Chapter 7

The spirit’s voice was youthful yet incredibly beautiful. It was filled with a quivering sob, making it sound pitiful.

However, Liliana felt more amazement than pity for the spirit. She covered her mouth and exclaimed softly,

“It really is a spirit!”

The spirit, in a similar tone, shouted back,

“You really can see me!”

Liliana and the spirit blinked at each other in mutual astonishment.

In the original world’s lore, parallel worlds existed, and humans could traverse them only in their spiritual forms. Spirits could freely travel between these parallel worlds. By forming a contract with a spirit, one could wield powers from these otherworldly realms, and such individuals were known as spirit summoners.

The protagonist, whom Liliana might give birth to in the future, is also a spirit summoner. From a young age, the protagonist realizes her talent and contracts with two spirit kings, making them overpowered characters.

The first requirement to become a spirit summoner was ‘seeing spirits.’ Those without the talent couldn’t see spirits at all. Liliana had never seen a spirit before, so she didn’t know she possessed the skill of a spirit summoner.

Reflecting on it, since Helio lacked the talent of a spirit summoner, it must have come from Liliana’s side if there was any genetic potential.

“Can you really see me? Can you touch me?” the spirit asked in a longing voice.

Liliana hesitated before reaching out and lightly tapping the spirit’s forehead. She felt a delicate sensation against her fingertip, like touching something smaller and more fragile than a tiny kitten.

Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, Liliana quickly withdrew her hand and looked at the spirit. The spirit, rubbing its forehead, exclaimed hopefully, “You can touch me! You have the talent of a spirit summoner, don’t you?”

“I-I think so. But why were you crying here?“

“Look at this!”

The spirit stepped from where it had been sitting, revealing a clattering iron ball at its feet.

It turned out that the spirit’s foot was shackled, and the iron ball was restraining it.

The spirit flapped its wings with a tearful expression but couldn’t fly far due to the short chain.

“What in the world is this? Who did this to you?“

“I don’t know. One day, I woke up and found myself like this.”

The spirit started crying again.

“Because of these shackles, I can’t use my powers or go elsewhere for help!”

Feeling pity, Liliana carefully lifted the iron ball. While it might have been heavy for the spirit, it only felt slightly cumbersome to Liliana and easily manageable.

As Liliana placed the iron ball on her palm, the spirit joyfully fluttered its wings.

“Oh my! I’m flying high! Could you keep holding it up for me?”

Liliana felt sorry but couldn’t continue holding it indefinitely. Seeing her apologetic expression, the spirit began to cry again.

It seemed the spirit had been trapped here for a long time. The maids who passed by couldn’t see the spirit due to their lack of summoner talent.

Liliana placed the iron ball back on the table and looked around. The storage room was filled with various items, including a hammer.

She picked up the hammer and struck the metal chain between the iron ball and the shackle. However, the loud clanging noise achieved nothing.

Liliana tried several other tools, but none worked.

The spirit’s expression grew increasingly disheartened, and Liliana felt sympathy.

“Let’s not stay here. Let’s go to my room. Some sunlight may cheer you up. Well, it’s nighttime now, but still…“

“You’ll take me with you?“

“What’s so difficult about that?”

Liliana lifted the iron ball onto her palm, and the spirit settled on her hand, fluttering its wings.

As she headed to her bedroom, Liliana quietly asked the spirit, “How can we break these shackles? If I can obtain it, I’ll get it for you.“

Despite being from a defeated nation, she was a princess and soon to be an Empress Consort. She could manage to get even expensive items if needed. However, the spirit shook its head.

“It’s not something you can break with tools. I sense another spirit’s power in these shackles.“

“Then, what should we do?”

Liliana brought her hand closer to her face and asked. The spirit, placing its hand on her nose, said, “Would you like to learn spirit magic?”

Liliana looked troubled, hearing the hopeful words. The protagonist learned spirit magic in the original story and endured countless hardships to form contracts.

The protagonist had no choice but to showcase exceptional skills to survive, but for Liliana, revealing such abilities would be disadvantageous.

Seeing Liliana’s hesitation, the spirit’s youthful face showed visible distress.

“I’ll help you! I’m the spirit of the wind. Isn’t it cool to control the wind freely?“

“It is cool, but… Honestly, I don’t need it. How about finding another spirit to help? Or I can bring a spirit summoner.“

“It has to be you!”

The spirit’s sudden outburst startled Liliana, causing her to lower her hand slightly. The spirit wobbled briefly before continuing its plea.

“I have a feeling! You can break this!“

“But…”

Just as Liliana thought finding someone else rather than learning spirit magic would be quicker, something struck her mind.

‘Wait, with the power of the wind…’

A good idea came to her, and she lowered her head to ask the spirit,

“If I learn spirit magic, can you… do that for me?”

Hearing Liliana’s hopeful voice, the spirit confidently answered, “Of course!”

At that, Liliana promptly nodded.

“What do I need to do to learn spirit magic?“

Liliana’s response was practically an affirmation. The spirit’s eyes sparkled as it spun in the air.

“First, you need to feel the wind! Let’s go outside right now!”

Liliana giggled at the spirit’s urgency and playfully poked its nose.

“Not now. Starting tomorrow. Let’s get some sleep tonight.”

Despite the spirit’s insistence that it must be done immediately, it could only flutter back and forth on Liliana’s palm. Liliana gently patted the spirit’s head with her fingertip and carried it to her room, cupping it carefully in her hands.

At the door of her bedroom, the maid who had been dozing off woke up at Liliana’s footsteps and stood up abruptly. Seeing Liliana holding her hands as if cradling something, the maid asked curiously, “What are you holding?”

Liliana hummed for a moment before answering nonchalantly, “A firefly. Could you open the door for me?“

“I’m not a firefly!“ the spirit protested, and Liliana placed it beside her pillow as she lay in bed. After reminding Liliana to inform her if she was going anywhere, the maid closed the door.

Before falling asleep, the spirit whispered in Liliana’s ear, “My name is Chuchu. What’s yours?“

“I’m Liliana. Nice to meet you.“

“Okay, Liliana. Promise we’ll go outside tomorrow?”

Liliana chuckled and nodded. Considering her monotonous palace life, adding something other than reading and embroidery to her routine felt refreshing.

* * *

Honestly, there wasn’t much wind in the imperial palace. The capital had been built in a comfortable place, and constant wind would have been unusual.

But Chuchu said it didn’t matter. Whether it was a gentle breeze or a stronger wind, what mattered was feeling where it came from and letting it wrap around her.

So, for about a fortnight, Liliana wandered through the gardens of the Emerald Palace, trying to sense the wind. During this time, she realized that while she might not be as talented as the original protagonist, she did have a considerable knack for spirit magic.

Although she had never met another spirit summoner to compare herself with, she could feel the wind clinging to her fingers like cotton candy as soon as she focused on sensing it.

Next, she let the wind wrap around her arms, legs, body, and even hair. Once she accomplished that, Liliana attempted to break Chuchu’s iron ball.

According to Chuchu, enveloping the iron ball with wind and compressing it might break it. However, wrapping the wind around an external object rather than her body was difficult.

“Chuchu, I’m sorry. This will take more time.“

“No, you’re much faster than I thought! You’re amazing!”

Chuchu said this while hugging Liliana’s finger. Liliana smiled at Chuchu and handed it a cookie. Chuchu began nibbling happily on the edge of the cookie.

As Liliana watched Chuchu with a satisfied expression, Sophia prodded her.

“Your Highness, the ceremony is about to start.”

“Alright.”

Liliana stood up carefully, making sure not to step on her skirts.

Today was the day of her official ceremony as Empress Consort, the day she would indeed become the Empress Consort.

The ceremony was held in the Empress Dowager’s palace, so Liliana and her maids headed there.

Liliana was surprised to find that the ceremony was not in a garden, but in the small forest, she had admired during a previous visit to the Empress Dowager’s palace.

Beautiful fabrics were hung between the trees, and a white carpet was laid out. It wasn’t a particularly solemn atmosphere.

As she walked into the outdoor venue, Liliana thought a flower crown might suit the ceremony better than a tiara.

Walking down the carpet towards the makeshift platform, she saw the Empress Dowager seated there, smiling warmly at her.

“I heard you admired this forest when you visited my palace.”

So, she had arranged the ceremony here out of consideration? Liliana felt overwhelmed by the Empress Dowager’s thoughtfulness and bowed deeply.

“I am honored that you have taken such care of me.“

“The position of Empress Consort is becoming someone’s wife without a wedding. I wanted to make it special since it’s your first time. Come closer.”

A quiet ceremony like this, with only the Empress Dowager and their maids present, would be the first and last of its kind. No one would willingly celebrate the Empress Consort from a defeated nation.

Still, Liliana liked the idea of having the ceremony in the small forest. It felt more special than any grand ceremony could.

Liliana approached the Empress Dowager and knelt. The Empress Dowager came forward and placed the Empress Consort’s tiara on Liliana’s head. The silver tiara, adorned with diamonds, made Liliana look even more beautiful.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I will do my best to serve you.”

Liliana looked up at the Empress Dowager with a smile. The Empress Dowager looked down at her kindly but suddenly raised her head. At the end of her gaze was someone who shouldn’t have been there.

“What brings the Emperor here?”

The Emperor? Liliana instinctively turned around. Her pink hair cascaded down her back. She couldn’t believe it, but there he was.

Helio, in his ceremonial uniform.