VIWL | Chapter 3

Posted by Ayaka, Released on April 25, 2025

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‘…Who is this man?’

I scanned him from head to toe. His appearance was rare in Tuniate.

In other words, he was not a noble of the empire.

If he had such distinctive features, I would have recognized him even if I had no interest in nobles.

Then, was he an invited guest from outside?

However, even after searching through my memories of the original story, there was no such character.

‘No, wait. This is before the original story begins. It’s possible for new people to appear.’

Still, I didn’t lower my guard against the man.

He obviously knew I was a princess, yet he spoke so casually in informal speech, which was unsettling.

“Who are you? Are you a guest invited by the imperial family?”

Perhaps he was a high-ranking official from another country.

As I mentioned earlier, the Imperial Library was not a place where just anyone could enter.

The man smiled brightly and nodded.

“Let’s just say that I am.”

“…Pardon?”

“Call me Remmuth.”

…What the hell.

I was so dumbfounded that I lost my words. My face twisted as I failed to maintain my composure, and he responded with a refreshing smile.

He seemed completely unaware of how odd our conversation was.

I asked who he was, and all he gave me was his name? Normally, one would state their status as well.

Finding him suspicious, I attempted to step past him, but he moved to block my path. The same happened when I tried going the other way.

“What are you doing?”

“Our conversation isn’t over yet, but you’re trying to leave.”

“….”

It was over for me.

Remmuth smiled, his eyes curving, and his confidence was so brazen that I lost the will to even get angry.

I shot him a slightly sharp look, signaling for him to hurry up and say what he needed to say.

“How old is the princess this year?”

“Nineteen.”

“So when do you turn twenty?”

Why was he asking this?

With a sigh, I replied without much enthusiasm.

“I’ll be an adult in two months.”

In Tuniate, the new year began in March.

My birthday was the following month.

Legally, adulthood was recognized from the first day of the new year, but it didn’t make much difference.

“Ah, then that works.”

“Why are you asking?”

A royal’s age was common knowledge that anyone could find out just by asking around.

“You’re heading to the restricted section, aren’t you?”

“No? And why should I tell you anything?”

My patience was wearing thin. I made it clear that I wanted to leave.

Remmuth raised both hands as if to calm me down.

However, he was already convinced that I was heading to the restricted section.

Well, considering I was sneaking between bookshelves, cautiously checking my surroundings, and slipping inside, he would have to be an idiot not to figure it out.

“What business do you have in the restricted section? The princess of Tuniate isn’t supposed to learn ancient language.”

“Excuse me? Stop bothering me and move aside.”

“Or… can you read it?”

“…I know the basics. Why?”

Ancient language was an essential part of a royal’s education.

However, since the ancient language used by Tuniate’s royal family was exceptionally special, even among the privileged, I downplayed my knowledge by saying I only understood the basics.

The ancient language of the Tuniate royal family could interpret divine prophecies, receive the goddess’s summons, and, if one had enough divine power, even call upon her through prayer.

Because many envied and resented this ability, I had always been warned to be cautious.

It briefly crossed my mind that Remmuth might be one of those people.

But then, instead of continuing to probe, Remmuth looked genuinely taken aback.

“You really know ancient language?”

“I’ve been patient, but this is getting ridiculous.”

I suddenly stepped closer to him, standing on my toes and bringing my face near his.

Remmuth immediately flinched and pulled back.

I narrowed my eyes.

Plastered against the wall, he lowered his gaze and seemed to be holding his breath, completely motionless.

“Hey.”

“…W-what?”

At my informal speech, he responded with a dazed expression before hurriedly shutting his mouth. His red eyes wavered.

“You know who I am, yet you’ve been speaking informally to me this whole time. Do you want to be arrested for insulting royalty? I’ve tolerated enough.”

“…”

“I’m busy, so stop following me. Let’s never run into each other again. What a weirdo.”

He remained silent, just listening without reacting.

Satisfied that I had said my piece, I lowered my heels and smiled.

His red eyes followed my movement downward.

“Hmph.”

Without hesitation, I turned and strode past Remmuth.

“…Ah.”

Remmuth, who had been pressed against the wall, exhaled the breath he had been holding and relaxed his tension.

For a moment, Lizbeth had suddenly closed the distance, almost making contact with him.

He reached up and touched the tip of his chin, where her breath had just grazed. A burning sensation tingled there.

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

Remmuth lightly waved his hand toward Lizbeth’s retreating figure.

A strange, five-pointed star briefly flickered into existence before fading away.

A ripple of magical energy spread, but no one in the library noticed it.

“I didn’t expect the princess to have that kind of personality.”

According to what he had learned, she was supposed to be timid and quiet. But her actions just now were anything but timid.

Her expression, full of annoyance at his presence, had been blatantly obvious.

Remmuth chuckled and ran his fingers lightly over his chin. The redness on his skin faded, returning to smoothness.

“A traitor in the Tuniate royal family… Who would have thought?”

The royal family had never allowed the princess to learn the ancient language. That was a practice upheld for nearly a thousand years.

To prevent the princess from discovering the truth about the imperial family, they had cut off any means of access to such knowledge.

This was how the so-called ‘peace’ of the Holy Empire of Tuniate had been maintained.

“Who was it that taught her the ancient language?”

The fact that Lizbeth knew ancient language was good news for him.

It would give them a reason to meet again.

However, whoever had given her that knowledge could become an obstacle.

After a moment of contemplation, he turned on his heel.

His business here was finished—there was no reason to linger any longer.

Even as he emerged from between the bookshelves and walked through the crowded space, no one spared him a glance.

A strikingly handsome man with red hair and red eyes—an uncommon sight in Tuniate—was passing by, yet no one noticed him.

As if he were invisible.

“Now, I just have to wait.”

Lizbeth Tuniate knowing ancient language was an unexpected and unplanned gain.

“Then again, the fact that I’m even here doesn’t make sense, does it?”

Especially in the imperial palace, where the goddess’s divine power was at its strongest.

Remmuth’s lips curled into a smooth smile. His red eyes flashed momentarily, revealing narrow pupils before fading away.

***

The Emperor’s Audience Chamber, Filled with Divine Power

A silver-haired man sat atop a high throne made of pure gold, his cold eyes gazing downward.

Below him, on the white marble floor draped with a crimson carpet, a man with sky-blue hair and striking features knelt in deep obeisance.

“Lloyd Windsor.”

At the sound of his name, the kneeling man responded.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Do you know why I have summoned you?”

Emperor Karos leaned against the throne, resting his chin on his hand.

A suffocating tension filled the chamber.

It was Lloyd’s first time having a private audience with the emperor, and the weight of it left him unable to easily open his mouth.

It was rare—even unheard of—for an emperor to personally summon the heir of a ducal house that had not yet been officially appointed.

“My apologies, Your Majesty. My knowledge is lacking, and I have failed to grasp your intentions.”

“As expected.”

“…….”

“If you did know, the Windsor family would have been eradicated by now.”

Lloyd’s expression hardened.

Even for an emperor, to speak of the ‘eradication’ of a ducal house so casually was extreme.

The Windsor Duchy had protected Tuniate for over a thousand years.

Moreover, the current empress, Atlea, was from the Windsor family.

After a moment of silence, Lloyd finally spoke.

“Then, will Your Majesty grant me enlightenment?”

“You will travel to the border for a time.”

“…The border?”

The bandits at the border had already been eradicated last month. That was a trivial matter that did not require the direct intervention of the Windsor family.

The empire’s border was already guarded by military forces—there was no reason for Lloyd himself to be sent there.

He was the most skilled swordsman in the empire.

He had wielded aura before even reaching adulthood, and he had never once lost in the annual swordsmanship tournaments of the Holy Empire of Tuniate.

In short, sending him to the border was an excessive measure.

“The empire has been restless as of late. It unsettles me.”

But Karos spoke as if it were no significant matter.

As the ruler of Tuniate, his orders were absolute. He was the goddess’s chosen agent.

To disobey his commands was to defy the will of the goddess herself.

“What would Your Majesty have me do at the border?”

“Exterminate everything.”

“Everything…?”

“Do not leave a single living thing behind.”