Chapter 5 · To the Royal Palace (4)

When I entered the audience chamber, I saw the familiar red carpet and golden throne.

There were four people on the dais: the king, the high priest, and… Aquila and Stella.

My eyes met Aquila’s. Auburn hair as fine as velvet. Glittering green eyes. In that instant, a chill ran down my spine and old memories surged through my mind like a whirlpool.

In my first life, I was burned at the stake as a heretic because of that woman.

Starting with that, my bitter, tenacious entanglement with her continued, and though I struggled desperately to escape my fate, I never once succeeded.

The memories of my whole body going up in flames and all the pains of death rose up at once, and I hid behind Paeon’s legs to avoid her gaze.

‘…I said I wouldn’t do this.’

It seemed the pain deeply embedded in my soul couldn’t be helped even with regression. When I clutched his robe tightly with trembling hands, Paeon looked back at me, but said nothing.

“I greet the sky of Santra.”

He bowed and saluted the king.

“Welcome, Sir Parsiel. You’ve had a hard time—no rest even after the war ended, taking on missions, and handling the remnants on your way here. As soon as things settle around me, I’ll hold a victory celebration and invite you to commend your merits.”

“That won’t be necessary. I only did what was right for Lord Lux and Santra.”

“Haha, you’re as constant as ever.”

This man really… doesn’t know how to navigate social situations. In times like this, you’re supposed to just say thank you and graciously accept it!

While I was internally pounding my chest in frustration, the king tilted his head and looked around for something.

“But where is my granddaughter…?”

“Ah…”

He looked troubled and glanced behind him. I took a deep breath, let go of his robe, and stepped forward.

“…Asha is here.”

In my heart, I wanted to greet him with proper court etiquette, but that wasn’t something you could learn from a book, and it would seem too strange.

The king went blank for a moment upon seeing me. It was a reaction I had never seen in any of my lives. He had always frowned and turned his head away.

‘So dressing up nicely did have an effect?’

“There’s no need for verification—she looks exactly like her mother.”

He came to his senses and let out a low sigh.

“Indeed. It’s like seeing a young Princess Beatrice. Though she’s much thinner than she was.”

High Priest Belus chimed in.

“That scrawny thing is Tris’s daughter?”

When Stella grumbled, Aquila smiled faintly and said,

“Why, aren’t you happy that our sister who went to heaven seems to have returned?”

Ugh! I really feel like throwing up. I hate them both, but if I had to choose, I disliked Aquila more. I’d rather someone openly hated me. Aquila’s methods were subtle and dirty, and the young me of the past couldn’t withstand them.

“Do you know who I am?”

The king asked, gazing at me intently. I wondered why he would ask such a question, but I decided to demonstrate my tear-acting skills, which I had practiced for occasions like this.

“…Gwandfathow?”

“…!”

“Asha’s hair and eyes are the same cowor.”

Indeed, he was a dignified handsome man with the same white hair and teal eyes as me. Looking at him now, our eye shapes seemed similar too.

“Asha… has a gwandfathow now?”

When I spoke with tears welling in my eyes, the king flinched.

“Y-yes… I am your grandfather, though…”

He seemed a little flustered and couldn’t continue for a moment.

“I am Ferdinand Ordo Entimos, the king of this country. And you are the daughter of Beatrice Sirenchium Entimos, who was a princess of this country. Which means you too are a princess of this country.”

I’m not a princess yet, am I?

Stella muttered discontentedly, clearly intending to be heard, but I ignored her.

“It’s wike a dweam… Everything the god Wux towd Asha is tuwning out to be twue…”

“What did the god Lux say to you?!”

He asked, startled.

“He appeared in Asha’s dweam a week ago.”

“What did He say?”

High Priest Belus also seemed curious, his eyes glinting behind his monocle.

“Lord Lux said in the dweam,”

He’s the god who killed me nine times, so I suppose I can sell Him out a little.

“‘Chiwd who wiww bwing wight, I wiww use you gweatwy, so do not be awamed. Soon my angel wiww come to fetch you’—that’s what He said.”

I steadied my breathing and recited the divinely-worded message I had made up, trying to look as holy as possible. Everyone present held their breath.

“H-high Priest Belus, have you told anyone about the oracle?! The oracle that says that child is ‘the one who will bring light to Santra.’”

The king sprang from his throne and shouted.

“…No. I told only the three of you yesterday and spoke to no one else. This is truly astonishing.”

“A revelation in a dream hasn’t appeared in even longer than an oracle!”

The king came down from the dais with an overwhelmed face and approached me.

“So Lord Lux has not abandoned Santra after all.”

Then he added in a trembling voice,

“D-did He say anything else?!”

“And He said the angel He cherishes most would pwotect Asha.”

I said, looking at Paeon with tearful eyes.

“Indeed. Then that must mean Sir Parsiel! He is the one most beloved by Lord Lux. Isn’t that right, Sir Parsiel?!”

“…That is…”

Paeon looked almost ashen.

“That’s wight. The knight punished the bad people who hit Asha and bullied me. And he took me away fwom that howwible house. He healed me with a zing. And, and, yestewday… he even saved me when I feww into the watew!”

“Hit and bullied? What is the meaning of this, Sir Parsiel?!”

“…The commoners in the house where the princess was staying abused her. I confirmed the facts and had them sent to the capital. Their punishment will be at Yuditium—”

“How dare they abuse my granddaughter, and a child of God! I will tear those wretches to pieces!”

The king shouted, panting, before Paeon could even finish.

“What’s this about falling into water?! How did that happen! Was it not the case that the princess was simply tired and would be seen a day later?”

“…I did not report it for fear Your Majesty would worry. She lost her footing and fell into the waterway while praying at the temple, but I rescued her immediately, so there was no major harm to her body.”

“Even so, you should have reported such a serious matter immediately!”

The king was indignant.

King Ferdinand was deeply devout, and since his reign, the number of temples had increased dramatically. The grand prayer meetings that had been held once a quarter were changed to monthly.

Nevertheless, due to the mistaken misunderstanding that my biological father might have been a mercenary of an enemy nation, he had not been able to fully trust the oracle.

I hadn’t expected him to get this angry. Things seemed to be going even better than I had thought.

“This won’t do. For the time being, Sir Parsiel, you will take charge of the princess’s escort.”

“That is…!”

He furrowed his brow and stopped, then soon returned to a blank expression and answered coldly.

“I apologize, but that is not possible.”

What did you just say, you bastard?

“I am a priest. I must fulfill my duties as a priest. The princess’s escort falls under the royal family’s jurisdiction.”

I laid the groundwork piece by piece, and this is what he does?! I forgot I was in the middle of giving the performance of a lifetime and glared at him in fury, but he didn’t look at me.

“But didn’t you just hear the contents of the oracle? It’s the first oracle in a hundred years!”

“…It could be a coincidence.”

A coincidence?! A coincidence?! I nearly blurted out a curse.

“Ha! Where in the world does such a coincidence exist?! I thought you were more devout than anyone, but I’m disappointed!”

“Even if it is not a coincidence, I don’t think it necessarily refers to me.”

His attitude was utterly obstinate. Just then, Aquila, who had been quietly watching us, spoke.

“That’s right, Your Majesty. This is a matter for the royal knight order. Sir Parsiel has mountains of duties even without this. I will assign a capable knight.”

The king clicked his tongue as if in regret, but did not push Paeon further. He began discussing with Aquila how to handle my security and escort going forward, and Stella, stunned that things were flowing in a completely unexpected direction, huffed and glared at me.

I, too, kept glaring at Paeon, but he did not give me a single glance until the end.

◇ ◆ ◇

“High Priest Belus, are you truly certain you told no one about the oracle? I understand that child spent the night at the temple yesterday.”

In the corridor of the Ratio Palace (the palace where the king worked), Aquila asked, left alone with Belus.

“Are you suggesting that I told Princess Anastasia about the oracle and instructed her to lie that she had a revelatory dream?”

“…Who knows. Only God would know.”

“I am a man who delivers God’s words, you know.”

“I believe in God. But,”

Aquila said quietly.

“I do not unconditionally believe in people.”

She turned and walked away, her heels clicking. Belus watched her retreating figure, sighed, and shook his head.

“The princess is in for a hard time.”

◇ ◆ ◇

“Konrad Mikhailov, knight of the Second Royal Knight Order, greets Princess Anastasia. From today, I will be temporarily serving as the princess’s escort for the time being.”

In the guest reception room of Icarus Palace, the smallest of the Santra Royal Palaces, a knight with dark brown hair and a stout build spoke slowly.

“Princess, then I will be going now.”

Paeon gave a halfhearted salute and tried to leave. I grabbed his robe with all my strength.

“Wait a moment!”

“…?”

“Let me talk to you for a moment, pwease.”

When I whimpered, the new knight awkwardly stepped aside. Once we were alone in the room, Paeon spoke coldly to me, who wore an endlessly sorrowful expression.

“Princess. The royal knight order is not a place just anyone can join—it is a gathering of only the most capable. Even if it is not me, they will do their utmost to protect the princess.”

“If it’s not the angel… I don’t want anyone else…”

It seemed that having Paeon assigned directly as my escort was indeed out of reach. He was more impregnable than I had thought. But no matter who they picked from this damn royal knight order, they’d all just be salary thieves!

“I apologize, but I would also like you to stop calling me by that title.”

“…Why?”

“I am not an angel, and calling me that is also disrespectful to Lord Lux.”

…I really wonder if this man has a conscience, considering he’s done things a billion times more disrespectful than that.

“Anyway, Asha… forgot the angel’s name.”

“…It is Paeon Parsiel. Please just call me Sir Parsiel.”

“Pa…shiel… Pashi… Shi… Pa…”

It was true that I had slow development from not eating properly and had trouble controlling my tongue, but I deliberately stammered even more.

“…”

“It’s hawd!”

“You may call me whatever you like. As long as it’s not angel.”

Is that so?

I delivered the decisive blow I had been waiting for.

“Then… I’ll call you Papa.”

“!”