IEGM 05

Chapter 5

Still, I had clung to the hope that just because she hadn’t been mentioned in the novel, it only meant she hadn’t been described—that perhaps we had been in the same place at some point.

It was a pointless expectation.

I was an idiot.

To begin with, the time when Ishtar started participating in high society was after she succeeded in silent-casting magic and her genius became the talk of the empire.

And the reason Tiamia was sacrificed as an offering was also because of Ishtar’s fame for silent-casting magic.

So there was no way there could have been some hidden connection that never appeared in the original story.

While I was wallowing in disappointment at reality, whispers from the surrounding nobles drifted into my ears.

“Oh my, what is that animal?”

“I heard it’s a familiar.”

“She must be the daughter of Marquis Serentia.”

“The young lady who became an apprentice mage at such a young age?”

“I’d heard rumors, but it’s true.”

The noblewomen spoke behind their fans, hiding their mouths.

At the same time, I finally understood why Cain had encouraged me to bring Lira.

So this was his scheme.

He wanted to naturally flaunt the genius of House Serentia in high society.

I didn’t care what kind of rumors spread, so I tried to ignore it and focus on eating dessert instead—

But then I felt the Empress’s gaze on me as well.

At this rate, I might get summoned by the Empress.

The last thing I wanted was to catch the eye of the Empress, who was destined to perish alongside the Marquis later on.

Feeling a sense of danger, I excused myself to the young ladies seated at the same table and stood up.

“I’ll be away for a moment.”

After approaching Cain, who had been standing by with the knights behind us, and telling him I was going to the restroom, I left the garden.

Cain neither stopped me nor followed.

Well, Cain only watches me so closely because he’s afraid I’ll do something strange and make the other nobles suspicious.

Mental magic left no obvious traces, so even skilled mages usually couldn’t detect it. But the brainwashing Tiamia had suffered was abnormal—it suppressed her ego and forced her to obey the Marquis’s commands.

Because of that, if she talked with people for too long, there was a chance they would notice something was off.

That was why Cain kept such a close eye on me whenever I spoke with nobles, while otherwise he didn’t care much.

Back at the Marquis’s estate, however, they monitored me constantly to prevent me from interacting with the servants.

They’d never imagine the brainwashing has already been broken.

They trusted their magic far too much to suspect I might do anything behind their backs.

Thinking that, I was about to enter the palace while pretending to head for the restroom when I heard rustling from the bushes on the opposite side.

Lira, nestled in my arms, stiffened her tail.

“Kiing?”

“What’s wrong?”

At her reaction, I tensed and scanned the area. Then the bushes shook again with another rustle.

Surely it’s not Ishtar… right?

Just as that thought crossed my mind, the person who emerged was someone I had never seen before yet recognized immediately.

Enrirsian Babylonia.

Though currently the neglected Second Prince, he was destined to become emperor—and the male lead of this novel.

I couldn’t be completely certain since I hadn’t finished the story, but he had by far the greatest presence, and there were countless moments that made me think, Ah, this guy must be the main protagonist.

He’s seriously handsome.

Hair darker than the night sky, crimson eyes that shone vividly even beneath the shadows, and sharp, striking features packed into a small face.

Even though he was still a child, he was so beautiful it naturally drew admiration.

And with the eyepatch covering one eye, he looked exactly as the novel had described.

They said he usually hides his golden eye.

In this world, there were many gods. The founding emperor of the Babylonia Empire was said to be the son of Anu, king of the gods and deity of the heavens.

The proof of that lineage was the ruby-red eyes possessed only by the imperial family of Babylonia.

But Enrirsian had heterochromia.

His left eye was red, while his right eye was a golden color close to yellow.

Because of that, the nobles mocked him as a half-blood imperial and a monster prince.

Well, the golden eye is actually because of dragon power.

Anyway.

As if he had rushed somewhere in a hurry, his hair was disheveled and his face pale.

The atmosphere around him was unusual.

What happened?

I couldn’t pretend not to recognize a member of the imperial family after seeing those red eyes, so I hesitated briefly, wondering if I should greet him first.

But he spoke before I could.

“…Give.”

However, because of the distance between us, his muttered words were too quiet to hear properly.

Careful not to raise his guard, I gave him the gentlest, most harmless smile I could manage and spoke softly.

“Your Highness, I’m sorry. Could you say that again?”

“……”

Even though I hadn’t approached him and had spoken from where I stood, Enrirsian’s eyes trembled violently.

Was I not supposed to ask again?

Or had I done something offensive?

While I agonized over what mistake I might have made in the awkward silence, he suddenly burst into tears.

Without making even the faintest sob, he simply kept his mouth tightly shut as tears streamed down his face.

“……”

“W-Why are you crying? Did something happen? Are you hurt somewhere?”

His sudden tears startled me instead, and I bombarded him with questions like a machine gun.

But the moment the words left my mouth, regret crept in.

I’d asked in concern, but to a child his age, it might have sounded like I was pressuring him.

Was I too hasty?

Briefly reflecting on myself, I examined Enrirsian’s expression.

Fortunately, he didn’t look frightened or wary.

He simply stared at me with tear-filled eyes.

Meeting his crimson gaze without avoiding it, I made up my mind.

This time, I would wait instead of rushing him.

“…It hurts.”

After a long silence, he finally spoke in a trembling voice.

“……!”

Honestly, I was shocked.

I hadn’t expected him to answer that he was really in pain.

Hurriedly, I approached him and placed a hand on his forehead.

Cold sweat covered him, but he didn’t have a fever.

If anything, he felt cold.

First, I need to take him to a priest.

That was what I decided, but without wiping away his tears, Enrirsian continued speaking.

“Not me. My nanny… my nanny is hurt…”

“……”

For a moment, my mind went blank.

I had never imagined that the nanny’s death—which had only been briefly mentioned in the novel as part of Enrirsian’s backstory—would happen today, right after meeting me.

They said this period was the darkest time of Enrirsian’s life.

The imperial consort who gave birth to him had originally been a maid from a poor viscount family.

Her relationship with the emperor hadn’t been some fated romance overcoming social status.

She had merely caught the drunken emperor’s eye for a single night.

She knew different women entered the emperor’s chambers every day, and she believed she was just one of many passing encounters.

Had she not become pregnant with Enrirsian, things probably would have ended exactly as she expected.

But because imperial heirs were rare, she became an imperial consort.

And that marked the beginning of her tragedy.

With no powerful family and no imperial favor to protect her, she faced constant threats to her life and ultimately died giving birth to Enrirsian.

Afterward, the nanny—who had been close friends with the consort back when they were maids—volunteered to raise him. Until he met Ishtar, she was the only person Enrirsian relied on.

Unfortunately, she never appeared in the original novel.

Because by the time he met Ishtar, she was already dead.

As my silence stretched while I sank into thought, Enrirsian grabbed my wrist and spoke again.

“…Please help.”

Looking up at me with anxious eyes, he pleaded once more.

Help me.

He looked so pitiful that I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.

But neither could I agree immediately.

The nanny’s death had become the catalyst for Enrirsian’s vow of revenge against the emperor and empress.

If I saved her here, then his resolve to become emperor and avenge her death might disappear.

That possibility gave me pause.

Unlike me or Ansharie, whose destruction was already guaranteed, the nanny’s death had become the foundation for Enrirsian’s growth.

Do I really have the right to interfere here?

Saving the nanny versus letting the original story proceed.

In the short term, saving her and preventing his suffering seemed better.

But in exchange, the original ending would likely change dramatically.

Which path would truly make Enrirsian happier?

No. Don’t hesitate.

It was a difficult question, but my decision came quickly.

The only person who could answer that question was Enrirsian himself.

Besides, the future was no longer going to follow the novel anyway.

The moment I decided I wouldn’t let Ansharie become a villainess, the original story had already begun to collapse.

If everything was going to become a mess anyway, then it was better to save one more person.

After finishing my rapid judgment, I spoke to Enrirsian.

“First, let’s call a priest.”

“I already asked. They refused.”

“What? Why?”

“They said… they were busy.”

That was absurd.

Unless an entire squad of knights had been injured during training, everyone knew priests in the imperial palace were the least busy people imaginable.

Most likely, they simply didn’t want to get involved with the Second Prince, who had fallen out of the Empress’s favor.

Tch. Priests serving the gods, blinded by power instead.

What a rotten world.

Clicking my tongue inwardly, I searched for another solution.

“Did you try going to a physician?”

Enrirsian’s expression darkened.

“It was the same.”

At his answer, I bit my lower lip hard.

The situation was worse than I had thought.

One thing was certain: there was no one in the imperial palace willing to help him.

Well, that’s probably why he’s asking a stranger like me.

Swallowing the sigh rising in my throat, I spoke to him.

“Can I check on your nanny first?”

“……”

After hesitating briefly, he gave a faint nod and started walking.