DIH Chapter 10

(10) I Will Protect Your Majesty (2)

 

“Begonia…”

It had been a long time since she last thought of that flower—a bloom that thrived even in the cold northern climate.

The gardens of the Snow Count’s estate were always filled with begonias. She recalled the gardeners working under the radiant spring sun.

Though colder than the capital, the North had its own spring and summer. Spring was warm and full of anticipation; summer, vibrant and lively.

Would she ever see that scenery again?

She pushed away the sudden wave of longing and opened the door to the drawing room. Walking to the window, she looked outside and saw the gardeners moving about busily.

That gardener from earlier…

Before she could search for him, someone knocked at the drawing room door.

“Lady Snow, a delivery has arrived for you.”

A cheerful voice, one she hadn’t heard before.

“Come in.”

The moment the door opened, she realized what the “gift” was. The scent of blood, like the one she had smelled earlier in the torture chamber, wafted in alongside a tall man.

Though he was clearly of noble standing and dressed accordingly, he held a large bundle in his arms with a casual expression.

The smell of blood was coming from that bundle—no doubt, the dying assassin was inside.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Oscar Taylor.”

So this was Duke Oscar Taylor.

There weren’t many people Heraith kept close. It was well-known that one of them was Oscar Taylor, a friend since childhood.

“It’s an honor to meet someone of such renown. I’m Eleanor Snow.”

“Where shall I place this?”

“Over there.”

When Eleanor pointed to the floor, Oscar let the bundle fall as if he were discarding it, then handed her a separate pouch.

“His Majesty asked me to bring some medicine as well.”

“Thank you.”

Eleanor opened the pouch to check the contents. When Oscar didn’t leave, she asked,

“Do you have something more to say to me?”

“This is your first visit to the Imperial Palace, and I’d like to get to know you.”

“I don’t think now is a good time.”

“We don’t need to be formal. Just a light chat.”

Since he clearly intended to speak now, Eleanor didn’t resist further. Being close to Heraith, it was understandable that Oscar would want to evaluate her.

“In that case, would you mind if we talk while I treat this man?”

“Of course. It’s an informal conversation, after all.”

Eleanor pulled back the blanket. Under the light, the assassin’s condition looked much improved compared to when she saw him in the dark torture room.

Strange.

Even in the poor lighting, she couldn’t have been mistaken—he had looked near death. His bones had appeared broken in several places, and his skin had been torn in multiple spots.

Yet now, his bones seemed intact, and the deep wounds had nearly healed.

Suddenly, she recalled Delgado’s ability.

So he healed him before sending him.

A divine power granted only to the Delgado bloodline: the power of healing.

Eleanor had never seen its effects firsthand before.

Incredible. To think he could heal someone to this extent… That’s why the Emperor remains unscathed, even after facing so many monsters.

It was an enviable ability, but no matter how hard she tried, Eleanor could never possess it. She was not a Delgado.

“Lady Snow, you were once engaged, weren’t you?”

The question came suddenly. It was blunt and aimed straight at a sensitive spot, yet Eleanor’s expression didn’t falter. She casually took out a handkerchief and began wiping blood from the assassin’s face.

“Yes, I was. I was engaged to Franklin Owen, the young duke of House Owen.”

“And that engagement—has it been properly resolved?”

“Eldric. Bel. Erich. Ertald. And my father.”

Eleanor’s gaze remained on the assassin.

“They are my family, all murdered by the schemes of the Owens and the Osborns. Do you think I have any reason to maintain that engagement?”

“I’ve heard that you and the young duke of Owen were close since childhood. Even if circumstances changed, feelings don’t fade so easily.”

“Feelings.”

Eleanor let out a soft laugh.

“He was a good friend.”

“Are you saying it was an engagement without love?”

“Those who stand at the top must bear burdens. Even without love, I made a decision for the sake of the lands we would govern. And since Franklin Owen and I shared a long friendship, I didn’t think poorly of it, even on a personal level.”

“Friendship, too, isn’t something that vanishes easily.”

“Then, Duke Taylor, would you still call someone a friend if they murdered your family?”

Her tone remained gentle, but her words cut sharply.

Oscar flinched internally but didn’t show it.

“There are all kinds of people in the world, and just as many kinds of hearts.”

“In that case, the only feeling I have left toward that long-time friend is hatred. I will never forgive those who betrayed my family and my trust.”

Oscar hummed softly and rubbed his chin with his index finger. Eleanor, however, paid him no mind and remained focused on treating the assassin as if saving this man’s life was far more important than any conversation with Oscar.

‘So that’s why His Majesty has taken an interest.’

Even when the topic turned to her family, or to Owen, whom she loathed, Eleanor’s expression didn’t waver for a single moment. She maintained the same calm face, as if discussing the weather or the day’s meal.

Oscar decided to try probing her again.

“If you were to become empress, would you seek revenge on them?”

“Yes, I would.”

She doesn’t even try to hide her desire for revenge.

That was surprising…and strange. Eleanor didn’t strike Oscar as foolish. In fact, she seemed rather intelligent. Then wouldn’t it be wiser to conceal her burning hatred? That way, she could quietly mislead and destroy her enemies.

Unless… she had the kind of power that makes hiding unnecessary?

Oscar studied her carefully, then spoke.

“No matter how noble a woman the empress may be, she cannot use the imperial power for personal matters.”

“But using the power I’ve built myself—personally—that’s allowed, isn’t it? Or don’t tell me…”

Finally, Eleanor lifted her head and locked eyes with Oscar.

“…Is the imperial family so weak that it would even strip the empress of what little power she holds in her own hands?”

“Ha!”

Oscar let out a laugh without meaning to.

“Hahaha. You’re quite an amusing one. And bold, too.”

“If I’d known I could make the Duke of Taylor laugh this easily, perhaps I should’ve become a jester.”

She even jokes, Oscar thought. He was not someone who easily trusted others, much like Heraith, but he found himself liking this small woman before him.

The situation surrounding Lady Snow wasn’t a favorable one. The Snow family had collapsed, Count Snow was dead, and the eldest son, the heir, had also passed.

Now the second son, untrained in governance, had inherited the title. And Eleanor herself had entered the capital’s Imperial Palace, with no real allies.

Anyone else in her position would be blinded by grief, hatred, and loneliness. Yet Eleanor still had the composure to make jokes.

No… this isn’t composure. It’s desperation, Oscar thought. He had a fondness for people who struggled against the current. Just like…

‘His Majesty.’

So he silently wished—

“My apologies for being so forward. Next time, let’s have a more pleasant conversation.”

—that this woman, so strangely similar to Heraith,

“I already found this conversation pleasant, Duke.”

would never betray him.

 

***

 

Though she had treated the external wounds, the assassin still hadn’t regained consciousness. His breathing was still unstable.

‘If I break the magic that’s on him now, the shock might kill him.’

Instead of waking him, Eleanor examined his body closely.

‘He’s young.’

About twenty? She had assumed he was older when she saw him in the torture room, but now that his bloodied face was cleaned, it looked boyish.

A Westerner from the Kingdom of Brand, perhaps?

Bronzed skin and red hair, features commonly seen in people from Brand.

But the Empire has almost no contact with Brand.

Between the Empire and Brand lay the Buford region, a monster-infested land impossible to occupy.

To reach any country beyond Buford, one had to take a long detour or use sea routes. But the seas weren’t safe either, so contact with regions beyond Buford was practically nonexistent.

Still… this was a powerful domination/brainwashing spell.

Domination spells were a form of sorcery, a different kind of power from the magic Eleanor used. But having grown up mastering magic with ease, Eleanor saw little distinction between magic and sorcery.