Chapter 46:
A pair of birds squawked and flew toward Klein when they saw the remains of their shattered eggs fall onto him.
Oh no.
Judging by how furious they looked, they must’ve been the owners of the nest.
“Caw!”
Flap! Thud!
Beaks, claws, and wings struck down mercilessly onto Klein’s head.
“You damn birds!”
Shiiing—
Struggling wildly, Klein suddenly drew the sword from his waist. A blinding white aura radiated around it.
From between the black feathers, a pair of mad eyes glinted ominously.
Swish—
“Caw!”
The blade, radiating wrath in place of its master, sliced the air a few times, and the flapping birds fell limp to the ground, unconscious.
“Huff… huff.”
Panting, Klein turned his gaze back to me. The fury in his red eyes hadn’t subsided.
“If you’d just listened to me from the start!”
He growled. The sword in his hand still pulsed with a threatening aura.
“I’ll teach you some manners myself.”
He swung his sword through the air and took a step toward me.
“But I didn’t do anything!”
“Silence!”
He ignored my words and seethed with rage.
“But…”
I opened my mouth to make more excuses, but suddenly couldn’t find the words.
Strangely, it felt like maybe I had done something.
When I recalled the Klein from my previous life, the air had suddenly changed, a strange energy had surged upward, and the tree branch had snapped.
But that was it. I tried staring at the tree again, but nothing happened.
Was it really just a coincidence?
“How dare you look elsewhere!”
Seeing I was distracted, Klein roared again.
Gasp— This is bad.
Just as the sword he swung in anger was about to graze my head—
Whish—
A small, blue object flew in and struck the blade.
Ding!
The impact was strong. The sword that had nearly reached my head veered sharply off-course at a diagonal angle, causing Klein to stagger.
“What now?!”
The object that had fallen to the ground glowed with a blue, radiant light.
It was jewel-like, exquisitely cut, oddly familiar, and clearly not something meant to be tossed like that…
“Put the sword down.”
Before I could process what it was, a familiar voice called out from the direction it had flown.
“You…”
Klein’s face went pale upon recognizing the speaker. At the same time, I cried out to her.
“Unnie!”
There stood Callista—poised as ever.
Except for the ripped lace in the center of her red dress—rumored to be the final masterpiece of the empire’s greatest designer, valued equal to several mansions—she was flawless.
Her cold blue eyes locked onto Klein with killing intent.
“If you touch her again, next time I’ll aim for your left eye, Your Highness.”
That’s when I realized what the blue object was.
“O-oh no, Unnie…”
Still, you shouldn’t have ripped off and thrown the sapphire brooch.
That’s been a family heirloom for 500 years!
“Shut your mouth!”
Klein shouted, pointing his sword at Callista.
“Put away that hideous thing in front of my sister!”
“What? You dare insult the royal sword…?”
“Not the sword.”
In a flash, Callista stepped forward, slapped away the sword in his hand, and pinched Klein’s chin between her thumb and middle finger.
“I meant your ugly face.”
“You wench!”
He shook his head like a mad dog and shook off her hand, glaring at her.
Callista furrowed her brow and extended a palm.
“S-stop! If you dare use magic on a prince in the palace, your whole house will be—”
Klein stammered as he pointed to her palm.
“I’m not using magic.”
Without relaxing her frown, Callista grabbed his pointing finger and twisted it back over the back of his hand.
“AAAAAGH!”
He screamed even louder than when the birds attacked him and staggered back.
“You two dare to mock me together?!”
His face beet red, Klein slashed at Callista.
This wasn’t a mere threat like earlier. The sword came at her neck with force.
Callista twisted her body to dodge it, but a few strands of her hair were sliced by the blade.
My body suddenly went cold.
“…Don’t.”
I muttered.
The same anger as before coursed through me again. Before I knew it, I was shouting at Klein.
“Don’t do it!”
Woooong—
The air trembled again, growing hot.
The power that had vanished now wrapped around me once more—stronger than before. I could even see faint, sparkling lights in the air.
Thunk—
Just before the sword reached Callista, Klein’s body was hurled backward.
The air’s vibration didn’t stop. A loud cracking sound echoed from a few meters away.
CRAAAAACK!
It was the golden statue.
A grand, ornate golden statue in Klein’s likeness shattered into pieces. Shards of gold scattered across the garden.
Clatter, clatter—
Woooong—
The golden fragments rained down like heavy rain. Only then did the surging energy subside.
My own breath, which had grown ragged, calmed with it.
“…Harper?”
Callista’s voice rang in my ear. When I looked up, she was staring at me in shock.
“Just now, you…”
She began to ask something I already knew the answer to. I nodded.
“…I think so.”
Before she could say more, a piercing scream rang out behind us.
“Klein!”
Ah… that voice sounded familiar too.
Callista and I turned our heads in unison.
What we saw was not a common sight.
From the right, left, and straight ahead, three separate groups of people were approaching us.
“Klein! My son!”
From the right, breaking through the maids and running frantically, was the Empress—face as pale as death.
No doubt about it—that was the voice behind that scream.
We’re doomed.
From the opposite direction came the Emperor and his attendants, rushing over in a panic. And from straight ahead…
“…Huh?”
I spotted a pair of green, catlike eyes.
Killian Bayan.
He looked at me with a mix of joy, surprise, and concern.
While being held by the shoulders by three palace guards.
*
Harper Luperne—she was more of a mystery every time he saw her. Something strange always happened around her.
Killian nudged a piece of golden statue with his foot as he thought.
He’d only stepped outside the palace to catch a glimpse of her when he was caught by the guards—that wasn’t surprising. But what happened next…
Klein, the Empress, and even the Emperor—who barely appeared once a year—all showed up.
And the magic he’d just seen? That was definitely Harper’s doing. She was only eight—younger than him.
“Klein!”
The Empress screamed again, shaking her unconscious son. Her gaze toward him was nothing like the one she gave Killian.
“Guh… Mother.”
“Yes, yes. Tell your mother. Who did this to you? Who dared to…”
Klein’s gaze fell on Callista Luperne.
Apparently, he hadn’t fully grasped what had happened.
The Empress shrieked, her eyes bulging.
“Lady Luperne! Do you not know it’s a grave crime to use magic in the palace without permission? And you struck the prince, whom you should be serving?!”
Harper tried to step forward, but Callista raised an arm to stop her.
“…Unnie?”
“Stay back.”
She whispered. Harper’s eyes widened.
“I’ve never disrespected you, Lady Luperne. How dare you commit such a vile act?!”
Callista didn’t deny the accusation. She stood tall, listening to the barrage of venomous words.
“This could be considered treason! Guards, arrest Lady Luperne!”
As the order rang out, Harper’s body trembled. Her sky-colored eyes shook violently.
“It wasn’t Unnie…”
She opened her mouth, but again, Callista’s arm barred her from speaking.
Callista’s face showed no hint of panic. She stood firmly in front of Harper, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Harper looked up at Callista. Their eyes met—Callista kept her face forward but glanced sideways at her.
“I told you not to step in.”
“But… but if this goes wrong…”
Unlike Callista’s calm, Harper’s face was panicked and pale.
Killian saw it in his field of vision.
His mind went blank.
He wanted to change that expression on her face.
The purple ribbon fluttering in Callista’s hair caught the wind. Killian recognized it instantly.
It was a gift from Harper.
That meant—Callista was someone precious to Harper.
He had to help.
Without another thought, he shrugged off the guards restraining him and stepped forward.
“It wasn’t Lady Luperne.”
His voice rang through the garden just as the guards moved to arrest Callista.
“What did you say?”
The Empress turned toward him, looking ready to faint. Betrayal, rage, and shock flickered across her face.
At that moment, Killian realized his gamble was safer than he thought.
The Empress could arrest Callista, but she couldn’t harm him—not in front of the Emperor.
As soon as the Emperor turned toward him, the guards who had held him loosened their grip. That was proof enough.
“What do you mean?”
“It was an accident while I was practicing barrier magic, Mother.”
He bowed his head apologetically.
The Empress’s face twisted in disbelief.
“Don’t speak nonsense. You’ve never even been taught mana. How could you have such power?!”
She snapped.
“I was surprised too. I just followed what I read in books and must’ve lost control of the power.”
Of course, it was a lie.
It was true Killian had taught himself to use mana. And that it had come to him more easily than the books described.
But his talent was in protective magic, not destructive.
The power to obliterate a golden statue from a distance? That was beyond him.
In fact, he’d never even heard of a child capable of such destruction.
