Elise’s mind had been very busy since coming to the Temple of Boundaries. She was dealing with the nation’s affairs while in a distant land and worrying continuously about the well-being of her family and her country. With Count Palatine Roosegaarde and herself out of the country, the role of her father and the other nobles in the country were important. The friction with the Empire was settled for now, but there were many things that required her careful attention. Healthy seedlings needed to be prepared throughout the kingdom for spring, and she also needed to worry about the communicable diseases that always popped up whenever the weather got nice. There should also be numerous ships entering from the East Sea right now. She also needed to send some military forces to take care of the pirates……
– Shaaaaaaa……!
“The flow of ether is stable. The plate is healthy as well. However, this is the initial stage of awakening, so you will need to keep an eye on her for a while. It is also best not to have any unfamiliar priests or Holy Knights come nearby as well,” the healing priest from the Vatican commented while standing next to the bed.
The healing priests of the Venetiaan Royal Palace had come to the same conclusion earlier, but Werner’s pretty face frowned as if he had never heard this before. He gently touched the almost dead-like sleeping Cornelisse’s face and whispered, ‘our dandelion, our dandelion.’
Elise looked back and forth between her father and her youngest sibling. At first, she had been quite shocked at the fact that he had come all this way without letting her know. Her blood cooled and her anger boiled, thinking about how he could be so irresponsible. However……
‘Crown princess, look at our youngest. I think the child has awakened her ether!’
Her father’s voice had been shaking. His messy hair and red eyes were not like his usual self. The way he was carrying his youngest in a rush was unfamiliar. He sounded like a madman while sharing his story at the temple gates.
‘She said she wanted to see her sister…… Those were her last words before she fainted.’
‘…….’
‘There is no guarantee that an ether awakening would be successful, so how could I, as her father, not grant the one wish she had before closing her eyes? That is the reason I immediately rushed over to meet my eldest daughter.’
‘Father.’
‘Don’t worry about the kingdom’s affairs, crown princess. I left that to Duchess Sneijder and the nobles of the Imperial Court. The Venetiaan Holy Kingdom is strong. Even if you do not trust your father, can’t you at least trust the system that has maintained the kingdom for a thousand years?’ He spoke extremely quickly. He sounded a bit teary, as if he was pleading with her. She could not see any grudge coming from him for not trusting him enough to hand over the Royal Seal.
Elise, who had rushed out of the temple, did her best to organize her thoughts. It sounded like the reason her father came here was not to mess with the conversation between two nations or to demand that she return the Royal Seal. He just……
‘However, I don’t know what will happen to Cornelisse. If her awakening fails-’
‘That will not happen,’ Elise had answered back immediately. She received the youngest into her arms with calm movements. All Holy Knights went through ether awakening to gain their true powers, but there were occasions where they did not survive this process and died. The crown princess kissed her sister’s forehead and closed her eyes. The young girl’s body was wet and cold. But to her, this was the warmest and happiest water in the world. Her soft ivory hair and flour-like cheeks were the same as the day she left. Aminth. This lovely child… The only blood relative who served as a pillar for her to lean on.
‘Please let me stay by my two daughters,’ Werner had pleaded. Elise had opened her eyes. She then gasped. Her father was down on his knees at her feet, begging.
‘Father!’
‘Please! You know what that child means to me!’
‘Please stand up. How can you do this with people from the Vatican watching!’
‘I won’t let anybody know that I am here. I do not want any special treatment either! I have no plans on intervening in any meetings or negotiations. I will be here as if I am dead. So please, at least until the child wakes up!’ A teardrop dripped down his left eye. His bloody lips were shaking.
She felt her heart sink. The Vatican soldiers around them all bowed their heads. They seemed to be saying that they did not see anything.
‘Please don’t send me back to the Royal Palace until we can confirm that she is healthy. Please……!’ The Prince Consort held Elise’s ankle and mumbled.
‘Royal Father!’
The flustered Elise called her father using the term she used to use when she was younger, but he did not budge. The crown princess ended up not being able to send her father back. Until Cornelisse woke up and could feed herself…… He would stay in the temple until then. She could not be cruel to him knowing what the youngest meant to him.
Elise calmly managed to hold herself back from dry heaving. She loathed herself for having no choice but to do this when she knew what her father had done to Jesse and to the Holy Kingdom.
At the same time, she pitied him. It was so pathetic how he was so alone that he could only rely on an eight year old who didn’t know anything. Even she, his eldest daughter, did not let him be by her side.
“……Father.”
“Yes, crown princess.”
“Have you eaten?”
She got chills at her own duality. She felt relaxed while sensing Jesse’s ether that was spreading through the temple, but lost her composure while looking at her father. She was thinking of ways to save her brother while showing compassion to the person trying to kill him. How could the crown princess of a nation be so weak and ridiculous? Maybe she was the one who had a screw loose in her head? How long could a person continue this tug-o-war?
‘……It would be good if I could throw away one side.’
“The pea soup was delicious.” He put on a smile that looked ready to break at any moment and answered. The hand wiping the wet body with a dry towel was full of kindness.
Elise scowled.
“……”
She did not like her subconscious that came up with that terrible thought, and she did not like her father’s answer either. She got even angrier, thinking that a mere soup was not enough for a meal.
Her father was the only reason she came to the desert. It was because he pretended to be sick, fooled everyone, and messed up the kingdom’s affairs. Maybe all of this was an act as well.
But it was true that Cornelisse could not wake up and that she had awakened her ether. It was also true that someone close to Cornelisse, other than Elise since she had the fire attribute, should be by her side.
She managed to finally get a few words out of her mouth.
“……Please do not come out of this room.”
“I will do as you say. It looks like we need to change the sheets. Get it ready.” Werner did not seem fazed by her cold words and picked up his little girl.
The room quickly became busy. The attendants pulled back the bed curtains and delivered new towels and sheets. The crown princess silently watched all of them and left the room. Step, step, step…… She did not turn around at all until Werner could no longer hear her footsteps.
“……When did they say they plan on meeting?” Werner confirmed that she was gone and asked in a quiet voice. The Chief Attendant immediately answered.
“Tomorrow evening, your Royal Highness. However……”
“Speak.”
“A feast is not being prepared, your Royal Highness. The Vicarius Generalis had not given orders for one either. My guess is that they may be meeting in front of the paten,” the old servant whispered.
“……” The Prince Consort’s eyes grew dark. The Vicarius Generalis did make such an offer. They would gather in the Holy Room at the end of the underground maze to swear an oath of peace in front of the divine item.
It sounded completely ridiculous, but Elise was serious. And the fact that the dirty illegitimate child fooled the Imperial Crown Prince to come all the way out here seemed to show that the Empire took this seriously as well.
Werner quickly started to think. “You need to survive past the guardian spirit to get through the maze.”
“That is what I heard as well. But your Royal Highness……”
“There is no next time for me.” His voice cracked.
The attendant bowed. The Prince Consort was clear about something.
‘My sister is ready to strike against me at any moment, and Elise finally has the entire Kingdom. There is no noble who will protect me in such a situation.’ The man knew better than anybody else was that his relationship with the nobles relied on his splendid exterior. So this trip was the last chance that Cornelisse bestowed upon him.
He shook while holding his daughter.
“……I will finally finish it all this time.”
He would do it without needing anybody’s help. He would be free forever from the existence that tormented and bound him down for close to thirty years. Even if that was something close to impossible.
*
The plan to meet Elise in the underground maze tomorrow evening was set. Vicarius Generalis Ronald Rupert would serve as arbitrator. He wanted us to speak in front of the divine item to promise peace. He did not bring up anything else.
It was so quick that I wondered if it was okay to do it like this.
‘He’s someone who always puts the main topic first.’
‘I see.’
Sir Johann explained. ‘He probably doesn’t want to plan another meeting for something to go wrong or the conversation to go astray.’
Although his voice was gentle, scorn was visible in his eyes as he looked at the Vicarius Generalis. I did not feel good thinking that he suffered a lot here in the past.
‘The Vicarius Generalis will do anything to maintain the current Vatican. He’s obsessed with it not getting worse even if it means it does not get better.’
I was listening before I scowled. It was weird. ‘Why…… Is he like that? With the power he has, he should be able to do more. There are the issues with the tomb raiders in the desert, maintaining historical sites, even the amount of crime in the villages could get much better.’
‘I don’t really know, your highness. Maybe because he doesn’t see himself as the leader and just the butler?’ the Cardinal smiled and answered.
‘Butler.’ The person maintaining the Pope’s home while the Pope was absent. His actions until now were understandable if he saw himself like that. The Vicarius Generalis did not do any political actions and just observed as a neutral party whenever something happened between the two kingdoms. He even neglected the people in the neutral region because he was so obsessed with saving money.
‘……Maybe you could call it the Vatican survival method while there is no Pope? But if it was me, if it was any of us, we would not have done things like this. I’ll make sure to talk to him tomorrow. I will be especially firm when it comes to the Zaum village and ruins.’
“Your highness. Are you releasing your ether so widely on purpose?”
‘Ah?’
“Ah, yes. I want her Royal Highness to know that I am safe. Is it uncomfortable?” I quickly sat up and asked.
We were finally enjoying a break for the first time in a long while. I was releasing my ether as much as I could so that Elise could sense me no matter where she was in the temple.
‘Did I blank out for too long?’
“Of course not. I asked because I like it. It feels like someone released bath salts into the air!” Christelle, who was laying on Isabelle’s lap on a long couch, snickered.
I felt embarrassed and started fidgeting with my teacher’s Holy Staff. I looked around to see if the other Holy Knights felt the same way, but Sir Johann had the same smile on his face as usual while crown prince Cédric was reading. ‘As I expected.’
Hanan, who was seated next to the crown prince, extended out her arms.
– Oh Demy, come forth and carry me away.
– Squeeeee?
– Yes. The little ones are being a bit too chaotic.
The red panda trotted over and placed the rag doll on his back. It was sad that I didn’t have a phone to record a video. I chuckled and stretched my arms. On the other side was the Viscount’s family enjoying tea time.
“Oooooo.”
The area that the Vicarius Generalis prepared for us to use was so large and wide that it felt empty even though everybody was in the living room. It was also cold enough that we didn’t need Christelle’s ice to keep us cool.
The Rambouillet caravan staff were also resting well in a Vatican lodging. Expensive fodder and special treats were prepared for the camels and horses that had worked so hard to bring us here. We all went to visit the stable not too long ago, and it wasn’t as dull or eerie as the inside of the temple. It was just a regular stable, so the animals quickly adapted.
– Aaarf!
“This? The staff?”
– Ooooooooong
“Yeah. I want to get approval before returning to the palace, but to be honest with you, I don’t know how it will go.” I chatted with Tithé, who seemed to be showing interest in the Holy Staff. I still didn’t understand the divine beast language, but I did my best to try. I wanted to show my teacher that I had grown, especially because I ran away and abducted her precious godson in the process. If I could just become the Holy Staff’s master! That would be great. The staff had been quiet since glowing inside the ruins. I looked at the black crescent moon on it and awkwardly smiled. Tithé was using his flipper to smack the staff and twitching his whiskers in joy.
“Tithé, I will be able to play with you better if I can use this properly.”
– Aarf!
“Big bro will keep trying my best. But I’m sure it won’t be easy since it was a test given to me by her Eminence.”
– Aarf!
– Take it into the maze.
Hanan suddenly commented. She used some elegant movements to get off of Demy’s back before briskly walking over to me.
‘She’s taking so long to move 30cm, hahaha.’
“Are you talking about the underground maze, your Majesty?”
– Yes.
The Queen raised her head as she spoke. Everybody turned to look at her.
‘Her charisma is amazing too.’
“Is it because of the guardian spirit of the maze?” I cautiously asked.
There wasn’t much that even Sir Johann could tell me about the guardian spirit. It was because he had never been allowed to enter the maze. But he did talk about a rumor. The ghosts protecting that place were very old……
“If the intruders are holding onto any sort of malice, they consume their souls. Apparently they look like dreadful monsters.”
– Tsk! What immature nonsense.
The adult scolded us. I got a bit sad and waited for what she said next. The Queen’s veil shook as she proclaimed in a loud voice.
– Your staff was made from a root of the temple. I’m sure it will be beneficial.
—
Translator’s Comments
Oo, the staff playing a key role?