Chapter 33: The Library (3)

 

In a silent library, moonlight wandered aimlessly, filtering through the window.

 

Under the soft glow, the space was littered with corpses and bloodstained bookshelves, the floor scattered with pools of congealed blood.

 

All of it coalesced into an unsettlingly grotesque scene.

 

At the center of it all, a blonde woman sat atop a corpse.

 

She was Aria von Schufenheim, the princess of the empire and the architect of this carnage.

 

In stark contrast to the horrific surroundings, her demeanor was calm, as if lost in thought.

 

As a faint presence drifted in from beyond the library’s entrance, Aria turned her head.

 

Creak.

 

The old door groaned as it swung open, and a man clad in black armor approached with a metallic clink.

 

He exuded a menacing aura, yet Aria’s expression remained nonchalant.

 

Though the man wore a helmet, Aria vaguely recalled the face behind it.

 

Among those clad in black armor, only one carried himself with such a gait.

 

“It’s been a while, Sister.”

 

“Yes, it has been. Brother.”

 

Luke von Schufenheim.

 

Since his official death was declared, she had only glimpsed him at grand occasions, such as the hunting festival.

 

Even then, the helmet made him nearly unrecognizable.

 

Aria chuckled softly and wiped her blood-stained hands. Her calm face contrasted sharply with Luke’s complicated expression.

 

As she cleaned her fingers with a handkerchief pulled from her chest, she asked,

 

“What brings you here? I doubt it’s just for a visit.”

 

“It’s an order from His Majesty, the Emperor.”

 

“His Majesty, His Majesty…”

 

She repeated the title a few times, then let out a hollow laugh. Even upon reflection, it seemed ill-fitting for that man—especially for Luke, who had lost everything to him, to use it.

 

“How is your mother doing?”

 

“…She is well.”

 

A brief silence was followed by his subdued reply, accompanied by an unspoken sentiment.

 

‘Why do you ask when you already know?’

 

His thoughts trickled into her mind. Had he anticipated her mind-reading? He was far more skilled than in the past when he was still a fledgling Swordmaster.

 

Well, it had been nearly a decade. A boy could grow into a man in that time.

 

“Is that so? If you say so, then I’ll believe it.”

 

Her detached words elicited a faint grimace from Luke, even through his helmet.

 

Aria urged him on as he stood stiffly beside her.

 

“What are you waiting for? Let’s get moving.”

 

“…Understood.”

 

With a resigned sigh, he led the way, the sound of his armor echoing as they walked.

 

What could one possibly say to a long-estranged half-sibling? Aria pondered potential conversation topics but quickly gave up.

 

She couldn’t discuss imperial matters due to her bindings.

 

The boy who once clung to her so fondly had grown into a man who was now nearly a stranger. A faint sigh escaped her lips, tinged with bittersweetness.

 

“We’ve arrived.”

 

Before them stood the Emperor’s office, not far from the royal library.

 

Their journey had been quick, though they were delayed slightly by the traps designed for assassins.

 

“Thanks for the escort.”

 

Passing Luke, who stepped aside, Aria grabbed the doorknob. Without bothering to knock, she pushed the door open abruptly.

 

Luke was visibly flustered, and she couldn’t help but smile. Despite everything, some things about him hadn’t changed.

 

“…Come in.”

 

The room was adorned with golden decorations as far as the eye could see. One could likely purchase a kingdom with the gold here alone.

 

As Aria approached the man holding a golden goblet, her thoughts wandered.

 

The emperor of the Arie Empire and the man famously called the Conqueror. He was also her biological father: Yude von Schufenheim.

 

“You’ve been quite lively, haven’t you?”

 

“Yes, well.”

 

The Emperor regarded her silently, an invisible pressure emanating from his presence. It felt as though simply standing before him drained her strength.

 

His golden eyes locked onto hers.

 

“After all, they’re just insignificant playthings, aren’t they?”

 

“That’s true.”

 

“And wasn’t it I who said you could do as you pleased with your toys?”

 

“Yes, you did.”

 

A chill ran down her spine.

 

“Child.”

 

His voice was kind, but his gaze was devoid of emotion.

 

Their eyes met, and an overwhelming bloodlust began to crush Aria.

 

Her breath hitched as the suffocating force pressed down on her.

 

“Wasn’t that game of yours a little too much?”

 

“Ha… ha. I don’t… think so.”

 

She still couldn’t read his mind. Unlike others like Abel or Adele, who seemed impervious to her abilities, Yude’s presence rendered her power ineffective.

 

“Your tongue remains as sharp as ever.”

 

A golden magic circle flared in the air.

 

Before she could react, the weight of his power forced her to her knees. Watching her struggle, Luke’s expression hardened behind his helmet.

 

“Interesting games you’ve been playing… indeed.”

 

The Emperor toyed with the goblet in his hand as he continued to speak.

 

“You mustn’t cross the line.”

 

The line.

 

His methods were always the same—anything was permissible so long as one didn’t cross the line. But the moment that line was breached, consequences were inevitable.

 

This was how the emperor treated the imperial puppets.

 

“Aria von Schufenheim.”

 

At the sound of her name, her heart began to constrict.

 

It felt as if blades were slicing through her entire body, and she couldn’t help but gag.

 

The curse passed down through the imperial bloodline—the leash the emperor held over her.

 

Unlike the seal engraved on Luke, this was innate, part of her very being.

 

It meant her body had never truly been her own since birth.

 

Snap.

 

With a flick of the emperor’s fingers, the pain disappeared.

 

Such was the nature of the leash—no matter what she did, she could never escape his grasp.

 

“A troublemaker deserves punishment.”

 

“Is it my fingers again? Last time, it was my left ring finger, wasn’t it?”

 

Aria smiled slyly as she spoke, prompting the emperor to chuckle faintly.

 

“No, this time it’s a little different.”

 

He gestured toward Luke.

 

Luke’s expression twisted with reluctance as he hesitated, but he eventually approached the emperor.

 

The emperor reached out to Luke, his fingers brushing the young man’s arm.

 

“Pierce Aria’s left eye.”

 

“What are you—”

 

Before Luke could finish, his body rebelled against him. The seal flared, burning fiercely, compelling him to obey.

 

Clenching his teeth, Luke struggled to restrain himself, yet the emperor merely observed in silence.

 

“Urgh…”

 

Sching!

 

Despite his resistance, Luke’s arm betrayed him, drawing the blade from its sheath. Though trembling, the sword was unwaveringly pointed at Aria.

 

Watching this, Aria couldn’t help but laugh.

 

Rather than waiting passively, she approached Luke herself. Grasping his right hand tightly, she aimed the blade at her left eye.

 

Startled by her sudden action, Luke cried out,

 

“Sister!”

 

“It’s fine. Do it.”

 

“But—”

 

“Just do it.”

 

With those words, the blade pierced her eye.

 

A searing pain rippled through her, though it was hardly unbearable. She had grown accustomed to such torment, thanks to the curse.

 

Oddly, Luke seemed more pained than she was. His pale face trembled as his hand quivered.

 

Even after being abandoned by her, he remained as kind-hearted as ever—a thought that made her sigh inwardly.

 

“Are you satisfied now?”

 

“Amusing,” the emperor remarked, a genuine smile crossing his lips.

 

The blazing light of Luke’s seal began to dim, and as it faded, the emperor raised his hand.

 

Vwoom.

 

A golden magic circle unfurled across Aria’s injured eye.

 

“It will return in a month.”

 

The blood streaming down her cheek ceased, and the pain vanished shortly after.

 

Glancing at her reflection in the glass cabinet nearby, she noticed her left eye had been restored without a single scar. Yet the sight in that eye remained cloaked in darkness.

 

Perhaps the emperor’s words meant her vision would recover in a month.

 

Aria casually wiped the blood trailing down her jaw with her hand.

 

“I’ll be more careful next time.”

 

“See that you do.”

 

Bang!

 

With that, she slammed the office door behind her as she left.

 

The emperor chuckled softly, watching her retreating figure.

 

“Rebellious children are so difficult to handle.”

 

“…Is that so?”

 

Luke, still wearing his helmet, clenched his lips as he glared at the emperor. Whether he noticed or not, the emperor sipped calmly from his goblet.

 

“You may leave now.”

 

“Yes.”

 

The moment the emperor spoke, Luke stormed out without hesitation. Watching him leave, the emperor set the goblet down on the table.

 

White steam rose from the still-warm cup.

 

Turning his gaze, he looked beyond the window at the blackened night sky.

 

No stars shone in the utter darkness.

 

The last starlight he had seen had long since faded.

 

A memory of the first-night sky he had ever seen came to mind—those blindingly brilliant stars no longer existed.

 

Now, all that remained was the tarnished self he had become and the endless void.

 

“Fate is beginning to shatter,” he muttered, closing his eyes as he drifted to sleep.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

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