Chapter 153
Originally, Cheshire had her own plan.
Since she had been dragged to the fairy kingdom anyway, she intended to take care of everything she could while there.
Quickly handle her business, ask what she needed to ask.
If there were ways to help the fairies, take care of those too.
And then return as soon as possible—that was the goal.
She had estimated the entire process would take no more than a month at most.
Honestly, she had thought to wrap it up in a week.
Because everyone would be waiting anxiously.
Hailon had even chased her all the way to the fairy kingdom, after all.
Every time she thought of those waiting impatiently in reality, her heart grew urgent on its own.
She had vowed over and over to return as quickly as possible.
“A year….”
Cheshire murmured in a hollow voice.
Her small soliloquy was quickly buried and vanished in the noisy clamor of the market.
All sorts of grim imaginings unfolded in her mind like a cascade.
Hailon was one thing, but she was truly worried about Kierne and the other men of the Basilian family.
They all pretended otherwise, but they had such soft hearts.
Especially Kierne, who was mentally fragile and relied heavily on Cheshire.
She recalled the words he had said in that final moment.
“…Liar.”
“You’re not coming back.”
His red eyes, filled with hurt as he spoke in that wounded voice, were still vivid in her mind.
In the heart of the Holy Empire, she had barely managed to dissuade him from stubbornly insisting on using black magic, promising again and again that she would definitely return.
And now, she had ended up vanishing for a whole year.
It was utterly pitch black before her eyes.
With the thought that she needed to head home right away, she quickly drew up her power.
“…Huh?”
But something was off.
Her power felt like less than half of half.
The energy that had always brimmed overflowing now barely sloshed at the bottom.
In this state, long-distance travel was impossible.
Suddenly, she recalled the fairy kingdom where all the flowers had vanished.
Perhaps it was connected to her diminished power.
‘Anyway, right now, I can only manage simple tricks.’
To end up lost in an unfamiliar place, and unable to use her power properly.
Feeling utterly at a loss, Cheshire shook her head after spacing out for a moment.
Then she clenched her small fist tightly.
‘One step at a time.’
A child standing on the market ground, rabbit doll in one hand, wearing a determined expression as if facing a life-or-death battle—it was quite a comical sight.
But no one could see Cheshire, who had concealed her presence with a flower.
Thanks to that, she could maintain her serious and solemn mindset alone.
“First, let’s figure out where this is.”
Cheshire shook the rabbit doll with a jingle as she started walking.
Judging by the bright yet sweltering weather and the accents people spoke with, it seemed to be in the southern part of the continent.
She passed through the market where arm-sized fish flopped vigorously and reached the central plaza.
The national flag fluttering vigorously on the plaza’s flagpole depicted an anchor, ropes, and fish.
“Skaya Kingdom?”
What on earth had happened for her to end up in Skaya Kingdom from Hilderd in the Holy Empire?
All the way to the south, far removed from the central continent.
Once she realized it was Skaya Kingdom, Aran came to mind first.
The young princess of Skaya with golden eyes, Aran Skaya, had been five years old, barely meeting the age requirement for attending the Little Saints’ Prayer Assembly.
A year had passed, so by now, she had probably grown to a size similar to the child Cheshire.
‘…Remil too, I suppose.’
What had become of the boy who had handed her the crown in that final moment?
She could only hope Kierne hadn’t tormented him too much.
Passing the grand anchor-shaped statue towering in the center of the plaza and the twelve large and small fish statues surrounding it, she approached a boy selling newspapers nearby.
With no money, she couldn’t buy one, so she skimmed the front-page article from the side while concealing her presence.
The boldly written headline caught her eye first.
[Shocking! Successive Internal Whistleblowings!]
As Cheshire read the article, her eyes grew wider and wider.
[…The situation in Hilderd of the Holy Empire grows darker by the day.
Especially most recently, according to testimony from a new internal whistleblower who has come forward, Holy King Cyanor has embezzled a portion of the donations entering Hilderd….]
Internal whistleblowing erupting within the Holy Empire?
Hilderd was an extremely conservative group.
Their devotion to God, and to the Holy King who received God’s will most closely, was akin to madness.
Even if there was corruption, they would brush it off as God’s will too—yet here they were, accusing the Holy King himself.
It was unbelievable, so she quickly tried to skim the rest of the article.
“Out of the way! Move!”
A rough shout accompanied the crack of a whip lashing a horse.
A large carriage was noisily crossing the plaza, which was meant for pedestrians only.
People who had been walking peacefully screamed and barely dodged the carriage.
Cheshire was naturally trying to slip to the side as well.
That was when she saw the person inside through the carriage window.
“…!”
The man with a rigidly hardened expression was a familiar face.
It was Samid, Aran’s attendant.
She had seen him following Aran around in the Holy Empire a few times.
‘He didn’t seem like the type to arrogantly charge through a pedestrian plaza in a carriage.’
Cheshire, who had been a bit startled, soon realized this was an excellent opportunity.
It was her first time in Skaya Kingdom, and she hadn’t marked Aran with any sign.
She had little power left to track Aran with a butterfly.
She was in a difficult spot in many ways, and now a way to easily meet Aran, who could help her, had appeared right before her eyes.
Cheshire immediately peeled off the flower stuck to her forehead.
Then she dashed out in front of the carriage with a whoosh.
“Aaack!”
The coachman slammed to a halt because of the child who suddenly appeared.
He was about to yell curses, but upon seeing Cheshire, he hesitated.
Even at a glance, the child’s appearance was extraordinary.
Moreover, she was wearing clothes of a peculiar design, far different from Skaya Kingdom’s attire, so he seemed surprised.
Cheshire lightly ignored the coachman and ran to the carriage.
Then, standing on tiptoe as much as she could, she knocked on the carriage door—tap tap tap.
“You brat!”
The coachman came running to grab the impudent child.
But before that, the carriage window opened.
Samid’s eyes bulged as if they might pop out upon seeing Cheshire.
“Y-you…?”
He stammered with a dubious expression.
The last time he had seen her, she was a baby, and now she was a child, so he couldn’t be sure.
“It’s me.”
Even without saying her name, he would surely guess who she was.
Cheshire looked up at Samid with her pink eyes and pleaded.
“Please let me see the princess.”
Was this what it meant to receive state guest treatment?
Cheshire thought as she was fanned with a luxurious fan.
“Do try this as well. It’s a shellfish dish sprinkled with pearl powder. The unique spices give it quite a flavor.”
As soon as he confirmed it was Cheshire, Samid had immediately guided her to the palace and now stuck close by, fussing over her attentively.
Since she happened to be hungry, Cheshire ate the foods he recommended one after another while waiting for Aran to arrive.
Just as she took a bite of the large steamed fish seasoned spicily, Aran finally came.
“Cheshire Basilian!”
Bursting through the door with a bang, Aran’s face was flushed bright red.
She was panting so heavily from rushing over, stomping toward Cheshire with heavy footsteps.
Cheshire hurriedly chewed and swallowed the fish flesh that had puffed out her cheeks.
In that time, Aran had come right up to her and scanned Cheshire with eyes full of disbelief.
“…Is it really you?”
Seeing her grown to exactly Cheshire’s size, Cheshire smiled brightly in lieu of an answer.
Then Aran called her name in a tearful voice.
“Cheshire….”
From that moment, Aran began talking nonstop without even pausing for breath.
How sad she had been when Cheshire suddenly disappeared, how shocked she was when she suddenly grew into a child, but even so, how moved she was because she was so incredibly cute and pretty, and so on.
With words pouring out so rapidly her ears might bleed, Cheshire couldn’t even open her mouth and just listened.
Only after listening for a long while could she finally ask what she was curious about.
“Um, about the Holy Empire.”
“…Ah.”
Aran furrowed her brows tightly.
With her face wrinkled enough to crease between her eyebrows, she let out a deep sigh.
“There are many things I must tell you…. But first, the most urgent. Do you remember the Inquisitor of Hilderd in the Holy Empire, Hailon?”
It was more than just remembering.
Cheshire nodded vigorously.
“That man….”
Aran groaned in distress as she said.
“Has staged a rebellion.”
