PG | Chapter 20: A Humiliating Situation

“Let’s see.”

Iphis murmured to herself, a smile playing on her lips. The room brightened as soon as she entered, without her having to lift a finger. It was the power of the mana stones.

Mana stones, to the untrained eye, looked like ordinary jewels. But their function was vastly different.

Mana stones could emit a certain amount of magical power on their own and also serve as vessels to store specific energies.

Hundreds of small glass domes lined the walls of the secret room, each containing a mana stone. These were Iphis’s precious treasures, collected over many years.

Iphis, her eyes filled with affection as she examined the mana stone collection, stopped before a large glass dome in the center of the room.

Inside the dome, as tall as a person, rested a fist-sized mana stone, emitting a soft, yellow glow.

“So beautiful.”

Iphis smiled with satisfaction, tracing the glass dome with her fingertips. She longed to touch the mana stone directly, but she couldn’t. Not yet. It wasn’t complete.

But the wait wouldn’t be much longer. Aloissia was diligently working on it.

“Just wait a little longer.”

Iphis whispered affectionately to the mana stone and gently pressed her cheek against the dome.

As if trying to absorb its energy.

* * * 

“Ouch…!”

Aloissia winced at the sudden, sharp pain.

It had only been last week since she received Cassius’s guiding. She had fainted at the temple and been brought back with his help.

That’s what she assumed, anyway.

She hadn’t seen Cassius since then.

‘He must be busy.’

Aloissia sighed regretfully, then frowned again. The pain, which had subsided after Cassius’s purification, had returned.

“Where’s the medicine?”

Aloissia murmured, opening the drawer of her nightstand. She found the painkillers without difficulty.

She had bribed the Imperial physician for them earlier. She took out the clear glass bottle, the yellow pills rattling inside.

“Stop.”

A hand stopped her just as she was about to take the pills.

“Do you even know what that is?”

Cassius, dressed in Beduan formal attire, asked, his eyebrows furrowed. He looked different from when she first saw him in the audience chamber.

Aloissia blinked, surprised and intrigued, as she looked at his appearance. He wore a finely embroidered headband, and a luxurious black fur cloak draped over his broad shoulders.

“Where are you going?”

“Answer my question first. What kind of medicine is this?”

“Just a painkiller.”

“It doesn’t look ‘just’ a painkiller to me.”

Cassius snatched the bottle from Aloissia’s hand and snapped his fingers. A clear ringing sound echoed, and before it faded, a gust of wind swept through the room, and Basan appeared, kneeling before them.

‘Where did he come from?’

Aloissia stared at Basan in surprise. First Cassius, and now Basan. The Beduan seemed to have a knack for concealing their presence.

“You called?”

“Bring me some painkillers.”

“Yes, sir.”

Basan replied and vanished, then reappeared just as quickly. He presented a small sachet to Cassius and disappeared again.

“This is traditional Beduan medicine. Take this instead. It’s quite potent, so take it in small doses.”

“…Thank you.”

Aloissia stared at the sachet Cassius offered. Seeing her hesitate, he sighed and took out a pill from the sachet.

“I can take it myself.”

“Sure you can.”

Cassius said indifferently and placed the pill in Aloissia’s mouth.

“Chew it thoroughly.”

Aloissia took the pill as instructed and smiled. He had said it was fast-acting, and indeed, she could already feel its effects spreading through her body as she swallowed.

“So, where are you going?”

Aloissia asked, noticing the large gold ornament attached to Cassius’s fur cloak. It was a casual question, intended as polite small talk.

But Cassius, who had been waiting for her to finish taking the medicine, reacted strangely.

“Where am I going?”

Cassius scoffed, as if she had asked the most absurd question. He rubbed his temples and glanced at her attire.

Since she had no official engagements today, she was wearing a simple muslin dress, the kind of comfortable clothing nobles usually wore at home before bed.

“Don’t tell me…”

Cassius narrowed his eyes sharply. He slowly stroked his chin and asked,

“You weren’t invited?”

Aloissia lowered her gaze at his question, forcing her voice to sound casual.

“Is there some kind of event?”

“…”

Cassius remained silent instead of answering. Aloissia chuckled dryly at his reaction.

‘This isn’t the first time this thing happened.’

Although she was a member of the royal family, she wasn’t treated as such. Being excluded from Imperial events was commonplace. She wasn’t usually bothered by it.

But now, having been exposed by Cassius, she felt deeply ashamed of her situation.

“I… said I wasn’t feeling well, so I wouldn’t attend. I must have forgotten.”

Aloissia said awkwardly, forcing a smile. But Cassius simply stared at her without saying anything.

After a long silence, he spoke, a bitter smile on his lips.

“Do you even know what the event is?”

“Well…”

“There’s a limit to ingratitude. Are they just using you?”

Cassius muttered softly. He glanced around the room, then asked,

“Where are your maids? The ones who help you dress?”

“…”

She didn’t have any maids. Aloissia couldn’t bring herself to say it and fidgeted with her fingers. Cassius clicked his tongue at her reaction.

“I shouldn’t have asked.”

After finishing his words, Cassius walked towards the balcony and threw open the large windows. He whistled towards it.

Whistle–

A clear whistle echoed through the gardens of the Crown Princess’s Palace, and something dropped down from above with a whoosh.

“You called?”

What seemed like an object was actually a person. A woman with short purple hair, dressed in tight-fitting pants and a dagger strapped to her thigh. She knelt on one knee on the balcony, her gray eyes shining.

“Rolan Stephan, awaiting your command, my lord!”

“Rolan. Have you ever dressed anyone?”

Cassius asked, gesturing towards Aloissia with his chin. Rolan blinked her round eyes. She looked at Aloissia, then smiled brightly.

“No!”

“Then you’re useless. Begone.”

“But Rolan loves playing with dolls! The Crown Princess is even prettier than a doll, so I’m sure I can dress her beautifully! Please, trust me!”

Cassius looked at Aloissia after Rolan’s enthusiastic declaration. He looked at her questioningly as if asking for her opinion, and Rolan clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture.

“Please, please, my lord? Pretty please?”

“The decision is up to Her Highness.”

“Then please, please, Your Highness? Pretty please?”

“Pfft…”

Aloissia chuckled at the sight of Rolan’s earnest plea and her sparkling eyes. Cassius’s eyes widened as she smiled brightly. He stared at her, his mouth slightly open.

Cassius, who had been staring at her face for a long time, soon cleared his throat.

“Alright, Rolan. You can do it.”

“Yes! Just leave it to me!”

Rolan said cheerfully and did a somersault.

As she entered the bedroom, Cassius turned and walked towards the door.

* * *

“Ta-da!”

A short while later, Rolan presented Aloissia to Cassius, who was waiting outside. He stared at her intently, his face previously bored, now with a serious expression. Aloissia felt a pang of anxiety under his sharp gaze.

‘Why does he keep staring at me like that?’

Is there something wrong?

She fidgeted with her dress. Thanks to Rolan’s help, she was wearing a gorgeous dress for a change.

The light pink dress, which complemented her fair skin, had intricate ribbons tied on the back, something she would never have been able to put on by herself.

Her hair, which she usually just tied up or left loose, was now neatly braided and put up. Rolan had even adorned it with a diamond hairpin she hadn’t known she owned.

Rolan, who loved playing with dolls, had truly transformed her into one. Only Aloissia herself seemed unaware of it.

“…Do I look bad?”

Aloissia asked cautiously.