Inside the Guest room of Selvius Kingdom’s main royal palace, the atmosphere was remarkably calm and peaceful.
Drip
A small drop of sweat fell from the forehead of a man on the floor, shattering the room’s tranquility.
“Add some sugar in it,” Alisia said, taking a sip of her tea. Slowly, she placed the cup on the table before turning her gaze toward the three people.
The trio sat on the ground, their faces filled with horror while drenched in sweat.
Their now crimson, tear-filled eyes reflected the image of a woman sitting elegantly on the sofa, savoring her tea.
“P-please f-forgive us, Y-your Majesty,” one of them stuttered, struggling to speak, already feeling his heart beating rapidly, desperate to escape this place.
“And what is your mistake?” Alisia interlocked her fingers and leaned forward before placing them on her folded knees, fixing her gaze on the trio who had overstepped their bounds.
Hearing her question, the man with pink hair seated on the ground recalled their first crime, “…..We posed ourselves as paladins, hiding our true identities”
His eyes remained fixed on the floor tiles, harboring the horror he had just experienced, known only to himself.
The second man in the middle quivered as he tried to recall their second crime, “…We are from Aidiac Kingdom’s Marquess Family.”
Tears welled in the man’s eyes, mirroring his helplessness.
His fear of being killed here was evident, not for himself but for his daughter. He dreaded what might happen to her if he were to die in this place.
Their act was a crime as they hailed from an enemy kingdom and had infiltrated the royal palace of the Selvius Kingdom while disguised.
“And the very special one,” Alisia’s gaze turned towards the last man, observing his slow movement as his hand reached for a locket around his neck.
WHOOSH
Gradually, the figure of the third individual began to transform.
The illusion that veiled him, taking the form of a man, started to disintegrate.
Aware of the formidable strength of the being before him, he deactivated his facade.
{ Celestian’s Present Illustration}
The illusion faded away, unveiling a ten-year-old child with pink hair and crystal blue eyes, kneeling on the floor.
Slowly, the child’s gaze lifted toward Alisia, who patiently awaited the youngster’s response.
“I shouldn’t have changed my appearance.” Those now teary eyes locked with Amber ones, which held nothing, neither mercy nor pity, fitting for Alisia Von Selvius.
“Give me a reason that I should not kill you,” Alisia, disregarding the little child who still concealed his true appearance behind a facade which was irrelevant for her, she turned toward the middle-aged man beside him.
At Alisia’s gaze, the man’s eyes trembled. He had already heard of the Ruthlessness of the Queen of Selvius Kingdom, and seeing her in person intensified everything.
Preparing himself for what might be considered a humiliating act, he bit his lip and clenched his fist before swiftly moving his head forward.
Thud
“Please help me!” The man swiftly kowtowed, his head colliding with the floor tiles, the sound indicating the sincerity he held.
He might have been a Marquess, residing third in the hierarchy after the King and Duke, but at that moment, he was just a desperate father, having ventured onto enemy territory solely to protect his daughter’s life.
“Why would I?” Alisia calmly stated, studying their faces. She understood their fear didn’t just stem from this moment; it was rooted in their prior knowledge of her.
Letting her understand that these individuals were in dire need, seeking help from her, even being already aware of her methods to handle such situations.
Though their tears and helplessness might have melted other’s hearts but not her.
She was well aware that showing pity to others was a sin in this world.
Upon hearing her words, a glimmer of hope flickered across their faces, as they thought maybe they had a chance to negotiate or bargain.
The Marquess was the first to put forth his offer, “Everything I have, from gold to every mines under me”
His smiling face betrayed his helplessness, casting aside every bit of self-respect. A man of noble standing in such a situation was truly inconceivable.
But as the saying goes, when one loves someone dearly, self-respect becomes the last thing one cares about.
Alisia slowly lifted the cup, taking a sip after the maid had added some sugar a moment ago.
“Aren’t you from the Reinguard family?” Turning toward the individuals, she spoke.
“Y-yes, Your Majesty, we are,” another man beside the Marquess excitedly spoke, hoping their combat abilities might increase their chances of receiving aid.
“Heh, you can’t even afford to feed your own citizens and yet talk about giving everything to me,” Alisia, already aware of the Reinguard estate’s condition, felt amused at their offering of a barren piece of land.
“W-we,” both men realized they had nothing substantial to offer her.
They turned their heads down, nervousness gripping them as they anticipated the consequences if they didn’t receive help from the Queen of Selvius Kingdom.
The child, witnessing his uncle and father in such a state, felt tears welling up but suppressed them, not wanting to reveal weakness. Instead, he turned towards Alisia.
“I can become your slave.”
“Celes?!” Hearing his son’s words, the Marquess swiftly moved between him and Alisia.
The Queen’s eyes widened for some unknown reason, and interpreting it as greed, the Marquess acted quickly.
“Your Majesty, Celestian is a child. Please don’t consider—kughhh?! ” Before he could finish his plea, an unseen force silenced him, lifting him into the air abruptly.
“Umph… Yo… Majes…” Despite being restrained and lifted off the ground, he struggled to speak as he watched Alisia slowly rise from her seat, a sense of urgency seizing him.
He had come here to save his daughter, not to lose his son too.
“Y-your Majesty, he doesn’t know wha—BOOM!” As Alisia moved toward his nephew, the man tried to explain hastily, strengthening his body to resist her force unlike his brother.
However, his attempt resulted in his body being thrown, crashing forcefully into the room’s wall.
To others, this might have seemed excessive, but those easily subdued by her were formidable enough to lay waste to an army alone.
The Reinguard family was hailed as the swords of Aidiac, the strongest warriors who had once prevented even the Selvius Kingdom from expanding its borders.
However, that sword had begun to corrode under the current king’s reign.
The king leaned toward dictatorship, manipulating various methods, from marrying noble women to abducting them, to control noble families and fulfill his bodily desires.
“Now, you seem to have something worth listening to,” Alisia, already aware of the potential within the child, felt inclined to hear their plea.
She intended to wait until she discovered the child’s true potential before taking any further action.
“Please save my sister, I will be your slav—” Before Celes could finish his plea, Alisia intervened.
“No, you don’t have to become a slave or something,” Alisia reassured the little child with a smile.
She slowly lifted her hands and then snapped her fingers.
SWOOSH
An Isolation Barrier swiftly formed, enclosing both Alisia and the bewildered little boy.
.
.
.
.
WOOSH
Gradually, the barrier dissipated, revealing Alisia and Celestian standing there.
The child was on his knees, holding a sword that seemingly appeared out of thin air, offering it to Alisia with bowed head.
Seeing his son, the Marquess widened his eyes, understanding that instead of reducing his son to a mere slave, the Queen of Selvius Kingdom had accepted his child as her Knight.
Unbeknownst to him, while Alisia had indeed accepted Celestian as a Knight instead of a slave but it wasn’t for herself but for her son.
Snap
Thud
The moment she snapped her fingers, the Marquess fell to the floor, and simultaneously, the other man lying unconscious on the ground began to heal.
“Now, tell your problem?” Alisia moved towards sofa before taking her seat, looking at now standing three individuals, looking towards each other before turning towards her.
“Your Majesty, you already know about the personality of the present king,” he began, noticing Alisia calmly listening before continuing, “Just like how other noble families were coerced into sending their daughters or women to the Royal Palace of Aidiac Kingdom.”
Biting his lips, overwhelmed with helplessness, he reluctantly revealed, “They demanded that I send my fourteen-year-old daughter to them as a concubine.”
Alisia narrowed her eyes upon hearing this information but remained silent, giving him space to continue.
“Indeed, I sacrificed half of my assets to protect my little daughter. But by the age of five, she underwent a complete transformation, becoming the center of attention throughout the Estate. While her growth significantly boosted our standing over the past eight years, she somehow caught the attention of the King.”
To protect his daughter from a worse fate, he handed over half of their assets to the Royal Family in the hope of surrendering himself.
However, when his daughter began involving herself in state affairs, the sudden surge in development and the advancing standings of their state drew the attention of the Royal Family.
Alisia slowly began to comprehend the similarities between this situation and her son’s experience, realizing that handling children at the age of five seemed particularly challenging— referring to Ryuk’s changes when he turned five years old.
“By the way, what is the name of your daughter?” she inquired before redirecting her focus to the prince’s palace, attempting to catch sight of her son.
However, something interrupted her vision.
‘!?’
‘Again, that sensation.’ Alisia’s narrowed eyes detected the familiar disturbance she had experienced two years ago, which consistently interrupted her senses whenever she tried to check on Ryuk during his training sessions.
“It’s Karina,” the Marquess informed her about his daughter, feeling slightly relieved that things would improve now.
Alisia didn’t inquire about how she could assist in this matter, well aware that the best she could offer was shelter within Selvius Kingdom for his daughter.
“Send her as soon as you can, and you follow me,” Alisia ordered Celes to accompany her as she headed towards the prince’s palace to visit her son.
She brought Celes along as a precaution, providing an excuse to avoid accusations similar to the past incident when she, sensing something amiss, entered Ryuk’s room without permission and was labeled shameless for intruding into a grown man’s room by him.
Recalling that day, Alisia’s mouth twitched.
Even after noticing small bloodstains on the floor, she couldn’t address the issue due to Ryuk’s words.
Now, turning toward Celes trailing behind her, she said, “Pick up your pace. We need to catch someone red-handed.”
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.
.
BANG!
Alisia kicked the door directly, causing it to break and fly several meters away.
Celestian’s mouth dropped open in shock as he saw the state of the door and then looked at Alisia.
“You idiot!” Alisia exclaimed, noticing Ryuk lying half-naked on the floor, blood stains around him.
Finally feeling she had the upper hand, she moved towards him.
‘What is she doing here so soon?’ Ryuk thought, glancing in Alisia’s direction, though his thoughts were not about his mother.
“You were trying to do something again, weren’t you?” Alisia folded her arms, looking down at the boy lying on the floor, who looked back at her before sitting up.
“Mother, I was just waiting for you,” Ryuk said, looking towards Alisia.
He knew well that the moment he tried to use the system, just like two years ago when he formed his Ether Core, she would appear again.
‘Is he trying to change the topic?’ Looking at her son, Alisia felt confused.
She wanted to reprimand him, but it seemed difficult as he always had some excuse to escape punishment.
However, today she was prepared too.
“Of course, we can talk, but first, meet him,” Alisia turned towards Celestian, who was looking blankly at Ryuk.
Celestian’s eyes were fixed on him, observing his muscular physique and dominating aura, which was uncommon for a mere eleven-year-old child.
Inside Celestian’s mind, jealousy brewed.
He possessed an ability hidden from everyone, an ABSOLUTE MEMORY.
This ability allowed him to recall memories since his mother’s womb—every voice and detail vivid as if they happened minutes ago.
Despite this remarkable ability, he could never achieve what his sister had accomplished at the mere age of five.
This realization made him understand that if anyone deserved to inherit his father’s position, it should be his sister, not him.
“G-greetings, Your Highness,” Celestian stammered, bowing deeply as he greeted Ryuk, who continued to look at him, memories slowly becoming vivid in his mind.
“It’s nice meeting you again, Celes,” a smile formed on Ryuk’s face as he saw the boy who was slightly different from what he remembered, yet Ryuk felt happy to see him once again.
Approaching Celestian, he offered his hand, which momentarily puzzled him before reciprocating the handshake.
Ryuk looked at him with a smile.
The reason behind his amused smile baffled both Alisia and Celestian.
Alisia, especially, feeling perplexed at seeing Ryuk continuously shaking Celestian’s hand, inquired, “What are you doing, Ryuk?”
“Nothing, mother, but his hand is just too soft,” Ryuk replied, still smiling.
‘!?’
Celestian’s eyes widened as he swiftly pulled his hand away, looking at Ryuk with widened eyes.
Celestian stammered, feeling startled and eager to clarify the misunderstanding.
“Y-your Highness, I am not like that”
