Crown of Thorns

The palace, which had previously been bathed by the rebel’s and imperial guard’s blood, was as peaceful, colorful, and rich as ever. Its floors, which had been flooded by a river of blood and dead bodies, were now glittering its bright marbles. And delicately carved columns hung with all kinds of dazzling decorations on its walls.

The maids were busy with food, and the aristocrats who stumbled about and walked with glasses of wine occasionally stood out. Often I could hear the coquettish laughter of a woman on the terrace. The hell I saw last night was of a different place.

No, actually, there is hell out there. It was full of people crying. They could not eat, heal their wounds, nor could they save their loved ones. It was not as clean, peaceful, or beautiful as it was here. Their faces were dark, and their eyes were lifeless. No light can be found in their gazes, as all the light in the world is gathered here.

Some lived because they couldn’t live, and some died because they couldn’t live. The world was so unfair. There’s everything here, but there’s nothing out there. Having lost all their laughter, hope, happiness, and joy, they became brutal, sharp, and compliant with each passing day. They lived thinking that this was the way it was supposed to be.

They ignored those who made them suffer—believing that their suffering was due to the darkness and the witch. So, they continued living like that, making and pointing fingers at victims who suffer more than them. They were repeating the eternal bane.

But the people here were different. They kept everything and tried to get even more. It had come to be like this because they are also the same. Because they think they were born to have it. Because everything in this world belongs to them.

That’s why I was going to start a war and revolt. No, the revolution had yet to take place. And so, this area was filled with laughter, but it was all just a mask. Those who used to wield their words to protect what they had and to have more were just laughing and chatting, hiding their true intentions.

And because of their greed, those who wielded swords at each other hovered around with lazy faces. Their eyes, shining bright with life, had a sense of boredom in them, and those who were putting their swords in each other only passed by as if uninterested.

They often peeped at the noble ladies who flashed fake smiles that didn’t touch their eyes. If the palace I saw in my dream were hell, then the palace before me now was a mud field where the irrational pigs ate and rolled around.

“We can’t see His Majesty again today.”

“Yes, it’s been a long time since I saw him.”

“There’s been a rumor going around. People have been saying that he’s not feeling very well…”

“He’s lived so many years, hasn’t he? I was curious about his secret, but I guess there’s a limit to it.”

They chattered freely about the son of heaven, implicitly revealing their wishes for him to meet the Creator, hoping for a new emperor. And unlike people dying outside, they wanted an emperor who would fill their stomachs even more, not an emperor who would change the world.

“With no successors, I’m sure he’ll have a son-in-law.”

May that son-in-law be his own son, and may he have this country. This was what everyone was hoping for, as greed crept into the eyes of all those who had this conversation.

Countless men already surrounded the imperial princesses who were in attendance. Some of them gave generous attention to the bees seeking the flowers. But those aware of how to use their brains knew. That these princesses aren’t much to look at all.

“Isn’t Princess Heleina by far the most powerful?”

“she is the First imperial princess, and His Majesty dotes on her so much…”

“But I can’t see her as well as His Majesty. Where are they hiding?”

“I’ve heard rumors that she looks like a sassy beauty. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and beautiful features. She’s a wonder for the beholder.”

“You think that’s it? She’s pure, nice, polite and easygoing.”

“So, unlike anyone else, she wouldn’t show up in such a place like this.”

They laughed at the other princesses who were surrounded by men. They seem to have forgotten that their situation is also similar.

“I can’t find fault with her, so how covetous she must be.”

Unlike her father, Heleina has no greed, so she is rumored to stay away from aristocrats. She didn’t want to get anything, so she didn’t have to be related to court happenings. Heleina, the first imperial princess to be crowned, had many things to carry on her shoulders. The most important thing was that the emperor loved her.

The emperor has lived for a long time. The heir apparent lost his life under his hands, and the royal daughters were often dying in loneliness because of their old age. That’s why Heleina couldn’t have been the first princess. However, on the day she was granted the title, the emperor decreed her to be so. That meant one thing.

He admitted to himself that he had only a few days left to live.

That’s why he now has a person in mind who will succeed him. Of course, I don’t know what will happen in the future, and I don’t know when it will be, but it was also an opportunity for Heleina, although she’s already past the age of marriage. If it weren’t for Heleina, then the next princess, and if she, too, wasn’t, then the next princess.

Many people once coveted the most powerful princess, Heleina. But, similar to the emperor, she stayed in her room and didn’t show up.

But I knew where Heleina was. As I entered the room, where she stayed hidden away from the nobles, there was a beautiful and colorful woman, exactly as rumored. She looked precisely like the woman who was held in Evan’s arms in my dream. As if they were the same person.

Since I have never seen anyone resembling her in the palace, she is probably the same person as the woman in my dream.

Heleina was as innocent and easygoing as the rumors had said. She didn’t look to be greedy, so it felt as if she was keeping away from the nobility. And in fact, she hated her father’s greed. As evidenced by that, the bowl brought by the maid contained only a very moderate amount of food.

“A lot of food will be thrown away today, too. The remaining food will be given to livestock, but it will still be left in abundance, so the leftovers will be used as manure. How could they be so unaware of their wastefulness?”

Somedays, I heard her muttering to herself. The maids were all the more heartily respectful when she took a portion of her food and handed it out to them. She was a wise woman who knew what really mattered.

She was also a strong woman who came across the dangerous palace for fear of her father. I thought that a woman like that would be a perfect match for a warrior. She was also the most likely successor, so it was clear that she would be a reliable sword and shield. Of course, it was only part of a plan that was not yet set in stone.

What was certain, though, was that some of those who saw the truth remained. They were covered in darkness and filled with despair, but there was certainly hope in them. I thought it would never be a coincidence that those hopes were living in the same era as the warrior and that he would grow up with them and pursue the same goal.

A knight who penetrates the lies to get to the truth, serving as a fence for the warrior. A living sorcerer who can teach him about light by his side. And a princess who grew up beautifully. All while the young boy turned into a warrior, becoming both shield and sword, coveted by many.

This was fate. They were people prophesied by the cards of the goddess.

However, they are still the same. If their hopes were gathered and entangled, it would surely drive out the darkness. They were going to help the warrior. And the mission was given to me to make sure that the cogwheels, which were rotating separately, were rolled together. That’s what the witch had to do. It was a way to create the warrior.

“Are you all right?”

I heard a man’s voice from somewhere. But the princess had no reaction.

“Nyx.”

Only then did I realize that the sound was calling me. It was not the Shadow, but the voice of the one who called me where my flesh was. I already knew the owner of that voice, heavy and cool, polite, yet blunt.

When I opened my eyes, I could see only darkness. Looking at a world filled with light gray, I felt endless despair as I looked at a place filled with deep darkness. Even though I know that this is my world, and I know that this is a world that fits well with witches.

When I turned my head and looked toward the stairs, I could feel the sound of footsteps. Someone came to the tower, where only the warrior used to come and go. But I know well that they don’t like it, so they’re just standing on the stairs, and didn’t come in here. That’s all I allowed them.

“I’ll be right there.”

“Yes. I’ll be waiting.”

At the end of my answer, there was no sign of people around anymore. I got up, wore black clothes, and pressed my hat deeply down over my face. Then I moved to the place where they would be waiting.

While the warrior was growing up, the witch also did not neglect her preparations.

To make them wish for a new sun, to bring little hopes together, and to make those very hopes ready to crown him with a new world in the end.

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