Chapter 458

“Watch out there! You’re about to bump into someone.”

“Oh, I’m sorry!”

The reception room where the Luswena delegation had stayed.

The palace attendants, aprons and headscarves tightly secured, bustled about, hurriedly tidying up the room. Shattered teacups lay in pieces, the carpet stained with what looked like blood, and ornaments scattered everywhere. The reception room looked as if a storm had just ripped through it.

“They left in such a rush, but is it really this bad?”

“I know, right? What on earth did they take with them? Their clothes and belongings are all still here.”

“Make sure to move King Eriphoni’s belongings to the exhibition hall intact. I heard the only thing they took was a golden arrow. The rest will be kept by the royal household and handed over later.”

“Understood. We’ll need boxes to pack these.”

“We’ll bring some over!”

Not far away, their lord was attending a meeting. The palace staff knew that cleaning the palace was not something the royal family should witness, so finishing quickly was crucial.

The head attendant waved a slender baton, directing the others’ movements. Magic wasn’t exclusive to wizards alone. Like them, small coordinated actions could swiftly transform a space. Wasn’t that a kind of magic in itself?

“Head attendant.”

Knock, knock.

At that moment, one attendant knocked on the open door, announcing himself. He was in charge of the meeting room. He quickly approached the head attendant and whispered news from inside. The head attendant scratched his hooked nose in surprise.

“The reception room for the Burgos delegation as well?”

“Yes. They’ve requested help clearing it out too.”

Since the Burgos delegation was likely to be stripped of their status, they asked for their room to be emptied as well. But what kind of negotiations were going on that the heads of two major kingdoms were at risk?

The head attendant was full of questions but kept silent, nodding instead. Curiosity in the palace often shortened one’s life. Restraint was key. That was the secret to surviving in the palace until old age.

Gathering a few subordinates, the head attendant strode toward the opposite corridor.

Creak!

Boom!

Compared to the wrecked Luswena reception room, the Burgos side was neat and orderly.

“First, move all Burgos belongings to the exhibition hall.”

“Yes, head attendant.”

“Open the windows immediately. Dust, sweep, and clean! The prince is nearby, so any delay risks showing a careless side!”

As the attendants hurried to open the windows, the head attendant flung open the door to a small annex inside the room.

Stacks of items were packed tightly. Most looked like personal belongings of the Burgos delegation, but some were covered with white cloth.

“Hmm?”

With a light tug, the white cloth slipped off effortlessly. The head attendant gathered the cloth and tucked it into his waist, then examined the Burgos items: fine boxes holding valuables, ornaments, and a few paintings.

“Head attendant, should we move these as well?”

“Yes. Everything to the exhibition hall.”

Since they had passed through the main gate without issue, these were clearly tribute gifts Burgos had intended for Bariel.

At the head attendant’s nod, the attendants carefully began carrying the items. Soon, they came face to face with a massive painting.

“Whoa, this one’s huge. We’ll need more hands—at least seven more.”

“Right. Go fetch some strong men.”

“Yes, head attendant.”

The head attendant stepped back and took in the painting. It felt like standing in the middle of a vast plain. A rounded hill stretched out in the distance, a path winding through reddish-brown trees. The sky was the dim light of dawn, and a huge full moon hung low near the ridge, as if it might fall to the earth.

‘Well painted, but who did this? It’s a bit rough for a Burgos court painter’s style.’

As he shrugged, a sudden crash came from behind. One attendant had tripped.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!”

“I-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

“Every single thing here belongs to His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince—even a single petal.”

Kids these days, no sense of caution! The head attendant pouted, but just then, some strong men arrived to move the painting.

“It’s bigger than I thought. Let’s move it.”

“Uh, okay. Be careful—”

Just as the head attendant was about to warn them to be careful, something about the painting struck him as odd. Was the moon really that close to the ridge? And what were those tiny dots beyond the hill?

As the head attendant leaned in for a closer look, the movers asked,

“Should we not move it?”

“Huh? No, no, we have to.”

“Then please step back a bit. We’ll cover it again. It’d be a disaster if it got damaged while moving.”

“Right. Ahem.”

The painting was covered once more with the white cloth. The head attendant crossed his arms at his waist and watched the back of the painting for a long moment. It felt like the image had shifted in that brief instant.

‘Am I imagining things?’

Though he was busy overseeing the work, a nagging unease wouldn’t leave him. Then, in the distance, a familiar figure passed by—someone with striking orange eyes.

“Captain Akorella!”

“Me?”

“Yes, yes. Greetings.”

“What is it?”

Akorella, one of the heads of the Magic Department!

The head attendant called out as he approached, and Akorella scratched his chin nonchalantly. The atmosphere inside the meeting room was tense, the Magic Department somber, and as the person responsible for the real potion supplies, he was having a rough time.

“I’m busy and need to get back soon.”

“Oh, it’s nothing urgent. It’s just that among the tribute gifts from Burgos, there’s something that’s been bothering me.”

“If there was anything unusual, it would have been caught at the main gate.”

“True, but… well, maybe I’m losing my mind. Ha ha ha.”

“If you’re losing your mind, you should see a doctor, not me.”

“It’s just that the painting seems strange. It… seems to have moved.”

“Well then! Akorella started to turn away, but stopped at the head attendant’s next words. A moving painting? That sounds familiar.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not sure myself. I looked away for a moment, then looked back, and the scene in the painting seemed to have changed slightly. But it was so quick I can’t be certain…”

Akorella’s eyes sharpened. A moving painting? That reminded him of the secret passage the emperor used to hide during the rebellion.

Rebellion? Rutherford? Burgos? Passage? Words floated through Akorella’s mind in a stream of consciousness.

“Let’s take a look.”

“Huh?”

“I said, let’s see it. If it’s a painting mixed with magic stones, it might have slipped past the main gate. I want to test it myself.”

“Test it…?”

“Enough talk. Lead the way. Where did you move it? The exhibition hall?”

“Yes, yes. This way.”

The head attendant turned and led Akorella, quickly passing the busy attendants and heading toward the exhibition hall.

---

Tap, tap, tap.

Meanwhile, Melania gazed out the carriage window. They had been riding endlessly, but all she could see were blue ridges stretching on and on.

Were they going in a different direction from the way she came? There had been a village not far off, but since boarding Rutherford’s carriage, she hadn’t sensed a single sign of life.

“What’s going on?”

“…I think we took a wrong turn.”

Rutherford had tied his long hair up in a single knot, as if sensing they were nearing their destination.

Melania shrugged, pointing to the empty landscape outside. The sun would set soon. Spending the night here in this barren wasteland seemed impossible.

“Wrong turn? No, we’re on the right path.”

“There’s only one village nearby that I passed through. Since we can’t see it, I’m sure we took a wrong turn.”

“Who says that? We’re heading toward the village.”

“…Who says that? Rutherford, aren’t you going to Bariel, the palace? Then naturally, we’d pass that village—”

“Shh.”

Rutherford put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. Surprisingly, the carriage slowed down.

Melania spotted a square frame set up in the middle of the distant ridge.

‘What is that?’

A bare, empty square frame standing alone. It seemed artificial, out of place. It created an effect that made the passing clouds, swaying trees, and the long road look like a single painting.

“You’ve arrived just in time, Lady Melania. If your earlier actions had delayed the schedule, that would have been a problem.”

“What exactly is that…?”

“Is there somewhere you want to return to?”

Melania looked at Rutherford without answering. The low voice that had just passed felt like it belonged to someone else. The moonlight reflected in Rutherford’s eyes.

“…Yes.”

The grand mansion in Haiman where she spent her childhood, the phantom embrace of family, past glories—all places Melania longed to return to.

Rutherford nodded knowingly.

“There’s a place I’ve longed for as well. That will take me there.”

Screeeech.

The carriage came to a complete stop. Rutherford opened the door himself and stepped down, his gaze fixed on the enormous frame set upon the ground. Then, as if spellbound, he began to move forward.

His men quickly separated the carriage from the horses, each taking hold of a rein, and slowly followed in his footsteps.

Melania hesitated, glancing back and forth, unsure of what to do.

“If you intend to follow Lord Rutherford, then walk alongside him,” a voice said.

A man tapped Melania on the shoulder, signaling her to come along. It was Clark, one of the men who had ridden with Rutherford in the carriage.

Melania thought to herself: wouldn’t it be better to accompany them and have a stake in this, rather than stay behind guarding the place? Clark handed her a dagger and warned quietly,

“Do not stray from the group, if you can help it.”

“S-stray? What exactly are you planning to do?”

“We’re going—to the palace.”

“The palace?”

Before Melania could fully process his words—

Boom! Boom!

A low, humming sound filled the air.

Swish!

Rutherford’s mages pressed their palms to the earth, releasing their magic.

Though an ordinary person, Melania could still feel the strange energy coursing through the ground. The wind picked up fiercely, rippling the short grass like waves. Clouds parted, revealing a massive moon.

The moon seemed drawn by the magic, slowly descending, inching closer and closer.

“Ah!”

Melania covered her mouth as the moon tilted, seeming close enough to touch. When it fully filled the square frame on the ground, Rutherford swept his robe behind him and stepped forward.

“Let’s go. To the deepest heart of the royal palace.”

“Waaah!”

“Remember your duties, Tigmor!”

“Yes, Lord Rutherford.”

“You’re to accompany Vania and King Damon.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Leon! You’re responsible for the royal treasures.”

“Yes, no problem.”

With a sharp salute, Rutherford’s men placed their hands over their chests. Melania quickly realized this was the proper etiquette within the palace.

“And I… will receive Ian.”

Rutherford said, stepping into the moon. His figure disappeared into the bright circle of light. Without hesitation, his men followed, plunging in after him. Soon, only Melania and Clark remained.

“Wait!”

“…?”

“How do we get back?”

“Until dawn breaks. The gate will remain open. Just don’t lose your way inside the palace. Secure the treasure, my lady.”

Clark’s brief advice was clear: this would soon flow into Burgos and aid the war against Bariel, and it would also help ensure Melania’s survival. With that, he hurried off, leaving Melania standing there, unsure and staring straight ahead.

But then—

Whoosh!

Swish!

With all her strength, Melania used the dagger Clark had given her to cut through the trailing hem of her skirt and leapt toward the moon.