Translator: Nox

Chapter: 18

The emperor had jet-black hair like raven feathers, skin so pale it was nearly transparent, bloodless lips, and delicately sculpted features. He was an astoundingly beautiful and sickly-looking figure.

— You don’t need to go so far as to take their lives yourself.

He seemed worried that I might run over and finish off the flailing vampires.

I quickly defended myself for the sake of my honor.

“I was just going to look for the cat.”

— Now? If it were an ordinary cat, it would've died the moment it got swept into your field.

“Well, thank goodness it wasn’t an ordinary cat.”

The emperor stared at me in silence before sighing.

— Enough. Now withdraw your field.

“I’d like to, but I haven’t learned how to do that yet.”

— …Give me your hand.

He’s not going to smack it, right?

I cautiously reached out my hand. The emperor grasped my wrist and infused it with power. The energy flowed in effortlessly and canceled the field.

Just then—

“Your Majesty, I apologize for being late.”

Dante suddenly appeared, kneeling before the emperor. The knights who followed him also saluted.

Without greeting them, the emperor gestured toward the fallen vampires.

— They’re suspicious. Drag them away and interrogate them.

I secretly waved at Dante. I had so much I wanted to say to him.

Though he didn’t greet me directly, Dante gave me a small smile.

Once the vampires had been dragged away by the knights, only the emperor and I remained in the garden.

I looked up at the night sky, glanced at the trees. The emperor hadn’t spoken a word, as if he had honey in his mouth.

Eventually, I gave up waiting and spoke first.

“Your Majesty, I have a question.”

— What is it?

“When did you start practicing your cat impersonation? Do you often act like a cat?”

The emperor silently stared at me, then finally answered.

— I only borrowed the eyes of the cat to observe you.

“Oh, thank goodness. I thought you had a secret, unspeakable hobby.”

Thunk. Something lightly tapped the top of my head. I looked at the emperor in confusion.

Did he just hit me?

Feeling his displeased gaze, the emperor changed the subject.

— How much do you know about your father?

…My dad?

I blinked and began to think.

When I first met D, he asked Shion something like this:

“Magician, is that child perhaps ‘his’ daughter?”

I assumed “he” referred to the emperor.

But I wasn’t the emperor’s daughter.

That meant the person D referred to was actually my father.

Even though Claude had a mental breakdown from how much I resembled him…

‘But D, Shion, and Claude still won’t tell me who my dad is.’

Even Claude, who’s usually the easiest to deal with, just spouted nonsense about being my dad himself.

Unable to get the truth from any of them, I subtly tested the emperor.

“Well, he’s probably blond. So handsome he ruins women’s lives. Maybe a womanizer too.”

— That’s an odd way to say you know nothing.

I continued speaking while watching the emperor’s expressionless face.

“Is it close?”

— Not even remotely.

“That’s strange. So he’s not blond?”

The emperor cut me off, seemingly no longer willing to listen.

— Remember this. You have no father.

Was that a low blow?

Shocked, I blinked. The emperor withdrew his hand.

— Keep that in mind.

So the emperor definitely knew who my father was, but wouldn’t say for some reason.

‘If even the emperor knows, he must not be an ordinary man.’

As I pondered, the emperor sighed.

— Since you came all this way to rescue me, I suppose I should reward you. Name your request.

“Please recognize me as the imperial princess.”

I said it as if I’d been waiting for the chance, and the emperor frowned.

— That magician’s story only applies if you were a pure-blood vampire. As a half-blood, you can’t be a princess or a regent.

I confidently pounded my chest.

“If you hear what I have to say, you’ll want to make me a princess even if I’m human!”

— What are you talking about?

“The Holy Land.”

I stared directly into the emperor’s pale face and spoke clearly.

“The Holy Land where the High God Lil resides. I can restore it. How about that?”

In the original story, the Holy Land suddenly appeared late in the plot.

With vampires being slaughtered by the protagonist, the emperor, cornered, proposed restoring the Holy Land.

The narrative suddenly introduced wild ideas — restoring the Holy Land could nullify vampire weaknesses, or destroying it could wipe them out.

In the end, betrayal led to failure, the protagonist learned of the Holy Land’s existence, and the vampires were doomed.

‘But if I step in, it can be fully restored!’

I sparkled my eyes, staring at the emperor.

‘Go ahead, ask me anything! About the Holy Land, how I know about it, how to restore it! I’ve prepared it all!’

But the emperor dodged the issue.

— It’s difficult to determine if what you say is true.

Slightly annoyed, I pouted.

“If recognizing me as the princess is all it takes to revive the Holy Land, what’s there to hesitate about?”

When I urged him to decide quickly, the emperor pressed his finger against my forehead and pushed me back.

— Don’t talk like a merchant. It’s undignified.

“Please understand, Your Majesty. I was raised an orphan without any refinement.”

The emperor flinched.

— You truly are...

“Are we done talking?”

A familiar voice interrupted.

Shion had arrived at some point, smiling gently.

“Shion!”

I instinctively ran to him.

Shion lightly grabbed my arm and whispered just loud enough for the emperor to hear.

“Your Highness, you mustn’t corner your prey too much.”

Did I push that hard?

I tilted my head in confusion. The emperor looked visibly annoyed. I awkwardly grinned.

“Your Majesty, the princess should rest now. Please allow us to take our leave.”

The emperor silently glared at Shion, then asked me.

— What is your relationship with that magician?

I glanced at Shion.

‘What should I say? A contractual relationship? Employer and employee? Someone I sold my future to?’

After some thought, I gave the most practical answer.

“We’re committed to facing the future together.”

The emperor frowned, clearly displeased by my response. Yet, he still looked beautiful, which was odd.

— You’re still too young to decide your future.

“I have no choice if I want to survive at my age. I need someone to rely on.”

The emperor scoffed coldly.

He didn’t seem to like that I called Shion “someone to rely on.”

— If you become the princess, you won’t need to rely on him.

“…Excuse me?”

— If you leave that magician, I’ll make you the princess.

Even if he said it out of spite, it was unbelievable.

I stared him straight in the eye and said clearly:

“I keep my promises. And I don’t think you’re in a position to make demands right now.”

I offered a deal, not an invitation for interference.

“I’ll take my leave. Have a peaceful night.”

I snorted, took Shion’s hand, and turned away. Shion followed with a resigned expression.

“Your Highness, you don’t have to fight the emperor because of me…”

“Shion, you shouldn’t be smiling when you say that.”

Shion smiled slyly like a fox.

“I’m happy. I thought you’d choose your only blood relative over me.”

He really has a strange kind of jealousy.

“Looks like you’re a bit more precious to me than someone connected by blood.”

The moment I snapped at him, my body was suddenly lifted.

Startled, I flailed, but Shion held me close and whispered lowly.

“Let’s go home.”

And in an instant, the scenery before me changed.