Until a moment ago, nobles with smiles were holding wine glasses and enjoying the garden scenery.
Men in formal suits and women adorned with dazzling dresses and jewels mingled, engaging in conversation.
“Everyone, rejoice! Won’t our world come soon? Haha.”
It was a gathering of nobles belonging to the Aristocrats.
Count Derek, who led this meeting, said loudly with a laugh.
This was the garden behind the palace.
Naturally, it was managed by the royal family, but Count Derek spoke without hesitation, revealing his presence.
“What the Count says is indeed true! If only they had followed our words, this wouldn’t have happened. How nice it would have been if the development of the mountain range was released sooner!”
“Well, that’s their karma. Hahaha.”
Some didn’t hesitate to utter remarks disparaging the king of a nation.
“When the Church overthrows the Kingdom, we can step in! Then it will be our world.”
The luxurious sculptures in the garden and the jewels sparkling in the sunlight added to the atmosphere, and conversation and laughter flowed from all sides.
It was at a moment of peace and social gathering.
Count Derek’s expression, which had been jovial, turned stern.
“Count…?”
Someone noticed the subtle change in him.
“…….”
But Count Derek turned towards the cake on the table. A single knife stuck in the cake.
The Count grabbed the knife and pulled it out with a jolt.
Then he began to swing it wildly.
The garden, which had been in a great mood, instantly turned into a scene of terror.
Red blood scattered profusely, and people began to scream and panic.
As red blood splattered onto the elegant and luxurious dresses, the women’s faces contorted with fear and shock, and the men could not hide their dismay.
Why was Count Derek doing this!
The garden’s ornate sculptures and lights took on a sinister atmosphere.
Conversations and laughter were replaced by screams and cries of terror.
And amidst this chaos, there was one being watching.
It was Princess Irena of the Sail Kingdom.
“…Haha.”
A faint smile graced her lips.
It felt as if astonishing wonder and unsettling romance were orbiting together.
‘What should I call this?’
Yes, this was a triumphant feeling.
It was a feeling of receiving compensation for all the oppression and disregard she had endured.
Then she glanced at the demon she had summoned.
Even as a woman, the demon possessed truly beautiful features.
Looking at the horns on its head again, they seemed to enhance its allure rather than be frightening.
The demon introduced itself as Celia.
At the same time, Celia had said this a moment ago.
It was a gift before the formal contract.
If…
If, really. Even if the result unfolding before her eyes was just a simple gift before the formal contract.
What would happen if she formally contracted with her?
Irena saw a glimmer of possibility.
And a hopeful future began to unfold.
“Miss, Celia…?”
Irena hesitated before speaking to Celia.
As she had thought, she wasn’t just a mere demon.
She was probably a high-ranking demon.
Irena felt that no matter how ignorant she was about monsters, she shouldn’t compare Celia to mere monsters.
“I want to sign a formal contract.”
At Irena’s words, Celia smiled faintly.
“There are the most important conditions to finalize the contract.”
Celia extended a finger and pointed upwards. Irena naturally raised her head and looked at the ceiling.
“First, Princess Irena. Serve the Great One. You just need to embrace them in your heart and work for them. Doubting the Exalted One will not be permitted.”
‘The Great One?’
Suddenly, Irena thought it was quite a strange request.
Frankly, from the demon’s perspective, she expected her soul to be demanded.
But instead of her soul, she was merely asked to serve the Great One.
Irena didn’t even know who that was.
No, could there be a being more powerful than the demon before her?
On the other hand, she felt relieved.
Because what she was asking for wasn’t her soul.
“Did you think I would ask for your soul?”
Irena flinched at her words.
Celia smiled at her reaction and extended another finger.
“The second is next. Yes, that’s right. It’s a soul, but not your soul. You are destined to become a loyal servant of the Great One.”
And another requirement was precisely.
“Show your devotion to the Great One. To put it more directly, it would be appropriate to call it a sacrifice.”
“A sacrifice?”
When Irena asked again, Celia smiled warmly.
“Yes, a sacrifice. Send sacrifices to the mountain range near the Kingdom. It is entirely up to Princess Irena to decide who to offer as sacrifices.”
Irena was momentarily taken aback.
To send sacrifices to the mountain range.
The mountain range was a dangerous place.
It served as a barrier between the Kingdom and the Demonic Realm, so no one knew what monsters or dangerous beings resided there.
To offer sacrifices in such a perilous location.
But Celia explained kindly, as if speaking to a child.
“Oh, Princess Irena, you don’t have to offer the sacrifices yourself.”
Celia gestured to the window outside with a benevolent smile.
“Well, looking at the atmosphere a while ago, wouldn’t it be enough to subtly coax the nobles, and they would come find you on their own?”
Irena was impressed by Celia’s words.
“Ah!”
As she said, Irena wouldn’t have to offer the sacrifices herself.
There were so many people who would willingly become sacrifices.
However, there was another problem to realize her plan.
The significant obstacle was whether her father would grant permission.
As if sensing Irena’s concern, Celia left her with a word.
“Don’t worry about that. Everything will go according to Princess Irena’s will.”
It was a statement with an unknown meaning.
“But please remember this. Always follow the Great One…”
Irena looked into Celia’s eyes.
“The Great One…”
She didn’t know who it was.
But she must never disobey.
“The Great One…”
To contract with the demon before her, she had to listen carefully to the Great One’s words.
“The Great One…”
Why did she want to become Queen and make the Kingdom strong?
“…….”
She couldn’t recall the reason for a moment. But she knew one thing.
“To the Great One…”
Yes, the demon told her to remember only that.
“To serve the Great One…”
As Irena muttered several times, Celia smiled with satisfaction.
After muttering several times, Irena finally came to her senses.
“Ah! Miss Celia.”
Irena wanted to ask a few more questions, but her interlocutor did not wait.
“We will have many encounters from now on, Irena.”
It meant they couldn’t just talk for now.
“I’ll send you a gift soon.”
Celia spoke one last word and then left Irena’s room.
“Oh, if you go that way…”
If she went that way, others might see her.
Startled, Irena followed Celia out of the room, but.
“Huh?”
There was no one in the hallway.
As if they had never existed in the first place.
“…Surely it wasn’t a dream?”
Perhaps she had seen a hallucination.
Irena was that desperate and wished for power.
What she had just experienced felt so unreal.
But it wasn’t a dream.
She looked around her room.
The parchment she had used as a medium to summon the demon had all turned to ashes.
Moreover, the scene outside the window was still chaotic, with red blood splattered everywhere.
She saw a few knights rushing towards Count Derek to arrest him.
Seeing the once blue garden dyed red, Irena had a thought.
“It’s not a dream…”
Yes, this was not a dream.
“This is an opportunity.”
It was the perfect opportunity to change the current Kingdom.
The Kingdom would change from now on, by her own hands.
“An opportunity to serve the Great One.”
Irena’s eyes held a hint of madness.
* * *
Armed knights were passing through bumpy roads.
They all wore the armor of the Sail Kingdom.
Knights’ armor that covered them from head to toe.
However, one strange thing was that they lacked vitality.
Lennon pondered this point but soon shook his head.
This task was directly ordered by the princess he served, Irena.
The princess always had a dark expression.
But in recent days, she had become brighter and more positive about everything.
Lennon, the princess’s escort knight, was pleased with such a change.
‘If the princess is working hard, I can’t just stand by.’
Following the princess’s orders, Lennon greeted the knights before him.
“I’ve been waiting. I am Lennon, who will lead the knights by order of the princess.”
However, the other party remained silent.
Lennon was momentarily flustered by their reaction but quickly regained his composure.
It was common.
He was the princess’s escort knight, but he was of common birth.
And as the princess had said.
Support would come to help her.
Lennon interpreted Irena’s words differently.
‘Finally, a noble has appeared who will share the princess’s will.’
Perhaps these present knights were also dispatched by that noble.
In that case, their pride might be sky-high.
It was common for such knights to be of noble birth and dislike interacting with knights of common birth.
Perhaps this was also the case. Lennon maintained his smile as much as possible.
After all, they were benefactors who would help the princess he served.
The current Kingdom was rife with Aristocrats.
In such a situation, receiving such support meant they were the ones who cared for the princess.
Lennon led those knights back to the royal palace.
The armed knights simply followed behind Lennon.
The creaking sound of their armor echoed with every step they took.
If one listened carefully, there was also the sound of bones moving, but it was so faint that no one noticed.
* * *
“Well, father is not feeling well today, so I am attending in his stead.”
Princess Irena intruded into the conference room.
All the nobles were surprised by her appearance, but Irena quickly opened her mouth.
“I have been granted full authority, so please do not worry.”
The princess’s atmosphere had subtly changed.
She was like a child with a fun toy in front of her.
However, the people in the conference room did not notice.
They were all only interested in their own interests, not some mere princess.
But Irena’s next words were enough to capture their attention.
“From now on, I permit the full development of the mountain range adjacent to the Kingdom.”
“……!”
Were they hearing correctly?
Both Royalists and Aristocrats doubted their ears.
The Royalist nobles were puzzled by the sudden relinquishment of royal privileges they had maintained;
The Aristocrats, still dejected by the recent Count Derek incident, were unable to collect themselves at the sudden carrot offered.
The mountain range was dangerous, bordering the Demonic Realm.
But at the same time, it was sparsely populated and rich in buried resources, making it a place of infinite potential development.
The royal family had not permitted the development of the mountain range until now.
It was dangerous, and most importantly, they did not want the nobles’ power to grow.
But Irena’s words did not end there.
“Not only will development be permitted, but autonomous rule over the developed areas will also be granted.”
Irena smiled sweetly.
“However, the royal family will not be responsible for any damages incurred in the process.”
