~Chapter 28~
Even if I wanted to answer, I didn’t really have anything to say.
I had just heard the news that Hestia went to the convent…!
My mouth was going dry.
I glanced around nervously but couldn’t hold up under Erkisian’s stare and finally spoke.
“Why did she go?”
“Oh? You’re asking for the reason?”
Erkisian repeated it in a sarcastic tone.
Oops. Guess that wasn’t the right question.
I figured she must be getting punished at the convent because of what happened at the lake…
But an emperor wouldn’t punish a princess just because a marchioness made a fuss. Thinking it through, I came to one conclusion:
‘Idette must have been in danger, so Erkisian stepped in.’
Yes, that must be it.
While I was thinking that, Erkisian suddenly burst out laughing — enough for a dimple to show on one cheek.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just came to see your face, so relax.”
Even if he says that…
How could I possibly relax in front of a crown prince who treats anyone other than the female lead like a background prop?
“Why my face, though?”
Still, I couldn’t hold back my curiosity.
“I heard the Empire’s Sword flipped the whole palace upside down over his granddaughter. Got curious. Turns out his granddaughter’s face was worth seeing too.”
Erkisian looked absolutely amused. But when he noticed I was still tense, he let out a quiet chuckle.
“Sounds like he caused all that mess and didn’t say a word to you, Right?”
…What exactly happened?
My grandfather, who’s known for being so calm…
“Was it something serious?”
A wave of anxiety hit me.
“No, nothing like that. That girl did deserve punishment, after all.”
That was a relief.
I let out a breath of relief, but just then, Erkisian gave me a small smile.
“More importantly, don’t you have something to say to me?”
“…”
“You should have something.”
I didn’t. I really didn’t.
But his eyes made me feel like I had to say I did.
“I heard you told someone you had to meet me at the plaza.”
Oh no. Crap.
He’s talking about that time. I lied to help Ricardo and Idette get closer…
My vision went blurry with panic.
Erkisian looked at me with a pressure-inducing stare and then said in a gentle tone:
“Everyone already knows you like the duke, so I doubt you lied just to keep me away from Idette.”
“Of—of course not!”
He had completely misunderstood, thinking I liked Ricardo, but at this point, I had no choice.
Getting misunderstood was way better than being punished by the crown prince.
As I nodded vigorously to back him up, Erkisian gave me a cold, ominous smile and warned:
“Don’t ever do that again.”
“Y-yes…”
I replied meekly, and finally, he smiled again.
I swore to the heavens.
I will never meddle again…!
***
That afternoon.
“This girl is…”
“Bianca Roigin. Her identity is confirmed,” Cedric interrupted the priest.
His eyes narrowed for a moment before he asked with suspicion,
“The only one authorized to manage D’mokan Forest is the head of House Roygin. Everyone else needs a permit.”
“She came with me,” Cedric replied. “We’re here to hear about the stories of heavens from you.”
Cedric told the priest, sighing. “You know what happened to Lord Bluea’s children. I’m his descendant, and I won’t live long either. If I die, this girl will inherit the title. Better to handle the forest matters now, once and for all.”
The priest thought a moment, then nodded. “Follow me.”
I stared at Cedric in shock.
I had no idea he was thinking like that.
‘Well, I know we both survive because I’ve read the original story…’
But from Cedric’s perspective, it made sense to believe in the ‘price of war’ the side branches always talked about.
We walked behind the priest for quite a while.
I couldn’t stop thinking about what Cedric had said. I glanced at him, then finally spoke up,
“You won’t die.”
“…What?”
“I know it. You’re definitely not going to die.”
He let out a dry laugh, probably thinking I was being ridiculous.
“I mean it. You’re going to marry a beautiful woman, have adorable children, and come visit our house together.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes! And you’ll definitely scold me in front of your kids, telling me not to forget I’m their aunt.”
Maybe that sounded a little too specific, because Cedric let out a resigned sigh.
“Fine. Just make sure you don’t die.”
Well, I’d survive no matter what—even if not in this world.
As we chatted about random things, we suddenly arrived at a massive wall.
…Could I even call this a wall?
‘How did Peril’s disciple even get inside this place?’
Compared to the height of the wall, the entrance was ridiculously small.
The priest placed his hand on the complex patterns carved into the gate and began chanting.
A burst of pure, clean air swept over us as the door slowly creaked open.
Screech…
‘Was that magic?’
Just as I thought that, the priest spoke in a serious tone,
“Magic is forbidden within D’mokan Forest. Please be careful.”
That was strange.
Wasn’t magic a gift from the divine age?
And yet, in the land where the heavens once lived, magic was banned?
Inside the gate stretched a vast forest.
“We need to go a little deeper to reach the World Tree.”
The priest tilted his head to gesture forward.
Cedric held out his hand. With his help, I climbed onto the horse, and we began heading into the forest.
“So that’s why the wall is so tall.”
Cedric was right.
It was probably to keep people out—but the sight of the forest itself was terrifying.
The trees were so tall and tightly packed that they made the wall look small. I couldn’t even see the branches above.
If the wall were any lower, people would’ve seen these trees from outside for sure.
As we neared the World Tree, the horse suddenly stopped and refused to go any further.
“They say animals are the best at sensing where the divine light doesn’t reach.”
The priest began explaining that this was a sign of heresy.
I frowned as I listened.
‘…What is this feeling?’
It felt like I had been here before.
But this place didn’t exist in my memories.
It gave me a strange discomfort, like meeting a lost memory from a time I could never return to.
My stomach churned.
‘Focus.’
Even biting the inside of my cheek didn’t make the feeling go away.
As I kept walking, lost in thought, an awful smell began to spread through the air.
Ugh, this was unbearable.
“The Marquis will not be asked to directly manage the World Tree,” the priest said.
I looked up, startled by the smell.
The priest, unbothered, continued,
“The World Tree has stopped growing.”
I tried not to show how badly I wanted to plug my nose as I looked at the tree.
Its trunk was as massive as the Roygin mansion.
If it had kept growing, it would’ve blocked out the sky.
But the center of the trunk had rotted and turned black.
That must’ve been the source of the smell.
“What exactly do you mean by ‘no direct involvement’?”
“We’re not asking you to take care of it. Just keep it alive—barely.”
The priest had a way of making obvious things sound grand.
So this was why he brought us all the way here?
‘Anyway… how am I supposed to take the root?’
Judging by the size, the roots must be massive.
The little dagger I brought looked completely useless now.
“What’s this?”
Cedric had stopped walking.
He was staring at something.
The priest smiled and answered smoothly,
“That’s the statue of Archmage Ailins.”
I peeked around Cedric to look.
It was a statue of a middle-aged woman, carved with such detail that even her wrinkles looked real.
You could almost believe she had turned to stone while still alive.
‘I think I’ve seen her name in the original story… Ailins.’
The priest continued,
“They say anyone who holds a branch of the World Tree will gain great power. Ailins, who was just a human, got greedy.
She entered the D’mokan Forest to steal a branch.”
Her statue was unusual.
An arrow was stuck in her chest, and she was fused into the World Tree’s trunk.
“After that, Ailins was never seen again.”
“An archmage… I’ve never heard of Ailins,” Cedric said, walking on with the priest.
‘Is that a laurel crown on her head…?’
As I admired the sculptor’s skill… I realized something strange.
At some point, the statue’s eyes were looking straight at me.
…But I was sure they were closed before.
