Who Could Have Loved the Monster Princess? - Chapter 53

The mana stone made from Ken’s power was a pure crystallization of energy. It wasn’t tainted enough to deserve being turned to dust. But apparently, my father hated Ken that much.

‘He’s been like this more often lately.’

Up until last year, my father had been indifferent to him. Did something happen in the meantime?

‘I wanted to find out who in Bittern had done something as reckless as releasing a wraith just to try and claim the lordship…’

But there probably wouldn’t be any clues left where the wraith appeared. The Crown Prince and Grand Duchess Felix would’ve already gone through that area with a fine-toothed comb. Neither of them had mentioned anything about Bittern.

‘Should I just ask Sean…?’

As I stood there, caught in thought, my father watched me quietly before speaking.

“That’s a high-grade mana stone designed to block a curse holding the Demon King’s life force.”

“That’s right. Sean said that the wraith could be sealed inside the mana stone.”

“And the one who sealed the wraith… was the High Priest.”

“Yes. Sean said he sealed the wraith of Finheim.”

“Then who do you think would have broken it?”

“Who could it be?”

“…”

“…?”

Since I couldn’t come up with an answer, my father eventually gave it to me.

“Who else would’ve broken it, if not the one it belonged to?”

“…What?”

“It was Ken who broke the mana stone.”

…Ken? Ken did? Why?

***

Was it revenge against the Imperial family?

‘No, that can’t be right. Ken said he didn’t hold any particular grudge against them…’

After stewing over it all night, I went to find Ken as soon as I finished today’s duties.

This time, I wasn’t empty-handed. The chef had made a special peach tart for him, and it was tucked away in a niche. It was made with the peaches Ken had brought over yesterday afternoon.

‘He said there were no signs of a wraith the day before the event. If Ken really was the one who broke the mana stone, that means he went to Bittern yesterday afternoon and then came back to Staedt…’

Even last night, I had happily eaten the peach Ken gave me as a snack. My father had grumbled that there was a big black bug stuck to the fruit, which bothered me a little, but the peach itself was clean with no sign of damage. The flesh was sweet and soft. Delicious, really.

‘Sean spoke as if it wasn’t Ken’s doing, but if I’m being honest, my gut agreed with Dad. It could very well have been him.’

And yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out why he would unleash a wraith, especially one Sean had sealed, right in the middle of a crowded place.

I usually had a good sense for these things. Maybe it was compensation for the beauty I lost to that curse, or maybe it was some magical intuition inherited from my wizard father. Either way, the things I sensed tended to be right.

‘Still, what’s the use of a sharp instinct if I can’t catch the answer in the moment?’

Every time I ignored my gut and tried to think it through rationally, I paid the price.

‘Then again, it’s not like I can just stop thinking altogether.’

Intuition doesn’t run 24/7, after all.

Ken wasn’t home. That threw me a little. I hadn’t seen him on the farm on my way here either.

The corn we planted in spring had shot up so tall there were places even I couldn’t see over. But Ken had a kind of presence you could sense even without seeing him.

‘Where did he go?’

I lingered aimlessly in front of Ken’s cabin, then glanced up toward the mountain. I remembered the place we’d gone together once.

‘Maybe he went there?’

He did go up the mountain from time to time. Still, whenever I visited, he was always either in the field or at home. For him to be gone like this felt oddly out of place.

‘Maybe I just assumed Ken would always be here… like my parents.’

When I reached the foot of the mountain, I heard it: a shrill, grating sound, like metal being scraped — loud and jagged, setting my teeth on edge. For a moment, I thought I misheard. It resembled the noise monsters made when clawing at armor, only faster, more persistent, and with a strange, hollow echo.

A demon’s cry.

‘Has one made it this far down the mountain?’

The sound came from not far off — somewhere between here and Ken’s cabin. Shouldn’t it be dangerous to have monsters roaming so close?

I never really knew the specifics of what all the mana stones wrapped around Ken’s body were for. I just assumed they blocked out dangerous curses and kept him safe, somehow.

But what if those same stones were suppressing his power, too?

Panic rising, I broke into a run, heading straight for the sound. And then, I saw it.

The monster.