Chapter 77
77
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At the same time, in the Imperial Capital.
—Thwack, thwack, thwack!
Soldiers made of straw fell countless times to the tip of the sharpened sword.
"Hah..."
However, the young Crown Prince's gray-blue eyes still flickered with a blue rage that had not been resolved.
"Haaap!"
—Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
A blue light flickered and disappeared above the slashing blade.
Pascale, the escort knight who had been watching from behind, finally moved forward.
"I would like to praise you for miraculously imbuing Divinity into stabs that are closer to venting your anger, but it seems there are no scarecrows left."
"Hah, hah... Tell them to make more next time."
Pascale chuckled and kicked one of the scarecrows lying at his feet.
The straw scattered into the air before futilely falling back down.
"Your Highness, you're really something. It's troublesome when you come here and make such a mess as soon as you leave the audience chamber. There are eyes watching, so shouldn't you have waited a little longer?"
As the knight joked, a blue flame ignited in Shade's eyes.
"You want me! To sit at my birthday table and laugh! My mother has been bedridden for months, and you want me to...!"
"Your Highness."
Pascale's voice had also lowered.
Shade looked up to see him speaking in an even lower voice.
"The news you've been waiting for has arrived."
Shade quickly scanned the windows around the training room.
Not even an ant was in sight.
"It's clear that Healing Power has manifested..."
Pascale only moved his lips, so there was no sound that followed.
'Unlike the previous generations, it's very powerful.'
Of course, Shade understood without any problems.
"Are you sure?"
"I saw with my own eyes a laceration healing instantly. We can also expect the healing of internal injuries. It seems they are still choosing a date for the Holy Power Revelation Ceremony."
The pale face of his mother from the night before came to mind.
He could no longer be fooled by the Royal physician's nonsense about her gradually regaining her strength, or the Magic Tower Lord's brazen face as he claimed to be doing his best.
'Mother is dying day by day.'
No matter how much his father denied it, his mother had not improved at all since the day she collapsed.
Shade bit his lip.
"...I will attend the birthday banquet as Father wishes."
Pascale only listened without answering.
"And then I will get permission for the Ikan tour."
"...Not Ruelle?"
Shade frowned.
"Use your head, Kyel. There's no excuse to go to Ruelle at this point."
"I have that much brains, you know? I'm saying that because there's no excuse to go to Ikan either."
Pascale grumbled, but Shade's eyes were serious.
"There is in Ikan."
During the Ikan earthquake last year, he had sent a donation to the Temple there in the name of the Imperial Crown Prince.
'At the time, I just didn't want to miss the opportunity to offend the Magic Tower Lord, but...'
Now that things had turned out this way, he could use it.
His father had always been displeased with the Temples for wasting money...
'I can say I'm going to look into how the donation was used.'
Shade asked the escort knight, who had a puzzled look on his face.
"By the way, Ruelle is close to Ikan, right? If I can just cross the sea, can I prepare a high-speed carriage?"
Pascale let out a sigh that sounded like boiling water.
He could see the road to hardship clearly.
* * *
"Umm..."
Two days later, we were huddled together, looking at a small chick.
The yellow chick was sound asleep despite the many eyes on it.
After a long time, I took my eyes off the chick and looked at my father.
"So, this chick..."
My father explained once again.
"It only sleeps and is always weak, even when the other chicks are eating, so the head chef says it's definitely going to die soon."
Isn't it just sleepy?
I was really suspicious, but Kashian said seriously.
"It's perfect for Your Highness to practice on. Just watch. With just one touch from Your Highness, this chick will be as good as new and running across this room."
...I don't think so?
However, I had to reach out to the chick amidst everyone's expectant gazes.
"Peep-peep, don't be too surprised..."
"Your Highness calls everyone Peep-peep..."
I secretly stepped on Yan's foot for talking nonsense and carefully held the chick.
Then, I placed my palm on its small belly.
"Oh, um..."
I looked back and forth between my father and Yan, and then recited something similar to a prayer.
"Ea, heal this poor chick... shall we?"
Yan glared at me as if the prayer was completely wrong, but I had already said it.
Fortunately, my father seemed to be observing the chick and didn't pay attention to my prayer.
'Please...'
A warm energy and a faint light gathered in my palm and then scattered.
When I carefully removed my hand, the chick was completely asleep.
'Huh?'
This doesn't seem right...
I looked up at Yan in embarrassment, and he cleared his throat.
At the same time, the chick opened its eyes wide and began to chirp.
"A-Are you okay?"
I asked, but the chick continued to chirp and circled around the table.
"It looks like it's all better!"
Beatrice, who had been waiting quietly, shouted with joy.
My father carefully picked it up and placed it on the floor, and the chick waddled across the room as Yan had predicted(?).
"See? It's as good as new."
Honestly, it seemed like Yan had intimidated the chick with his 'ahem' sounds and chased it away...
But what mattered was my father's evaluation.
"Indeed. That was an excellent first attempt, my dear."
My father's face was full of pride.
'Yes, what matters is my father's evaluation...'
As Beatrice clapped her hands excitedly, I stared blankly at the gap in the door where the chick had disappeared.
Behind my father, who had a proud look on his face, Yan shamelessly shrugged.
* * *
"Was it really sick earlier?"
Later, when I was alone with Yan, I asked, and he shrugged again.
"I don't know?"
I frowned in disbelief and questioned him.
"No, then why do you make such guarantees? I can't live in peace because of Yan!"
Yan chuckled and stroked my hair.
'He's trying to treat me like a baby again and gloss over it...!'
As I looked at him with dissatisfaction, he said soothingly.
"What are you so worried about with that little heart of yours? Just relax. That's why I came to your side."
I asked again, without confidence.
"...Why are we practicing? What if, like Mom said, I don't have Divinity when I need it?"
Yan sighed.
"When have I ever said something that wasn't true? I can heal a hundred of those chicks, so don't worry. We're just practicing to show them."
"If I practice and my Divinity seems sufficient, will Mom move up the date of the ceremony?"
When I asked again, he nodded carefully.
"Yes, we have to make it happen. To do that, our Baha High Priest needs to find a more useful animal. Other than a chick."
"Okay..."
Unlike our worries, my father brought a puppy the next day.
The kennel manager placed the puppy in front of me and bowed his head.
"I greet Princess Rostel, chosen by Ea."
"Nice to meet you."
I answered appropriately while looking at the puppy.
'Cu-Cute...'
The small puppy was very cute, but it was curled up as if it were sick, and it looked weak at first glance.
There were several onlookers because it was the audience chamber, but I couldn't help but reach out to it out of pity.
"Puppy, are you in a lot of pain...?"
I stroked the puppy, turning it over and over, and after a while, it got up and took a few staggering steps.
"Oh my, it hasn't been able to walk a single step since it was born..."
The kennel manager knelt down and bowed before me.
"Thank you... thank you so much, Your Highness."
"Thank you for entrusting me with your precious baby."
I had no choice but to answer, and again, exclamations poured out.
"Look at how dignified she speaks."
"My grandson is seven years old, but why is he so different..."
"After the Holy Power Revelation Ceremony, the entire continent will be eager to see our Princess."
It was a somewhat embarrassing atmosphere, but my mother seemed very satisfied.
"She's my daughter, but I'm really proud."
My doting mother's shoulders were raised so high...
I was dumbfounded, but no one stopped my mother.
"You have every right to be proud, Your Highness."
"She will be the youngest Princess to be invited to the Imperial Thanksgiving Festival."
No, instead of stopping her, they were adding fuel to the fire.
"I would be happy to be Your Highness's footstool when you perform the ceremony."
"Of course, it would be an honor to my family to be a footstool."
Look, at least say those things with a smile...!