Chapter 9. I’m Coming Along Too

As soon as she stepped out of the office, three people were waiting for Axia.

Standing loyally in front of the door like a “guard dog” was Captain of the Imperial Guard Corinth, along with Ganymede—and even Grand Duke Arcas.

“It’s broad daylight… When did you even get here…?”

Axia felt her shoulders instinctively tense.

Corinth had every reason to be stationed in front of the Emperor’s office, so she didn’t mind him. But the other two…

“Are you in the habit of causing trouble from the moment you wake up?”

Grand Duke Arcas, shielding himself under a black parasol, looked down at Axia with disapproval.

“You must have met Lilia inside. What did she say?”

“Ah, good morning to you too. My dear husband.”

Axia shot back with a sarcastic smile, her expression brimming with irritation.

“What a heartwarming greeting on our first meeting of the day. It’s so nice to see you again. And thank you ever so much for your concern.”

“My wif—!”

While Arcas was effectively silenced, the ever-observant Ganymede smoothly stepped in with a polite greeting.

“Good morning, Mother.”

“And… good morning to you, my dear son.”

“Please, feel free to speak casually with me.”

The young man, draped in a dark cloak, smiled pleasantly.

“…I’ll take my time with that.”

‘Damn it. I’ll never get used to that title.’

After finally managing to smooth out her expression, Axia turned her gaze toward the clearly exasperated Arcas.

“Ganymede is in charge at night, so I simply came with my daytime butler, Ayer, to clear up some questions. Did I do something wrong?”

At that moment, Ayer brightened and greeted Ganymede enthusiastically.

“Hello, Lord Ganymede. I’ll be attending to Lady Axia during the day. Now that I see, in the Pyro Clan, it turns out that the son is the one serving at night…”

“Ayer, please shut up.”

‘One person making dirty jokes is already enough with the Emperor!’

Looking somewhat aggrieved at being silenced, Ayer closed his mouth, while Arcas glared at him with a dark expression.

“…Head Steward Ayer. This is the first time I’m hearing that the Imperial Palace has assigned its own attendant to our side.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Aren’t you a rather busy man? With so many official duties, why would you go out of your way to do this?”

“There’s no reason I shouldn’t.”

Ayer smiled politely.

“Attending to Lady Axia is an important duty, and I am the ‘most experienced servant in this Imperial Palace,’ after all.”

“But Ayer, you are…!”

Arcas abruptly stopped mid-sentence, suddenly clutching his throat.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

Axia tilted her head in confusion before stepping in.

“Grand Duke Arcas, are you feeling unwell?”

“…The daylight is a bit exhausting.”

Hearing his strained reply, Axia felt an unexpected pang of guilt.

‘No, it’s probably because of me. He must still be suffering from the aftereffects of having his true blood forcibly drained.’

That night, when she had failed to assassinate the Emperor, had she been too ruthless in taking his true blood?

“We can’t have the Grand Duke, one of the Empire’s greatest pillars, in poor condition.”

Ayer stepped forward with exaggerated concern.

“I’ll be in charge of Lady Axia during the day, so please focus on your recovery, Grand Duke. You already know how capable I am at my job, don’t you?”

“…I’ll have to decline for today, Head Steward of the Imperial Household, Ayer.”

Perhaps from clenching his teeth, Arcas’s jawline looked even sharper as he shook his head and extended a hand toward Axia.

“More importantly, there’s something I need to confirm. Won’t you come with us, my bride?”

“Alright, sure… Ayer, see you later.”

Turning her back on Ayer, Axia took Arcas’s hand without hesitation.

‘I’m not so heartless that I’d refuse the request of a man who’s weakened because of me.’

* * *

“It was a foolish decision to leave your room today.”

‘…Maybe I should have just heartlessly refused.’

“You do realize that there are nearly a hundred Bloodline members in the Imperial Palace watching your every move with keen interest? You’re still in an unawakened state, unable to even ignite your flames.”

After moving to a shaded reception room within the palace, Grand Duke Arcas unleashed a barrage of scolding.

“Even excluding the Bloodline members from the Pyro Clan, more than sixty of them are potential enemies. Not even the Emperor’s office was safe for you.”

‘He must be talking about Grand Duchess Lilia.’

Axia let out a deep sigh.

“But it’s not like she would have attacked me outright with the Emperor right in front of her. She is one of the Three Grand Dukes, after all.”

“Not by force, no. But Lilia’s real power isn’t in her strength—it’s in her political influence and wealth. There’s a reason why the Shad Clan holds the largest Bloodline faction.”

Arcas lowered his lashes with a sigh.

“She is a patron of arcane engineers and the floating city of Quenfid. Her human followers and capital assets are vast.”

Axia already knew as much.

The steam engine that powered much of this world was practically developed thanks to Lilia’s contributions.

“So that’s why she brought up the airship so casually…?”

Hearing Axia’s murmur, Arcas squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his fingers against his forehead.

“As expected… She’s already trying to lure you in with gifts.”

“And she’s as fast as ever. I figured as much.”

Ganymede nodded in agreement and turned to Axia.

“Lady Axia, what exactly did Grand Duchess Lilia propose?”

Expecting another wave of scolding, Axia quickly answered.

“She said that if I don’t choose a Shad Clan Bloodline member as my opponent for the challenge, she’d give me a mid-sized 100-passenger-class airship. I didn’t respond, though.”

It was no different from offering her a civilian Boeing aircraft in her past life.

Ganymede’s expression hardened.

“An airship is, of course, an astronomically expensive and highly useful asset, but do you know how much fuel costs and operational expenses can amount to?”

‘Of course I do.’

Even if she had only been a hastily adopted daughter for two months, Axia had still undergone six years of formal successor training under her benefactor, Anna Maria.

“Eigen Grau. Also known as gray gold, it’s a dull gray magic stone. That’s why airships are notorious for burning through money.”

Despite its insane efficiency, its flight range was limited, its deposits scarce, and its price dictated entirely by demand.

“That’s exactly how Grand Duchess Lilia will trap you—with fuel supplies. That’s how she operates.”

Ganymede elaborated with an expression of distaste.

“She might give you the airship itself, but you wouldn’t be able to use it freely.”

To buy or acquire fuel, Axia would be forced to rely on the Shad Clan, which controlled the distribution. Worse, it could even be bait to push her into siding with Lilia in any future conflict between the Pyro Clan and the Shad Clan.

She was a more cunning woman than expected.

“…Well, I never actually agreed. Ayer cut her off before I could answer.”

“You shouldn’t trust the Head Steward either.”

Grand Duke Arcas immediately dismissed Ayer.

“He’s even more cunning than Lilia.”

‘Is it just because he’s one of the Emperor’s men?’

As Axia internally gauged Ayer’s unpopularity, Arcas continued questioning her.

“More importantly, with Head Steward Ayer already serving as your aide, why did you go to the Emperor? Any reasonable question could have been answered by him.”

“Well, the authority to decide…”

Axia carefully explained her request to meet Count Thracia, her visit to the Thracia domain, the curse placed on her the night before, and the Twelve Labors.

‘Is it just my imagination…?’

By the time she finished, Arcas and Ganymede’s already pale complexions looked even more rigid and drained.

Arcas let out a reluctant sigh before speaking.

“I can’t let my bride, still in an unawakened state, go alone with the Emperor. …It seems I must accompany you as well.”

“Father, you are still not fully recovered.”

Ganymede quickly intervened.

“It would be better if I went instead, as I am already assigned to assist Lady Axia—”

“You are not capable of opposing the Emperor, Ganymede. The only Bloodline members His Majesty even pretends to respect are the Grand Dukes.”

Arcas cut him off without hesitation.

“While I’m gone, you’ll handle all clan affairs. Get ready.”

“…Yes.”

The black-haired young man, who had appeared so composed and confident just yesterday, barely managed a response in a hoarse voice.

Before leaving, Ganymede shot Axia a sharp glare, as if he found the situation infuriating.

‘Even if it’s an inconvenience, there’s no way around it right now.’

Axia pretended not to notice.

What she needed most right now was the strength and knowledge to protect herself. To achieve that, she had to meet the Count and visit her domain.

‘There’s no time to sit around locked in the Imperial Palace training myself just to light a single flame.’

Suppressing her complaints, Axia turned to Arcas and expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you. Once we return, I’ll train hard, so please help me just this once.”

“Help you? What more do you need from me…?”

“I know it’s shameless, but yes. Let me clarify the true purpose of this trip.”

Now that they were alone, Axia decided to be more direct.

“When we reach Thracia, I need to slip past the Emperor and Corinth’s surveillance to visit the Count’s laboratory and retrieve a broken radio.”

“…A radio?”

Axia had to retrieve the radio that the Count had treasured so dearly.

Only he knew exactly where it was, but since she wasn’t allowed to meet him…

‘If I can’t visit him, I have no choice but to find it myself.’

“Yes. It’s a palm-sized device with red neon gas-filled nixie tubes and a dial. It won’t make any sound when you turn it on.”

‘Because it’s a radio that only I can hear.’

“And why do you need it?”

“Because if I obtain it, I’ll be able to more than compensate for the losses I caused the Pyro Clan.”

“You claim it will more than compensate for those losses…?”

Seeing the skepticism in Arcas’s expression, Axia let out a bitter smile.

‘Well, I did cause quite a bit of damage to the clan.’

“Yes. If you were to calculate it financially—”

“That’s enough.”

Arcas abruptly cut her off.

“There are too many ears in the Imperial Palace. Explain the details later.”

“Fine.”

But Arcas still didn’t seem convinced.

“I’ll take the risk of believing you—for now. Either way, I’m coming along.”

‘Have you been betrayed that often?’

It seemed this rigid Grand Duke had been played one too many times by both the Emperor and Grand Duchess Lilia.

Finishing her thoughts, Axia stood up first, draping a veil over her head.

Even if she was an unawakened vampire and held the status of a criminal lower than a human, she was still confident.

Her worth wasn’t something that could be measured in conventional ways.

Her Power to Cross Boundaries allowed her to hear voices from beyond this world.

Voices that included—

‘Haven’t realized it yet, have you?’

The Emperor’s cryptic words.

‘Beep— Beep— Beep— Beep—’

The ominous sounds she had heard in her dream after he pierced her heart.

They all pointed to one possibility.

Perhaps Axia—no, Kang Jinhee’s body…

‘Might still be alive on Earth.’

…Lying in a hospital bed in the ICU.

* * *

As the sun set, Axia finally stepped outside the Imperial Palace buildings.

In one corner of the palace gardens, illuminated by gas lamps, a pitch-black carriage awaited her and Head Steward Ayer.

Airships already existed in this world, so naturally, automobiles had been invented as well—

“However, cars still attract too much attention, making them impractical for discreet and unofficial outings like this,” Ayer explained as he led her to the waiting carriage.

Before she could board, he handed her a small tumbler, looking at her with a pleading expression.

“Please drink this on the way. And, above all, try not to provoke His Majesty or Lord Corinth. It will only exhaust you, Lady Axia.”

“What is this?”

“A meal box.”

A meal box? For a Bloodline member? Axia tilted her head.

“Does it have blood in it?”

“The drinking of Imperial citizens’ blood is forbidden in the capital, but buying and selling blood itself isn’t illegal.”

As Axia examined the tumbler with curiosity, Ayer gave a wry smile and elaborated.

“Blood distribution is strictly regulated, expensive, and difficult to purchase, so it’s rarely used. However, in emergencies, one can buy something like this to drink. I hope there will be no trouble, given that both His Majesty and the Grand Duke are accompanying you, but… in case things take a bad turn, you will need blood.”

So, expensive, difficult to obtain, and not particularly useful—but still available in small quantities.

“Before you depart, allow me one last formality.”

Dressed in a simple coat and a travel dress, Axia stiffened as Ayer knelt before her, adjusting her outfit.

“……! Your knee will get dirty. You don’t need to go that far—”

“It’s fine. This body and these clothes are merely an automaton and its parts, meant for serving.”

Ignoring her protests, Ayer carefully straightened the cuffs of her coat with his gloved hands, smoothing out every wrinkle.

Looking down at his dark head, Axia suddenly realized just how tall he was.

‘…No way he’s under 190 cm.’

When they had stood face to face before the Emperor today, their eye levels had matched exactly. That meant he must be the same height as the Emperor.

He had the exact same face as the Emperor, yet… she couldn’t help but feel more inclined toward him simply because he took care of her.

“…Thank you.”

She murmured her gratitude, her voice softening.

For a brief moment, Ayer’s eyes widened slightly before he gave a gentle smile and bowed his head.

“Return safely. I’ll be waiting.”

As Axia clutched the tumbler and approached the carriage, she noticed a familiar head of dark navy hair bulging up from the coachman’s seat.

‘Oh, right. He’s coming along too.’

Choosing to ignore Corinth’s presence for now, she opened the carriage door—

“The one who insisted on coming is the last to arrive.”

The Emperor, sitting inside with his legs crossed, greeted her coolly.

“Your Majesty boarded just moments ago yourself.”

Grand Duke Arcas, hands resting on his knees, sat directly across from him.

‘What… is this?’

Two of the most absurdly handsome men in the Empire were now both looking up at her.

Faced with this double onslaught of visual perfection, Axia’s mind momentarily stuttered.

‘…Who the hell am I supposed to sit next to?’