Chapter 15
The pleas of the crowd gathered around sounded like actual screams.
「Calm down!」
「Please!」
「Young Master, this is the Imperial Palace!」
「Aaaagh, aaah! Let go! Let go of me! I will report this to His Majesty the Emperor! I’ll tell him to take the head of that insolent wretch!」
「You’re the one disregarding the Castline family?! I’m going to tell my father!」
Good, good. It was a perfect mess.
Lisianthus continued to shriek at the top of his lungs, testifying to the fact that this was a fight between a crazy man and woman that had ‘spiraled into catastrophe after mocking each other’s situation, abilities, and status.’
It was a bit childish that every conclusion ended with ‘I’m telling my parents,’ but children’s fights often have a way of becoming adults’ fights.
Ironically, that was exactly why today’s disaster wouldn’t become a major issue.
Both Lisianthus and I already had reputations that were rock bottom. No one would be surprised even if we fought like lunatics, trashed the Rose Palace, and set it on fire.
Just looking at the faces of the servants and maids trying to pull me and Lisianthus apart, they looked like they were thinking, ‘I knew a day like this would come eventually.’
The palace burned quite well. Despite the servants’ desperate efforts to extinguish it, they could barely manage to contain the flames so they wouldn’t spread outside the Rose Palace.
In the end, both Lisianthus and I were caught by the servants and maids and practically dragged away.
Even as my limbs were held by people forcing us apart, I didn’t forget to spit out all sorts of profanities and curses until the very end.
To the point where no one who saw the state of the ruined Rose Palace and the two of us would ever imagine that Lisianthus and I had planned this together.
I didn’t think the problem would escalate.
The Imperial Palace knows Titania’s temperament—how she can’t stand Lisianthus—and the Duchy knows Lisianthus’s fiery personality.
They might bill the Duchy for the restoration budget of the ruined Rose Palace, but the Emperor, who hates losing to the Duchy, would never permit something that looked so petty.
If it were a matter related to my fiancé Raymon, it might be different, but even if Titania ran to the Emperor and pleaded her grievances…
She’d only get a lecture asking how she, a girl, couldn’t even tolerate a future brother-in-law with a slightly bad personality.
In short, if this problem grew, it would become an issue between the Duchy and the Imperial Family, but neither my reputation nor Lisianthus’s was distinguished enough for anyone to worry about that!
The handling of the situation was satisfying in many ways.
I scrubbed myself clean, washing away the mess of smoke and ash I’d been covered in. Then, I put on fresh pajamas, crawled into bed, and had a good sleep.
And then I woke up.
“A-oh-woo-eh-oh, ah-oh, cough. Ugh. Fire is still fire; my throat is all scratchy from inhaling that smoke.”
I cleared my throat with a few grunts and stretched. My joints let out a series of cracks.
The inside of the bedroom was quite gloomy. Since it was far from the drawing room that caught fire yesterday, the bedroom itself hadn’t burned, but because such a huge commotion had occurred, no one had even thought to stop by and clean up.
No, the state of my bedroom isn’t what’s important.
I looked at the sword sitting lonely in a corner of my bedroom like a student looking at a pile of homework on the last day of vacation.
Not only was it inside its scabbard, but the joint between the scabbard and the hilt was wrapped in high-quality cloth to prevent it from being opened by mistake.
Just looking at the glossy hilt and the engravings on the scabbard, it was a truly beautiful, famous blade, but…
“……”
In the end, I hadn’t been able to bring up the subject of the sword to Lisianthus yesterday.
I could just make an excuse to the Imperial Consort that I wanted to meet Raymon in person and give it to him as a surprise gift…
The Imperial Consort also knows that Raymon and Titania rarely see each other.
She probably sent it ahead of time to make sure Titania didn’t say anything else when she was sent to the Dedication Festival.
The problem was, I was currently having a headache over how to deal with that sword.
A sword like this stands out no matter where it’s sent. That meant I couldn’t even sell it off as I pleased. Should I make a counterfeit…?
It wouldn’t matter if I just asked Raymon to pretend he received it.
But having already put the Duchy in a minor debt over the Rose Palace construction costs, asking for something like that felt a bit much.
Actually, there was a bigger problem.
It’s a demonic sword, but as long as there’s a way to suppress the power of ‘Veris,’ it could be used as a living lie detector.
Who knows? Maybe the Castline Duchy could suppress it and put it to good use.
“…Ah! There’s the Insignia of Gloriana!”
Right, even a damaged one is still worth something. For now, it’s a weapon containing the Power of Light. Since I’ve already secured that, I might be able to use it to utilize this sword properly.
So…
I let out a sigh, unwrapped the cloth, and tentatively gripped the hilt of the sword.
It wasn’t reckless bravery. No, if I’m giving a gift, I have to measure how dangerous it is myself before I give it!
What if they misunderstand and think I’m giving it to them just to screw over the Duchy!
In the original story, Brian also showed off this sword and carried it around from the beginning without feeling anything strange at all, only to self-destruct toward the end.
And he was a pathetic imperial family member similar to me, who hadn’t even realized his Power of Light. So, there shouldn’t be any problem with me just holding it for a brief moment to gauge it.
Well, if I don’t feel anything, I’ll just put it back and wrap it up well with the cloth!
As if mocking me, as soon as I gripped the sword hilt, a strange voice spoke.
—Welcome, Contractor-nim! (=’▼’=)
…W-what is this cheerful, machine-like voice? Is it Bixby? Siri? More importantly, what’s with that emoticon?!
—This sword welcomes the sense of ownership from the rightful contractor of
Б☀□□!
W-what is that?!
—The God of Light and Creation, whom humans call ‘Belobog’—my great creator—made me with the help of ‘Veris-nim’ to guide the contractor’s path! 50% of my functions are fundamentally locked, and all functions will be liberated once the ownership of ‘Gloriana’s Insignia’ is completed! ✧ฺ･｡(✪▽✪*)･｡✧
Then, with a poof, small lights scattered around the sword.
As if imitating flower petals.
“……”
…What is this? It’s scary.
Wasn’t it a demonic sword? Where did the Veris-Pacio I knew go?!
To me, frozen in place, the sword spoke cheerfully.
—Would you like to perform the ownership ceremony right now? ヽ(๑╹▽╹๑)ノ
I screamed in horror.
I didn’t know what it was, but my instincts were screaming that I must never shout ‘YES’ here.
“No, I’m not doing it, forget it! I don’t want to!”
—If you do not perform the ownership ceremony, even if you are the contractor, you can only use 25% of my total performance! ༼இɷஇ༽ ‘Veris/Pacio’ is my hospitality persona that manifests for those who use this sword for more than 6 months without proper qualification certification!
“No, why am I your contractor? Besides, what’s with that weird time limit, what is it! Then I just won’t use the sword before then!”
—Welcome, Contractor-nim! Since Contractor-nim is already a formally registered contractor of ‘Belobog-nim,’ the moment you completed contact, you became my eternal and immortal master! For all users other than the master, the ‘Veris/Pacio’ persona is automatically activated! ◝(⁰▿⁰)◜
“……”
Ah…
I shouldn’t have done something out of character…
I shouldn’t have trusted the original story so much…!
I screamed silently.
Even a mere imperial princess who was a nuisance extra villainess suddenly realized her past life, so I shouldn’t have ignored the possibility that a sword known as ‘just a demonic sword’ might actually be something else!
—However, since ‘Belobog-nim’ recognized the human habit of forming groups, joint use is permitted only for one person who has entered into a legal marriage with the contractor or is recognized as an equivalent partner! ♡~(>᎑<`๑)♡
“……”
So, what, am I supposed to flirt with Raymon and give it to him as a gift, saying that while people think this sword is a famous blade, it’s actually a demonic sword, but if he legally marries me, it won’t be a demonic sword anymore?
Is it even possible for a mere sword to screw over my future so delicately and naturally?
It was a situation the old Titania might actually have attempted, which made it even sadder.
Imperial Consort Cleo…! As expected, you’re not an easy opponent. You probably didn’t foresee this, but I really hate this!
—The final goal for me and Contractor-nim is the sealing and annihilation of Ч✦■■, the enemy of Б☀□□-nim and the creator of all demonic beasts, who seeks to destroy this world from the Underworld beneath the sealed northern barrier!
“Translate.”
—Contractor-nim! The barrier that ‘Belobog-nim’ has protected by bestowing grace and power upon humans is in danger! Please use me to protect this world before ‘Chernobog’ is resurrected! ( ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )
“No, I mean, why me?”
—Because you are the contractor!
“No, I told you I never did any contracting or whatever!”
In the first place, I don’t know anything about Belobog or Chernobog or whatever! In the original story, Bibi and the people around her took care of everything without any of that!
I clutched my hair, feeling a sense of helplessness comparable to when I had just woken up from my coma.
