亚洲欧美中文日韩Aⅴ

“What?”

“I was joking.”

I gave a broad smile. But I couldn’t hold it in any longer and soon, I burst out laughing.

“You looked cute.”

“That was a terrible joke.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m not accepting it.”

For a moment, I wondered if I should try to look good in front of him.

“… Hm?”

He grinned at the grip he had on my waist.

“You’re making this feel natural for me now. DId you know that?”

He then lowered his head as if it was only natural for him to do so. A long kiss then followed.

Since that day, Auresia visited me once every two to three days. And we always met in Amor’s palace. She never said anything as meaningful as she did the first time we met here, instead, she merely watched over my training and gave advice.

“Is it alright for you to come this often?”

“The Crown Prince and Hernan already know I come to visit you often, brother.”

Amor still treated Auresia coldly. The two would stare at each other like cats and dogs. But for some reason, Amor would stare at Auresia before pursing his lips with mixed feelings. There was once he mentioned ‘mot–’ before rubbing his face. (1)

A month passed just like this.

“It seems like I have nothing left to teach you.”

Auresia declared that she was no longer needed.

“I’ll see you again at the ceremony.”

Perhaps it was because this might be the last time we would be meeting like this because she smiled beautifully. She retreated backwards. Before I could comprehend it, I reached out for her hand and pulled her back.

“Take care on your way back.”

She looked at me before giving me what seemed like a smile. Before turning around. Her silhouette looked as determined as her expressionless face.

And that was how she left.

“Mistress, you have received a letter from the Head Templar of the Snow and Sea.”

A few days later, Rebecca had handed me a letter. The letter was from the one faraway, the Head Templar, Pontus.

“Rebecca, hide this for me. No, nevermind. Burn it. I’ve already memorised the contents.”

“Yes.”

My maids whom I had not seen in a long time dressed me up. After changing my clothes, I left the palace to meet the patrols who had lined up in front of me.

I stared at the people standing in a line for a while before recalling a sight that now felt distant. Knights lined up in front of me and their swords. But unlike that day, these kneeling knights were loyal to me.

“Shall we go?”

The day had come for the Succession Ceremony.

***

A humongous hall.

I still hadn’t learned the name of this hall yet. The only palaces I had been to were mine, my brothers’ and Amor’s.

‘It’s bigger than the one I first saw Prince Cjezarn in.’

Rebecca, who was standing next to me, informed me that this was the biggest hall in the Imperial Palace and used to assemble all the templars.

Usually, the first person to be present in a wedding or a banquet would be the organiser. And the last one to enter would be the main character or someone close to being the main character. In other words, since I was the princess, when I arrived, there were already many people present.

“Didn’t you say the coup had reduced their numbers?”

“… It did. Even those who had gotten off lightly with the coup are participating. They would have to even if they didn’t want to.”

Soricks replied.

“They cannot leave the soon-to-be emperor, the Crown Prince, out of their sight.”

Instead of entering with Granius and the rest of the patrols, he had arrived with me as an escort. Not only that, Rebecca was standing next to me as my maid-of-honour and not as the daughter of the Duke of Aventa.

I slowly looked around the hall. When I first arrived, I noticed a small detail. There were a total of eight pillars erected here. I noticed a chair placed in front of the pillar before realising that there were only two pillars where a chair was placed in front of.

I understood after taking a closer look at the pillar.

‘It looks like a tree.’

It had grooves just like a Grecian column but the gullies running down the marble made it look like a tree from a distance. As I followed where the pillars extended towards, I ended up staring at the emperor’s seat.

‘Is this why we’re called branches?’

I looked at the pillar once more. The first pillar looked like a giant oak tree. The banner hanging next to the pillar had been decorated with eagles and coloured a dazzling gold. In front of the pillar, there was a chair made up of pure gold, like the colour of the banner hanging above it.

The second pillar was an olive tree. Strong knots and owls could be found on its banner but there wasn’t a chair in front of the pillar.

The banner on the third pillar had a winged hat in its middle and was painted vivid green. There were no chairs in front of this pillar either.

Around the fourth pillar, fruits made out of marble hung along with a banner decorated with grains and leaves. There was a chair in front of the pillar but it wasn’t occupied.

‘Because Amor cannot come.’

After scanning the fifth pillar, I stared at the sixth.

There were no chairs under the banner painted red and brown, filled with wolves and cartwheels. And there was a pillar in front of which a chair would never be placed.

Slowly, I turned my head.

What tree was the eighth pillar? The banner hanging in front of it was purple. It held a black cornucopia with butterflies and daffodils.

‘The God of Death.’

The emperor had seven princes. The ones I had once believed to be my brothers. But I was not the emperor’s daughter. Some had left a long time ago, some had been trapped and imprisoned, some had died while others were never to be seen again.

The only remaining chairs were that of the 1st Branch and the 8th Branch. Two people remained.

I ignored the countless gazes directed towards me before sitting on the silver chair placed in front of the eighth pillar.

“Are you nervous?”

Rebecca asked if anything was the matter as I wordlessly stared ahead.

“Well. Rather than feeling nervous,, I feel a little strange.”

I was no longer reluctant to go out in public. I wasn’t afraid. I swallowed the words I was about to utter before laughing.

“You are the most beautiful person in this hall.”

“The most beautiful?”

I asked in wonder. It was awkward to hear me being called that considering the fact that I was in the form I had before I awakened. Rebecca shook her head.

“To the point to which I wonder how you could be so beautiful.”

People would consider the people who saved their children from collapsing homes beauties too. Though it was a type of beauty that felt close to untouchable. After speaking, Rebecca stared into the crowd.

“Out of everyone here, you are the most beautiful, mistress. You are the one who changed my life. Wouldn’t such a person be beautiful?”

“So, to Rebecca, being beautiful means being a magnificent person.”

“Yes.”

That was what she said to her mistress, the one who had a long scar on her face, the one who still had a child’s body since she was in her pre-awakened form.

“Beauty comes from confidence. Open your shoulders. You are my mistress.”

Did I cringe from her words without me realising it? No. I was no longer afraid sitting here but I gave up arguing with her.

“Haha. You win, Rebecca. I am the best in my world.”

What did it matter what those gazes thought of me?

“I hadn’t forgotten but I was reminded of that fact again. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Rebecca backed away. Her seat was behind mine, to the left. If her mistress was right-handed, the lady-in-waiting would be seated to her left and if her mistress was left-handed, she would sit on the right.

“Rebecca. What’s the timeline of events for this ceremony?”

Rebecca explained calmly.

“Once the banquet reaches its climax, His Majesty, the emperor, will bestow His Highness, the Crown Prince, the artefacts. He will be handing over the throne.”

“I see.”

That meant this ceremony would take a while. I narrowed my eyes slightly. Soon, the doors to the west and east of the hall closed. The door to the west was one only the Imperial Family may use while the door to the east was used by templars and officials who were not part of the Imperial Family. And the door at the centre, that had been closed to this point, swung open.

“His Majesty, the emperor, and His Highness, the Crown Prince has arrived!”

Flutter.

A gentle gust of wind blew. As I swept my hair back in the breeze, I spotted the two that had entered through the strands of my hair. No, it wasn’t exactly only two people. The old man in front had been sitting on a small palanquin.

‘Is that the emperor?’

I had seen him not too long ago. I had an audience with him before heading off to the academy. The emperor looked no different from back then. His blonde hair had been cut short and he looked as old as ever but his golden eyes remained glimmering.

‘No, it looks dimmer than before.’

The palanquin the emperor was sitting on looked like nothing more than a chair. The only thing that stood out was the fact that it was a double-seater. And the one seated next to him was Auresia.

I stared at her but there was no eye contact.

As the palanquin slowly approached, people around them bowed, causing a wave to ripple through the crowd. The sight of him making waves by his mere appearance was spectacular.

I only rose after they passed a certain point. The moment I slowly bowed.

I made eye contact with the man slowly walking behind the palanquin.

‘Castor.’

There he was with his dark hair tied up in a high ponytail. I couldn’t see him at first because of the palanquin but he had been staring at me the whole time.

His golden eyes that were as bright as the sun hanging above our heads were directed only at me. As if he could see no one but me.

I lowered my head.

“At ease.”

People raised their heads at once.

“I do think everyone present is aware of what recently occurred. I had been utterly heartbroken over the incident.”

Some frowned at Auresia sitting next to the emperor.

“I had to stop the son I loved most with my own hands. I had to find the one who instigated the wrath of thousands of men and placed them under the execution blade.”

The execution blade, I gritted my teeth as the memories that remain as clear as day passed my mind in a moment’s time.

“Traitors are not welcome in Jupiter’s heaven.”

T/N:

(1): If it ain’t clear here, ‘mot–’ is him trying to say mother-in-law