Meanwhile, amidst the deep silence of Revenna’s bedroom, a faint rustling sound just like the touch of silk could be heard. Revenna, who had awakened at some point, was now standing by the window while appearing to be lost in thought.
Her gaze extended beyond the vast wilderness to a place that couldn’t be exactly pinpointed. Instead of her usual vibrance, her voice sounded hushed as she broke the heavy silence.
“All of the magic crystals in the West have already disappeared, so it’s likely to say that the explosion of the magic stone will be triggered by the rift in power. In other words, what should I do…?”
Despite it being midday, an eerie darkness had loomed all over Revenna’s room. The only thing that was shining vividly had been her pair of eyes as she continued to gaze out the window.
07. An Omen of Change
It was still a hazy dawn before the sun had fully risen. In the residence of Princess Estelle, the first Princess, which was located right in Abeldishim, the capital of Vestra, a piercing, ear-splitting sound echoed throughout.
Estelle, who had suddenly risen from the table, was currently holding onto a shattered mirror in her trembling hand. The handmaids who knelt at their mistress’s feet couldn’t help but to be anxious as they feared that their mistress might be injured during the whole process.
“Your Highness, please, stay still!”
“Look over there. Blood—there’s blood! What to do?!”
Estelle Vestra, who had just turned eighteen this year, was a perfect woman—more so than anyone else in the whole Empire. She bore the resemblance of the late Empress who had passed right after a difficult childbirth.
At the age of five, as the sole heir of Emperor Ingrem V, she had already mastered the Imperial Studies. At the same time, with the age of five still, she entered the court and engaged in many discussions with her subjects following at the age of seven. On top of that, she excelled in horseback riding as well as swordsmanship by the age of twelve with numerous conquests in competitions.
Her every action seemed perfect as if everything was carefully measured and she never strayed from the law as well. She served her father, the Emperor, with utmost devotion, while ruling strictly yet mercifully over her subjects and people.
The entire Empire was in love with her and they sang praises for her exceptional abilities. To be able to serve such a princess would be a source of great pride and joy for those beneath her.
“Your Highness, your noble body is injured!”
“…”
“Could it be that Sir Ruslan has done something which upsets you? It has only been a few days since his return from the underground, so why…?”
She was someone who had never displayed her emotions outwardly, regardless of any situation at all. However, it was during a late-night outing that this incident had occurred all of a sudden. To see the Princess in such a state for the first time ever had caused the handmaids to feel like they couldn’t help but to simply be at a loss.
“Perhaps you should inform His Majesty! His Majesty holds Your Highness in great esteem and if you were to tell him of it, would a mere viscount or the like actually dare to disturb Your Highness’ composure like this?”
“Ah, a mere viscount or the like.”
“Yes!”
Estelle’s expression froze as she looked down at the handmaid. However, as everyone in the room had their heads bowed down, no one noticed that.
It was a hazy dawn and it had still been too early for people to enter the palace.
Inside the Princess’ Palace, there were only two handmaids left to attend to Estelle with one of them having been her closest confidante. For these kinds of attendants, staying the night would be a relatively hard duty for those ladies who were raised and grown to be like precious flowers in a greenhouse. So, the handmaids who were here right now had relatively been from the lowly families.
Before the handmaid, who was lying on the floor, a shimmering platinum blonde strand of hair fluttered seductively. Startled, the lady soon lifted her head and before her very eyes was Estelle’s own face. The heir to the Empire had humbled herself for just a single handmaid.
The handmaid felt overwhelmed with sheer gratitude, which eventually made her fail to notice the peculiar atmosphere in Estelle’s murmured words.
“It’s really impressive that even a Barony girl, who would lick the shoes of those arrogant people in high society, actually dares to call my loyal servant like that. Quite the audacity, really.”
Estelle slowly brushed the handmaid’s face with her hand. The woman who was kneeling beside them soon realized that something was amiss and raised her head, but the shard of mirror in Estelle’s hand had moved faster than anything else before it pierced straight towards the handmaid’s throat.
“Kkuhk…!”
“No matter how uneducated you are, you should at least have some shame.”
As if an artery had instantly been severed, the handmaid’s blood spurted out like a fountain at once. Estelle turned her head towards another maid who had already stumbled backwards from witnessing the scene. Perhaps she was quicker to sense things than the one who had died earlier as she immediately began to nod meekly in response.
“I, I didn’t see anything!”
It was a clear message that today’s events should never be disclosed to anywhere. She had thought that the other head was quite pragmatic for a minor noble, but even so, Estelle’s cold expression remained unchanged throughout.
Killing and erasing someone was much easier and simpler than keeping them alive only to be deemed as a potential threat later. The woman appeared to understand her mistress’ thoughts and began to plead earnestly.
“Your Highness, you are more perfect than anyone else on this Earth. Please do not sully your noble hands with the likes of a mere blood such as mine.”
“As long as you die and disappear, I will still be the perfect heir. Don’t you think so too?”
“I heard that Sir Ruslan has been suffering from something terrible underground. There are rumors spreading that the daughter of that lowly harlot had conspired with the demon to commit such vile deeds. Sir Ruslan was Your Highness’ right hand, but now, who would be taking charge of this matter then?”
“I have many knights who have sworn their utmost loyalty to me.”
“Kkuhk, he, help…”
The previous handmaid, who was still convulsing in a pool of blood, clung to the woman’s ankle as if she was begging for her life. With each movement, large amounts of blood gushed out from her torn throat. It was a gruesome sight that one could hardly bear to witness it all.
However, the woman did not avert her gaze from it at all. To turn away from what her mistress had done would be an ‘imperfect’ stance as a loyal subject.
She gripped the handmaid, who had been gasping for breath just before her last moments, and lifted her to her feet. Right next to them, in a corner of the bedroom, there was a full-length mirror. She then threw the handmaid directly into it without further ado.
Crash!
A deafening crash echoed throughout the room as the massive glass—approaching two meters in height—shattered, making it seemed as if the entire Princess’ Palace was already on the verge of collapsing.
From the floor below, countless footsteps could be heard as though people had just been awakened from their slumber. The woman, who had completely extinguished the life of the handmaid, naturally placed the latter’s body in the pool of blood before she eventually knelt in front of the Princess.
Estelle, who had remained indifferent during the entire time, finally displayed an intriguing change across her face.
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