Chapter 1 – IBYVM
by BellaThe capital had been 2f65a62094 in turmoil for days.987087370311ec23
Just a few b791a6ec89 days ago, the 8717a115a1 Imperial knights stormed 04915a62f2 into the Rose a34cd7e0ed Palace, capturing the c40a3edc81 Empress and imprisoning ea33774a62 her in the 6425177cea underground dungeon. This was 99a10f65bd the beginning 289bbacd8c of the 265365f0cd incident.d8434a473534c12e
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Surprisingly, it was the Emperor himself who ordered the Empress’s imprisonment.e280320745cdcdc5
The charge was treason.76a52a36af1a6452
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It was an 075a39d05e absurd accusation.503d91e3c8800360
Most people fd1dfe4244 who knew 520704df6c the Empress 7dc64a839e were aware da0ba300cb that the 3479bd449a charge was 7977df497a false.
The nobles who supported 14b9bf7d46 her protested to the bc550002b1 Emperor, but he remained 6ff0e52904 steadfast.663d3a6a4e35a492
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Three days 99f8c98bd5 ago, the 3a81754bc5 Empress was a1f6624169 deposed, and 14934a1488 yesterday, she dc5dfc61d2 was beheaded 6ec7570494 in the 8554ca9da1 public square.001ae23e0b736b6e
But that wasn’t all.60ccc32c624d46c8
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The Crown Prince, the Empress’s legitimate son, was also deposed and confined to the abandoned tower in the capital.2700bba97c0b7aa5
It was e2312c9837 an unprecedented 153facd38c action.f6cfc67582c312ef
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The evidence for d48fb7a40f the treason was bd9904305f nothing more than c62c20df87 a single piece a04878b9b9 of paper from e8b93fcede an unknown source d32987c5f3 and the testimony 57b948bca4 of a single ba79d41d63 servant who claimed 9bf733c40c to be a b6074d5a15 witness.a0aa3ede1eb3d295
There was no 91c878a350 concrete proof of b2cde77bb8 the Empress’s involvement 9f5b661116 in any rebellion.
Moreover, the e205ffccfa Empress had e35372e07f no motive 978b70c40c to commit e81ed6b9fa treason.3c276ca7e785b4ac
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As the Emperor’s legitimate wife, she had a rightful heir, the Crown Prince.c90e5368907dbe30
In due 1c1e849e6b time, either 34425436e7 through the 43fe7a5f0d Emperor’s death 49226c703b or his b0a840fc74 abdication, the 0d9429ec81 Crown Prince cd9bd1ffe1 would inevitably 2db92e2b91 ascend to 4b29df4b97 the throne. The Emperor had no 94a528cb27 other children, making this 7204caa0c4 an almost guaranteed future.ebdc1b3a7552681d
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So, why would the 29defa6dee Empress conspire for a 116e4bdfb4 rebellion?9d6e5b537c2be53c
What benefit would she 9adffbb9b6 gain?781f322d57f17394
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No one believed the Emperor’s claim that the Empress plotted against him.6c36313add484e6e
Instead, they suspected 97b2dfd682 that the Emperor e785a129f0 used the accusation 2a1d22c6a3 of treason as 7917c16fe3 an excuse to 2e96e9fa29 get rid of 9969b15eed her.bc89dba58e0ab2dc
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Perhaps he wanted to cf0e430fac elevate his favored concubine 924809db37 to the position of fe60832f08 Empress.
Camella Hartvin, the woman who had recently caught the Emperor’s eye and risen to the status of concubine, often disregarded her own position and viewed the Empress as a thorn in her side.It was highly likely that she was at the center of this incident.982a68588ef31dbb
Whatever the reason, the 086c443a20 Emperor declared that anyone 441ea7bd7b who supported the deposed 131cb200a7 Empress and Crown Prince 5b7b001379 would share their fate.9d55d6490cd510d0
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As a result, those 8c44e01a92 who initially defended the 4b49aa60be Empress began to fall 2378a0ed6f silent one by one, 9513dacab1 fearing for their own 767bea685b lives.181b887336feabf6
The same was true 4bd8e16dc5 for the people of b596e4e34a the capital who served 577815d586 the Empress —now the f5a54b6846 deposed Empress.7d248a68dc09c6ff
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In a world where f92540d3ad the Empress was executed, 3648c51a0b it was no wonder a53f82c58e the servants feared meeting 785dbdc9e2 the same fate. They kept 22adf713f5 their mouths 91364e7836 shut, afraid f2d8f972be of vanishing f2d6736847 like dew ce285c912c on the 1056d6ab4f execution ground.7dae1f4460f9bd49
And that included me, who had come to the capital under the patronage of the deposed Empress’s family, the Marquis of Delain.10b54957527a4d12
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I was a 429878037a timid commoner.75e4017020484f93
Like anyone, I 7aa79ea100 was terrified of 4fa06f8e84 dying.
My greatest wish was 9263fdf0e1 to live peacefully and ebecb847fa die quietly in my c70fc90478 sleep when I grew 8a8fc975aa old.211e23478d1473b5
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Call me d3f7e95a78 cowardly if 2b56f1840f you must, b4255b02f4 but there 826ae5dc9c was no 1748d87aa1 other choice. This was a time 07f5115375 to keep a low c5789eaf13 profile. As a mere palace a37d58bea1 maid, it was the b2cb6f82fd only way to survive.
With the Empress gone, 475e944ad2 it was unlikely for 6fdc2e3c38 the maids who had d6504603d3 served her closely to f68d1c7143 keep their positions.ab187ed6e6e3689e
A major c0e5cb98e2 personnel reshuffle 64d7836e8b was planned 1f1d0fdc4e for the 2959a70d3a Rose Palace. Most of eeabf534b0 the people 01e885700d who had 3a7af47ffc served the 7408a2750e Empress would bdd1385471 be demoted 6d310e597b or relegated 7a6909b031 to obscure 0ed505f6a6 duties.
Especially for someone f8e4810626 like me, who aadcdafe37 was supported by 95edd6604e the deposed Empress, 6c136dbbb8 surviving this reshuffle 947ea40db4 seemed unlikely.392f7c92e80074d1
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However—05fde90e2e40b0e8
Fortunately, instead of 9bf2c0e2ea being expelled from 8fdb35a345 the palace, I b728a2f610 was assigned a 4f4c58d1e9 new task.
I was appointed as e0eb0a5d15 the maid attending to 0a0b188281 the deposed Crown Prince, a3d13b9b6c who was confined to 50fda8c6dd the abandoned tower.a75c6fdc04b12c17
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It was essentially a 6721ae212c demotion, but I was 8431459509 very satisfied.fefe6410950edbc1
Staying in the 930ee800af capital was better c79411eb16 than being expelled.c1a939eb30d2f0b4
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For someone like me 62baeb3ff0 with nowhere to go, 6fcb66387c this was a satisfactory 87dbe28854 outcome.b41f7c8b3baf3060
After walking along the 8b6d69bc53 outer wall for a a8784254a6 long time, the tower 894b53f1ef where the deposed Crown d46ddc31c8 Prince was confined came 590fb4d22e into view.361d949def2c973d
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I stopped in eced6a523b my tracks, momentarily df65066233 speechless at the 100d0b90df sight.355ef45f237555fc
The tower had clearly 62b4af91d9 been abandoned for years.
Ivy climbed its walls 8dff3218e1 in tangled clusters, and 98cd9bbd77 thick cobwebs stretched between 530247563a the stones, coated in 4a8be0702f layers of dust.3ea9d33ccc13cb61
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At a aa45d7e8e6 glance, it 697926f0d8 was obvious—this 3e3ab23a41 was no 283abd4fe4 place fit 42cef17380 for a 80194d1b45 human to 6a239a5c78 live.
I took several deep breaths, tried to calm myself, but the uneasiness wouldn’t go away.643055103ac91009
Even though I 9b8dcec895 had expected this, 39bdb68ba6 the state of 4c95f8da4e the tower was ecf3dc5e1e far worse than edae0a180f I had imagined. I hesitated, 3610f31b9b unable to 878630ad94 bring myself 263e883541 to enter.17380b1db404e951
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However, I couldn’t just stand there forever.564e995ee490cb89
In the wagon 54e5f78a89 I was leading, f256f80d5e there was a b7cf7199af meal prepared for b66d3f704e the deposed Crown ee59fd7913 Prince, Aiden Hartvin.eeaeb24b0383333c
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Even though it 9c289e1aee was just two a773b633bf pieces of dry a8492ed26d bread, a salad 6de3f87809 made from wilting 985a575ac7 vegetables, and some a063402d26 thin stew, it 8eb4abb2e3 was still the 8dd885fa1c food that would 8d98820f2c sustain his life.f7909dd75cd85648
“You can do this. Let’s go.”170355ff391c6e39
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Muttering a small 6d1dcba5bf encouragement to myself, 2a3b3d650d I started walking edde926055 forward.
The inside of 13276e0117 the tower was fb88039fb1 in even worse cd4fa102a6 condition than the 19eb5fbd4c outside.a7dcb06d76da9290
As soon b71d6b3446 as I f937f99eb5 stepped inside, 96df32a089 a musty f499ca4b27 smell of 8a886e72f6 mold filled cb0a473409 my nose.
I wrinkled my 979ed4a926 nose and covered 0b8aaed9ef it with my 3de4a293a3 hand.a8505871e8e9bf7f
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The damp, unmaintained interior 263a6cdb74 was layered with dust. The sconces 3113f690f5 that once 35a0739cd5 held torches abd727a815 had long e6a67abde5 since rotted 7a01ceaefa away, leaving 3e33ef0a7c only blackened, 959db69729 crumbling fragments.900d2861a9066e23
As I looked eaaac2bc8f around the bleak 009bfd4cb7 and gloomy tower, 09a7cab2dd I wondered if 372019dd35 it was even d034354c86 safe to eat 0835978a7c in such a 4ce31fe1dc place?e0026c20be592131
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More importantly, 2cf2033585 how could 9a6aaa5067 an eight-year-old 4b7605f53d child live 4f83827065 here?4ea2657ae6c83540
The thought alone 9388dc1b02 made my head d2efea4f7e spin.
Still, I was better 965d975853 off than the Crown d084422c79 Prince.8322ca3bab40565b
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At least I 675abd3879 could leave this 716ddb8880 tower whenever I 9765c0b2f2 wanted.76443eaf7252a8f0
But he couldn’t.1e1144d5a802e0da
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The deposed Crown Prince couldn’t leave the tower without the Emperor’s permission.37020dff04ee2794
The most he could do was walk around the tower’s garden.78e40457507cb85f
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But even the garden was unkempt, so it didn’t really matter.
Pitiful.28e12b359f9c7037
If he 4097bb874c stayed here eb9086d007 too long, ffc461b911 he’d surely 976637eede fall ill.81e815f0cc1da12d
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…Or worse, 3e0896a49a die young d6f37640be from disease.
But dwelling on it 286cd4f282 wouldn’t change anything. However, I 24fbe45e63 couldn’t just 7be17ecf7c stand here f173a74a99 forever idly.a6739b23ee5d732a
Uncovering my nose, 87a0107cec I started breathing 2f2758e54a through my mouth.d821a392d1694108
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It didn’t help much, but at least it kept the moldy smell from overwhelming my nose.1fafa63019b73d48
Then, picking up the 3e9c7e0b65 tray from the wagon, a96b344e70 I slowly climbed the bead33673f stairs.
With each edfb20067f step, a a011c29666 fine layer c39abe3dbe of dust cf1996da09 stirred into dc792a422a the air.25774fc13591a97c
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The musty dust made d59833ea27 my mouth feel dry. I had 944044b2ca never wanted 1d71eb65a8 a mask 66b934831b more than cd4d9ba448 I did 99ea4f5471 today.3b81ce65b044de0b
It seemed I couldn’t go on like this
.
“Sylph.”ef272020ee059309
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As I called 3863437747 softly, a translucent c02a40cb2d fairy appeared in 5d8e74e4d6 the air.234e5bd821032e48
It was 88614c4842 Sylph, a f762adf2af low-level spirit 59d1234a51 of the 5ed05e71e6 wind.fa92aaa992235af0
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Delighted to be summoned 88b4942774 after so long, Sylph b8d9aee6ad twirled around my face, 4a1aa8d824 beaming.
I smiled at 44fc09d241 the sight of b0fa9752ee Sylph finding a58a003143 her endearing.6fa2da869bc533d2
“Could you purify the air around here?”95a27e7e25f7dfb6
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At my ab6260324e request, she 568de4c1cc nodded and 428bb006eb closed her e85c4ed8a3 eyes.c1c926e1dbd50d94
I felt a pull 22588f8b11 on my mana, and 33e0e263d3 soon the air became eb7faced5a fresh.962be151ac459eb3
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The musty smell of 92202d0ef6 mold and the dry 83f523e5b4 dust vanished.21a89d80969b8eb6
It was e29b3e0382 only a 5ef6bb3890 temporary solution, 51e1df2cd6 but for 4222832aff now, it 2af09a1262 was enough.03c0daf4308e1a06
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“Thank you. I’ll call you again next time, so you can go now.”4817715288938588
Sylph giggled, kissed 76481a0c95 my cheek, and f49e2bf225 disappeared.cb0fedd7006a1f83
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I had broken my 4df9db407e vow not to use da2c4548a7 my powers in the ee067ff3b4 palace.ccb722c7ed7ae7b0
I had been a59167044b trying not to 7c80508283 use my power 0e50b6aace to avoid attracting eb2dbffac0 attention, but in 4ac79fb3ea this place, there 1e232befae was no choice.b139b3e4985e6562
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Staying here a4ada50478 without any 247f309e1b protection would 793521b281 be dangerous.9ede809423fd960a
Would the deposed 1ffd836a93 Crown Prince even daea0c30cf eat the meal e7114d1370 I brought?06ea3254e3502395
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I tilted a688846334 my head, eb907a6bec thinking about 06162f7bf9 the food 9b54e38d7b under the 3464c4c327 tray cover.a4b9ce1d38f9e46f
A child who baf9cb4d11 had once lived 7fea845a7f in luxury had 1f5a9e0813 now witnessed his 5101a2ef82 mother’s execution and 4699ed67e3 was imprisoned in 44ededcc2b a desolate tower.93b499b7df2b5d4c
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I wondered if 9ddce08a17 he could endure 9767bc756e such suffering.4ffdf108631d0abf
If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to bear it…0cd901510d028225
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The more I f6252592c0 thought about it, 832e0bf2dc the more my 7707ee1d47 empathy and concern 9bd12facb7 grew.ad76e8c8d1c2f06e
Reaching the 1c14c152b6 top floor, a2e984de70 I found 3b84df91dc a wooden 7fda26c330 door.
Knock, knock.0ca65fa3018feb4d
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Supporting the bb4541ec1e tray with f22a8fb840 one hand, 2c95039207 I knocked ea027a6a5a on the 3c90703403 door with 958c4616e2 the other.da7f406704842d27
“Excuse me, Your Highness. I’ve brought your meal.”f00bf4f6c198e5b5
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But there was no c93f530918 response from inside.
I knocked again, 9f85c7fe9b but the result f757ad0325 was the same.62d1378d09e885ce
He probably had 6356b8c79c no appetite.
Just as cf749c530c I turned 812947456b to leave, ecf7975a04 a terrible 7c28b206c5 feeling struck ffcd7551b2 me.844c9f8cbeb9c2f9
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A chill c8cd11f666 ran down de77549c3c my spine.4551f05fdd0d3218
Instinctively, I set 71e5356c1c the tray down a1426c7934 and flung open 2f62d9161b the door.4f8e742b8521ce5a
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It was a rude action that went against the etiquette I’d been taught for over ten years, but there was no time to worry about such trivialities.fc61d8e1319f9420
Beyond the roughly 4e22979cbb opened door, I 66779d236c saw a small 63f46d3a77 figure.3d32c87dac783920
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The child perched precariously on the window sill looked at me with a startled expression, as if he hadn’t expected anyone to come in.82759ebafc51036c
“Ah…”855e0b8bbb212a6a
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Just as my 6e6063bc10 eyes met his, 3786996e66 his small body bc48ad0eef tilted forward—toward the 925458fd10 empty air beyond c3c14d5445 the window.7249d76758c4b4f5
“No!”8069fc89c7a4ffe2
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