“This is...”
“This is a marriage proposal from the royal family.”
“A proposal...? Who is it to me...?”
No way.
Bellona slowly closed and opened her eyes repeatedly, as if she were having difficulty understanding Areana's words.
“His Majesty the Emperor has sent you a marriage proposal.”
“His Majesty the Emperor...?”
As soon as Areana finished speaking, Bellona thought of the man she had seen on the day of his coronation.
The face of the man who kept smiling at her while they were dancing together.
They just danced once, and then suddenly he proposed to her.
Bellona turned her head, wondering if perhaps her parents and the Emperor had made some kind of deal without her knowledge.
However, the Duke and Duchess also looked embarrassed and perplexed by the Emperor's proposal.
Areana approached her and took her hand.
“What happened with His Majesty the Emperor at the coronation that day?”
“That day...”
She was just dancing.
The Emperor was the one who asked her to dance first, and she didn't refuse him.
So she was very embarrassed by this situation.
“Nothing happened...”
“Then, have you ever met the Emperor before the rebellion?”
"Yes?"
Before the rebellion happened.
Areana let out a short sigh as she looked at her daughter's expression, which said she didn't understand it.
“In fact, the man who is now the Emperor came to see us a long time ago.”
“...”
“He was only eight years old, but I knew the moment I saw him. He was the child of prophecy, the Emperor had been searching for.”
Bellona was also well aware of Oroz's prophecy.
The prophecy that the Emperor's illegitimate child would one day kill his father and become Emperor always made the deposed Emperor tremble in anxiety.
Areana continued speaking slowly, as if recalling her first meeting with Carsis.
“We were going to denounce the child right away. It was impossible for a man with power to defy the Emperor. But Charles stopped us. He asked us to help her protect the child.”
Areana, who was talking about Charlotte, the Duke of Oroz, and her close friend, made a face as if something painful had come to mind. However, she soon calmed down as if nothing had happened.
“So I followed Charles’s will. It was a very dangerous thing where I could lose everything in an instant... but I decided to help the child. As a result, he became the current Emperor.”
It was the first time Bellona heard with her own ears that her parents had helped in the rebellion. It was clear that something had been said to the Duke of Oroz, Deborah's mother, but Areana had not told her about it.
“When that child first came to our house, he was looking at you through the window while you were playing in the garden. He was smiling at you. At first, I thought he just liked you because you were around the same age...”
Areana's face hardened as she trailed off.
“No, those weren’t the eyes of a child.”
The events of that day were still vivid in her mind.
Those obsessive eyes stared intently at young Bellona.
“Bellona.”
Areana ran her fingers over Bellona's hand, which she was holding.
“The Emperor is a man whose heart is unfathomable. He is different from the Crown Prince Ernest. He may harbor the same cruelty as his father, or even more cruelty. And I am worried that such a man is showing such interest in you.”
"...Mother."
“Actually, if it’s for the good of our family, marrying the Emperor isn’t such a bad thing.”
For nothing was more solid a bond with a new Emperor than a marriage alliance.
"But..."
She raised her hand and stroked Bellona's cheek.
“Your happiness is more important. I want you to meet a kind and affectionate man.”
“Like my father?”
The tense atmosphere was relieved by Bellona’s words. At this, Areana nodded with a meaningless smile.
“I think I suddenly made the mood too dark. There’s going to be a summer festival soon, right? Since we’ve come all the way to the capital, we should at least enjoy the festival.”
“Really?”
Bellona, who had been locked up in the territory for quite some time, was looking forward to the upcoming festival. She had already planned to ask her parents for permission.
“Yes. I’ll set aside some time that day, so let’s go together.”
Bellona nodded strongly, not knowing that someone would readily ask her to go with him.
"Great!"
Bellona answered brightly, as if she had already forgotten the serious story that Areana had just told her.
Every summer.
In the capital of the Spanish Empire, a summer festival was held to commemorate the day when the god Helios first appeared on earth.
This festival, held for only three days a year, began with the worship of the god Helios and ended with the most extravagant decorations on the last day.
And today was the final day, marking the grand finale of the festival.
Bellona, who had fantasized about a summer festival ever since she was in the territory, had been looking forward to this day.
However.
“Huh? You’re suddenly going to the territory?”
Bellona, who had come out fully prepared to go to the festival, was greeted by the Duke and Duchess, who were hastily preparing to go down to the territory.
“Yes. I heard that the dam near the Haros River collapsed due to heavy rain. So I have to go down to the territory right now. I don’t think I can go to the festival with you. What should I do?”
Areana trailed off, as if she was sorry for not being able to keep her promise to her daughter.
“Is the festival a problem right now? The situation in the territory is more urgent. We can go to the festival next year. I will also go up and prepare to go to the territory right away. So together...”
Areana stopped Bellona from rushing back to her room.
“No. I’ll just take care of the situation and then come back to the capital. You don’t need to go down to the territory. So, how about you go to the festival alone today? I think it would be a good idea to ask Deborah and Elizabeth to come with you.”
"But..."
“The landfill isn’t that big of a problem. There were no casualties, and I’ll just go and meet with the technical manager to discuss the dam restoration work.”
Judging from how she said it like that, it didn't seem like a big problem. Bellona nodded after thinking about it for a moment.
“Yes, then don’t worry about me and take care.”
“Yeah. Stay close to Jenna and James. As for your powers... You know you’re not supposed to use them, right?”
"Sure."
Power comes with a price.
It was something her mother would always repeat to the point where it was ringing in her ears.
Areana was extremely reluctant to let Bellona use her powers. The more she used her powers, the more life force she lost.
Because of that, Bellona had never used her powers since she awakened them. She also always wore earrings that suppressed her powers, in case she used them without realizing it.
“What use will there be at the festival? Don’t worry, I’ll be right next to James and Jenna.”
... She boasted like that.
Her loud voice was cruelly shattered just two hours after she had started enjoying the festivities.
"Ha..."
Bellona sighed involuntarily at the sight before her eyes.
She was just trying to help a lost child.
“She looks like a noble lady who doesn’t know how to act, but when you say nice things to her, she’ll give you everything she has.”
She met the bad guys she only heard about through rumors.
She looked at the child hesitating in the corner with complicated eyes.
'I've heard that in the capital, people cut off their noses with their eyes open.'
But she didn't know that even children would use it like that.
Just 10 minutes ago.
As Bellona was distracted by the splendid festival, she lost sight of her escorts, James and Jenna, and was searching for them.
She couldn't turn down the look in the eyes of the child who was crying and clutching at the hem of her skirt, saying that she had lost her mother.
When Bellona, who was walking around the square as the child led her, felt something strange, she had already entered an alley.
As soon as she entered the deserted area, men who looked like thugs who had been hiding somewhere surrounded Bellona.
“Or you can come play with us. We can show you a thrill that you, a precious young lady, have never experienced before.”
While spitting out such clichéd and vulgar words.
Tch.
Bellona looked at the men in front of her and began to plot a way out.
Even if she screams here, it seems like no one will come to help...
If she tried to run away, it was obvious that they would catch her before she could even take a few steps.
'Then again...'
There was no other way.
Bellona sighed again as if she had no choice but to reach for her earrings.
And at that moment, when she was about to take off her earrings.
“There is no need for that.”
A man's voice was heard behind Bellona.
It was a voice that she felt like she had heard before.
'Who was it?'
She's definitely heard of it...
She just felt like the voice was familiar, but she couldn't picture exactly who it was.
She glanced at the men standing in front of her, just in case. But their wary attitudes already told her the answer.
It was at that moment that Bellona, unable to overcome the feeling of being suffocated as if she were floating through fog, turned around to confirm who the owner of the voice was.
A man suddenly approached without warning and stuck close behind Bellona.
The stranger's hand covered Bellona's hand by her ear and whispered.
“You don’t have to use your power.”
It was a small voice, but clear enough for everyone there to hear.
The man lowered his hand, as if he really didn't want Bellona to use her powers.
At the same time, the man's scent brushed the tip of her nose.
A cool breeze, like the scent of a green forest on a summer day. She had definitely smelled this scent before. And it had only been a few days ago.
Bellona, who had been mulling it over in her head, froze as if she had realized something.
The day she revealed herself as the successor to the House of Jupiter. The man who approached her first, extended his hand.
"No way..."
Just as she was about to check the man's face again, he moved his body.
One step. Another step.
The man with his back to Bellona slowly moved forward.
At that moment, a sudden wind blew.
Dark hair, darker than the darkness visible between the exposed robes.
Bellona let out a sigh without realizing it at the overwhelming presence.
'Carsis...'
“A proposal...? Who is it to me...?”
No way.
Bellona slowly closed and opened her eyes repeatedly, as if she were having difficulty understanding Areana's words.
“His Majesty the Emperor has sent you a marriage proposal.”
“His Majesty the Emperor...?”
As soon as Areana finished speaking, Bellona thought of the man she had seen on the day of his coronation.
The face of the man who kept smiling at her while they were dancing together.
They just danced once, and then suddenly he proposed to her.
Bellona turned her head, wondering if perhaps her parents and the Emperor had made some kind of deal without her knowledge.
However, the Duke and Duchess also looked embarrassed and perplexed by the Emperor's proposal.
Areana approached her and took her hand.
“What happened with His Majesty the Emperor at the coronation that day?”
“That day...”
She was just dancing.
The Emperor was the one who asked her to dance first, and she didn't refuse him.
So she was very embarrassed by this situation.
“Nothing happened...”
“Then, have you ever met the Emperor before the rebellion?”
"Yes?"
Before the rebellion happened.
Areana let out a short sigh as she looked at her daughter's expression, which said she didn't understand it.
“In fact, the man who is now the Emperor came to see us a long time ago.”
“...”
“He was only eight years old, but I knew the moment I saw him. He was the child of prophecy, the Emperor had been searching for.”
Bellona was also well aware of Oroz's prophecy.
The prophecy that the Emperor's illegitimate child would one day kill his father and become Emperor always made the deposed Emperor tremble in anxiety.
Areana continued speaking slowly, as if recalling her first meeting with Carsis.
“We were going to denounce the child right away. It was impossible for a man with power to defy the Emperor. But Charles stopped us. He asked us to help her protect the child.”
Areana, who was talking about Charlotte, the Duke of Oroz, and her close friend, made a face as if something painful had come to mind. However, she soon calmed down as if nothing had happened.
“So I followed Charles’s will. It was a very dangerous thing where I could lose everything in an instant... but I decided to help the child. As a result, he became the current Emperor.”
It was the first time Bellona heard with her own ears that her parents had helped in the rebellion. It was clear that something had been said to the Duke of Oroz, Deborah's mother, but Areana had not told her about it.
“When that child first came to our house, he was looking at you through the window while you were playing in the garden. He was smiling at you. At first, I thought he just liked you because you were around the same age...”
Areana's face hardened as she trailed off.
“No, those weren’t the eyes of a child.”
The events of that day were still vivid in her mind.
Those obsessive eyes stared intently at young Bellona.
“Bellona.”
Areana ran her fingers over Bellona's hand, which she was holding.
“The Emperor is a man whose heart is unfathomable. He is different from the Crown Prince Ernest. He may harbor the same cruelty as his father, or even more cruelty. And I am worried that such a man is showing such interest in you.”
"...Mother."
“Actually, if it’s for the good of our family, marrying the Emperor isn’t such a bad thing.”
For nothing was more solid a bond with a new Emperor than a marriage alliance.
"But..."
She raised her hand and stroked Bellona's cheek.
“Your happiness is more important. I want you to meet a kind and affectionate man.”
“Like my father?”
The tense atmosphere was relieved by Bellona’s words. At this, Areana nodded with a meaningless smile.
“I think I suddenly made the mood too dark. There’s going to be a summer festival soon, right? Since we’ve come all the way to the capital, we should at least enjoy the festival.”
“Really?”
Bellona, who had been locked up in the territory for quite some time, was looking forward to the upcoming festival. She had already planned to ask her parents for permission.
“Yes. I’ll set aside some time that day, so let’s go together.”
Bellona nodded strongly, not knowing that someone would readily ask her to go with him.
"Great!"
Bellona answered brightly, as if she had already forgotten the serious story that Areana had just told her.
***
Every summer.
In the capital of the Spanish Empire, a summer festival was held to commemorate the day when the god Helios first appeared on earth.
This festival, held for only three days a year, began with the worship of the god Helios and ended with the most extravagant decorations on the last day.
And today was the final day, marking the grand finale of the festival.
Bellona, who had fantasized about a summer festival ever since she was in the territory, had been looking forward to this day.
However.
“Huh? You’re suddenly going to the territory?”
Bellona, who had come out fully prepared to go to the festival, was greeted by the Duke and Duchess, who were hastily preparing to go down to the territory.
“Yes. I heard that the dam near the Haros River collapsed due to heavy rain. So I have to go down to the territory right now. I don’t think I can go to the festival with you. What should I do?”
Areana trailed off, as if she was sorry for not being able to keep her promise to her daughter.
“Is the festival a problem right now? The situation in the territory is more urgent. We can go to the festival next year. I will also go up and prepare to go to the territory right away. So together...”
Areana stopped Bellona from rushing back to her room.
“No. I’ll just take care of the situation and then come back to the capital. You don’t need to go down to the territory. So, how about you go to the festival alone today? I think it would be a good idea to ask Deborah and Elizabeth to come with you.”
"But..."
“The landfill isn’t that big of a problem. There were no casualties, and I’ll just go and meet with the technical manager to discuss the dam restoration work.”
Judging from how she said it like that, it didn't seem like a big problem. Bellona nodded after thinking about it for a moment.
“Yes, then don’t worry about me and take care.”
“Yeah. Stay close to Jenna and James. As for your powers... You know you’re not supposed to use them, right?”
"Sure."
Power comes with a price.
It was something her mother would always repeat to the point where it was ringing in her ears.
Areana was extremely reluctant to let Bellona use her powers. The more she used her powers, the more life force she lost.
Because of that, Bellona had never used her powers since she awakened them. She also always wore earrings that suppressed her powers, in case she used them without realizing it.
“What use will there be at the festival? Don’t worry, I’ll be right next to James and Jenna.”
... She boasted like that.
Her loud voice was cruelly shattered just two hours after she had started enjoying the festivities.
"Ha..."
Bellona sighed involuntarily at the sight before her eyes.
She was just trying to help a lost child.
“She looks like a noble lady who doesn’t know how to act, but when you say nice things to her, she’ll give you everything she has.”
She met the bad guys she only heard about through rumors.
She looked at the child hesitating in the corner with complicated eyes.
'I've heard that in the capital, people cut off their noses with their eyes open.'
But she didn't know that even children would use it like that.
Just 10 minutes ago.
As Bellona was distracted by the splendid festival, she lost sight of her escorts, James and Jenna, and was searching for them.
She couldn't turn down the look in the eyes of the child who was crying and clutching at the hem of her skirt, saying that she had lost her mother.
When Bellona, who was walking around the square as the child led her, felt something strange, she had already entered an alley.
As soon as she entered the deserted area, men who looked like thugs who had been hiding somewhere surrounded Bellona.
“Or you can come play with us. We can show you a thrill that you, a precious young lady, have never experienced before.”
While spitting out such clichéd and vulgar words.
Tch.
Bellona looked at the men in front of her and began to plot a way out.
Even if she screams here, it seems like no one will come to help...
If she tried to run away, it was obvious that they would catch her before she could even take a few steps.
'Then again...'
There was no other way.
Bellona sighed again as if she had no choice but to reach for her earrings.
And at that moment, when she was about to take off her earrings.
“There is no need for that.”
A man's voice was heard behind Bellona.
It was a voice that she felt like she had heard before.
'Who was it?'
She's definitely heard of it...
She just felt like the voice was familiar, but she couldn't picture exactly who it was.
She glanced at the men standing in front of her, just in case. But their wary attitudes already told her the answer.
It was at that moment that Bellona, unable to overcome the feeling of being suffocated as if she were floating through fog, turned around to confirm who the owner of the voice was.
A man suddenly approached without warning and stuck close behind Bellona.
The stranger's hand covered Bellona's hand by her ear and whispered.
“You don’t have to use your power.”
It was a small voice, but clear enough for everyone there to hear.
The man lowered his hand, as if he really didn't want Bellona to use her powers.
At the same time, the man's scent brushed the tip of her nose.
A cool breeze, like the scent of a green forest on a summer day. She had definitely smelled this scent before. And it had only been a few days ago.
Bellona, who had been mulling it over in her head, froze as if she had realized something.
The day she revealed herself as the successor to the House of Jupiter. The man who approached her first, extended his hand.
"No way..."
Just as she was about to check the man's face again, he moved his body.
One step. Another step.
The man with his back to Bellona slowly moved forward.
At that moment, a sudden wind blew.
Dark hair, darker than the darkness visible between the exposed robes.
Bellona let out a sigh without realizing it at the overwhelming presence.
'Carsis...'
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