Chapter 5 – The Palace Garden and the Witch’s Ruins
“Well, well, Princess! Your homeland may have an ancient history, but this empire is no slouch either! Why, this very palace was built two hundred years ago!!”
After breakfast, Sigmund kept his promise and gave me a tour of the palace garden. He seemed incredibly proud of every single place he showed me.
According to Sigmund, the Empress two hundred years ago was a Witch, and this palace was built for her. He looked so proud and boyish that I decided it would be cruel to disappoint him. I kept quiet about the fact that my own homeland, the Sapphraine Holy Kingdom, has a history of three thousand years.
“There are many ancient ruins left on this continent, and one of them is right beneath this palace.”
“Oh, really?”
“That’s right!” he said, his expression full of pride. “These ancient ruins are always in places of power, so we build our most important structures on top of them.”
My island homeland didn’t have a single ancient ruin, so I listened with great interest. Sigmund puffed out his chest, bragging.
“The ancient ruins are the home of the Witches. Since the Witch’s race is the ‘First Race,’ they built these ruins long ago and lived in them.”
“So the Witches lived underground?”
“No, the ruins were originally on the surface. But when the Witches vanished, all the ruins sank underground.”
“I had no idea that could happen.”
So, the ruins existed for the Witches, and when their purpose was finished, they sank underground.
“The ruins sank, so no one can live in them. But, since it was a nostalgic place for the Witch, the Emperor two hundred years ago built this palace on top of the ruins for his Empress.”
The story was that the ruins sank when the Witches had already died out. Yet, if there was a Witch here two hundred years ago, it must mean a new Witch had been ‘revived.’ But now, they are gone once again. The Witch from two hundred years ago must not have been able to increase their numbers. It must be incredibly difficult for a race that has gone extinct to repopulate.
“They say the Empress two hundred years ago could come and go from the ruins freely. This garden has the entrance to those ruins, the Witch’s fields, and even a forest where her former pets live. All of these places are forbidden. You can’t enter unless you are with His Majesty the Emperor or one of us, the heads of the Eight Holy Ducal Houses.”
I see. So the palace garden is full of important sites related to the Witch. They must have made the rule to keep people from disturbing these sacred places.
“So these places are so precious that you’re only allowed to enter if you have a certain level of authority.”
He nodded, confirming my guess. “We try to maintain all Witch-related sites exactly as they were back then, with as little interference as possible. We can’t just let any ill-intentioned person in.”
Curiosity got the better of me, and I asked Sigmund, “Where is the entrance to these ruins? Of course, I won’t go in, but surely it’s okay to just look from a distance?”
Sigmund looked flustered and scratched his head. “Princess, you were sent here as a sign of peace! We can’t have you dying on us! You absolutely must not enter the ruins. They’re full of danger. A frail human would be done for in an instant.”
“What? There are dangerous creatures in the ruins?”
Even if it was the Witch’s home long ago, I assumed after all this time it would just be an abandoned shell. But it seems something has taken up residence.
“Tons of ’em! The ruins are the Witch’s home, so they’re filled with all of the Witch’s servants—her butler, her knights, her maids, her cook… They’re all dangerous creatures, and they’ll do whatever it takes to stop anyone but the Witch from getting inside.”
“Wait, the Witch’s servants are still living in the ruins, even after she’s gone?”
They must be an incredibly loyal and long-lived race. “So, to the servants, anyone who isn’t the Witch is just a trespasser.”
“Exactly. And not just them. High-level monsters sneak into the ruins, too. One corner of the ruins is connected to a labyrinth where monsters spawn. They’re drawn in by the ‘delicious bait’ of the Witch’s servants. Of course, we’re bait to them too, so they’ll attack on sight. But they rarely ever come out of the ruins, so you’re not in any danger out here.”
“I see.”
The Sapphraine Holy Kingdom has several labyrinths of its own, so I understood how troublesome that could be. As I frowned, we arrived at the entrance to the ruins.
Before us stood a structure so tall I had to look up, surrounded by white marble columns. It was made from an abundance of high-quality marble, covered in delicate, intricate carvings. It must have been breathtakingly beautiful in its time, but after being exposed to the elements for so long, it was chipped and crumbling in many places.
Sigmund pointed to one part of the structure.
“That arch-shaped hole over there is the entrance. It leads to a gentle slope that goes down to the ancient ruins underground. There used to be other entrances, apparently, but this is the only one left.”
There were no ropes or barriers blocking the entrance. It was likely one of those places that everyone understood was forbidden, without needing to be told.
As I stared blankly at the entrance, I was startled when a soft, lukewarm breeze suddenly blew out from it. If the air was moving, it must not be a sealed space… Just as I was thinking that, a shadow fell over the entrance, and someone emerged from within.
“Hyaah!?”
I jumped back, terrified that one of the dangerous creatures had come out. But it wasn’t one of the Witch’s servants Sigmund had mentioned. It was an impossibly handsome man.
“E-Emperor Eckardt!?”
Faced with the peerless, black-haired, black-eyed beauty who had just emerged from the ancient ruins, I couldn’t help but call out his name. There was no way any other man could be that devastatingly good-looking.
I was stunned to see him coming out of the ruins, which were supposed to be so dangerous. He turned his face toward us.
“Sigmund. And my fiancée.”
It was the first time I had seen Emperor Eckardt in a week, but he immediately averted his gaze and began to walk away. I scrambled after him. I had learned over the past three weeks that the Emperor clearly disliked me. If I didn’t approach him myself, we would never become friends.
I already knew he viewed me with contempt as the relative of the man who had brought tragedy to one of his own. But every time he saw me, he would glance at my hair, as if to confirm it. It seemed that, more than anything else, he couldn’t forgive my pink hair. He worshipped the Witch so intensely, he couldn’t stand me (or so he believed) imitating her just to win favor with the beastmen.
“Your Majesty Eckardt! I’m so happy to see you, it’s been a whole week!”
“…Yeah.”
I spoke with a smile, but his reply was clipped. I was desperately trying to think of a topic that might interest him when I saw a trickle of blood run down his forehead.
“Eh!?”
It was hard to see, hidden by his hair, but he seemed to be injured on his forehead.
“Are you hurt?”
Hearing my words, Sigmund dashed over to the Emperor, looking frantic.
“That’s a nasty wound! Your Majesty, you knew the Witch’s servants see you as an enemy! You knew they’d track you down and attack if you went in! If you had just said something, I would have done the patrol!”
“It was just part of my walk.”
Faced with the Emperor’s flat reply, Sigmund bit his lip and shouted, “I’m fetching the court physician! Don’t move until I get back!”
The Emperor let out a tired sigh as he watched Sigmund’s retreating back. Seeing this, I quickly sat down on the ground and opened my arms.
“Your Majesty, you’re injured, you mustn’t move! Please, lie down here.”
The Emperor stared at me for a good ten seconds before asking, “…‘Here’ being… in your arms?”
“Yes, I’m softer than the ground! Please, just think of me as a cushion!”
“…You ask the impossible.”
Emperor Eckardt said that, but—perhaps because his injury was bothering him—he didn’t argue further and sat down beside me. However, instead of lying down with his head in my lap as I’d intended, he simply leaned against me while still sitting up.
The instant his body made contact, an incredible scent wafted from him. I was floored. He’s this handsome, and he smells this good, too? What is going on?
My heart started to pound, and as I flustered, the Emperor must have misunderstood. He began to pull away.
“Ah, my apologies. The sight of blood must be frightening for a sheltered princess.”
“No, I’m fine!”
In truth, I had spent ten years in the Knight Order. I had seen far worse than blood—I’d seen limbs blown off. But I omitted that explanation, figuring that a woman with such experiences wouldn’t be well-regarded.
“I wasn’t scared of the blood. I was just surprised because you smell so wonderful.”
When I answered honestly, Emperor Eckardt paused for several seconds, as if thinking.
“…I see. For beastmen, it is no exaggeration to say that scent determines compatibility. The fact that you find my scent pleasant means that you do not find my presence… unpleasant.”
Of course I don’t find him unpleasant. He’s impossibly handsome. Besides, it’s hard to truly dislike someone who cares so much about his kin. I thought this, but Emperor Eckardt closed his eyes, looking exhausted, so I held my tongue.
It seemed the Emperor was feeling terribly unwell. But as I looked at his forehead, the cut didn’s seem deep enough to cause this. I began to worry that his poor condition was from something other than the injury.
“Your Majesty, is there something wrong, besides the cut on your forehead?”
I asked timidly. The Emperor’s lips twisted, his eyes still closed.
“You truly have excellent powers of observation. My poor condition isn’t from the injury, it’s… mental. I revere the Witch, so I would never attack her servants. But they do not feel the same. They attack me without hesitation, and today, they wounded me. That fact… it makes me feel as though it is the Witch’s will that I be harmed. I am merely disheartened by this.”
In other words, he was depressed because he felt as though his beloved Witch had labeled him an enemy and hurt him. My, is the Emperor surprisingly sensitive? Or is he just this fragile when it comes to the Witch?
I took out my handkerchief and carefully wiped the blood from his forehead. As I did, the Emperor opened his eyes slightly and watched me. He didn’t say anything, but I felt as though he were thinking, ‘So you really aren’t afraid of blood.’ I felt like, just for a moment, his opinion of me had improved, even if only a little.
Just then, Sigmund returned, dragging the court physician with him. The poor physician was panting, completely out of breath, having clearly been forced to run.
Sigmund froze when he saw the Emperor leaning against me. He was clearly shocked to realize the Emperor was so weakened that he had no choice but to rely on me, the person he supposedly hated.
“Treat His Majesty’s wounds, immediately!”
The physician nodded at the agitated Sigmund and quickly began his work. The Emperor sat obediently through the treatment.
By the time the physician was finished, the Emperor seemed to be feeling better. He ignored the physician’s protests and stood up. He announced he was returning to his duties and started to leave, but after one step, he paused and looked back.
“Katia. Thank you for lending me your shoulder.”
It was the first time the Emperor had ever called me by my name.
I was so shocked, wondering what had brought this on, that I stammered.
“N-No… you’re welcome.”
He gave me a nod, then turned and walked away. I remained frozen, my eyes wide with shock, just staring at his retreating back.
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