8. The Founding Festival of Belpator and the Spirit of Lake Beryl

Episode 94

A week after Vitrain departed for the south, a report arrived from the border.

It was good news: the war seemed to be nearing its end.

If the Kingdom of Dyrun emerged victorious, our Belpator would also stand as a victorious nation, holding the Kingdom of Byerson and the Enser Empire accountable for the war.

This was an excellent opportunity to strengthen Belpator’s influence in the southern continent and to check the Enser Empire’s power.

Thanks to the efforts of the Imperial Guard, I allocated additional funds to the construction of their barracks.

Of course, Viscount Gelphillow would foot the bill.

Meanwhile, the new palace servant was adjusting well.

Tito had assigned Melbrid to clean the imperial archives.

While it was officially “cleaning,” Tito’s intention was clear—it was an opportunity for Melbrid to read the books. After all, the archives had dedicated staff to manage the collection.

“Lothania went to the archives again today, didn’t she?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Tito replied, placing a teacup before me with a warm, grandfatherly smile.

“I suppose they played hide-and-seek again.”

“So I’ve heard.”

The image of Lothania, who rarely showed interest in the archives, now prowling around them, brought a smile to my face as well.

Servants of the palace were expected to stay out of sight of the royal family as a rule.

Stubborn as he was, Melbrid avoided Lothania, while Lothania eagerly waited for her chance to “raid” the archives.

For the past few days, the imperial archives had become an unexpected stage for daily games of hide-and-seek.

“Did she catch him today?”

“It seems they came to an agreement: they decided to read books together with the bookshelf between them.”

The two had found a compromise—staying in the same space without facing each other.

It saddened me to see Lothania wanting to be near him so desperately and Melbrid unable to face her directly.

I wanted to help them, but I knew they would find their own answers in their own way, as they always did.

Melbrid wouldn’t remain a palace servant forever. For now, I decided to leave things to the children.

“And what about Amy? How is she doing?”

“Oh, Anna took her along.”

“Anna? To the Crown Princess’s palace?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Anna was impressed by her physique and insisted on taking her. Afterward, Amy herself asked to go back.”

“Her physique? What does that mean?”

I blinked in confusion, but Tito shook his head, indicating he didn’t know the details either.

If Anna had taken her, nothing bad would happen to Amy, but the reason still felt strange.

Turning to Aiden, I asked him the same question.

“What does that mean, Aiden?”

“Now that I think about it, the child does have a decent frame,” he replied.

“A decent frame? Explain in a way I can understand.”

“It seems Anna plans to teach her swordsmanship.”

“Swordsmanship?”

“Though it’s a bit late to start, Anna must have seen potential in her to be so enthusiastic.”

That timid child, skilled with a sword?

Amy wasn’t physically strong or robust—she was small and frail for her age.

While I trusted Aiden and Anna wouldn’t make things up, it was hard to believe.

I decided to call Amy later and ask her myself. For now, I ended the conversation.

After sending Tito away and standing up, Aiden naturally extended his hand to me.

“Where would you like to go today?”

“Today, I’d like to explore the main palace. I plan to visit His Majesty’s chambers.”

“As you wish, I’ll escort you.”

Taking Aiden’s hand, I stepped out of the office.

Since last week, we had begun exploring the imperial palace after lunch, combining the tours with leisurely walks.

The Harriet Palace was so massive that there were still many places I hadn’t seen. Slowly, I was familiarizing myself with the place I now called home.

Today’s destination was the third floor of the main palace.

Although I entered and exited the main palace daily, I had never set foot on the third floor, which housed the emperor’s private quarters.

As soon as we climbed the stairs and entered the third-floor corridor, I couldn’t help but marvel.

The Harriet Palace was magnificent in every way, but the splendor of the third-floor corridor was overwhelming.

From the ceiling to the floor, everything shimmered.

If the Empress’s residence was elegantly luxurious, this space was majestic.

Perhaps the portraits of past emperors that lined the long walls contributed to this feeling.

The solemn and imposing portraits helped temper the corridor’s potentially overwhelming grandeur.

As I admired the paintings, I asked Aiden, “Is there no portrait of the late emperor?”

“They’re traditionally hung after the next emperor ascends the throne,” he explained.

“Ah, that makes sense…”

I nodded, standing before the spot where Nerian’s portrait would one day hang.

Looking at the empty space, I felt strange.

The thought that Lothania’s portrait would eventually hang beside his made it even stranger.

The weight of standing in for my stepdaughter as emperor suddenly felt heavier.

We walked down the long corridor and arrived at the door to the emperor’s chambers.

Aiden opened the door, and as I entered, a massive painting covering one wall immediately caught my eye.

“Wow…”

I couldn’t hold back my exclamation as I approached it.

The painting depicted the first emperor, accompanied by a snake, an eagle, and a wolf-like dog.

Each figure looked so lifelike it seemed they might leap out of the painting at any moment.

The life-size scale made it all the more vivid.

From the piercing gaze of the first emperor to the golden scales of the snake, the eagle’s feathers, and the gleaming fangs of the dog, every detail seemed alive.

“Is this a depiction of the first emperor? And is this dog the first Duke of Tilender?”

“No. This was painted during the reign of the fifth emperor, long after the founding of Belpator and the construction of Harriet Palace. As for the beasts being literal animals, that’s merely a legend.”

“But it looks so similar! This wolf-like dog—it even reminds me of you.”

Aiden frowned at the painting of the dog.

I knew comparing someone to a dog could be seen as rude, but they really did resemble each other. If that dog transformed into a person, it would look just like Aiden.

“Do I look that fierce?”

Aiden’s tone was tinged with indignation.

He seemed more bothered by the implication of having a fierce appearance than by being compared to a dog, which was so in line with his character that it made me smile.

The dog in the painting was baring its teeth as if guarding the emperor seated behind it.

Even in the painting, the dog was protecting its master. As this thought crossed my mind, I noticed the emperor’s hand resting on the dog’s neck.

Though his gaze was directed at the snake coiled around his arm, his hand gently stroked the dog’s neck.

That fierce-looking dog must have been a loyal and affectionate companion to its master.

When I turned back to Aiden, he was tilting his head, locked in a silent staring contest with the painted dog.

“I meant it as a compliment—you look as cute as that dog.”

At my words, Aiden’s expression brightened.

He didn’t seem to mind being compared to a dog, but he clearly appreciated being called cute.

That made him even cuter—far more so than the dog in the painting.

Thinking to myself that this could become a serious problem, I changed the subject.

“But what’s that place in the background? It looks familiar.”

“That’s probably Lake Beryl,” Aiden replied.

“Ah, yes, it looks like the view from the summer palace.”

The vivid depiction of the lake’s blue waves in the background was so realistic it felt like I could dip my hand into the water.

Marveling at the skill of the unknown artist, I asked, “Why is Lake Beryl the background?”

“It’s said that the first emperor encountered the three beasts at Lake Beryl,” Aiden explained.

His answer jogged my memory—I had read something about that while researching the beasts, though I had only skimmed that part while focusing on the binding oath.

I suddenly recalled the Spirit Festival at the lake during our summer retreat.

The legend said the lake’s spirit invited animal friends to play together.

Belpator really was a remarkably animal-friendly nation.

Chuckling at the thought, I turned toward the emperor’s bedroom.

Inside, there was another painting.

This one, like the one in the office, was so large that a person could easily pass through it if it moved.

“That must be it,” Aiden said, pointing at the painting.

I nodded, recognizing what he meant. A few days ago, on the 15th, I had visited Lian as promised, and he had revealed the locations of three secret passage entrances.

One was the painting in my office that he had used during my abduction. Another was in Lothania’s quarters, where the heir apparent resided. And the third was this one, in the emperor’s bedroom.

The palace was filled with paintings, and I had assumed it was merely because the Luminal imperial family had an affinity for art. Now it seemed they were meant to hide the entrances to secret passageways.

Having already checked Lothania’s painting, this was the final one.

“He said the lock involves animals, right?”

Examining the painting closely, I found tiny birds drawn on it.

Pressing them one by one, I eventually heard a low rumble from within the wall.

Then, with a click, the frame pushed outward, revealing a hidden passage.