Chapter 12
“I have thought deeply about my last conversation with you, Baroness.”
It was a pavilion in a garden bathed in warm sunlight, lovely at a glance. Ephinia had been letting her gaze rest on the ornate teacup when she lifted her head at Empress Yekaterina’s words.
‘Could it be…’
Even though she knew she shouldn’t harbor hope so easily, it felt as though a soft, fluffy anticipation was blooming inside her. The Empress subtly checked Ephinia’s reaction and suppressed a smile.
“When two young people reject each other so strongly, it is difficult to bind them by force. So after long discussions with His Majesty the Emperor, we have reached a conclusion. If we can safely pass the Crown Prince’s rampage period, we will permit you to form a pair with another Transcendent.”
“The rampage… period?”
The latter part was something to welcome, but there was a phrase mixed in that she couldn’t simply pass over. All the nobles whispered about the Crown Prince’s risk of rampage, but she had never heard that a specific time frame had been set.
“Long ago, the Tower Lord foresaw it. Kasselard’s power continues to grow, and he said that without a Guide, he would go on rampage around the age of twenty-six.”
Kasselard’s rampage, as the greatest Transcendent on the continent rather than merely within the Empire, would have enough destructive power to wipe out everyone in the capital and more.
The massive explosion caused by his power being released at the final moment would be a problem, but even before that, if he were to lose his mind and begin killing people, the damage would spiral out of control.
Faced with such a chilling story, Ephinia was dumbfounded.
‘And he’s still refusing guiding in that situation?!’
What kind of stupid and selfish man was he! Ephinia had already disliked Kasselard, but hearing this made her dislike him even more.
She didn’t know what his plan was, but if it went awry, many people would die. And yet he was acting so carelessly.
“So please guide him, at least until Kasselard safely turns twenty-seven. It doesn’t have to be deep contact guiding. As long as his waves are loosened and the rampage period is passed, His Majesty has promised that your merit will be recognized and that you will be elevated to the rank of Count.”
“A-A Count?”
Ephinia stared at the Empress with wide eyes. Becoming a Baroness from a commoner’s status alone had already been an overwhelming honor, and now a Countess!
‘If I were a Countess…’
That would place her above even the Viscount Caneze, who had once terrified her so deeply. She knew that Viscount Caneze had been tried for buying young Ephinia with money and exploiting her without wages even after she came of age.
Since Ephinia wasn’t the only victim, the matter had grown quite large and he had even gone to prison. However, it was common for nobles to receive only fines for such crimes, so the Viscount had served merely two months in jail and would now have returned to his estate.
Ephinia was now a Baroness and thus a noble herself, but she was still afraid of the Caneze family. Even now, with the backing of the Lanas ducal household and Count Apis acting as her protector, she felt that way. She was afraid to attend gatherings of nobles, feeling as though they could harm her at any time.
But if she became the household head of a Countdom…
‘Even if I met them someday, could I stand up to them without trembling?’
She wondered if such a blessing could truly come to her as well. The Empress quietly watched Ephinia, who was beginning to dream anew amid confusion and tension.
This was closer to a trap meant to bind the Crown Prince and Ephinia together, but her becoming a Countess would indeed be realized.
‘At that level, it would be much easier to marry her to the Crown Prince.’
Since this was directly tied to the dignity of the imperial family, the other nobles would ultimately fall silent as well. Watching Ephinia’s reaction, the Empress calmly lifted her teacup to her lips.
At last, Ephinia seemed to have made up her mind. She looked at the Empress with eyes shining brighter than ever before.
“I, I will do it, Your Majesty the Empress.”
“Yes. I will place my trust in you, Baroness.”
Empress Yekaterina offered a benevolent smile, concealing her cunning intentions.
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