TPOP 114

Chapter 114

***

Even though she had layered on several sets of clothes to make herself look bulkier and dyed her short hair black, not a shred of anxiety had faded.

Don’t worry.

Don’t worry. We’re here.

The autumn breeze caressed her cheeks and pushed her gently forward. The spirits, who had hopped into the carriage before Diana, scattered to take their places—some in the seats, some by the windows, and some on the ceiling. They chattered happily.

Let’s go, Diana!

Let’s go, let’s go!

Yes, let’s go. A resolve flashed across her light-green eyes, filled with light.

Whatever lies in wait on this path, let’s go see. To a new, unknown world.

Diana settled herself into the carriage.

***

As early winter set in, a desolate wind swept through the ruins, overgrown with thick foliage.

Over the course of thirteen years, moss had grown on the drab stone walls, and the steel gates and the chains of the drawbridge had rusted. From the castle walls, where the kingdom’s flag had once flown proudly, the empire’s black tiger roared toward the sky.

The royal castle bore the clear scars of having been trampled and destroyed by the Empire’s swords and spears long ago. No one tended to this place. There were only a handful of soldiers left to guard the castle. After all, nothing of value remained here, so there was nothing left to protect.

This was a forsaken land. Even the Empire, which had spared no effort to annihilate Dortes, had long since abandoned this place. The emperor who had instigated the war had lived as a mere figurehead before dying a few months prior, and the crown prince who succeeded him had likewise failed to implement any significant colonial policies.

Even after the royal castle fell and they came under imperial rule, the Dortes people remained bound to their homeland. Those who attempted to flee secretly under cover of night were dragged away by imperial troops and branded as slaves. It was only after slavery was abolished in Karman that the Dortes people scattered and were absorbed into neighboring kingdoms. The empty lands were settled by people from the Karman Empire, who brought a new culture to bloom.

Thus, thirteen years later, the only place that retained even a faint trace of the Dortes Kingdom was the ruined royal castle.

In the castle, where no visitors ever came, the footsteps of a stranger echoed.

A sentry who had been half-asleep at the castle gate jolted awake at the sound.

“Who goes there! This is the direct territory of His Majesty the Emperor of Karman. No one may enter without His Majesty’s permission…”

The soldier, having identified the unfamiliar intruder, blinked blankly.

It was someone he had never seen before. The figure was so tall that he had to tilt his head back to look up, and was draped in a plain black cloak.

The hood was not pulled down, leaving the face fully exposed. The soldier flinched and took a step back under the piercing gaze.

It was a terrifying gaze, a mixture of sharpness, melancholy, and a touch of madness. Even the beauty of his facial features and contours was overshadowed by the overwhelming intensity of that stare. Seized by the instinct that he must not look the man in the eye, the sentry hurriedly lowered his head.

The unknown figure passed the sentry and entered Dortes Castle.

He should have stopped him, but he was unable to act. Five knights clad in the Empire’s armor followed the man in the black cloak. Overwhelmed by his presence, the others did not even notice them.

As a soldier who had guarded this empty royal palace ever since the fall of Dortes, he had never seen a nobleman like this before, but he was undoubtedly a high-ranking figure from the homeland. The soldier hesitantly returned to his original post and stood at attention.

“So this is the legacy I’ve inherited.”

Felix muttered softly as he surveyed the desolate interior of the castle.

Having passed through Ormance and returned to his territory, the Dortes colony, his gaze sharpened.

There must be something to gain here. Before he crushed Ormance, who had evaded his guards like a rat.

True to a nation that once worshipped the water spirits, water-holding sculptures were placed throughout the castle. Water channels flowed along both sides of the corridors, and indoor fountains were a common sight. 

Though now nothing more than a ruin, completely dried up and not a drop of water to be found, it must once have been a landscape worthy of its name—a garden of the gods. It matched exactly the description of the scene given by the imperial commander-in-chief who had conquered this place.

Apart from the soldiers guarding the castle, there was no sign that anyone else had been here. Felix passed through the shattered central hall and headed toward the throne room.

“The Valestega Spring lies within a vast forest stretching to the northeast, but its entrance cannot be found from the outside. It could only be accessed through a secret passage hidden within this royal castle. That passage was a top-secret matter known only to the queen and the duke, who fought to the very end within the castle; however, just before the castle fell, a knight witnessed the duke using that passage.”

The circular audience chamber was also surrounded by waterways and basins.

Behind the throne was a sunken structure. At first glance, it looked no different from the hundreds of basins placed throughout the castle. Felix ran his hand over the dry basin.

“When I followed the Grand Duke into the spring, no one was left there. I was unable to locate the Spirit Summoner you mentioned at that time. I apologize.”

But there was undoubtedly a child who had escaped from that well. A Spirit Summoner who had emerged from the well—accessible only to the ruler of the realm—and fled the royal palace. The Grand Duke must have personally sheltered that child.

For a long time, there had been no children between the Queen and the Grand Duke. At least, that is what was known to the public.

Only the parties involved knew the true circumstances.

“As far as I recall, the method the Grand Duke used to open the entrance clearly required offering something called ‘Spirit Tears’…”

A faintly familiar scent wafted from his fingertips as he caressed the vessel. It was the scent of fresh grass and dewy morning dew—the scent he could smell when he held Diana in his arms all night long.

He had found the right one. Felix’s dry, set lips curved into a smile.

Here, everything would begin anew, once again.

12. Homecoming

The seasons flowed by like a river.

It seemed like only yesterday that the cold winter had passed and the new year had begun, yet after the vibrant spring and summer, they had once again reached the threshold of autumn.

The Queen paid a visit to Claire’s Palace, a structure of graceful curves, vibrant marble, and jade-colored stone.

This palace had once served as the Queen’s summer retreat during her youth; now, the entire palace was used as Crown Prince Elliot’s private quarters. A boy with soft, chestnut-brown hair greeted the Queen politely.

“Have you arrived, Your Majesty? You didn’t give us any advance notice.”

“I was passing by and decided to drop in on a whim. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“So you didn’t come to see your adorable youngest son?”

“I saw him yesterday and the day before—what reason would I have to want to see him again so soon?”

Elliot had been granted this palace around this time last year. Although it was the closest suburb to the capital, it had been unused for so long that it attracted relatively little attention. On the surface, it was a palace granted to Elliot, but in truth, the Queen had someone else in mind as its true owner.

“Where is she?”

“She’s in the garden. I happened to come here to take a look myself—shall we go together?”

The mother and son walked arm in arm along the narrow path of the summer palace. It had been a year since the once-empty palace had regained its vitality, and now it was enveloped in a mysterious atmosphere entirely different from before.

Autumn in Ormance, situated in the northern part of the continent, was bitterly cold. The flowers, past their season, had all withered, and the beautiful autumn foliage that had briefly colored the streets had fallen as dead leaves.

Throughout the capital and its suburbs, there was only one place—the garden of this Summer Palace—that remained a verdant spring all year round.

As the Queen and the Crown Prince walked along the path, invisible spirits scurried to hide among the blades of grass and in the cracks of the soil.

There are too many humans.

I can sense their presence, Diana.

I’m scared!

A head suddenly popped up from among the flower bushes. A gardener wearing a straw hat spotted the Queen and the Crown Prince and hurriedly stood up. Black bobbed hair swayed beneath the straw hat.

The pale green eyes that met theirs widened in surprise.

“Queen Ianna?”

“Are you still making that face, Diana?”

Queen Ianna clicked her tongue in disapproval.

Diana looked down, feeling embarrassed. Her cheeks were smeared with lumpy mud. Her hair was as black as ebony. It was her own disguise, which she checked without fail every morning.

A tea table had been set up in the middle of the garden for them to chat.

“It seems your hair has grown longer since then. It feels like it was only a few days ago.”

“Yes. It’s time for a trim. The color keeps fading, too.”

Diana awkwardly fiddled with the ends of her hair. Perhaps because of the Water Spirit’s powerful influence, she was worried that the black dye she’d used to color her hair kept fading. It was a real headache—every time she woke up, her roots had turned back to a light brown.