Esa Promesa

Rudiena deliberately drew out her words, a faint smile playing on her lips. For the first time, an expression flickered across Diver’s previously stoic face, his brows furrowed in irritation. Yet, instead of wilting under his cold gaze, Rudiena maintained her composure, waiting patiently for him to speak.

In any negotiation, the one holding the reins had the advantage. Sure enough, Diver finally spoke, his tone sharp and clipped.

“What do you want?”

“Invite me to your chambers tonight.”

The moment the words left her lips, Diver sighed. He had suspected this was coming, but her brazen demand confirmed just how much she had been holding back until now. Rudiena had not only sensed that his recent move of relocating the administrative office to Sol Avla had been because of Teian, but now she was using it as leverage to make her request.

Her unspoken demand was clear: she wouldn’t hold a grudge against Teian, but in return, she expected both compensation and a generous reward for her cooperation.

“Fine.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

One of the reasons Rudiena had managed to maintain her position as the top candidate for queen was the nights she spent with Diver.

A woman being summoned to the king’s chambers at night was undeniable proof of the king’s favor, and until now, Rudiena had been the only woman to receive such an invitation.

“But it won’t be in my chambers this time. We’ll do it somewhere else.”

No matter how quietly he might try to conduct their meetings, Teian was sensitive by nature, and with his current condition, the risk of disturbing him was too high. Diver’s face wavered slightly for the briefest of moments as he recalled the medical report from the palace physician, but Rudiena didn’t notice.

“Now that you mention it, I heard Lord Teian is using Your Majesty’s chambers.”

“So you’ve heard.”

“The rumors are everywhere. Some even say that I’m not the real queen candidate, that it’s actually Lord Teian. Surely, you can imagine the scale of such talk?”

Though all palace rumors eventually reached Diver, he rarely paid attention to the more trivial ones. Hearing it had reached this level made him click his tongue in annoyance.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered offering Teian the position of queen. But knowing Teian’s personality, he had quickly discarded the idea long ago.

Teian would undoubtedly respond, whether he had feelings for Diver or not, with a scowl and say something like, ‘I’m already overworked and barely surviving. Why would I take on the duties of a queen? Just kill me instead, Your Majesty.’ It would be an entirely insubordinate response, as expected of him.

“Anyone spouting such foolishness, handle them yourself.”

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’ve already started dealing with it. But if not your chambers, then where shall it be?”

“In my second office.”

“That location is ideal. It will also make it easier to bring that along. Very well, Your Majesty. I’ll look forward to it.”

People believed that Diver deeply flavored Rudiena and shared an intimate relationship with her, but the truth was far from it.

What Rudiena did in Diver’s chambers was fixed: she listened as Diver read aloud and interpreted the contents of forbidden books until morning. That was all.

Occasionally, they would snack on pre-prepared refreshments when they grew hungry, but aside from the act of reading and listening, there was nothing else.

For Rudiena, those hours of hearing the king translate the forbidden texts, accessible only to the royal family and written in a language only they could learn, were incredibly valuable.

“Now, let me continue, out of personal curiosity, I also investigated the high priest’s family history. Your Majesty, are you familiar with Lemablé’s Requinta cult of immortality?”

“You mean the fanatics obsessed with eternal life?”

“Yes.”

“So, the high priest’s family members are adherents?”

“It seems the high priest themselves belonged to Requinta before being chosen by Ramanov.”

“Old enough to have been thoroughly indoctrinated. And how does that relate to Teian?”

“About 110 years ago, there was an incident where Requinta’s leaders were murdered. I only discovered it through my ‘mother’s’ intelligence network.”

Though Rudiena’s seemingly unrelated remarks made Diver frown, he knew her well enough to trust that she had a point. Seeing her eyes sparkle with the same excitement she showed when listening to forbidden texts, he nodded quietly.

“The leaders of Requinta—who had attempted to achieve immortality by offering the child of the sun god sent by Ramanov as a living sacrifice to the god of death—were all killed by an unknown force, save for one.”

“That one survivor—are they related to the high priest?”

“There’s no concrete record to confirm it, but my guess is that they would be the high priest’s paternal grandfather, or perhaps great-grandfather.”

“What an intriguing story.”

His words were laced with sarcasm, but Rudiena wasn’t the least bit offended. Instead, she smiled sweetly. Just as Diver was about to question her intentions, she spoke again.

“However, there’s one detail that remains from that time, the physical description of the sacrificial offering. It’s documented in the records left by Requinta at the scene, so there’s no reason to doubt its authenticity.”

“…”

Rudiena retrieved an envelope from her belongings and handed it to Diver. Without much thought, he opened it and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper.

The document, preserved by magic, remained stiff, but dark brown stains, clearly blood, were scattered across the paper. The stains, likely from before the preservation spell was cast, gave the document an unappealing look. Still, Diver read it silently.

As his indifferent gaze moved over the text, his expression gradually froze, growing colder with each passing moment. Rudiena, now wearing a relaxed smile, watched his reaction intently.

“Your Majesty finds it interesting as well, doesn’t he?”

Diver didn’t respond. His eyes remained fixed on a particular section, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through the paper.

There, in rough pencil strokes, was a small, hastily sketched portrait. Beneath it, a name was written.

Rudiena’s smile deepened, her tone almost affectionate as she said. 

“The sacrificial offering’s description, and even their name, is identical to Lord Teian’s.”

*

I had known Lasfame for well over ten years, but I had never once sought him out first.

There had been no need, Lasfame always came to me first. Unlike the historical records, which depicted him as an elusive guardian dragon who didn’t so much as lift a claw even during a king’s tyranny, Lasfame appeared before me far too often.

Perhaps it was because he had made a contract with Diver, the second king to do so after Ethan I of Emar. Or maybe he simply found me interesting. Whatever the reason, Lasfame consistently showed up in my life.

He never had urgent business. What he did with me was limited: sharing tea, dragging me out to explore, or strolling around the palace grounds. Lighthearted activities that filled the time.

Thanks to his frequent visits, I had never needed to seek out this free-spirited dragon myself. Perhaps that was why I felt so lost now.

“Lord Teian, the rain is getting heavier.”

Ewyn, who had been silently following behind me, draped a coat over my shoulders, seemingly out of nowhere. Lowering my gaze from the golden light I’d been chasing, I noticed the raindrops, which I thought would stop soon, were now dripping past the dome and into the courtyard.

A sigh escaped me.

I had been searching for Lasfame since morning to use the wish he had granted me, but I hadn’t found him. Usually, he appeared unprompted, but today, for some reason, he remained elusive.

Tomorrow, I was set to leave for Sol Avla, and I had an ominous feeling that Diver would stick to me like glue the entire time. I had hoped to use the wish today to prepare, but with no sign of Lasfame, it seemed unlikely.

The wish I had thought of wasn’t particularly extraordinary—just something to hasten what time would eventually resolve. Yet it felt urgent enough for me to consider using the wish. But without the one who could grant it, all I could do was swallow my frustration.

Where on earth could Lasfame be, and what was he doing that kept him from appearing?

I considered asking Diver but quickly dismissed the idea. If he found out I was looking for Lasfame, he’d bombard me with questions, and I didn’t want to deal with that.

“You should head back inside.”

“…Understood.”

I said as much and began walking toward the palace where Diver’s chambers were located. The wind brushed against me, and my body started to shiver involuntarily.

Adding to that, the constant walking since morning far more than the time spent sitting, had left my heart throbbing with a dull ache, stirring an unsettling sense of anxiety.

Ever since I started taking the medicine Diver had given me regularly, most of the pain had subsided, and my condition had improved. But I wasn’t completely well, and that lingering vulnerability gnawed at me.

I just hoped I wouldn’t have an attack. I’d died nine times from my heart’s condition, and every time I suffered an attack, it left both my body and mind utterly drained. I didn’t want to go through that again.

More importantly, this was the palace. If I were to collapse here in the heart of the palace from an attack, Diver would undoubtedly confine me to my room, and that thought only heightened my unease.

I slowed my pace. Upon reflection, an attack wasn’t even the most pressing concern, I was having trouble breathing. In this condition, even catching a cold could mean the end of my life in less than a few weeks, let alone a month.