INAT - Chapter 97

When Ethan suddenly visited the Marquis's estate one day and revealed that he was of royal blood, his appearance instantly captivated Ariadne's heart. While his beautiful looks certainly drew her attention, everything about him was perfection itself.

With his gentle voice, soft smile, and kind touch, he lacked nothing, and he drew Ariadne in day by day; Ariadne did not doubt in the slightest that when he eventually ascended the throne, the seat by his side would be hers.

She was uneasy about Ethan's recent attitude, which seemed to show interest in the Princess from abroad, but she thought that this, too, would simply pass as the rebellion proceeded without issue.

However, the news that reached her, who was hiding in a secluded country house until the operation was finished just in case, was beyond cruel. To think that Ethan had disappeared just a few hours after starting the rebellion.

Something had to be wrong.

"No. You're wrong. The rebels have all been arrested already, and we'll have to live in fear that we, too, might be taken away someday."

“Brother.”

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have done something this dangerous."

The end of his cracked voice was painfully crushed. Without even a moment to resent, Marquis Liart's shoulders, now completely helpless, crumbled even further as if they had lost the strength to support themselves.

Tears welled up in Ariadne's eyes. She didn't want to cry, as it felt like admitting to the whole situation, but her increasingly isolated plight was making her feel more and more sorrowful.

It hasn't been that long since the debutante danced with Ethan under the glamorous chandeliers, yet to think she has fallen so low in such a short time.

The shadow cast on the wall swayed pitifully, following the light of the single candle barely illuminating the house.

Just as the room, filled only with the sound of sobbing, was gradually being swallowed up by silence, a knocking sound that should not have been heard here was heard.

"...Who." 

"Shhhh."

Marquis Liart covered Ariadne's mouth with an anxious look on his face. The only people who knew this place were the Marquis, Ariadne, and her attendant who had come with her. The attendant might be knocking, but knowing that the two were together, there was no way he would go out of his way to come looking for them. Judging this, the two kept a watchful eye on the area outside the door.

A moment of silence followed. Were they going to leave like this? The two people, who had been staring intently at the door, opened their eyes wide at an unexpected voice.

"May I come in?" 

“Ethan!”

Ariadne sprang from her seat and ran to the door. She pulled the doorknob before Ethan—that is, Iker—could even fully open it. Then, she threw herself into the broad embrace right in front of her.

"I knew you would come! I was so worried." 

"There were circumstances."

Iker gently stroked Ariadne's back and gave a nod to Marquis Liart, who was frozen in place.

"I'm sorry. Things really went awry." 

"Didn't you say there were reinforcements!" 

Marquis Liart screamed as if exploding. As if his helpless collapse was merely a prelude to suppressing his anger, he flared up like an active volcano.

Even when Ariadne, startled by the loud noise, looked at him, the Marquis's eyes were fixed solely on Iker.

"...The Emperor had already caught on. It seems we were too hasty." 

Iker slowly pulled Ariadne away and headed toward Marquis Liart. Ariadne, who had fallen with a disappointed look on her face, glanced around cautiously and grabbed Iker's left arm as if to hug it.

Iker's gaze briefly turned toward Ariadne. A fleeting sense of displeasure crossed his mind, but it was at a speed that no one would notice.

"Brother, still, Ethan has come back to us like this. Just the fact that he returned safely is enough. Right?"

As Ariadne shifted her gaze from Marquis Liart to Iker, Iker smiled.

"Thank you. It must be hard staying here. Are you okay?"

"It's alright. I believe trials are inevitable for a great undertaking. I trust that things will be fine soon."

Marquis Liart, who had slumped back into the chair and was quietly catching his breath, moved only his eyes to look at Ethan.

"...Do you have a plan for next?" 

If he were to give up like this, he would have to live as a fugitive for the rest of his life. Since he was not alone and Ariadne was with him, he could not live his entire life in such a state, so the thought that he had to break free from this situation somehow began to fill the Marquis's mind.

"Well, there is a way. It’s a method I hesitated to use because I wasn’t keen on it, but I don’t think I’m in a position to be picky anymore."

"What is it that you are hesitating about?"

Iker seemed to hesitate, then spoke in a reluctant voice.

"...It seems the Princess from Ashtad is more precious to the Emperor than anything else. How about we try to make her work?" 

"That Princess may seem close to the Emperor, but is she really worth it? This is truly our last chance. If we fail here, it would be like walking straight into our own deaths."

"I know. I have been investigating the relationship between the two of them. It seems clear that they have grown close enough to provoke an overreaction. If we take her away, the Emperor will be severely shaken mentally."

"...Understood for now. Then, what do you plan to do after you bring the Princess?"

"The reason I disappeared early was to set up a spell inside the palace in preparation for failure." 

"A spell? You aren't planning to use black magic, are you?"

"It is merely a small act of abstinence. Shouldn't we suppress the Emperor's power, even if only for a moment? If we attack when his spirit is broken, everything will proceed smoothly."

"Even so... how do you intend to subdue the knights? We no longer have a single force left capable of standing against the Imperial Household."

"The remaining reinforcements have agreed to help. You can stay here. However..."

Marquis Liart stared anxiously at Iker, who was seriously trailing off.

However, right now, there was no time to doubt whether he could trust this person. He was simply in a position where he had to get through this situation somehow, and therefore had to cling to even the smallest hope.

"I need Ariadne's help."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We need someone who can lower the Princess's guard. If we recruit someone new, she probably won't even meet us, so we need to bring someone in front of her whom she has no choice but to meet."

"...Me?"

"Yeah, the rebel leader's sister is speaking in agony. She says she knew nothing about the situation, thought Ethan Liart was her real family, and that something is suspicious about this rebellion."

"Ah..."

"You just have to be a good child and take the Emperor's side. If you tell the Princess that you want to meet her in person and that you have something to say about Ethan, she will surely agree to meet you."

Marquis Liart and Ariad, who had been quietly listening to Iker's explanation, furrowed their brows at the same time. However, their reasons were different.

Unlike Marquis Liart, who refused to involve his younger sibling in such a ridiculous adventure, Ariadne's reaction was solely due to the last remark weighing on his mind.

"Why do you think the Princess would be curious about Mr. Ethan?'

Ariadne bit her lower lip a couple of times and then bit cautiously. Iker, who had been staring down at her for a moment, wore a gentle smile as if he understood.

However, unlike his outward appearance, his inner feelings were nothing but annoyance.

For now, since he was the one who was lacking, it seemed inevitable that Ariadne would need to be appeased.

The spell prepared in the Imperial Palace contained a double layer of incantations. One was to erase memories while suppressing the Emperor's power. The second was the transfer of Podia's soul.

But there was a crucial part there. Although the spell had been laid out, there had to be a single entity capable of responding to the elves' incantations.

In fact, the best method would have been to safely take Elisha to the elf village and transfer her soul into a suitable elf body, but given the current situation, it seemed difficult to smuggle the Princess's body out of the imperial palace. Therefore, as a second-best option, it appeared the only choice was to perform the soul transfer inside the palace and secretly take her out.

The problem was that they needed to find a human body that matched the soul, but that had already been resolved long ago. This was because Ariadne's body was a suitable place for Podia's soul to temporarily reside. Therefore, Iker had to send Ariadne to the Imperial Palace.

"I suggested that she return to the kingdom. However, she couldn't bring herself to move, perhaps because she was afraid of the Emperor and kept glancing around nervously." 

"I heard she's on good terms with His Majesty the Emperor? Isn't that why she didn't go back?"

"The Emperor is the only one showing interest! It's a one-sided relationship." 

At Ariadne's puzzled question, Iker shouted in anger. Ariad flinched at the sound of his voice, which was laced with clenched teeth, and glanced around nervously.

"Ethan...?"

"Ah... sorry. I think I choked up without realizing it because I was nervous."

"... it's okay."

"I just want to get rid of the Princess and send her back to the kingdom. If I return her, wouldn't relations with that kingdom improve as well? To properly seize imperial power in the future, I need to gradually build up friendly nations."

After listening to their story, Marquis Liart, realizing that using his younger sister was unreasonable no matter what, approached to separate Ariadne and Iker.

He stopped walking in surprise at Ariadne's action of turning her back and blocking his path.

“Ariadne?”

"Brother, please let me make the decision this time." 

"This isn't even a decision; it's too dangerous! Given the Emperor's personality, it's obvious he'll send you straight to prison!"

"I know that, too. If I end up in prison, I can just secretly meet the Princess there, can't I? After all... I didn't expect to be able to meet comfortably." 

Ariadne stared intently at Iker and spoke to Marquis Liart. Rather than being calm, she grew increasingly composed as she spoke, as if her thoughts were becoming clearer.

Iker spoke to Ariadne with a very worried look on his face.

"I'm sorry to ask you this. This is really the last time. I will make sure to protect you so that nothing dangerous happens."

"Then, once this is over, will I be able to stand by Ethan's side?"

Ariadne made her demand boldly with a shy expression. Her hand gripping the hem of her skirt was trembling, and her plump cheeks flushed as if she had a fever.

Iker, who had been gazing down at her, whispered sweetly with his lips tracing a smooth curve.

"Of course. That spot is exclusively yours."

If only I could bring Podia's soul.

A bright smile spread across Ariadne's face, unaware of the truth that had been swallowed into Iker's mouth.

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