Regen seemed to be stronger than I had thought. While it was a relief, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated about the situation spiraling out of control.
“You said you recovered 10% on the first day.”
“…My apologies. I didn’t want to undermine the efforts of someone who worked so hard for me.”
“Such a gentleman. How kind.” I used sarcasm, which was unlike me. Domination was a matter of my pride as well, and I couldn’t help but feel displeased by his unwanted consideration.
Before I ended up saying something sharper, I abruptly turned my back on him. After all, organizing my thoughts and reining my emotions needed time.
✦
The princess turned away from him. Even the way she grasped the hem of her dress and spun halfway around was as beautiful as a bird folding its wings. It was ridiculous how Regen found himself admiring such a sight, even in a situation that had rubbed him the wrong way.
Sasha, who had been staring at the camellia tree instead of facing the wall, turned back calmly. “Now that I think about it, something is strange.” The princess tossed out her words, tilting her head slightly to the side and narrowing her eyes.
Regen tensed up, wondering if he had done something wrong again.
“Strange? What do you mean?”
“Why are you warning me to increase my dominance? Sure, for now, our bond benefits you because of your core treatment, but once the treatment is over, your imprint will be released, and you will be free.”
The unspoken question was clear in her gaze. ‘Don’t you want to be free from the imprint?’
When Regen didn’t answer, Sasha finally voiced it out loud. “An imprint is an unfair relationship. It forces one to submit unilaterally. And in your case, you were forced to swear loyalty to me against your will. For someone who values honor, there’s no reason for you to refuse the chance to break free from those shackles.” What Sasha said was logical, not just to Regen but to anyone who might hear it.
Regen carefully chose his words. “Your Highness is a good master. To be honest, I feel no humiliation from being forced into this vow.”
“You’re quite the gentleman.”
“I’m being sincere.” As he spoke firmly, Sasha averted her gaze slightly, as if reflecting on her words. Seizing the moment, Regen continued. “Being with Your Highness is the only way I can achieve either justice or revenge, isn’t it? Either way, I need to stay by your side.”
“You could do that without being my direct knight.”
The princess, who had pinpointed the core of the issue, almost made Regen respond without thinking. That’s exactly the problem. There’s no reason to let her excess dominance go to waste, so the princess would likely take on new personal knights. At least three, maybe even five, like Dominic.
It was probably the possessiveness triggered by the imprint, but just the thought of it made Regen uncomfortable. If he was going to stay by her side anyway, it seemed better to occupy Sasha’s dominance as her personal knight. But he couldn’t just say all of this to Sasha outright. Fortunately, Regen had a solid excuse.
“Wouldn’t I become stronger if I stayed bound to Your Highness through the imprint?”
“Ah.” Sasha let out a small exclamation, as if she had just remembered something she had forgotten.
Right now, she was skipping from the third stage of the dominion authority straight to the fifth stage to focus on healing her mana core, but originally, the fourth stage involved enhancing mana.
Sasha spoke, sounding slightly disappointed. “So even Sir Regen has his ambitions. I thought you’d want to grow stronger purely through honest training without resorting to magic.”
“…”
“Well, you’re human too, Sir Regen. Anyway, I understand now.”
“…”
The princess, who had completely set aside her doubts, strode forward confidently. Although his honor had taken a slight in the process, Regen decided to accept it.
“Where are you going?”
“To raise my dominance.”
“…”
Regen took a deep breath and cautiously began to speak. “I heard that the mad emperor gained power by sacrificing the blood of his brothers.”
“The mad emperor is an exception. Normally, the imperial family is different. I’ll show you the proper process, so follow me.”
Sasha led Regen to the grand chapel located in the main palace. The dazzling stained glass and the majestic sound of the pipe organ overwhelmed visitors with a sense of reverence. There was no one inside. Perhaps the only person present was the one playing the organ on the third floor.
Sasha walked straight toward the central statue of the goddess and spoke. “The empire worships the goddess of protection and order. It’s a monotheistic state religion.”
“I’ve heard about it. There’s a myth that the imperial family believes they are descended from the goddess.”
“Yes, their corruption and narcissism are truly excessive. If anything, they might be descendants of the god of war and corruption.”
“…”
“Currently, there are no members of the imperial family or nobility who genuinely practice the faith. The grand chapel is primarily used as a venue for events that evoke a sense of solemnity and spirituality. Usually, things like imperial weddings or imperial ceremonies are held here.”
Sasha, having walked deep into the chapel, looked up at the marble statue. Regen couldn’t take his eyes off her profile for a moment. Perhaps it was the sanctity of the space, but watching her gaze at the statue made her seem as divine as a saintess.
“Your Highness seems devout.”
“…”
Sasha turned to look at Regen silently. Only after holding her gaze for a while did he realize his mistake and correct himself.
“Sasha, I mean.”
Satisfied, Sasha straightened her head again and broke the uncomfortable silence. “Outwardly, yes. I make donations and contribute to the convents.”
The word ‘outwardly’ hinted that there was more to it.
Regen decided to focus on the issue of dominance for now. “Are you praying here?”
“What I’m about to do is called a ‘Covenant.’ Watch closely.” Sasha raised one hand as if taking an oath, staring straight into Regen’s eyes. “I, Rosasia Trinite Magnarod, swear here and now. Within a month, I will offer the evildoer who plunges the world into chaos as a sacrifice to the Guardian Deity.”
A vivid pattern appeared in Sasha’s light sky-blue eyes before fading away. This time, Regen’s eyes did not resonate; it seemed only Sasha was performing this special ritual.
After the pattern disappeared, Sasha lowered her gaze gracefully and explained. “If I keep the covenant, my dominion increases. If I break it, it decreases. That’s why words like ‘convenant’ or ‘promise’ are considered sacred among the imperial family.”
“Does it have to be in a chapel?”
“Technically, it only requires a witness.”
She hadn’t come to the chapel for any particular reason. It was simply a good place to explain the origin myth of the covenant, and since it was her first covenant in front of Regen, she wanted to do it in a sacred place.
“Oh, one more thing—the content of the covenant must be related to good deeds.
Since the Guardian Deity is a benevolent goddess, making a promise related to evil would anger them instead.”
“Sasha.” Regen, who had been listening intently, spoke without realizing it. His face was one of shock. “How many covenants have you fulfilled?”
Rosasia Trinite Magnarod. Her dominion was at the fifth level, a level unprecedented in the empire’s history, comparable to the so-called mad emperor. In other words, she was far from ordinary.
There was much that Regen didn’t know about Sasha. The way she diligently slipped secret notes into the library, took in the daughter of a ruined noble family as her maid, and carried various potions in her ring—none of it felt like the actions of an ordinary person. Naturally, he had assumed there was much more to learn about her in the future and had prepared himself for it. But the information he was now faced with, without any warning, went beyond simply discovering a surprising truth.
Sasha, with eyes that seemed to gaze into a distant place, confessed calmly. “I saved about 500 people and killed around 50. That’s how I got here.”
Was this what it felt like to realize that the drifting piece of ice on the sea was actually the tip of an iceberg?
Regen almost opened his mouth at that moment to confess his own identity. It was an instinctive desire to close the seemingly vast gap between her and him. He clenched his fist tightly, shoving the impulse deep inside, and barely managed to say something else.
“Then I guess we need to find a traitor to offer as a sacrifice to the goddess.”
“The goddess will provide that as well.”
The moment Sasha smiled brightly, the doors of the grand chapel split open on both sides.
“Hoho, every time this old man enters the imperial palace, I seem to meet Princess Silver Bird in the Grand Chapel.”
