"I'm going to the audience chamber now. Everyone is there."
“Why in the throne room?”
"...Because there is a secret passage over there."
The more I listened, the less I understood. I wanted to ask more, but I gritted my teeth and followed Harrison, who was walking quickly.
Dozens of soldiers were assembled in front of the audience hall. They cleared the way for us but did not let their guard down.
"Elisha! You're here."
As soon as I stepped inside, I saw my mother looking back and forth between Harrison and me with an anxious expression.
"I was worried about sending a subordinate to bring Elisha, but I am grateful that you readily agreed to go, Harrison. Thanks to you, I can breathe a sigh of relief."
"Ahem, just in case. Speaking of which, she's so dense she was sleeping soundly all by herself, living the good life."
"Harrison, haven't I told you repeatedly that if you're embarrassed, it's better to just keep your mouth shut?"
"...I will go see His Majesty."
I looked disdainfully at Harrison's retreating figure as he walked quickly toward the throne like a child struck by a painful blow. I looked at my father and Fadel, who were having a serious conversation.
Come to think of it, they were dressed in armor as if they were preparing for something. I wondered when on earth they had gathered, but the aides and close aristocratic associates were all dressed in similar attire.
"Mother, what on earth is going on?"
"Elisha..."
I carefully took my mother's two hands as she hesitated, as if she didn't know what to say.
"It's okay. The fact that I came here means we need to know together."
"That's right. But why... did this have to happen now of all times?"
Mother tried to explain in a voice mixed with sighs and sobs, but trailed off. Her hand, gripping mine tightly, trembled faintly.
"You finally regained your strength, and I wanted to ensure only good things happened to you from now on... I'm sorry."
For a brief moment, a corner of my chest throbbed. Because I wasn't the daughter you had waited for so long.
I lowered my eyes and avoided my mother's gaze.
"Elisha, you might have to hide for a long time."
"What do you mean by hiding?"
"A warning has been issued. The Podia Imperial Army is coming."
Startled, I opened my eyes wide.
I thought it was just a rumor, or perhaps something for the distant future, but to think it has become reality so quickly.
"Queen, Elisha, come here."
I turned my wavering gaze to my father. My mother held my hand tightly and led me toward the throne.
"Your Majesty, the Podia Empire is powerful. Do not confront them directly; please avoid them!"
"Even if we possess the power of spirits, there is nothing we can do against Emperor Podia except hold our ground."
"That is exactly what I desire. The people are in danger due to the King's mistake; shouldn't I at least buy them some time to escape?"
"Your Majesty!"
"Time is of the essence, so let's stop the unnecessary armchair theorizing."
Father firmly raised one hand and turned his body toward the restless people.
I stared blankly at my father's calm face as he approached me.
"Queen, follow these knights with Elisha."
With Father's words, one side of the wall behind the throne opened with a heavy sound.
I stared into the dark secret passage, then quickly looked back and forth at my family.
"Are only my mother and I going?"
"We'll follow depending on the situation. You go ahead."
Fadel, who had been standing silently, approached me and spoke in a soft voice. Harrison, who was standing beside him before I knew it, also smiled broadly and nodded.
'Lie.'
Everyone was trying to act calm, but they couldn't hide the tension in their eyes. My mother's hand, holding mine, tightened slightly.
'I'm not the real Elisha... Ah. My conscience is bothering me.'
It felt like needles were repeatedly pricking my chest. I furrowed my brow at the throbbing pain and bit my lower lip.
"Your Majesty, the Princess must hurry."
A knight approached us and politely pointed to a secret passage.
I looked at my family and the hallway one after another, then squeezed my eyes shut. It was just as I was about to take heavy steps, following my mother who was pulling my hand tightly.
- Quaang!
But at that moment, the door to the audience chamber opened with a tremendous sound.
"Run away! The enemy, cough!"
With an indescribably cruel sound, the tip of a sword was seen piercing the chest of the knight who had hurriedly opened the door and entered.
I was so shocked that I couldn't even scream. The unreal scene was imprinted on my eyes like a slow-motion video.
'That person...'
As the knight, dragging his sword inside, leaned forward, the face of the person standing behind him was revealed.
Thump. I couldn't tell if it was the sound of the knight collapsing or my heart dropping.
'That's the wolf's owner from yesterday!'
A man wearing blood-stained dark gray armor and a red cloak, as if matching his red eyes, appeared with one lip twisted, looking as if he were consumed by madness.
“Stop it!”
A bloody battle began in an instant. No, it seemed more accurate to call it a one-sided massacre rather than a bloody battle.
The difference was so overwhelming that I instantly understood how they had managed to break through the borders and reach the royal palace. Seeing scenes straight out of a movie unfolding before my eyes left me feeling dizzy. In the end, leaving the knights who were sadly falling behind, I headed toward the passageway, practically being dragged along.
“Stop.”
But then, a man's low voice resonated inside. It wasn't a particularly loud voice, yet an irresistible force drew my attention.
"If even a single person escapes from here, I will burn down the entire palace."
No sooner had the man finished speaking than fierce flames erupted from inside the secret passage. The only fire nearby was the candles hanging on the wall, but the flames spread tremendously, extending as if to consume us.
"Everyone knows I can do it. I burned down my own palace, so why wouldn't I be able to burn down someone else's?"
We hurriedly left the passageway and returned to the audience chamber. The fire was so severe that a knight had to personally close the door of the secret passage we had opened, fearing it might spread inside the palace.
'Burning the palace? But 'my' palace?'
I looked at the man with a frightened face. The cold eyes, showing not a shred of mercy, felt unreal.
"Emperor Podia! What have you done!"
I held my breath for a moment at my father's angry words.
'Emperor...?'
At that title, I stared blankly at the red eyes that shone cruelly beneath the pitch-black hair.
'The Emperor of Podia? You said he was Thierry? No. No. His eyes are different from that child's. Thierry's pupils were definitely gray...'
I was so shocked that I forgot to breathe. I let out a deep breath belatedly and covered my mouth with my trembling hand.
'There is no way I wouldn't recognize Thierry. Even if I haven't seen him since he was young, there is no way I could forget his features...'
He scrutinized his face thoroughly, as if denying reality.
Thick eyebrows beneath a neat forehead. Slightly upturned eyes, and a lower lip slightly thicker than the upper. I kept denying inwardly that they didn't resemble each other at all, but the more I looked, the more the face of a strangely young Thierry overlapped with it.
"...Is that person Thierry Lainerio?"
At some point, I found myself in my mother's arms. When I barely managed to speak in a small, hoarse voice, my mother nodded and stroked my back.
I felt like I had been struck on the back of the head, with everything flashing before my eyes.
'That scary man was Thierry?'
As expected, hearing about something and seeing it firsthand were different. Thierry had transformed into a completely different person, going beyond just a change in his appearance.
"Even if you have come this far, the Emperor has nothing to gain."
As soon as Father’s harsh words ended, a fierce energy surged through the room, and the sky-blue spirit that had been summoned earlier swelled up.
“No, there is.”
Even though his older brothers had summoned the power of the spirits following his father, Thierry smiled crookedly as if finding it ridiculous.
For Ashtad, who had much to protect, war was naturally an option to be avoided. He continued speaking arrogantly, as if he knew we would not dare to attack first.
"I've changed my mind. I'll change my proposal. Send the Princess to me."
Thierry's gaze was fixed exactly on me.
"...Me?"
Why me all of a sudden? I didn't even have time to recover from the shock of meeting Thierry again.
As I muttered as if asking if I had heard correctly, the knights quickly blocked my path and obstructed my view.
“What?”
"Don't talk nonsense!"
"Your Majesty, you need not hear any more! I will wash away the insult just now, even if it costs me my life."
One by one, they erupted in anger. Not only the brothers, but even the subjects and servants, all openly displayed murderous intent as if they were about to pounce at any moment.
"Of course, there is only death in rejection."
Thierry remained arrogant throughout. Harrison's expression soured.
"I'm not afraid of death!"
Harrison lunged forward at surprising speed with his sword aimed at Thierry's neck. It was a nail-biting situation.
Just as the Podia knights standing behind Thierry were about to move swiftly, Thierry raised a hand to stop them. Then, with a leisurely gait, he approached the tip of his sword.
It seemed as though Harrison's sword was about to sever Thierry's neck, but he pushed the side of the blade away with his fingertips. Although it happened in an instant, Thierry's movements appeared very relaxed.
"That is commendable courage. But do the others feel the same way?"
A brief silence followed.
Harrison's expression, once filled with anger, became complicated. It was because various thoughts were racing through his mind. People began to cautiously gauge each other's reactions, and that minor ripple soon led to chaos.
"...I apologize, Prince. And Your Highness, now is not the time to think only of our pride. We must calmly consider the situation outside."
Suddenly, someone mustered up the courage to speak up.
"Count Silveron! What nonsense is that!"
"I agree with the Count. If everything would end with our deaths, we could fight with our lives on the line. But the reality is not like that. The powerless people will lose their country and even their lives!"
It was truly like a candle in the wind. The audience chamber stirred endlessly.
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