CH 18

Phoenix statues in the form of birds turning to flames also stood in the crown prince’s palace. The fact it had a red hue overall was no different from the main Imperial Palace.

“You look very much like the Archduke of Haelian.”

And the fact that I had burdensome gazes all over me.

The crown prince looked at me with interest and spoke.

Next to him, the 2nd prince, who had been staring at me for a while, suddenly shouted.

“You’re really pretty. You look like a fairy!”

..thank you for the compliment.

I only smiled vaguely at the two princes, who seemed somewhat unsatisfied

“Of course, the young lady of Bastevan was also a great beauty.”

When the story of Mariette came out, I was forced to stiffen.

I looked at the crown prince’s expression, but it didn’t seem that he said it with any particular intention.

“Your highness, didn’t you say you were looking for a book on Lytera?”

At that time, Allea, who’d previously not been a part of the conversation, stepped in and spoke to the crown prince in a friendly way.

Lytera?

I blinked my eyes.

A few months ago, when I’d run away from Roberick with my grandfather.

‘…where that old friend stays.’

My grandfather once talked about the place where his old friend stayed…at the time, he’d only mentioned the name, Lytera.

The situation back then was so bad that I’d simply overlooked it.

“Wait, did you really bring it here?”

“Yes…actually, it wasn’t easy to bring, but I begged Daddy and I finally got permission.”

…wasn’t Lytera just the name of a place?

I thought, staring at the face of the crown prince who looked immensely pleased.

“Thank you. I’d just mentioned it casually, so I didn’t expect you to remember.”

The crown prince smiled brightly and said to Allea.

“Lytera? It’s an organisation whose information is kept so securely that you can’t access it unless you’re a grade 2 spiritualist or higher. Did Grand Duke Haelian really just give you the book?”

Besides him, the second prince, who was biting at a snack with his mouth full, mumbled.

“Yes, it’s a little embarrassing to say this myself, but my father tries to do whatever I tell him…”

Allea replied with a shy smile.

“Lytera has finally figured out the technology behind the device used to control the atmospheric conditions in the kingdom of Nesha.”

…what the hell is Lytera?

No organisation can access climate change research without a senior spiritualist researcher being among them. My grandfather had mentioned his old friend was there – but I only now wondered what kind of person that friend was.

“The king of Nesha is also a spiritualist. My father is always on the lookout for them. It’s because rather than being adverse to the power of darkness, they revere it.”

They continued to talk and laugh on topics I couldn’t understand, and I was left to suffer alone.

“And yet,”

The crown prince sighed and murmured lamentably.

“My father gets angry at me for not yet choosing a partner for marriage. I heard he’ll appoint me a fiancee himself and the ceremony will take place in a month or two…I’m really not looking forward to it.”

Allea accepted the prince’s words with a pitiful expression.

“I hope your highness will like the fiancee. How lucky would it be if you were to fall in love with someone your parents approve?”

The crown prince grinned and laughed.

“Thank you, Allea. For some reason, I really feel at ease talking to you.”

“That’s an excess compliment. This is just who I am.”

It was terrible to be caught between the crown prince and Allea, who’d fallen in their own worlds, and the second prince who was stuffing desserts into his mouth like he was possessed.

I can’t take it anymore.

I don’t want to sit in a place where I’m treated as non-existent.

I crept up from my chair and slipped silently out of the drawing-room.

At first glance, it seemed that Allea’s eyes were on me as I stood up, but no response came from her, and I just kept my way firmly.

* * *

Click.

The crown prince and second prince did not notice me leaving even after I closed the door to the room.

“…there’s no one.”

I was worried that a servant would notice me coming out of the room alone, but it seems it was for naught.The corridor of the crown prince’s palace was filled with only splendor and somehow lonely stillness, with no human shadows.

Only the sound of my footsteps walking down the hallway echoed.

“…why is it so quiet?”

It is very quiet.

It is almost abnormal.

“Oh, it’s cold.”

I crumpled my face as the hairs on my arm rose suddenly.

It wasn’t just the silence, but there seemed to be a strange energy here.

“Wai-”

oh,

Isn’t the air around me freezing?

I wrapped my arms around me and looked around.

What the hell is this?

This cold energy will freeze my lungs.

It was similar to the spirits of waters that I liked to keep around me, but then it was more…

Chilling, ominous.

It was then I sensed something sinister.

A huge mountain of ice broke through the outer wall of the crown prince’s palace, as if it had frozen the water vapour present in the air for it’s purpose.

…what?

“What is that…?”

I looked up at the huge ice wall in a daze.

I wasn’t dreaming.

Obviously, I wasn’t.

Kung-

“Yes.”

At that moment, the ground beneath my feet began to tremble.

Whoo!

The ice began to penetrate the crown prince’s palace.

“Argh!”

W-what?! Why did this become an apocalyptic block-buster all of a sudden?

I screamed and began to run.

“What the hell is that!?”

“Imperial Majesty, anyone, go let his majesty know!”

“Oh god!”

Where have you been hiding until now? The huge ice-wall broke down the crown prince’s palace and advanced, the servants screamed and scrambled everywhere..

Crash-!

The sound of the outer walls of the palace being knocked down rang as if they’d pierce my eardrums.

No, wait, what’s going on here?

I stopped running in a hurry, and looked back at the iceberg again.

The situation was chaotic.

Rather than grasping the situation, the servants were bent on escaping.

Also, there, on the outer-side of the iceberg…

“Ugh.”

Perhaps due to sharp ice columns sprouting like thorns and vines everywhere, red blood was flowing down the outer wall of white ice.

I witnessed the scene for merely a moment and almost bit my tongue.

“Argh!”

“Help me, help me!”

Screams were roaring everywhere, but the mountain of ice seemed to have no intention of stopping as it advanced more and more.

“…what is this…what do I do…”

I clenched my teeth.

I couldn’t help it.

Even if someone tried to solve this situation, they’d have to summon a spirit.

People keep dying.

I thought furiously, busily shaking my feet to get as far away from the ice wall as I could.

In this situation, Ilipia, who doesn’t possess the power to attack, won’t help.

I looked up at the icy wall and lapped my lips.

Then there is only one spirit I can summon.

“You, children of life that do not perish. Reply to the call of the one whom you blessed with your immortal heart!”

I shouted her name desperately.

“[Naiad!]”

Tong –

In such a tense situation, 

The sound of a drop of water falling into the still sea suddenly filled the room.

[Long time no see, Edith.]

“Naiad!”

A happy voice called my name.

I missed you so much!

I ran to Naiad in tears.

Naiad gently hugged me and looked at the surroundings.

[I was hoping that you were feeling better by now. It seems you’re in a pickle again.]

“Naiad, help me! That strange mountain of ice suddenly came out of nowhere and is breaking down the crown prince’s palace.”

While speaking, I wondered if this ridiculous situation was really fit to be called reality.

Naiad looked back at the huge ice wall.

Her eyes widened.

The next moment, she cried out in a grave voice.

[that’s…that’s the energy of Fincher!]

What?

Fincher?

I looked up blankly at Naiad.

Isn’t that the name of the spirit king of ice?

[How come…]

However, Naiad’s surprised face, which I saw for the first time, induced aggravating anxiety,

“Naiad, why is Fincher…”

It was when I was cautiously choosing my words.

Saah-

An eerie chill came from behind my back.

It was cold, so cold it seemed that it would freeze and devour me.

I turned reflexively, inhaling, and at that moment.

“!”

A dead cold hand gripped my neck.

I gasped and slowly raised my gaze.

A blue glare flashed right in front of my nose.

Black hair and cold blue eyes.

He’s only a couple of years older than me.

The owner of the hand that holds my neck had a strange beauty, one that pertained that if I got too relaxed, I would sell my soul to him.

What’s this?

Why grab a person’s neck all of a sudden…?

I narrowed my eyes, and opened my mouth carefully.

“Who…”

At that moment, the boy who was staring at me smiled with his lips raised.

It was a beautiful smile.

But with the boy ready to strangle me at any moment, the smile looked like one filled with madness.

“You are…”

The boy, with his hands still on my neck, said,

“You’re the daughter of Haelian.”

…what?

How does that co-relate to here?

As if it was nothingi, the boyg tilted his head and examined every inch of my features.

And then he spoke again,

“What’s your name?”