My body moved first.
– Paaaaat!
After running forward without thinking about what would happen afterward, my extremely unrefined ether spread out in all directions, releasing a blinding light.
I stood in front of Imperial Prince Cédric. Elise looked completely confused as we made eye contact.
However, the important thing was that her attack had stopped.
“Jesse?”
Her voice was slightly shaking.
The yellow sun that had risen above the training ground was slowly spinning in place.
The flames crackled, making it known that it would burn a target at any moment.
The scary visual and the heat made me gulp.
“I ask for your forgiveness. I was not trying to get in your way.”
I caught my breath as I spoke. It felt as if my mind was finally working again.
The Imperial Prince was currently being evaluated by Elise, a Cardinal, for his Holy Knight appointment.
I knew that I should not have barged in like that.
But wasn’t using a stigmata to test him too much?
The Imperial Prince was still a Novice and was strong enough even without using such methods of testing.
I didn’t know why the situation became so heated like this.
“Are you okay, your highness?”
I heard Christelle’s voice at that moment, it sounded too close to me.
I looked back in shock. My jaw dropped.
Christelle, Vice Captain Élisabeth, Benjamin, Ganael, and even the Imperial Prince’s attendant, David, were all inside my Holy Domain.
They all must have run here because they were breathing heavily as well.
Percy was seated on the Imperial Prince’s shoulder while shaking his feathers.
As for Christelle and the young Countess, they had their respective whip and sword in their hands, keeping the crown princess in check.
“……”
I then made eye contact with the Imperial Prince who was at the center of the circle.
He looked as if he came straight out of a book despite his sand-covered shirt being ripped in multiple places and his hair being a total mess.
His eyes were open slightly wider.
‘What is up with that shocked gaze?’
“I am okay.”
I answered before looking forward again. The crown princess’ face looked quite confused.
‘Shit, was that not something Prince Jesse would have done?’
This sense of danger was coming a bit too late. It would probably be even weirder if I suddenly walked away right now.
I calmly opened my mouth to speak.
“I learned that the stigmata is the most powerful power a Cardinal can utilize. To use it against his Royal Highness-”
I stopped there and peeked at the Imperial Prince.
It was because I thought that this bastard might have provoked her first.
The Imperial Prince scowled and lowered his sword.
His arm seemed to have given out and he had cold sweat on his forehead.
‘Mm, he does seem to be struggling.’
“……Is too much in my opinion. Please forgive his Royal Highness if he did anything to be discourteous toward you, your highness.”
I did my best to say something that sounded reasonable.
“His Royal Highness is usually not…… Actually he is always like this. But if you get to know him, he is a good pe-, good at his work.”
I could not shield his personality no matter how hard I tried.
I released some ether through my circle without making it obvious.
I could feel the Imperial Prince absorbing it as if he was gulping down water.
I knew it was cheating but I needed to prepare for the chance that the evaluation would continue.
He could not turn into ‘Sadie’ in front of Elise.
“……You have a friendship with the Imperial Prince? Them as well?”
Elise whispered after a while.
She was slowly lowering her left hand she had raised, almost as if she was orchestrating. As I was about to respond…
“Crown princess.”
Cardinal Boutier’s voice sharply cut between us.
I watched as she elegantly walked over from the outskirts of the training ground.
The Cardinal had a gentle smile on her face but her beige-colored eyes showed less emotion than Demy’s thin whiskers.
All that was visible was extreme vigilance and a sharp gaze.
I almost cowered in fear at this vibe that was 180 degrees different from her usual kindness.
“You seem to have lost your composure. I’ve never heard of a Cardinal using their stigmata against a Novice Holy Knight.”
“……”
“Will you be able to continue the evaluation?”
Elise was silent at this elder’s question. I used this opening to look behind me.
David was looking at the Imperial Prince’s injury. Though, he didn’t seem to be seriously injured since nobody was freaking out…
“Should I open up a healing circle?”
“I would be extremely grateful if you would do that, your h-”
“Your highness, I will escort you to Juliette Palace.”
Vice Captain Élisabeth interjected while David and I were chatting.
I raised my head because this was not something she would normally do. I noticed that the Imperial Guards had gathered right in front of me.
They moved in perfect order to surround the edges of my Holy Domain.
It was obvious they were trying to separate me from the crown princess.
Cardinal Boutier must have given the young Countess an order.
“Then the evaluation-”
“I’m not sure either, your highness. But you should return because this place might become dangerous for you.”
Her grey eyes looked serious as she whispered to me.
I made eye contact with the two MCs one after the other.
Christelle nodded her head while the Imperial Prince did not show any signs of complaint. It was his way of telling me to go.
“Then…… I will head in first. I apologize for interrupting the evaluation.”
I spoke toward my teacher. She simply smiled gently toward me.
Cardinal Ari Schot was waving from the table we had run over from.
It was his way of telling me that it was fine to leave. I nodded my head and withdrew my Holy Domain.
I was worried about the MCs but it was true that I did not want to chat with Elise any longer.
I looked at her face last, which, for some reason, looked as empty as a sunset.
*
“It looks like it might rain, your highness.”
“It does seem that way. Thank you.”
I looked out the window of the second floor reception room before receiving the teacup from Ganael.
The dark clouds were frowning as if they might start crying at any moment.
It had already been two days since the first evaluation day when Elise tried to use her stigmata against the Imperial Prince.
According to the message from David, the Imperial Prince’s evaluation that day ended up fizzling out.
Today was the second evaluation; the day of Christelle’s sparring.
A humid day like this was extremely advantageous for a water attribute person like her.
However, I was stuck inside the palace again. Empress Frédérique ordered for my confinement again.
It wasn’t a shock.
The crown princess had activated her stigmata in the Imperial Palace training grounds for some reason and her attack had been toward the Imperial Prince. I was the one who stopped her.
I did get scared that a conflict would arise.
I was just relieved that I was still allowed to go to the crown princess’s farewell dinner in two days.
That had been my goal from the beginning.
I took a sip of the steaming peach tea before organizing my thoughts.
I would need to be able to speak without any hesitation if I wanted to explain Sir Johann Geens’s situation and a way to sneak his son out of the Empire.
“It’s great for Eva. She wanted to be their partner.”
I suddenly commented, which made the juice drinking Ganael smile.
Young lady Eva Blanquer was in charge of supporting Christelle with ether in my stead.
There were many other priests as well, but it was rare for any priest to have a close relationship with both people. I heard that Cardinal Boutier personally selected her.
It was difficult for Sand to get here because he was still in confinement.
I looked back outside and fell deep into my thoughts again.
‘Mother will be happy about it as well. She wanted you to be my partner when you were young.’
The meaning behind the crown princess’s words was clear.
It meant that their mother, Queen Christanne, had tried to get the prince and Elise to be priest and Holy Knight partners in the past.
It made sense if it was when they were young.
The Queen probably believed that her son, as someone who carried the blood of a priest, would eventually start releasing ether.
However, the prince had been ordinary until he received the honorary bishop title at sixteen.
Then there was the fact that I now learned.
The Queen did not dislike her son or stay away from him.
In fact, she wanted to connect the futures of her eldest child and her second child.
Thinking about the actions or gaze of the crown princess toward me, she too seemed to truly care about her younger brother.
That left only one conclusion.
‘The Prince Consort is the bastard who needs to die. The other Venetiaans are normal.’
It seemed quite obvious that the young second princess would have been close to her older brother as well.
“Aigoo.”
‘The family was blasted by wind and rain because of one single person.’
I let out a quiet sigh before drinking the light pink tea. It was at that moment.
“Ah, she is here again.”
Ganael mumbled while looking out the window. I naturally looked in the same direction.
Foreign clothes that were similar to mine, muscular body, and bald head could be seen.
She was chatting with Pierre, an attendant of Juliette Palace.
“Isn’t that Maartje? I’m surprised she is here instead of by the crown princess’s side.”
“Yes, your highness. She has continued to come to Juliette Palace since entering the Palace.”
“Why didn’t I know about it?”
“It is because she is not here to see you but to deliver a present from the Holy Kingdom, your highness.”
Ganael motioned with his hand as if telling me to see for myself.
Now that I took a better look, it seemed as if Pierre and Maartje were in a tussle.
Maartje was trying to push an item to him while Pierre was declining with an awkward look on his face.
I couldn’t tell what the item was because it was wrapped in silk.
“She keeps stubbornly trying to hand it to us despite us letting her know that it needs to be inspected by the Imperial Palace first. She claims that it is not something harmful but that you need to be the first to see it, your highness.”
“That must have put you guys in a difficult position.”
“Yes, your highness. It was quite the headache for Lord Benjamin. He couldn’t be too firm with her because she is the crown princess’s coachman.”
Ganael pouted.
Maartje eventually retreated after seeing Pierre not willing to give in.
She looked at the sky once before scowling and massaging one shoulder for a long time.
‘Is her body in pain because of the weather?’
“You are not planning on receiving it, are you, your highness?”
Ganael quickly asked.
I turned my head to see the young boy looking at me with a concerned gaze. I chuckled.
“Of course I can’t take it. Who knows what might be in there? I’m not such an easy man.”
– Whimper
Demy wagged his tail and approached me at that moment.
I picked him up with one arm before looking out in the distance.
‘I wonder if Christelle’s evaluation is going well.’
*
– Shhhhhhhhhhhh!
A long and sharp gold spear, the Vicious Manifestation of the Headwind, cut through the air of the interior training ground.
It would be too late to dodge this after seeing it. However, Christelle’s ether was quite fast.
She immediately reached her hand out.
– Shaaaaaaaaaaa!
– Splash!
A thick and large water wall shot up from the empty ground.
The moment the spear pierced through the spray of water…
– Craaaaaack!
All of the water instantly froze.
The water that had been spreading in the shape of a crown immediately started tightly binding the Vicious Manifestation.
The weapon resisted; almost as if it had a conscience and was trying to get out of the ice.
Christelle put her left hand on the ice wall while looking at the shaking spear.
– Crack, craaaack……
New water filled the areas that cracked under the strength of the Vicious Manifestation and immediately froze to continue binding the divine item.
Christelle whipped her whip at the same time. She was trying to properly contest the crown princess who was across from her.
– Crackle!
– Clang!
The ice wall cracked like a window before water could even form at the end of her whip.
It was because of the crown princess’s flame.
Christelle immediately pulled the whip back and prepared for her next attack.
She recalled what Prince Jesse had said at the Summer Palace.
‘For example, when you did the flip in the air to land on the ice staircase… If you sent that flying to the other side instead of making it disappear……’
She could attempt a new attack if she did not waste the cracking ice.
“Haa!”
– Splash!
She wound up her arm before slashing her whip horizontally.
This was the result of copying one of the Imperial Prince’s sword art styles.
Ice pieces that sparkled like a sword head toward the crown pr-
“Huh?”
– Babababang!
Ice pieces stabbed into the walls of the newly fixed training ground walls like daggers.
There was nobody on the other side. She did not feel any spirit or ether overpowering.
Christelle looked to the side in shock.
Elise, who had already handed her spear to her attendant, was wiping her hand with a handkerchief.
She was flabbergasted.
“……Your highness?”
“You have outstanding talent. I have seen enough of your abilities.”
The crown princess responded with a stoic expression and voice.
Cardinal Schot and Eva were clapping for Christelle at a table a bit away from them.
They had only been sparring for about ten minutes but the evaluation was already over.
Cardinal Boutier was off to the side inspecting the Imperial Prince’s flow of ether.
Christelle slightly bit down on her lip.
It wasn’t a bad thing for it to end so easily, but she was frustrated that the crown princess did not show the same liveliness she showed two days ago.
It was even worse because she thought that she knew the reason behind it.
“Your highness.”
She approached the crown princess and started to speak, making the crown princess look down toward her.
There was quite the difference in height. She seemed even taller than Prince Jesse.
Christelle started speaking with a firm gaze.
“Please pray for your younger brother’s happiness.”
“……”
The crown princess’s blue eyes shook as if they would break. The noble young lady continued to speak.
“I apologize for saying such a rude comment unexpectedly. However, I did not think that you were the type who liked to beat around the bush.”
She then took a deep breath.
Her departed older sister’s figure filled her mind but she managed to keep herself steady.
Honestly speaking, she felt a bit pitiful that there was someone else in addition to her who had to feel such a frustrating emotion with no possible answer to soothe her.
However, someone had to say this for the benefit of both the older sister and the younger brother.
“It is good if we can be together with our siblings forever, but there are times when such a thing is not possible. There are people who seek out a new family. They seek them out somewhere more peaceful and relaxing than their home.”
—
Translator’s Comments
Christelle be talking like she marrying Jesse.
🤔 the gift is so mysterious
Elise is so beautiful, regal, elegant, hot, royal, powerful, strong, stoic, emotional, caring, brocon, unique, exemplary, extraordinary, capable….
are you okay..?
I feel kinda bad for elise… she just wants to talk to her brother. I wonder why everyone is so scared of her meeting jesse when she hasnt threatened him or anything like that… I kinda understand everyone else being wary but didnt jesse receive a letter and things from her why does it still seem hes expecting her to try kill him? I hope he gets a chance to ask about the younger sister so elise can at least tell her he still cares about her 🙂
Can’t they let Jesse speak for himself? Why th they assume they know what the best for Jesse?
A lot has happened. And the comments are all about why everyone is so apprehensive against Elise. And I don’t think it’s because of Elise herself but the fact that she is a crown princess, the heir to the Venetiaan Kingdom and a relative of Jesse who also happens to be the child of the very same person who tried to assassinate him in earlier chapters. After those events, the conversation, hell even mention of Jesse’s family had always been awkward and strained.
Cedric doesn’t trust the Venetiaan royalty to be close to Jesse and not do him harm or mistreat him, so it’s no wonder he is highly guarded and dare I say, aggressive against anyone of them, including Elise. Christelle has heard of the rumors about them and while also just as apprehensive, it’s not on the same level as Cedric, seeing as she can still interact with Elise in a friendly manner. The younger side characters are all following Christelle’s understanding of the matter with each of their own ideas on it. The Cardinal seems neutral about them, though if they do anything against Jesse or the Imperial royalty and its people, it’s likely she would step in to intervene and act. The Empress herself shares the same sentiment as Cedric and like the Cardinal, only steps in when necessary since she doesn’t mind Jesse getting close to his sister even for just a tad. The older characters follow this kind of logic.
I should also mention that Jesse had made a Divine Promise (is that what it’s called…? I should reread this at some point) to Cedric that he would never interact or initiate anything with the Venetiaan family as a way to prove he is a friendly to him. And if I remember correctly, breaking a Divine Promise will be met with Divine Punishment so that is something to look forward to in later chapters. I had been wondering why it isn’t working with Elise around but maybe it’s perhaps she is only one person and she didn’t came there as a Venetiaan representative but as one of the judges to evaluate Cedric and Christelle.
Thank you for the chapter and hardwork!
MY GODD I MISSED READING THIS!!!! I really loved the translation, thanks for the chapter and always uploading on time! I hope y’all have a nice day ♥
sibling angst time 💔💔💔 i bet she was having a slow realisation that jesse would be safest and possibly happier in the riester empire rather than the holy kingdom… i really wish that their relationship can be patched up and that it won’t be awkward anymore
it feels like Elise still hasn’t fully absorbed just how dire Jesse’s situation was. maybe because she’s a knight, because she’s never felt that constant threat to her own life at home from someone who’s supposed to be her family, it’s like she can’t possibly empathize with how terrifying Jesse’s situation was. plus he loves his sisters, so he had probably put up a brave front for their sakes.
despite knowing in her head the effect the constant threats had on his behavior (avoiding food, boiling water to drink), Elise still believes in her heart that he’ll “come home”. the idea that he could feel safe or even happy somewhere else has never occurred to her, and seeing that it was in fact possible in the Riester Empire has really upset her.
I can’t say she’s been passive about protecting Jesse (we don’t actually know enough about everything that’s happened), but it’s clear that her efforts have never been enough to make Jesse feel safe in his own home. Until something forces Werner to stop (namely, death or a vegetative state), Jesse will never be safe in her home kingdom. she really needs to come to terms with what she wants to happen and what she’s able to do to make it happen.
I feel like it is so obvious that Elise cares about Jesse that they are just being obtuse, or even cruel to her for controlling Jesse’s life so much.
The Empire people reactions seem quite exaggerated from our point of view as readers, but if you think about the silent conflict ongoing between the Holy Kingdom and the Empire it’s quite understandable. After all, they know nothing about Elise except the fact that their family and their subjects live under the devil Prince Consort. Their reactions does make sense. They don’t know what she could do. It could be simply a nice siblings reunion, but what if Elise had just switched sides in the meantime her brother was exiled? What if Elise just saw her brother as a political tool, and was pretending to be nice? What if Elise wanted to pass a message to the Prince (a threat or information)? There are too many variables to consider before they trust her as a person, especially considering how little information they have about her, aside her political face.
I know it’s cruel, but that’s to prove how delicate is this situation. We read war and conflict and enemies and danger but we do not digest it properly. Two countries are at odds with each other, the prince who reigns one is a mad man, and the Holy Kingdom seems like a legend because of how much we know about it. Of course, few people are aware of the relationship between members of the same family, no character know much about each other struggles except, maybe, those on power or very close to them. Jess only knows what the author had written, so he can’t make wild moves outside what he believes could work out.
We all know how crappy Cedric character is, but we also often forget he is a sick man starving for ether and suffering from loneliness. We were already told before in the previous chapters that lacking ether feels like dying slowing. While it does not justify his bad mouth and childish behavior, it’s understandable why he would be so fierce towards any “threats” to his only source of ether AND the only friend whom he feels comfortable around.
Chris caring but straight-forward personality is well described here so I won’t make any comments. She sympathize with Elise, but she spent more time with Jesse than her and became attached to him. Despite her slightly off assumption that Jess is 100% happy in this world, I agree with her point about letting family members find their own happiness, even if it’s different from what was envisioned or what they promised to do in the past.
I had seen a comment wondering why Jess is so wary towards Elise, if he knows that only the prince consort is the bad guy. I do think it is as explained in this chapter and amidst the story: he is afraid that he will be exposed as a fake. And being exposed does has a very high probability of ending with death sentence in this novel world. Let’s remind ourselves that while Jess knows the content of the novel, he does not know deeply about every character situation: only their positions, their main actions and how the general scheme of things works. He learnt just recently about geography, politics and everything else… mainly from the Empire point of view. Even if he is certain Elise is not a bad person, and would listen to him in earnest, after she learns he is not her brother would she care? Wouldn’t she feel betrayed or angry and demand to give back her brother? Wouldn’t she feel afraid that a monster took place her brother? Wouldn’t she assume the Empire did some weird things to her brother? It could result in the early break of a war or a speedy run to take Jess back to the Holy Kingdom. Considering her hot temper when it comes to her loved ones as demonstrated in the previous chapter, I do think she is a woman capable of doing whatever she can to protect her family. Some would argue that Elise is not stupid to harm Jess knowing it’s her brother’s body, but don’t you think that “not knowing” her reaction and what will happen afterwards is very scary? We can’t blame Jess for not taking the safe route, for taking a step back, even if this action hurts Elise, because if he take a step forward and accidentally steps on a landmine, his chances of surviving in this world and returning to his home decreases a lot.
So rather than obtuse, I would call them wary people in complicated situation.Though it does break my heart to see a good sister like Elise being separated from his brother, it also does not erase the fact that them being involved in the world’s politics is heavy enough for both of them and those around them to be on the lookout. As readers it’s easy to relate to a character and cheer for them after knowing their situation, but we must remind ourselves that the other characters do not know about what we read. Also, regarding expressions or feelings, there are people who are easier to read than others, and people who are more perceptive than others, so we also can’t assume that everyone is attacking them without reason. Most of the times, it’s because we are uncertain of their motives that we chose to be wary of others.
So I do hope everyone who is reading this keep calm and read it with a more detached mind. This way, you will be able to see not only the beauty of the characters as a whole, but also how the plot is written and how skillful the author is. If this is a good or bad story, if the characters were wrongfully abused for the sake of the plot or not, I think we will have to wait until this novel ends to see.
(Thank you for the translation!)