Chapter 17 - Princess Maker (3)
My unexpected declaration of loyalty turned the entire banquet on its head. Kneeling before the Fifth Princess, I felt the weight of countless gazes filled with bewilderment, as if I were insane. Even the recipient of my pledge was staring at me, completely baffled.
"Has that witch's daughter bewitched the professor?"
"She must be controlling him, just like her mother used to manipulate others."
"We should investigate if he's been ensnared by enchantment."
Such whispers spread like wildfire through the hall.
The murmurings only grew louder until the First Prince, who had silently approached from behind, broke the tension.
"I'd like to have a word in private."
His tone was polite, but his expression and voice held a cold authority that left no room for refusal.
"W-Wait. I—"
The Fifth Princess reached for my sleeve, clearly intending to say something, but the prince's cold, piercing gaze made her small hand tremble. Her grip loosened, and her face grew pale as she let go.
"Let's move."
The First Prince's demeanor shifted back to a warm smile, as though nothing unusual had happened.
As he led me through the gardens filled with flowers of every color, the prince finally spoke.
"What were you thinking? You must know about her origins."
Months ago, I was just an ordinary person, oblivious to the Imperial Family's intricacies. Staying silent seemed wise; people tend to reveal things if you give them space.
"She's the Imperial Family's shame," he continued with a sneer. "A traitor's offspring, born from a liaison with a rival kingdom."
So, that explained the isolation I'd observed. Even though she was royalty, her circumstances were uniquely grim.
"Do you understand now? To pledge yourself to someone who stains the Empire's honor?" His tone grew more menacing as he fixed me with a sharp glare.
"Know your place," he sneered. "My father's favor doesn't elevate you beyond what you are."
The intensity of his gaze was intimidating, but I kept my composure. As the Emperor's honored guest, harming me here would amount to social suicide for the prince.
This wasn't an attempt to kill me—it was intimidation, a ploy to recruit me through fear. I simply had to turn him down politely.
"Forgive me, Your Highness," I said calmly. "I am an instructor, after all. I cannot abandon a lost student."
If the world rejected her, shouldn't I be the one to stand by her side?
With this justification, I made my position clear.
The prince might take offense, but I doubted he would act recklessly out of mere spite. Anyone who had climbed to such power would know better than to act impulsively.
And yet…
[Your actions are incomprehensible to me. I can't tell what drives you or what you aim to achieve.]
The prince's face seemed to distort grotesquely, his expression morphing into something otherworldly. An oppressive force radiated from him, pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe.
[A child born to defy fate itself… it seems I must erase you here.]
The voice was oddly familiar. It echoed with the same malice as the being who had called himself "Amon" during the entrance exams, someone my instincts had rebelled against.
My vision began to blur. The world darkened, and nausea surged within me.
As my consciousness faded, the last image I saw was the frightened face of the young princess.
The Fifth Princess, Lucy Leonhardt, loathed herself.
In her mind, she was the most cowardly creature in existence.
She knew exactly who the real child of the witch was, who had suffered all her life as the spawn of a traitor, enduring hate and scorn.
She knew that her eldest brother had, in his madness, sold his soul and body to a demon.
How could she not know?
[From now on, you are the witch's daughter.]
Since the day her brother's face had twisted with that monstrous smile, her entire world had turned upside down.
Everyone had gone mad.
Her own mother had forgotten her. She had lost every loved one to that demon who stole her life and family.
The demon, disguised as her brother, toyed with their family, manipulating them like mere puppets.
The siblings who had once been close grew distant, unrest spread among the people, and her father wasted away, cursed and growing weaker with each passing day.
A man had appeared and lifted the curse afflicting her father. But, in the end, nothing truly changed.
[A man named Lian… I suppose he'll need to be dealt with eventually.]
The demon had muttered those words, decreeing that he would eliminate the new professor. Her family remained blissfully ignorant, spiraling toward ruin.
"I have to tell him… Somehow, he needs to know," she thought.
But she couldn't muster the courage.
The demon's horrific visage, the memory of him gleefully crushing lives to craft "replacements," the servants laughing as they ripped off their own limbs to offer him—all of it haunted her.
How easy it would be if she too were under the demon's spell, unaware of the horrors around her. She almost wished for it.
"Summon that professor," the demon had ordered. "He deserves a proper reward for his efforts."
The demon had plans to kill the "child of prophecy" and the "foreigner with a fate to defy the heavens." This day would likely be the professor's last.
Lucy blamed herself for the cowardice that kept her from stopping it, but she tried to avoid Lian, hoping that would ease her guilt.
But then…
[I pledge to you my eternal loyalty.]
It was Lian who approached her.
She had lost everything, had no faction, no support.
And yet, here he was.
For the first time, Lucy dared to hope. The professor had lifted her father's curse. Could he see through all the deception, including the fact that she alone was immune to the demon's control?
Surely he must know, and had come to offer his help to rid her family of the demon. Her mind clung to this fantasy as she trailed after him.
But… it wasn't true.
As she listened in on their conversation, she could tell he hadn't discerned the demon's true nature.
All her hopes collapsed, replaced by the harsh reality: if she stayed, she risked her life for nothing.
She knew what she had to do. As much as it sickened her, her best option was to continue turning a blind eye. Survival was all that mattered.
She shut her eyes, telling herself that ignoring the horrors was her only chance to live. But then, she heard his voice.
[Forgive me, Your Highness, but I am an instructor. I cannot abandon a lost student.]
There it was—the reason why he'd sworn his loyalty to her, though he knew nothing of her circumstances.
[If the world rejects her, I should at least be her ally.]
Such a simple answer, impossible to believe.
The world had taught her that associating with an outcast like herself was dangerous. And yet, here was a man willing to bear that burden.
[That's reason enough to risk my life.]
But Lian spoke calmly, as if helping someone didn't require some grand justification. He did it simply because he wanted to.
Her legs moved on their own. Her hands shook with fear, but her feet refused to stop.
This was a death wish. If she tried to interfere, it would only end with more lives lost.
Yet she kept moving forward, walking toward the demon. How could she not?
If no one else would take her hand, then at least Lian would. He was willing to risk his life just to bring a smile to her face.
How could she abandon someone like that?
"Your opponent is me!" she shouted.
A small, powerless voice—but even so, the ground trembled in response.
Twisting the threads of fate, the power destined for her years in the future had awakened early, triggered by this distorted turn of events.
A blinding white light engulfed the scene.
Within that radiant aura stood a figure—a man who extended his hand toward her. The Divine Spirit of the Empire inscribed a shining mark on her forehead.
"No more running away."
In that moment, the cowardly girl transformed into a hero.