Chapter 6 Part 4
The Empress cast a longing glance, unable to hide her disappointment. The Emperor, noticing this, scolded her.
“Everything must follow its order, Empress. Remember, if it weren’t for Parmo, Varlan would have died long ago.”
“Of course. You’re right.”
Years ago, when the Crown Prince was suffering from an inexplicable fever, it was Parmo who saved him. Publicly, he was known as a sage who could see the future and a healer who saved many lives.
Once the Empress complied, the Emperor’s expression softened.
“Today is a very special day. My prophet has come to deliver extraordinary news to this land through his training.”
Parmo’s prophecies were the Emperor’s pride. The hall fell silent as everyone awaited the words of the empire’s greatest prophet.
All the lights in the hall went out. When only a single spotlight illuminated Parmo, he began to speak.
“I have seen through my eyes that behold the future. A Saint of Light will descend upon this land.”
A Saint?
Everyone was busy verifying the prophecy’s content, taken aback by its unexpectedness.
“If it’s a Saint of Light… isn’t that related to the Seherayen Church?”
“But isn’t the revelation of a Saint usually announced at the temple?”
The Amarantha Empire recognized only a few gods that the continent acknowledged, being a multi-faith empire. The Light God of the Seherayen Church was particularly special, as light governed healing and wealth, making it the most popular faith in the Amarantha Empire.
Murmurs filled the hall, but no one doubted the prophecy. Parmo’s prophecies had never been wrong in the past few decades.
‘Except for once.’
Elia’s eyes gleamed sharply.
The Duke of Tartan acquired a sword containing a demon, all due to false information provided by the prophet.
‘He couldn’t attack the temple… Even if he was deceived by the prophecy, he couldn’t reveal it outside.’
In that case, the Duke’s misdeeds would also have been exposed. All circumstances pointed to Parmo. However, there was nothing to be done immediately. The prophet returned to his seat with the Emperor. The two whispered to each other before leaving the hall.
‘None of this ever happened in the past.’
Sharon’s appearance and today’s prophecy—everything was unprecedented. Elia also intended to leave the hall. However, despite the prophet’s departure, the crowd did not disperse. She had no choice but to wait for the crowd to clear.
Amid the people, she saw violet eyes approaching her with an expressionless face. “…Violet?”
She had seen Violet angry many times, but never without any expression. It sent a chill down her spine. At that moment, something shiny under Violet’s collar caught her eye.
“A sword?”
As Elia registered this, Violet lunged at her.
“…!”
The small figure quickly pushed through the people and reached Elia. With a swift motion, the sword aimed directly at her. Elia ducked just in time, but a few strands of her hair were cut off.
A young lady standing nearby had her arm grazed by the blind strike.
“What… Ahh!”
“What’s going on? It’s a sword!”
“Everyone, move aside!”
People realized the princess was wielding a sword. As the young ladies screamed, a circle cleared around Elia. Despite the chaos, Violet’s sword didn’t stop.
“Violet, what are you doing!”
Elia’s words went unanswered. Violet’s violet eyes blinked indifferently. In that moment, Elia saw the darkness within them.
‘Black magic.’
What resided within Violet was pure darkness. Being highly attuned to black magic through her resonance with Aksion, Elia could sense it more keenly than anyone else. Violet muttered like someone possessed.
“…I must kill you. If I kill you, then I…”
Before finishing her sentence, Violet rushed at Elia again. As Elia squeezed her eyes shut, a strong arm pulled her into an embrace.
“Elia, I found you.”
Hot breath touched her ear. Aksion, who had shielded her, grabbed Violet’s wrist. The captured wrist trembled, but Violet remained expressionless, not showing any pain. Aksion threw her to the ground.
With a thud, Violet hit the marble floor and landed on her rear. Slowly, her eyes, which had been clouded with black magic, began to regain their color.
“…What… what is this?”
Violet muttered in a daze. Realizing she was holding a sword, she threw it away in shock. The sword spun and came to a stop in the middle of the hall. Only then did the hall fall silent.
The Empress, who had witnessed everything, called out to her.
“…Violet?”
“Your Majesty? Why am I holding a sword?”
Violet sobbed as if she genuinely didn’t understand. Her maids quickly ran to help her up. Elia stood in front of the staggering Violet.
“Don’t you remember? You tried to stab me with that sword.”
“What? That’s ridiculous!”
Violet frowned. The hall remained silent, with everyone being a witness to Violet’s actions.
“…I really don’t remember.”
“Do you not remember your sword grazing the other young ladies either?”
Elia pointed to the left. A young lady, teary-eyed from the blind strike, stood there.
A flustered Violet shook her head.
“I didn’t do that!”
“What is happening here?”
The Emperor appeared then. Parmo was nowhere to be seen. The people made way for the Emperor, who looked at the fallen sword, Violet, and then Elia.
Elia pointed at the sword.
“Violet swung that sword at me.”
“…You must be joking.”
The Emperor asked in disbelief. No one dared to affirm his question. After a long silence, Elia spoke.
“Everyone here is a witness.”
“I really didn’t! My memory just suddenly cut off…”
The more Violet explained, the sharper the people’s gazes became. Rumors about the second princess were already unfavorable. Some even thought Violet was insane.
“I need to go inside and rest. Please help me.”
Violet’s desperate eyes turned to the Empress and the Emperor. But the two, to whom she was appealing, glanced at Elia.
‘The Empress must have spoken.’
Elia had to be bound to Amarantha. If they sided with Violet here, they worried about how Elia might react.
The Emperor finally made a decision.
“Violet, apologize to Elia.”
“What? I really didn’t mean to stab her!”
“Now!”
The Emperor’s stern command silenced Violet. The Emperor wore the most fearsome expression Violet had ever seen since she was born, reminiscent of the day he offered Elia as a sacrifice.
The Empress was no different.
“The Emperor is right. Apologize, Violet, okay?”
The Empress gently coaxed her. With even the Empress joining in, Violet suddenly began to cry. Elia sneered at the sight.
‘How ridiculous.’
They seemed to be siding with Elia on the surface, but it was to protect Violet.
“An apology isn’t enough, is it? A member of the royal family attempted to stab another royal in front of many people.”
Elia’s words made the Empress’s expression harden. She forced a smile and tried to defend Violet.
“Surely she didn’t really mean to stab you…”
“She did. I witnessed it up close, and I have the wound to prove it.”
A young lady stepped forward. Her face looked familiar—green eyes, orange hair, even her unique way of speaking.
‘Isn’t that the lady I met in the back alley?’
Elia’s eyes widened. The Empress soon identified her.
“Dias?”
The name brought back forgotten memories.
‘Could that young lady be Dias Ivan?’
The green eyes of the young lady shone brightly. The Empress Rubieno’s family was the Marquisate of Fiord. The Fiord family had two daughters and one heir. Rubieno became Empress, while her sister, Criele, married into the Ivan Empire’s royal family, becoming Empress of Ivan. Interestingly, Rubieno and Criele were sworn enemies.
