Episode 165
Being the Empress’s adopted daughter meant that I, too, would be able to wield the power of a Princess.
Her Majesty the Empress seemed to have a large hole in her heart after losing the Crown Prince. Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to make such an offer to me.
Mariange answered quickly.
“If you would only do that for me, I am confident that I can serve Your Majesty with all my heart and soul, even if my body is broken.”
“I would prefer your body not be broken, but……. regardless, there is one condition to this proposal.”
“A condition?”
“Yes. You must promise to listen to me no matter what.”
The Empress’s smile deepened to an eerie degree.
“How about it. Will you become my daughter?”
“Yes. It is only natural for a child to follow the words of their parent.”
“Good. Then close your eyes for a moment.”
Mariange closed her eyes as she was told.
Her face could not hide the anticipation, thinking, ‘Can I really become the Empress’s adopted daughter?’
“No matter what happens, you must never open your eyes. This is a sort of test to see if you can become my daughter.”
At the mention of a test, Mariange squeezed her eyes shut even tighter.
Thus, she failed to see.
The figure of the Empress before her collapsed, and a giant snake revealed itself.
“…….”
A thick shadow cast over her, but Mariange did not open her eyes, thinking this, too, was part of the test. On the contrary, she squeezed them tighter as if determined never to look.
It was the moment the white snake, with a smile across its face, was about to swallow her whole.
Bang!
Asil broke down the door and entered.
The snake, which had been trying to swallow Mariange in one bite, stared at Asil.
On the other hand, Mariange wondered what the commotion was, and upon squinting to survey her surroundings, she was struck with horror.
“Aaaaah!”
Mariange fainted on the spot at the sight of the hideous white snake.
Taking advantage of the gap, the snake tried to swallow Mariange again.
Swish—! Thud!
However, the attempt ended in failure because Asil tore a jewel from her dress and threw it.
Asil shouted fiercely.
“You can’t eat that human!”
“……Then I shall swallow you first!”
The snake, now venomous with rage from the continuous interference, was about to pounce on Asil.
Clang!
“You can’t have my daughter, you bastard!”
Briana, the titmouse who flew in like a cannonball through the broken window, pecked at his eye.
“Shiaaaaaak!”
The snake, having lost one eye in an instant, twisted its entire body in agony.
He completely lost his reason and poured out magic in all directions without a target.
However, the palace was the only thing destroyed, as the magic was blocked by the defensive spells of Arcian, who had been watching them from a distance.
Just then, Bangbang-i arrived, biting Lilibet’s sleeve.
“No, at least tell me where you are going— Gasp.”
Lilibet was horrified by the sight of the giant snake running wild and Asil facing such a creature.
However, thanks to staying in the borderlands where wars were frequent while following Count Feyrunt, she did not become frightened.
She immediately summoned Eter.
“Eter!”
“…….” (……What a strange snake.)
A voice that sounded like it was echoing in a cave resonated in her head.
Eter, appearing in the form of a giant blue turtle, looked down at the snake.
“…….” (I feel a mixture of human and animal, yet it is not a shifter. Is it a half-blood between a human and a shifter?)
“Shut up!”
The snake rushed at Eter, crying tears of blood from its one eye.
Eter swung a massive forepaw to intercept his attack.
While the two animals were scuffling back and forth, Lilibet shouted to Asil.
“What on earth is that snake?!”
“That snake ate the Crown Prince and the Empress!”
“Chirp chirp!”
Briana, in the midst of battle, shouted in the shifter language for them to get back and not stay there.
She was fighting a fierce battle, to the point where white feathers fluttered in the air.
Briana’s sharp claws dug straight into the snake’s one remaining eye.
“Shiaaaaaaaak!”
The snake, having lost even its remaining eye, began to run wild frantically.
He fired magic recklessly with the intent to kill everyone present.
Arcian continued to defend, but because the distance was far and the snake was literally going berserk, he could not block everything.
Several streaks of light that pierced through Arcian’s barrier struck Eter’s shell.
“Eter!”
“…….”
With a painful groan, Eter crashed to the floor.
While a horrified Lilibet ran toward him, the snake lunged at Briana this time.
“Houuuuuuk!”
However, he was kicked into a corner by Fear, who arrived just in time in the form of a firebird.
Thud!
“Houuk?” (What?)
Fear, who unintentionally sent the snake flying as soon as he appeared, looked dazed.
“Houuuk?” (What’s going on?)
“Fear? How did you get here?!”
“Houu houu—” (It was noisy, so I wondered what was happening—)
“Chirp chirp chirp!”
“—Houuk hoouuk.” (—What is this titmouse being so loud about next to me.)
“She’s my mom.”
“Houuk.” (My apologies, Mother.)
Fear, who strictly followed the logic of power, apologized politely.
In the meantime, Eter, who had barely regained his senses, staggered to his feet.
Lilibet spoke to him worriedly.
“Are you okay, Eter?”
“…….” (Yes. Since the firebird, who is empty-headed but useful for his strength, has arrived, the Master should step back and not worry.)
“Houuuuuuk!” (Who are you calling an
empty-headed firebird!)
An enraged Fear huffed and puffed.
Even so, he moved to the position indicated by Eter and pressured the snake so it could not do anything foolish.
In an instant, the tide of victory turned.
The cornered snake hesitantly backed away.
However, he was blocked by a broken wall and stopped before he could go far.
A heavy silence settled thickly in all directions.
It was at that very moment when the three beings—Briana, Eter, and Fear—were gradually closing the net through the silence.
“What is all this……”
“Hieek!”
The young ladies and young lords from the tea party, who appeared after hearing the commotion, let out gasping sounds.
The tension that had been held taut was broken in a single moment.
Taking advantage of that gap, the snake rushed straight at Eter.
“……!”
Eter, who was already in an injured state, was pushed back.
His giant blue body collapsed.
Briana and Fear flinched and tried to block him, but it was a step too late.
The snake escaped just like that.
Not long after the snake escaped, the Imperial Knights arrived.
While they tracked the blood spilled by the snake, they asked witnesses what had happened.
“Th-there was a large white snake……”
Mariange, who had woken up after fainting, trembled with pale lips.
“The large white snake was opening its maw wide……. Where is Her Majesty the Empress? That snake must have harmed Her Majesty!”
“The snake ate the Empress.”
Asil testified.
She hadn’t seen it directly, but since it had transformed into the Empress, it was certain that it had eaten her.
“And it also attacked Princess Sunrise. If Lilibet unnie hadn’t come just then, something terrible would have happened.”
“What? I thought Asil, you…… Ah, that’s right. I went there because I felt a strange sensation, and the white snake was trying to attack the Princess.”
Lilibet quickly switched her words.
“So I called Eter and responded. Fear came in the middle and helped.”
“I heard the late Skya used to poach so many strange animals; perhaps it was one of them.”
The Imperial Knight, who had muttered to himself unknowingly, shook his head.
“I don’t know why such grim events are happening one after another. What is to become of this Empire……”
Although they heard the testimony that the Empress had been eaten, the Imperial Knights set out to find the missing Empress just in case.
However, even after searching for days, not even a hem of her clothing was found, so they finally concluded it was the work of the snake and prepared to hold a state funeral.
Regrettably, the snake was not found.
This was because not only the Imperial Knights but also Briana and Arcian tracked the blood he spilled, but lost him as the trail was cut off in the middle.
Thus, it was a few days after the fight had ended.
“I could have caught him.”
In the Erzébet mansion, Briana, in her human form, huffed.
“Why did those humans have to come out right then. Ayayaya……”
“I’ll blow on it for you.”
Asil blew soft breaths onto Briana’s wounds, which she had received while fighting the snake.
They weren’t as severe as Eter’s, but they were wounds that would fester or leave scars if left alone.
‘I think I should apply something, where is the ointment?’
Asil looked around for the ointment and spotted Arcian hesitating while holding it some distance away.
Arcian turned his head the other way and held out the ointment.
“Tell your mom to apply it.”
“Dad, you apply it.”
How long are you going to keep me in the middle!
Asil put strength into her eyes and placed both hands on her waist.
“And hurry up and reconcile with Mom too!”
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
