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Chapter 23 - A Chance to Escape

"Yulia, my dear child."

This was something Yulia\'s mother had told her when she was very young.

On a day filled with simple happiness and innocence, her mother had warned her.

"The bloodline of Estrid carries madness and cunning. You must always be careful."

Yulia was too young to fully understand her mother\'s advice at the time. She must have been around eight or nine years old. To help her understand, her mother told her a chilling story, one that featured a terrifying name from the past.

"When Ortega bathed an entire city in blood..."

Her mother had waited until Yulia swallowed nervously before continuing.

"All the greatest talents of the Empire were gathered to stop him. The Archmages of the Magic Towers, Swordmasters, knights, even High Priests from the Holy Constantine—they all came together. It was an army of the world\'s most powerful beings, and it was a magnificent sight."

There might have been some exaggeration, but to young Yulia, it was a story that captivated her completely. Looking back, Yulia realized her mother knew many stories. She missed her dearly.

"Yet not one of those mighty individuals could lay a finger on Ortega. They couldn’t even graze a hair on his body. They were all cut down and turned into rivers of blood."

It was said that a small stream in the city swelled as if a torrential storm had hit. Only, the water was entirely blood. Blood from the millions of people Ortega had slaughtered. But why had he killed so many?

"Ortega was powerful. More so than any other warrior or mage. But he was also cunning. He withstood the combined attacks of so many powerful beings. He understood people, not just as individuals, but in how to manipulate them and turn them against each other. Eventually, the unified assault force fell apart."

Yulia was intelligent enough to grasp the moral of the story. Ortega was insane, powerful, and cunning. And Yulia had inherited the same Estrid bloodline as Ortega. The lesson was clear.

Beware the cunning that flows through the Estrid bloodline.

Yulia had always kept her mother\'s advice close to her heart. She was constantly on guard against herself, vigilant for any sign of the madness or cunning that might lie dormant within her blood. She was prepared to confront it if it ever emerged.

\'Or so I thought...\'

Yulia lifted her gaze to the figure lying unconscious on the floor before her.

The boy who had been on the verge of being completely taken over by Ortega\'s soul. Now, he was breathing heavily, but steadily.

\'Maybe it wasn\'t me I was supposed to be wary of, but Ortega himself.\'

The thought of how close the boy had come to being fully possessed by Ortega sent a shiver down her spine.

This boy was undoubtedly intelligent.

The fact that he had managed to stop time using a human body was something far beyond the reach of ordinary intellect. Only a genius of the highest order could achieve such a feat. And judging by the way he had carefully observed her every movement from the moment she had entered the room, he was a cautious one, too.

And yet, despite all that, Ortega had almost completely taken over this boy\'s body.

If Yulia hadn\'t intervened, Ortega surely would have succeeded.

Even for Yulia, waking the boy\'s consciousness had been a nerve-wracking task, one that had left her mouth dry with anxiety.

"Ortega must have been biding his time, slowly wearing him down."

Ortega had likely hidden within the boy, waiting for the perfect moment to seize control, calculating the optimal time to strike.

Yulia thought about it.

Maybe her mother\'s warning hadn\'t been about Yulia herself, but about the Estrid bloodline as a whole. It was a cautionary tale about Ortega, who could awaken at any time, anywhere.

Her mother had been a bearer of the Reverse Eye, after all.

Yulia looked down at the boy.

The boy who harbored Ortega within him.

What should she do with him?

She could end it now, with a single, decisive act.

The boy\'s body was not particularly strong.

His neck was long and slender.

She could easily end his life with just a few moments of pressure.

But what then?

Could she be sure that Ortega\'s soul wouldn\'t simply transfer to another host? She couldn\'t be certain. And so, Yulia released the grip she had on the boy\'s neck.

It might be better to keep him close and watch him.

— Rustle.

The boy’s eyelids began to flutter open.

◆

The nausea subsided.

When he opened his eyes, all he could see was a cascade of white hair.

And within it, the blue glow of the Reverse Eye.

Her lashes fluttered like white curtains swaying in the breeze every time she blinked.

"Third Princess."

"Are you coming to your senses?"

"...Yes."

Gradually, Lloyd\'s mind began to clear. His memories returned. Hector and his group had provoked him. He had stopped time. His consciousness had begun to fade, and finally, Ortega had briefly—very briefly—taken control.

\'...\'

Lloyd bit his lip.

He hadn’t fully grasped how close he had come to losing control of his body. He knew his condition was deteriorating, but he had thought it was just the excitement getting to him.

In hindsight, it seemed that Ortega had begun taking over the moment Lloyd started breaking the fingers of the boys who had been clapping at him. Or perhaps Ortega had been gaining strength from the hidden violence within him.

Whatever the cause, it was a terrifying thought.

He had come dangerously close to losing complete control of his body.

"Have you managed to understand the situation?"

Yulia asked in a calm, emotionless voice.

Her expression was cold, devoid of any feelings. Lloyd swallowed nervously. This woman was different from the image he had in his mind of the "Princess of Rebellion." Was he misunderstanding something?

A chill ran down his spine.

With this level of cold rationality, she must have considered whether or not to kill him. Just like the White Knight, Arno, had done.

"I suppose I should thank you for helping me."

"Should you? I didn\'t really do much."

"I think the fact that you chose not to kill me is reason enough to be grateful."

Even as Lloyd bowed his head in thanks, Yulia\'s expression remained impassive. Only the slightest tremor in her fingers betrayed her.

She had indeed considered killing him.

Lloyd swallowed dryly.

At this point, the people on the "good" side were probably more dangerous for him. If they realized Ortega was inside him, they would undoubtedly try to kill him.

But what mattered now was this:

\'She decided to let me live.\'

He didn\'t know why.

But the important thing was that, for now, this woman saw some value in keeping him alive.

The question was, in what way?

No matter what the "Princess of Rebellion" was like, she was still preferable to the Duchess. The Duchess was clearly a high-ranking member of the Blood Cult. The longer he remained entangled with her, the greater the danger.

"Princess, do you have any desire to become Emperor?"

"...What? Wh-What are you saying...?"

"Judging by how surprised you are, it seems you do. Don’t worry. No one can hear us right now."

Even in his weakened state, Lloyd was still maintaining his spell. Although the effects of the sedative were wearing off, making his mana control unstable and causing his narrow mana circuits to clash, he managed to keep the spell going.

"I can make it happen. I can make you Emperor."

Lloyd declared confidently.

"...What?"

Yulia was so stunned that she no longer bothered to hide it.

Good. He didn’t want to waste time with pleasantries.

"Buy me."

◆

The banquet, which had been paused due to the princess\'s absence, resumed once she returned.

"Apologies, I got a bit lost."

The Duchess knew it was just an excuse.

And Yulia knew that the Duchess wouldn’t believe her. But it didn’t matter to either of them. Asking what a lady had been doing when she excused herself from the table was not proper etiquette, especially when the lady was a princess. It was one of the privileges of the Estrid bloodline.

Of course.

"It seems I have an urgent report."

A butler entered and whispered something to the Duchess.

The Duchess smiled mysteriously as she looked at Yulia.

"The layout of our mansion is a bit confusing, isn’t it?"

"Not at all. I\'m just not very good with directions."

"I\'ll assign you a guide next time."

Yulia smiled serenely in response to the Duchess\'s mockery.

She had lived long enough as a royal outcast in the palace to be unaffected by such minor provocations.

Her thoughts were more occupied with the mysterious boy she had just met—Lloyd. Specifically, with some of the things he had said.

\'He said the tea served for dessert would be poisoned.\'

Lloyd had warned her that the Duchess would add poison to the tea. He said it would slow her judgment over time.

He had also advised her to watch the Duchess\'s expression closely.

If her expression changed, it would be a sign to stay alert.

"The tea is served."

A butler placed a cup of tea before Yulia.

She glanced at the teacup.

Then she set it back down on the table.

"This tea was imported from the East. Do you not like it?"

Yulia barely shook her head at the Duchess\' question.

"Not at all. I appreciate it. It\'s just that I\'m too full to enjoy more."

As she spoke, Yulia glanced up.

The slight furrow in the Duchess’s brow quickly smoothed out.