Episode 618
“Miss Chloe Young, are you coming to your senses?”

Chloe rubbed the corners of her eyes and nodded. Through her blurred vision, she caught sight of those damn pink strands of hair. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was.

The bedroom was neat to the point of feeling bare—probably a room once used by royal servants. If it had been before, she wouldn’t have felt anything special, but now, after so long, she was overwhelmed by the softness of the bed and pulled the blanket closer in gratitude.

“…Am I okay?”

“In what sense? If you mean the potion’s effect, it’s nothing short of amazing. Your body seems to respond better than expected. Breaking the pillar and cracking the floor? That wasn’t a dream. But if you’re asking about your reputation, then no, things aren’t looking good.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes and glared at Akorella. It was her own choice, so she had no right to complain, but wasn’t this a bit much?

“Now, now, since you’re awake, let’s do some observation. Is your heart still pounding? How are you feeling right now?”

“Hmm. I’m okay now. Stable, and honestly, not as hopeless as I thought.”

“Is that so? Well, to stir things up a bit, I should mention that a report on your little disturbance will be sent to His Majesty the Emperor.”

Chloe’s eyes widened, blinking in surprise.

Yet, strangely, she wasn’t fazed. The commotion she caused wasn’t something a noble lady would typically make, so the Emperor would surely use it as an excuse to push her out of the Empress’s seat. Still, she felt nothing.

Rustle, rustle.

Akorella’s eyes sparkled with interest as she diligently recorded Chloe’s condition on the documents. Chloe shrugged and replied in a customary tone.

“Of course it will be reported. But honestly, I don’t know what will come of it.”

“Don’t know, huh? Oh? Are you experiencing any cognitive side effects? Miss Chloe, do you remember who you were with before you collapsed?”

“Lord Ian, the mages, and—”

Boom!

Chloe instinctively clutched her chest.

“Huh?”

“My heart… it feels strange again.”

“Why? I don’t get it.”

“I don’t know. When I think of Lord Xiaoshi…”

Akorella froze, gripping her pen tightly. Her nostrils flared involuntarily. She instinctively sensed she was on the verge of a major discovery.

“Your heart races when you think of Lord Xiaoshi? Your face is a bit flushed too. Is your chest feeling ticklish?”

“Y-yes!”

“And what about Lord Ian?”

“Why Ian?”

“Nope, it’s only with Lord Xiaoshi. Miss Chloe, listen carefully and imagine this: now, hold hands with Lord Xiaoshi!”

Akorella grabbed Chloe’s hand firmly, causing her to roll her eyes upward in embarrassment.

“H-hands? Um…”

“Oh, your cheeks are getting redder. Now imagine a hug! And even better, a long, lingering kiss!”

“Ahhh! Are you crazy? Are you out of your mind?”

Chloe recoiled, shaking off Akorella’s hand, but the mage crouched down, fists clenched, fully engrossed.

She was mad. The mad genius mage Akorella had finally managed to influence human emotions! She jumped up, clasped her hands as if thanking the gods, tucked the documents under her arm, and turned to Chloe.

“Phew, I’ll go file this report now.”

“Wait!”

“Rest up, and keep thinking about Lord Xiaoshi. Heh heh.”

“No, wait!”

Bang!

Chloe reached out to stop her, but Akorella didn’t look back and dashed off.

Left alone, Chloe lay back down and stared at the ceiling.

‘I wanted to make a contribution, but I’ll probably just end up getting scolded by His Majesty. I guess that’s why they say great power comes with great responsibility.’

Even after gaining power, she’d only caused trouble by panicking. She should have stayed quiet and appeared only when His Majesty was in danger! She buried her face in the pillow and sighed.

‘Once this power fades, they’ll definitely try to send me back to Bariel.’

Send me back. But why does that feel so disappointing? When Akorella mentioned the Emperor earlier, it didn’t bother her at all.

As Chloe pondered her feelings, Lord Xiaoshi’s face floated before her eyes.

“Ugh!”

Had she lost her mind? She jumped up and stormed out of the room. Akorella, Xiaoshi, anyone—she just needed to distract herself and shake off this strange feeling.

She had no idea how much time had passed, but the sun was hanging low on the horizon. Night was creeping in. The old castle, long abandoned by its former lord, was starting to flicker with scattered lights.

Creak.

Chloe headed down into the underground, searching for the supply unit. She figured she’d find them near the food storage.

‘Is it this way?’

It was her first time inside the castle, and with nightfall, her sense of direction was even worse. Seeing no one around, she realized she’d taken a wrong turn.

Then, she heard hushed voices somewhere nearby.

“Is the door left open?”

“Yes, no problem.”

“They say dinner is at eight, so let’s hurry before then.”

“Understood. We’ll wait in the connecting underground passage. The mages might be a variable—what should we do?”

“The Emperor will be at the banquet hall, so the main guards will be nearby. Let’s draw their attention with fire, then move.”

The voices faded. Chloe cautiously followed the sounds deeper underground. The darkness was intimidating, but the conversation sounded serious.

Soon, she found the source of the voices behind some storage cabinets.

‘What’s this?’

Behind the cabinets was a hidden space. She thought she could slide the cabinet aside, but the iron plate was nearly a hand’s width thick. Even several strong men would struggle to move it. There had to be some mechanism somewhere…

Creak! Boom!

“Whoa.”

Chloe jumped in surprise. She’d only lightly moved the cabinet, but it shifted with an almost effortless gleam.

Behind it was a tunnel, and inside, soldiers huddled by candlelight. They froze in shock when they saw her.

“W-what…”

Their wide eyes darted between the cabinet and Chloe. Was it even possible for a woman—no, a human—to wield such power?

They mistook her for a mage or a magic swordsman and hastily drew small daggers from their belts, the tips stained with Idgal.

“Damn it! Get her!”

“Ahhh!”

This was a militant faction led by three traditionalist royalists determined to restore the old dynasty. They were gathering forces through this secret passage connected to the city of Kalamath, waiting for the right moment.

Their goals were twofold: eliminate the mother and daughter of the Hollen family, who sought to establish a new dynasty, and purge rival royalist factions trying to gain power by aligning with Bariel.

Though their cause sounded noble, it was really just internal strife within the royalists.

“Catch her! Catch her!”

At a muffled shout, the soldiers surged forward, chasing after Chloe.

Panicked, she sprinted up the stairs, suddenly realizing she was still holding the cabinet.

“Mother! Please don’t do this!”

Boom! Crash!

She threw the cabinet with all her might, and the soldiers were knocked down with a thunderous noise. Some groaned as they rolled on the floor, crushed beneath the iron plate, but those behind them pushed past their fallen comrades, relentlessly pursuing Chloe. The uprising was imminent, and she couldn’t afford to fail like this.

Clang! Swish!

“Stop! Halt right there!”

“Ahhh!”

They shouted, brandishing swords, but Chloe didn’t slow down. Eyes squeezed shut in fear, she just kept running.

Boom!

“Ah!”

She twisted her ankle and fell forward.

The ground beneath where she tried to catch herself gave way slightly. The soldiers gulped. This wasn’t an ordinary opponent. They had to take her down quickly.

“Ready! One, two—”

“Ow, that hurts…”

“Three!”

Swish!

As the soldiers leapt forward, Xiaoshi and his men blocked their path, parrying their blades.

Chloe’s eyes widened, and Xiaoshi’s gray hair swayed gently, as if time itself had slowed. Blushing, she stammered,

“H-how did you know I was here? Did you… find me?”

Could it be? Really? Truly? Her eyes sparkled with hope, but one of Xiaoshi’s men burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! Why would we be looking for you?”

“The whole castle was shaking! Even without ears, everyone knows something’s up here!”

“Let’s see… three royalist leaders… their faces are a bit fuzzy.”

“Are they here? Yeah, that one! That’s him!”

“Another one’s coming up from underground!”

“Wait! Hold on!”

As armed soldiers gathered, one of the royalist leaders raised his hands and stepped forward, signaling to parley.

“We have no intention whatsoever of opposing Bariel. We only aimed to deal with the mother and daughter from the Hallin family and the royalist leaders hiding in the annex. This is absolutely not an act of rebellion against Bariel, so please calm down first…”

“Then why did that woman attack?”

Xiaoshi, who had been quietly listening, asked coldly.

“Obviously, it was to prevent any information from leaking out. We only meant to detain her, but several of our men were taken down by her attack before we realized it…”

Xiaoshi glanced at Chloe, who was collapsed there with a fragile figure. Chloe hurriedly tidied her disheveled hair and clothes.

“Enough. Clean this up.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Wait! We truly have no intention of betraying Bariel! We can prove it!”

Clang! Clang!

“Intentions don’t matter. What matters is that you are royalists.”

Eliminating the royalists was Xiaoshi’s mission. It was simply a matter of acting before those enjoying the banquet could intervene.

When the soldiers didn’t lower their swords, the troops seemed to realize there was no room to back down and sharpened their blades even more.

“Come here, my lady.”

“Ah—”

As Xiaoshi reached out to support Chloe, a voice from Akorella brushed past.

‘She’s holding Lord Xiaoshi’s hand!’

Could this really be happening? Chloe hesitated, looking up at Xiaoshi. Her cheeks burned hot, clearly flushed. What should she do? Wouldn’t this look a little awkward?

Seeing Chloe hesitate, Xiaoshi furrowed his brow slightly.

“It’s fine. You may hold it.”

“Ah, well—”

“…And my lady, you’re bleeding from your nose.”

“Huh? Me?”

Chloe, tilting her head at an angle with a faint smile, suddenly froze and touched her nostrils. They were damp and warm—blood was still flowing.

“……”

What a humiliating day—twice in one day! Chloe blinked back tears and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, while Xiaoshi turned his head, pretending not to notice.

Just then, the soldiers who had been tidying the area called out to Xiaoshi.

“Lord Xiaoshi! One of the people trapped under the cabinet seems to be a royalist leader!”

“We need to get this off, but it won’t budge.”

“Should we call the mage?”

Chloe had tossed the metal cabinet aside like a scrap of paper. Seven soldiers were struggling to lift it, but it wouldn’t move an inch.

Seeing this, Chloe, still dripping with tears and nosebleed, ran over. She was too embarrassed to face Xiaoshi any longer.

“I’ll do it. Sniff.”

“Huh?”

“Sniff, I’ll do it. Please step aside.”

“This is dangerous, my lady… Ah, oh no! Good heavens!”

“Please put it down here! The pressure is incredible.”

With a light lift, Chloe hoisted the cabinet, and the soldiers cheered and clapped.

Xiaoshi watched her retreating figure and let out a small sigh. Then, he glanced down at his own hand—the one Chloe had never taken.