbling down.
Reflexively, Riarte grabbed Mihael’s hand. Then she pulled him back to keep him from moving forward.
“An ancient power may have intervened, just like the curse affecting your eyes, so we need to be careful.”
Mihael’s ears, which had stopped, flushed red again.
“Thank you.”
“Let’s approach carefully. Follow my lead.”
Riarte moved toward the old pieces of clothing floating on the water.
Just as Mihael was about to approach, the other assassins collapsed as well.
All that remained in their place were faded clothes and a few bones.
“They suddenly turned into bones after I wrapped them in water.”
“Bones?”
At the sound of Mihael’s lowered voice, Riarte looked upward. His red eyes had become frighteningly cold.
“What condition are they in?”
Mihael’s hand, which was holding Riarte’s, tightened slightly.
Since Mihael could not see ahead, Riarte carefully described what she saw.
“They look very old. And instead of the black cloth robes, they’re wearing old, white velvet burial shrouds. They might have been substitutes for the real people.”
“That’s a relief.”
Mihael answered, relaxing his guard.
So it’s not the worst-case scenario I was worried about.
At least, the situation was better than Mihael had assumed.
Even without being able to see, he could endure for several years. So far, there were no problems with his control either.
Mihael soon regained his composure.
Riarte stretched out her other hand, the one Mihael was not holding, and examined the remains of the assassins.
There was nothing particularly distinctive about the bones and clothing lifted by the stream of water.
Curses and magic usually left traces behind, such as letters or symbols.
“This seems safe. It should be fine to touch the bones or clothes.”
Riarte’s movements were transmitted through the hand he was holding.
Only then did Mihael realize that he was holding the other person’s hand.
“We’re still holding hands.”
There were no more dangers in the room.
“We are.”
There was no longer any reason for Riarte to hold Mihael’s hand to stop him from going farther or to guide him along.
Riarte let go.
“Thank you for helping me. My escort knight will take care of the bones and clothes when he returns.”
“Tell him to be careful, just in case.”
“I will.”
Ah. This was strange.
Ever since Riarte had entered to help Mihael, saying that she could not escape on her own, his heart had been inexplicably light.
All he could see was darkness, yet it felt as though the world were sparkling.
“Then I’ll remove the curse now, Mihael.”
Hearing his own name spoken in that clear voice felt strangely sweet.
The cool warmth of the hand he had held, and the other person’s shoulder brushing against his arm, heightened his senses.
The power of the water flowing into him broke through the second barrier.
Already the second one?
Mihael wished that time could stop just like this.
There were only five curses left.
The unique violet eyes were a symbol of the imperial family.
The Crown Prince opened his eyes, which had been closed, and looked at the remains that had once again turned back into bones.
“So they really cannot maintain that state for long? It would be better to dispose of the bones.”
“What should we do with the bones that have already been sent to Elhaim?”
Count Fedes, the Crown Prince’s right-hand man, remained kneeling as he bowed his head loyally.
“Leave them alone.”
If they were lucky, Mihael Birche would be injured or incur the wrath of Elhaim, but the Crown Prince did not expect much.
“The plan to use the bones will never be used again, so Birche will not notice who is behind this.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince looked down at Count Fedes and asked,
“Is the Elhaim ducal family still quiet?”
The Elhaim ducal family had been strangely quiet ever since the time Mihael Birche had visited.
Under normal circumstances, enough time had already passed for the Duke of Elhaim to protest over issuing a letter of invitation to Birche.
“Yes. There has been no contact from the Duke or his sons either.”
“I cannot imagine what is happening inside that family.”
Elhaim was a more closed-off family than he had expected.
Even though he had deeply planted spies within the family, important information was shared only among the Duke of Elhaim and his direct descendants, so there was no way to find anything out.
“Could it be that the Duke has changed his mind and intends to cooperate with Birche?”
At the thought, the Crown Prince rose with a sharp expression.
“With the Duke of Elhaim’s personality, he would never treat Mihael Birche.”
“His sons may be different.”
Unlike the Duke of Elhaim, his sons did not hate Birche.
The Crown Prince anxiously racked his brain.
Mihael’s eyes had been cursed and weakened after he had gone to such lengths to make it happen. He had even sent assassins to Elhaim at precisely the right time.
“First, send a letter saying that I intend to visit Elhaim. Use Ninian as an excuse and make up something appropriate.”
The curse placed on Mihael was powerful enough that only one of Elhaim’s direct descendants could possibly remove it.
As far as the Crown Prince knew, there was only one Awakened capable of doing so.
Young Master Rian.
Rianrishus Elhaim.
“Even Elhaim, despite its reluctance toward Birche, will have to hold a welcoming ceremony for an honored guest who has arrived with an official letter of invitation. Inform them that I intend to attend without fail.”
“I shall do as you command, Your Highness.”
Count Fedes answered solemnly, still kneeling.
Instead of replying, the Crown Prince merely nodded arrogantly.
After about two weeks, a form began to take shape inside the spirit stone.
As if something were about to be born, a cluster of light had gathered in the center of the blue crystal.
“It’s even pulsing today.”
Duke Elhaim muttered in amazement at the unbelievable miracle.
“Doesn’t it feel… like a heart?”
Ainrias carefully placed his hand on top of the spirit stone and spoke.
Based on everything they had observed so far, there seemed to be a certain pattern to the spirit stone.
Even when Rian did nothing, changes occurred between midnight and dawn.
The light continued to grow larger with each passing day.
Now, when someone placed a hand on it, they could feel a throbbing pulse, like a human heart beating.
“And today, it has become noticeably warmer than before.”
“You were right, Ain. Of course, it is still too early to jump to conclusions.”
Duke Elhaim turned around and looked disapprovingly at Hwiamin.
“Hwiamin. You’re hiding away in the corner by yourself again.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
As always, Hwiamin was standing far away, looking frightened of the spirit stone.
Rian was simply lost in thought.
“You’ve worked hard until now, Rian.”
Duke Elhaim spoke to him, but the words did not register clearly.
“As Ainrias said, the spirit stone looks like a heart—or perhaps an egg that is about to hatch.”
“Yes, Father.”
Rian answered mechanically.
The spirit stone’s temperature had become lukewarm, like cold water meeting warmth. As he touched the surface of the stone, the person who came to mind was Riarte.
“No. The young lady has not come looking for you today either.”
That was what the maid had said just moments ago.
It had already been well over a week since he had impulsively given Riarte her freedom.
Only today did Rian realize that he had been waiting for Riarte.
As always, he had expected Riarte to come to him first to thank him or to seek him out.
But Riarte had not even looked for Rian.
She remained exactly as she had been after becoming cold and distant.
They say that people who go through an extreme experience close to death can change their personalities.
There was no doubt that Riarte had undergone a change of heart while she was suffering after collapsing from the poison.
That was the conclusion Rian had reached.
But what do I want to do about it?
He could not understand himself for worrying about Riarte to the point of doing things that were unlike him.
“Come to think of it, Rian, isn’t it about time you started thinking about a spouse?”
Ainrias lightly nudged Rian.
Rian erased his thoughts of Riarte from his mind and asked,
“A spouse?”
“Yes. You’ll soon turn seventeen and become an adult, so you should start looking for a suitable engagement partner.”
Nobles from Awakened families began seriously searching for spouses after reaching adulthood.
During that process, they sometimes went through several engagements and broken engagements.
“I don’t care who it is.”
Rian answered indifferently.
As the beloved son of Duke Elhaim and a man blessed with beautiful looks, the young ladies admired Rian.
They simply could not bring themselves to approach him easily because Rian showed no interest in anyone.
“They only need to have suitable conditions. Choose a family that won’t put us at a disadvantage, Ain.”
“I knew you would say that.”
Ainrias handed Rian the letter he had been holding.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has sent another message expressing his desire to visit Elhaim. It seems he wants you to become engaged to Her Highness Princess Ninian.”
It was also widely known that Princess Ninian had a crush on Rian.
“Ninian isn’t a bad choice.”
Rian spoke as he calculated the benefits Elhaim would gain from the marriage.
Whenever Ninian saw Rian, she would always blush and smile shyly.
An easy choice.
Rian was indifferent toward other people, but he was not foolish.
He understood feelings like Ninian’s, which were little more than youthful infatuation.
At that moment, an image of Riarte overlapped with Ninian.
