Bibliophile Princess, page 26
His Highness lowered his eyes slightly, and he went silent as if he were trying to settle something inside of himself. Then his vivid blue eyes rose to stare back at the duke once again. “So Elianna is dead. You’re sticking to that?”
“I swear it.”
The prince’s gaze collided with the duke’s unyielding one. Then he took a deep breath. “I understand,” he said, turning on his heel as if he had made his mind up.
The duke was acting quite suspicious, and Lady Pharmia closed her eyes as if she were giving up. The next thing I knew, His Highness filled my vision. His bright eyes were like a clear blue sky. His chiseled jaw and youthful, beautiful face almost stunned me. There was still something hard about it, but he always looked at me with an earnest gaze, full of tenderness.
The solemn light of the temple shone upon his dazzling blond hair. There was no one like him, Sauslind’s crown prince. As he came in front of me, the surrounding doctors stepped back, and I too flinched, staring at him with determination and, above all, fascination.
His blue eyes softened as he reached out to me. He took off the cloth that covered my head and put his hands in my hair to untie it. It spilled down past my shoulders. Then he gently smiled at me, ignoring the buzz of our surroundings. “Elianna—”
I heard people mutter in shock.
“Impossible!”
His Highness turned around and replied with his usual bright smile. “Me, give up on Elianna? In what world would that be possible? Not in this one.”
The duke’s expression changed for the first time since this had started. His face flashed with anger, as if his pride had been wounded.
On the other hand, the people there were surprised, and voices calling my name spread out one after another—even louder than before.
“She’s alive!”
I was shocked at how overjoyed the crowd was. The people who had been cheering for Lady Pharmia now cheered for me. I was a bit conflicted, but I suppressed it as I firmly returned His Highness’s gaze.
He smiled and put his arm around my waist, then turned once again toward the crowd. In a dignified manner, he stated, “My fiancée, Lady Elianna Bernstein, is right here! The story of her dying was completely false!”
The cheers grew even louder. Suddenly, the duke shouted, “Wait!” He stood up and spoke as one of the great aristocrats of Sauslind, this time without raising his voice.
“Lady Elianna is alive. I’m very happy about that. The information I was getting was wrong. I’ll admit it. But Lady Elianna was reported to have been missing in Ralshen, and now she’s here? Perhaps she has been kept safely in the royal palace this whole time and only shown herself now that the cure has been made? How can we know that it was really her who developed the cure?”
Our surroundings became noisy again.
Ever since the illness had broken out, Lady Pharmia Odin had left her mansion every day to comfort the sick. On the other hand, I had been far away, and no one had seen what I had been doing.
“The royal capital is steeped in the faith of the Saint. Even if you return, you’ll face severe criticism.”
Raqqa words came back to me. The old me would have been frightened, but now I had the encouragement of Prince Christopher and everyone who had supported me, and the confidence I had built myself. I did not shrink back. I raised my head. I felt the prince smiling next to me, and the hand that touched mine was filled with strength.
“Duke Odin. You have stayed in the royal capital and do not know the true situation in the countryside. The only thing we can trust is the word of the locals and their true experiences. Isn’t that right?”
His Highness turned to the doctors behind us. The representative of the medical group nodded and spoke.
“This is the record that Lady Elianna brought with her from the Ralshen Region, detailing the care of the sick there. And it also contains new countermeasure methods that we didn’t even know about. This is a person who experienced it firsthand. It’s written by Lady Elianna herself.”
A small chuckle escaped from the duke. “Your Highness. Enough with these childish games. Something like that could be easily fabricated if you had the necessary information beforehand.”
“I see,” His Highness muttered quietly. He put his hand in his pocket and showed everyone a new document. “This was delivered with a courier earlier. ‘I swear on my name as Carl Ralshen, the lord of the Ralshen Region, that Elianna, the crown prince’s fiancée, was the one who quelled the riots and saved the sick in this land, and I swear my allegiance to her.”
His Highness’s bright eyes looked around as he put the letter away.
“When the cure was completed in the Ralshen Region, the following information was also sent to Earl Hayden of the Edea Domain. ‘In the name of the crown prince’s fiancée, Elianna Bernstein, I will disclose the recipe for the cure for the Ashen Nightmare to all sick people who have been affected by this disease and also provide the raw materials for it, not only to my own people but those of other countries.’ After which the earl declared he would issue a statement of peace with the kingdom of Maldura.”
All the color drained from the duke’s face, but the crowd murmured with surprise and began to cheer again. There would be no battles. No war would begin!
“How dare you... Without even holding a meeting of the senior ministers council, and without a decision from the king!” the duke shouted, but the prince stared back at him resolutely, just as a steadfast monarch would.
“I will not use medicine as weapons or as bargaining tools. If I used life-saving cures in that way, my deeds would haunt the people long after I am gone. I will not make Sauslind that kind of kingdom. I will protect the people of the future.”
Prince Christopher wasn’t just thinking of the present; he was looking to the future, with the idea to never barter or gamble with the people’s wellness. That was exactly what I had thought about Furya’s Jar.
I was so overcome by emotions that I couldn’t put into words, so entranced by his regal presence that I couldn’t even hear the cries of those around me.
Prince Christopher then explained, “I gave Elianna the crest of the royal family as proof that she was my representative when she went to the Ralshen Region. The approval of the cure, the statement, and the order to the earl were all under the name of the royal family. Duke Odin, are you going against the royal family’s decision, even though you are an aristocrat whose title was granted by the royal family and who is sworn to serve them?”
The duke himself was the first to mention that he had been granted his title by the king. Defying the king’s decision was the same as treason, which he himself had spoken of.
For the first time, I saw a change in the duke’s demeanor. Every word, every thought, everything he’d ever taken pride in was overturned.
The duke seemed to have been planning two things. One was to establish the status of Saint Pharmia with the cure in hand. The other was to use that as a weapon to negotiate with Maldura—but not peacefully. Armed with the cure, he would offer a deal to Maldura, with contingencies like favorable tariffs or mines with gold veins.
But now all of that was spoiled, and the recipe that the duke held carried no weight. He crushed it in his hand. The words he uttered were still filled with hubris. “Your Highness, you have forgotten one more important thing, perhaps on purpose. My daughter is pregnant with your child. Everyone knows this. It is a fact, and no excuses you make can change that.”
Even though he had ostensibly directed this remark at His Highness, the look in his eyes made it clear that it was actually directed at me—and at the people who were confused by this.
I also shifted my gaze to Lady Pharmia, who was dressed modestly in her saintly clothing. She stood slightly behind the duke. Now we were in completely opposite positions than we had been before.
Lady Pharmia Odin was the only daughter of Duke Odin, the grand noble representing Sauslind, and the niece of Queen Henrietta. If I hadn’t been in this position, I might never have interacted with her in my whole life.
She was born and raised the same as Lady Therese, a woman who had been brought up in the opposite way as me, but Lady Pharmia and I were similar in some ways. For nearly five years, I’d spent time with her along with Lady Therese in the royal capital’s social circles.
Even though her eyes were open now, she was not looking at me or Prince Christopher. She was looking at someone else—Head Priestess Eva, the head of all the priests who oversaw the temples in Sauslind Kingdom.
The head priestess’s pure white hair was neatly pulled back, giving her a dignified atmosphere. You could tell at a glance that she was elderly, but she had a commanding presence. Her gaze was unapproachable and intimidating. Not only did that indicate that she was a woman, but that she was an existence that seemed to transcend gender as well. She was the king in charge of all the kingdom’s rituals.
Beneath the head priestess’s gaze, Pharmia faintly uttered, “I...” She was panting. Words spilled out from within her, high-pitched like a child’s, but she sounded decisive. “I am not pregnant with anyone’s child.” She continued speaking before the room broke out in commotion. “His Highness wouldn’t even lay a single finger on me!”
“Pharmia!” Duke Odin scolded. This was the first time I’d seen him be emotional. “You fool!”
He was about to yell at her again, but I started running. His hand still held the recipe for the cure, and he raised it in the air as if to hit her. I smacked it away with the book I was holding. I must have startled him, because he staggered backward, looking more shocked than in pain. For the first time in my life, I faced this person with sincere anger and no political resentment.
“I don’t care if you’re her father. Raising your hand to a woman is the most despicable act a man can ever engage in. Shame on you, Duke Odin!”
“Wha—?”
“Lady Pharmia is the Saint of Sauslind. Even if she made some mistakes, she continued to give hope and courage to the people after the Ashen Nightmare ravaged our land. I can’t deny it. Anyone who raises their hand to Lady Pharmia, whether it’s me, or even you, her father, is declaring Sauslind’s people their enemies!”
A few moments of silence passed as my words soaked into the audience. Then I heard people calling, “Lady Pharmia!” Even though it was faint, it was clear.
The duke was now visibly shaking with anger, and the sight of it made me tremble. Prince Christopher moved to stand in the way, partially hiding me. I could see that the duke’s anger had reached its peak.
“Fine,” he said, clad in a sort of gloomy glee. “You two will be known as the worst king and queen in the history of the kingdom. You deceived the enemy country that has sought friendship—the country that has been afflicted by disease and has asked for help—and attacked them. I will make sure your names go down as the worst rulers in the entire world!”
The duke was still trying to set something up. Sensing that, I raised my eyes to His Highness, and the duke’s low voice leaked out.
“This was exactly what I had planned—to sever diplomatic ties with his country. But I’ll stage it for you.”
The duke said it so that only we could hear, but then spoke loud and clear for all to hear.
“Everyone, do not be deceived! The start of the war has not been avoided. It’s only been hidden! The prince of Maldura, who is in the royal palace, has already died by the military’s assault force on the orders of His Highness. With that corpse, Sauslind plans to declare war on Maldura. A war with them cannot be avoided anymore, not under the reign of Prince Christopher and the Bibliophile Princess!”
A shock ran through me as I swallowed a scream. A door nearby opened loudly, and a stream of people came in. Everyone turned to look, and I was stunned by who I saw standing there.
“I apologize to the head priestess of the temple and to the people who have fallen ill for causing a ruckus outside. I am one of the Black Wing Knights, ordered by His Majesty to guard the eastern border.”
The short, gray hair and the sharp, strong gaze belonged to General Theoden Bakula, the hero of Sauslind. The reason everyone was shocked was that they had previously heard that he’d passed away. The story went that while escorting the crown prince’s fiancée, he had been killed by an unidentified assailant.
General Bakula’s powerful, gut-wrenching voice resounded before the roaring crowd. “There are those who deceive the people and spread lies, but the truth is one, and it proves to be clear to all eyes. The prince of Maldura is unharmed and under our protection! We have arrested the members of the pro-war faction who disobeyed the crown prince’s orders and tried to kill royals of another country. Unfortunately, we have also arrested a group of Black Wing Knights who were involved in the uprising as well. Our kingdom will never kill a member of another country’s royal family, or start a war with them!”
Behind General Bakula, I saw a well-dressed man—a blind prince with his eyes closed. Next to him were two familiar men, Prince Irvin Orlanza and his attendant Rei. I was relieved to see that Prince Irvin was safe.
I then heard cheers coming from those outside the temple. They were so loud that we could even hear it from inside.
The people’s confusion must have been extreme because of how much the situation kept changing. Nevertheless, as General Bakula had said, the facts were clear to everyone.
General Bakula, who was said to be dead, was alive, as was the crown prince’s fiancée. The royal family of Maldura that His Highness was said to have harmed were alive and well, and no war had been declared.
Among the cheers were voices calling out the names of His Highness, the Bibliophile Princess, and General Bakula. And in the midst of that, a voice repeatedly gasped, “Idiot!”
It was now clear that the duke was the one who had lied to everyone. Even amid the cacophony, Prince Christopher’s quiet voice was heard. “Duke Odin. I have received reports that General Bakula has seized evidence that you have engaged in smuggling illicit money that you obtained through secret communications with Maldura. It was His Majesty who sent him to gather the proof.”
The duke’s eyes went wide. His Majesty was now ill, which meant that he had ordered it before that.
“Even though His Majesty— Even though my father knew that it would put my mother in a difficult position, he decided to expose your crimes. Duke Odin...Uncle. I thought nobles like you were indispensable to the kingdom, but it wasn’t just about promoting friendship and reform with Maldura. It’s because we have aristocrats who act as such that we have an aristocratic society in this kingdom, but...”
I could feel His Highness’s fist tightening around mine.
“You’ve gone too far. You used information about the spread of the illness to your advantage. You tried to destroy even the possibility of the cure. The act of trampling on the lives of the people—that’s something that can never be forgiven.”
The duke lifted his head with pride. All of his crimes had been exposed, and he had been publicly shamed, yet his attitude was still dignified. I couldn’t help but acknowledge that he was a great noble.
His Highness ordered the guards, including Glen, who’d entered with General Bakula, to arrest the duke, and they rushed over. Meanwhile, I began to run.
“Grandpa Teddy!” As soon as I hugged him, I could tell he was in pain. I quickly raised my face and frowned. “But your injury...”
The last time I’d seen him, he’d been standing on a cliff, trying to protect my carriage...and then he’d been shot by an arrow. The crimson color of his blood mixing with the snow was still burned into my eyes.
As I cried over the fear I’d experienced then and the pain Grandpa Teddy had endured, he gave me a strong, kind, and familiar smile. “What you did means so much to me.” His warm, strong hand wiped my cheek. “Not being able to protect you completely will forever be a stain on my career as a warrior. I’m so glad you’re safe, Eli.”
“You’re alive... I can’t believe you’re alive!” As I shook my head and cried, Grandpa Teddy gently patted me with one hand to soothe me. He then gave me a brief explanation.
Although he had been injured, he’d immediately tried to join the search, but Lord Alexei, the right-hand man of the crown prince, had stopped him and said, “This is an order from His Highness. He wants you to pretend to die for now.”
Grandpa Teddy said that at that moment, he understood why Lord Alexei was called the Ice Scion, because his eyes were like a frozen glacier.
The events had happened a little out of order, but the letter I’d received from the crown prince had said that, from the beginning, the Black Wings Knights and I were to act separately. But the letter he gave Grandpa Teddy had said...
“There are some fools among our Black Wing Knights, some who want to go along with the pro-war faction and start a war,” Grandpa Teddy paraphrased. “But if people thought I was dead, they would show themselves and make a move, so I was ordered to hide myself, return to the royal capital, and take care of the misconduct within the knights with my own hands.”
Perhaps it was because he had not realized there were traitors inside his own group, or because the prince had arranged everything, but Grandpa Teddy let out a slightly exasperated breath as he stroked my head, seemingly soothing himself.
“Some soldiers believe that there is no place for them to make a difference unless there is a war. Even though we hone our skills every day in order to protect our country, we overlooked them. Because of this, I put you in danger. This is my fault. On behalf of the Black Wings Knights, I apologize to you, Elianna.”
As I shook my head, his soft, soothing voice fell upon me.
