“I HAVE to make a v-vow with Prince Nero…”

Hanna noticed Dahlia’s apprehension, and that made her nervous. “What kind of vow is it, Dahlia?”

Dahlia lowered her head this time. “A vow that binds my soul with Prince Nero’s soul– a vow that will make us unable to live without each other.”

Like a marriage vow, then.

Hanna, right at that moment, saw her future with Nero slowly crumbling away.

I don’t have a place here.

“I-I have to unseal my power to save Prince Nero,” Dahlia continued, her eyes still glued to the ground. “But once I do it, my lifespan is going to decrease every hour unless I devour Prince Nero’s Lunacy.”

Hanna knitted her eyebrows. “You have to devour Nero’s Lunacy?”

“I still don’t understand the reason because my time with Empress Dahlia was interrupted, but devouring Prince Nero’s Lunacy seems to be a way to prevent my lifespan from decreasing,” Dahlia further explained. “To stop Prince Nero’s rampage and prevent my early death, we need to enter that vow.”

“Is that the only way to save Nero?”

“R-Right now, the hostile Spirits of the male Rosehearts who have been trapped in the Cage for centuries have possessed Prince Nero’s body. The grudge they carry resonated with Prince Nero’s Lunacy, triggering it,” the Black Witch explained. “To save Prince Nero, we must exorcise the male Rosehearts possessing him, then stop his Lunacy for good.”

Hanna could neither exorcise souls nor stop Nero’s Lunacy permanently.

For the first time in her life, she felt useless.

I can’t do anything for Nero…

“Princess Neoma and Empress Mona could probably exorcise the male Rosehearts, and Emperor Nikolai could help suppress Prince Nero’s Lunacy,” Dahlia added. “But they aren’t here, and we’re running out of time.”

“Is Nero in imminent danger?”

The Black Witch nodded. “The male Rosehearts’ grudge is poisoning Prince Nero’s body and corrupting his divine power. Since the male Rosehearts hate the de Moonasterios, they’re planning to slowly kill Prince Nero. They’re just keeping him alive for now because they want to come out to the outside world and reveal the truth to the people.”

“What truth?”

“The truth of how the de Moonasterios killed the Rosehearts and turned them into Soul Beasts by force,” Dahlia said, finally raising her head. “Sergius de Moonasterio, the emperor who was guarding the Cage, even ate the flesh of the Rosehearts that he hunted down. The victims wanted to reveal that horrible crime to the world.”

Hanna closed her eyes while sighing.

I feel for the victims, but if the truth reached the public, then it will be the end of the Imperial Family.

Once the people lost their trust in the de Moonasterios, then the crows would take advantage of that. But it wouldn’t just end there. If word got out that the Imperial Family of the strongest empire in the world were in ruins, then outside force would try to invade their continent.

The only reason that the empire hasn’t been attacked outside yet is because of the Darkness that loomed over the skies of the Western Continent. But I believe the emperor has already dealt with the Second Calamity. Hence, it’s only a matter of time before we get attacked by an outside force.

That would be the worst-case scenario.

“Dahlia.”

“Y-Yes?”

Hanna opened her eyes, her hands clenched tightly. “Do it,” she said firmly. “Do whatever you need to save Nero.”

Dahlia’s eyes widened in surprise. “B-But if I do that… the vow…”

“We have no choice, Dahlia. Emperor Nikolai is the only member of the Imperial Family who can fight right now. We have to return to the palace as soon as possible, but we can’t return without the new emperor.”

The throne had summoned Nero there, so it must be time for the Crown Prince to rise as the new moon.

And there must be a reason why it had to be now.

“This isn’t the time to worry about my feelings,” Hanna said sternly. “As the Crown Princess of the empire, I order you to save Nero and yourself, Dahlia.”

She couldn’t be selfish.

If she stopped Dahlia from making a vow with Nero, then not only Nero’s life would be in danger– Dahlia’s lifespan would also decrease after she unsealed her power and failed to absorb the Crown Prince’s Lunacy.

“P-Princess Hanna…”

Hanna couldn’t help but smile sadly.

This might be the last time I get to be called a ‘princess.’

It hurt.

It was sad.

It felt like all her hard work was suddenly put in vain.

However, between being an empress and saving the lives of the people she cherished, she would always choose the latter.

“W-Why do I feel like you’re going to quit as the Crown Princess once I make the vow…”

Hanna fell silent for a moment, then she decided to be honest. “Even if I do, it won’t be your fault, Dahlia.”

Obviously, Dahlia couldn’t accept that. “How could it not be my fault, Princess Hanna? If I didn’t show up, if I only stayed on the island and didn’t meet Prince Nero, then none of this would happen…”

“You’re not stealing Nero from me, Dahlia.”

“I-I’m not…”

“Yes, you’re not,” Hanna said, nodding. “I’m letting Nero go not because of you– but because I refuse to settle for less.”

Dahlia fell silent this time.

“I know Nero loves me, but I turned a blind eye to the fact that I’m not the only woman he loves,” Hanna said softly. “But my eyes are open now, Dahlia. I won’t settle for less, and that’s the reason I’m letting go of Nero. Don’t blame yourself because you didn’t steal anyone from me.”

Dahlia suddenly burst out crying. “But you’re the only woman who deserves to be the new empress, Princess Hanna. You worked so hard to be the perfect Crown Princess that the empire needs…”

Ah, she was glad that Dahlia recognized her hard work.

She was also sad about letting go of the position that she had always wanted. After all, she thought she deserved the space next to Nero.

However, like what she said to Dahlia earlier, her eyes were now completely open.

“The only power I want in the world is the power to save the people I love. I can do that whether I’m the Crown Princess or not. So please don’t take pity on me, Dahlia,” Hanna said, smiling at the Black Witch. “My life won’t end just because I gave up the crown.”

***

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