Agnes gazed at Laslo’s face thoughtfully.
“He’s already a king with two sons, there’s no need to go as far as killing the princess, isn’t that right?””
“You’re right.”
“Then…”
“However, there is a reason why I must do this. As long as I am alive, I am undoubtedly a thorn in the side for those who possess the right to the throne.”
Laslo was about to counter, but restrained himself. Katherina returned with old documents.
“Here it is.”
“Is this all there is?”
What she returned with was a thin booklet that one could tally its pages at a glance.
Katherina nodded.
“Even within this document, there is less information about the royal family’s crest.”
She opened the booklet to the middle and pointed with her finger.
“You can start reading from here.”
Agnes read the part where she had pointed at.
<Only the red star heralding the first dawn has the power to erase an ancient promise. The greater the suffering, the stronger the power becomes, and the closer to death, the easier it is.>
These were excessively short sentences.
“What about after this?”
“There is nothing.”
“Is this all there is?”
A sense of disappointment washed over her. Agnes, unable to believe it, carefully examined the booklet front and back.
“How can you be so sure this is about the crest?”
“Traditionally, the ancient promise mentioned here is interpreted as referring to the royal family’s mark.”
“Then what is the red star heralding the first dawn?”
“It is probably referring to Ranunculus.”
“What is that?”
“It is a star that rises at the beginning of dawn. It is called the red star because of its red color.”
“Really? A star that rises every dawn? I might be able to see it tomorrow. Isn’t that right?”
Agnes’s face lit up with excitement, as things seemed to be resolving more easily than she had thought.
However, on the contrary, Katherina’s expression darkened.
“That star rises at regular intervals.”
Laslo, who had been listening quietly, interjected.
“If it rises at regular intervals, how long are we talking about?”
“I’m not sure about the specifics. Is it every five years or every ten years?”
“It’s every fifteen years.”
Katerina cautiously corrected him. Agnes’s face stiffened in an instant.
“What? The star rises once every fifteen years?”
“As far as I know, yes.”
“Then, when is the next time the star will rise?”
Katherina shook her head.
“I’m sorry, Duchess. I don’t know that either. Perhaps Bushke might know. She is a sage who knows everything.”
“Yes, Princess. Bushke probably knows.”
Laslo reassured her gently. Agnes steadied her anxious heart.
“Hmm. In that case, how do you interpret the sentence that follows? About suffering and death?”
“This part also has various interpretations. Some take it metaphorically, while others interpret it literally as meaning nearing death.”
“I see.”
Agnes carefully read the sentence once again. It wasn’t easy to understand.
“I need to think more about the rest of this sentence. Thank you for your hard work.”
She requested Katherina to transcribe the text and then returned to the castle.
Laslo descended the carriage first and helped her get down.
“Oh, I was going to talk to High Priestess Katherina performing the ritual of oath, but I completely forgot.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to think more about it before making a decision?”
He furrowed his left eyebrow with a puzzled expression.
“What is there to think about? My mind is already as firm as a rock.”
Agnes narrowed her eyes. She reiterated with a strong tone.
“Tell the high priestess that we will be holding a ritual of oath.”
“Princess, please don’t rush. Even if we don’t do the ritual of oath, aren’t you already recognized as the Duchess of Arpad?”
“I don’t want to be recognized as the Duchess, I want to be recognized as your wife.”
Laslo fell silent for a while, looking at Agnes with a complex expression.
He couldn’t guess what was on her mind.
“Duke?”
“…The ceremony takes a long time to prepare.”
“It doesn’t matter how long it takes. But…”
Agnes was about to say something when a man suddenly interrupted them.
“Master!”
He was a knight she had seen a few times before.
“Sir Gabor?”
“Haa. Right now. Ha. A messenger has appeared on the northern defense line.”
He seemed out of breath, as if he had run there at full speed. His forehead was covered in beads of sweat.
Upon hearing the news brought by the knight, Laslo’s expression stiffened in an instant.
“Understood. I will go there immediately. Princess, I’m sorry, but I must leave now. Let’s talk about this later.”
“Take care.”
Agnes bid him farewell until he disappeared.
Upon returning to her room, she immediately called for Bushke.
“You called for me.”
As always, Bushke entered with a polite demeanor.
“Take a look at this.”
Agnes handed her the note received from the temple.
Bushke’s eyes lit up. She examined the short message for quite a while.
“It seems to refer to Ranunculus.”
As expected, Bushke grasped the meaning of the first line in an instant.
“The high priestess mentioned that it rises once every fifteen years.”
“That is correct.”
“Then, when is the next time the star will rise?”
Agnes clenched her fist nervously and swallowed hard.
“I’m sorry. I can’t provide an immediate answer right now. But it shouldn’t be difficult to locate the star, so I will return within a few days with the information.”
“I see… That’s fine. Thank you for your efforts.”
She felt disheartened.
She felt drained. She didn’t know if she was anxious or relieved. Her heart was pounding fiercely.
After Bushke left, Agnes extended her left hand and stared at the crest.
‘I will change it.’
No matter what happens, she will change the future. She would save Laslo and survive.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Due to the demonic beast invading, it was difficult to see even Laslo’s hair for a while. However, the problem arose after he returned to the castle.
Laslo was reluctant to spend time with her, coming up with one excuse after another.
Not only during the day but also at night, whenever she heard he was busy, she became furious.
Instead, Zoltan awkwardly hovered around the princess.
“Ugh, it’s bitter!”
He grimaced sharply after taking a sip of the carefully poured tea.
The teacup shook, causing its contents to spill over. Ney, who was standing nearby, widened her eyes at the sight.
“You drink this so well. Princess.”
Zoltan pushed the teacup away with disgust.
“If it doesn’t suit your taste, ask for something else.”
“If it’s not alcohol, then I’m good.”
He sank into the chair with a nonchalant attitude.
“Then should I ask for some alcohol?”
“Madam!”
Ney unintentionally raised her voice.
“Alcohol? Never mind. What fun is there in drinking alone?”
He raised his head halfway and replied gruffly.
“I can be your drinking partner.”
When she asked Niqll for the account books to properly learn household management, she was told to wait as he was in the middle of organizing. This led Agnes to lead a leisurely life.
“Madam, the sun hasn’t set yet.”
Her faithful maid opened her eyes wide in a fierce manner.
“Normally, you should start drinking before sunset and finish while watching the sunrise for it to be enjoyable.”
Meanwhile, Zoltan chuckled in amazement.
Ney glared fiercely at him, but Zoltan remained unfazed.
“But to have you as my drinking partner. Princess, do you know how to drink?”
Zoltan stared rudely at Agnes.
Rather than being offended, Agnes raised the corners of her mouth and laughed heartily at him.
“I’ve been drinking alcohol like water since fourteen.”
“I’ve been filling my stomach with alcohol since I was thirteen.”
Zoltan immediately retorted to the princess’s words.
“I’ve never been drunk even once from drinking.”
“I don’t get drunk even if I bathe in alcohol.”
The two stared at each other for a while. A sense of competitiveness surged deep within Agnes.
“I should check if that’s true.”
“Feel free. But, Princess, the alcohol here is not like the fruit wine you had at the palace. It’s much stronger. I don’t know if you’ve tried it at the palace.”
“I don’t drink fruit wine because it just fills me up. No need to worry about unnecessary things.”
As Agnes confidently spoke, the man opposite her burst into laughter. Agnes immediately instructed Ney to bring alcohol.
However, Ney hesitated to leave, emphasizing that it was broad daylight.
When she didn’t budge, Zoltan intervened.
“Did you not hear the princess?”
With a sigh of annoyance, Ney reluctantly made her way down to the cellar. A while later, Nei returned with several bottles of distilled alcohol commonly consumed in Sutmar.
The grand drinking session that started lightly with one drink, then two, showed no signs of ending even as the sun set and darkness fell.
In the midst of this, the butler came to find Zoltan.
“Oh dear, young master. The day has already turned to night.”
“I’m busy now, so come back later.”
The butler hesitated and lingered around him.
The drinking party between the mistress of the castle and the master’s brother seemed endless even as the night grew darker.
“Hmm. Princess, you seem to handle your drink better than expected?”
“Is that so?”
In truth, Agnes had never been drunk from drinking alcohol.
