CH 55

~ 55 ~

Even when Widnix came, Psychke thought he had come for Verndia. So, she didn’t even bother using the brooch Verndia gave her.

“You came for me?”

‘How did he know I was here? Did the Duke tell him?’

After her argument with Lenox in public, she had heard rumors circling around that she had run away from home. Perhaps, it was because she was still silent about Silkisia. Now, she wondered if the fact that she stays over in Verndia’s mansion had spread.

‘I thought after meeting Stella, Aiden will talk about it.’

A brooch was used to restore her original size of body. Psychke was guided by Cecil to the living room.

“I heard you found it.”

“…”

Widnix was speechless. Like someone deep in thought, he only looked down at the teacup in front of him on the table, but he was actually a ruthless person. He was originally known for being eccentric. Even though he ignored her words, she didn’t feel much. Psychke stared at him and sat down. At the sound of the teacup being lifted, his light green hair finally swayed.

He stared at Psychke with his deeply sunken eyes, then gave out a low-pitched voice.

“Why are you here?”

“What?”

“Shouldn’t the Princess be in Silkisia?”

“Oh, I am staying here for a brief moment because of work.”

“That was not I meant. You couldn’t get out of Silkisia even after you died, Princess.”

“…!”

Goosebumps ran down her spine. Psychke almost dropped the teacup in her hand. She doesn’t know what intent lies behind his words, but Widnix knew the world before she turned back time. When she saw the oracle in the temple had changed, she had no idea. Don’t tell her that it was right.

“As expected, you knew.”

While observing her reaction, Widnix let out a small sigh.

“That was why it had changed.”

Her mind went black at his words, she was even unable to refute. She was not guilty of what she did and seemed to be questioning somehow. Loss of words, she let out a long exhale.

“Why did you become so close with Verndia?”

“…”

“No, let us change my question. Why did Verndia repeat the same thing but still can’t let go of you, Princess?”

“… What nonsense are you saying?”

“In any case-”

The languid man’s mood changed in an instant. His light green eyes seemed to glow coldly, and the air around them became creepily dim. The window was not even open, but a strong wind blew inside. The hem and her skin were cut. A red solid line was drawn on the back of her neck with a tingling sensation.

Correspondingly, her cursed ability that had quietly slumbered was awakened right at that time.

“….!”

She had no way to suppress her cursed ability.

As if he wanted to protect his master, cool blue energy came out and seemed like an explosion. He pushed hostility he has to her.

“… As expected.”

Widnix, who had a superpower, blinked slowly.

“That’s right. The Princess was the owner of the unmelting ice.”

Her cursed ability was discovered by the third person after Lia and Verndia did. However, the shock of being caught like the previous two was not as great. To be precise, it would be better to describe that she felt troubled.

Widnix tried to kill her.

Why?

Apparently, it was not because of her curse. This time, she was lost of words and couldn’t comprehend.

He sighed softly.

“Princess. I don’t want to lose anyone. But if you have no choice but to lose, one is better than two.”

“…”

“Go back to Silkisia.”

“… What if I don’t want to?”

His eyes felt foreign looking at the scar on her neck.

“Then it won’t end with just a warning.”

You will neither die inside Silkisia or rather die in my hands.

He gritted his teeth at the blatantly told to die. Something hot rose from within. However, before she could even refute him, Widnix had already stopped her.

“This is the only way to prevent irreversible events. As you can see, the oracle has come down.”

“What does it have to do with the oracle and me going back to Silkisia?”

Widnix looked at her silently. He seemed to be contemplating whether he should answer or not. In the meantime, Psychke pondered over the question posed to her.

Oracle, Silkisia, Widnix..

And not long after, she found an answer.

“It was because of Lillian.”

She doesn’t know the relationship between Silkisia and the oracle since it hasn’t been made public. In regard to the relationship between Widnix and Lilian, she had a thought.

“Because I am a hindrance to her.”

Widnix saved Lillian, whole lived at the top of the world, and took her to the temple. He was Lillian’s man. Therefore, since Lillian hated her, Widnix would naturally hate her, too.

“No.”

He was slow but surely denied. He firmly denied it.

“Saving Princess Lillian was a mistake.”

“Mistake?”

“Yes…. It would have been fine if the result was different. I am about to lose you two because of my curiosity.”

The bitterness, as if he had committed an irreparable wrong, appeared on his face, then it was erased quickly.

What on earth is he spewing? Psychke asked without hiding her sharp feelings.

“What do you mean by ‘lose two’?”

“I will tell you Princess after you return to Silkisia.”

“I don’t want to.”

She didn’t want to worry.

She didn’t want to lie so a quick reply from her was heard.

His dry eyes looked at her. He then lowered them.

“Then… it can’t be helped.”

He slowly got up. He scanned her with his eyes mixed underlying unknown emotion, then turned his back. He left her seat, hesitated for a moment and with his low voice, he questioned her.

“There is one thing you should know. Do you know what Verndia did in the past after the Princess died?”

“…?”

What can she do if she doesn’t?

Before she even returned, she was on bad terms with him.

Widnix spat out words which only her could hear.

“If you can’t solve the Leas case, the Princess will not be able to escape her death this time either.”

“…. I beg your pardon?”

“And if the unquenchable flame goes out in this timeline, it will be because of the princess, too.”

“…”

Psychke froze at his absurd sentence. Her wide opened eyes shook in wariness.

***

A small conference hall in the Imperial Palace that is only open during important times such as wars and disasters.

“It’s been 285 years.”

In the middle of it, at the end of a long rectangular table, a decrepit high priest gave a trembling voice.

“It’s also the third since the Empire was created.”

Red hair, gray eyes like dark clouds in the sky just before rain fall. Adelhide, the emperor of the empire, received the word of the coffin instead.

‘What happened to him that he doesn’t get old?’

Looking at the emperor, who looked like his own age, despite his age, Verndia stuck out his tongue.

‘Somehow, it seems like he has gotten younger.’

“Duke Evergreen is running late.”

It was the prince who was sitting next to the emperor who opened his mouth. It seemed like it would be okay to argue that they were brothers because they looked the same age as their father. He was in the position to inform the royal family and high-ranking nobles in advance before announcing the oracle officially.

Emperor, Crown Prince, Logan Silkisia…

Verndia looked around the seats in the hall and asked the prince.

“Is Her Majesty the Empress absent?”

“Yes, because she’s unwell.”

As it was a public place, they used respectful words for each other even though they were close friends. Other than the crown prince, the prince and princess would not be able to come to a place like this because they have not celebrated their coming-of-age ceremony. Although Stella is in the capital, she wouldn’t come if she was a royal. Everyone who came besides Widnix was right to come.

(TN: So, I just found out that Stella is all along a woman. Haa, so, bear with me as I will edit other chapters. Sorry.)

“It’s late.”

He appeared with a low-pitched voice.

‘Why was the guy who was always the first to come out late?’

He felt uncomfortable for some reason. Verndia looked at him crookedly.

“Then… you seem to have arrived, so I will reveal the oracle.”

The high priest opened the golden box with trembling hands. Two scrolls of black parchment lay neatly on the red carpet. He picked up one of them. The oracle of Vicente, unusually, descends in pairs.

Either way.

You must choose one of two fates that can never be avoided. A decrepit voice read the first oracle.

“Glory that has lost its light will consume the light of the sun.”

A heavy silence fell over the unusual content. Everyone’s attention was focused on the word sun. Even he just rolled his eyes. Even the high priest who had read the oracle was watching him.

As if something had happened, the Crown Prince lightly nodded.

“And the second is?”

Please pray that the second oracle is not related to the emperor. The high priest opened his second scroll with trembling hands.

He then read it slowly.

“A flower blossomed by silence will rot its roots.”

As the high priest wished, the word sun did not come out, but the second one was also not good.

“Root.”

The emperor muttered as he slanted his chin.

“What do you think?”

His eyes captured the Crown Prince, Lestir, Evergreen, and Silksia in turn. Everyone was lost in thought, so they were silent for a while.

Then, looking at his father, the Crown prince cautiously expressed his opinion.

“To put it simply, in my understanding, it’s related to the ground because it’s flowers and roots. Coincidentally, the name of Stella’s ability is ‘silent earth’.”

“Stella doesn’t have children.”

The emperor’s cold eyes examined the Crown Prince. Then, he turned to Verndia across from him.

“What does the Duke think?”

“I need more time to think.”

Verndia answered honestly. Both of them are not good oracles, so it was necessary to go over them as smoothly as possible. As the Crown prince did just now, if he hastily singled out someone, the emperor might try to kill him due to his personality. And in fact, he didn’t like the current emperor. So even if he had found out exactly what the oracle was, he didn’t want to tell it.

Forbidden magic is also suspicious, as is ignoring the North. Every time we exchanged words, something he couldn’t pick up pricked his nerves. Shouldn’t they be human?

The emperor’s gaze met Widnix and then fell. No matter what he asked, he wouldn’t answer, no, he didn’t even need to ask.

As usual, Widnix was just expressionless.

Logan, who was pointed out last, was out of luck.

“Whatever the roots it, I think we’d choose the second oracle.”

“Why?”

“It is said that it is enough to pull out the rotten roots, but isn’t the sun that has lost its light never come back?”

Verndia glanced at him, wondering if he had oiled his mouth. It was true, so there was nothing to refute. Choosing the first oracle in this position means the same as committing treason.

‘I guess there wasn’t even a choice in the first place.’

“Do you agree?”

It was implied that everyone agreed on the question with a fixed answer.

“Then, we can remove the first oracle called ‘Glory that has lost its light’.”

The emperor arranged it tastelessly.

“Can anyone guess?”

As soon as Verndia says anything, he will be the one to bear the responsibility.

‘Even if there is someone else, he will not tell either way.’

Verndia muttered to himself and looked at the people. The Emperor and Widnix had faces that didn’t know what he was thinking. The Crown Prince looked worried since it could imply the Emperor’s downfall, while Logan—

“I have a guess.”

What?

Verndia was surprised inside and looked at him.