Chapter 6
Anyway, the banquet hall quickly descended into chaos, with some fleeing in panic and others confronting the monstrous beasts head-on.
Looking outside, it was clear that the one that had broken through the barrier was not alone.
“This can’t be…!”
“Monstrous birds?!”
“D-Dad!”
The First Prince and Second Princess were shocked. The Second Prince, who had been acting all dignified and mature, immediately abandoned that pretense and searched for his father.
“Rubelio!”
“Hurry this way! Quickly!”
The previously calm attendees were naturally thrown into panic.
The royal guards, stationed inside and outside the banquet hall, faced the beasts while swiftly evacuating the people.
Here and there, bluish protective magical shields had formed around the hall.
“Kyaaaah!”
A couple more monstrous birds crashed through the windows into the hall.
‘Wow… this really is a disaster.’
Seeing the chaotic scene made the fact that I had truly returned to the past hit me vividly.
“Your Highness!”
Margaret ran to me, calling frantically.
“Save me!”
“Ah!”
At the same time, I noticed someone who had fallen to the floor after being jostled by the panicked crowd.
It was the First Prince, Euclid.
Unlike the Second Prince and Second Princess, who had followed the adults to safety, he had been separated and was struggling alone.
Honestly, no one attending to him in such a chaotic situation was ridiculous.
But let’s overlook that small plot hole.
As a cliché-filled story, Princess Asphodel deliberately gave the heroine opportunities to get close to her brother early in the novel.
The plot involved Asphodel rescuing the First Prince from a monstrous beast, getting injured in the process, and winning his favor.
But was I crazy enough to get hurt in his place?
Nope. There’s no such loyalty or sense of duty between us.
“Ugh!”
“Kyaah!”
Still, I grabbed the First Prince with all my strength and shoved him behind Margaret, who was running toward us.
Not because I liked him, but because it was convenient to accrue a favor I could use later.
“Kyaaaah!”
Before I could think further, a monstrous bird charged toward me.
“D-Danger!”
“Your Highness!”
If I were truly five, I probably would have wailed and collapsed on the spot.
Even now, I wasn’t entirely fearless.
But perhaps because I had died twice and come back, I felt braver than before.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Ha!”
I knew exactly what I had to do next. I picked up something nearby with both hands and thrust it into the gaping maw of the bird.
What was it?
A bit random, but it was a flower from the banquet hall decorations.
Thwack!
“Kyaaaahhh…!”
As the bird’s tongue was pricked by the sharp flower stem, it let out a deafening roar and writhed violently.
Of course, it wasn’t merely the sharp object that hurt it.
Chrysanthemums, the national flowers of Rozantina, were adorned at every important royal event, and they contained a faint sacred energy.
Sacred energy and monsters are natural opposites, so it temporarily hindered the beast.
Still, it wasn’t enough to fully defeat it.
“Kyaaaah!”
The bird, enraged from being struck, lunged at me with a murderous aura.
‘Ugh, it even spat! Ruining someone’s birthday banquet and yet such an attitude!’
But there was no need to worry.
Buying even a little time was enough.
“Step back.”
In the next moment, a wave of dazzling golden light poured before my eyes.
I had predicted this, yet it was so bright I instinctively shielded my eyes.
Whoosh…!
When I opened my eyes again, I saw a woman with radiant golden hair and a halo tearing a monstrous bird’s head from its body with her bare hands.
“Your Majesty…!”
“Your Highness, Your Highness! Are you unharmed?”
The guards, who had been dealing with other beasts, rushed over upon noticing the disturbance.
Margaret, pale as a sheet, ran to me and grabbed me protectively.
“Oh my, Your Highness! Are you hurt?!”
The blonde woman who had just slain the monster calmly looked at me, still bathed in a dazzling aura.
It was hard to believe she had just snapped the neck of a creature many times her size, yet her movements were casual, almost bored.
Dark blue blood dripped from the severed monster’s neck, looking incredibly brutal.
Though petite, she seemed anything but weak.
I doubted anyone could radiate more vitality than her.
Among the noise around me, our eyes met.
“You do not fear monsters,” she said, her voice calm and low.
Though not loud, the tone felt as though it filled my eardrums entirely, sending chills down my spine.
‘M-Mom is scarier than the monsters…’
She was La Bellica Gloriana Esmeralda Rozantina, Asphodel’s mother and the Emperor.
Her name was long, so people usually just called her Emperor La Bellica.
With golden hair and eyes that shone like the sun, she was the great ruler of Rozantina.
I could understand why many would willingly devote themselves to her, feeling no resentment even if they were treated as lifelong servants.
She glanced at her other children from afar, then tilted her head at me.
“Other princes and princesses are helpless. Is it because you are Roxan’s daughter?”
…That tone was strangely distant.
But I am also her daughter…
It’s not like my dad made me alone.
“Your Majesty, all the monstrous birds that invaded the banquet hall have been eliminated!”
At that moment, the royal guards confirmed the situation’s resolution.
La Bellica’s gaze left me.
“And outside?”
“His Highness Roxan handled it personally.”
“Calm the people and check the wounded for treatment.”
“Yes!”
While Margaret checked me thoroughly, my mother tidied up the banquet hall.
“Your Majesty! Y-Your Majesty!”
But the events of the day were not yet over.
A palace official burst in from outside, bowing rapidly.
“There’s a fire at the Rosarium!”
I could feel a dangerous shift in my mother’s aura.
“At the Rosarium?”
Of course.
The Rosarium was a sacred site in Rozantina that must never be destroyed.
“Yes! One of the monstrous birds broke in and caused the accident. Thankfully it was extinguished quickly, but the fire spread to a restricted area… You must go immediately.”
A chilling smile spread across my mother’s face.
“Bold creatures. If they wish to be exterminated by my hand, so be it.”
The monstrous bird’s head in her hand was discarded into a pool of dark blue blood.
It was a moment that foretold the white monstrous birds, which had boldly broken into the palace barrier, would soon vanish from Rozantina without leaving so much as a scratch.
“Your Majesty, I shall follow you.”
“No need. Stay and ensure the people in the banquet hall are safe.”
Other consorts stepped forward belatedly, but my mother swept her robes aside and left the hall with only her attendants.
Inside, the banquet hall was destroyed and broken, a truly horrific sight.
The floor was almost unusable from the royal guard’s and my mother’s clean-up efforts, and the dark blue blood of the slain monsters.
Fortunately, there were no fatalities.
In my memory, there were injuries, but no deaths.
‘Hmm? I feel like I forgot something.’
Looking around, I realized what it was.
‘Ah! Father’s gift!’
“Your Highness, where are you going now?”
“There’s something I left over there.”
“Then I’ll come with you.”
I ran with Margaret to retrieve the blue-ribboned gift box I had hidden in the safe zone, holding it close to my chest.
On the way back, I noticed the First Prince I had tossed to Margaret earlier.
‘Ah, right. He’s here too.’
He was being tended by others, looking a bit dazed and shocked.
Earlier he had pretended to be mature, but now he looked more his age.
‘Well, I’ve already earned a favor, so no need to worry further.’
“Adel!”
I then heard my father calling anxiously.
With a swoosh of wings, the blue divine beast burst through the shattered banquet hall window.
My father jumped down from above.
He had been held up dealing with the situation outside but rushed to me as soon as he could.
Chapter 6:
Anyway, the banquet hall quickly descended into chaos, with some fleeing in panic and others confronting the monstrous beasts head-on.
Looking outside, it was clear that the one that had broken through the barrier was not alone.
“This can’t be…!”
“Monstrous birds?!”
“D-Dad!”
The First Prince and Second Princess were shocked. The Second Prince, who had been acting all dignified and mature, immediately abandoned that pretense and searched for his father.
“Rubelio!”
“Hurry this way! Quickly!”
The previously calm attendees were naturally thrown into panic.
The royal guards, stationed inside and outside the banquet hall, faced the beasts while swiftly evacuating the people.
Here and there, bluish protective magical shields had formed around the hall.
“Kyaaaah!”
A couple more monstrous birds crashed through the windows into the hall.
‘Wow… this really is a disaster.’
Seeing the chaotic scene made the fact that I had truly returned to the past hit me vividly.
“Your Highness!”
Margaret ran to me, calling frantically.
“Save me!”
“Ah!”
At the same time, I noticed someone who had fallen to the floor after being jostled by the panicked crowd.
It was the First Prince, Euclid.
Unlike the Second Prince and Second Princess, who had followed the adults to safety, he had been separated and was struggling alone.
Honestly, no one attending to him in such a chaotic situation was ridiculous.
But let’s overlook that small plot hole.
As a cliché-filled story, Princess Asphodel deliberately gave the heroine opportunities to get close to her brother early in the novel.
The plot involved Asphodel rescuing the First Prince from a monstrous beast, getting injured in the process, and winning his favor.
But was I crazy enough to get hurt in his place?
Nope. There’s no such loyalty or sense of duty between us.
“Ugh!”
“Kyaah!”
Still, I grabbed the First Prince with all my strength and shoved him behind Margaret, who was running toward us.
Not because I liked him, but because it was convenient to accrue a favor I could use later.
“Kyaaaah!”
Before I could think further, a monstrous bird charged toward me.
“D-Danger!”
“Your Highness!”
If I were truly five, I probably would have wailed and collapsed on the spot.
Even now, I wasn’t entirely fearless.
But perhaps because I had died twice and come back, I felt braver than before.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Ha!”
I knew exactly what I had to do next. I picked up something nearby with both hands and thrust it into the gaping maw of the bird.
What was it?
A bit random, but it was a flower from the banquet hall decorations.
Thwack!
“Kyaaaahhh…!”
As the bird’s tongue was pricked by the sharp flower stem, it let out a deafening roar and writhed violently.
Of course, it wasn’t merely the sharp object that hurt it.
Chrysanthemums, the national flowers of Rozantina, were adorned at every important royal event, and they contained a faint sacred energy.
Sacred energy and monsters are natural opposites, so it temporarily hindered the beast.
Still, it wasn’t enough to fully defeat it.
“Kyaaaah!”
The bird, enraged from being struck, lunged at me with a murderous aura.
‘Ugh, it even spat! Ruining someone’s birthday banquet and yet such an attitude!’
But there was no need to worry.
Buying even a little time was enough.
“Step back.”
In the next moment, a wave of dazzling golden light poured before my eyes.
I had predicted this, yet it was so bright I instinctively shielded my eyes.
Whoosh…!
When I opened my eyes again, I saw a woman with radiant golden hair and a halo tearing a monstrous bird’s head from its body with her bare hands.
“Your Majesty…!”
“Your Highness, Your Highness! Are you unharmed?”
The guards, who had been dealing with other beasts, rushed over upon noticing the disturbance.
Margaret, pale as a sheet, ran to me and grabbed me protectively.
“Oh my, Your Highness! Are you hurt?!”
The blonde woman who had just slain the monster calmly looked at me, still bathed in a dazzling aura.
It was hard to believe she had just snapped the neck of a creature many times her size, yet her movements were casual, almost bored.
Dark blue blood dripped from the severed monster’s neck, looking incredibly brutal.
Though petite, she seemed anything but weak.
I doubted anyone could radiate more vitality than her.
Among the noise around me, our eyes met.
“You do not fear monsters,” she said, her voice calm and low.
Though not loud, the tone felt as though it filled my eardrums entirely, sending chills down my spine.
‘M-Mom is scarier than the monsters…’
She was La Bellica Gloriana Esmeralda Rozantina, Asphodel’s mother and the Emperor.
Her name was long, so people usually just called her Emperor La Bellica.
With golden hair and eyes that shone like the sun, she was the great ruler of Rozantina.
I could understand why many would willingly devote themselves to her, feeling no resentment even if they were treated as lifelong servants.
She glanced at her other children from afar, then tilted her head at me.
“Other princes and princesses are helpless. Is it because you are Roxan’s daughter?”
…That tone was strangely distant.
But I am also her daughter…
It’s not like my dad made me alone.
“Your Majesty, all the monstrous birds that invaded the banquet hall have been eliminated!”
At that moment, the royal guards confirmed the situation’s resolution.
La Bellica’s gaze left me.
“And outside?”
“His Highness Roxan handled it personally.”
“Calm the people and check the wounded for treatment.”
“Yes!”
While Margaret checked me thoroughly, my mother tidied up the banquet hall.
“Your Majesty! Y-Your Majesty!”
But the events of the day were not yet over.
A palace official burst in from outside, bowing rapidly.
“There’s a fire at the Rosarium!”
I could feel a dangerous shift in my mother’s aura.
“At the Rosarium?”
Of course.
The Rosarium was a sacred site in Rozantina that must never be destroyed.
“Yes! One of the monstrous birds broke in and caused the accident. Thankfully it was extinguished quickly, but the fire spread to a restricted area… You must go immediately.”
A chilling smile spread across my mother’s face.
“Bold creatures. If they wish to be exterminated by my hand, so be it.”
The monstrous bird’s head in her hand was discarded into a pool of dark blue blood.
It was a moment that foretold the white monstrous birds, which had boldly broken into the palace barrier, would soon vanish from Rozantina without leaving so much as a scratch.
“Your Majesty, I shall follow you.”
“No need. Stay and ensure the people in the banquet hall are safe.”
Other consorts stepped forward belatedly, but my mother swept her robes aside and left the hall with only her attendants.
Inside, the banquet hall was destroyed and broken, a truly horrific sight.
The floor was almost unusable from the royal guard’s and my mother’s clean-up efforts, and the dark blue blood of the slain monsters.
Fortunately, there were no fatalities.
In my memory, there were injuries, but no deaths.
‘Hmm? I feel like I forgot something.’
Looking around, I realized what it was.
‘Ah! Father’s gift!’
“Your Highness, where are you going now?”
“There’s something I left over there.”
“Then I’ll come with you.”
I ran with Margaret to retrieve the blue-ribboned gift box I had hidden in the safe zone, holding it close to my chest.
On the way back, I noticed the First Prince I had tossed to Margaret earlier.
‘Ah, right. He’s here too.’
He was being tended by others, looking a bit dazed and shocked.
Earlier he had pretended to be mature, but now he looked more his age.
‘Well, I’ve already earned a favor, so no need to worry further.’
“Adel!”
I then heard my father calling anxiously.
With a swoosh of wings, the blue divine beast burst through the shattered banquet hall window.
My father jumped down from above.
He had been held up dealing with the situation outside but rushed to me as soon as he could.
