CH 96

“I saw her once again, one day.”

Felix said in a fearful voice, thankfully just before his breath caught in his throat.

“The one with the hood up?”

“Yeah. I was tired from the day, so I went to bed early, but something was wrong, and when I woke up, I saw…………”

*Start of Felix’s flashback*

Felix was in the Empress Dowager’s palace.

“What is it? I can’t move.”

Young Felix was awake but unable to lift a finger.

Barely able to move his eyelids, he opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

“This is…”

A peculiar scent wafted through the air.

“I’ve smelled this before.”

He recognized the scent from the day he took a wrong turn and ended up at the Empress Dowager’s palace.

It smelled like incense from the candles lit in front of the altar.

And the rough, cold floor as his senses slowly returned.

Felix’s fingertips twitched.

‘This is the altar, and I am now…’

He’s in the Empress Dowager’s palace.

With an instinctive realization, Felix shuddered.

‘What happens to me now?’

Soon, he heard a voice from inside the room.

“You brought the crown prince back after all?”

“Yes. I want to make sure we get it right this time and please our great god.”

It was the Empress Dowager and the hooded shadow from the last time he saw them.

Their voices grew closer as they approached.

Felix squeezed his eyes shut as he heard footsteps stop in front of the altar.

The hooded figure stood before him.

“Your offering lacks maturity, but… it’s good enough to try.”

With her words, Felix felt something slip out of his body.

“Good, this should be enough to steal the King of Spirits that will be born in Brighton.”

The hooded shadow spoke in a satisfied tone after a moment.

The candles on the altar burned brightly.

Then she stroked Felix’s head.

“You will forget this moment. Unless you meet me again, or someone with more power than me, you will not be able to unseal your memories.”

“Don’t worry, my dear. I will come to see you when you are an adult, and the wait will not be long.”

End of flashback

That was the end of Felix’s memories.

“What does this all mean? Do you happen to remember when this happened?”

“About fourteen years ago.”

Fourteen years ago, the year of the tragedy in the Fairy Tree Garden.

“You just suddenly remembered that day, in such detail?”

“Yes. I didn’t remember it either until a little while ago, and then it just popped into my head.”

The more I listened to Felix’s story, the more confused I became.

So let me get this straight.

Felix’s first contact with an unbeliever was a long time ago.

Most likely around the time tragedy struck Brighton.

‘I had a feeling Elizabeth had someone behind her, but I never thought it would be an unbeliever……………….?’

It seemed that the source of the Acarosia she used was from an unbeliever.

Still, the question remained.

‘Wasn’t Daisy the final villain?’

I vaguely thought that Daisy, the original heroine, might have been the final villain.

But when he told me that this had happened 14 years earlier, I thought something different.

‘Daisy is my age, she couldn’t have done this 14 years ago.’

Unless Daisy is an ancient witch who lives forever.

My head was still spinning, but I had to do what I had to do.

“Anyway, thanks. Felix, now I know why you’ve been through this.”

“It has something to do with the Empress Dowager, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. She’s an unbeliever of god Helios, I think, and she was trying to sacrifice you again at that meeting.”

Before I could finish speaking, a reminder popped up.

[Quest  has been confirmed].

[Quest  has been completed].

[You will receive 25 Fate Energy as a reward].

I pondered for a moment.

‘The Empress Dowager and those behind this have known for a long time that Felix is Blake’s person.’

If they knew, why did they stay silent?

‘Because it’s more profitable for them.’

No, maybe.

Maybe he was involved from the beginning.

There was a possibility that the Duke of Blake, who disappeared in the wake of his sentence, was an unbeliever.

I brushed the thought away, realizing I’d strayed too far.

[A new quest has arisen. Do you want to check it out?]

I didn’t need to see the new quest to know.

I looked at Felix and said.

“Okay, we’ve figured out everything we can figure out, so what do we do now?”

“Um, expose the truth about the… incident?”

“No. That would be great, but that’s not the immediate priority.”

“Then what is it?”

“Let the Empress Dowager who sacrificed her children be exposed.”

It was time for cider*.”

(T/N: This is a Korean slang for novels that is used to describe the satisfying feeling after a long, arduous situation that the characters had to go through)

I entered the grand hall, just in time to see the Empress Dowager shouting at the top of her lungs.

“To make the Emperor and Crown Prince wait, as well as the nobles, what is this if not an insult to the imperial family! Let the guilty man of Palesdon, who has committed such a great sin…………!”

“No, let me speak.”

I stepped forward, and all eyes were on me.

“The guilty party who insulted the Imperial Family is Her Majesty the Empress.”

The Empress’s face contorted in anger.

“H, how could I have insulted the Imperial family! The Duchess of Palesdon will be held accountable for her words!”

“Yes, of course.”

Just then, a notification popped up.

[Your pet wants to communicate with you. Would you like to use the skill ?]

“What’s wrong with Calix?

I glanced over to see Calix staring at me with a worried expression on his face.

I can tell by his body language that he wants me to use the Communication skill as soon as possible.

[Skill  will be activated!]

-Rose, are you sure you’re okay?

-What?

-I’ve been working hard on my crown prince training. The Empress Dowager doesn’t like you, but it’s a different story when you’re insulted in front of so many people. It’s an insult to the entire royal family.

-Calix, you don’t know me very well yet, do I strike you as someone who would let myself be stepped on?

-I don’t. I’m worried about you………….

Calix stammered, his expression grim.

I quickly added, thanking him for his concern.

Seeing his face brighten a bit, I thought.

‘It is the Master who knows me better than anyone else.’

The Master, who had given me the news from the Grand Hall earlier, naturally trusted me to handle the situation well.

He encouraged me, saying he would wait for news.

“Really? If you’re so confident, tell me. How did I insult the imperial family?”

At the sound of the Empress Dowager’s voice, I stopped using the skill and walked forward.

“February 11, 4984 Imperial Year. I have failed again today to receive the sacrifices.”

“What’s that out of the blue?”

“Sacrifices?”

The nobles who heard me narrowed their eyes.

I looked straight at the Empress Dowager, unperturbed, and walked over to her.

“September 15, 4984 imperial year. I narrowly failed. At this rate, I may be relegated to the back of the line.”

The Empress Dowager’s face contorted as I continued.

“June 13, 4985 Imperial Year. After repeated failures, He finally placed me ‘on hold’. It is truly hopeless.”

“Why is the Duchess of Palesdon suddenly saying something different? What the hell does that have to do with me!”

“Really, are you sure you don’t mind if I tell you what this has to do with Her Majesty?”

“Wait…………!”

I ignored the outstretched arm of the Empress Dowager and pulled something out of my bosom and unfolded it.

I opened it to the side I’d already marked and read.

“March 17, 4986 Imperial Calendar. The day of the appointment has arrived. I have kidnapped Prince Felix and offered him as a sacrifice. I know I have no power, but if I were not the Empress Dowager, this would not have been possible.”

This was the Empress Dowager’s diary entry.

“How could you do that!”

“How dare you approach my daughter-in-law with such a vile gesture?”

The Empress Dowager approached me and tried to snatch the diary away, but Catalina stopped her.

“You……!”

“My daughter-in-law, do whatever you want!”

The Empress Dowager struggled, but she couldn’t overcome Catalina’s strong body.

Thanks to her, I was able to continue my revelations.

“The power of Felix, with the blood of the Duke of Blake in his veins, may be of some use to our great God. When our great god descends, the captured Helios will be consigned to the fires of hell. Perhaps that will bring some comfort to my poor children who died first.”

I swallowed hard, afraid to finish my sentence.

‘It’s no wonder.’

Though he no longer was, Felix had once been a crown prince.

Kidnapping the crown prince, or attempted murder of the crown prince, was blasphemy. The Empress Dowager would not be spared.

“Duchess of Palesdon, do you mind if I take a quick look at the thing?”

“Of course. I was about to give it to you now.’

The Emperor was quick to respond.

I coldly handed him the Empress Dowager’s diary.

The Emperor emitted an energy that only royalty can give off and touched the diary.

Objects that are in constant use by the royal family have their own aura, and he wanted to see how it would react.

Soon, the Empress Dowager’s diary glowed with brilliant light.

It was authentic.

“Ugh. It’s real…………!”

The Empress Dowager glared at me with bloodshot eyes as someone exclaimed.

“The Duchess of Palesdon has just admitted to stealing from me, and she deserves to be punished for stealing from the royal family without knowing that the sky’s the limit!”

“Ah. I knew you’d say that.”

I smiled and signaled as if I had been waiting.