She deliberately unclasped the collar around Red’s neck and tossed it out the window with a smug “See?” She had never told anyone to put it on in the first place. Even if this cheeky elf tried to run away, a simple spell would hold him in place.
Karia handed Red over to Alice and ordered him to be confined in a proper room, not the underground prison.
Fatigued, she went upstairs without noticing how red the young elf’s face had turned.
4. Then Let’s Call It My Fault
Karia returned to her townhouse the following late morning. By now, she had stocked her castle with everything she immediately needed, so there was no urgent reason to rush back.
However, when she stepped down from the carriage and saw what was happening in front of her house, she cursed herself for not hurrying.
“What on earth is going on here?”
A crowd of onlookers had gathered outside her home.
Black Night mercenaries and Imperial knights were confronting each other in front of her townhouse.
And to explain this absurd situation, Alcard appeared before her.
“Where have you been since this morning?”
“And where is Your Highness going to my house this early? And in… that attire?”
Alcard wore the Imperial Knight uniform, a sword at his waist. This meant he was on official duty.
Under Karia’s sharp gaze, Alcard let out a troubled sigh, ruffled his hair, and spoke.
“Th-The Emperor wishes to see you.”
The Emperor’s summons. Calling the niece he had always disliked, it could only mean he was either near death or had something important to say. Judging by Alcard’s attire, it seemed the former was unlikely.
Judging by the mercenaries blocking the way, it wasn’t a casual invitation either. Perhaps the Emperor was upset about the matter with Duke Pandeon.
Karia scrutinized Alcard and his subordinates, lightly probing them one by one.
“If I don’t go willingly, will I be dragged there?”
“Do you really think I’d do that to you?!”
Alcard snapped at her question. Karia crossed her arms, examining him from head to toe, a trace of displeasure in her voice.
“You’re wearing that uniform, leading all those knights, and you have a sword at your waist. How am I supposed to take that?”
“Well… the Emperor just tasked me with this during work. No special meaning behind it.”
“So, I don’t have to go?”
Alcard didn’t answer her last question. No matter the blood relation to the Emperor, one could not simply ignore an imperial command.
Karia sighed deeply, signaling Alcard with a nod.
When the Emperor commands, what choice does one have? She decided to follow Alcard to hear what the Emperor had to say.
At that moment, a large presence appeared behind her as she prepared to board the carriage sent by the palace.
“-Noah?”
“I will follow, my lady.”
Noah tried to board with her, but Karia gently but firmly pushed him back.
“No need. I can go alone.”
“But—”
“Those who haven’t been knighted in the palace may not carry a sword.”
Alcard stepped between the two, blocking Noah. It seemed he was still angered by being treated like a villain by mercenaries outside the townhouse.
“I, as the commander of the Imperial Knights and her brother, am here to protect you. What’s there to worry about?”
Alcard’s tone carefully maintained a boundary, but his eyes warned with a piercing glare: ‘Mercenaries, don’t interfere.’
Without Noah getting a chance to respond, the carriage carrying Karia departed. Once all the Imperial Knights mounted and left, Shagal clicked his tongue and muttered as he approached.
“Why today of all days…? Such rotten luck, Captain. Right?”
They had things to ask, but before they could even speak, she was gone. Shagal still couldn’t forget what he had seen the previous day.
‘Why did the carriage head this way?’
Shagal and his men, quietly following Karia on Noah’s orders, were now galloping toward the forest.
Did she want a nighttime stroll in the forest air? They had left the orphanage well into the night, yet she showed no intention of returning home.
‘Huh, what’s that golden haze?’
Golden particles floated into the air, forming a protective barrier around Karia’s carriage.
At first, Shagal thought it was a sudden sandstorm or vortex and was ready to intervene, but the carriage remained perfectly stable, as if shielded by the golden light.
Then something unbelievable happened: the carriage moved straight into the forest.
‘H-How… is that possible?’
They had assumed it would be impossible. Every attempt to enter the forest over the years had failed. Witnesses always testified that no one had gone more than a few steps inside before being forced out.
No human could enter the forest; it was enchanted. Until yesterday, that was the universal belief.
“I’ve thought from the beginning that Lady isn’t an ordinary human. No one knows who her mother really was, right? A descendant of a sorceress hiding from humans—what if that’s the case?”
Shagal couldn’t sleep all night, heart racing. After wandering for years in darkness without a clue, he finally saw a faint hope.
But Noah barely listened, eyes still following the trail of Karia’s carriage.
“-They say sorcerers don’t get hurt from a sword? Lady is being dragged by knights with swords. Does that matter now?”
Noah growled in frustration and turned away. He recalled Alcard’s words, grinding his teeth.
‘A title… yes, a knighthood.’
If a title was needed, a pardon would suffice. Surely for a valuable client like her, that was doable.
Noah abandoned his usual guideline of “never stand out” for Karia.
Rationally, he knew he was overreacting. But ever since he first saw her, something felt… strange.
It was like the feeling he had in the recurring dreams of long ago.
‘Noah, why are you standing there? You got the title, but now you don’t want to follow me?’
He couldn’t clearly remember her face, but she had always been with him. She had been dignified, yet gentle.
Like calling a friend, like calling a sibling, she was full of affection. Always looking at him with kind eyes that didn’t match her usual stern tone. Yet he was never satisfied with just that.
“Not enough.”
Noah muttered, staring at his empty hands. That wasn’t what he truly wanted from the dream woman or from the woman who had just left him.
He sighed deeply, brushing back his hair in irritation. He recalled which impoverished families, without ties to the Grand Duke or Pandeon, might sell titles.
“-Looks like a family gathering, huh? Then why call me?”
Arriving at the palace with Alcard, Karia saw all direct imperial family members gathered in the Emperor’s private chamber: the Emperor, Crown Prince Robert, Princess Cerivis, the Duke, and that wretched Grenberic.
With Alcard and herself present, if the room exploded, the Castaros Empire would have a tough time selecting the next Emperor.
“This isn’t a joke. Sit.”
The Emperor, hiding no sharpness in his tone, clicked his tongue at her. Usually, he wouldn’t reprimand her just by looking at her, but his mood had been worsening recently.
The problem? That cursed scale in the temple.
‘Your Majesty, the scales are tipping.’
The “Sealed Scales” were a royal secret, passed down only to the Emperor. A centuries-old golden balance with black masses and red orbs, it threatened the royal bloodline.
Because the sacred tree lived a thousand years, or because some divine taboo was broken—the first Emperor, Ludvalt, had caused a terrible curse to afflict his descendants.
‘Will this damn curse ever be lifted?!’
If the bloodline grew beyond a certain point, the scales tilted, black ooze seeped over the red orbs.
One of Ludvalt’s descendants would develop a horrific disease: black, flame-like blotches erupting across the body, burning like fire.
If the orbs melted completely before the disease struck, the victim would surely die.
‘We’re trying at the temple, Your Majesty, but the curse is too strong—’
Effort alone was meaningless. The temple was filled with corrupt priests, devoid of sanctity. Even the first Empress, once loved by the gods, had tried to seal the scales, but the overwhelming negative energy steadily overcame her efforts.
