The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 26.2
“If we know what power it has, wouldn’t we also know how to bring it under control?”
Empress Tera recalled the Emperor’s Guardian Beast she had seen long ago. Once, its strength had been used to raise a massive mountain in the palace gardens. With only a few kicks, the earth had crumpled like paper.
How long had it been since she last saw that enormous cat?
In the past, she used to hide her body behind that mountain, but now, even there, it could no longer be found. The Empress did not think much of it.
If new Guardian Beasts are born, then of course there must also be those that die. Guardian Beasts shared both the life and the fate of the master they chose.
She gave a small scoff.
Now, it was only a newborn kitten she needed to coax.
Rather than forcibly dragging the cat out of the Crown Prince’s palace where it stubbornly remained, the Empress decided to change her method altogether.
She had never intended to hide her scheme anyway. It was nothing more than laying the groundwork so that the cat would go on a rampage when the time came.
“If it uses that power to leave a deep scratch on the Crown Prince, all the better.”
If she could crush the Crown Prince’s confidence—the very confidence with which he had clasped the necklace around the cat’s neck without hesitation, even knowing it was a gift from her—then it would be most satisfying.
Reading something in the Empress’s gaze, Brian did not ask again why she had given up the necklace so early.
He was perceptive enough. There was no need to risk offending the ally whose hand he would have to hold from here on.
So Brian chose other words.
“Judging from the abilities shown until now, the most likely outcome is that it becomes either a powerful weapon or a sturdy shield.”
Brian recalled the powers that Guardian Beasts had possessed throughout history. They were not things that mere humans could choose, and if the beast itself was unwilling, no amount of force could reveal them.
“Once I know what power it bears, I’ll make my move at once. Prepare so that the cat can enter the Crown Prince’s palace at any time.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Brian remembered how the Crown Prince had named the cat “Blue.” He had acted as though it belonged to him even before it had revealed itself. But this time, things would change.
Now that he stood on the Empress’s side, Prince Cassian had to become Emperor. Only then would the future promised to Brian arrive.
There was only one thing the two of them, with their clear goals, did not know—
That the power Blue possessed was not physical strength.
“By the way. Has a letter come from the Kingdom?”
At Empress Tera’s question, a lady-in-waiting stepped forward, bowing, and presented a letter in both hands. The Empress did not take it immediately, but gazed at it with a pleased smile.
“What is it?”
“It is another plan—one devised to keep the Crown Prince from so easily claiming the Academy.”
Brian, intrigued by her cryptic reply, looked as though he wanted to hear more. But before she could elaborate, a man entered the chamber.
After bowing to the Empress, the lady-in-waiting handed the letter to him.
“Take this and deliver it to the Crown Prince.”
The Empress had already chosen the messenger from the start. He accepted the letter without a word of complaint.
***
Blue had recently found a human he liked.
Among humans, who were bound to the unchanging constellations of fate, he was the only one who had slipped free.
Perhaps one could call him like a comet.
Burning his short life more fiercely than anyone, the comparison was not wrong.
Like the comet’s long tail, he left a trail behind him, scattering a fragrance that was truly delightful.
Why was this human different? What exactly set him apart?
What had allowed him to break free of fate?
And why did he smell so good? Among these filthy humans, reeking of artificial scents so harsh they stung the nose, this one gave off a fragrance finer even than imperial blood.
It was a scent that lured beasts.
In the beginning, Blue had learned, some animals called it pheromones.
Fresh water. The scent of green grass. And, shyly blooming between them, the fragrance of flowers.
Just recalling that scent made Blue’s mood brighten, his paws pressing rhythmically against the air. Soon, saliva pooled in his mouth.
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