Chapter 1 – IBYVM

The capital had a0138178aa been in turmoil 8da6138f99 for days.03cc779d029779ca

Just a few days 7e8b8b3cbc ago, the Imperial knights 6746cdda6e stormed into the Rose 0125ccae9c Palace, capturing the Empress e6b68c919f and imprisoning her in 510128ce54 the underground dungeon. This was the 4a399563c1 beginning of the b679ae4bea incident.e7caac2408022a24

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Surprisingly, it was the Emperor himself who ordered the Empress’s imprisonment.013ad9934d1ec73f

The charge e944e041b6 was treason.e13bf1fe47cecc1d

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It was 2303714545 an absurd 43ca1350ff accusation.1ead60575df329a2

Most people 9630501f47 who knew 9f14f3fc53 the Empress 94285201f9 were aware 093a2595ea that the 41f227d2e5 charge was 25d4dcb36d false.
The nobles 5f3b6ad3b3 who supported 9ab3b61067 her protested debea6e58a to the 8ae699c616 Emperor, but 25dc758f76 he remained bc385c6797 steadfast.bfa356acbe0d52cd

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Three days ago, the 4c1ca47d90 Empress was deposed, and e9660f6d38 yesterday, she was beheaded 3b69cf8ee5 in the public square.24d070469d82eca9

But that wasn’t all.cb8bd34db8c141fd

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The Crown Prince, the Empress’s legitimate son, was also deposed and confined to the abandoned tower in the capital.327f32e4477ad83b

It was an b5ef719f72 unprecedented action.9b64e6c54b2f2ae2

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The evidence 8e91c5e7f9 for the 7487f97332 treason was cecf9284b4 nothing more 1aeff8379a than a a2b5d0cc83 single piece c4d21b276a of paper 961664686e from an 96bc25176c unknown source 8ff66b5076 and the 19650be852 testimony of 8b0edf4a25 a single 22f71ced82 servant who 74f6d86622 claimed to c98bc67a39 be a bf66c7da23 witness.75cf4935994eee44

There was no ed73e56742 concrete proof of 187f881af2 the Empress’s involvement 00d9e027d1 in any rebellion.
Moreover, the 33b65e1623 Empress had ebc7d04703 no motive 08243f7c5f to commit 023635e330 treason.ce934e3e508048e0

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As the Emperor’s legitimate wife, she had a rightful heir, the Crown Prince.0e2822fdb8ef5a5b

In due 5ed9a03e33 time, either cb1699ce07 through the 429aae0e29 Emperor’s death 43db0fae97 or his 7be80cf4d9 abdication, the b9d8e2416e Crown Prince 042a3bfdfa would inevitably a94821dab6 ascend to aa10247dac the throne. The Emperor ea2e738152 had no 000a0f72a6 other children, 76e2410177 making this eb99c19a6a an almost 5df7abc264 guaranteed future.da876957db407eeb

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So, why bb8dbc7843 would the 3182a3d8c9 Empress conspire 92eeffab88 for a 2d27db8717 rebellion?c124c8450f5a17fd

What benefit would 2d59e95f38 she gain?62755d36c6558780

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No one believed the Emperor’s claim that the Empress plotted against him.e58360df3488bce7

Instead, they suspected 3763692788 that the Emperor 996e9e46fd used the accusation 8e09b66fd9 of treason as 98adfa4242 an excuse to 1c0a286d7e get rid of 1c1707fb0e her.39da6404137e2df8

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Perhaps he wanted 002aff6cd8 to elevate his aa3553bf47 favored concubine to c6aeca86bc the position of c6f69058c0 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.a085b54b629c2d19

Whatever the reason, the d970b8f03f Emperor declared that anyone 07a96fc104 who supported the deposed f5961b8bd4 Empress and Crown Prince 6636d81651 would share their fate.d01daee7a87212a1

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As a result, 7dcf79bc04 those who initially cd7c2f5d5e defended the Empress 773d44ea33 began to fall e09ee628f8 silent one by 60be66ef07 one, fearing for 03b5f70452 their own lives.722cd43bd6b000d8

The same was true 22e4aa0f49 for the people of d0827a24cb the capital who served cfa9280754 the Empress —now the 46cd14c80e deposed Empress.c06523784981b906

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In a world 43f60cdbd3 where the Empress 09f28e307c was executed, it b54ce8eeaf was no wonder 11c771623c the servants feared 11685fd112 meeting the same 09910dedc8 fate. They kept their mouths a350db7d22 shut, afraid of vanishing b3b149306d like dew on the ae5a173a19 execution ground.1f3ddc89eec0446b

And that included me, who had come to the capital under the patronage of the deposed Empress’s family, the Marquis of Delain.6b4126d9db6a3c33

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I was a 56c44617ca timid commoner.cff5c42ec78aabd8

Like anyone, I was 3830c646c3 terrified of dying.
My greatest 1ccde5084a wish was eb3cebe393 to live fd26ebe6bf peacefully and 8df58c94e3 die quietly d917b92e9d in my 6b9387f54d sleep when 9856f3ea13 I grew c7ce410485 old.80c4fdda694752d8

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Call me 68e5df211e cowardly if 776861bb67 you must, ffbd35be6b but there 50cbb7a03f was no a4a0b7c25c other choice. This was a time e2515254c9 to keep a low 82b80171c9 profile. As a mere e03e0fd87c palace maid, it bafadea5cf was the only 1775af8774 way to survive.
With the dbabfd3973 Empress gone, c9cec521e0 it was cc867094af unlikely for b62107f91f the maids cad673b086 who had d138652cde served her d1f18ee689 closely to 826972c73a keep their d26d1ae1ae positions.02ba2f0fa60590af

A major ccf24b3051 personnel reshuffle 3f6995f8f2 was planned c8bfe4be8b for the 6119fc03ff Rose Palace. Most of 20ec81cced the people 1fec2f4bfb who had 78e1dae5cc served the a4d3513d37 Empress would 8211e926ca be demoted 2b61b8eff8 or relegated e51f0930e6 to obscure b18a20da93 duties.
Especially for 6e829aea2c someone like 8c1017469f me, who 0226c20e65 was supported e17635df0b by the 6dd2a8742a deposed Empress, e010f8d555 surviving this 9baa3e6a34 reshuffle seemed 70c3183f97 unlikely.00ce3453bbb0e335

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However—e6037a76dbd58dfc

Fortunately, instead d31eeacef4 of being 3d014962d9 expelled from 513a4450c9 the palace, 60110510f5 I was b1654549ea assigned a 7837a7c920 new task.
I was 437b1063a1 appointed as b14c4f8c13 the maid 74f186f5b6 attending to b95bc9f0fe the deposed 618e5dbf99 Crown Prince, 8e7f008bd2 who was d4b6a7ee5f confined to 6965ddcded the abandoned 25f72bbac3 tower.d41183bfa0c01d79

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It was bbd478edc1 essentially a ce36bacfd6 demotion, but c5a3589427 I was dc30e49369 very satisfied.922616061d83e692

Staying in the fb0c3c6ca3 capital was better 32e30089a9 than being expelled.1a7063bce64c402b

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For someone like d9587d2d4b me with nowhere ccf3d0aca2 to go, this aaab4a9a7a was a satisfactory 59d1475c86 outcome.fcc080a9c9b4985b

After walking along the 3afa1807cf outer wall for a 9fb897fd5d long time, the tower 969e0479e0 where the deposed Crown acd6868848 Prince was confined came de65020993 into view.c4ee67861cb20a53

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I stopped in my 20aa9ac168 tracks, momentarily speechless at 957e32b8a1 the sight.29ef0b40ce9d57c1

The tower had 08c2fe6d6d clearly been abandoned 96fa393c60 for years.
Ivy climbed d501c446e8 its walls 0be150ee74 in tangled 150eceef96 clusters, and b2027e6f67 thick cobwebs b7730e8c39 stretched between be5078bbc0 the stones, 6c52f02612 coated in f45de3a211 layers of b423b189b4 dust.0559c14c3f314990

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At a 733838bc66 glance, it 720167d321 was obvious—this 85c7fc9cc5 was no b921889945 place fit 01152f8ae7 for a 365ef129c1 human to 051193056a live.
I took several deep breaths, tried to calm myself, but the uneasiness wouldn’t go away.20f426ef4a82be25

Even though I 59b8e97c21 had expected this, be5b95169b the state of 3e4e492a10 the tower was be2f44a6e6 far worse than 9a06f2a3a1 I had imagined. I hesitated, unable to 10f4e3d6fc bring myself to enter.8c6662f74743ec36

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However, I couldn’t just stand there forever.60fa1d85f8de00ab

In the wagon I cbad85de21 was leading, there was 7bf4333fca a meal prepared for ea500fbf5a the deposed Crown Prince, 22f2b22a8e Aiden Hartvin.e8a6f9e9ee2149cd

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Even though 97334468c5 it was f02d5839fe just two 76972228cc pieces of 5d41b3a17e dry bread, 009082fb82 a salad 37968f7251 made from 08ee6f21c4 wilting vegetables, edea20a0fd and some be2ce16ecd thin stew, c1c2fdd5ca it was 2ed6008e43 still the 99518afb8e food that f46f82ba3f would sustain 801a6c5c5a his life.b1dad13e6ab59c37

“You can do this. Let’s go.”69c1bc60b41b9617

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Muttering a small 59b3398d8f encouragement to myself, d4eb58c7e7 I started walking fc92a2b1db forward.
The inside ea02b381b6 of the 1254a3fe7b tower was 2df3df8019 in even cd9ef4d3f0 worse condition eb8e47f908 than the 319b8f5731 outside.f610fad72341d1f4

As soon as I 25b7ae80b4 stepped inside, a musty ae6db785cc smell of mold filled 45c81877ad my nose.
I wrinkled my nose f086d231ee and covered it with 9db419a663 my hand.692c1da06c05ff15

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The damp, unmaintained interior 37042bc3fd was layered with dust. The sconces that 918e5fd09d once held torches f7d3078dd5 had long since 40714e481f rotted away, leaving ae03846bcc only blackened, crumbling 2d0a774920 fragments.9ec66d53a0a9aca4

As I looked d3118e4a52 around the bleak df2f73a0e3 and gloomy tower, 1c1691f370 I wondered if d4afc7bfe5 it was even 1319699816 safe to eat a6b42c910a in such a 65270a7943 place?92605b86caa95dca

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More importantly, how 2f565923f3 could an eight-year-old 144c9144c4 child live here?1be23bfb7af9545c

The thought alone 87d1a215c3 made my head 8c4f44c1c5 spin.
Still, I was b3503b58dc better off than 476ba03993 the Crown Prince.b0366501d8a173b1

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At least I b13fd1e5c3 could leave this 591af24980 tower whenever I d885fc4117 wanted.79cb0b4f72ba65e2

But he couldn’t.b44c6a40a2c886e3

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The deposed Crown Prince couldn’t leave the tower without the Emperor’s permission.b91371bc593c19a5

The most he could do was walk around the tower’s garden.7d36692026d02938

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But even the garden was unkempt, so it didn’t really matter.
Pitiful.eb276098b3238b44

If he 334c736898 stayed here 347e7b4b37 too long, 3951d08ba8 he’d surely f8c725b96c fall ill.7168cbf5270dc543

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…Or worse, 81f1bb1228 die young 3b0c90bf79 from disease.
But dwelling on 2df3ab43da it wouldn’t change 01f5e28f81 anything. However, I couldn’t just 1eb5bea5ef stand here forever idly.133e900fb5702888

Uncovering my nose, I cf9bc7ced8 started breathing through my 4eb4741496 mouth.89640ca72630bd82

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It didn’t help much, but at least it kept the moldy smell from overwhelming my nose.6b96a2a4fe6bd066

Then, picking ec480c4a51 up the 8146a66275 tray from 56536d053d the wagon, ad9077b28a I slowly 9f6121c35d climbed the 4d6cc2a60b stairs.
With each step, 88c569be4c a fine layer 9f7bbaa6ea of dust stirred 1b1b516918 into the air.5d78494988e2f7e7

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The musty 876783a899 dust made 06e20bf17c my mouth 4fa18bf491 feel dry. I had never 4d764fbf8b wanted a mask 18095e5961 more than I 75a9facd9a did today.4c9857083b2f5672

It seemed I couldn’t go on like this
.
“Sylph.”f70b604ffefe7096

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As I called softly, 776d0616d5 a translucent fairy appeared b67f726ab5 in the air.37b0545fbefc65aa

It was Sylph, 0e4b52602d a low-level spirit 6c4e234369 of the wind.eafd24418d8a0ff6

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Delighted to be ad4173c80b summoned after so 708d5f1b5f long, Sylph twirled 9ac3e4189c around my face, 8958298d71 beaming.
I smiled at the bc1953442b sight of Sylph 568732b647 finding her endearing.cd97ccbf3da659cf

“Could you purify the air around here?”b0dc348453c0ca3e

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At my 8c6d47e7bd request, she a0f0e275b8 nodded and 9d75c30973 closed her 32d340cce4 eyes.9bb6b93b4e162ef6

I felt 2daaf3f349 a pull 05a76217d5 on my 94903c14c6 mana, and 3f452dd0a3 soon the 8838ddb7d8 air became b0369dfe7e fresh.a6a5962ddf8d8aee

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The musty smell 40a1e540ee of mold and 53c879bc79 the dry dust 32c0ab6952 vanished.f5447a6c7a02ef39

It was only a 678ff3feb8 temporary solution, but for 4a1a4620be now, it was enough.81a6a2f295be180a

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“Thank you. I’ll call you again next time, so you can go now.”8f133d99f853bca7

Sylph giggled, kissed my 1fc5c8d999 cheek, and disappeared.c6efa03466611f0e

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I had 3531727aab broken my 2b16eff511 vow not 2551baefc7 to use 93919f90d9 my powers 2bace6d220 in the cbcb5216c7 palace.68bd8f67d8ed57c2

I had d4abe4c234 been trying 451ab91d77 not to f3144e54bc use my 4d17071397 power to 77fa859e8f avoid attracting c94d9d2260 attention, but 855e512d7e in this 0925f7f6f1 place, there 7e2eb51f46 was no 7ed7c5805d choice.f5064c3101a22316

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Staying here 6bc453e091 without any bc31638de2 protection would f6dce99010 be dangerous.9b1f647d6e77ba2f

Would the df31a2b198 deposed Crown ebf37c8854 Prince even 0fa00d39df eat the eb32534e2e meal I 26432aba32 brought?f8068171b53fec79

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I tilted my head, 8bac95742e thinking about the food c10b0d8133 under the tray cover.35263ca39d3465e6

A child who had 09af1e5f87 once lived in luxury aa630c3d5b had now witnessed his 08735e5ddd mother’s execution and was 262ff2e4be imprisoned in a desolate f53d621d63 tower.d93a2ae677328150

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I wondered ed959c46a7 if he cbd9f93955 could endure 258d691afd such suffering.b4b138a30491932c

If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to bear it…1b628e3f3ba74f5e

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The more I thought a6bda155e6 about it, the more 4c072b6963 my empathy and concern 7ee180c168 grew.8ccd758531cd0c37

Reaching the top 5b3656398d floor, I found bd8300cf4f a wooden door.
Knock, knock.f7511068106bd04b

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Supporting the 14c36b4537 tray with c85f506196 one hand, 7bd5b16027 I knocked 49b9c95443 on the 0a5df9f58c door with 0babb566a2 the other.4e28e5763f1935d3

“Excuse me, Your Highness. I’ve brought your meal.”3269777abfe2018a

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But there was 4e5ebddb22 no response from 133379ec83 inside.
I knocked again, e49bdbae74 but the result 92c4e86208 was the same.0e5c9c6039196008

He probably had 1811365400 no appetite.
Just as 2333769982 I turned 41b0e092b7 to leave, 29dec76576 a terrible de9388e4e0 feeling struck f17db6cbd9 me.96a7f550511d487f

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A chill ran 988fb96e30 down my spine.016738e282f1309d

Instinctively, I ca9582a4d5 set the 0d3eb353ef tray down d2c74a4692 and flung 0e745b5d1d open the 3088655646 door.7f58fc4807dca733

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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.24f22f9c5c625f00

Beyond the roughly dde959b21c opened door, I e194ae8c78 saw a small 6874239369 figure.7a91a4e25f459117

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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.fc086cfda5dc695f

“Ah…”9c8b3a4ada8d92ac

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Just as my eyes fdc9c6b0a9 met his, his small 03cafe2003 body tilted forward—toward the 6d4c93bbb3 empty air beyond the ce8fbab415 window.8325a7c9bf15f196

“No!”0c2c4e64eb0c27f9

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