Chapter 202
‘What if I just had bad luck this time and got caught?’
Even if discovered, it would probably pass without much issue. After all, asking someone to buy books isn’t something worthy of censure.
But if he harbors the intention to control the information reaching Jaha, and if he notices that she has realized this and is attempting to seek outside knowledge…
‘I’ll face restrictions on my movements from now on.’
Suddenly, memories of her school days surfaced—sneaking in comic books without her parents’ knowledge, her heart pounding with anxiety. Hiding them in the fire hydrant in front of her house, behind her back, even under her school skirt… Who would have thought she’d be doing similar things at this age?
Having rolled the dice, Jaha waited with bated breath for the outcome.
A few days later, Ena—glancing around with slight unease—carefully pulled out books hidden between bedsheets and handed them over.
“My lady, I’ve brought what you asked for the other day.”
It worked!
Jaha’s face lit up with joy as she quickly took them.
“Thank you.”
Under the pretext of changing the linens, Ena remade the bed, tidied the area, then gathered the old sheets and left.
The moment she was alone, Jaha ran trembling fingers over the cover before flipping open the Encyclopedia of Magic.
Scanning the table of contents, she found a section detailing appearance-altering spells. The moment she spotted a method to change eye color, her stomach dropped.
Hands tense, she turned to the page—only to find a wiki-like entry:
“Permanently altering eye color via magical reagent injection into the eyeball… Side effects include severe vision deterioration.”
No good. Rikanan’s eyesight is flawless.
“Temporary color change… Partial illusion magic.”
The explanation was lengthy and complex, but the gist was:
The spell itself isn’t difficult—maintaining it is the issue. Duration exponentially increases difficulty.
Using magical tools shortens the effect compared to casting directly: Manual casting: Up to 5 hours. Tools: Max 2 hours. Beyond that is virtually impossible.
‘Five hours.’
Jaha mulled over that detail.
She’d never timed it precisely, but he’d certainly spent far longer together on multiple occasions. Conversations escalating to intimacy made time evaporate.
“So this isn’t it either.”
The book mentioned that maintaining an illusion spell consistently required a high level of concentration and mana control. Therefore, it was reasonable to assume that it couldn’t be sustained in moments of mental instability—like suddenly waking from sleep. Yet, Rikanan’s blue eyes remained unchanged even in such situations.
“All this baseless suspicion for nothing…”
Just as she was about to close the book in relief, it suddenly struck her—the direct imperial lineage carried Abrixa’s blood.
Especially the emperor, who was such a formidable mage that he was even called the reincarnation of Abrixa. Could something truly be impossible for a mage of that caliber?
‘No, if I can’t even trust the information plainly written in books, then what’s the point?’
Jaha pressed a hand to her forehead. Doubting things like this would lead to endless questions. If the text stated that it converged toward impossibility, she should take it at face value—why bother reading if she wouldn’t believe it?
Wanting to check other sources first, Jaha closed the <Encyclopedia of Magic> and this time opened the <Imperial Chronicles>.
The <Imperial Chronicles> had a grand name, but as a historical text, its value wasn’t particularly high. It lacked any critical perspective, instead focusing on glorifying and embellishing the imperial family. Still, within the range accessible to the public, there was no better book for understanding the imperial household.
“Probably nothing significant here, but…”
Her hand, which had been flipping absently through the emperor’s praises, suddenly stopped.
[While welcoming a foreign princess as his sixth consort, he also disposed of his fifth consort, the Marchioness of Merryble, who was notorious as a lavish and debauched woman.]
Fifth consort. Sixth consort.
It felt like an unexpected ambush—her head rang like a struck bell, a sharp “zing” echoing in her skull.
Blinking, Jaha kept reading.
The book continued to lay bare the emperor’s promiscuous affairs in explicit detail.
Aside from his official wife, the empress, he had taken multiple consorts—and the number of unofficial lovers he cycled through was beyond counting. By the later sections, his legitimate heirs alone numbered five, while his illegitimate children surpassed ten.
Jaha set the book down. Her mind went blank. An inexplicable emotion made her chest pound.
What is this?
Was it disgust toward the man who had tormented her—now living as if nothing happened, bedding woman after woman and siring children?
Sure, that was part of it. But not all.
To her own shock, and against her will, Jaha realized she felt something akin to betrayal.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.