Chapter 47: Not Easy part 2
More shocking than the betrayal and conspiracy of Saintess Kaphia was her own beautiful and terrifying friend – Dottricia.
The one who had tried to kill her to usurp her place and live as the princess. The one who had succeeded in twisting fate and was now scheming again. The one who had once called her a friend, cried with her over painful memories, and sworn eternal friendship with a kiss upon a ruby pendant.
Dott.
What should I do with you?
What are you… to me?
Fay mulled over an emotion she couldn’t quite define – rage or regret.
A long silence passed before she finally spoke again.
“I don’t think I could ever forgive them. If I met them, I’d want to kill them. Either take their life or destroy their honor and cast them into ruin.”
“…I see.”
Lucius’s black eyes showed not disappointment, but resignation.
He knew she wasn’t talking about him. It must be about that fake princess. Yet, he still couldn’t forgive himself. And he still longed for her warm touch.
No matter what it took, if the opportunity for redemption came… he would seize it. No matter the cost.
Fay, shifting her thoughts from Dott to Maurice, continued.
“But I suppose I won’t truly know until that moment comes.”
“What?”
“There was someone I once thought I’d never forgive. But that person has lost all memory of me. Unintentionally.”
She had a vague premonition.
Excluding herself and Dott, even if someone else had brought memories from the past and completely changed their present self.
Maurice Klein would not be among them.
Perhaps his change of heart was due to the return of his eldest brother, Kassel, and the surrounding circumstances.
“But isn’t it strange? That person is living in a completely different way now, showing a side they never revealed before. That’s why I wanted to watch for a while. Even if he never regrets what he did to me, I hope he at least becomes a better person.”
“You won’t forgive him, but you don’t want him to make the same mistake?”
Fay nodded.
“Yes.”
Would Maurice Klein truly become the knight he always claimed he would be?
She didn’t know. She couldn’t tell. But she hoped that his experiences, dreaming of knighthood, becoming a squire, and now enduring his trials, would guide him wisely. That he would understand how dangerous it was to shake someone’s position for mere amusement.
That, at the very least, he would not abuse power for his own pleasure.
I will never accept you as my brother.
But don’t fall to ruin, Maurice Klein. Walk a different path from your past life. If you can do just that, I will consider it your atonement.
Setting aside thoughts of the Klein Duchy and the Saintess, she picked up an invitation from the imperial palace.
Lucius’s weakened gaze quickly flared with intensity.
“Are you going?”
“Yes.”
The Imperial Court had announced last winter that this year’s spring ball would also serve as a debutante event. So, noble families that had originally planned to take their time and prepare leisurely for an autumn debut rushed through the long winter, frantically commissioning dresses and searching for artisans.
Fay vaguely recalled someone’s face.
Barbara Gachell… She would be there, wouldn’t she?
The season for debutantes had changed, but the year remained the same, so she would certainly attend.
She hoped Barbara’s life had gained even the smallest change for the better.
As Fay opened the envelope and checked the invitation, her eyes widened.
“Huh?”
“What? What is it? Let me see.”
She handed it over to Lucius without hesitation. Inside the envelope was the official invitation, along with an additional letter.
“Huh…?”
The message in the second letter was brief. It simply stated that there was an urgent matter to discuss and requested her presence at the palace.
From the Crown Prince.
Lucius returned the letter to her with a grumble.
“Shouldn’t the one who has business be the one to come? And why send this along with another matter?”
“Haha… If he did that, it would cause an even bigger commotion. If His Highness the Crown Prince were to visit personally, the entire Magic Tower would be in an uproar, and more people would come just to gawk at him.”
“As if a Crown Prince is such a big deal.”
“Oh, Lucius, you know that whole idea about mages not caring for worldly affairs is a lie.”
Mages had wildly different personalities, and some had such a deep craving for attention that they constantly caused outrageous spectacles. It was likely that their antics alone contributed at least 5% to the current anti-mage sentiment.
“What does it matter?”
“More importantly, the biggest issue is that His Highness the Crown Prince is too handsome. If I let my guard down, even my gaze starts to go hazy.”
“Forget it. You shouldn’t go.”
He knew all too well.
If the Crown Prince of an empire, not just any prince of a kingdom, came and went freely, troublesome things were bound to happen. After all, he had personally stormed the capital of a foreign nation just to challenge Karon…
Recalling an incredibly painful memory, Lucius’s expression turned sullen.
……
T/N: Other than ‘fearsome ancient dragon’, Lucius can now be tied with the words ‘loser in love ancient dragon’ hahahahaha
