Chapter 8
"Eric, Elisha!" Immediately after the incident, Bernard, upon hearing the news,
canceled all his appointments and returned directly to the Imperial Palace. The
scene that greeted him was shocking by any standard. The royal guards and maids,
collapsed in front of Eric's bedroom. The walls heavily charred, porcelain
shattered, the remains of furniture, barely recognizable. And in the midst of it
all, atop the bed, which remained as pristine as the eye of a storm. A girl, who
had lulled Eric to sleep in her lap and was humming softly, turned her gaze to
meet Bernard's. Her appearance was as tranquil as the sunlight filtering through
the window.
Bernard looked at his son, sleeping without a single scratch, before turning his
gaze back to Elisha. "I thought I should do something if I were going to live
here. So—." Then the girl opened her mouth, her voice clear as a lark's. "I kept
him safe."
As soon as he grasped the situation, Bernard rooted out the masterminds of the
incident. Someone who knew better than anyone that Bernard had left on a
subjugation campaign, someone who knew the palace inside and out. It was an
extreme ploy by a few elderly nobles, aimed at moving Bernard, who refused to
take a new Empress for Eric's sake. Greedy scum who hoped to see their daughters
become Empress to solidify their power. They justified themselves, claiming they
never intended to truly hurt the Prince, just to frighten him.
"Your tongues are long." The heads of several nobles involved in the incident
were cut off, and new faces began to fill the empty seats. That wasn't the only
thing that changed. From that day on, Elisha began to gain a completely
different reputation within the Imperial Palace. A genius sorceress who
single-handedly defeated an assassin even the royal guards couldn't stop. The
finest jewel Emperor Bernard discovered. The gazes that once ignored her turned
into awe and curiosity. The people who had been whispering about Elisha vanished
in an instant, and in their place, others began to line up, hoping to exchange
even a single word with her.
In the midst of that chaotic popularity, Elisha. "How tiresome." She was in a
bad mood. "People I’m not even close to keep talking to me. It’s annoying."
In the Imperial Library, inside the deepest archive that could only be accessed
by the royal family. The girl, the only non-royal allowed entry by Emperor
Bernard, grumbled while lying there. She was holding a book in her hand,
stretched high above her head.
"For someone who says that, you certainly take the sweets those people offer,"
shouted Eric, who was sitting awkwardly beside her with his legs tucked in.
Elisha answered without even casting a glance at him. "They’ll all be thrown
away if I don't eat them." "......" "They said you get punished for leaving
food." You always leave your vegetables, Your Highness, so you’ll get a big
punishment later. Elisha said with a calm voice, as if stating a fact. Eric
opened and closed his mouth a few times before letting out a deep sigh. He
shouldn't fall for such provocations over and over again; he was the Prince of
the Empire, after all...
"The ministers might even protest, wondering how a Prince who can't even eat
carrots can become the Emperor." "That’s not true!" finally, unable to contain
himself, Eric shouted. At that, Elisha closed the book she was reading and sat
up.
"Your Highness." Swish. A short wind blew that touched the bridge of Eric's
nose. It was because Elisha had leaned her upper body toward him. At that
moment, Eric's thoughts stopped as he stared blankly in front of him. Clear
eyes, a shade lighter than his own, were looking directly at him. At Elisha's
hair, so close it felt as if it would touch him, the boy unconsciously
swallowed. His heart fluttered, and he felt as if something was terribly wrong.
To be precise, since that day, since Elisha saved him...
"I’m telling you this for your own good, Your Highness." Elisha's eyes crinkled
into a gentle smile as she continued. "Picky eaters don't grow tall."
At that moment, Eric's entire face turned red. To show such a face and then say
something like "Picky eaters don't grow tall". "I really hate you!" Eric pulled
a random book from the shelf and used it to hide his face while shouting.
Elisha shrugged her shoulders and spoke calmly. "I know that even if you don't
say it now." "......" "And I told you, I don't hate you, Your Highness." With
that, Elisha reopened the book she had closed and began to read quietly.
Eric cast a stealthy glance at her for a moment, then lowered the book and began
to cast furtive glances at her. Eric wondered when Elisha had become able to use
magic. He wondered why, despite possessing such an ability, she had kept it
hidden until the moment she saved him. He wondered why this strange girl
insisted she didn't hate him, even when he said he hated her. He was just...
curious about everything.
"You." After much thought, Eric blurted out one of his many questions. "When we
first met, you said I was rude." "Yes." "And you still don't hate me?" "Are you
admitting you’re still rude, Your Highness?" the moment Eric's question ended,
Elisha's eyes widened as she asked in return. Then she furrowed her brow for a
moment as if lost in thought. "I realized that after coming here." "Realized
what?" "That you couldn't help but be that way here. This is your country, Your
Highness." Of course, that didn't mean it was right to point a finger at someone
you just met. She then continued her speech calmly. "Honestly, I understand why
you hate me, Your Highness. Who would welcome being robbed of the privileges
they enjoyed alone?" "......" "So I don't expect you to love me. That would be
greedy." Elisha's characteristic expressionless eyes fixed on Eric's gaze
without flinching.
Eric stared at her, entranced. He felt just like that day. The way she sparkled
and shone on the day she saved him. "But if I can ask for just one thing."
"......" "Stay with me on days when there is thunder and lightning." The
fairy-like girl with her snow-white hair and blue eyes said. Stay with her on
days when there is thunder and lightning. If he did that, "I will protect you,
Your Highness." She would protect him.
Rumble! The booming sound of thunder pierced Eric's ears. Eric squeezed his eyes
shut and pressed his fingertips hard against his forehead. In such loathsome
weather, a day with the thunder and lightning he so utterly detested. What on
earth could Elisha be doing?
[ Wow, damn, that scared me. ] Just as lightning flashed behind Eric, Dante on
the other side of the video communication stone flinched. "Do we really have to
do this in weather like this?" it wasn't raining here, but even so. Just as
Dante was grumbling internally, his purple eyes darting around.
"Any progress?" Eric asked, a threatening look in his eyes, in the space
illuminated by the lightning. At the same time, goosebumps rose on Dante's arms.
I almost bit my tongue.
[ Are you going to keep talking to me in that Demon King mode......? ]
"Progress." [ I shouldn't even bother. ] He finally let out a small sigh,
cleared his throat a few times, and opened his mouth again. [ A lord-level
artifact was recently put up for auction. ] "A lord-level artifact." [ As you
know, there's only one person we know who would sell such a thing without a
second thought. ] Elisha.
Dante Renard's purple eyes, the color of violets, stared into the video
communication stone, the space behind them tight with tension. With his already
fierce features, he was terrifying when he wore a serious face...
[ Just in case, I bought the artifact as soon as I confirmed it. Ah, and of
course, I put it under Your Majesty's name. ] Of course, just because he was
afraid didn't mean he couldn't say what had to be said. Dante smiled as he
recalled the price he paid to buy the artifact. It cost more than three months'
salary, I think. Of course, Eric asked with an air of complete indifference.
"And then?" [ After a detailed examination...... ] Dante then took the artifact
from his pocket and continued seriously. [ It is a near-perfect match for
Elisha's mana. ] "Near-perfect?" [ It isn't a perfect match. I find that a bit
suspicious myself, but it bears the Cardion Imperial seal stamped inside.
So...... ] "......" [ My opinion is that it’s definitely Elisha. ]
The moment he finished speaking, the communication stone screen flashed
brilliantly. Dante flinched again and knit his brow. Thunder is likely to follow
soon. Maybe I should cover my ears in advance. "The source?"
[ An inn on the outskirts of the capital. But there's a high probability she’s
already left that place...... ] Before he could finish his sentence, a heavy
roll of thunder echoed, Rumble. Dante grabbed his pounding heart and barely
managed to finish his sentence. [ ......Ah. ]
What kind of thunder is that loud? Anyone would have thought the house was
collapsing. [ I asked the innkeeper who put it up for auction if he’d received
anything else, and he said, "The person who gave me this has already left." ]
"......" [ For now, I’ve arranged for the auction houses to contact me
immediately if any related pieces appear. I plan to search the neighboring
countries a bit too. ] "......" [ Eric, are you listening to me? ] Dante
Renard's voice flowed through the communication stone.
But for Eric, even that was just an annoying hum that didn't reach his ears.
Elisha is not a reckless person. While she likely had no choice but to stay
within the capital on the first day, after fleeing at dawn, she eventually had
to head out to escape him.
I thought I found a clue. I thought I’d be able to hunt her down soon. To seem
so close, only to become distant in an instant—even that was very Elisha-like.
She always felt as if she were beside him, but that girl was always a few steps
ahead of him. But she had never vanished from his sight like this before.
"Hooo." With a soft sigh, Eric ended the call and stared out the window. Where
on earth could you be?
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