Chapter 14

Lia was frustrated at Psychke and couldn’t take her eyes off of her, and expressed her anger through her body.

It was threatening that Psychke thought that she would die even though Lia was small like a child.

Lia’s green eyes, which contained Psychke’s face, shone strangely bright.

As if Lia was trespassing through the other person’s mind.

Then, at some point,

“You looked like you don’t know. Hmm. Didn’t I tell you because it wasn’t a good story?“

She spoke, and oddly, the temperature inside became normal again. She smiled again as if she was never mad.

“Relax, why are you that stiff?”

Verndia, who was silently watching the situation with his arms crossed, was dumbfounded at Lia’s words.

“Anybody would be nervous if you appear like that.”

“But you aren’t like that, ok?”

“You must have forgotten what a Lestir is capable of.”

“What’s the use of that capability?”

He can’t even control it by himself.

Lia gritted her lips silently so that only Verndia could comprehend what she held back to say out loud.

Afterwards, she just mischievously winked at Psychke, who literally had no idea what should she do at the sudden mood.

“I was talking about your Fiancé. What is a disguise inside that looks good? This is a secret, but should I tell you…“

Lia, who was randomly and mysteriously laughing, leaned toward Psychke.

Tilting her head, she suddenly frowned, closing her eyes and began to sniff.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Psychke tried to get away from Lia, who suddenly approached her, but Lia had a good reflex, so she easily pulled Psychke’s collar, preventing her from running away.

Psychke thought that she could push Lia back, but oddly, she couldn’t. It seemed as if she was enchanted.

“Vicente? No, no. It’s not enough to be called the power of God…. I can’t tell your strength. No, is it perhaps, what did you do to her?“

Verndia who was mentioned, made an ugly expression at Lia’s words.

“No, I mean it. I’m afraid I don’t know her strength. Come here and check it out.“

“I can’t feel anything.”

“Why don’t you know when it’s yours?”

Lia sighed out of frustration and held Psychke’s hand.

Then, as if appreciating a rare object, she picked up a sphere of bizarre magic and put it on and off repeatedly—

“Huh? What’s …this?”

Soon she opened her mouth in astonishment.

“You…?”

Dozens of emotions related to the shock covered her face and soon faded away.

Lia, who was muttering to herself, narrowed their distance, placed her hands on the table. And whispered in Psychke’s ear.

“You, you were the person who have the powerful ability of the Great Silkisia all along.”

“…!”

The word ‘ability’ gave Psychke goosebumps. Psyche’s face turned pitifully white.

Pretending that she didn’t see it it, Lia was so excited that she grabbed Psychke’s hand and shook it wildly.

“Oh, my God. I thought you weren’t born because you were very quiet!”

Lia’s beautifully bound pink hair shook violently at her excitement. Her young voice and pale lips were clear as baby bird, chirping.

“Well, well, the thing I hate wasn’t the Silkisia’s ability. Now what’s wrong with your energy? Did you eat something wrong? There’s something like foreign matter mixed up all over your body. It would be impossible for you to even control them.”

She kept whispering in Psychke’s ears but nothing was heard. Psychke’s head was spinning at the discovery of her cursed ability.

Not even knowing that Verndia was overhearing Lia’s sudden words, Psychke looked stunned and was shaken.

Then, at some point, Psychke regained her senses and hurriedly stopped Lia’s next words.

“But aren’t you adopted? That’s strange. This kind ability –”

“Wait a minute.”

The conversation stopped at Psychke’s desperate call.

Psychke mumbled her shaking lips. She managed to make up an excuse, but she appeared as if she would fall on the ground any moment.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

She pulled out her hand she tightly held. Then again, intertwined them and held each of her hand, reducing the anxiety she felt.

“I think you’re mistaken.”

“What? No way –”

“No, I am nothing. I have no meaning.”

‘This is a curse. You can’t let anyone know!‘

‘If this child is known to be alive in the Capital, there will be a blood storm in the empire.’

The words she heard as a child, echoed like thunders in her mind.

She vividly remembered her past when she was chained up like a cold ball and was locked in the dungeon.

It was frightening.

“I am nothing. I really am nothing—”

She couldn’t stand it any longer because she was loss of words to say.

Psychke, while covering her mouth, began to tremble like a leaf. She was so confused that she never thought Verndia would look at her.

“Oh, my dear!”

Unexpectedly embarrassed, Lia summoned a cup containing cold water with magic.

When something cold touched her lips, she strangely came to her senses.

As Psychke was emptying the cup filled with cold water, with her trembling hands, the wizard, who definitely looked like a child patted her hard.

“What have you done?”

Verndia, who was staring at all the actions Lia made with his meaningful eyes, asked.

Lia cut him cold.

“You don’t have to know. I have something to talk to you about with this baby, so you go out for a while.“

It’s been a long time since I saw Lia express her likes enough to call someone a ‘baby’.

Verndia’s eyes folded mysteriously, which had already caught something interesting in his sight.

“Can you just kick out a precious guest like me without a proper explanation?”

“Won’t you leave right now?”

“There’s a certain extent from treating a trading partner and an elder, Lia. Don’t give me orders.”

The momentum of Verndia, who repeatedly said to Lia about her impolite courtesy and if she wouldn’t treat him as he deserved, became violent.

Lia, turning her head toward him, roared.

“Do you want to try?”

“There’s nothing I can’t do.”

Another cold snap broke into the room which made it suffocating inside. But Verndia had no change in his complexion, as if he had not known the cold.

Lia raised her hand, as if saying, “I’ll teach that overbearing little fellow how to behave.’

Then,

“Haa, damn.”

With his words, he became hostile.

His eyes were on Psychke, who had just put down an empty cup of water.

“You’re lucky today. You insolent little thing.“

Lia jumped off the desk as he spoke sharply. Then she sat down in a swivel chair as she did when she first welcomed them earlier.

When she turned the chair round, which had been swaying aggressively.

The girl’s face in front of Lia, which was cool like the middle of winter, was clear like the autumn sky after the rain.

Lia called for her attention with a clap.

“Well, then – shall we continue with what we were talking about?”

***

Since then, the meeting has been peaceful.

In exchange for bringing the Keitan’s necklace, Lia decided to hand over the ice magic formula, the way to stop Asum, and the medicine Verndia needed.

“Three things in one case. Why are you this generous?”

“Oh, have I ever been less generous?”

Lia, who was so brazen with her sarcastic remarks, immediately put restrictions on Psychke.

She had the illegal auction house, so she didn’t get a ‘legal’ bid, but steal it ‘illegally.’

“Are you crazy?”

“Why, why. There’s more interesting than that.”

Verndia, who was about to swear again, suddenly paused with a bit of hesitant. And he no longer stopped himself.

“… Damn it.”

“My baby, come and see me next time. I’ll be waiting for you.”

The two people, the woman and the man, left the wizard’s room, with Lia waving her hand gently to see them off.

Psychke staggered from time to time, touching the wall.

She couldn’t feel her feet touching the ground. She felt no energy left in her body.

‘Really, Silkisia. It was you all along who had the power of this generation.’

‘This is a curse. You mustn’t let anyone know about this!’

Those words which came into her mind had a conflicted feelings and was alternately repeating.

She couldn’t even remember her purpose of coming here now.

She trudged without knowing how Verndia was looking at her.

Then her legs relaxed, and she almost collapsed.

“Thank you… very much.”

Fortunately, thanks to the capture of her fiancé, who had been giving her strange eyes, there was no mishap of her rolling on the floor.

She said to herself that it was alright.

Verndia helped her to the lobby.

It was a strange kindness he gave her which was similar to what he did before their relationship went wrong due to Psychke’s excessive interest in him, in which she didn’t even notice.

That was how confused she was.

“I’m not feeling well, so I’ll go in now. I have something else to tell you, so I hope to see you again tomorrow.”

Asking for his understanding, Psychke fled as if she was a bird. And because of that, she had completely forgotten her original plan to go to the temple.

***

Verndia did not take his eyes off his fiancée until she became a little dot, and then slowly climbed into the carriage.

“Did you get caught?”

The aide, who was in the carriage first, was nervous.

Considering that his master’s expression was so serious, he thought there was a situation needing his concern.

“…?”

His aide was asking him about his flames, which Verndia couldn’t control.

Verndia’s eyes were asking him, ‘What are you talking about?’

He shut his mouth in embarrassment. And Verndia clicked his tongue.

“Because you don’t trust your superior so much, hmph.”

No, then you should be nice to me.… murmured the poor aide to himself.

Just by looking at his face, Isolet could tell what he was thinking. Verndia gave a bad impression.

“Stop talking. Are you busy these days?”

“No, there’s nothing urgent to do.“

“Let’s see if the Princess of Silkisia has ever been to the Temple of Vicente. Not Princess Psyche, rather Princess Lillian.“

His servant, Crowe, could not sneak into a place where there was magic and power. Therefore, he entrusted the investigation to Isolet.

With a triumphant look on his face, Isolet stretched out his chest.

“I’ve already looked into all that. Who am I? I’ve been your aide for five years—”

“So, what’s your conclusion?”

Verndia was furious at the repertoire he had heard so much about. Isolet quickly recited the information he had.

“On the day she returned to Silkisia, there was nothing except for a paternity test.”

“That’s strange.”

‘I heard that the high priest is back. Why didn’t you go to the temple?’

No way. Am I that sure that Princess Psychke is ‘that’?

Verndia stared out of the window and tapped his finger on the handle of the chair.