Chapter 426

Danyerin could define her life in just one way.

A rose blooming ever so slightly in a garden filled with thorns and poison.

And not only did it bloom against the odds, but the threat of wilting at any moment loomed large due to the poison and thorns.

There was no better description for Danyerin’s life. She felt a pang of disillusionment.

What was the point of living a life forced upon her, struggling to survive?

Even if others saw her as someone to look up to, a life where she couldn’t even dream of what she truly wanted held no meaning.

Danyerin was utterly fed up with the brutally cruel fate that came with being part of the royal family, yet at the same time, a sense of stubbornness emerged.

She decided to take control of this cursed royal family for herself. To seize it and set the entire garden ablaze.

Being born as the daughter of a concubine was no issue. Danyerin had a natural political intuition since childhood.

With her beautiful looks came an irresistible charisma and remarkable foresight.

A smooth path lay ahead, yet fate always had trials in store.

The crown prince, possessing a powerful and legitimate claim as the emperor’s firstborn, began to put pressure on Danyerin.

In the end, unable to withstand the pressure, Danyerin had no choice but to enroll in the Academy, almost fleeing there.

Even there, she faced assassination threats, but she never gave up. She couldn’t afford to give up.

‘Even out in the garden, danger still lurks. But above all, there is a gemstone that shines brightly.’

A man who appeared when she was about to give up most of her life. He was nothing like the protagonist from a fairy tale.

Aside from his good looks and exceptional strength, he had no background whatsoever; he was pure, unrefined wilderness.

Not a barbarian, but a savage with zero culture. Yet to Danyerin, he felt different.

‘An unprocessed raw gemstone.’

A raw gemstone. Yet still emanating the beauty of a diamond.

Because it was unrefined, it could be sculpted as desired, its value dependent on who the sculptor was, a truly dazzling gemstone.

Simply possessing it meant she could hold the brightest diamond in the world.

‘I want it.’

Danyerin was born a princess of a vast empire brimming with riches. But paradoxically, she possessed nothing she truly desired.

The moment she grasped what she wanted, it was often taken away. The bloody political struggles stripped her of what she had.

To avoid losing anything, she wanted to become the empress. And to become emperor, she had to hold the world’s brightest gemstone.

One step at a time, she began to sculpt the gemstone. Carefully, so that no one else would easily notice.

Others were also sculpting, but she inscribed traces that only she could recognize.

‘To obtain the world’s most beautiful gemstone, I must acquire the world’s strongest power. However, to grasp the strongest power means I must have the gemstone. How paradoxical.’

If she abandoned the throne, she’d be left with nothing. All she’d have is her appearance.

To acquire the world’s most beautiful gemstone and to sculpt it into a ring.

To wear that ring on her left hand’s ring finger, she must become emperor.

What if that gemstone rejects or betrays her? Danyerin had many choices.

To bite her tongue, fall headfirst from a high place, plunge a sword into her heart, or hang herself with a rope.

Most resulted in ‘suicide,’ yet the options were numerous. What kind of life is a life where you can’t do anything?

That’s why she found it even harder to give up the throne. Though, other lives weren’t entirely absent.

‘Living secluded in the mountains, just the two of us, wouldn’t be too bad.’

That too, with the premise of ‘just the two of us.’ Without that, it’d mean nothing.

Thus, Danyerin felt like she was walking on thin ice every day.

Especially the thrill when she secretly inscribed traces on the gemstone… it was beyond words.

Occasionally dangerous situations would arise, but she could navigate them with the acting skills and cunning she had honed during her life in the royal family.

Everything was proceeding smoothly. The only thing that needed her attention was the situation in her homeland.

Right. That’s how she initially thought.

“Something’s off with Sivar.”

“… …”

Not until another raw gemstone arrived before Danyerin did she realize it.

Danyerin gazed at the woman sitting opposite her with an indifferent expression.

Hair that seemed woven from gold and eyes that sparkled like gemstones.

Her appearance was not lacking even for being a noble’s offspring. Her outstanding grades matched her looks as a student.

Luna Estelle. She suddenly brought up a topic related to Sivar.

‘… … This is unexpected.’

Danyerin worked to maintain her composure while processing Luna’s words.

As soon as class ended, Luna suggested they have a word privately. At that moment, a hint of doubt crept in.

Soon, they arrived at a tea house instead of a café. After a little while, Luna said this.

‘I really should figure out if she’s onto something.’

Danyerin pondered this about Luna. Just exchanging a few words.

A relationship neither too close nor too uncomfortable. They had crossed paths thanks to the link of Sivar.

Danyerin maintained a blank expression, using her honed acting skills to keep a straight face as she spoke.

“Sivar is committing a wrongful act… what do you mean by that?”

For now, playing dumb was the plan. She was testing the waters.

Though the probability was low, Luna might have been retreating.

‘There’s nothing to catch me on.’

As mentioned before, Luna and Danyerin had a relationship that was somewhat familiar, or in a negative light, a standoffish one.

Having barely crossed paths, let alone shared secretive meetings in personal dormitories.

If Grace had suspected something, she would have prepared for what was to come.

Since Luna’s existence was a wild card in Danyerin’s plans, she couldn’t help but feel tense.

Meanwhile, Luna seemed lost in thought, glancing nervously at Danyerin.

Every little movement of hers etched subtle certainty into Danyerin, but Luna’s thoughts were different.

‘How should I phrase this? Should I ask her, as a fellow countryman, to speak properly?’

Luna’s head was a jumble. Although they met directly, choosing the words proved challenging.

She was also somewhat intimidated by Danyerin’s inherent charisma, who embodied the aura of a ‘princess.’

Kara was also a princess of Tartar, but she felt more like a close sister. However, Danyerin wasn’t that close to Luna.

After some contemplation, Luna decided to at least share the general situation.

If she were an ordinary person, she’d clear up the misunderstanding here, but who is Luna?

“I saw Sivar… with another woman.”

“… …”

“An Eastern woman, too.”

Luna phrased it that way, feeling she was ‘considerate’ towards Lee Yeon-joo.

Yet, the fate of the world was quite the trickster, as it felt like an indirect ‘warning’ to Danyerin.

It felt like a hint that she knew Danyerin was having a secret fling with Sivar. Danyerin made an effort to keep her composure.

Though she had no choice but to take a sip of tea. If she didn’t drink, she felt her composure would shatter.

Then, she closed her eyes, slowly opening them to face Luna directly.

Luna, having made her own resolve, seemed determined.

“That’s unexpected. I thought you didn’t care about Sivar.”

“Personal relations can be overlooked. It’s Sivar’s choice.”

“And?”

“I just want to prevent him from going down the wrong path.”

That was how much she did care. Danyerin stopped herself from saying that.

Arguing here would serve no purpose. Besides, it was unexpected indeed.

The person that appeared least likely to care about Sivar was the one who actually cared the most.

Why? Danyerin wondered. Why was Luna showing interest in Sivar?

‘Could it be that Luna…?’

Danyerin narrowed her eyes, peering at Luna. A signal asking if she, too, held any romantic interest.

Luna merely spat out confusion, not lacking in perception. She waved her hands in denial.

“I don’t like Sivar or anything. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“… … we might have to walk the same path.”

That was a roundabout way to express her thoughts. What she said wasn’t incorrect at all.

They protect the world from demons. That was the ‘path’ Luna envisioned.

Sivar had no choice but to tread that path as well. Even if a fork appeared midway, walking together remained the same.

The issue was that it could be interpreted in various ways. Danyerin was one of them.

“Walking the same path… what ambitions do you hold?”

“It’s not ambition; it’s duty.”

“Did he swear to walk with you?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

Danyerin nodded, lifting her teacup again. Her hand trembled slightly.

Coincidentally, just as Luna took a sip, she didn’t notice.

On the surface, it seemed like a suffocating debate, but to an outsider, it resembled nothing more than comedy.

“… … What do you expect from me?”

“Huh?”

“I asked what you expect from me.”

Danyerin chose to confront directly. She couldn’t give up anything.

Even if Luna threatened her to give up Sivar, she wouldn’t yield. That much she resolved.

In reality, Luna too felt a sense of confusion. Things were unfolding too easily.

But that pesky mouth of Sivar remained a problem.

“I won’t ask you to stop seeing him. Instead, I’d like you to be confident.”

The first trick of Chaos’ troublesome talk: omit the subject.

Mistaking that subject for ‘yourself,’ Danyerin chuckled softly and declined.

“What if that’s hard? Would you be okay if an uncontrollable storm engulfed you?”

“I must have my reasons for not knowing.”

The second trick of Chaos’ troublesome talk: important objects omitted.

Danyerin nodded. It seemed she’d need to rethink her assessment of Luna.

She was someone who could discern the storm’s identity through mere human relations, possessing exceptional political intuition.

However, ability and trustworthiness were different. Danyerin acted with the poise befitting a princess.

“It’s a storm you can scarcely imagine. You mentioned earlier, right? That we walk the same path. We’re the same.”

“Sivar?”

“Yes. And sadly, I can’t reveal everything to you. It’s directly tied to my life.”

“… …”

Luna’s eyes widened. It felt like the situation was entangling more than expected.

‘So, it wasn’t just a simple secret affair?’

It was true there wasn’t anything simple about their relationships; only the subjects differed.

Luna fell into contemplation. If it directly tied to Danyerin’s life, it was likely to be related to the political situation in the East.

The unexpected implication of Danyerin’s involvement was an unexpected twist. Clearly, something was up.

‘But no secret affairs. I must be dignified as a person.’

Luna hoped fervently that Sivar wouldn’t stray down the wrong path as a person.

Along with Rize’s advice, she silently observed his future as a ‘bill.’ A future where he becomes a terrible massacre.

She had to be able to judge right and wrong now to avoid a blood-soaked future.

‘To do that… I have no choice but to dive into the storm myself.’

Luna resolved this and looked at Danyerin.

Danyerin, interpreting her gaze, asked with expectation.

“So, what will you do?”

“I may not be able to provide significant help. Perhaps Sivar might solve everything on his own.”

“That’s possible.”

“But please just remember this.”

The third trick of Chaos’ troublesome talk.

“Be confident.”

“… …”

“I hope this message gets through.”

Somehow, she managed to capture two hares at once.

Danyerin widened her eyes slightly at Luna’s ‘advice’ before smiling.

She’d gained a reliable ally from an unexpected angle. The world was indeed full of surprises.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Then, our secret…”

“I’ll leave it be for a while.”

“Alright.”

Danyerin rose from her seat. Luna found herself standing up as well.

Then, Danyerin silently extended her hand. It was clearly a handshake request.

Luna looked from Danyerin to her hand and slowly grasped it.

Soon, their hands clasped tightly. Danyerin quietly remarked on their reaction.

“With this, we’re in the same boat now. If you betray me….”

“I’m thinking of tearing out my own tongue.”

“Excellent.”

The subjects and objects completely swapped around, but…

[Faith increases!!!]

Well, it was a good thing.

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