CH 18

“Is this the secret of the Myo World you spoke of?”

“…Yes. As you also know, the Myo World is an artificial dimension that Akamar magically separated, so there are no celestial bodies, including the sun and moon.”

“Now it’s still full of moonlight, though?”

I’ve even seen the world filled with sunlight during the day, and dusk at sunset. Despite my reaction that I couldn’t believe it, I continued to speak with a calm attitude.

“It’s just my personal reasoning, but since the Myo World is a dimension that coexists within the continent, I think it’s influenced by the sun and the moon.”

“Do you mean that sunlight and moonlight exist, but the celestial bodies can’t be seen because it’s an artificial space created with magical power?”

As it was an important conversation, when I asked the question by deliberately paying attention to my pronunciation, Noha nodded.

“Yes. You’re quick to understand, Yernian.”

That sounds like something I should say. You’re only six years old, why are you so smart?

After a moment of trembling on my face, I went straight to the point.

“Why are you showing this to me?”

Noha, who had been chasing fireflies wandering in the air, slowly looked back at me.

“Let’s create stars in the Myo World with me.”

“…Whath?” (…What?)

I can’t believe he wants to create stars.

To my ears, it sounded as if Noha would invade the Gods realm using taboo magic.

As if he knew what I was thinking, he shook his head with a determined expression.

“I have no intention of using taboo magic. I don’t want to create stars for real.”

“Thenh?” (Then?)

“To be precise, I plan to imitate the constellations of the continent with mana. Then I won’t lose my life because of the taboo.”

In a word, I frowned at the sound of creating a fake constellation with mana.

“Why do you even want to do that?”

Noha stared at the fireflies with long, distant eyes.

“…It’s just that. Even so, I want to see the stars.”

At the sound of Noha’s voice, which had been submerged, I remembered a rumor floating around among the maids.

[Sometimes I really don’t understand the Third Prince. Why is he so obsessed with things like stars?]

[Alice. Watch your mouth.]

[That’s right, Head Maid. I guess there are people who call His Highness the Third Prince  the eccentric prince.]

At that time, I heard it while I was sleeping, so I just thought, “Noha likes stars very much,” and ignored it without a big deal.

Noha, who misunderstood my silence, added in an urgent voice.

“It might be possible by combining your mana with mine and using the relic of Akamar that you gave me last time. It will take a long time.”

…Huh? A relic of Akamar?

I opened my mouth with a feeling of, ‘no way’.

“Are you talking about the pendant I gave you before?”

“Yes. It contains the holy power of the last saintess who appeared in the human world. Using that, it might be possible to engrave constellations in the sky of the Myo World with mana.”

Holy power is the power that is the source of healing and divinity, and it was a power as rare as magic in this world.

‘Is that pendant such a great thing?’

Licht’s voice, who told me to throw it away the moment I get tired of playing with it, hit my ear.

‘That’s why they said I’m going to be a saintess!’

Because what I picked was a special pendant bearing the holy power of a saintess.

Even the pendant wasn’t simply a storage item, but a keepsake left by a close friend of Akamar and a saintess on the continent.

‘Licht, you are really…’

I asked, rubbing my temples with pain in my head.

“Why are you asking me to do this?”

“…Because Brother will tell me not to dream in vain. So are the other brothers. And you are the Messiah of the Myo Clan.”

The Messiah who can do miracles.

My heart was pounding at Noha’s words of earnestness.

‘His Messiah.’

It felt like I was wearing a tag from which I could never escape while staying in the Myo World.

“Of course, I’m not asking for free help. If you help me, I will do my best to give you what you want.”

Whatever it is.

With the condition Noha added, I turned my attention to the fireflies that quietly roamed around us.

The yellow light of a firefly melted into Noha’s sparkling eyes.

I barely took my eyes off the eyes that felt innocent and transparent, and I let out a sigh.

“…Do you have any specific plan?”

Noha’s ears perked up, unable to hide his excitement.

“First, I’m going to figure out the starting spell for the relic.”

“How?”

“I’ll visit the Grand Temple where the relic is kept.”

If it’s the Grand Temple…

‘Where it has to do with prophecy.’

I lowered my head for a moment to capture the disheveled expression, and lifted my head with a smiling face as if I had drawn it.

“Are you confident in finding the starting spell?”

Noha’s face, who had blinked blankly, began to slowly brighten like the dawning sky.

“Yes. I’m confident.”

Feeling a little uncomfortable at the pure joy, I wobbled my hands buried in darkness.

‘I’m sorry I’m not helping you out of pure goodwill, Noha.’

The relic will be a good excuse for me to go in and out of the Grand Temple.

‘I need to know more about prophecy.’

What the exact content of the prophecy is. Everything, including what it specifically means to be the Messiah of the Myo people.

“Let’s do it together, Noha.”

At that moment, a bright smile that I had never seen before bloomed on Noha’s lips.

“Thanks, Yernian.”

I couldn’t help but smile while looking at Noha.

Noha, who was looking at me with his head tilted, suddenly opened his mouth.

“You asked why I wanted to make a star.”

“…?”

“That’s what my father, who has passed away, did. There are constellations in the human world, and what you see changes with the seasons.”

Since then, he has always been curious.

As if Noha was dreaming, he smiled with a hazy face.

“The seasons and the constellations are all strange and unfamiliar to me, who has never left the Myo World.”

It is said that the national secretary sat young Noha on his lap and often showed him children’s books related to constellations.

‘He was a kind father.’

Was it because Richt and I told stories about our deceased parents?

Suddenly, I wondered what kind of person my father was.

The memory of my mother, who somehow tried to protect me, is looming at the beginning of my life, but I had never even heard my father’s voice.

‘Is he dead?’

It was said that I was the only survivor of the royal palace that burned down on the night of prophecy.

I was silently following the movement of the fireflies for a while, but Noha broke the silence.

“…You know, Yernian.”

“Yesh.”

“Can I call you by your nickname from now on?”

I stopped at the sudden suggestion and nodded slowly.

“Yesh. I don’t really care.”

Noha’s eyes, which were close to indigo blue, were curved in a round half moon.

“Yeniㅡ”

Until then, I had no idea what kind of trouble this light-hearted acceptance of a nickname would bring in the future.

***

In the morning, the atmosphere inside the palace was strangely noisy.

The night before, I returned to my bedroom around dawn and rubbed my eyes to check the calendar.

‘Ah. Today is Askari’s birthday.’

From morning onwards, the courtiers were busily going back and forth between the main palace and the detached palace. I was also caught by Nanny in the morning just because I was Askari’s partner and had to spend the whole day busy.

“Your Highness the Princess. His Highness the Fourth Prince has arrived.”

I nodded my head as I yawned loosely at Loen’s words, who entered the dressing room.

“Yes. Tell him I’ll be out right away.”

I stood up in a light blue baby dress.

Alice, who was beside me, straightened my hair.

“Princess, don’t be too nervous. Even if you make the mistake of stepping on the foot of the Fourth Prince, everyone will think you look cute.”

She smiled broadly as she inserted fresh white flowers between my hair.

“If you’re still worried, why don’t you go dance on the Fourth Prince’s feet?”

…I don’t think that would be very good.

After speaking to Askari, Loen returned with a blunt expression on her face.

“Even if the elders of the Myo Clan are strict, they aren’t so great as to blame children for their mistakes. Don’t worry too much.”

“Yes. Thank you, Loen.”

I smiled awkwardly and followed Loen to the drawing room where Askari was waiting.

Askari, occupying the center of the wide sofa, was staring at something with a stern posture.

“Hellow, Askari.” (Hello, Askari.)

Askari, who had drawn wrinkles between his forehead, had his ears flinched. I smiled broadly as I followed Asuka’s gaze.

“The flowers are pretty, aren’t they?”

All the flowers in the vase had been dumped on my terrace by Askari without permission over the past month.

After shaking his eyes for a moment, he hurriedly got up and walked towards the door with a stomping foot.

“Not pretty at all!”

He’s more shy than you look.

I smiled inwardly and walked after Asukari.

“Let’s go together.”

However, his pace was so fast that our distance began to widen rather than narrow.

Askari, who was almost flying down the stairs of the main palace, suddenly stopped his steps. A crumpled face looked back at me.

“Hey, why aren’t you coming quickly? If I’m late, will you be responsible?”

I felt welcomed by his character that I hadn’t seen in a long time, then I stopped while trying to go down the stairs.

It was because my eyes met the Second Prince, Ignis, who had stopped on the other side of the hallway.

“…”

“…”

Fortunately, Askari was at the bottom of the stairs, so it seemed that he hadn’t yet noticed the presence of the Second prince.

I hurriedly waved my hand at Askari.

“Come down first, Askari! I’m going to tie a ribbon for a while.”

Askari, who was looking at me with a varied expression, strode down the stairs without answering.

“You’re very considerate, our Messiah.”

The Second Prince, who pulled a button on his shirt down to his collarbone, approached me at a slow pace.

“Ah, no. Wasn’t it Yernian?”

“Just call me whatever you want.”

“It’s a pity but I can’t. I’m not in a position to disregard the orders Brother gave me.”

The Second Prince stopped in front of me and looked down at me with an unknown expression.

“It’s interesting.”

“…”

“Except for being the Messiah in the prophecy, you look like an ordinary human girl. Not enough with Brother and Noha, now it’s even Askari. What did you do?”

“Except that you are a Persian direct descendant, you seem like a beastman of little interest.”

His eyebrows twitched. He didn’t know I was going to fight back.

The Second Prince’s voice was terribly low.

“…You.”

“Don’t bother Askari from now on.”

A cold smile spread across the lips of the Second Prince at my bold request.

“Who said that? I’m bullying Askari.”

“Askari’s reaction every time he sees you. And your attitude that you enjoy it.”

All of these were the reasons why I couldn’t just ignore Askari even though we didn’t have good feelings for each other.

Even though I knew my actions were presumptuous, I couldn’t just pretend not to know.

Because all of that boy’s actions reminded me of the ‘Doctor’ who drove me to hell before I returned.

If only one of the many people around me in my past life felt sorry for me, who was just a helpless child.

If that had been the case, my body and mind wouldn’t have been so shattered and broken.

‘I don’t like making enemies, but still.’

Clenching my fists invisibly, I returned to the tone of a four-year-old and said.

“Mir said it’s bad to bully others.”

The corner of the Second Prince’s lips slowly went down.

A face that had completely disappeared from the pretentious smile turned towards me.