TPOP 140

Chapter 140

***

“Is he still there today?”

Diana, with only her head peeking out above the Spring, asked in a hushed voice. The spring water lapping at her waist replied in an equally hushed tone.

Yes, he’s here again today.

“When do you think he’ll leave?”

A week ago, he left at sunset, and five days ago, he stayed until it got dark. He hasn’t left since then.

“Can’t we just chase him away?”

I don’t want to get close to him. I’m scared.

The spring water splashed, creating small ripples around Diana. Diana let out a heavy sigh and submerged her head completely beneath the surface. The aquatic plants swaying in the water quickly enveloped her.

It’s a habit from her childhood. Born through the power of water, the girl had spent just as much time swimming underwater as she had out of it. The spirits that had followed her in helped her breathe comfortably.

Diana glared resentfully at the spirits hiding in her hair.

“He’s just a human anyway.”

What Diana fears, we fear too.

“Ugh…”

The Spring, revived by Diana’s presence, reacted sensitively to her mood and will. It exerted several times its usual strength to help with anything Diana pushed forward strongly, but conversely, it was just as passive when she was afraid or hesitant.

More than a week had passed since Diana sent messages to the leaders of the neighboring countries. During that time, Diana had been preparing every corner of the royal castle to welcome her guests. She didn’t even glance beyond the castle walls. That was because the man was standing there.

He had been on the bridge for the entire week. Early this morning, as Diana was about to gently brush aside the ivy climbing up the castle walls, she saw his silhouette slumped against the bridge railing and was so startled she nearly fainted.

He had been there even before the morning sun rose. And even as twilight fell, he showed no intention of leaving. Yesterday, she had even seen his shadow cast by the moonlight at dawn. When she first spotted the Emperor, Diana was overcome with fear. It was a reflexive reaction that arose regardless of her will or resolve.

“I tried to chase him away, but he didn’t even flinch when he saw us.”

“If we lift the barrier, we could drive him out right away.”

The spirit said gloomily. Diana already knew that, too.

The boundary of the protective barrier. Since the man was outside it, no one could take a single step inside, but conversely, because he was there, they couldn’t drive him out. Diana tried making the river surge, shaking the bridge as if it might collapse, and sent gusts of wind lashing at the man’s clothes, but he didn’t flinch. Even as phenomena bordering on natural disasters unfolded before his very eyes day after day, he showed not a single sign of fear.

If anything…

‘It almost seems like the more I react, the happier he gets…’

When she couldn’t see his face, she had absolutely no idea what he was thinking. It was like an insurmountable wall that no amount of pleading could penetrate—a demon imprisoning her in hell. But now that she could see his face, she discovered his expressions were far more varied than she’d imagined.

The Emperor seemed to have realized that the reason nature was behaving so unpredictably was related to Diana. In fact, he would look anxious when the royal palace was deathly quiet, and show signs of relief when a sense of unease hung in the air.

It seemed silence was what he couldn’t bear.

As soon as she realized this, Diana immediately recalled the spirits and caused thorn bushes to grow thickly all around the royal palace. Once she had erected a barrier to ensure that what was happening inside could never be seen from the outside, the man finally showed a change in his behavior.

“Don’t do that, Diana.”

Felix, his jaw clenched tightly, spat the words out through gritted teeth.

“Don’t close it. Damn it, I’m not going any further than this.”

It was a voice she’d never heard from him before. He’d been glaring murderously at the wall of light blocking his path, but now he managed to clear his throat with great effort.

“I know you’re listening, Diana. If you don’t want to see me, stay there. I won’t tell you to come out. Just listen from there. By then, I’ll—”

No. I won’t listen. Diana covered her ears and dove deeper.

The man’s black hair was reflected in the river flowing beneath the bridge. Not wanting to see his image projected in the rippling spring water, Diana frantically waved her hands. The man’s face and voice were swept away lifelessly by the foam.

After that, the man seemed to have chosen to say nothing at all. However, he never took his eyes off the royal palace for a single moment, and from time to time, as if restless, he would tap the bridge railing or brush his hair back. Every time she checked once a day to see if the man was still there, his hideously twisted right hand caught her eye.

I wonder if it’s even possible for him to grasp or lift anything with that hand. Come to think of it, I don’t think I ever smelled paint on him.

It was the same back in the Commander’s office at this royal palace. Since coming here, she hadn’t once seen him hold a pen or anything like that to draw something. At the Karman Imperial Palace, she seemed to recall hearing that scratching sound several times a day…

Does he not paint anymore?

“…What does that have to do with me?”

After all, she’d probably never see him painting—or any of his paintings—again anyway.

He’d probably just keep this up for a day or two and then stop. She tried to push it out of her mind, but the spirits were actually getting anxious, so she couldn’t calm herself down. Because of that, Diana spent over a week worrying about what was going on outside and didn’t have a moment’s peace.

On top of that, it was almost time for the guests Diana had invited to start arriving one by one. The wind, who had been asked by Diana, would guide them while evading the headquarters’ surveillance, but it would be hard for that sharp-witted man not to notice that strangers had arrived at the Spring.

But what does it matter? Diana repeated to herself. He won’t be able to take even a single step inside here anyway.

It’s not even worth wasting a glance on him. Maybe him standing there without moving a muscle is actually helping me.

The breeze tickled Diana’s cheek as it whispered.

“The first guest has arrived, Diana.”

“…Yes.”

Diana rose from the water. Sure enough, the sound of footsteps could be heard in the distance. It was coming from the northern moat of the royal castle, directly opposite the bridge leading to Mepen. Diana completely withdrew her attention from the man on the bridge.

***

“The invited guests are likely the Queen of Ormance, the Princess of Delos, the Prince of Grenia, and the Grand General of Lelon. It also seems word has reached the Kingdom of Mahok in the northwest, though that is not certain.”

Pierre, who had climbed up onto the bridge, reported with a sense of unease. It had been a full seven days since his last report. This was because the Emperor had been staying put here without moving for several days.

For the first two days, he returned to headquarters around the time the morning dew fell, but from the third day onward, he remained motionless on the bridge. This was likely because, around that time, thorn bushes had grown densely around the royal palace.

Just as spies from Ormance and Grenia were openly stationed in Karman, the reverse was also true. The Emperor’s shadows, which had spread to neighboring countries during the year he had been away from the capital, were gathering intelligence on the movements of leaders everywhere. Originally, the purpose was to secretly monitor those who had noticed the Emperor’s absence, to prevent them from coveting imperial lands out of pointless greed; however, even in the current situation, their presence proved invaluable.

“The Queen of Ormance appears to be on friendly terms with Lady Diana, so there’s likely no need for great concern, and the Princess of Delos has long been rumored to be a pacifist. However, as for Grenia and Ielon…”

“Which of the three princes of Grenia is it?”

Felix asked in a strained voice. Even as he listened to the report, his gaze remained fixed on the royal palace. Pierre swallowed hard.

“…It is reported that the Second Prince, Allot Gainus, has been absent for over ten days.”

Hearing a name that didn’t deviate one iota from his expectations, Felix let out a wry chuckle. Of all people, they had to mention the Second Prince. It would have been better if it had been the First Prince—famous for his cowardice—or one of his right-hand men. Rumors about the Second Prince, Allot, had spread far beyond the border, all the way to Karman.

He knew full well what kind of scoundrel the man was. Just like the Crown Prince of Ormance, the Second Prince of Grenia had attended last year’s birthday banquet for the late Emperor of Karman. Without a doubt, he was the sort of person Felix detested the most. There was a reason Grenia had recklessly instigated a riot right here. When Felix even learned that the Second Prince had accepted Diana’s invitation, his opinion of him plummeted to rock bottom.

From an aesthetic standpoint, he was an extremely disproportionate figure—arrogant to the point of piercing the sky, a well-built cockroach who didn’t know his place and was running amok. The thought of such a man lurking around Diana’s side made his blood boil.

“Where is the Princess of Delos right now?”

“We’ve received word that she entered the royal palace through the northern moat. It seems there’s a hidden passage for the invited guests.”