Chapter 133
***
Karzen acted with common sense. After sending his courtiers to the Princess’s palace, he went to the main palace to meet with the people. Four days to go until the national wedding. In the meantime, the banquet never ended.
Karzen sat at the head of the table, overlooking the great hall with its chandeliered light. The seat next to him was empty without Raha. Jamela could not sit there yet, for she would not be Empress for another four days.
Higher-ranking nobles and royalty from wealthy countries spoke softly to her as she approached. A few spoke of Raha's rise, but they were few and far between.
Most were busy blessing Karzen's marriage or talking about the glory of the future. Perhaps they'd start talking about giving him a concubine.
Karzen drank the champagne the chamberlain handed him. He rarely drank in private, but this much was acceptable in public, and today he was not in the mood.
He was thinking of a new palace for Raha, one that would keep her completely locked away and hidden....... In the innermost reaches of the palace, there were a number of abandoned palaces and towers that were not well-traveled by human feet.
"Your Majesty."
The chamberlain approached, informing Karzen that the former emperor had requested an audience. Karzen's face was not the least bit impressed as he listened.
"Look at these people, who have been holding their breath for their lives, coming to the palace, claiming to be royalty, and asking for an audience. Their eyes, too, are the same plain ash color.”
So much so that Karzen often thought there was no distinction between them and himself. Historically, all Delo emperors had been distinguishable from the multitude of royalty.
He wondered what it mattered. The Emperor's life was coming to an end. Karzen was going to kill all of the Emperor's other children. He would play the honor guard and comfort the emperor's soul. Karzen gave his chamberlain orders.
"You will go to the Princess’s palace and see how Raha is doing. She is my only twin, and she should be in good health for the wedding."
* * *
"Princess, are you awake?"
Rahar awoke and was relieved to see the faces of her maids. Two days had passed since the fall. Raha had been very nervous those two days. It wasn't until she realized she could see properly that she was able to breathe straight.
Inevitably, for two days, Raha didn't even close her eyes. Her eyes were red from the warm steam, and as she gently rubbed her stinging eyes, the maids dressed her in a soft robe. Raha pulled open the gaping front and asked,
"What about the royal lord?"
"Shall I send someone?"
“No. I'll go."
Her sprained ankle was almost healed. Raha exhaled slowly, realizing she looked more impatient than usual.
After a while.
Raha entered the Shed's sleeping quarters. The first person to recognize her was Branden. Branden stomped his feet as he hurried to meet her.
"Princess, is your ankle okay? Can you come out here like this?"
"If anyone saw me, they'd think I was a corpse, I'm fine."
"You'd better sit down, though. The parlor....... No."
Branden caught a glimpse of the hem of Raha's robe beneath the thin cloak she wore, and he immediately coughed.
"The lord’s palace is all yours, of course. I'll escort you this way because there are other nobles in the parlor, and I don't think you'll feel comfortable."
"Were there many nobles requesting a meeting?"
"Fewer today, but many throughout the day."
"The lord didn't even tell me he was busy."
"Actually, he wasn’t that busy, because he didn't see everyone."
Branden led Raha to Shed’s bedroom. It might seem odd at first, but Branden’s demeanor was so casual that Raha didn't think much of it.
"Should I go in?"
"Go ahead."
"Do you want me to send a maid or something?"
"No need."
"I'll step away."
Raha dismissed Branden. She unwrapped the cloak her maids had dressed her in and set it on the table. She exchanged her shoes for fluffy slippers and walked to the bed. It was actually the first time she'd been in Shed’s bedroom....... It was her first time here.
It was cold in the bedroom. It didn't feel like anyone had been there long. That was to be expected. Shed spent most of his time in her bedroom.
"Raha?"
For a moment, she felt her heart sink gently. Raha, who was sitting on the bed, looked up. More than the thought of hugging Shed, more than the thought of moving her legs to run to him.......
It was faster for him to pull her into his arms. Shed’s body felt hotter than usual, Raha thought, and then she realized that her hands were very cold.
Each time Shed’s body heat was transferred to her cold hands, Raha was overwhelmed. It was similar to the tingling sensation you get when you dip your hand in warm water after holding ice for a while.
Raha lifted her body slightly from Shed’s embrace. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, but more than anything else, she wanted to kiss him. The sudden press of her lips didn't faze him in the slightest.
He'd panicked when he'd first been a test subject, but he'd adapted to everything so quickly it was ridiculous. Raha's arms wrapped around Shed’s head, his arms tightening around her waist. They entwined like two snakes without ends.
Why was it that she's always the one who felt overwhelmed when she's the one who kissed him first? Only when she felt like she's melting somewhere in her body did Raha slowly push him away.
Then she blinked slowly. Was it her mood? The color of Shed's eyes was different than usual. Not the blue-gray eyes that seemed to be a mix of hers and Karzen's.......
* * *
Lescis glanced at his desk, a cluttered mess of experiments and records. If only he had years to work with, he could fix everything and still keep the Princess’s sight, as Karzen had first wanted.
It wouldn't have mattered much. By now, the Princess would be blinking incessantly. Except she wouldn't know it. She wouldn’t notice at all. She's only temporarily losing her vision when she's asleep.
Who in the world could tell if they were blind or not while they were asleep?
"His Majesty has given his permission. Lescis."
At Duke Blake's words, Lescis hastily pulled on his cloak. Late at night. Duke Blake and Lescis headed for the palace grounds.
A patronage where the insignia stood. A stele that held up the sky. The place was still the same. A field at night, where beautiful flashes of light floated through the air like living fish, and even with their eyes open, they felt like they were dreaming.
By law, the entry and exit records of this patronage were strictly controlled. It was also mandatory to open the register to the wise men. But this was the emperor's conjugal period.
The strict record checks would not be made available to the wise men until after the marriage. It was not for nothing that the day of the blinding of the princess was scheduled around the time of her marriage. The wide men wouldn’t be thrilled that a wizard had gained this patronage.
It was enough to say that the emperor, Karzen, had given the order. Being the wise men they were, they would investigate the patronage, but it would make no difference. In fact, right now, Lescis hadn't come to do anything to the patronage.
He had come to check the markings on the insignia. It was still intact. It was perfect, without a single chip.
He had heard that Severo Crassus had once cracked it during a trap, and that it had been repaired with the help of the Wise men. Lescis poured in the reagent he had prepared. He waited anxiously for a moment.
The tombstone was still there. Nothing had changed, Lescis was suddenly relieved. He had heard from Karzen that even if the insignia was fatally cracked, only those with the Eye of the heir would be able to see it. He wondered if that was the case.
After wiping the reagents clean, thoroughly and completely removing any trace of the mark, Lescis spoke.
"Let's go back."
Lescis, never one for socializing, quickly gathered up his reagents and walked out. He didn't know Blake Duke, and the closest he'd ever been with was the dead Severo. He didn't have much of a relationship with Lescis.
Blake followed Lescis as he strode toward the entrance. The patronage quieted down. Silent flickers of light, still flying over the patronage like dandelion seeds.
Crack. A shattered piece rolled across the floor from the bottom of the insignia. Little did anyone know that this headstone had a very large crack in it. Not even the wise men who had just repaired it themselves.
"Princess. I'm sorry, but could you please check this part, because the original markings are only intact for those who possess the Eye of the heir......."
"There is a crack in it, but it's not a big one, just a tiny one."
Raha Delharsa, one of the few people who could see it, lied without blinking. The markings she saw in her eyes were not what others saw: every part of the massive insignia was completely cracked, like a crumbling wall.
***
To donate for extra chapters for my series or to tip me visit my personal kofi page
Join my discord to get notifications for updates https://discord.gg/MKWnASzDFB
(If the link is expired please message me for a new link)
Write a comment