Born as the Hidden Daughter of a Villainess and the Male Lead

<Episode 80>

***

¹Only this part is in 3rd persons P.O.V.

Edith expressed her intention to go back to the banquet hall first, saying that she was not confident she could handle the overwhelming attention.

So Ashmed let Edith go first and tried to return to his quarters, but when he remembered that he had not said hello to the nobles who followed him, he swallowed his annoyance and walked down the corridor immersed in quiet darkness and returned to the banquet hall.

Edith was wary of the Emperor and wanted to dethrone him at any time.

In fact, it didn’t matter to Ashmed whether he got the throne of the Roshan Empire or not.

For the sake of Edith, he devoted himself to the battle for the throne and social activities, which he had no interest in, and maintained a faction that supported him.

“……… I greet your Highness the Second Prince.”

Right at that moment…..

A small shout of recognition was heard from behind, and a voice echoed loudly in the empty corridor.

“You…….”

Ashmed looked back and narrowed his eyes.

Allea Serafina Heilian.

The daughter who did not inherit a single drop of Archduke Roberick Arne Hailien’s blood, but maintained her status as a Grand Princess thanks to her mother’s favor.

“I saw you going out with Edith, but you come back alone.”

“……It’s not the Grand Princess’s business to interfere in.”

For Edith, she was no different from her biological mother’s enemy.

Ashmed replied coldly and immediately tried to turn around.

“It’s really strange. Technically, His Highness the 2nd Prince is my younger sister’s fiancé, but up to this point, we’ve had an awkward relationship.”

But then, Allea’s voice stopped him.

“…….”

Allea slowly approached Ashmed with a noble and elegant attitude.

Ashmed watched the girl’s actions with one eyebrow raised.

“Do you know that, Your Highness the Second Prince?……Even the people of this world are not unaware of the fact that His Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Second Prince are fighting over the throne. Isn’t this truly cruel? You two are full brothers who had the deceased Empress Elijah as your mother.”

Finally, Allea stopped a little more than a step away from Ashmed and spoke softly with an elegant smile on her face that looked like ripples on the surface of a still lake.

“How sad would Her Majesty the Empress be if she found out about this?”

“……Don’t mention my deceased mother’s name so carelessly. What is your purpose in telling me this?”

Although he didn’t remember his late mother’s face, she was the only family member that Ashmed cared about.

At Allea’s words, which were no different from touching a sore spot, Ashmed narrowed his pupils and muttered fiercely.

Ah.., when she encountered the boy’s quiet anger…..

Strangely enough, the girl, as beautiful as a newly sprouted flower, instead of being immersed in fear, was in a quivering ecstasy and just stared blankly into his eyes.²I am 99 percent sure now, she is a psycho (⁠๑⁠•⁠﹏⁠•⁠)

“……..I sincerely apologize if I have offended Your Highness the Second Prince. However, I was heartbroken to see His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Second Prince in conflict, so I brought this up carefully.”

Allea muttered in a cautious tone.

As Ashmed’s face gradually hardened at that strange reaction, he finally seemed to come to his senses hearing her words.

“……..Let’s just go in.”

Seeing all these strange things made him feel more depressed.

But no matter what their relationship was, she was still Edith’s half-sister…….

It was impossible to react the way he felt.

Ashmed turned around without any hesitation and quickly left.

“……..”

The boy’s long shadow was cast in the corridor bathed in gloomy blue light.

The beautiful girl left there alone had a deep smile on her face.

The sight of the boy walking away.

She stared at it endlessly.

 

***

 

The unexpected kidnapping that occurred on the way to Litera.

The visit to Litera that ended in vain, and the truths that I was able to reached because of that.

Reminiscing about what was now just a memory, I leaned comfortably against the back of the carriage.

Ashmed and I were leaving the Roshan Empire and heading to Epis City to take the Spiritualist qualification exam held in Litera.

Roberick still did not like me leaving the palace, but now he was confident enough in my skills to defend myself even if Riat went crazy and attacked again, so he was unable to stop me in the end and allowed me to leave.

Moreover, Meinhardt was also going with me, and it was a journey that could not have been safer.

“Your Royal Highness the Second Prince, Grand Princess Edith. We have arrived in Epis City.”

“Really?”

I was delighted with the news the driver told me, so I opened the window of the carriage, stuck my head outside, and enjoyed the cool breeze.

“Wow…….”

White and blue.

Buildings that resemble the architectural style of the Middle East filled my vision, and floating ships were flying in the blue sky as if they had been released from a painting.

This was a city blessed with the wind.

For a long time, It had served Ariel, the Spirit King of Wind.

“That is…….”

A huge monument was erected at the entrance to the city.

My eyes were focused on it, and I read the words, which I could easily see because they were engraved in such large letters.

[In the distant past, Epis, the Empire of the Wind, disappeared into the shadow of destruction, but we will not forget that great Empire and carry on their name forever.]

“The Empire of the Wind…….”

Was it two years ago?

I slowly recalled the story I had heard in my class with Count Juppes.

 

***

 

“Grand Princess Edith, do you know this? In fact, the Grand Princess’s distant ancestor was an Emperor, not a Grand Duke, and the Hailien Grand Duchy has roots extending to the royal family of an ancient Empire.”

“……What?”

This was my first time hearing this story.

What secret of birth was this?

Whether I was shocked or not, Count Juppes smiled gently and pointed to the table of contents for today’s class.

[Lost history, ancient Empires.]

Thus, the history the count told me contained exciting secrets.

A long, long time ago, a time in the distant past that people today call ancient times.

The number of humans who had blessings was extremely small and they rarely appeared to the world. And unlike today, where the spirit Kings do not intervene with human affairs, the ancient spirit kings were said to have heavily intervened with royalties.

Although there were differences in the era, each of the spirit kings bestowed treasures and blessings to the spiritists they loved the most, leading them to the great destiny of founding a nation.

In that regard, there were two Empires that were established first.

One of them was Lumen, the Empire of Light. Followed by the Empire of the Wind.

“The Hailien Archduchy has its roots in the ancient royal family where the founder served Gnis the Spirit King of Light long ago.”

Count Juppes added with a smile.

“That is why, to this day, people still refer to the Archduchy as ‘Hailien of Light.’”

At that time, the world was divided into two countries, Epis, the Empire of Wind, and Lumen, the Empire of Light, and enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and peace.

The Epis Empire and the Lumen Empire did not confront each other and maintained good neighborly relations.

The people of the two countries lived in harmony with each other and led a prosperous and peaceful life without war or conflict.

However.

“What could have been the reason? The records of that period have been almost lost, so the truth is no longer clear…… At some point, Epis, the Empire of the Wind, faced a sudden destruction.”

The vast territory ruled by the Epis Empire was engulfed in conflict, murder, and chaos, and was literally reduced to a living hell.

And the Emperor of the Lumen Empire, who clearly watched the fall of his friend, ally, and the ruler of the neighboring Empire, suddenly announced to the entire country and all the people a decision that was difficult to understand.

“The emperor himself declared the end of the Lumen Empire and granted freedom to all his people.”

If the Emperor of Epis, the Empire of Wind, was a strong monarch who earned the respect of all his people with his unrivaled martial arts and bravery, on the contrary, the Emperor of Lumen, the Empire of Light, was a man of mysterious wisdom in addition to his great love for his people.

However, the Emperor, who was said to be so wise, suddenly abdicated his rule and proclaimed the end of the Empire while watching his neighboring Empire in dire strains.

“The Emperor did not stop there, but lowered the status of himself and his family by giving up their status as members of the royal family.”

“Ah…….”

“Thus, the blood relatives who were called the Lumen Imperial Family came to live with the surname and status of ‘Hailien Archduchy’ after the end of the Empire.”

Thus, the Hailien Archduchy, which had the longest history among all noble families existing on the continent, was born.

Even in the original novel written by the unknown ‘author’, it was stated that Roberick’s family was a noble family with a very long history, comparable to the royal family of the Roshan Empire……

I never imagined that they would be direct descendants of an ancient royal family that clearly existed.

“I see…….wait a minute, but you said that each spirit King bestowed treasures and blessings to their beloved spirit masters, right? What are those treasures?”

“Yes, they used to call it a treasure, but in this day and age, There is a more appropriate title for it.”

Count Juppes took a quill and wrote some words on a white piece of paper.

“It is called ‘The Spirit King’s Relic.’”

“The Spirit King’s relic…….”

“Currently, we cannot confirm their traces, nor do we know how many more there may have been…… The clear names and forms of a total of six relics have been passed down.”

And Count Juppes began writing down a list of the Spirit King’s relics.

[The Empire of the Wind, estimated to have collapsed thousands of years ago: Artifact of Wind – Roar of the Sky]

“It is said that this was a whip-shaped relic that had the power to move and control all the wind/air of the world.”

[Destroyed about 300 years ago, the ‘Empire on the Cliff’: Artifact of the Earth – Thunder of the Foundation]

“It is said to be a huge sickle-shaped relic with ornate golden reliefs. It is said to have the power to pierce the earth and cause huge earthquakes.”

[Destroyed over a hundred years ago, owned by water Duchy of Hacardella: Artifact of Water – Spirit King’s Crown]

“And…the water relic was the treasure of the now destroyed and lost Duchy of Hacardella.”

 

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TL:

If you find any mistake, please point it out, I tried to reread to remove the errors, but some could have slipped my notice.