Chapter 5:
“What’s going on? What is all this commotion?”
My father cast a cold glare at the palace official who had barged into my birthday banquet without permission.
The official, flustered by my father’s question, shouted urgently:
“There’s been a breach in the rear barrier of the Western Palace! We’re currently repairing it as quickly as possible, but the monstrous beasts are running rampant, so His Highness Roxan should come immediately.”
At that moment, chaos erupted inside the banquet hall.
Even my father’s face reflected his shock.
“What did you say? A breach in the barrier? There were no alarms—how is this possible?!”
“We’re currently identifying the cause from the Tower of the Void! His Majesty heard the news on his way to the banquet and has hurriedly left. The movement of the monstrous beasts is unusual, so he’s instructed that His Highness Roxan be brought immediately. Please hurry!”
My father’s expression instantly sharpened.
“Kunchah, take care of Asphodel.”
“Stay with the children and don’t worry. Go quickly.”
“Adel, I’ll be back soon.”
Without wasting a moment, he entrusted me to the nearest third-division guards and left the banquet hall like the wind.
“A breach in the barrier! I can’t even begin to understand what’s going on.”
“That’s right.”
Left alone, I stood there dazed, clutching the gift box in my hands.
People murmured around me.
Their faces, lacking any real tension, felt oddly familiar.
Despite the unprecedented commotion, none of them seemed to truly believe the barrier had been broken and that monstrous beasts would storm the imperial palace.
“Good grief, what an ominous sign, on the Third Princess’s birthday of all days.”
“Exactly. The barrier has never had any issues since it was established at the Tower of the Void…”
Some petty, observant humans whispered among themselves, glancing at me while my father was away.
As the fourth prince’s henchmen had mentioned, my father, Roxan Hiserion, was not only from a noble family but also almost entirely favored by my mother.
Thus, he often drew the attention, envy, and suspicion of my mother’s other consorts and their supporting factions.
To put it bluntly…
Despite his graceful and beautiful appearance, much like a white heron, he was the top divine beast summoner and an exceptional hunter of magical beasts in Rozantina.
Whenever magical beasts breached the palace’s boundaries and caused a ruckus, he was always at the forefront of subduing them.
Seeing him ride a divine beast, slicing through the wind, was awe-inspiring, even to me.
In short, “dressed, a gentleman; undressed, a beast…”
Ahem, well.
Not exactly appropriate for a daughter to say, but that was objectively what people said.
Anyway, that wasn’t the point right now.
“Ugh, this boring banquet just got even longer.”
Still reeling from the aftermath of having returned to the past, I was suddenly snapped back to reality by a voice nearby.
A boy, who had been trying to force his way into the banquet, stood close to me with a displeased frown.
He was the nine-year-old First Prince, Euclid.
“I still don’t understand why anyone bothers with this birthday nonsense every year, gathering all these people for such a trivial celebration.”
I could recite his lines perfectly now, word for word.
‘Wow, I really have gone back in time.’
This felt like a tutorial moment in a game.
The royal family of Rozantina had four princes and three princesses.
Among them, the First Prince, Euclid, was a handsome boy with blonde hair and green eyes, the typical prince-on-a-white-horse type.
It would have been nice if his personality matched his elegant looks, but he was cold and distant by nature.
‘You always seem to wear a mask. You never show your true feelings, yet you expect to win hearts with fake kindness? Drop that foolish expectation.’
He had once said that to me, hitting right at the truth.
Of course, readers of the novel had been thrilled when such an arrogant boy ended up transformed by the heroine into a kind, caring older brother figure.
‘I guess I was like that too… all in the past now.’
By the way, in the novel’s ending, the heroine’s older brother, who was brutally killed by the final villain, was this same prince.
But now, he was healthy and young again, clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction.
“I should’ve just stayed in the palace and practiced swordsmanship. What a waste of time.”
“Indeed. I’ve never attended such a boring birthday banquet before,” chimed in the pretty boy standing beside Euclid.
‘Ah, I knew you’d show up this time.’
The Second Prince, Rubelio, with long light-pink hair and lavender eyes, had dressed so flamboyantly it was hard to tell who the birthday girl even was.
In the novel, Rubelio was one of the few characters who never became entangled with the heroine, Asphodel.
“Moreover, the barrier has never failed since the Tower of the Void was established… and today it cracks? Asphodel, could some evil energy have latched onto you?”
Rubelio’s role was essentially to provoke conflicts in the palace during Asphodel’s childhood, acting as a mid-level antagonist.
In other words, he was a jealous troublemaker, constantly scheming minor tricks against the heroine.
In most romance fantasy novels, such roles are usually assigned to an older sister or younger sister, but here, it was the second prince who shone.
“Of all days, this happens on your birthday? How ironic. Ah, do you know what ‘ironic’ means? Too advanced a word for a child who should still be drinking milk, perhaps?”
Despite being only seven, he was arrogant and high-headed, and enjoyed poking at Asphodel whenever bored.
“Don’t bother her, Adel. Something unexpected happened, and you must be startled too.”
Finally, the Second Princess, Alexia, appeared. Golden hair, golden eyes, she was the only one among my half-siblings to side with me.
Short golden hair just below the ears, active clothing, sharp features, and a playful impression—it was almost impossible to determine her gender at first glance, unlike Rubelio.
“Besides, now that Father Roxan has gone, nothing serious should happen, right, Adel?”
Her mischievous smile was reassuring, looking more like a playful child than a princess of a nation.
But appearances could be deceiving.
In my first possession, she had been one of the hardest to win over after the Emperor’s mother. That cheerful, puppy-like charm was far from her entire self.
All three of these siblings, taking turns speaking, were major characters in the novel.
The older siblings not present now were less important, so I’ll skip introducing them.
‘They were all distant from me anyway.’
“Princess, it seems the birthday banquet may be delayed. Should we sit and wait for His Highness Roxan to return?”
Margaret, the senior palace attendant who oversaw my daily life, approached.
“Wait, Margaret.”
I signaled her to hold on for a moment and moved quickly.
“What are you doing, Adel? Why are you putting that there?”
Alexia tilted her head at my action, finding it strange that I shoved the gift box under a display cabinet next to a pillar.
Euclid frowned slightly, Rubelio smirked.
“What, are we going on a childish treasure hunt?”
“Tch, that’s why you can’t trust kids. Well, if you ask nicely, I might consider playing once…”
What nonsense.
I didn’t want to play with you guys. I was just safe here, idiots.
Bang! Crash! Smash…!
“Eek!”
No sooner had I thought this than chaos erupted.
“What… what’s happening?!”
“Yikes, what is that?!”
A loud crash rang outside, and a white mass crashed through the banquet hall’s upper window.
“Kyaaaak…!”
A monster with its mouth stretched wide roared ferociously.
I had expected it, but even so, the opening was intense.
“Monstrous… birds?!”
“Oh my, could the barrier really be broken?!”
The crowd gasped.
As the Second Prince had said, this was the first time a magical beast had broken through the palace barrier since the Tower of the Void was established.
Of course, my father, Roxan, had gone to repair the barrier and repel the beasts outside, but unfortunately, disaster struck before he could even arrive.
I clicked my tongue.
‘I should have recognized this as a foreshadowing of the absurd beast invasion in the future.’
Chapter 5:
“What’s going on? What is all this commotion?”
My father cast a cold glare at the palace official who had barged into my birthday banquet without permission.
The official, flustered by my father’s question, shouted urgently:
“There’s been a breach in the rear barrier of the Western Palace! We’re currently repairing it as quickly as possible, but the monstrous beasts are running rampant, so His Highness Roxan should come immediately.”
At that moment, chaos erupted inside the banquet hall.
Even my father’s face reflected his shock.
“What did you say? A breach in the barrier? There were no alarms—how is this possible?!”
“We’re currently identifying the cause from the Tower of the Void! His Majesty heard the news on his way to the banquet and has hurriedly left. The movement of the monstrous beasts is unusual, so he’s instructed that His Highness Roxan be brought immediately. Please hurry!”
My father’s expression instantly sharpened.
“Kunchah, take care of Asphodel.”
“Stay with the children and don’t worry. Go quickly.”
“Adel, I’ll be back soon.”
Without wasting a moment, he entrusted me to the nearest third-division guards and left the banquet hall like the wind.
“A breach in the barrier! I can’t even begin to understand what’s going on.”
“That’s right.”
Left alone, I stood there dazed, clutching the gift box in my hands.
People murmured around me.
Their faces, lacking any real tension, felt oddly familiar.
Despite the unprecedented commotion, none of them seemed to truly believe the barrier had been broken and that monstrous beasts would storm the imperial palace.
“Good grief, what an ominous sign, on the Third Princess’s birthday of all days.”
“Exactly. The barrier has never had any issues since it was established at the Tower of the Void…”
Some petty, observant humans whispered among themselves, glancing at me while my father was away.
As the fourth prince’s henchmen had mentioned, my father, Roxan Hiserion, was not only from a noble family but also almost entirely favored by my mother.
Thus, he often drew the attention, envy, and suspicion of my mother’s other consorts and their supporting factions.
To put it bluntly…
Despite his graceful and beautiful appearance, much like a white heron, he was the top divine beast summoner and an exceptional hunter of magical beasts in Rozantina.
Whenever magical beasts breached the palace’s boundaries and caused a ruckus, he was always at the forefront of subduing them.
Seeing him ride a divine beast, slicing through the wind, was awe-inspiring, even to me.
In short, “dressed, a gentleman; undressed, a beast…”
Ahem, well.
Not exactly appropriate for a daughter to say, but that was objectively what people said.
Anyway, that wasn’t the point right now.
“Ugh, this boring banquet just got even longer.”
Still reeling from the aftermath of having returned to the past, I was suddenly snapped back to reality by a voice nearby.
A boy, who had been trying to force his way into the banquet, stood close to me with a displeased frown.
He was the nine-year-old First Prince, Euclid.
“I still don’t understand why anyone bothers with this birthday nonsense every year, gathering all these people for such a trivial celebration.”
I could recite his lines perfectly now, word for word.
‘Wow, I really have gone back in time.’
This felt like a tutorial moment in a game.
The royal family of Rozantina had four princes and three princesses.
Among them, the First Prince, Euclid, was a handsome boy with blonde hair and green eyes, the typical prince-on-a-white-horse type.
It would have been nice if his personality matched his elegant looks, but he was cold and distant by nature.
‘You always seem to wear a mask. You never show your true feelings, yet you expect to win hearts with fake kindness? Drop that foolish expectation.’
He had once said that to me, hitting right at the truth.
Of course, readers of the novel had been thrilled when such an arrogant boy ended up transformed by the heroine into a kind, caring older brother figure.
‘I guess I was like that too… all in the past now.’
By the way, in the novel’s ending, the heroine’s older brother, who was brutally killed by the final villain, was this same prince.
But now, he was healthy and young again, clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction.
“I should’ve just stayed in the palace and practiced swordsmanship. What a waste of time.”
“Indeed. I’ve never attended such a boring birthday banquet before,” chimed in the pretty boy standing beside Euclid.
‘Ah, I knew you’d show up this time.’
The Second Prince, Rubelio, with long light-pink hair and lavender eyes, had dressed so flamboyantly it was hard to tell who the birthday girl even was.
In the novel, Rubelio was one of the few characters who never became entangled with the heroine, Asphodel.
“Moreover, the barrier has never failed since the Tower of the Void was established… and today it cracks? Asphodel, could some evil energy have latched onto you?”
Rubelio’s role was essentially to provoke conflicts in the palace during Asphodel’s childhood, acting as a mid-level antagonist.
In other words, he was a jealous troublemaker, constantly scheming minor tricks against the heroine.
In most romance fantasy novels, such roles are usually assigned to an older sister or younger sister, but here, it was the second prince who shone.
“Of all days, this happens on your birthday? How ironic. Ah, do you know what ‘ironic’ means? Too advanced a word for a child who should still be drinking milk, perhaps?”
Despite being only seven, he was arrogant and high-headed, and enjoyed poking at Asphodel whenever bored.
“Don’t bother her, Adel. Something unexpected happened, and you must be startled too.”
Finally, the Second Princess, Alexia, appeared. Golden hair, golden eyes, she was the only one among my half-siblings to side with me.
Short golden hair just below the ears, active clothing, sharp features, and a playful impression—it was almost impossible to determine her gender at first glance, unlike Rubelio.
“Besides, now that Father Roxan has gone, nothing serious should happen, right, Adel?”
Her mischievous smile was reassuring, looking more like a playful child than a princess of a nation.
But appearances could be deceiving.
In my first possession, she had been one of the hardest to win over after the Emperor’s mother. That cheerful, puppy-like charm was far from her entire self.
All three of these siblings, taking turns speaking, were major characters in the novel.
The older siblings not present now were less important, so I’ll skip introducing them.
‘They were all distant from me anyway.’
“Princess, it seems the birthday banquet may be delayed. Should we sit and wait for His Highness Roxan to return?”
Margaret, the senior palace attendant who oversaw my daily life, approached.
“Wait, Margaret.”
I signaled her to hold on for a moment and moved quickly.
“What are you doing, Adel? Why are you putting that there?”
Alexia tilted her head at my action, finding it strange that I shoved the gift box under a display cabinet next to a pillar.
Euclid frowned slightly, Rubelio smirked.
“What, are we going on a childish treasure hunt?”
“Tch, that’s why you can’t trust kids. Well, if you ask nicely, I might consider playing once…”
What nonsense.
I didn’t want to play with you guys. I was just safe here, idiots.
Bang! Crash! Smash…!
“Eek!”
No sooner had I thought this than chaos erupted.
“What… what’s happening?!”
“Yikes, what is that?!”
A loud crash rang outside, and a white mass crashed through the banquet hall’s upper window.
“Kyaaaak…!”
A monster with its mouth stretched wide roared ferociously.
I had expected it, but even so, the opening was intense.
“Monstrous… birds?!”
“Oh my, could the barrier really be broken?!”
The crowd gasped.
As the Second Prince had said, this was the first time a magical beast had broken through the palace barrier since the Tower of the Void was established.
Of course, my father, Roxan, had gone to repair the barrier and repel the beasts outside, but unfortunately, disaster struck before he could even arrive.
I clicked my tongue.
‘I should have recognized this as a foreshadowing of the absurd beast invasion in the future.’
