Chapter 9

Chapter 9

He forcibly lifted her head, making eye contact. His gaze dropped explicitly to Rosette’s red lips as he spoke.

“From now on, I expect you to prove yourself with actions, rather than with the princess’s red tongue.”

Fear seemed to constrict her entire body. The air in the room felt different, suffocating her. Rosette gave him a tiny nod and replied.

“Yes… Your Majesty.”

He released her, then vanished in an instant. Rosette sank onto the spot, her tension finally easing only after his footsteps receded. She hadn’t even exercised, yet her breath hitched, and her heart pounded.

“Ha… I won’t die a natural death at this rate.”

Could she truly endure each day on this thin ice? She might lose her head to him even sooner. Rosette continuously stroked her slender neck, the one she’d dreamt of him severing.

More than two weeks had passed since her arrival in the Kaysen Empire. Today marked Rosette’s first official outing; she was scheduled to inspect the Tristan Region with Theodore.

The Tristan Region was where the history of the Kaysen Empire began. Sacred due to its numerous historical relics, it was a frequent destination for Imperial citizens. Currently, its agriculture was highly developed, responsible for about thirty percent of the Empire’s wheat harvest.

Dairy farming and the wine industry also thrived there, making it one of the Kaysen Empire’s primary agricultural areas. Yet, recently, a distinctly different atmosphere hung over the place.

The reason was a prolonged drought. A year without rain had left many citizens starving and threatened even the region’s robust economy.

A significant region, holding the roots of the Empire. There, she would display her Supernatural Ability and earn Theodore’s trust. This was Rosette’s first objective, and she had no doubt it would all unfold smoothly.

She rode in a separate carriage from Theodore, admiring the scenery outside her window. Though it was her first time leaving her homeland to step onto foreign soil, her plight felt pitiful, confined to viewing the landscape only through the carriage window. To change Rosette’s circumstances, and furthermore, to alter her tragic future, she had no choice but to do her best at every moment.

How long had they traveled? She dozed off and woke repeatedly until, eventually, they reached their destination. Without even registering the changed scenery outside, Rosette stepped out of the carriage, immediately aghast at the sight before her. The Tristan Region was in an utterly dismal state, unfitting for an Empire reputed as the wealthiest on the continent.

Where a river should have flowed, only parched, cracked earth remained. The large lake held putrid, unusable water, emanating a foul stench. On top of that, the scorching sun beat down, creating an oppressive heat that made breathing difficult.

As they took in the shocking scene, a small group of high-ranking nobles, including the lord of the Tristan Region, approached Theodore and Rosette and paid their respects.

“We greet Your Most Esteemed Imperial Majesty. We shall escort you this way, Your Majesty.”

“Proceed.”

They headed towards the central altar, reporting to Theodore. The lord explained that the Tristan Region had not seen rain for an entire year. Due to the dried-up rivers and underground water, many farmers who depended on agriculture were suffering from famine, often starving to death from food shortages. Resources were critically scarce in a place that could only rely on imports.

They were barely surviving on goods supplied by the Imperial Palace and resources donated by nobles. The devastation he described was utterly wretched; most of the common folk, excluding the nobility, were emaciated, their bones protruding.

Even in her homeland, the Hersia Kingdom, droughts sometimes occurred. Two or three months without rain was catastrophic, but an entire year? Rosette’s heart ached with the sheer desolation of it.

Theodore was scheduled to perform a rain ritual here today.

News of the Emperor’s visit—that he would personally inspect the land and perform the ritual—had drawn crowds of people, like gathering clouds.

Theodore and Rosette took their places at the most prominent seats beside the altar. Beginning from there, the great nobles of the Tristan Region, including the lord, finished seating themselves in the rows arranged on either side.

Rosette glanced at Theodore’s expression. However, his face revealed nothing of his thoughts, so she quickly averted her gaze.

Soon, the ritual began with the Priest’s address.

Theodore, clad in a sacred imperial ceremonial robe, ascended the altar. After offering a prayer, he threw a cypress branch into the circular sacred fire, which blazed brightly. It was a branch from the holy tree, said to be most favored by the gods. This was one of the rituals performed in the belief that if it turned to ash and ascended to the sky as clouds, rain would fall.

Theodore then placed the horns of a dead beast and hawthorn leaves into the sacred fire, burning them in sequence, before offering another prayer.

Soon after, the Priest recited the prepared prayer, made the sign of the cross, and began to pray alongside him.

“May the omnipotent God look upon these people with auspicious grace and bestow blessings…”

The Priest took out a glass bottle containing holy water from the temple and handed it to Theodore, who had just finished his prayer. He then took a branch adorned with laurel leaves, dipped it in the holy water, and began to scatter it into the air.

As the solemn ritual was well underway, a man’s shout suddenly erupted from the crowd gathered to witness the rain ceremony.

“A mere bastard, who murdered his own father and brothers to become Emperor! The gods could not help but be enraged!”

At his outcry, the assembled crowd began to stir. Unfazed by their reaction, the man shouted out to everyone once more.

“All this has happened because of the Empire’s Emperor, who doesn’t know his place and coveted the throne!”

Before the man’s voice could fade, another voice rang out, echoing his sentiments.

“That’s right! Ever since the former Emperor passed away, the skies have dried up. The gods must surely be enraged!”

The drought in the Tristan Region had begun after Theodore’s ascension. They were inciting the crowd, claiming it was a consequence of him killing the previous Emperor and his brothers to seize the throne. It was a baseless accusation, but with a few people joining in, the atmosphere grew restless, and others began to fall in line. The citizens, long tormented by famine and poverty, murmured for a moment, then one by one, agreed with their words.

“Indeed. This nightmare began right after the Emperor ascended…”

“He committed patricide, so aren’t the gods punishing him for it?!”

“Oh, heavens…!”

Blasphemous words flew back and forth from all directions. The long-suffering people needed a target for their frustration, and the Emperor, with his perceived flaws, became their scapegoat.

The Imperial citizens gathered here had no interest in what achievements the Emperor had made since his ascension. If they lived prosperous lives, he was a wise ruler; if their lives were difficult, he was a tyrant. Furthermore, if the Emperor was seen as so flawed, it was only natural for the mob to use him as an outlet for their anger.

Knights and soldiers intervened among the dense crowd, but the inflamed resentment of the people, once roused, showed no sign of stopping and only grew more heated.

A worm-like wretch. How dare he come here? Get lost! A man like him should have died long ago…

As fingers pointed and merciless accusations rang out, fragments of memories Theodore wished to suppress flashed through his mind.

The laurel branch he held snapped with a soft thud. It couldn’t withstand his clenched fist and fell weakly, rolling onto the ground. Thick, blue veins bulged on the back of Theodore’s fisted hand. Unbearable rage began to surge within him.

Unable to control his fury, Theodore’s hand reached for the sword hilt at his waist. For him, a sword was no less than the key to solving all problems; it was one of those habits he hadn’t even realized he’d formed.

As always, he would rule them through fear.

Just as he resolved this, the entire assembly suddenly fell silent.

A mysterious woman, who had appeared out of nowhere, was elegantly walking past the central altar and down the steps.

“That woman… isn’t that the Hersia Kingdom’s princess who came as a guest during the recent war?”

“They said she had silver hair and was incredibly beautiful. It seems they were right.”

“Why is that woman suddenly…?”

It was Rosette who broke through the tumultuous atmosphere. Her dazzling beauty and silver hair, shimmering under the sunlight, her luminous silver eyes like embedded diamonds. She looked so divine, as if a goddess had descended from the heavens.

The mere appearance of such an unexpectedly beautiful woman instantly quieted the assembly, and all eyes present turned to Rosette.

Rosette descended from the altar and walked slowly. She soon reached the lake and boldly plunged her hand into the stagnant, putrid water within.

“My heavens, into such filthy water…!”

It was a moment when everyone gasped in shock. Some shrieked at her action, while others turned their heads, unable to bear watching.

The lake teemed with dead animal carcasses and insects, accompanied by an unbearable stench.

Skin contact with such water could lead to infectious diseases, and mistakenly consuming it could even prove fatal.

Yet, she paid no mind to the people’s reactions and plunged her hand even deeper.

Rosette closed her eyes and began to concentrate even harder. The murmurs of the crowd, initially agitated, gradually faded, and a quiet silence settled over the place.