Chapter 100

Holy Crown Kingdom (3)

It was suffocating.

That was the only thought drifting through Katya’s mind.

‘Not that I’m actually suffocating, though.’

From the perspective of someone who couldn’t feel physical sensations, it was an obvious truth.

…No, to be honest, it had been a long time since she even knew whether she was breathing or not.

And yet—

‘It’s hard to breathe.’

That was the only phrase that naturally rose to the surface as long as she set foot within the Holy Crown Kingdom.

So far, she hadn’t sensed any overt hostility.

But the memories she had here weighed heavily, pressing down on her head and heart.

She remembered the times she had been alone. Times when no one had even acknowledged her as a person.

“……”

It was strange.

She thought she had grown numb to all that. That there was nothing left to bother her anymore.

Not once had she ever felt this way when she was with Aiden Kellermain.

Whether she lived in the Holy Crown Kingdom or the Empire, her behavior hadn’t really changed.

She just lived as honestly as she could—doing what she wanted, refusing what she didn’t.

No matter what she did, people around her reacted the same way. As if they didn’t really care—

‘…Ah.’

That was it.

The realization dawned on her then.

Whether it was here or in the Empire, the fact that people ignored her was the same.

But there was a world of difference between people accepting and embracing her because “that’s just how she is,” and people giving up from the start, thinking “there’s no point in talking to her.”

And she knew exactly where that difference came from.

‘A friend.’

There had been someone who stood between her and everyone else—someone who served as a bridge.

Someone who led the way, making sure that others wouldn’t perceive her through that second lens. Someone who kept her by their side and showed that she wasn’t dangerous.

And just having that one person create that kind of atmosphere made an astronomical difference in how she felt.

…Strangely enough,

Realizing that difference made it hurt more than when she didn’t know.

Once she had known warmth, the cold became unbearably colder.

She never wanted to go through something like this again.

‘Where are you?’

Katya looked nervously around the hall, her gaze shrinking into itself.

Suddenly, she wanted to see him.

She wished, desperately, that he were by her side.

“…?”

And then,

Something felt strange in her eyes.

Her vision was fine, but somehow—what she saw felt different.

“……”

Katya blinked blankly.

Anyone else would have immediately realized what was wrong. After all, most people had the sense to know when something touched their body.

But she—

She couldn’t feel anything, and that was the problem.

Even her vision, tainted by divinity, rendered the world in black and white.

Unless Aiden erased her divinity as the Purifier—or just killed her spectacularly—there was no way to restore her senses. And without that, she wouldn’t be able to feel a thing.

She blinked and looked around, trying to figure out what was causing the strange sensation.

Then, she noticed someone in her field of view.

It was around that time that she realized someone was pouring something over her head.

A man she’d never seen before.

“……”

Katya stared blankly at the scene.

More precisely, at the people standing behind the man who was pouring something onto her head.

There was a group with him—most likely those banded together to gain from the succession ceremony.

Every one of them wore the same expression on their faces, a sneer as if mocking her.

Even when insulted like this, she was slow to realize it. Because she had no sensation.

“I was wondering when you’d notice. Had to use the whole bottle.”

The man, who seemed to be leading the pack, grinned with a particularly nasty smirk.

“Still can’t feel anything, huh? Princess Katya, the Second Princess?”

Watching the scene silently, Katya suddenly realized something.

‘Oh. Right.’

Of course.

In the Holy Crown Kingdom, this was normal for her.

These were the kinds of people she had to deal with.

“……”

Her chest went cold in an instant.

That is—

—Until Aiden appeared out of nowhere, grabbed the man by the head, and slammed it into the table.

▣

First, become famous. Clean up your image later.

Everyone knew that saying, but few could actually put it into practice.

Alex Belmore Craven—a fringe royal whose position in the line of succession was so far down that counting it had become meaningless—prided himself on being a natural in that field.

Charm, awareness, and a keen eye for gossip. All above average. The very fact that a royal with no base of power in the outskirts had managed to build such a “group” proved that much.

Of course, he had no intention of becoming the final winner of the succession ceremony. The triad of Alester, Milene, and Julius was far too solid.

Still, if he could use this event to raise his recognition and draw attention, it could become a solid foundation for a more comfortable future.

If he got lucky, maybe he could even get in with the Pontiff’s circle—that would be ideal.

And in that context—

‘There’s no easier target than this.’

He looked at Katya, who was now drenched and dazed, staring blankly in his direction.

As a “scapegoat” to draw everyone’s attention, she was nothing short of a goldmine.

Sure, she’d been holed up in the Empire lately and hadn’t been heard from, but back when she lived in the Holy Crown Kingdom, Princess Katya had been infamous for doing whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. There wasn’t a single person who looked on her favorably.

She had no support base, no faction, and even if you stirred up trouble with her, no one would complain. Low risk, high reward—raising one’s notoriety by poking her was practically a gift.

As for the reason? Just slap on any excuse. She was the type full of holes—creating a justification was the easiest part.

‘Would be nice if she picked a fight back.’

He knew he could never win in a real fight. Even if she was a monstrous princess, she couldn’t actually incinerate another royal. The Pontiff would step in because of the kingdom’s laws.

Royal infighting was only permitted during the succession ceremony. The only exception was the Pontiff, who had the authority to judge even fellow royals.

That meant the only attacks Katya could retaliate with were social, like what Alex was doing now.

And someone like Katya couldn’t manage even that.

She was a human punching bag with nothing to fall back on.

“You should’ve just stayed in the Empire. Why’d you even come back to the Holy Crown Kingdom? So many people breathed a sigh of relief when you left.”

“……”

Katya met Alex’s mocking words with silence.

Of course. She knew she couldn’t fight back against this kind of attack. That’s why she just stood there, unmoving.

Alex glanced around casually.

Alester, Milene, Julius—and nearly everyone in the hall—was now watching him.

‘Good, good, very good…’

That alone meant he was already halfway to success. By tomorrow, nearly everyone in the Holy Crown Kingdom would know their names.

What Alex had overlooked was this—

That among all the participants in this succession ceremony, there was one person who wasn’t bound by the laws of the Holy Crown Kingdom.

“Huh?”

Alex let out a confused noise as he suddenly felt someone grab the back of his head.

And in the very next instant—

—Aiden, who had seized him, slammed Alex’s head into the bar table with terrifying force.

“Guh-!”

With a tremendous crash that made it sound like the entire wooden table had buckled, Alex let out a strangled scream, his body spasming.

And to make it worse—

“Saw a movie the other day. One of the lines really stuck with me.”

Aiden said calmly.

He lifted Alex’s head from the table with little care.

“Manners—”

A sickening crack echoed as Alex’s head struck the table again.

The plywood splintered with a sickening snap.

“People—”

Aiden struck once more.

“Make—”

Once more.

With a crushing sound, the plywood broke and Alex’s body tumbled to the floor.

He was already half-alive; his face must have been a terrible mess, soaked in blood.

‘—What the hell, you bastard?!’

A terrible, involuntary scream of pain ran through him, but even more than the pain was the shock coursing through his head.

Alex, sprawled on the floor, forced himself to lift his head and looked up at his attacker.

Divine users recognized other divine users. This man was definitely someone who wielded that kind of power. In fact, Alex’s gang had hesitated to subdue him precisely because they had sensed that ability.

If someone clashed directly before the ceremony began, they would immediately forfeit their right to participate. Nobody wanted to take that risk.

In other words, it was hard to understand what this man thought he could rely on to commit violence like this.

This place was swarming with the Pontiff’s guards. If someone did this, they should have been subdued right away—

‘—What?!’

—but they weren’t moving.

Among the many people nearby, no one stepped in to restrain him.

Cold sweat trickled down Alex’s spine.

This was the Pontiff’s residence, and everyone here was under the Pontiff’s command.

The fact that the situation continued like this strongly indicated that the Pontiff had no intention of interfering.

Everyone felt that, and the Pontiff, noticing that all eyes were turning toward him, waved his hand and spoke up.

“Ah, he’s not a royal. Not yet, anyway.”

Not yet?

That comment passed through everyone’s minds like a strange thought.

Did he mean he wasn’t royal today but might be royal tomorrow?

“You could legally punish him, but there’s nothing to worry about regarding the succession ceremony. Everyone, please be reassured!”

Reassured about what?

While people mulled that over at the sight of the Pontiff speaking with a strangely cheerful expression, Aiden calmly addressed Alex.

“If you want to get famous, there are many ways. Why are you doing that to someone else’s friend?”

“...Friend?”

Alex turned toward Katya with a look of incredulity.

“You’re calling that thing a friend and defending—”

Before he could finish, Aiden stomped down on the leg of the man lying on the floor.

It was such a forceful stomp that you could tell without looking that the bone had snapped.

“Aaaaaagh—!”

This scream, too, couldn’t last. Aiden hauled the man’s head up until it met his own eyes.

“If you want to be famous like that, I’ll stuff you and put you on display.”

Aiden growled, his gaze emitting a dusky, ember-like light.

“Tomorrow’s preliminaries—no matter what the event is—bring all your gang.”

Aiden swept his eyes across the people there.

The number of men Alex had brought was considerable.

At least a dozen, it seemed. Considering they were all from royal families of the Holy Crown Kingdom, that was not an insignificant force. That was why Alex had been flaunting himself like this.

It made Aiden pity the level of the kingdom’s nobility. How had such a man formed a gang?

But in another light, that was precisely what made it satisfying.

The stronger the force, the more humiliating it would be when he shattered them all.

“I’ll split every single one of their heads.”