SWNOVELXO Chapter 116
* * *
When Selleana’s blindfold was removed, she found herself in the parlor of the Rose Place. It was the very place where she had met the empress just the day before.
With all those stairs, I thought I was being taken to a secret interrogation room.
The blindfold seemed to be just to keep Selleana from knowing the route.
[They really took a winding path to get here, only choosing deserted places.]
It really seems the imperial decree to confine Elard is a secret.
[The decree clearly had the emperor’s seal. Whether it was voluntary or not, that’s the question…]
As Selleana and Di shared these thoughts, the knights who escorted her led her to stand beside the reception table.
“Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress. May Orot’s blessing be upon the full moon of Nepelsian.” Even with her hands bound, Selleana bowed perfectly to the empress, bending her knees and waist.
Seated in the place of honor, Arshilla greeted Selleana with a warm demeanor. Her tone was so gentle that it was hard to believe she was the one behind all this.
“We meet again after just one day, Lady.”
“Yes. Did you spend the night well? And….”
Beside Arshilla, another person sat on the sofa. Selleana offered him a perfect greeting as well.
“Greetings to Your Highness the Crown Princes. May Orot’s blessing be upon the small sun of Nepelsian.”
“…”
Pavellian sat there, unable to hide his displeasure.
Why did she bring him here?
[It seems your fate is intertwined with his. It looks like she really intends to get him involved with you…]
I’ll just rely on you, Mr. Sword. Even if you fail, don’t be too disheartened. I still have the letter for my father as a backup.
[…Even none of my previous contractors have ever underestimated me like this…]
It’s because I’m not your contractor, and I don’t know your greatness.
Trying to distract herself from the pressure of the situation, Selleana mentally conversed with Di while Pavellian’s blue eyes scrutinized her disheveled appearance. Her hair was messy, her clothes untidy from being dragged out of bed, and the metal rope binding her wrists. She even ignored the empress’s instructions and spent the night out…
Pavellian made no effort to hide his displeasure as he spoke. “Lady, you must have a hard time.”
“Doesn’t seeing me make your head feel hot, your neck prickly, and your fingertips tingle?”
“…Yes. Just like always, my heart races.”
“Oh dear. It seems Your Highness is very angry at my appearance, not because of the love you imagined.”
“Lady…!”
With no intention of pleasing Pavellian anymore, Selleana’s words made his face flush red with anger.
“Now, let’s all sit and talk.”
Arshilla gestured to the sofa opposite Pavellian, and the knights released Selleana’s bonds and had her sit. Despite everything, the table was set for tea for the three of them.
Even after mocking the crown prince, Arshilla remained calm, which Selleana found remarkable. She subtly glanced around and then asked Di.
Are you connected with the tower master?
[Don’t worry. I only skipped the relay because I thought you might lose affection if you heard him acting like a restless puppy.]
Oh, I wouldn’t lose affection. I still find him cute.
[…
Tsk tsk
.]
In the meantime, Arshilla sipped her tea slowly before setting her cup down with a clink. “Lady, it seems you have ignored my warning after all.”
Facing the sudden topic, Selleana put on an innocent expression.
“What do you mean, Your Majesty? I don’t quite—”
“I recall telling you not to shake the world any further.”
[She must be referring to you urging your friends to follow their true will instead of fate.]
“Your Majesty, I truly… don’t understand what you mean.” Selleana’s face quickly turned to one of distress. “Yesterday, I only met with my friends. They suddenly declared they were cutting ties with me, even though we didn’t fight. Or… they deceived me to the point where I wished they had just ended our friendship.”
Arshilla narrowed her eyes and looked closely at Selleana.
Go ahead and check. There’s not a single lie here.
To emphasize her sincerity, Selleana recalled the sadness she had suppressed all day. Her eyes quickly reddened.
“Could that be considered ignoring Your Majesty’s warning? Or… I sought comfort in the arms of my lover due to my sorrow over my friendships yesterday. Is that… going against the natural order?”
“Lady…!”
“Moreover, that lover is….”
“What nonsense are you spouting now…!”
Pavellian stood up, unable to contain his anger.
Though he had acknowledged Selleana’s commoner lover, it was merely a mental acceptance. He had never imagined her having an emotional or physical relationship with another man.
“Crown Prince.” Arshilla’s dark eyes fixed on Pavellian. “Calm yourself. You are the first prince who has endured many hardships to become the crown prince and will eventually ascend to the throne.”
“…”
“Your trials will be resolved through your bold nature, the support of your beautiful wife, and the power of her family. You mustn’t be shaken by trivial matters.”
[It seems the crown prince’s fate is composed of such things.]
Wow, what is this? Mine is a short story, but he got a whole novel? Whatever it is, his original story must be trash too.
While Selleana and Di shared these observations, Arshilla didn’t blink once as she stared at Pavellian.
“Crown Prince. For my sake, let’s discuss this step by step.”
“…If Your Majesty insists.”
Pavellian sat back down heavily, his spirit somewhat subdued. Arshilla spoke to him in a soothing tone with her usual gentle smile.
“Personally, I value Lady in high regard. She must support you as your future spouse.”
“…”
“So please, could you understand my intention to reconcile you with Lady today and wait a little longer?”
“…I am truly sorry for burdening you with this, Your Majesty.”
Selleana couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort at his words, which seemed to imply his failure to manage his wife properly. Di’s sound of clicking its tongue echoed in her mind.
“Now, Crown Prince, calm yourself… This will probably be the last conversation we have like this.”
Arshilla turned her head slowly towards Selleana. Her lips still formed a gentle smile, but her dark eyes showed no emotion.
“If we want to ensure that Lady doesn’t accidentally shake the world again… you need to know at least the basics.” With that, Arshilla raised her arm. It felt as if even the minimal airflow had stopped, and a heavy silence descended.
[…The saintess has opened a rift in time and space. Just like when she threatened Rakrensius, she’s isolating you and herself.]
Indeed, Pavellian was perfectly frozen in place, and there was no sign of the knights behind her. Only Di, unaffected by Orot’s power, remained untouched.
“Lady Benichi taking control of Nepelsian’s market economy. Baron Merlin’s daughter’s dedication to Orot’s embrace. The indifference of Glen’s adopted daughter to her foster father. The girl named Michi ran away from the family she served. And finally…” Arshilla tilted her head as she spoke, her eyes fixed on Selleana. “Lady Elard marrying someone other than the crown prince.”
“…”
“These are all against the natural order… Don’t you know this, Lady?”
“In that case, Your Majesty.”
By now, the sorrow had completely disappeared from Selleana’s face. It was clear that the empress had used some trick to infringe on friends’ free will.
“Seeing you speak this way, it seems you intend to force me to follow the natural order like my friends… but may I ask one thing before that?”
Arshilla nodded slightly.
“Isn’t what Your Majesty desires for the crown prince to safely ascend to the throne?”
“Did he tell you that?”
“Both he and I support the crown prince’s ascension, regardless of personal feelings.”
To openly dare to question her intentions…
Arshilla’s lips, which always formed a perfectly symmetrical smile, tilted slightly.
“The holy relic of the fifth prince… I heard that’s the issue.”
“…”
“Is it related to the deal the first owner of that sword made with the priestess of Orot?”
“Indeed, when Leakages gather, they become this audacious…”
Arshilla muttered as if chewing her words, catching the attention of Selleana and Di.
Leakages?
[Well, it’s a concept I’ve never heard of before. Let’s see…
Oh
?]
Di quickly scanned through the records of the temple that it had memorized.
[A witch from Arancha… was leakage, and a saintess was foretold to be prepared?]
What?
[This is a personal record. A diary… The owner, let’s see… is the late former high priest.]
Arancha, isn’t that where the tower master lived?
[Indeed, it is.]
Could it be that the tower master’s mother was in a similar situation to us?
[And to counter such an existence, a saintess appears? But a saintess usually appears once every century or two… There’s only a twenty-year difference between you and Rakrensius’s mother.]
It was when Di quickly whispered and tried to delve into its repository of knowledge again.
“I knew that person had broken more than one vow to me.”
Arshilla, with a cold smile, stood up and slowly approached Selleana.
“Well, it’s a story that will soon become useless to you. Given the situation, let’s push things a little further.” Arshilla grabbed Selleana’s cheek, forcing her to look up and meet her abyss-like eyes.
This must be it. Michi said she was blessed, but I’m getting rough treatment here.
[Don’t worry. For some reason, her divine power seems weaker than before. Maybe she used a lot of it? No, it’s not just that…]
“
Tsk
, it ended up like this after all.”
Arshilla pushed Selleana’s chin away and returned to her seat. With a wave of her hand, the heavy atmosphere lifted. The rift in space-time opened by divine power was closed.
“Now, Lady.” Arshilla, with a smile as if drawn anew, spoke in a gentle voice. “Do you have anything to say to the crown prince?”
“
Ah
…”
Following Arshilla’s gaze, Selleana looked at Pavellian.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes, Lady.” Without knowing what had happened, he still responded with an unpleasant expression.
“…That…”
“…”
“…Do you know…”
As Selleana’s tone softened, a faint satisfaction appeared on Pavellian’s lips.
“Do you know how hard it was for me to flatter you all this time?”