Chapter 4 – The Blood of Aden (Part 5)

It seemed that summer was coming to the North as well.

The fragrant wind of early summer shook the Northern forest.

Montrey headed straight to the forest without notifying the Northern castle of his arrival.

Passing through the forest could be a more dangerous journey than coming from the capital to the North.

The Northern forest was not a friendly place for humans.

There was a reason why the Hellis Empire stationed its bravest knights and knights of low birth who wouldn’t be missed if they died in the North.

The Northern forest was home to all sorts of monsters and yet-to-be-discovered creatures.

Only by guarding the Northern forest could the Northerners live without fear and maintain their humanity.

In other words, the North was a place of daily warfare.

Although Kyle was an excellent warrior, he ruled the North peacefully not solely by the power of his sword.

“…Astrid. I am here.”

Montrey whispered, standing at the edge of the forest.

He unfastened his scabbard and placed it on the ground, bringing his hand to the tree in front of him.

“Leo Montrey.”

When he opened his eyes after closing them, a woman’s hand was over his.

Montrey lifted his head.

The queen of the witches appeared before him.

After his coming-of-age ceremony in the North, Kyle secretly formed an alliance with the witches of the Northern forest.

From the perspective of an empire worshipping the Sun God as the only god, witches were heretics and seeds of the devil, deserving execution without question.

However, Kyle secretly tasked them with eliminating the monsters in the border forest and supplied them with surplus food and resources to solve the village’s supply shortage problem.

By setting aside the pretense, the matter was resolved swiftly.

However, such actions, which were tantamount to defying the Sun God, were impossible for a devout Imperial Family member.

All this was possible because Kyle did not have deep faith in the Sun God.

“I have come to ask for help.”

The witch’s blue eyes quickly turned black.

“The prince is in danger.”

“I need the power of your kind.”

Astrid replied as if she already knew.

“It can no longer be delayed. The time has come for that child.”

‘War.’

Thinking of that word left a bitter taste in Montrey’s mouth.

“Do you know about that child’s mother?”

Astrid asked.

“Unless His Highness speaks first, I do not pry.”

Montrey emphasized.

Astrid chuckled and turned her gaze beyond the forest.

“I want only one thing. For us to no longer live in hiding.”

“If you support him, such a world will come. So be his hands and feet.”

Astrid continued to stare somewhere, perhaps seeing the past or the future.

“Do you mean the prince, or the daughter of Aden?”

Astrid’s words made Montrey’s expression heavier.

“If you mean the prince, then you must have some idea about his birth.”

“Is that so important?”

Astrid looked at Montrey with a peculiar expression.

“So you want my witches to become knights loyal to your lord?”

“I do not expect loyalty. Just lend me your strength.”

“A single word of request might make me seriously consider it.”

Astrid chuckled.

“This is no time for jokes. It’s an urgent matter.”

“Then all the more reason to ask properly, isn’t it?”

“I ask you, Astrid of the North.”

Astrid smiled.

Her smile looked like that of a 15-year-old girl and an old woman who had lived for many years.

“Then I will help you become the son of Aden again, Leo Montrey.”

***

The Empress stood before her, holding a well-sharpened dagger.

‘A witch of Aden.’

Elena muttered inwardly.

‘I don’t know what she might do to me.’

Seia wore a leisurely expression as if she knew exactly what Elena was thinking.

“After the last incident, I need to see if the Lady truly intends to help me or if she plans to return to being the Emperor’s spy.”

“Y-Your Majesty.”

Elena felt sweat on her cold palms.

Seia lifted the dagger and checked the blade before cutting her fingertip to draw blood.

“Your Majesty!”

Elena was startled and approached Seia quickly.

As she hesitated, trying to see the wound, Seia grabbed Elena’s hand.

“By the power of the Goddess of the Earth, I ask you to speak only the truth and honor her name.”

‘A witch.’

Elena’s heart pounded.

“You are a witch.”

Seia laughed out loud at Elena’s words.

Elena, bewildered by the sight of the Empress laughing out loud, soon realized she had spoken her thoughts out loud.

Elena collapsed into her seat.

“Your Majesty, I, I didn’t mean to say something foolish… I apologize. Please forgive me.”

Seia looked down at Elena with interest.

‘Is it true that touching my blood makes one speak the truth?’

Elena wasn’t a maid loyal to the bone, but she wasn’t the type to speak recklessly to the Empress either.

And Elena was trembling with fear.

Seia bent down and intertwined her finger with Elena’s again.

“Did you reveal the promise between us to Tristan?”

Elena, trembling with fear, answered urgently.

“No, no, Your Majesty. I did not.”

“Then have you conveyed all of Tristan’s instructions to me without omission?”

Elena nodded frantically as if seeking approval.

“I told you everything, Your Majesty. Truly.”

‘Can I trust her?’

Although the scene before her was fascinating, Seia wasn’t entirely convinced.

However, since Elena wasn’t a person capable of such convincing acting, it seemed that her blood did indeed have some power after the blood oath.

‘I need to experiment more.’

Seia slowly released Elena’s hand.

Elena stared blankly into space for a moment before suddenly standing up.

“Your Majesty, I… I have caused trouble.”

Seia looked into Elena’s eyes as if examining her.

“Go and rest.”

At Seia’s words, Elena hesitated before finally bowing and leaving the room.

‘Those who inherit the blood of Mirshi, the Goddess of the Earth and the greatest witch, can borrow her power.’

Seia recalled what she had read in a book.

‘But that power is not given freely.’

Seia looked at her wounded fingertip.

The blood had already stopped, and the wound was healing.

‘One must pledge loyalty to Mirshi by offering their blood. Through a blood oath, if one forms a life-binding contract with Mirshi, she grants the power to fulfill the oath.’

Seia had formed a blood alliance with Kyle, agreeing to make him Emperor and gain her freedom.

A blood oath required the blood of the contracting parties. The reason was that it wasn’t just a symbol of the oath but an act of directly connecting their lives to Mirshi.

Therefore, those who break the contract are punished by Mirshi.

Death, or a fate worse than death.

Despite this, Kyle did not hesitate to make a contract with Seia.

‘So does he also have some power from Mirshi?’

Seia wondered.

As a member of the Aden family, it made sense that she could receive Mirshi’s power, making her blood magical.

So did Kyle, the contracting party, also gain some abilities?

Seia was curious.

‘He must be with my brother by now.’

She sighed softly, thinking of Kyle.

‘Did he arrive safely? Did Percy understand my message? Did they manage to join forces safely?’

Countless questions swirled in her mind.

Seia stood by the window, looking at the endless palace buildings.

She missed the vast land of Aden even more.

Seia pictured Kyle and Percy in her mind once more and then drew the curtains.

***

When Tristan opened his eyes, he was greeted by a splitting headache.

He groaned in frustration and sat up.

He was buried in the bed, naked.

The bedroom was a mess.

Clothes were thrown everywhere, the bedding was torn, broken bottles were scattered, and the sofa was overturned.

The sunlight pierced the room, revealing the debauchery of the night.

“Damn it.”

His voice was hoarse.

When Tristan turned around, he saw Ruby Haisen with her disheveled hair, as messy as he was.

She was sleeping, sprawled out.

Only then did Tristan feel his mind clearing.

This was the third day he had been holed up in the Imperial Palace with Ruby.

‘I am so glad I can now embrace the Emperor instead of the Crown Prince.’

The woman’s voice was sweet like a dream, and he was intoxicated.

On the night of the consummation, Tristan was thrilled at the thought of finally bending Seia’s will.

However, true to her usual behavior, Seia did not come to the Imperial Palace on time.

As time dragged on, Elena had the maids bring the finest wine from the Constance family.

The wine was fantastic.

Thinking about finally embracing a woman in the very room where only his father had been allowed filled him with satisfaction.

‘Father, do you see? Now this palace, this empire, all of it is mine.’

When Tristan realized he would never gain his father’s approval, he found an answer.

‘If the object of my desire is gone, there is no need to seek approval.’

In other words, eliminating him was enough.

Patricide sounded like a terrifying crime, but it was commonplace in the Imperial Family and prestigious families.

In the face of power, there was no guilt or sentiment.

Tristan had no hesitation or regret.

Drinking the wine with a sense of fulfillment, Tristan, uncharacteristically, began to doze off.

‘It seems the Constance family has offered proper wine.’

Already heavily intoxicated and relaxed with anticipation, he had no suspicion.

It wasn’t his first time drinking until he was tipsy and smoking herbs.

“Everything belongs to the Emperor.”

A soft voice echoed in his ears.

It felt as if the voice was lifting him into the air.

He embraced the woman in his arms without hesitation.

The woman who had always looked at him with cold eyes, giving him no leeway, was now crumbling in his embrace.

The sense of conquest was incomparable.

The incense burning at the bedside also stimulated him.

It was the kind of incense used at decadent parties where high-ranking nobles wore masks and mingled with anyone they saw.

It heightened emotions, excited the body, and made one lose reason.

The woman’s arms, legs, and tongue completely entangled him, and he easily succumbed to the abyss of stimulation.

When he half came to his senses, the woman in his arms had red hair like a poisoned apple, not the alluring lavender hair.

As Tristan stirred, Ruby woke up.

She smiled sleepily, a smile Tristan loved.

Ruby wrapped herself around Tristan like a snake again.

Sweet words, as sweet as her skin, echoed in his ears like a song.

Flattery about his power, authority, and masculinity.

Satisfied, Tristan embraced Ruby once more.

Afterward, Ruby offered him a well-rolled herb, and Tristan completely lost his reason again.

Feeling like he was in heaven, doing things he couldn’t do in heaven.

When he was exhausted, Ruby fed him water and food and put him to sleep.

She was like a red angel existing solely for Tristan.

And now, having slept too long due to exhaustion, with all the effects of the drugs worn off, Tristan felt a sense of discomfort.

“Ruby.”

He called Ruby with a hoarse voice.

When she didn’t respond, he grabbed her bare shoulder and shook her roughly.

“Your Majesty, my Emperor.”

Even her half-asleep voice was sweet.

But Tristan had no intention of returning to their debauched paradise.

“Get out.”

Ruby snapped awake at his icy voice.

She was used to Tristan’s whims.

Tristan could embrace her lovingly like a true lover, whispering sweet nothings, and then the next moment, grab her by the hair and throw her out of bed.

Ruby, without wiping the smile from her face, quickly gathered her clothes before Tristan’s mood worsened.

She no longer felt pitiful about her situation.

‘I have bought two days without any issues, so my job is done.’

Ruby hurriedly headed to the passage leading from the Emperor’s palace to the Empress’s palace.

Seia had already allowed her to use this passage.

Seia had told her to keep Tristan occupied for at least two days, and Ruby had faithfully carried this out.

Spending time with Tristan wasn’t entirely futile.

Even if Tristan was half out of his mind, he would remember the days spent together.

Whether or not she received Seia’s help, Ruby’s only choice was to become the Empress.