NOVEL NEXT Chapter 148
Chapter 148. Siblings
…I was dreaming.
A little lonely, but fulfilled. It was a dream from a time that was probably distorted in some way, yet happy.
“…Don’t worry, Liliana.”
I remember the voice of my brother, First Prince Herc.
“Certainly, with Aster here, the royal family will be fine from now on. …But that doesn’t mean everything else should just be discarded. That’s not how it should be.”
With a hint of darkness yet filled with care, Herc gently placed a hand on Liliana’s head and reassured her.
“There’s no such thing as not having a reason to be here. Both you and I have a place here. So don’t worry. Even if it’s decided you’ll be disinherited in the future… I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you.”
“Why not just come to my place, Lili?”
I remember the words of my sister, the Second Princess.
“The ‘Church’ is harsh toward those with no aptitude. And I can’t say how Mother will react… but we’re family. Surely, they wouldn’t oppress you.”
Though a bit short-tempered, my sister was kind. She hugged Liliana lightly, hesitantly, and spoke.
“Aster probably dislikes you. But… letting everything go that child’s way isn’t right. So… I’ll be there.”
Yes, in those days, certainly. There was time with my gentle siblings, time with family—
And then, I dreamt of that scene shattering. By the time Liliana realized it was one of her rare prophetic dreams, everything had already ended.
“…Ha…ha…”
In her nightgown, Liliana ran outside the palace.
The moment she woke up, she understood. There was a commotion outside her room. She heard ominous clanking armor echoing from all around. An intense magical presence emanated from the direction of the king’s office.
The final blow: Peeking through the door crack, she saw one of the soldiers—a private soldier of the First Prince, whom she recognized—look at her, his gaze filled entirely with hostility. That’s when she realized everything.
“Why… No, this… this can’t be happening!”
She muttered her denial like delirium, but she already knew there was no convincing herself otherwise. After all, she was running desperately out of the palace because she understood what was happening.
──And she couldn’t ignore the numerous magical forces relentlessly pursuing her.
“What’s going on…? Someone…!”
Still confused, Liliana cried out. Her magical abilities were extremely refined, and her body maneuvering skills through magic were extraordinary even among mages. It would be not easy to catch her if she focused solely on escaping, as proven by her past interactions with her tutors.
…However, that was only in one-on-one situations.
The number of people chasing Liliana was not just a few or a dozen—it was approaching a hundred pursuers. If they coordinated to trap her, it would be physically impossible to escape with mere physical abilities. Thus—
──”Oh my, were you not skilled at ‘hide-and-seek,’ Liliana-sama?”
Cornered in a dead-end alley in no time. The one who stepped forward was a man who appeared to be the leader of the soldiers.
He had deep-set features and wore garish clothing. His sadistic smile deepened her despair.
Yet still, clinging to a sliver of hope, Liliana asked.
“What… are you planning to do?”
“Can’t you guess?”
“There’s no way I could…!”
Liliana held herself up, defiantly facing the man’s sneering gaze.
“You’ve seen him, haven’t you? The new captain who started coming to see Herc recently. What’s his business here? What happened in the palace? What did my brother… do?!”
“For you to understand that much and still claim not to know? Quite amusing.”
The soldier captain spoke, fully understanding Liliana’s feelings. He knew it would plunge her into despair and, with finality, declared:
“──Prince Herc has seized the throne. And now, to secure his newly acquired throne, he’s begun eliminating those who might oppose him. Starting with you.”
Liliana’s eyes widened in shock, even though she had half-expected it.
“No way… My brother would never…!”
“Oh my, what do you even know about Prince Herc?”
“At the very least, I know him better than you do!”
Liliana defended her crumbling heart with desperate words.
“My brother… my brother is…! He’s kind and responsible. He treated me, someone without any aptitude, with warmth and respect. He’s a compassionate person. My brother would never—!”
“──See? You really don’t understand, do you?”
But the soldier captain dismissively scoffed, amused.
“‘Compassionate’? That prince would never have such capacity.”
“Wha—”
“Let me enlighten you. Prince Herc treated you so well simply out of… an inferiority complex!”
The soldier captain mercilessly sneered, even toward his own supposed master.
“The poor prince, who couldn’t surpass the Second Prince in anything, was forced into a reserve role despite being the eldest! It must have been miserable, unbearable. So, he sought it in you, an unfit, unworthy princess—someone less likely to become king than himself, to be his emotional plaything!”
“St-stop—”
“‘Someone more pitiful than himself.’ That’s all Prince Herc wanted from you. And now that he’s aiming for the throne, you’re nothing but a hindrance. He has no hesitation in discarding you. After all, he never held any affection for you to begin with!”
His forceful words hit her with brutal honesty. Liliana stood speechless, her horror amusing the man.
“Captain, it’s about time—”
“Oh, come on. Aren’t the Trakia family’s reinforcements delayed? Breaking the princess’s spirit here would make things easier later.”
Half-amused, half-practical, the captain continued after dismissing his subordinate’s suggestion.
“Frankly, Liliana-sama, I dislike you.”
“Wha—”
“You’ve lived such a cushy life, haven’t you? Though you’re just trash without magical powers, you’re surrounded by servants and adored by your siblings! The lot of you, playing house with Aster’s certain ascension to the throne, indulging each other’s wounds—I could vomit.”
Now, he could finally speak his mind, free from restraint, and no one stood to stop him.
“And, as for Lord Aster, he was much too self-centered as a ruler! His downfall left only those unworthy of the throne—like you lot! Don’t you see? The royal family is doomed to fail in your generation!”
Finally, the soldier captain let out a mocking laugh and proclaimed loudly.
“Then we shall take this kingdom! We’ll rid it of the pathetic royal family that clung to tradition!”
“──”
“Ah, at last. Finally, we’ll receive the recognition we deserve! We’ll show those who looked down on us that they were the true fools! So, Princess, if you understand, just—”
“Spell Reenactment──[Mistle Teinn].”
In an instant, from afar— A lone boy shot forward like a meteor, closing the distance in an instant with a divine-speed composite spell.
“Wha—?!”
With impact, the boy kicked the captain’s face.
The captain flew back, and the surrounding soldiers immediately stirred. Taking in their stares, the boy spoke in a flat tone.
“…Apologies. I couldn’t quite hear what you were saying, but my disciple’s safety is my priority.”
“──Master…”
Liliana looked at the boy, Hermes, in shock. Ignoring the soldiers around them, he knelt before her.
“My apologies for the delay, Lily-sama. …It took a few minutes to break through the relentless reinforcements.”
With a solemn expression bearing relief and overwhelming anger, he continued.
“I understand the situation. There are things you’d like to say, but they can wait. First──we’ll take them all down. Just a little longer—please wait here until we escape.”