Despite Altair’s aversion to ‘Fey,’ it was impossible for her to become the crown princess as long as there was someone within Brimfe who was keenly aware of ‘Fey’s’ crimes.

‘Deneb…’

Fey inwardly murmured another name for the Emperor’s faceless watchdog, Delphis Kaitos.

If Astario III were to die, Delphis Kaitos would pledge his loyalty to the next emperor. It was unthinkable that he would leave Fey alone if she became the empress.

No, she didn’t even want to think about it.

It was already a miracle that she was still alive, let alone becoming the crown princess. It was ridiculous.

“Your Majesty. I have something I would like to say.”

Fey finally made up her mind. It was the last weapon she could use in this situation. She steeled herself and looked at the emperor with determined eyes.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. With the same magnanimity with which you have watched over me since I was a child, I must say this. I, Fey Le O’Bellie, am not Luné.”

“….”

“I do not wish to take the place of Luné, who was supposed to sit on that chair.”

It wasn’t her true intention.

After all, the soul inhabiting ‘Fey’s’ body was completely different. She didn’t feel any particular inferiority to Luné.

However, those were the only words she could say at this point. The emperor knew better than anyone that ‘Fey’ had lived her entire life being compared to Luné.

So she had no choice but to evoke pity and utter the timeworn phrase, “I don’t want to be a substitute for the original.”

Fortunately, it seemed to have worked this time.

The emperor’s mouth remained closed for a long while. A dry silence filled the empty room. Fey vaguely realized that a faint glimmer of sympathy had appeared in the emperor’s vacant eyes.

Just then, the emperor’s coughs, which had been intermittent, began to grow louder, and soon his body went limp and he collapsed forward.

Fey, startled, instinctively kicked her chair away and caught the emperor’s body.

For a moment, Fey was so terrified that she almost pulled her hand away. The bony joints protruding from his emaciated body, thinner than a child’s, were all too apparent.

“Ha, ha… Cough, cough.”

“Your Majesty? Are you alright?”

A rattling laugh echoed from the emperor’s stomach.

As much as she was repelled, Fey wanted nothing more than to pry open the emperor’s skull.

The emperor had been gasping for breath as if he were about to die, but was now clutching his stomach and laughing heartily.

“That’s funny.”

Still lacking strength, the emperor muttered in a voice barely audible to Fey as his body slumped.

“You’re saying you don’t want to be the crown princess.”

His overbearing tone had returned to its former gentleness.

The emperor struggled to raise his upper body, supporting himself with his trembling arms on the bed mattress. He was smiling with interest, but his breath was still ragged.

“I thought you were desperate to be the empress.”

Was that why he had so easily made Fey the crown princess? Or had he intended to grant Fey’s last wish?

It was unfortunate. Had she not said it sooner, ‘Fey’ would have become the crown princess as the emperor had expected.

“It is true that I have admired His Highness the Crown Prince and desired the position of Crown Princess. However, not now. I know that, Your Majesty. I am not the one who should become the Crown Princess and harm His Highness.”

“Yes. I see.”

The emperor seemed to have no more energy to speak. Fey wondered if perhaps he had not been persuaded but had simply given up the conversation because he was exhausted.

After a while, the emperor somewhat recovered and smiled.

“Very well. Let us discuss this matter again later.”

Later? When would that be?

Even though he knew best that such a time would never come, he spoke as if he would. Leaning his head against the headboard, he looked at Fey with only his eyes moving.

“My dear child. Could you grant me another favor instead? Hoho. This time, it’s not so difficult.”

“I shall do as you ask, Your Majesty.”

Fey accepted the emperor’s request without hearing what it was. That was because his breath seemed to be failing him at any moment. If she refused here, and he suddenly died, it would be her fault. So it was partly out of compassion and partly out of selfishness to avoid guilt.

The emperor sighed in relief at Fey’s words.

“Before I depart, go and see Alto.”

Alto was Altair’s nickname.

“His Highness Altair?”

“Yes. Even I don’t like to see my child cry. If you show him your face, he will stop.”

Fey swallowed the laughter that threatened to escape her. Come to think of it, he had said he was crying. He had said that he had been crying profusely after hearing the news that Fey O’Bellie had run away.

‘Is he really crying because of me?’

After all the things he said he hated Fey for?

Sensing Fey’s thoughts, the emperor spoke softly.

“Despite everything that has happened, Alto thinks of you as family.”

“Is that so?”

Fey smiled awkwardly, and the emperor chuckled dryly.

“He must have cherished you, even though it was painful. I hear he’s been crying like he’s lost a beloved dog. I suppose you’ll tease him mercilessly when you see him, Fey.”

* * *

To fulfill the emperor’s request, which could potentially be his last, Fey had no choice but to head to the tall tower where Altair was staying.

She gazed blankly at the enormous stone tower that jutted high into the sky. A thin crescent moon seemed to hang over the top of the tower.

She stepped inside the tower and saw a spiral staircase leading down to the basement. The spiral staircase continued into a darkness that seemed endless.

This was the place where she had first stood after possessing ‘Fey’s’ body. Perhaps because of that, she felt an even greater sense of déjà vu than usual.

When she had first fled from this place, she had thought she would never return.

A chill wind blew through the tower.

She took a deep breath and pulled herself together.

The emotions she felt now were completely different from before.

Somehow, she wasn’t afraid. She didn’t feel the emptiness of being lost, either.

Small stirrings of curiosity about what choices she should make and what choices she needed to make in order to survive began to emerge in her mind.

She relaxed her shoulders and tried to think lightly. Everything was back to square one, so she could start over.

After making this unfounded determination, Fey slowly descended the spiral staircase.

* * *

After patiently descending the spiral staircase, she found a firmly closed black iron door blocking her way at the end.

Fey narrowed her eyes and stared hard at the rusty iron door.

Altair was on the other side of this door. Altair, who was shedding tears because of her.

Fey was about to put her hand on the doorknob when she suddenly pulled it back as if she had been electrocuted.

‘What will I say when I go in?’

She had the emperor’s request, and she had made up her mind, but she still didn’t have the courage to open the door.

Fey took another deep breath. Then she clenched and unclenched her numb hands and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Ah. I don’t know!”

She swallowed hard, grabbed the doorknob and pushed. The iron door creaked open easily, making a scraping sound

“Ugh!”

Fey quickly covered her mouth and nose. At first, it was because of the terrible smell, and the second time, it was because of the unbelievable sight.

Fey took an involuntary step backward as soon as the door opened, and she saw what was inside. However, she couldn’t take more than a few steps before her back hit the firmly shut iron door. “Ack,” she exclaimed.

‘What is all this?’

Fey looked around in shock.

Paper was plastered all over the basement walls in a way that made her skin crawl. And she soon realized that all of the papers had the same person’s face drawn on them.

It was Luné.

Multiple identical faces were staring at her from all sides. A shiver ran up Fey’s legs, making her body tremble.
“Fey?”

Altair had been lying lifelessly on the table next to the easel and now raised his head when he heard the noise.

He looked at Fey with a sleepy face, but soon his eyes widened as if he had suddenly woken up. He looked as if he couldn’t believe that Fey was standing in front of him.

“Long time no see?”

To prove that she wasn’t a hallucination, Fey smiled awkwardly and waved her hand. She wanted to act friendly, but the crazy scene in front of her made it hard for her to smile.

And the smell.

The strong smell of alcohol, several times stronger than before, mixed with the smell of oil used for painting and created a very unpleasant odor that filled the unventilated air.

‘Do vampires not have a sense of smell?’

Feeling nauseated in many ways, she staggered and barely managed to grab the wall.

“Get out.”

Altair grit his teeth and grabbed a handful of nearby parchment and threw it. Blank white parchment flew like snow in front of Fey. A few pieces of paper fluttered and hit Fey in the face, but fortunately, none of them hurt.

It did make her feel a little uncomfortable, though.

“Get out, get out!”

Fey thought she could understand why the emperor had called Altair a ‘child who lacked discipline.’

Time passed slowly for vampires. That was also true for Altair, who had vampire blood.

“Should I really leave?”

“…!”

Altair was slow to mature mentally. Luné had been the one to make him mature. But now that Luné was dead, he seemed to have regressed back to being a ‘child.’

The clear tear tracks on his cheeks, his bloodshot red eyes, the dark circles under his eyes, and his body language that showed he was visibly shaken by Fey’s declaration that she was ‘really leaving.’

That was how Fey understood Altair’s true feelings.

“I’m kidding. I came to see you due to His Majesty.”

This person needed her.

No. Not her, but ‘Fey, the remnant of Luné,’ was what he needed.

—