Chapter 84
“…!”
My face suddenly flushed hot.
I was the Imperial Princess.
Of course, I wasn’t born an Imperial Princess, nor was I raised as one.
But from the moment I decided to return to the Imperial Palace for Aslan’s sake, I had the duty to think and take responsibility as an Imperial Princess, and beyond that, as an Emperor.
The Emperor’s duty is to protect the Empire.
To protect the people.
Yet I had tried to abandon that duty too easily.
As if it were a game, pretending to be cool while pathetically acting like I had no choice but to lose this round.
I was ashamed.
The fact that I was far worse than Lloyd, whom I had looked down on and hated for letting Riona die, ever since I realized he was the Grand Duke and noticed his mental instability.
Why had I been so self-centered?
I no longer tried to stop the Grand Duke. Instead:
“…I understand. I’ll go too.”
As expected, Lloyd flatly refused my help and was about to mount his horse.
“Your Highness doesn’t need to help. Please go to a safe place.”
“Grand Duke.”
I grabbed his wrist, stopping him.
Startled by the sudden contact, he flinched and turned his head to look at me.
I asked him,
“Will that bucket be enough? Carry more.”
“J-just a moment, Your Highness.”
I led the awkwardly resisting Lloyd to bring more buckets.
The miners’ rest area, relatively close to the mine entrance, was already incredibly hot. I thought about carrying as many buckets as possible without them burning, to where the fire hadn’t spread yet.
While tying the buckets to the horse, I apologized to him.
“I’m sorry. For suggesting we give up so easily. Even though I’m the Imperial Princess.”
“…As the Imperial Princess, you should see the big picture rather than focus on small details.”
“But if we can save both the trees and the forest, shouldn’t we take that path even if it’s difficult?”
To protect Aslan, I first needed to become a beloved Imperial Princess.
So much so that no one would even think of touching Aslan!
That’s why I had to perfectly resolve this situation now.
The moment I made up my mind.
“…Huh?”
A bright light began to burst from both of my ears.
No, to be precise, it was light coming from my earrings.
The cat’s-eye earrings I had been wearing all along, intending to prick the Grand Duke’s conscience, were shining.
I dropped the bucket I was holding and covered my earrings with both hands, as an unnatural light burst forth.
“W-what is this!”
“Your Highness, why on earth is there light…!”
“I don’t know either! Didn’t you give these to me?”
What’s going on? Was cat’s-eye originally a luminescent material?
I had never heard of a jewel suddenly emitting light, and there’s no way a mere jewel could produce this much light.
We didn’t even notice that the flames had already surrounded us.
Is this what it would feel like to have suns attached to both ears?
I felt like I was about to go blind.
I squeezed my eyes shut and shouted.
“Please! We need to go put out the fire—!”
My voice spread throughout the forest.
Surprisingly, the light began to fade.
It was embarrassing to think I had yelled at earrings without ears, but at least the light had stopped.
My dizzying vision gradually regained focus.
‘If we can just set out now…!’
However, at that moment, Lloyd saw something and was greatly surprised, then quickly ran towards me.
“Your Highness, it’s dangerous!”
“Ah!”
He suddenly grabbed my arm.
The recoil made Lloyd fall backwards, and I, with my arm in his grip, fell on top of him.
There was no time to ask what he was doing.
CRASH!
A huge burning tree trunk fell towards where I had been standing.
“Are you alright?”
“Th-thanks to you…”
We had saved our lives for now, but the situation wasn’t good at all.
Looking around belatedly, I realized we were now surrounded by flames.
‘We’re doomed, can we make it out alive?’
The horses had already fled long ago.
The problem wasn’t putting out the fire anymore, but whether we could make it out alive.
Because of these damn earrings suddenly acting up, I had missed my chance to leave the forest on my own.
No matter how much I looked, I couldn’t see an escape route.
Thinking we might die here, my legs gave out and I couldn’t stand up.
“Aslan…”
I couldn’t die here, if only for Aslan’s sake.
If Lloyd and I died here, Aslan and Ayla would lose their normal lives.
‘Please, let us return alive to protect the children’s daily lives…!’
I prayed, not even knowing to whom I was praying.
And at that moment.
Plop.
“Ah, it’s cold.”
Something fell on my forehead.
When I wiped it off with my hand, it was a water droplet.
From the sky that had turned red from the flames, one drop, two drops.
As if to prove it wasn’t just my imagination, small water droplets continued to fall.
“Rain?”
I lifted my head.
Through the burning leaves, I could clearly see it.
Dark clouds were suddenly gathering in the sky that had been clear without a single cloud.
It was as black as if all the storm clouds in the world had been swept in.
Whoosh.
Thick raindrops began to pour down like arrows.
* * *
“Lady Ayla, Young Master Aslan. Please stay in the east wing until both of you return. If you need anything, please let us know.”
Meanwhile, the children found themselves confined, though not officially, to Ayla’s east wing without knowing why.
Knights and maids were stationed at every door – the corridor, the living room, the bedroom, and even the room where the children were now.
It was a situation where they couldn’t relax even if told to do so.
This had never happened before!
The children trembled with anxiety as intimidating adults guarded the doors, preventing them from leaving.
“Where’s Mom?”
“Where’s Fa- Dad?”
“They are both busy right now. We will inform you as soon as they return.”
“Ah…”
Aslan looked quite displeased, but Ayla nodded as if there was no helping it.
Ayla had noticed for some time that Lloyd seemed relieved the more she insisted.
But now didn’t seem to be the time for that.
Thinking it was fortunate she had developed a keen sense of observation since her orphanage days, Ayla tried to calm Aslan.
“Come on, Aslan. Let’s wait together.”
“But…”
“That way, Mo- I mean, Mom can come back quickly without worrying.”
“Hmph. Okay…”
Aslan also wanted Mom to return quickly, just like Ayla.
That’s why she curbed her strong stubbornness and stopped complaining along with Ayla.
However, no matter what they did, people’s gazes kept following them.
Even when they tried to hide in the bathroom, if there was no sound for more than five minutes, the maids would knock on the door.
It was already an unfamiliar place.
‘Mom said this place was safer.’
But what was this?
They could have endured everything because of those words about safety, but anyone could see this atmosphere was not safe.
Lloyd and Minerva had disappeared simultaneously at the news of someone’s arrival.
Minerva and Lloyd had suddenly rushed out, and not long after, a big forest fire had broken out.
And now this situation.
Outside the window, black smoke was still rising incessantly.
Could they have gone there?
‘With such a big fire, did Mom go there?’
What if Mom doesn’t come back?
Aslan curled up in a corner, wrapping herself in a curtain.
And she stared out the window endlessly, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Ayla, who couldn’t take her eyes off Aslan, threw aside the book she had been pretending to read and hurried to Aslan’s side.
“Aslan, are you okay?”
“Mom…”
As soon as she was in Ayla’s arms, Aslan called for her mom in a tearful voice.
‘This has never happened to her before…’
Is she very scared of the current situation?
Ayla also knew about the situation outside.
The black smoke rising from the Millennium Tree Forest was clearly visible even from the east wing.
Ayla was also anxious, thinking Lloyd must have gone there.
However, Aslan seemed more anxious right now, so Ayla gathered her courage and turned to speak to the door guards.
“Um.”
“Yes, Lady Ayla.”
“As you can see, Aslan is uncomfortable. I’m sorry, but please leave the bedroom.”
A resolute voice, unlike anything one would expect from Ayla, flowed out.
