Chapter 28
Rather than that, Celestia kept her watch to see if the behavior of the Emperor’s maternal relatives, Victoria, or the other students had changed. However, Victoria’s attitude being demure toward the Empress seemed very inquisitive.
Even though she decided to take magic lessons at the Academy, it was fortunate that they never came to know about her ability to invalidate magic, thanks to the theory class.
She still hasn’t figured out who the Empress talked to in that room. Immediately, she thought she hadn’t encountered too many people in her life even though she had an extraordinary memory……… The whole class was over before she knew it, and her eyes moved down the floor with her head still wrapped up in her thoughts.
Finally, Xenon, the head instructor, walked in. He pushed up his glasses and told her to pay attention to the annual end-of-year prom and applications for promotion, before silently staring at her for a while and going his own way. Perhaps it was because she had been carried away by other thoughts than her studies.
She always had received his anticipated gaze, but somehow, she felt nervous when she met those studying eyes of his.
She didn’t want to graduate early but get promoted the proper way.
She jolted up at the sudden intrusion of the students from class C.
“Celestia, are you going alone today?”
“Uh.”
“Do you want to join us?”
“No.”
“Haha. Come on~ We have a carriage.”
She forcefully pulled up the corners of her lips into a smile.
“Oh my, is that so? That sounds wonderful. Then take that carriage and get home safely.”
She could see the boys surrounding her sending her a smile as if they were highly aristocrats talking to her.
“You are very determined and charming. Just like a wildflower that’s been stepped on……”
They started talking crap.
These guys were the ones who didn’t bat an eye when the aristocrats from class B bullied her, spilled food trays on her, or almost threw a flower pot on her. Not until she was called to the banquet as a representative of class A and the entire Academy.
‘Look how suddenly they’ve changed their attitude after I danced with the Emperor at the banquet.’
Of course, she wasn’t saying it was wrong to change perspectives with time. But this was making her more uncomfortable.
As soon as she saw another boy follow the first to talk to her, she grabbed her bag tightly and jumped off her seat.
‘The conversation would never end if I give them more time.’
“Ah, I’ve got to attend an urgent matter…..”
After shouting like that, she rushed out of the classroom without giving a glance back at them and ran down the hall until the main entrance. The number of people in uniforms decreased as she got to the courtyard of the main gate. As usual, most of the students were from aristocratic families with fewer being from fairly successful commoner families.
She slowed down as the people became scarce. She passed the main gate and walked down towards the shabby carriage where the knight was waiting.
She was still worried of what the Empress said and the cookie basket she left behind. More than that, she couldn’t figure out who the owner of that voice was…..
As she made her way through a narrow alley to get to the carriage, she saw something strange around the corner of her eyes. A fluttering bolt of lightning came her way.
She took a step back, but it approached her at a much faster pace. She thought, even in that brief moment, it could grasp her. As per the ‘level’ of magic divided by strength and range, this was only level 2. But if it touched her in the wrong region, it could burn her like a crisp.
She didn’t even have the time to scream when the bolt came crashing at her in an instant, leaving her right sleeve burned and tattered in pieces.
Fwoosh.
However, her body felt like a magic wand. The low-level lightning flame, which had the power to knock out the opponent, faded away as soon as it touched her skin.
It didn’t happen on her own will. But that wasn’t the point now. The problem was that someone apparently tried to use hostile magic against her. Even though it was illegal to use attack magic in the city unless it was an official order!
She glanced down at the sleeve of her uniform from where the acrid smoke was rising. In between the ragged fabric was a tiny glimpse of enchantment carved near her elbow.
‘What was that?’ She froze, unable to process in the tense moment.
She quickly looked around. The path she used to get to her carriage was at the backside of the Academy so as to not run into anyone else. There weren’t many people. She silently picked up the pace. ‘Where did that come from?’ The man who tried the spell could not have gotten far away.
All of the people walking in the street felt like enemies. Now, the carriage was just around the alley. She didn’t want to look like a prey on escape. She tried not to run while walking as fast as she could, but her feet kept moving hastily.
‘What?’
She walked and turned, but paused. ‘Wasn’t this the alley where the carriage usually stands?’ Obviously, the way she turned was blocked by a wall.
She looked around, but it was the same alley she was familiar with.
She reached out her hand.
Ching!
Just as a mirror is broken by a stone, the stone solid wall cracked and broke down from the region where her hand touched.
The magic was noticeably level 4.
She went from being nervous to cautious at that moment.
Doubt prevailed over her mind that she unintentionally destroyed the magic. If she knew, she wouldn’t have touched it. Or somebody was trying to stop her from meeting with the knight……
‘There could be many possibilities.’ Meanwhile, she could see a carriage standing not far away.
Her heart was pounding so loud and fast that she couldn’t even remember how she got to the carriage.
When she arrived, the knight stood up and immediately pushed her into the carriage. Then, with his hand on his sword handle, he looked around again and again. The knight’s eyes searched for any possible assailant from the roof of the building to the window without moving an inch from the carriage before they returned to her.
“What’s the matter? Were you attacked?”
She nodded.
His expression turned to a concerned one. His feature always used to be of clear vigilance.
“What? Who was it? How many of them…..?”
“No…… I didn’t see any particular person.”
“Did they attack you from afar?”
“I don’t know. It must’ve been an attack……but they used magic. The illusion of the wall seemed to be of level 4, and the ball of lightning was of a simpler level.”
The knight wordlessly nodded and ordered a man she thought was the coachman.
The man quickly fired something like a loud firecracker into the air, and off the carriage went. Six more horses followed suit. The carriage ran fast, escorted by the soldiers.
She was surprised, even in the midst of a daze. She didn’t know such a security system was installed. She wasn’t even an important person.
The still-cautious knight asked her as the carriage entered the huge garden path through the boulevard and into the palace.
“Are you all right?”
“The thing is…. I was worried about His Highness, the Emperor. I never thought anyone would attack me.”
Her lips trembled as she said. ‘Why am I so scared? Nothing has happened yet. I had just been subjected to magic that I’ve been able to destroy.’
She closed her eyes tight.
But yes, there was something scary about it. To think someone was testing her ability to nullify magic.
‘Who the hell was it that tried to test me? What’s going to happen now? Your Majesty……’
The answer was to ask for a visit. She could hardly think of anything other than to meet with the Emperor.
As soon as she arrived at her room and changed her ruined uniform, the servant called her. She quickly made her way to the Emperor’s chamber, following the servant.
The numerous portraits on walls now appeared different than usual. ‘Did all those previous emperors always have to act as men in battle? Does power have to be like that?’
Now she truly came to realize what it was like to work beside a man with such power.
Usually, she walked to his bedroom, but today was different. As soon as she walked in through the doors of the drawing room, she found the Emperor already standing there before he approached her.
Without saying anything, he glanced at her before looking at her limbs. She tried to greet him, but it seemed like he didn’t hear her.
His eyes managed to return to her face again.
“You don’t look so well.”
“Yes….”
“Is it your body?”
“Oh…… I’m alright. Have you heard of the attack……?”
“I did.”
“Right…… I wanted to make a visit and inform you because it might be related to what I heard yesterday.”
“What did you hear?”
The Emperor narrowed his eyes while offering her a seat on the sofa. But how dare she sit across the Emperor? Nevertheless, she shyly accepted.
“I heard the Empress Dowager talking to another man. I was on my way to the annex of the servants…… when I happened to overhear their conversation in a room down the hall…..”
“What was it?”
“It could be possible that Her Highness has learned about the failure of the negative effects pills toward you.”
Unexpectedly, the Emperor wasn’t surprised. He smirked, chewing his lips like a beast.
“Did she believe him?”
“Actually…… she didn’t appear to believe that. But having some knowledge is different from having none of it. The person kept saying the same thing, but….”
He nodded lightly.
“Of course, it is. She must’ve been curious why a woman became important just by crawling into my room. That would be the most plausible reason.”
“Yes, I think she was going to check it herself. She asked me that question.”
“But she must’ve gotten offended when I walked in.”
“Oh….. then perhaps, she still has her doubts.”
“Yes. That’s the reason she was here.”