A silence lingered for a while. Nothing emerged from where the light had vanished; there was no change. The silence was soon broken by someone’s voice.

“What happened?”

“Where’s the divine beast?”

Murmurs spread through the crowd.

Dana looked at Priest Gailos, who was staring at the summoning circle with a bewildered expression. Beyond the circle, she saw the maids and knights waiting, equally flustered.

The priest hurriedly began reading from the sacred text again, but no light appeared. It remained shrouded in darkness. The great and mighty divine beast did not appear. Someone spoke up.

“Was the summoning unsuccessful?”

“That can’t be.”

“Impossible.”

Amidst the confused people, Dana saw her brother. King Taras, who had been standing with a stern face, had relaxed his expression. Dana could read the emotion on his face—relief. The king couldn’t hide his sense of relief, even for a moment.

But he quickly composed himself and shouted, “Quiet! Everyone, be silent!”

The murmuring nobles fell silent. Dana attempted to step out of the summoning circle, clutching her skirt. Then, without realizing it, her legs gave way, and she stumbled.

“Princess!”

Hilda and the maids, alarmed, rushed to support her. Leaning on their arms, Dana found it even harder to stand on her own, as if she had exhausted all her strength by standing too firmly.

Dana clenched her trembling hand into a tight fist. Her palm was damp with sweat, and her fingertips felt cold, like they were frozen.

“Are you alright?”

“No…”

Dana realized that her voice was shaking. As she walked away from the summoning circle, she spoke to the king standing there.

“I’m not feeling well. May I leave?”

It was unthinkable for the guest of honor to leave the birthday banquet, but it was understandable. For the first time in the Rowen royal family, a member had failed to contract with a divine beast on their seventeenth birthday.

“Yes, escort the princess inside!”

The king responded quickly, and with the help of the maids, Dana exited the banquet hall. She could hear the king’s voice behind her, organizing the situation.

“Everyone, quiet! The princess is unwell, so we will conclude today’s banquet!”

Such an ending would only fuel controversy, but the king’s words had already been conveyed to everyone.

Murmurs filled the air. Leaving behind the noisy chatter of the nobles, Dana turned her body, leaning on Hilda. The other maids couldn’t bring themselves to say anything else and simply followed her, calling out to the princess.

After climbing the stairs and returning in a daze, Dana reached her room and collapsed into a chair. There was no royal posture to speak of. She sat slumped in the chair, paying no mind to her cloak and skirt being a crumpled mess.

“Princess.”

Hilda, looking as if she might cry, knelt down to meet Dana’s gaze. The other maids also stepped back and knelt. Dana looked at Hilda and suddenly burst into laughter.

“Hahaha.”

“Princess?”

Ha. Hahaha. Dana laughed as she spoke.

“I couldn’t make the contract.”

“Princess…”

“I couldn’t make the contract. I couldn’t.”

Dana didn’t even realize she was laughing while crying. She didn’t notice the tears accompanying her laughter. Unaware of the flustered maids, she kept repeating the same words.

‘The contract. It was because of the contract.’

Dana finally understood why she had returned to this day. The contract had been the beginning.

The contract with the great divine beast. Because of that contract, her brother had become wary of her, and Queen Cladiemien of Heinz had betrothed her to the prince. The queen wanted to give her son the power of a strong divine beast and its legion. This was the start of everything.

‘But this time, I couldn’t make the contract. I’m just a powerless princess.’

She recalled what her divine beast had said in prison. You have to give up something big.

Dana realized.

‘I had to give up that power to survive.’

The powerful force that could have protected this kingdom. A power she possessed but never used.

When she could have used that power, she hadn’t thought to, and now that she knew she needed it, she had lost it. Had the mysterious divine beast known from the start that she would use and lose it this way? Was that why it had made a contract with her, despite being too much for her?

‘Since I didn’t make the contract with the divine beast, will Queen Cladiemien no longer marry me to her son?’

Dana cried and reached out her hand. Hilda embraced her. In Hilda’s arms, Dana sobbed aloud. Her slender arms wrapped around Hilda’s shoulders trembled continuously. Tears flowed freely, hotly soaking her cheeks.

Her tears were hot, but they wouldn’t be as hot as the blood of the dying kingdom’s people. Dana cried until her whole body shook.

Was this enough? Dana didn’t know. Had everything been pushed away by this? The blood-soaked wedding, the dreadful war, the dank prison, the cruel queen who said she would bury her alive with the prince—all of it.

“It’s alright, Princess. Another chance will come.”

“No, it won’t…”

“Princess…”

“It’s all over now…”

The divine beast Yentamien had told her she had to give up something big. She would never be able to contract with the divine beast.

It was both a relief and a sorrow. It brought both comfort and anxiety. All the tension released, and her strength left her body. The shackles that had bound her with the war finally fell away. Everything would change now.

Or at least, Dana thought so.