Chapter 27
The Empress is going to die. Lia jerked her head up and looked at her. The clear, pale eyes that resembled Zen’s, still carrying a faint dissatisfaction, met hers.
Lia gritted her teeth. The scenes she had glimpsed from the original story flashed through her mind.
“I can’t let it go according to the original story.”
“Then…”
The Empress was about to say something and gather herself, but Lia cut her off mid-sentence, knowing it was rude.
“Wait, just a moment.”
A sharp gaze fixed on Lia.
“Is this really okay?”
Lia felt a twinge of guilt at the thought that she was changing the course of the original story.
“Still… people’s lives come first.”
After all, Lia attending the banquet already as Zen’s fiancée had twisted the original story beyond repair. She braced herself, receiving the hostile looks aimed at her for daring to interrupt the Empress, and shut her eyes tightly.
“Your Majesty, please remove that brooch immediately.”
“What?”
The Empress asked sharply. Lia recalled the original events in her mind and continued.
“…That is not a gift from His Majesty, the Emperor.”
“Lia, what are you saying—”
Stopping the bewildered Zen, the Empress narrowed her eyes at Lia.
“Why do you think that?”
“Because I saw it in the original story.”
Instead of saying that, Lia thought of a more plausible explanation.
“Your Majesty probably saw the mark ‘S’ and assumed it was from the Emperor. Otherwise, why would you specifically choose it from all the gifts? Especially one with such a low-quality sapphire.”
“What… do you mean by that?”
Zen grabbed Lia’s wrist at her words, which seemed to insult the royal family, but Lia did not stop speaking.
“That brooch is dangerous. It’s imbued with dark magic. Someone created it intentionally to harm Your Majesty.”
“Wh-what? Dark magic?”
The Empress went pale. Lia stopped her trembling hand from touching the brooch and looked at Zen.
“We need a mage.”
Zen frowned, staring at her as if trying to determine the truth. Lia tried not to waver.
“Zen, we need to hurry.”
“Are you sure?”
“…Yes, I’m sure.”
Seeing Lia’s serious expression, Zen leapt down from the stage. A stir ran through the hall.
How much time had passed? The person Zen brought onto the stage was none other than Korend Widia.
“Of all people, Korend…”
Lia glanced at Zen uneasily. Korend was someone who had once tried to kill Zen; maybe this incident was his doing too.
Zen shook his head as if to say he had no other choice.
“Well, there aren’t many mages capable of detecting and dispelling dark magic. Korend is the strongest archmage in the empire.”
Korend approached the Empress and bowed respectfully.
“Pardon me, Your Majesty.”
The Empress nodded, and a green light emanated from Korend’s hands. Lia clasped her trembling hands together. A moment passed that felt both fleeting and eternal.
Crack—
The sapphire began to fracture. Korend, the Empress, and even Lia, who knew everything, widened their eyes in shock. The cracks in the brooch grew until it crumbled to dust.
“This is indeed dark magic. It’s a spell that gradually harms the user the closer they get. Someone tried to kill Your Majesty.”
Korend carefully removed the brooch from the Empress’s attire, replacing the frozen, stiff figure of the Empress. The brooch, now only a frame, turned to dust in his hands.
The hall erupted into chaos as though cold water had been thrown over it. Sharp intakes of breath and low gasps filled the room. Zen, who had been observing from the side, drew his sword with a commanding presence, calming the chaos.
“Seal the banquet hall! Now!”
At the firm order, the guards quickly locked all doors nearby. The nobles looked around in confusion.
“Until the whereabouts of this brooch are revealed, no one may take a single step outside this hall.”
Once again, a chilling silence fell.
“Drink.”
Zen handed over a wine glass. Lia took it with trembling hands. They were alone in the large room, with an ornate bed behind Zen.
“How did it come to this?”
Lia silently blamed the Empress for the situation. After Korend confirmed the brooch contained dark magic, the banquet was sealed off, with guards and palace mages searching for the culprit—but they found no clues.
The banquet was eventually canceled, and Zen and Lia were invited to the reception room in the secondary palace. The Empress left them alone in the room.
Lia had worried that the Empress might suspect her, as she had figured out everything about the brooch immediately. She had been the first to request Korend investigate her thoroughly, proving she had no connection to dark magic.
“Still, I expected there’d be some suspicion.”
Instead, the Empress seemed to favor Lia, calling her a savior of her life and even expressing support for Lia and Zen’s marriage.
“Alright, that’s fine… but this…”
“Since you’re engaged anyway, the banquet was probably exhausting due to everyone watching. Why not enjoy yourselves here?”
The Empress left abruptly, winking playfully. Lia was stunned.
She glanced at Zen, who seemed equally surprised. Shrugging, he extended his glass toward her.
“Well, now that it’s come to this, let’s drink.”
“…Okay.”
Lia tried to calm herself. Being alone with Zen in a room wasn’t their first time.
“Since this has been publicly announced, we should discuss our mutual interests.”
“Mutual interests?”
Lia sipped her wine, feeling slightly more at ease as the smooth liquid went down.
“This engagement—since we both know there’s no love involved, let’s focus on benefits instead.”
“Ah, I see.”
Lia nodded. She wanted to gain as much as she could from the situation. First, presence—this was most important, since she still feared disappearing overnight.
“Alright.”
Zen spoke eagerly.
“First, I want your attention solely on me.”
“What?”
“I don’t mean love—just don’t like anyone else, as you don’t like me. …Especially not Derren.”
Lia frowned.
“Why Derren? I wouldn’t like him anyway.”
“Because of history. You… always liked Derren.”
Lia gritted her teeth. She was angry at the thought but couldn’t deny it was true.
“And you? Will you avoid liking Siklaen? You never properly answered before.”
“I…”
Zen fiddled with his wine glass, staring into the distance.
“I… am not worthy of liking her.”
“Worthy of what?”
“There’s such a thing.”
He never gave straightforward answers. Lia pouted in frustration. Knowing if he liked Siklaen was critical for their survival. She resolved to find out later.
“Then I need a guaranteed position. Even if not Empress, Crown Princess is fine. I need a seat—one that many in the Visen Empire would recognize.”
Zen looked confused.
“I suggested the Empress position. You declined, wanting to be a mage. If that’s what you want, there’s no need to delay the marriage.”
Lia waved her hands.
“No, of course I’ll become a mage. But until then… I need assurance of being Crown Princess. Engagement should proceed quickly.”
She had no certainty yet, so having insurance was important. Zen frowned but nodded in understanding.
“Also, let’s agree not to fall in love.”
“Huh?”
Zen let out a derisive laugh.
“This is basic. In a contract like this, feelings ruin everything.”
“…Fine. Emotions won’t arise anyway. Is that it?”
“Yeah.”
Lia nodded and sipped her wine, feeling satisfied. She decided simply: secure the Crown Princess position, maintain presence, observe the original story, save Siklaen, and become a mage.
Everything seemed perfect. Zen began unbuttoning his uniform, hanging it on a chair.
“Feeling good, are we?”
“Maybe.”
Lia shrugged. She was certainly more relaxed than on the terrace. Zen rolled up his white shirt sleeves, revealing muscular arms. Lia squinted across the wine glass, and when their eyes met, she quickly asked,
“By the way… what about the banquet now that it’s canceled?”
Zen nonchalantly replied,
“Nothing we can do. We can’t continue without knowing the culprit.”
“Hmm…”
Zen set down his glass and leaned toward her, narrowing his eyes.
“I want to ask—how did you know about that brooch?”
