Chapter 20

“Yes. She fainted briefly, but she wasn’t injured, Your Majesty.”

“We’re fine as well.”

The Emperor glanced at the wrecked terrace, then turned his gaze to the children, blinking innocently in the arms of the adults.

“…It doesn’t hurt to be cautious. Since this happened in my palace, I’ll summon the palace physician. Have them examined before returning.”

“We are grateful, Your Majesty.”

One of the little ones, now wrapped in a shawl after being caught in the whirlwind, stuck out her tongue at Lizzy.

“Vomit girl.”

Snickers erupted here and there.

Lizzy clenched her fists but didn’t get agitated like before.

At that moment, someone cautiously addressed the Emperor.

“Um, Your Majesty. What about Miss Kanna…?”

Now, the only one left amidst the wreckage was Kanna.

In full view of everyone, Kanna nonchalantly brushed off the debris and stood up.

No matter how finely the glass shards had been ground, it wasn’t as if they hadn’t left a mark. A faint scratch on her forehead oozed a small trickle of blood.

Covered in vomit, standing alone with an injury in a place where no one else had been hurt, Kanna faced the Emperor, who looked at her as though seeing something he didn’t want to confront.

“Take her as well and have her treated.”

The Emperor’s voice, spoken as he turned away, carried a cold edge.

Everyone saw the limits of the Emperor’s favor.

Perhaps this child…

But unexpected moments always arrive in clusters.

“Let go! I’ll take her myself!”

No one knew when she had arrived, but Nadia, the Princess, strode forward, throwing her staff to the ground. Draped in an unmistakably luxurious velvet dress, she marched over to Kanna and scooped her up in one swift motion.

“Who dared to torment my one and only beloved greatniece? Hm?”

When the Princess was in a foul mood, it was best to stay out of sight for one’s safety.

The nobles all averted their gazes or lowered their eyes.

Nadia was fearless by nature, and no one could predict what she might do when upset.

“Oh dear! You’re bleeding! What on earth were they all doing, leaving Kanna unattended? Kanna, are you alright?”

Nadia leaned in close to Kanna, her face shadowed and smiling deeply.

“You smell awful, daughter of Kanis Riventi.”

***

As soon as the Princess stepped into the corridor with Kanna in her arms, she began speaking as though she had been waiting for this moment.

“Michael came to see me at dawn and asked me for a favor.”

The hallway was quiet, likely because the incident had drawn everyone to the banquet hall.

“What kind of favor?”

“To look after you, of course. That’s why I’m holding you right now, isn’t it?”

Kanna, who had been wondering why the Princess would do such a thing, sighed as if she now understood. She rested her arm comfortably on the Princess’s shoulder and leaned against her.

Like all mages, Kanna spoke less and moved slower while waiting for her mana to replenish after using it.

It was similar to how hunger subsides only after eating, even after a long fast. While the mana rapidly replenished, the sensation of emptiness lingered for a time.

In other words, just as one shouldn’t bother a dog while it’s eating, one shouldn’t disturb a mage while their mana was restoring.

When Kanna remained quiet, the Princess spoke again, slightly deflated.

“Do you naively believe that? Are you sure you’re even Michael’s bloodline?”

“Since when has the Imperial Family only been composed of people who look like they share the same bloodline?”

“Well… That’s a brutally honest statement.”

The Princess finally smiled faintly, and the head servant of the Princess’s Palace walked up beside her.

He handed her the staff, which she grabbed without even looking.

“I am, after all, a reliable person when it comes to deals. There’s no one as trustworthy as me.”

“…”

“So, are you ready to give me some proper advice? I assume there’s a book you’d like to read.”

“Sure, fine. But I need to go wash up first.”

“That can be arranged.”

The Princess’s steps had been purposeful from the beginning, as if she had already decided on her destination.

“…Where are we going?”

“To wash up.”

Just then, they ran into servants walking toward them.

“Your Highness, Princess?”

“Oh, hello! It’s been a while!”

“Yes, but more importantly, this is—if you proceed this way—”

“Huh? Oh, oh—”

“Your Highness! Your Highness! You can’t go this way; this leads to His Majesty’s private—”

“No matter how much of a royal you are, you can’t go without permission—”

Even with several servants clinging to her gown, the Princess’s stride never faltered.

For her age, Nadia was remarkably spry.

“Then where am I supposed to take this filthy child? I’m just trying to clean her up; can’t you show a little flexibility?”

Since the banquet was held in the main palace, the closest place was indeed this way.

Clicking her tongue, Nadia gestured to her head servant.

“Ewyn. Go inform His Majesty.”

The man called Ewyn nodded slightly without changing his expression and left.

“Happy now?”

“But, Your Highness—”

“Ugh.”

Nadia ignored every word of protest.

She even smacked the heads of the soldiers blocking her path with her staff, eventually bringing Kanna to the reception room in the Emperor’s private quarters.

“Well then.”

The Princess turned away, as if she had done her part.

“From here on, you’re on your own.”

She spotted Ewyn running toward her and waved him off in the opposite direction.

“Let’s go back.”

“His Majesty said he doesn’t mind if she’s brought here to be cleaned up.”

Ewyn left after delivering the message, following the Princess.

The servant from the Emperor’s Palace looked at Kanna with a troubled expression before kneeling in front of her.

“Let’s get you changed here first.”

Kanna let out a deep sigh and nodded.

She didn’t want to move elsewhere in her current state either.

***

The banquet hall’s inner chamber was desolate after all the outsiders had left.

The Emperor stood alone amidst the wreckage.

“Your Majesty, you summoned us.”

“Your Majesty.”

Two Imperial mages arrived and bowed. One was an elderly mage with white hair, and the other, standing beside him, appeared to be his young apprentice.

Mages often traveled in pairs, with a senior mage and their apprentice.

Thus, when the Master of the Mage Tower suddenly appeared one day with a young man in tow, people naturally assumed she had finally taken on a disciple.

However, he was rarely seen at official events, and he seemed colder than his master, making it difficult for others to approach him.

Apart from being strikingly handsome, like Michael, he was also peculiar.

When the Master of the Mage Tower disappeared, it was assumed he had vanished with her.

Other mages, though affiliated with their respective factions, were not particularly secretive.

Most factions formed alliances with local nobles, receiving patronage in exchange for assigning mages to live in their territories. Naturally, they were also willing to serve the Imperial Family.

“What do you make of this?”

At the Emperor’s question, the mages swept their robes dramatically as they carefully examined the chamber.

Though nothing was visibly apparent, mages could sense the traces of mana lingering in the air as if they were tangible.

The purer the mana, the more distinct the scars it left in the atmosphere.

But these traces faded quickly, which was why the Emperor had summoned them urgently.

The young mage stumbled near the terrace, stepping on white debris.

Startled, he glanced at the Emperor and pretended to examine the mana traces nearby.

The scene wasn’t particularly complex.

It was clearly the result of a novice mage losing control of their mana.

The traces were chaotic, and the mana itself was rough and impure.

However, the sheer amount of mana and its scale were remarkable.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if the chamber had been half-destroyed.

In fact, it was hard to believe that only a few chairs had toppled and some furniture had shifted.

The mana traces alone were enough to send chills down one’s spine, yet no one had been harmed.

Perhaps the old tale was true.

The story that when a child became a mage early in life under the World Tree’s blessing, the tree took pity and granted them corresponding power.

This tale likely originated from the fact that Kanis Riventi had wielded magic from a very young age.

The culprit of this incident was also said to be the young daughter of the Duke’s family.

She wasn’t even eight years old, yet her small body had contained such a vast amount of mana. It was hard to say whether this was extraordinary, a blessing, or…

One thing was certain: she must have endured significant hardship.