Chapter 9 Part 12
Spring passed over the territory of Mahart.
Elia’s gaze reached beyond the curtains. The wind blowing through the open window had become noticeably colder. It seemed like the northern region was going to be covered in snow again.
“The wind is chilly,” Aksion said, pushing the window shut and drawing the curtains over it. The chiffon curtains, used only during spring, had been replaced with thick velvet ones while Elia slept yesterday.
It had been two days since she regained consciousness. Deep sleep and light meals had replenished her exhausted energy. Her body and mind were now truly fine, but Aksion refused to leave her side.
“I’m really okay now. Besides, winter is coming anyway.”
“We need to cast a cold resistance spell on the entire place,” Aksion insisted.
Elia knew exactly what he was worried about. When magical energy is depleted to its limit, all metabolic processes decline. Because of this, many wizards who overused their magic on the battlefield often fell ill and died even after their magical energy recovered.
It was common knowledge among wizards, but strangely, it didn’t apply to Elia.
‘I really feel fine,’ she thought. Was it because she had paid the price with her lifespan?
Elia swallowed the words she couldn’t bear to say out loud. She didn’t know how much of her lifespan had been cut, but if it meant her body was safe now, it seemed like a fair trade.
A knock sounded at the door just then. It had only been a short while since Risha left after clearing away lunch.
Before Aksion could command them to leave, Elia spoke first. “Come in.”
“Thank you for permitting me,” came a voice. The person who entered had silver hair that seemed to capture the moonlight. Rien. Even though it had only been two days, Elia blinked, feeling as if she hadn’t seen him for a long time.
“Are you well?” he asked.
“Yes. Rien, you seem well too.”
“Of course. Though my magic was drained, the financial compensation was enough,” Rien replied, placing a basket of fruit on the table. Humming a tune, he seemed to have been well compensated.
It was unusual for the miserly Rien to bring expensive fruits from the north, but the mystery was solved quickly.
“The Order of Silver entrusted this to me. They said to give it to the young lady, or rather, the little lady of the duke’s house.”
So it was Jacob and the knights.
Understanding the source, Elia had a new concern.
“Please convey my thanks.”
“Normally, I’d charge for delivering messages, but let’s call this a free service to celebrate your recovery,” Rien boasted.
Aksion gave him a look, but it was Elia who felt more nervous under Aksion’s gaze.
‘So, Rien is a mercenary wizard, and I’m pretending to be a common spirit summoner who got caught and became the little lady of a ducal house?’
No doubt people outside were gossiping about her. Just as she thought things were getting complicated, Rien shrugged as if he expected this.
“Our branch and the young lord have been trading for a long time.”
“Did you two know each other originally?” Elia asked.
“Why else would the young lord trust me enough to include me in the knight order?”
Rien’s words made sense. As the head of Valunize’s branch, it wasn’t strange for him to have connections with Mahart’s young lord.
“You should have told me earlier.”
“I didn’t expect you to be acquainted with our branch head either,” Aksion replied.
“Oh, I’ve made a few deals with him. Like the contract with Shalon,” Elia explained, realizing why Aksion hadn’t told her.
‘He wouldn’t have known I was in contact with Rien.’
While Elia sorted through these connections in her mind, Rien took an apple from the basket.
“I came to deliver a report.”
“To whom?”
“To the young lord, but it’s a situation the princess should also be aware of.”
Aksion’s eyes grew cold as he watched Rien, who was now tossing and catching the apple. Suddenly, the apple shattered in mid-air by magic.
“The imperial capital is under attack by monsters.”
“What did you say?”
It had only been two days since the total eclipse. Elia quickly realized what she had overlooked.
‘The timeline sped up by two years. I thought we had six months left before the monsters invaded, but I was wrong.’
Time had indeed accelerated. She should have anticipated that the events she knew might also occur faster or slower.
“Though the city’s knights are holding back the monsters, the situation is unpredictable. You understand this, don’t you, Princess?” Rien continued.
On the last subjugation day, monsters that should have been in the forest attacked the territory. With the movements of monsters unpredictable, the capital was in danger.
‘I can’t even predict how many monsters there will be.’
Furthermore, unlike the northern region, the capital would soon be in full bloom for summer. Without the harsh winter of Mahart, monsters could be active year-round.
How long could the citizens withstand against monsters that were not even hindered by temperature?
‘No, would the royal palace even care about them?’
Even before she turned back time, monsters had attacked the capital. Back then, Elia believed the Emperor was genuinely concerned about the people’s safety as he exterminated the monsters.
But that wasn’t the case.
The royal family and the capital’s nobles only protected their territories, leaving those on the outskirts to die in monster attacks.
Even then, the Emperor, hiding behind the guise of the late emperor, told Elia not to worry. She had nodded, unaware of his true intentions and whom he would sacrifice on the impending doomsday.
“I must meet the Crown Prince,” Elia declared.
There wasn’t enough time to prepare for everything. She needed someone to act on her behalf.
Soon after, a guest arrived at the reception room connected to Elia’s bedroom. It was her brother and the empire’s sole heir, Crown Prince Varlan.
Elia had asked Aksion and Rien to leave, ensuring she was alone with Varlan.
“Sit down, brother.”
“Very well.”
Despite the sudden summons, Varlan appeared calm as if he had been expecting it. This was the first time they faced each other since she avoided him in the library.
‘He helped save the territory during the last subjugation.’
During the last subjugation, the Crown Prince and his knights had maintained their formation at the rear. Even when they learned of the territory’s attack, the Crown Prince did not avoid the monsters but fought them head-on.
He could have just ignored it.
‘…If he truly didn’t know I would be sacrificed.’
If he had really been having such nightmares, enduring them was all he could do. Someone had to be sacrificed. But Varlan hadn’t let the victims go unnoticed. That’s why he was here now.
“Brother, the dreams you’ve been having are about future events,” Elia said, her voice steady.
Varlan’s pupils trembled. Though he might have suspected, hearing it confirmed was undoubtedly shocking.
“You must know why the Emperor brought me here—to use me as a sacrifice against the impending doom.”
“That’s just the ramblings of a delusional prophet…”
“No. It will happen soon. The world is on the brink of destruction.”
The abnormal movements of monsters and the shadow devouring the sun were already clear signs.
Varlan squinted, finding it hard to believe. Yet, he had no choice. Elia was the very sacrifice to prevent the destruction.
“How do you know this?”
“Would you believe me if I told you I’ve experienced it before?”
The nightmare he had. Her return to the past. Everything connected at that moment.
Elia lowered her gaze. Having called Varlan here, she had to be honest.
“At first, I resented you. But now…I know. You didn’t know I’d be sacrificed.”
For the first time, Varlan’s face showed a pained expression.
“…I dismissed that prophecy as the nonsense of an old man. I thought no disaster would destroy the empire, and you’d live a protected life in the imperial city.”
If he had known the prophecy would come true, he would have done everything to take her away from the capital. Besides what Elia remembered, Varlan had known her even before then.
