abcnovels
Chapter 242
Chapter 242
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Chapter 242: Order of the Mist (2)
In Arin’s Office within the Imperial Palace
There was no time for rest for her upon her return to the palace.
“We have investigated the Imperial Army, the Order of Salvation, and all the knights who inherited the power from each territory, but there has been no reoccurrence of the Holy Sword’s power.”
“How is His Majesty?”
“There hasn’t been much change from yesterday.”
Arin sighed softly, her mind heavy with complex thoughts.
“There are unusual movements from the Empress and the Count of Nephilis. It seems they are trying to seize this opportunity to rebound.”
“They’re trying to shift the blame onto us for driving His Majesty, who is not in good health, to the battlefield. They wouldn’t miss this good opportunity.”
Arin didn’t react much as if she had already anticipated this.
“Any news on lord Aschel?”
“There have been a few reports of someone resembling him near the capital, but no confirmed news yet. Also…”
Ressimus hesitated slightly before continuing.
“There’s no news of Mist either.”
Hearing that, Arin closed her eyes slowly.
It had already been a week since that day of chaos.
Cyan and Mist had left after retrieving Silica’s body, and Arin didn’t stop them from leaving.
A day filled with unbelievable events.
She still felt like she could vividly recall all those situations.
But the most shocking of all was,
“The one who killed Lady Silica back then was…”
“…?”
“It wasn’t a human, right?”
“What on earth did you see?”
Ressimus, who wasn’t there at the time, couldn’t understand the situation.
“I don’t know. I have some guesses, but I feel I shouldn’t dare to speak of it.”
Arin held her head, showing a pained expression.
“Cyan, I hope he’s okay.”
She couldn’t shake off the image of Cyan’s grief-stricken face from her mind.
– Knock, knock –
“Princess Violet is here!”
Finally, a knock was followed by the announcement of Violet’s visit.
Soon, the office door opened, and Violet entered with confident steps.
“Welcome, sister.”
“Let’s have a little chat, Arin.”
The two sisters sat down without any expression, as if this meeting had been scheduled.
As Ressimus cautiously tried to leave,
“Stay here.”
Violet stopped her.
“There’s no need for you to leave.”
Violet’s command implied that she should stay during their conversation.
“You’ve heard the news, right? The Empress’s faction is trying to hold us accountable for this situation. If we don’t respond properly, we’ll be helplessly defeated.”
**Us?**
The word “us” felt strangely unfamiliar to Arin.
“Why? Is it very strange to hear the word ‘us’ coming out of my mouth now?”
As if reading Arin’s mind, Violet raised her eyebrows and asked.
“I understand. Even though we’ve worked together for the past few years, there was never any trust between you and me. I’ll confess now. I tried to kill you, Arin.”
“…!”
“Didn’t expect that, did you? You must have been somewhat prepared for it though, right?”
“I never knew I meant that much to you.”
Violet smirked at the mention of meaning.
“That’s an interesting thing to say. I don’t particularly seek forgiveness. It’s my fault due to my ignorance, so I must bear full responsibility. In that sense, let’s divide the tasks we have to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“From now on, I’ll take care of all the aftermath of this incident. Arin, you simply followed our orders, and you’re not directly involved in this. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Surprised, Arin blinked and asked.
“Are you saying that you’ll take full responsibility for everything?”
“Yes. I’ll bear it all. I’ve already sought advice from our grandfather.”
“Is it really necessary to go to such lengths?”
“Because I’m the princess.”
With that, Arin fell silent.
“As the princess responsible for running this country, I’ll take all the responsibility. It’s only natural.”
There was a resolute determination in Violet’s eyes.
“So, Arin, please work for the future of the royal family, not dwelling on the past.”
With those words, Violet stood up.
“You won’t see me for a while. So don’t worry about me and focus on what you need to do. In case I never return…”
“What about me!”
Arin also stood up, shouting after her as she walked away.
“Are you really okay with entrusting the entire royal family to me?”
Instead of answering right away, Violet grabbed the doorknob and stayed in place for a moment.
After a short silence, Violet spoke with a despondent expression.
“Father doesn’t have much time left. Which means we don’t have much time to prepare either.”
No matter how much they were his children, they couldn’t deny it.
The life of Emperor Dionne was nearing its end.
“So, you must continue to prepare for the future of the imperial family and the empire.”
Violet said no more and opened the door to the office.
“Because I’m not qualified…”
Arin didn’t hear those last words.
With a tumultuous heart, Arin clutched her chest and stared endlessly at the door Violet had exited.
“Ressimus.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Do you think I’ve been recognized?”
Ressimus paused slightly but soon responded firmly.
“It seemed that way to me.”
“So this is what it feels like, to be recognized.”
Arin unknowingly smiled faintly.
After spending a brief moment in reflection, she was about to resume her duties when there was another knock on the office door.
“May I come in?”
A familiar voice followed the knock.
Both Arin and Ressimus could hardly believe their ears.
“I’ll go check.”
Ressimus offered to personally go and check the visitor.
“No, Ressimus!”
Arin raised her hand to stop her and spoke in a calm, controlled voice.
“Come in.”
The door opened with a creak, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly grew heavy.
A man entered with confident steps, dressed in dignified and solemn black noble attire.
It was none other than Cyan.
He had an air of nobility that was rarely seen before.
“How did you get here?”
“As you can see, I came through the front gate.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
Cyan replied nonchalantly, as if there was no problem.
“I wanted to speak with you, Your Highness. Do you have some time?”
“Of course.”
Arin personally guided Cyan to a seat.
Cyan wasted no time and spoke directly.
“I heard you stopped the search for Mist.”
“That’s only the official investigation. I have still been looking for information about you two on a personal level.”
“Why?”
“No particular reason. I just had to focus more on other matters.”
Arin responded calmly.
“You know, right? Not just the capital but the entire empire is in turmoil. Given that such an unfortunate event occurred on the day we were supposed to announce a new order, I am currently dedicating all my efforts to quell that chaos.”
“You’ve grown a lot.”
Unexpectedly, Arin’s face flushed slightly at the compliment.
“I’ve wanted to ask you something for a while. May I?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why do you hate your brother so much?”
It was a very sensitive question for Cyan.
However,
“I don’t hate him.”
“…?!”
“I despise him because I know his true nature.”
Cyan responded immediately without a hint of hesitation.
“He is neither a savior of this world nor a pioneer of a new order. He is just a filthy, deceitful man who uses everything around him for his own goals and discards them without hesitation when they are no longer needed.”
There was no sign of agitation or excitement.
With a calm and cold gaze, Cyan candidly expressed his feelings about Aschel.
“But the world has made him out to be the only truth and hope of this world. I can’t accept that, so I have tried to thoroughly ruin all his plans. That includes what happened that day.”
The true nature of the light that Cyan had promised to show Arin referred to the true character of Aschel, who was called the savior of the light.
“But things didn’t go as planned. Soon, he might reappear, invoking the light again to deny our existence. He might even try to use you once more, Your Highness.”
“You don’t want that, do you?”
Arin asked without hesitation.
“……”
“Is that why you came to see me now?”
“I won’t deny it.”
Cyan replied, averting his gaze somewhat ambiguously.
“I didn’t come here to force anything on you. However, from now on, we will no longer hide in the shadows. We will openly reveal ourselves and make our existence clear to this world. So, Your Highness, please make a choice.”
“A choice?”
“Will you acknowledge and accept our existence, or will you maintain the current order as it is?”
“Why are you asking me to make that choice?”
At Arin’s bewildered reaction, Cyan furrowed his brow slightly.
“Because you now have the power to do so, don’t you?”
Momentarily taken aback, Arin’s body trembled.
Power? Did that mean Cyan was acknowledging her?
Though he didn’t say it outright, Arin couldn’t contain the excitement rising within her, causing her face to flush continuously.
“This is not necessarily something to be happy about. With power always comes responsibility, so you will have to bear even more from now on, Your Highness.”
However, Cyan’s harsh response quickly dampened her excitement.
Thanks to that, Arin was able to calm her mind immediately.
“Anyway, the choice is yours, Your Highness. We are ready to accept whatever you decide. If you choose not to accept us…”
Cyan stood up and turned to leave.
“At least, do not interfere.”
His words were heavier than ever.
Just as he was about to leave the room, Cyan noticed something familiar draped over a chair and paused.
“Why do you still have that?”
“It’s not mine to dispose of carelessly. Do you want it back?”
“No, it’s fine.”
With that, Cyan left the room.
Arin stared blankly at the door Cyan had exited for a long time.
“What will you do, Your Highness?”
Ressimus, who had been silently observing, asked cautiously. Arin moved silently towards the window.
“Lady Silica said something to me before she passed.”
She gently pulled back the curtains to reveal the foggy view of the capital.
“She told me to keep following Cyan. Not just blindly, but with questions in mind, so that I could understand the world Cyan desires.”
Even as she coughed up blood and endured great pain, Lady Silica tried to convey her final wishes to her.
“If I believe that world is just,”
Arin could still vividly recall that scene.
“She asked me to help create that world with Cyan, saying he would need many people by his side…”
Then, turning to Ressimus, she asked,
“We can definitely be of help, can’t we, Ressimus?”
“If it’s you, Your Highness, I believe you can be of great help.”
Ressimus silently supported her from behind.
“Let’s go see Father. I need to tell him all my thoughts.”
Resolute, Arin started to leave the office but paused, casting a glance at something. She then smiled mysteriously and walked out.
Her gaze had landed on Cyan’s black cloak, neatly folded on the chair.
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