VOLUME 10: PROLOGUE

VOLUME 10: PROLOGUE

“No man is capable of resisting my charms. I shall make sure that he dances on the palm of my hands, like a cute little puppet. Please leave it to me, father.”

After uttering these bold words, Princess Luna Lockhart Mavis carefully observed the blotches of ink on top of her father’s head. Images visible only to her. Images she’d been able to see since she was six years of age.

The blotches of ink swirled and slowly formed letters, eventually forming words.

[Hmmm.]

[I planned on marrying her off to Duke Hara.]

[But she’ll be of more use if she could beguile the King of Lukas.]

For a second, Luna’s entire body trembled upon reading these words.

These words represented the current thoughts of her father, the Emperor. Although he may appear to be a doting father to outsiders, Princess Luna knew that he wouldn’t hesitate to throw her away for his political ambitions. This was the same man who killed one of her older sisters and covered it up as an accident five years ago.

‘As I’ve thought. Father plans on marrying me off to Duke Hara,’ thought Princess Luna.

Duke Hara, an old man in his early sixties, was one of the rulers of the Three States Alliance. An alliance of nations located northeast of the Great Empire. He was well-known for his hobby of collecting beautiful people, without any regard for age, gender, or race. According to rumors, the old Duke had almost a hundred concubines at his beck and call in his bed-chamber.

A fate worse than death would surely await Princess Luna the moment she was married off to that Duke.

“Very well,” said the Emperor. “I expect results. Do not disappoint me, Luna.”

Princess Luna said in a subservient voice, “I wouldn’t dare disappoint His Majesty, the Emperor.”

Blotches of ink started hovering above the Emperor’s head once again, eventually forming words.

[She’ll be useful.]

[And even if that damn Lukasian king kills her.]

[It’ll be a great excuse to wage war once again.]

[Even the Dwarven Kingdom shouldn’t be able to interfere to such great extents.]

[It’ll be a good justification.]

Such dangerous thoughts ran through the Emperor’s mind as he gazed at his daughter.

***

After meeting with the Emperor, Princess Luna went back to her palace. With purposeful gaze and elegant strides, she traversed the long hallway leading to her room. Over a dozen maids lined up in the hallway, their heads bowed as they greeted the Princess.

“Welcome back, Princess.”

“Welcome back, Princess.”

None of the maids dared to look the Princess in the eyes. Although she was known as one of the most beautiful women in the capital, she was also known for hitting her servants when they overstepped their bounds. There was even an incident three years ago, when she caught a maid browsing through her stash of jewelries. Without hesitation, Princess Luna ordered the guards to lock the maid away in the dungeons. Ever since then, none of the maids dared to even enter the room where the Princess’ treasures were kept.

Princess Luna glanced at the maids she passed along the way.

Like the Emperor, words, which only she could see, started forming above their heads.

[The bitch is back.]

[I heard that she accepted another expensive gift from a noble.]

[What a slut.]

Their thoughts were abhorrent, contrary to their meek voices and polite gestures. Two-faced vixens who wouldn’t hesitate to stab her in the back once given a chance.

Initially, when she was younger, Princess Luna thought of her ability as a curse. She would rather not see those vicious thoughts hidden behind those amicable smiles. She would rather see the world through rose-tinted glasses.

But now that she’d thought of it, one of the reasons she’d managed to survive this long was also because of this ability. The only reason she’d managed to survive the ruthless politics of the Empire was due to her ability to see through the hearts of these people.

She’d already come to accept that she was surrounded by enemies from all sides.

Fortunately, she still had some people who held her in good light. People who had her back, no matter what.

And Selena, the Head Maid, was one of them.

“Welcome back, Princess,” greeted the Head Maid.

Princess Luna looked at the words that had formed on top of the Head Maid’s head.

[The Princess looks exhausted.]

[I’m glad I prepared a warm bath beforehand.]

[Now that winter has arrived, it’s freezingly cold outside.]

“I’ve prepared a warm bath for you, Princess,” the Head Maid smiled, forming numerous wrinkles on her face. “I’ve also asked the chef to prepare your favorite deserts.”

Princess Luna glanced at the maids standing in the hallway, then at the Head Maid. She said in a cold voice, “I will take a bath first.”

The Head Maid bowed her head. “As you wish.”

“Selena, I have things to discuss with you,” said Princess Luna. “Come inside.”

“Yes, Princess,” said the Head Maid. She turned to her subordinates, “You may all return to your posts.”

“Yes, Head Maid!”

After the maids left, Princess Luna entered her room, along with the Head Maid. The moment the door was locked, Princess Luna’s cold and stoic expression crumbled. Her face contorted, and tears started forming in the corner of her eyes.

“Selena!” said Princess Luna. She ran to the Head Maid and embraced her tightly.

The Head Maid frowned. Her eyes were filled with understanding. “Princess? Did something happen during your meeting with His Majesty, the Emperor?”

Princess Luna tightened her embrace. She willed back the tears from flowing down her eyes. She said in a faltering voice, “Father ordered me to become the envoy for the Kingdom of Lukas!”

Unable to contain it any longer, Princess Luna sobbed. “Father wishes for me to beguile their king. Can you believe it? Not only is that king younger than me, he’s also known as a womanizer who was thrown away – disowned – even by his own family!”

Although Princess Luna was glad that she wasn’t being married off to Duke Hara of the Three States Alliance, at the end of the day, she was still going to be used and thrown away by her father for the sake of forming political ties with the Kingdom of Lukas.

It was disgusting.

It was frustrating.

She felt powerless.

Despite being dubbed as a beauty comparable to her deceased mother – the so-called Flower of the Empire – she knew that she held no real political power. She was nothing but a pawn meant to be used and thrown away by her very own father.

“Why did I have to be born a woman?” she sobbed. “If only I were born a man, a prince! This wouldn’t happen, Selena!”

Selena didn’t utter a reply. She simply stroked the Princess’ head with her right hand, and embraced her body with the other.

Someone who would listen was what the Princess needed the most right now.

“If only I were a man…”

For several minutes, the Princess’ sobs continued. She always tried to appear calm, collected, and stoic whenever she was outside. It was no wonder her pent-up emotions eventually blew up.

Eventually, the Princess stopped crying. She broke free from the Head Maid’s embrace, wiped off the snot on her nose with a napkin, and fixed her dress.

“Princess,” the Head Maid finally spoke. “If I was not mistaken, the Ghost of the Empire, General Rizel, perished from the hands of the current King of Lukas.”

“What are you trying to say?” said Princess Luna. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen from all the crying. She looked at the words that had formed on top of the Head Maid’s head.

[Poor child.]

[If only I could carry some of her burdens…]

“What I’m trying to say is…,” said the Head Maid carefully. “There is a chance that the prior rumors regarding the new king of Lukas are false, Princess.”

The Head Maid started fixing the Princess’ disheveled hair. “Think about it, Princess. If he’s as horrible as the rumors say, would the previous king of Lukas pick him as the successor? Moreover, he managed to kill General Rizel on his own. Even in the Empire, the number of people who could fight against The Ghost could be counted in just two hands.”

Princess Luna thought about this too. And hearing it from the Head Maid herself, it was starting to sound even more plausible.

Princess Luna nodded. She softly said, “I’m glad I have you, Selena.”

The Head Maid smiled. “It’s nothing. This much is natural, Princess.”

The Head Maid continued, “So, who will be your escort for this mission, Princess? Although you’ll be coming there as an envoy… just to be safe, we should assign powerful guards by your side. If you wish, I could ask Sir Wymund to accompany you to the Kingdom of Lukas.”

Princess Luna shook her head. “There’s no need for that. My father assigned the Royal Court Magician, Jacob Fraser, as my escort.”

The Head Maid’s eyes momentarily widened.

Jacob Fraser was currently the youngest Royal Court Magician in the entire Empire. A magician known for his ‘Triple Cast’ – the ability to cast three powerful spells at the same time.

If such a powerful magician was serving as the Princess’ escort, then there should be nothing to be worried about.

***

[Fourth Tower of Mages]

Jacob Fraser immediately returned to the Tower after his meeting with the Emperor.

As a military nation, the Great Empire actively sought the perfection of magic. Not only did they have two magic academies that produced hundreds of magicians each year, they also had five Tower of Mages.

Despite his young age, Jacob Fraser was currently the vice master of the Fourth Tower. Suffice to say, he currently held military might comparable to a General, and political power comparable to a high-ranking noble.

‘How annoying,’ thought Fraser as he entered the Fourth Tower. ‘To think that the Emperor would decide to send someone of my status as the escort of the princess.’

He did not like the Princess in the slightest.

Unlike him who’d attained all of his achievements through sheer dedication and hard work, everything was handed to the Princess in a silver platter. Moreover, Fraser disliked how the Princess treated everyone below her like mere insects.

‘But maybe the escort mission isn’t that bad, after all,’ thought Fraser. ‘The medicine developed by the Lukasians. The medicine capable of halting the monsterization. Maybe it could also cure that curse.’

Emperor Sylvius tasked him not only to escort the princess, but also to obtain the medicine created by the Lukasians for monsterization.

Jacob Fraser was interested in acquiring this cure, not because of his loyalty to the Emperor, but for a different matter entirely.

Jacob Fraser went up to the ninth floor of the Tower. He dispelled the magic protecting a steel door, and using a key, opened it. He closed the door shut and activated the luminous artifacts latched on the walls.

He approached the glass tank located at the center of the room. Submerged in the clear liquid was a naked boy in his early teens. He had the same dark brown hair, thick and sharp-looking eyebrows, and ivory skin as Jacob Fraser. Patches of brown and black was seen throughout the boy’s entire body.

The Seven Weeks Disease.

A horrible curse with a hundred percent mortality rate.

All records showed that no one in the Empire had ever survived past the seven weeks mark upon acquiring this curse – except for this boy.

Using his authority as a Royal Court Magician and the Vice Master of the Fourth Tower, Jacob Fraser created this magical artifact capable of forcing a body to enter quiescence or a period of dormancy. Not only did it slow down the aging of the human body, it also slowed down the progression of the Seven Weeks Disease.

It had been almost three years since this boy entered his slumber in this place. And until now, Jacob Fraser hadn’t found a way to deal with the damnable curse.

As the only survivor of the fallen House Fraser, Jacob had nothing left aside from his little brother. The reason he accepted the position of Royal Court Magician and willingly became the Emperor’s lapdog was all for the sake his only remaining family member.

Using his authority as a Royal Court Magician, he’d been combing the Royal Library for any leads to cure the Seven Weeks Disease. He’d been actively participating in the research and experiments of the Alchemy Tower. He even went as far as testing some of their newly concocted medicines on his own body.

“Just wait a little bit more, Jake,” said Jacob to his little brother. He leaned forward and touched the glass tank with his forehead.

Jacob Fraser mumbled, “Even if I have to make a deal with the devil himself, I’ll find a cure for your curse.”