Chapter 16 - Princess Maker (2)
From the start, I had sensed something suspicious.
Who else could casually appoint someone to the Imperial Academy? Only a few influential figures could manage that.
I had assumed my benefactor was a powerful figure of some sort. But…
This was too powerful.
It was the Emperor himself.
So much for my plan to avoid entanglements with the Imperial Family. It seems I had failed on that front months ago. Perhaps the crystal ball's advice to avoid the royals wasn't a warning to stay away but a hint to escape, given my connection with them.
My head spun, feeling as if an oncoming headache were blurring my thoughts. Yet, despite the swirling chaos in my mind, the conversation continued without a hitch.
"Father? Have you met him before?"
The question came from the Empire's First Prince, a young man with snowy hair and golden eyes, inheriting the noble traits of the Leonhardt lineage.
With a mischievous smile, the elderly Emperor gave a straightforward answer.
"This young man saved my life once."
Gasps echoed around us. My reputation was skyrocketing, and this was the last thing I wanted. I should stop this, but… how? It's true I did save him.
"I thought he was mad when he approached me on the street, claiming I was cursed. I brushed him off, but he kept following me insistently."
I could hardly deny that my own life was my top priority, but it's not as if I disregarded the lives of others.
If you can save someone with a simple warning, why wouldn't you? Only a lunatic would ignore something so serious out of laziness.
The Emperor continued. "He warned me of a strange spell, one that resembled a protection charm but was twisted with dark intent. Eventually, I checked for myself."
I had studied the structure of magical spells—the configurations of runes and the meanings of different symbols. My innate skill lay not in wielding magic, but in understanding and modifying it.
"It was just a minor deviation—a single stroke among thousands of runes, barely noticeable. It must have taken decades for their mages to perfect it, just to attempt to assassinate me."
The deviation was more than a single stroke; one rune was rotated by 30 degrees, another misplaced in the sequence. But correcting him here would only complicate matters, so I bit my tongue.
"The assassination attempt, years in the making, was ruined in an instant by this young man's insight. I was so moved that I offered him great rewards, which he declined."
Not out of kindness, though.
The old man looked like a pauper, but that curse was far too intricate to be aimed at a common beggar.
I had guessed he was some wealthy noble, so I declined his initial offer, hoping for a better one through a display of humility.
"He simply said that it was only natural to help others and turned to leave. In a rush, I offered him a professor's position at the Academy… and here we are now."
The Emperor smiled, concluding his story. To his children, it sounded like a lesson: "Never let go of someone like him."
"Enough chatter. Lian, I knew we'd meet again, but I didn't expect it to be under these circumstances. To think you've achieved so much already."
I'd hoped he'd shift his focus to his children, but instead, the Emperor continued to publicly list my achievements.
He mentioned everything, even the confidential missions, from dealing with the Academy's incidents to quelling an uprising. As he spoke, the nobles and royal family members stared at me with newfound interest.
I felt their gazes shift—from respect to reverence, to greed. The envy, awe, and ambition mingled in the air, overwhelming me.
But I remained resolute. My goal was to be as inconspicuous as possible.
I replied politely, bowing my head, with generic expressions of thanks. Time ticked by.
"Choose anything from the Imperial Treasury as your reward. Even if it's a national treasure, I will allow it to be yours."
"Your Majesty, surely that's too—" one of the advisors protested.
"Are you questioning my generosity?"
I wanted to say, "Just fire me and call it even." But I swallowed the words.
The Emperor seemed intent on keeping me close. Asking to leave the Academy would probably result in him giving me a position at the palace instead.
And since the crystal ball had hinted at a grim future for the Imperial Family, leaving one nightmare for an even worse one was not an option.
"Very well, then. You may go."
It was working. My politeness and unassuming attitude had finally bored the Emperor into dismissing me.
Or so I thought, until the First Prince spoke up.
"Father, please wait."
Just as I prepared to depart, the Prince blocked my exit.
"A man who has achieved so much deserves more than a simple dismissal. Surely, a grand celebration is in order."
A chill ran down my spine. Reject him, please. Tell him he's being ridiculous. Refuse this madness.
But the Emperor readily nodded in agreement.
…A dreadful feeling crept over me.
Thus, an unexpected banquet was thrown in my honor. I tried to stay in the shadows, hoping to eat quietly and slip away.
But at every turn, a royal family member or noble would appear, each determined to speak with me.
Even stranger was the eagerness with which they tried to befriend me. The sight of royalty humbling themselves to a commoner like me was absurd.
Cornered at last on the balcony, I found myself face-to-face with Sylvia.
"Professor, you've been pulled into the Imperial succession war."
The story I had struggled to avoid had finally found me.
"I assume you already knew Father's health was failing?" she asked.
Feigning a neutral expression, I nodded, hoping to gain some insight into the situation.
"Despite your intervention, the curse took root. Even with luck, he has only months left."
Had I missed something? I thought my spell had countered it in time. Still, Sylvia had no reason to lie here.
"Soon, his heirs will need to be chosen. Yet he's in denial about his own decline, leaving chaos in his wake."
The once-great Emperor had fallen to delusions, insisting he would live on indefinitely. This refusal to act had thrown the succession process into turmoil.
"With an unknown but highly valued outsider suddenly favored by the Emperor, do you see where this is heading?"
I nodded.
The royal factions would fight to claim me as an asset, desperate to align themselves with the man deemed invaluable by the Emperor himself.
"Part of me wishes I could ask for your support. But for your safety, I advise neutrality."
Her words were both self-serving and genuine. Her advice was sound; throwing my weight behind a faction could spell disaster if they lost the throne.
"Of course, they wouldn't kill you for picking the wrong side. No… they'd strip you of all power, and send you to farm in some remote village."
Reduced to obscurity, left to farm peacefully in isolation…
Wait a minute.
That sounded like my ideal outcome.
I had no interest in power, and I was far more suited to farming. Anything was better than being chained to this Academy.
This was an opportunity—a golden chance to get fired.
"But I know you're too noble to leave things as they are. Surely, you wouldn't let the wrong heir ascend, right?" Sylvia continued.
Before she could finish her pitch, I slipped away.
Returning to the ballroom, I found the royals closing in like zombies, each promising wealth, power, or glory if I joined their cause.
But none of them was my choice.
In a secluded corner, a lone girl stood, looking lost and out of place, the only member of the royal family not caught in the power struggle.
I approached the Fifth Princess, who lacked any political backing or powerful faction.
And before her, I pledged my eternal loyalty.