Episode 18
The Emperor had hair as black as a raven’s feather, skin so pale it looked almost transparent, colorless lips, and delicate features.
He was unbelievably beautiful—but looked very sickly.
—”You don’t have to take their lives yourself.”
He was worried I might run over and finish off the vampires who were already defeated.
I quickly explained myself.
“I was just going to look for my cat.”
—”At this point? If it were an ordinary cat, it would’ve died the moment your Field spread.”
“Well, it’s a good thing it’s not ordinary, then.”
The Emperor stared at me silently before sighing.
—”Enough. Now undo your Field.”
“I’d love to, but… I haven’t learned how to yet.”
—”…Give me your hand.”
Wait, he’s not going to hit it, is he?
I cautiously reached out. The Emperor grabbed my wrist and poured power into me. That energy flowed in easily and erased my Field.
Then—
“Your Majesty, I apologize for being late.”
Dante had arrived and knelt before the Emperor. The knights behind him also bowed.
Without a word, the Emperor pointed at the fallen vampires.
—”They’re suspicious. Take them away for interrogation.”
I secretly waved to Dante. I had so much I wanted to say to him.
He didn’t wave back, but he gave me a tiny smile.
Once the knights dragged the vampires away, only the Emperor and I were left in the garden.
I looked around at the trees and admired the night sky, while the Emperor stayed quiet—like he’d eaten honey or something.
Eventually, I gave up waiting and spoke first.
“Your Majesty, I have a question.”
—”What is it?”
“When did you start practicing being a cat? Do you do cat impressions often?”
The Emperor stared at me in silence, then replied,
—”I was watching you through a cat’s eyes.”
“Oh, thank goodness. I thought you had a secret… hobby you couldn’t tell people about.”
Bonk. Something hit the top of my head. I looked at him, confused.
Did he just hit me?
Clearly annoyed, the Emperor changed the subject.
—”How much do you know about your father?”
…My dad?
I blinked and thought back. When I first met D, he asked Sion,
“Magician, is that child ‘his’ daughter?”
I had assumed “he” meant the Emperor.
But I wasn’t the Emperor’s daughter.
Turns out, D was talking about my real dad.
The one I looked so much like that Claude had a mini meltdown when he saw me.
‘But none of them—D, Sion, or Claude—ever tell me who my dad really is.’
Even Claude, who’s usually easy to trick, keeps joking that he’s my dad.
So I tried to get a hint from the Emperor.
“Well, I’m guessing he’s blonde. Probably super handsome—the type who ruins women’s lives. Maybe even a player.”
—”That’s an odd way to say you know nothing.”
I looked at him carefully, then added,
“Does he sound like that?”
—”Not even close.”
“Huh? So he’s not blonde?”
The Emperor shut me up like he didn’t want to hear any more.
—”Remember this. You have no father.”
…Was that an insult?
I blinked in shock. The Emperor removed his hand and repeated,
—”Keep that in mind.”
So he does know who my dad is—he just won’t tell me.
‘If even the Emperor knows, my dad must not be just some regular guy.’
The Emperor noticed me thinking hard and sighed again.
—”You came all this way to save me, so I should reward you. Ask for anything.”
“Please recognize me as a princess.”
I answered instantly, like I’d been waiting for this.
The Emperor frowned.
—”The magician’s words only apply if you were a pure-blood vampire. Since you’re a half-blood, you can’t be a princess—or a regent.”
I confidently pounded my chest.
“If you hear what I have to say, you’ll want to make me princess even if I were human.”
—”What are you talking about?”
“The Holy Land.”
I looked straight into his pale face and said clearly,
“I can restore the Holy Land where the High God Lil resides. How about that?”
In the original story, the Holy Land randomly appears toward the end.
When the main character starts killing vampires, the Emperor tries to restore the Holy Land to fight back.
It came with weird rules—restoring it could make vampires stronger, destroying it could wipe them out.
But in the end, a traitor ruins the restoration plan, and the main character finds out about the Holy Land and destroys it, wiping out all vampires.
‘But if I step in, I can make the restoration perfect!’
I looked at the Emperor with bright eyes.
‘Go ahead, ask anything! I prepared everything—how I know about it, how to restore it—I’m ready!’
But instead of asking, the Emperor dodged the topic.
—”It’s hard to tell if you’re telling the truth.”
I pouted, slightly annoyed.
“You could bring the Holy Land back to life just by recognizing me as a princess. Isn’t it a no-brainer?”
As I tried to rush him, the Emperor pushed my forehead with his finger.
—”Don’t talk like a merchant. It’s undignified.”
“Please understand, Your Majesty. I grew up as an orphan—I don’t know much about manners.”
He flinched at that.
—”You really…”
“Is this conversation over?”
A familiar voice cut in.
Sion had arrived at some point, smiling gently.
“Sion!”
I ran over to him instinctively.
He lightly grabbed my arm and whispered just loud enough for the Emperor to hear,
“Princess, don’t push your prey too hard.”
Was I really pushing that much?
I looked back in confusion, and saw the Emperor frowning deeply. I gave him an awkward smile.
“Your Majesty, the Princess should rest now. Please allow us to take our leave.”
The Emperor glared at Sion, then turned to me.
—”What is your relationship with that magician?”
I glanced at Sion.
‘What should I say? Contract? Employer-employee? A deal made with my future?’
After a long pause, I gave the most realistic answer.
“We’re… partners who promised to face the future together?”
The Emperor clearly didn’t like that. He frowned—but still looked oddly beautiful.
—”Aren’t you too young to decide your future?”
“I had no choice. When you’re young and alone, you have to find someone to rely on.”
The Emperor scoffed coldly.
He clearly didn’t like me saying I relied on Sion.
—”If you become a princess, you won’t need to rely on him anymore.”
“…What?”
—”If you break ties with that magician, I’ll make you a princess.”
Even if he was just saying it out of spite, that was way over the line.
I glared and replied clearly.
“A promise is a promise. And I don’t think Your Majesty is in a position to make demands.”
I offered a deal—not permission to interfere.
“We’ll be going now. Have a peaceful night.”
I snorted, grabbed Sion’s hand, and turned around. He followed me with a helpless smile.
“Princess, you didn’t have to fight with the Emperor just because of me…”
“Sion, if you say that, don’t smile.”
Sion smiled slyly, like a fox.
“I’m happy. I thought you’d choose your only blood relative over me.”
He’s so weirdly petty.
“Well, I guess I value you more than that blood tie.”
As soon as I snapped back, Sion suddenly lifted me into his arms.
I struggled in surprise, but he held me tight and whispered low,
“Let’s go home.”
In an instant, the scenery around us changed.
