CHAPTER 15
“I greet His Majesty the Emperor. May the glory of the dragon and the sacrifice of darkness be with Dreat.”
“Come in, Young Duke.”
When Asterios entered the palace after receiving Leodian’s summons, the Emperor dismissed all attendants and knights around him.
“Is the rose doing well?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Asterios gave a brief answer to the emperor’s inquiry about Roziana’s well-being.
Though no one else was present, what followed was a conversation only they understood.
“That’s a relief. Now that the white flower has been removed, the real issue is the butterfly…”
Edwin was firmly convinced that Mephisto, who used forbidden magic, had kidnapped Roziana.
“What shall we do about the butterfly, who believes his deduction to be flawless?”
The emperor, pressing his temples in frustration, sat at his desk and asked the young duke.
Just like when they previously discussed how to deal with the Great Sage of Graham, Leodian had summoned Asterios privately. Back then, he tasked Asterios with uncovering Graham’s true intentions.
Leodian had never truly believed the sage, who had promised to reveal the full text of the prophecy.
Asterios, closely observing both the sage and Graham, managed to intercept a letter that revealed their real intentions.
As a bonus, he even secured a priest who could serve as a portable source of divine power in Daniel’s stead.
“There is a way.”
Leodian’s eyebrows lifted at the young duke’s words—now practically his secret advisor.
“Negotiation means giving the other party what they want while drawing them toward our desired outcome. If we give the butterfly what he seeks, we can compel him to hear our demands.”
The emperor’s face twisted slightly.
“What the butterfly wants? Surely you don’t mean… an engagement?”
Even if they offered an engagement with the missing princess, would the Tower Master accept it?
Besides, if they were to bring the princess back to the palace soon and arrange the engagement then, wouldn’t that just complicate things further?
“No. The butterfly has long been searching for a certain item.”
An item?
Leodian’s eyes widened.
Tower Master Edwin was shrouded in mystery. Very little was known about him, and even Leodian, who first saw Edwin thirty years ago, hadn’t encountered him frequently.
But how could a mere six-year-old Asterios know what item a centuries-old Tower Master was seeking?
“My late father told me that Edwin had a deep connection with our ancestor, Tenebres.”
Yes, Leodian had heard that directly from Edwin.
Apparently, the previous Grand Duke, Clauser—head of the Tenebres family—had also known.
“He told me Tenebres was his dearest friend.”
“That’s correct. And I heard he’s been searching for Tenebres’s remains.”
“His remains?”
Even the emperor hadn’t heard that before.
“It’s a secret passed down only within the Grand Duke’s family. We have a part of the remains.”
“What?!”
The young emperor jumped to his feet in shock.
“My father discovered the remains and relics hidden beneath our estate and confided only in me.”
Asterios’s statement was shocking but too credible to dismiss.
“That relic… don’t tell me—”
“Yes. It’s exactly what you’re thinking.”
The invisibility cloak.
Asterios answered without hesitation. Edwin hadn’t mistaken what he saw.
“You used the power of the Black Breath to spirit away the rose, I thought…”
Indeed, Leodian had wondered how Asterios had so flawlessly removed the princess from the palace in such a short time.
But more than curiosity, he had been relieved that Roziana had escaped unharmed.
“With the power of my house and the relic, it was possible. Though my father discovered it, I used it that day. Please forgive me for not informing you in advance.”
Asterios then made a solemn promise.
“When I next return to the palace, I will present the relic to Your Majesty.”
Revealing to the emperor that he possessed a magical cloak capable of concealing one’s body—and offering to present such a precious heirloom—was no small matter.
‘Asterios…’
He was seeking the emperor’s trust.
The emperor entrusted the Tower Master matter entirely to Asterios.
Inside the carriage hastily bound for the Grand Duchy—
[Why did you reveal everything?]
Nox’s voice echoed in Asterios’s mind.
“To hide one lie among many truths.”
In a palace filled with pretense, hypocrisy, schemes, lies, and flattery—among those raised in it, the royals—trust was a rare currency.
Leodian, young and powerful, was particularly suspicious and perceptive.
“To gain his trust, this was necessary.”
Asterios, a six-year-old boy, was in truth Tenebres himself—acquainted with the Tower Master for a thousand years. To conceal this, everything else had to be true.
Within the Grand Duchy’s estate was the finest guest room, connected to a smaller room through a hidden passage. Typically, the smaller room was for the guest’s servant or attendant.
There, Izeph awoke after being unconscious for half a day.
“Let’s go to my room.”
Roziana quietly prepared a tea time for the newly awakened Izeph.
When invited into the grand guest room, Izeph approached nervously.
“Th-Thank you for the invitation, Your Highness…”
He looked like someone who had just had a good nap at home. But now, his hands were trembling slightly—still anxious.
‘Still scared?’
Anyone would think she was about to devour him.
His snowy, glossy long hair, tall height, and slender build made him look even more delicate.
‘And that soft egg-white robe doesn’t help.’
The priest’s robe, which looked like a long dress from neck to ankle, covered his pants, making his delicate frame stand out even more.
‘From behind, you’d think he was a woman.’
His appearance could easily evoke both misunderstandings and protective instincts.
‘Poor thing.’
Roziana had the estate’s butler, Matthew, bring him a warm cup of cocoa.
Soon after, her maid—and guard—Marie, arrived with two teacups.
“Sit down, relax.”
Roziana gestured for him to sit comfortably.
But like a paper doll, fragile Izeph knelt down.
“No need to kneel, just sit on the couch.”
“This is more comfortable. I’m used to praying like this.”
That’s comfortable?
Roziana raised an eyebrow in disbelief but said nothing as she picked up her teacup.
“Well, suit yourself.”
Sipping the warm, sweet drink, she smiled softly.
‘Ahh, this is paradise.’
A place with nothing to worry about.
This cozy and lovely room in the Grand Duchy—everything was to her taste.
Spacious room. Furniture with a quiet ambiance.
A fluffy white bed.
Soft-textured couches she adored.
Elegant tea tables perfect for receiving guests.
Even the closet and bathroom connected to it!
Frankly, she hadn’t seen much of her room at the imperial palace, having been too young. So this place, fully aligned with her tastes, made her want to stay forever.
‘But I mustn’t forget!’
She had to return to the palace soon.
She was worried about Empress Ariana, and oddly, certain people kept coming to mind.
Her foolish brothers who only cared for their youngest sister.
The tearful nanny and kind maids.
The three Gold Guardians who always greeted her warmly.
“Your Highness!”
Fiona, who had promised to protect her with a beaming smile. Angela and Thomas, whose faces used to flush red, also came to mind.
She missed them.
Who knew there’d come a day when she longed for people?
Even the central witch, Erika.
And surprisingly…
The awkward father who had once lifted her up, named her “Sticky Trap,” and made her burp.
‘Father.’
Erika had considered her father little more than garbage.
Yet now, when thinking of Leodian, a pang stirred in her chest.
Thinking of her mother, Ariana, she remembered the noble, sacrificial hands that cradled her—so pale after childbirth.
The beautiful face filled with tears when watching over a sick Roziana.
A warmth welled deep from within her, reddening her eyes.
So thankful. So full of love.
Was this what it meant to love one’s mother?
She even felt like she could die in her place.
‘To die in her place…’
In her Erika days, apart from her four sisters, only one person ever made her feel that way.
‘Tch. Pointless memories.’
She quickly shook her head to dispel the dark, cloudy thoughts.
And as her gaze sharpened again, she lifted her cocoa.
“You drink, too.”
Emerging from her thoughts with a fierce expression, she sipped her cocoa and offered some to Izeph.
“Y-Yes, Your Highness—hot!!”
“Hey!”
You don’t chug cocoa like that!
As Izeph choked and spilled cocoa from his nose, Roziana pulled out a handkerchief.
“Here, wipe.”
Looked like a nosebleed to anyone watching.
Hurry and clean that up.
“Th-Thank you. Sniff!”
He kept spilling while talking.
‘Is this kid dumb?’
Someone else seemed to be thinking the same as they entered.
“Foolish. Don’t harm yourself and waste divine power.”
Asterios had arrived.
Though he was warning Izeph not to get hurt, the tone sounded scarier than any actual threat.
“S-So-Young Duke…”
“Ast, you’re here?”
As Izeph and Roziana greeted him, the butler Matthew and maid Marie bowed.
“Any issues?”
Asterios approached Roziana at once.
Surprised by the sudden closeness, Roziana flinched and leaned back.
“Uh, this cocoa’s tasty. Want some?”
Flustered, she offered the drink without thinking.
Who could hate such a delicious beverage?
But the staff knew Asterios never touched sweets and hadn’t prepared any for him.
Yet the young master’s reply defied expectations.
“Yes, if I may drink it with Your Highness.”
To everyone’s shock, he accepted.
Marie responded instantly.
“I’ll bring it at once!”
And in a flash, she served the cocoa in an elegant cup.
“Whoa! Marie, you’re super fast!”
Roziana gave a thumbs up.
“Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness.”
Of course she was fast.
She was a highly trained elite knight and part of the Grand Duchy’s secret guard.
If she hadn’t been, Asterios might have killed her today.
She was thankful for her Dragon’s power of storm.
And while she was grateful for her gift—
Poor Izeph, the priest of Graham, was filled with inner torment.
‘Why… why did You grant me such divine power…’
As Roziana gently wiped the cocoa from his nose with her tiny hands, his eyes filled with tears.
Every time those sweet little hands dabbed his mess, he could feel the young duke’s cold, frightening gaze intensifying behind them.
