Chapter 79. Circe

‘What―’

I was so shocked that I froze. I nearly dropped the torch in my surprise. And no wonder―

“A white flame……?”

……Indeed. The moment I transferred the flame to the torch, the blue flame unexpectedly turned white.

“How could the sacred flame turn white? What’s going on?”

“Has this ever happened before……?”

“No, it seems to be the first time.”

People, just as surprised as I was, began to murmur noisily. Enoch, who was also taken aback, widened his eyes slightly and looked over at me.

Just as he was about to leave his place and approach me, King Henry loudly declared,

“The ancestors’ blessing has touched the sacred flame! May eternal peace, prosperity, and victory be with Freuden!”

When the king himself confidently shouted, the anxious people started to be convinced one by one.

When Enoch repeated King Henry’s words, everyone gained confidence and began to shout in unison.

“May eternal peace, prosperity, and victory be with Freuden!”

“May it be so!”

But not everyone was convinced by King Henry. The conservative nobles were observing me with slightly sullen expressions.

In any case, the unexpected situation of the sacred flame turning white was skillfully handled by King Henry, and it was time to move on to the next part of the ceremony.

Carefully holding the torch, I approached Enoch. When I stopped at an appropriate distance, I transferred the flame to his torch.

He smiled at me and then began to ascend the stairs, holding the torch. His every movement was so relaxed and natural that it was clear how adept he was at this task.

The flame on my torch gradually died down and eventually went out. The sacred brazier was the same. A glance showed that the flame was very weak. It seemed it would soon extinguish on its own. Apparently, when the flame was transferred elsewhere, it behaved that way.

Magic…… Though I, who possessed particularly suspicious magic, had no room to talk, it was indeed mysterious and unfathomable.

Enoch, who had climbed the stairs, was now approaching the Prophet’s Goblet at the top.

After handing the torch to an attendant, I returned to my place and watched the scene unfold.

When Enoch transferred the flame to the large silver goblet, the white flame burned even more intensely than on the torch.

After a while, Enoch, having placed the now extinguished torch aside, held a white dove and approached the Prophet’s Goblet again.

I didn’t know how it was tamed, but the dove was surprisingly calm. The moment he placed the dove inside the large goblet, I clenched my fists unknowingly.

‘Surely the dove won’t burn to death……’

It wasn’t an ordinary flame but a sacred flame. The sacred flame didn’t burn anything. That’s why I had always doubted whether it was real fire.

Seeing it up close this time, it seemed to be real fire……

‘I could feel the intense heat vividly, and it was a bit…… scary.’

Even if Enoch teased me for being afraid of a harmless flame, I had nothing to say. Like he said, I might be a bit of a coward……

Soon, a white dove flapped its wings and flew out of the Prophet’s Goblet, cutting through the flame.

The crowd cheered enthusiastically as they watched the dove soar high into the sky. I, too, clapped my hands gracefully with a smile.

When I turned to look at Enoch, he was also looking at me, and our eyes met at the perfect timing.

He gave me that crooked smile that always made my heart flutter.

Was this fluttering feeling excitement or anxiety? Perhaps it was both.

I smiled back at him, trying to hide the sharp pain that felt like tiny needles pricking my heart, not wanting anyone to notice.

* * *

“So why did the sacred flame turn white?”

The one who asked the grumpy question was none other than Julian Berstein.

At the after-party of the Victory Day ceremony, in the grand banquet hall of the Royal War Museum.

Enoch had already refused Julian’s dance request to me more than five times.

By now, even the great Julian seemed to have given up, glaring at Enoch and changing the subject. King Henry and Queen Olivia were also with us.

“The whole thing about the ancestors’ blessing was made up, right? You’re quick on your feet, Your Majesty.”

King Henry gave a bitter smile at Julian’s somewhat sarcastic whisper.

After taking a sip of champagne as if his throat was burning, he finally spoke.

“I don’t know why the sacred flame turned white either. It’s an unprecedented event. Grand Duchess…… do you have any idea?”

“……No, not at all.”

“I see. I’ll investigate the matter of the sacred flame separately.”

He then praised me for successfully completing my first event as the Grand Duchess.

Queen Olivia also smiled and echoed his words, and I felt my cheeks flush with a strange shyness as I lowered my head.

Having someone praise and show affection to me was…… really something I found hard to get used to. Until now, I had lived surrounded by people who hated and despised me.

I was truly grateful for the kindness King Henry and Queen Olivia showed me. So when I smiled brightly with genuine gratitude, it felt like the surroundings went quiet for a moment.

The one who broke that strange silence was Julian. He stepped forward with a somewhat dazed expression and once again requested,

“Let’s have a dance after all, Grand Duchess. There are so many things I want to talk to you about……”

“Get lost, Julian.”

……Of course, Enoch brushed him off again. He completely enclosed me in his arms, blocking my view with his chest.

I was utterly flustered by this situation.

“Get lost…… It’s an official event. Mind your words and actions, Grand Duke.”

“That’s not for you to say.”

“Brother, you know what? If a man is overly possessive, the woman will run away. Or she’ll cheat. Sometimes you need to give her some space.”

“You’re talking nonsense. Do I need to teach you a lesson like when we were kids?”

“You must not know, but no matter how monstrous you are, I’m not the same as when I was a kid. If it’s a duel you want, anytime.”

The situation was spiraling out of control. Sticking my head out of Enoch’s embrace, I desperately looked at King Henry, pleading for help.

Perhaps my plea worked, as King Henry sighed softly and skillfully mediated between Enoch and Julian. He seemed a bit weary, as if this wasn’t the first time this had happened.

“Enough. Both of you, remember that we are in the middle of the Victory Day ball. If you want to fight, do it later.”

Wait a minute. The last part was a bit……

I would have preferred if he had stopped the duel altogether……

……So, what happened was that the argument ceased, but Enoch and Julian ended up setting a date for a duel.

Both of them really…… seemed like immature adults.

* * *

“……The sacred flame of Freuden turned white?”

“Yes, it seems it did at today’s Victory Day ceremony.”

“What exactly happened?”

“Well…… the flame turned white the moment the Grand Duchess of Bayern fetched it.”

The man’s silver eyes gleamed sharply upon hearing the answer.

He tapped the armrest of his chair with a peculiar expression, staring into the air, then ordered his subordinate, who still had his head bowed.

“Alright, you may leave.”

“Yes, Master Victorian.”

After the subordinate left, the man called Master Victorian, ‘Nov,’ rose from his chair and approached the window.

The night was dark. The crescent moon of the great witch Hecate floated in the navy sky, exuding a sinister aura.

“The Grand Duchess of Bayern……”

He had heard of that name. Ellenore Lopez.

The legitimate daughter of the Lopez family.

Which meant that girl was…… Petra’s daughter.

The sacred brazier, one of Freuden’s national treasures, was a gift from Circe to the king to celebrate the founding of that country long ago.

And the magical flame burning in that brazier only turned white when touched by a descendant of Circe.

‘……If anyone besides me realizes this, that girl could be in trouble.’

Nov Victorian had lived long enough to be thoroughly worn out.

He had witnessed the deaths of countless family members, friends, and lovers, and about a decade ago, he heard the news of Petra’s death.

The woman who had persistently refused his offered hand of help.

She must have had a plan.

And she wasn’t someone who would die so easily.

There must be something behind her death……

‘For now…… I’ll just watch.’

He was essentially an observer. And a bystander.

He only intervened in worldly matters when magic was involved. And when he had to mediate humanity’s disputes that were spiraling out of control.

……Everything has its course. For now, he would just watch the steps that girl took.

He opened the glass door and stepped onto the balcony, taking a deep breath of the fresh night air. His long silver hair fluttered softly in the gentle breeze.

The island of Rosretzia, the Mage’s Tower, was peaceful as always. And it would remain so. As long as the master of the tower, the great mage Nov Victorian, was alive.

* * *

“……Don’t expect too much.”

“Why? You might have an unexpected talent.”

The weather forecast for Enoch Bayern this week was clear skies.

While it was predicted to be a relatively peaceful week for him, it didn’t seem to be the case for me.

Well, having my lifespan shortened every week was far from peaceful……

“Ellen, you’re holding it wrong. Do you want to dislocate your shoulder?”

“……!”

A dislocated shoulder. Just hearing it was terrifying.

……Yes. Today was the day I was supposed to learn shooting from Enoch.

I was trembling like a herbivore surrounded by predators.