Chapter 20: Omen (2)  

She had seen many things since she first sensed something was amiss. From a neutral, third-party perspective, she observed a scene that could neither be called a comedy nor a tragedy.  

The envoys from the Kingdom of Jeren genuinely seemed to be wronged. Duke Fernand exchanged glances with the envoy from the Kingdom of Pnea. A few nobles, without any thought, jumped on the bandwagon of inciting war.  

And during all of this, not a single one of them seemed to care about the Emperor’s condition.  

‘No matter how I look at it, this seems like something the rebels planned.’  

She didn’t know why they were so intent on targeting Jeren specifically, but wasn’t it clear they had been waiting for this moment?  

The Kingdom of Jeren had no reason to openly target the Emperor. It made no sense to attempt an assassination knowing full well this would be the outcome.  

It was far more plausible that they had been unlucky and were simply being used.  

‘Paying the price of annihilation just because they failed to properly inspect a gift…’  

Chloe felt bitter, but she didn’t intervene.  

Even if she was officially neutral, she couldn’t act based on mere suspicions. And if Tehis sided with the rebels, it would be problematic to draw their ire.  

In many ways, she was forced to remain an observer.  

While she was assessing the situation, the commotion continued. The center of it was the clash of opinions between Britan Fernand and Kaishan Harpeon.  

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, please permit us to march!”  

“Duke Fernand, I understand your feelings. I too am deeply grieved, but ensuring the Emperor’s safety and uncovering the truth must come first.”  

“But Your Highness! If we take no action when it’s obvious that Jeren is behind this, the empire’s honor will…”  

“Duke!”  

Kaishan, who had raised his voice sharply, wiped the blood off his sword. His furrowed brows betrayed the emotions he was suppressing.  

“Calm yourself. I am likely the one here feeling the most anger! I want to execute the remaining envoys this very moment, but I am holding back, am I not? We can hold Jeren accountable at any time, but we must prioritize properly.”  

Chloe looked at Kaishan with new eyes.  

To be honest, she had thought the praise of him as an “ideal Crown Prince” was exaggerated. Every time she saw him, he was always acting frivolously and pretending to be close to her, so she had never imagined he could show this side of himself.  

‘So he does rise to the occasion when needed.’  

Regardless of what Chloe thought, Kaishan sheathed his sword. He approached the area stained with the Emperor’s blood and knelt on one knee.  

When he placed his hand on the crimson floor, the sticky liquid clung to his fingers. He clenched his fist tightly and stood up, continuing to speak.  

“No matter how I think about it, I cannot understand why Jeren would commit such a foolish act. If the envoys were merely being used, and there was interference from the real perpetrator…”  

His chilling gaze swept over the surroundings. It finally rested on Duke Fernand, returning to the person he had been speaking to, but the Duke himself felt the weight of the look.  

“I will find them and make them regret it. Without fail.”  

“…That’s an unreasonable assumption, Your Highness. Even if there is more to the story, it doesn’t change the fact that His Majesty collapsed after wearing Jeren’s gift, does it?”  

“Of course, Jeren must also be held accountable. But think about it, Duke. If there is another party behind this, wouldn’t we simply be playing into their hands? That’s why I’m saying we need to uncover the truth first, not hastily start a war.”  

It was a perfectly logical argument. Faced with the Crown Prince’s reasoning, Duke Fernand could no longer insist on war. He consciously softened his stiff expression and bowed politely.  

“Your Highness, you are correct. I was being rash in my excitement. However, if we do decide to march against Jeren… please allow me to lead the vanguard.”  

“Your loyalty moves me, Duke. I will remember it.”  

Although the situation seemed to end on a warm note, Chloe noticed something. She saw the corners of Duke Fernand’s lips subtly droop as he turned away.  

‘So that’s why he rebelled?’  

The Crown Prince was too competent to manipulate as he pleased.  

Having come to terms with this after observing the incident, Chloe glanced at the envoy from the Kingdom of Pnea. The one who had been stirring up the war atmosphere earlier alongside the Duke now stood silently, arms crossed, with a tight-lipped expression.  

His sour mood made her wonder if he truly was in league with the rebels.  

“Chloe.”  

“Yes?”  

Responding instinctively to Tehis’s call, she cleared her throat. Surprised by her slightly flustered tone, she adjusted her voice and turned to him.  

“What is it?”  

“Let’s leave now.”  

“Oh.”  

Only then did Chloe notice the movements of the other nobles. Following Kaishan’s announcement that the birthday banquet was over, they were beginning to leave one by one.  

“It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t dance. What a shame.”  

“Well, it’s not that important. We already danced in the garden anyway.”  

“If you’re satisfied with that, then I’m relieved…”  

“Chloe!”  

A desperate voice interrupted them. Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, Chloe turned toward its source.  

The Princess, who had left earlier with the group tending to the Emperor, was now running toward her at a frightening speed and grabbed her.  

“Helena?”  

“You can use life magic, can’t you? Elle!”  

At the Princess’s abrupt words, Chloe immediately understood what she meant. She must have remembered the fairy and come looking for her out of desperation.  

Even though her desperation was pitiful, Chloe shook her head.  

“Unfortunately, Elle still can’t control her magic. The only life magic she’s used so far is manipulating plants, so it won’t be much help for recovery.”  

“Ah…”  

Helena let out a sigh of despair. Her face, having lost its last glimmer of hope, made Chloe ask gently.  

“Is His Majesty’s condition that bad?”  

Of course, it wouldn’t be good. He had coughed up blood and lost consciousness.  

She was simply curious whether there had been any improvement. To be honest, considering the extraordinary medicines she had seen in the Imperial reports, she had thought the Emperor would recover quickly.  

Helena didn’t immediately answer Chloe’s question and instead glanced around. Although no one was listening, she leaned in and whispered quietly into Chloe’s ear.  

“We used an elixir as a last resort, but His Majesty still hasn’t woken up. According to the physician, his body has completely recovered, but for some unknown reason, he remains unconscious. Do you know anything about this kind of phenomenon?”  

“……!”  

Chloe hid her surprise.  

A condition where even an elixir couldn’t heal, where the body was fine, yet consciousness didn’t return.  

There were several possibilities, but one stood out in particular.  

‘Ancient sorcery?’  

Unlike magic, which uses mana, sorcery manipulates the power of the soul. If the Emperor’s soul was bound by a curse, it would explain what had happened to him.  

However, Chloe didn’t reveal this. It wasn’t because it was a rare occurrence that she had only read about in ancient texts with high clearance levels. Nor was it because she didn’t know how to deal with a power so different from magic. 

Sorcerers were born among barbarians. And the barbarians had been absorbed into the Grand Duchy of the North after the war.  

‘This is driving me crazy.’  

How deeply were the rebels involved in this?  

Chloe felt like ruffling her hair in frustration. Since she couldn’t accuse her lover of being the culprit, she chose to steer the topic in a different direction.  

“That’s a strange phenomenon. Could I take a look at the Kingdom of Jeren’s gift? Maybe I can figure something out through research.”  

She resolved to take it under the pretense of research until the empire stabilized. Her suggestion, however, was not answered by Helena.  

“It’s good timing that you mention it. I was planning to ask you anyway. I’ll leave it to you, Miss Chloe. I’ll send a formal request to the Mage Tower afterward.”  

It was Chernin, the 3rd Prince of the Superia Empire. His red eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her.  

“The bracelet is here. It was difficult to remove, but I’m glad I can hand it to you before you leave, Miss Chloe.”  

“…Thank you, Your Highness. Thanks to you, I won’t waste any time.”  

Why did it feel like this was his plan all along?  

Instead of showing her uneasy thoughts, Chloe smiled faintly as she accepted the box. She opened it slightly, and the smell of blood wafted out.  

It was designed so that once worn, spikes would shoot out from all directions, locking it in place. Long, sharp needles densely lined the interior.  

‘That must’ve hurt a lot.’  

Not only blood but also bits of flesh were stuck to it here and there. It seemed they hadn’t cleaned it, fearing the poison might disappear if washed with water.  

“How did you remove this?”  

“We cut off the wrist. Since an elixir can restore damaged limbs, it wasn’t an issue. We cleaned it up as much as possible afterward, but as you can see…”  

Chloe nodded in understanding and closed the lid. Although it was milder than the monster blood she often used in experiments, she didn’t want to smell human blood for long.  

“I’ll research it, but don’t expect results anytime soon. Identifying something new like this takes time.”  

“Of course. No matter how long it takes, I’ll be grateful if you can discover the cause of His Highness’s unconsciousness and a solution.”  

Chernin casually spread the information Helena had carefully whispered.  

Was it just a personality difference, or was it intentional? 

Chloe briefly observed the 3rd Prince, who didn’t seem particularly sorrowful, before nodding.  

“Yes, I’ll do my best. Please send the formal request to the Mage Tower with me as the recipient.”  

“Of course. I’ll leave it in your hands.”  

“Please, Chloe, I’m truly counting on you. He may have been a bad person to the Grand Duke… but His Majesty is not just our father but the father of this nation.”  

Helena clasped Chloe’s hands tightly as she spoke, and Chloe responded with an awkward smile. Even though she was somewhat friendly with Helena, she couldn’t bring herself to say that it might be better for the Crown Prince to inherit the throne.  

What about the possibility that her lover might have been involved in the Emperor’s assassination attempt? And the chance that the 3rd Prince standing next to her could be the mastermind of the rebellion?  

‘Why is everything so tangled?’  

As Chloe swallowed a sigh, Tehis’s arm wrapped around her shoulders. Instead of the coat she had left in the garden, his large hand transferred warmth to her.  

“Well then, Your Highness, we’ll take our leave now.”  

They needed time alone. There were so many things to discuss.