Chapter 13
I quietly stared at Loti.
To be honest, she wasn’t essential for escaping this place safely.
Worst case, I could secretly send a letter to Winter Orsheus and ask him to come meet me.
But that only works if he’s still the sane and rational Winter Orsheus from Wings of the White Dragon.
Now that I’ve heard something’s wrong with him, calling him here without knowing more could get us all killed.
For now, I had to stay at the Rohia mansion and first check on the condition of [Igrio].
And before contacting [Igrio] directly, it might be better to find the other guardian, [Ampelos], and meet him first.
…Though knowing [Ampelos]’ personality, that wouldn’t be easy either.
Still, if I had to stay in the Rohia mansion for a while, I’d definitely need Loti.
After thinking it through, I spoke.
“Loti, you know you have no choice but to stay by my side now, right? If you quit working at the duchy, Mother will probably kill you. Boris passed out because of the milk tea you made, and you know too much about me. You may not understand everything now, but my mother hates when someone knows too much about me.”
Loti’s face turned pale.
“And if you start acting like before and take out your anger on me, I’ll kick you out immediately. Mother can’t ignore me like she used to anymore.”
Loti didn’t reply. She just lowered her head—and soon, big teardrops fell to the floor.
“…I’m sorry, my lady. I’ve been in a bad mood lately. I shouldn’t have acted that way toward you. I did something awful.”
“Even if you say that, I still don’t trust you. I’ve already seen your true colors. Trust is something you earn through actions.”
My cold words made her face darken even more.
“Mother will probably call you back soon. She’ll tell you to watch me and report everything I do. So how can I trust that you won’t become her loyal spy again?”
Loti remained silent.
…Which honestly surprised me a bit.
Shouldn’t she at least say ‘I wouldn’t do that’?
Maybe she just isn’t the type to say things she doesn’t mean.
I sighed softly and then made up my mind.
“Loti Hesword. Whether you choose to side with Mother or me is up to you, but I’ll give you a little help—so you choose the right path.”
“…Y-Yes.”
“Yubel Rohia isn’t a [Materia].”
“Huh? Ye—WHAT?!”
Her eyes, nose, and mouth all widened in shock.
Oh no—her facial wounds might split open!
I quickly said, “Calm down and just listen. You can stay loyal to Mother if you want, but until you confirm whether what I said is true, you’d better keep quiet. No one would believe you anyway if you told them. And I’ll just deny I ever said anything. Unless you want to be locked in the imperial prison, keep your mouth shut.”
Loti blinked rapidly, clearly overwhelmed.
“My lady, are you… crazy?”
I ignored her question and continued.
“Two weeks. In two weeks, we’re all moving to the capital. Loti, where’s your family?”
“They live here in Rohia territory.”
I clicked my tongue.
“Tell them to leave for another region. Just for two weeks.”
She looked blank and confused.
“But, my lady… shouldn’t you at least explain why? And besides, my family’s lived here forever. We have no ties anywhere else. You can’t just tell us to leave out of nowhere.”
“Then tell them to borrow money and leave.”
I slowly reached out my hand toward her face.
She must’ve sensed what I was about to do because she hesitantly leaned in.
My fingers gently touched her bruised face.
“…No. Tell them to sell the house. They must leave, no matter what.”
As I stroked her cheek, I softly added,
“Unless you want to regret it again.”
***
An Unrecordable Crisis.
The reason the three Guardians, including myself, were reborn.
The sign of the coming disaster—the first omen—occurred less than two weeks after the [Materia] star shone.
***
That evening…
“You’re insane!”
Duke Bern Rohia had just returned from meeting the Emperor to present Yubel’s birth, only to hear what happened earlier. Furious, he shouted at Yudis.
“Send her away immediately!”
“……”
“The Empress Dowager said it herself! If His Majesty wants to take Yubel, he can! Don’t you know that?!”
Silis Lionea.
A tyrant emperor who murdered his own father, the previous Emperor Kalis Lionea, with his own hands.
Though the public was told Kalis’s death was an accident, many knew the truth.
Bern himself remembered Kalis as one of the worst emperors in history—but even so, it was hard to see Silis in a positive light.
That’s why many nobles opposed Silis’s rise and supported Princess Ersha.
No one expected Princess Ersha would raise Silis herself and put the crown on his head.
Because of that, the nobles who once opposed him had to keep their heads down—and the Rohia family was no exception.
In short, the Rohias had long been a thorn in Emperor Silis’s side.
Yudis continued her embroidery as she calmly replied without even looking up.
“She’s not going anywhere. Don’t tell me what to do.”
Duke Bern, pacing anxiously around the bed, finally snapped.
He stormed over and threw her embroidery aside.
Yudis didn’t resist. She simply let it fall from her hands and calmly looked up at her husband.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“I’m perfectly sane. Unlike you—yelling like some uneducated brute.”
“What did you say?”
Yudis stared at him with cold eyes filled with contempt.
He always pretended to be scholarly and gentlemanly—always putting on a show.
But he couldn’t even recognize his own child.
In truth, he didn’t even know how to express himself properly.
So different from someone else…
The more she looked at Bern, the more she thought of that “someone else.”
She turned away. Just looking at him made her feel sick.
Standing up, she faced her husband, who was now shaking with anger.
Bern pointed an accusing finger at her cold amber eyes and shouted.
“When did you start pretending to care about that thing? Even I pity her, and that says a lot! She’s supposed to be of noble blood, but she walks around looking like a stable girl. I can’t even bring myself to scold her!”
SLAP.
Yudis’s dry palm whipped across Bern’s cheek like a whip.
He stood there frozen, unable to believe what just happened.
Yudis spoke coldly.
“Even little Boris doesn’t whine like you. If you want something, act like a man and earn it. You abandoned her just like I did—so stop pretending to be so righteous. Have some shame and get a grip.”
“You…!”
Bern’s patience finally snapped.
Just then, Yudis narrowed her eyes and smiled faintly.
She was undeniably beautiful, a woman who could steal a man’s attention in an instant.
Even Bern had fallen for that charm once.
“She’s smarter than you think. Definitely not a fool. Sometimes, I wonder if I gave birth to a person… or a snake.”
“Then shouldn’t we get rid of her even more?! If she’s anything like you, she’ll be more venomous than a viper. She’ll devour us the moment she holds a grudge!”
