Chapter 201 : Chapter 201
Chapter 201 - Ice Rose and Fishing
Under normal circumstances, I would have been soaring through the sky on the mothership, but I returned much earlier than expected.
This was due to the Millesdusk delegation and the matters surrounding the Fifth Son.
To dispel my gloomy mood, I visited the garden and listened to the sound of the fountain. Before long, I heard footsteps approaching from a distance.
They were unfamiliar footsteps. My gaze naturally turned toward the source, and a figure who did not fit the garden's atmosphere at all stepped out.
"You..."
"What a coincidence. To meet you here of all places."
The Fifth Son, who had reportedly entered through General Raymond, had claimed with his own mouth that he only had a week left to live. I did not bother to ask why he had come to such a state, as my nanny would likely chatter about it the moment I returned to my room.
"Shall we try again? My name is Dante Black Millesdusk."
I did not respond to his introduction. There was no reason for me to honor a promise he had made unilaterally. However, my eyes kept drifting toward the red ice rose he held in his hand.
It was a truly beautiful creation. It looked as if it were carved from rubies rather than ice, and it sparkled even more brilliantly in the sunlight. Despite the warm weather, it did not melt, and there was not a single drop of water on the hand holding its stem.
"...How did you do this? This. It looks like magic."
"It looks like magic because it is indeed magic."
"Are you not at war with those mages?"
"Yes. There have been skirmishes recently, but knowledge itself is innocent. Millesdusk does not feel awkward about learning the powers of other Great Families."
Even as she spoke, the Princess's golden eyes could not look away from the ice flower. The Youngest Son smiled and gestured with his chin.
"You may have it if you wish."
"...You said it was made with magic. I know it will vanish the moment I am separated from you."
"Is that why you were staring at it for so long? Because it is a rose that will soon disappear?"
"......"
The Princess did not deny it as she observed every part of the ice rose. She seemed to be counting everything from the curve of the stem to the number of petals. When someone appreciates a gift this much, the creator cannot help but feel pleased.
"A small amount of my mana is still flowing into that ice flower even now."
"I suppose so."
"If we maintain the flower's shape but switch the invested mana to yours, Princess, wouldn't that flower remain with you forever?"
The Princess narrowed her golden eyes and looked at the Youngest Son. It was the typical look one gave to a con artist.
"Is such a thing even possible?"
For one mage to seize control of another mage's flying fireball by using their own mana... changing the caster while a spell was currently active... Such logic would sound like nonsense to the Princess, or to anyone else for that matter.
However, the Youngest Son gave a thin smile.
"It should be possible if it is us."
"......"
The Youngest Son’s words sounded like a magic trick. The kind of nonsense where one claims a stone in their left hand will move to their right hand just by opening and closing their fist. Although she sighed and told him not to be ridiculous, the magician’s expression remained full of confidence.
"It is not difficult. You simply need to hold the rose with both hands while concentrating your mana."
The words of the magician, who assigned a task to his audience, held a strange power that compelled her to follow.
Sllide—
The Princess took a firmer hold of the rose with both hands. Let's just try it, even if I'm being fooled. This kind of mindset often allows for more than one realizes.
"Well done. Now, stay still."
Over the hands holding the rose, two pale hands were placed. Touching the body of a member of the Imperial Family was a capital offense for any reason, yet a magic trick was currently in progress. The Princess did not even notice that subtle exception. Her mind and gaze were entirely focused on the immediate trick and the result the magician had promised.
To the audience's focused attention, the magician delivered an experience that could not be described as anything other than miraculous.
Shhhhhhh—
Golden mana began to flow through the ice that formed the petals and the stem. It spread like another layer of paint dissolving in water. Golden mana was the symbol and characteristic of the Imperial Family. Although mana was naturally blue, the energy that emerged from the body of a member of the Imperial Family was gold.
That golden mana spread like ink and soon began to form patterns like veins throughout the stem. It was clearly her own mana, yet even the Princess did not know why this was happening or how it was possible.
The magician, who had allowed the audience to experience the magic through their own hands, revealed the secret.
"I am refining your mana into threads as thin as silk inside the rose. These threads will move throughout the rose and gradually begin to push my mana out."
I didn't reveal everything, only enough. I shared just enough so that she could nod and move on without knowing the fundamental principles. Then, the audience would be convinced and surprised by the result the magician predicted.
"How is it?"
Slide—
I naturally removed my hands, which had been covering the Princess's hands. This meant the connection with the rose was completely severed and signified that the owner had changed.
"This ice rose is yours now."
"...It really happened."
She could now breathe her mana into the rose without restriction. It was the same even if she let go of it. This was thanks to the path the Youngest Son had created with the golden mana threads, which served as a sort of mana circuit. A mana circuit exclusive to the Princess.
"It will not melt even if left in the sunlight, so you may place it wherever you like. Also, there is no need for thanks."
The Princess couldn't bring herself to say she had no intention of thanking him. The words of gratitude she had intended to say quickly and get over with were stuck in her throat.
"Instead of thanks, I wish to hear your name."
"Do you suffer from a disease that will kill you if you do not introduce yourself?"
The Princess let out a small sigh. Yet, as she gripped the rose tightly in her hand, the mouth she had opened to sigh allowed the next words to follow.
"It is Exia. Exia Kaiser Rosephilia."
"I am—"
"I have heard your name so often my ears are ringing, so I do not need to hear it anymore."
"I have only said it twice. It seems someone else has been talking about me to you, Princess."
"...That is enough."
Cutting him off, the Princess stood up with the flower. As she looked ready to leave immediately, I asked her a question.
"Who do you think was the greatest Emperor?"
"What kind of riddle is this now?"
"It is a question His Majesty asked me. I must answer this to survive."
"I wondered what it was. You could simply give a standard answer."
There certainly was a standard answer. The greatest is, of course, Your Majesty. Your Majesty’s father, the former Emperor, was the greatest. The First Emperor was truly the greatest. The standard answer was standard because it was the most correct, but it also depended on the situation.
"If I give a standard answer, His Majesty will be pleased, but there are also many reasons for him to shake his head in disagreement. Then, I would surely have to die."
I needed an answer that everyone could agree with. The Princess stopped in her tracks and looked back and forth between the ice rose and him. After a brief silence, she spoke.
"His Majesty is not particularly obsessed with someone like you. He will not chase you even if you flee."
"Are you worried about me?"
She lightly raised her hand.
"I have paid the price."
Lowering the hand holding the rose, she disappeared into the thickets of flowers.
Swishhhhh—
Now that the sound of conversation had vanished, the sound of the fountain became the loudest thing once again. The Youngest Son sat on the edge of the fountain where the Princess had been. As he did so, Enad spoke up.
[Is the useless fooling around over?]
"Can't you see I am braiding a lifeline? Your words are harsh."
[Lifeline? You were just holding a woman's hand.]
"That is my lifeline."
[Then you have chosen quite a beautiful lifeline this time.]
Under his dark purple hair, the Youngest Son’s ears perked up.
"This is the first time I have heard you call a human beautiful."
[What is it to you?]
The snapping Enad stopped talking, and the conversation ended there. The Youngest Son also finished his brief sightseeing of the garden and stood up. Since the person who was his primary reason for coming to the garden had left, there was no reason to stay any longer.
'The relationship between the Princess and the Crown Prince is special. If I open a line of communication with the Princess in advance, I can quickly get close to the Crown Prince when he rises from his sickbed.'
That was why I had intentionally approached her and offered a bribe in the form of an ice flower. I was relieved that she seemed to look upon me somewhat favorably, and at the same time, I had succeeded in getting her name. Considering why I had been so persistent about the name, it was a worthwhile obsession.
'Names are even more special to the members of the Imperial Family, who are unique in every way. It is truly rare for a member of the Imperial Family to reveal their own name.'
Since everyone already knew it, there was usually no need to say it. However, the Youngest Son had clung persistently and finally succeeded in a mutual introduction. An experience that occurred only a few times in a lifetime was bound to linger in one's memory for a long time. Furthermore, since he had given her the rose, the Princess would now think of the Youngest Son every time she saw it. Everything was going according to plan.
"You have arrived. Please get in."
"I know, I know. Anyone listening would think I am being arrested."
"To be honest, that would be more comfortable for me."
"What a joke."
"It is not a joke."
Raymond’s carriage left the garden and returned to the mist-covered mansion.
***
"Surely we do not have to eat dinner all separately as well?"
It was a question the Youngest Son asked as the sun set and it became time for a meal. The messenger asked General Raymond, and the General sighed and gave his permission. They had to find a way to live, didn't they?
Thus, one room was provided as a dining area for the delegation, and plates were laid out on a long table. Since they were a delegation to the Imperial Palace and guests at the residence of the Three Generals, the food was prepared with great care.
Kairos enjoyed the human food, tasting it dish by dish.
"In the past, I did not particularly care about the taste of food. But since becoming human, my sense of taste has become quite sensitive. This is delicious."
"Yes, yes! It is really delicious!"
As the Empire was equally close to all Four Great Families, it was also equally influenced by them. This applied to culture as well as food. With various spices and ingredients, the dishes that gathered only the best parts were bound to be delicious.
"Young Son. How was your audience with the Emperor?"
"I have gathered you all here for that very reason."
The Youngest Son shared the details of what had happened in the audience hall with the delegation. Their reactions were varied. The Head Maid turned her head as if she had expected it, and the Forest Witch mindlessly put vegetables and soup into her mouth. Josephine’s mouth hung open as wide as her eyes, and Kairos took off his sunglasses.
"Do I need to step forward?"
"No. There is no need for that. I will try to make sure that doesn't happen in the future either."
"Tell me whenever you need me. It would not be difficult to return to the East with everyone here."
Kairos readjusted his sunglasses. It seemed he had grown fond of them. The Head Maid spoke while cutting the meat for the Youngest Son.
"Do you have a specific answer in mind, Young Son?"
"I have something. Therefore, I need proof to show the Emperor immediately after my answer. Proof that our method is useful."
"That would be my role."
At the Forest Witch's murmur, the Youngest Son nodded.
"Lores, prepare a Second Blue Flame that can cure a disease, even if it is not the Crown Prince’s illness."
"Then I need a sick person."
"There is a monastery not far from here. Since the monastery also treats the sick, we should be able to obtain a specimen. I will get it."
"No kidnapping."
"Of course."
As everyone's tasks were decided, there was one person whose mouth was becoming dry.
"Dante. Is there nothing for me to do?"
Everyone had been assigned a task, and while Kairos was staying still, his mere presence was a comfort. Feeling as if her presence might go unnoticed, Josephine became anxious. The Youngest Son curled up the corners of his mouth.
"There is something for you to do."
"Really? I will do anything!"
"It is nothing much. I will speak to the messenger, so you just need to take a walk outside the Imperial Palace."
"A walk? Is a walk enough?"
However, there was a mandatory requirement.
"The important thing is that you must go alone."
"A-alone?"
The Youngest Son nodded. His fishing did not rest even in the Empire.