“I greet His Highness, Grand Duke Ignis. I am Sharhim Atshan, envoy of the Kingdom of Raglaras.”
Before being granted an audience with the Emperor of Rudenheim, the envoy from Raglaras sought out Retina first.
Having learned of Retina’s residence from Norden, he knelt before her as soon as he saw her come out to meet him.
“Uh, please, it’s our first meeting; you don’t need to kneel right away…”
“Please speak informally. Our Atshan family has long served the House of Ignis. I am not someone the Grand Duke needs to address formally.”
“First, stand up and then we can talk. Please, stand up.”
“Please, the formal speech…”
Retina pulled up the overly loyal envoy. Just the touch of Retina’s hand flustered Sharhim, making his ears turn red.
Sharhim, who looked like he was being dragged up by Retina, who was less than half the size of his burly arms, stumbled to find his footing and his place.
Since he started walking, Sharhim had been indoctrinated by his father with loyalty to the vanished House of Ignis. Now, encountering the long-lost heir after a hundred years, he was utterly overwhelmed. Despite his massive build, as large as a mountain, he was exceedingly cautious around the delicate and precious Grand Duke, afraid she might get hurt even if he brushed against her.
‘I’m not some hamster,’ Retina thought, glancing sideways at Sharhim, who was too scared to come within her reach. His body was as rugged as a bear’s, with pitch-black eyes and hair, and scars around his eyes that made his already stern expression even fiercer.
Sharhim was the closest embodiment of the northerners Retina had heard about.
“I am honored to welcome the Grand Duke in my lifetime.”
“Let’s go inside first. I mean, come in.”
The problem was that this giant man seemed more like a dog following its master than a fierce beast.
Avoiding the intimidating stares that felt burdensome, Retina entered the mansion first. Sharhim followed closely behind like a loyal dog, not missing a step.
“While it’s certain that Your Highness is a descendant of noble lineage, we must go through the formal verification process.”
Once seated in the drawing room, Sharhim rummaged through the luggage he had brought from the north and produced a crystal artifact.
“May I have the Tear of the Goddess for a moment?” Sharhim, placing a somewhat rough object on the table that seemed too crude to be an ornate piece, extended his hands towards Retina.
When she dropped the pendant into his bear-like palms, he carefully received it and delicately placed the pendant on the crystal artifact. The pendant fit perfectly into the crystal sculpture, as if the two pieces were originally a set. Even for Retina, who grew up in a wealthy family, the opulence of this custom-made crystal artifact was unmatched.
“The verification is simple.”
Sharhim took a small hand mirror and used it to reflect the sunlight streaming in through the window. The refracted sunlight was directed onto the pendant held by the stand.
“Each family’s emblem has a mark engraved using a special Raglaras craftsmanship. While the pendant’s exterior can be imitated, replicating this unique engraving technique is impossible.”
As the 7-carat diamond caught the sunlight, it dispersed light in all directions. The clear, transparent light, displaying a spectrum of colors, hit the crystal stand and spread even wider, creating a dazzling display.
While everyone was captivated by the shimmering light, Sharhim slowly adjusted the angle of the mirror, focusing the sunlight directly on the center of the pendant.
When the light of nature met the precise craftsmanship of humans, the reflection from the diamond became even clearer, creating a distinct pattern.
“This is the emblem of the first House of Ignis. There are no pendants of this size with blue diamonds, so I had no doubts about its authenticity. It is indeed the Tear of the Goddess.”
Sharhim, his voice filled with emotion, spoke as he observed the pattern emerging on the table. Retina, who had always carried the pendant she inherited from her mother, looked at it with newfound curiosity, unaware of the secret it held.
“As the representative of the Kingdom of Raglaras, I attest that you are indeed the rightful owner of the Tear of the Goddess, and a descendant of the sword of Raglaras, Grand Duke Ignis.”
Sharhim drew a small knife and made a cut on his thumb, pressing it into the document he had brought from the north. Retina, who had also made a cut on her finger, added her blood seal below his.
“With this, we recognize the return of Grand Duke Ignis in the name of Raglaras, and henceforth, Your Highness will receive the respect and treatment befitting your rank.”
Sharhim sealed the document and handed it over to a messenger who had arrived in Rudenheim a few days earlier. While Sharhim stayed in Rudenheim to assist with the Grand Duke’s external affairs, the kingdom would proceed with the formalities for bestowing the title upon Grand Duke Ignis.
“I have important matters to discuss with Your Highness.”
“May I have a moment alone with Your Highness?”
Sharhim, surveying the people in the reception room, made his request.
“You can trust my family; conversations here won’t leak elsewhere,” Retina assured him.
“Grand Duke, you are of the nobility of Raglaras now. You can no longer be considered part of the Empire’s family.”
Although the Deneuve family were related to Retina by blood, for Sharhim, they were still outsiders.
“It’s fine. Let’s leave them to talk privately. We’ll step aside,” Sat said, holding back Retina who seemed about to argue. The Duke of Deneuve and Haint also respected his decision and left the room.
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. I’ll wait in Father’s study, so call me if needed.”
Sat, placing a reassuring hand on Retina’s shoulder before leaving, exited with the others. Alone with Sharhim in the now-empty reception room, Retina traced her fingers around a cold teacup.
“So, what is it that you want to tell me?”
“Do you know what the name ‘Ignis’ signifies in Raglaras?” Sharhim’s question was met with a nod from Retina, who remembered the story about the Ignis family that Norden had shared when the pendant was first examined.
“The House of Ignis was, until the end, the family with the most significant emblem of the Goddess next to the royal family and was both a symbol of war heroes and peacekeepers for Raglaras. Therefore, even if the entire lineage was wiped out, we have come to manage in their place and to find their descendants.”
Sharhim’s deep loyalty to the House of Ignis was evident in how he treated Retina, even though he had just met her.
Even though the head of the House of Ignis had been missing for over a hundred years, the name itself remained powerful.
“During this time, the Prince sent as an envoy to Rudenheim, for the first time in a century, reported that he had found a descendant of the Ignis House. That’s how we arrived at the current situation.”
When the Prince sent a drawing mimicking the Goddess’s Tear, the kingdom erupted in tremendous joy. Although there was no proof yet that she was truly a descendant of Ignis, the urgency was so great that the King himself intervened, and Sharhim was dispatched toRudenheim with royal orders.
The fact that they had found the last known relic of the Ignis House and the Goddess’s Tear, even as the lifespan of Karsha—the only one who remembered the final days of the Ignis House—dwindled, was a beacon of hope.
“Everyone in Raglaras is waiting for the return of the Ignis House.”
Sharhim removed the pendant from the crystal stand and handed it back to Retina. He watched closely as she carefully put the pendant away.
“However, while you are a descendant of the Ignis House, you have spent your entire life inRudenheim. Though you carry the name of Ignis, technically, you are no different from an Empire citizen.”
Sharhim’s voice, once filled with reverence, now took on a colder tone. His gaze, icy and scrutinizing, seemed to chill the air around him as he looked at Retina.
“While the King and Karsha consider your mere existence sufficient, as a loyal servant, I have a question for you.”
Leaning forward with his elbows resting on his spread knees, Sharhim spoke:
“If war were to break out between our two nations again, which side would you choose, Your Highness?”
