Side Story 4. Northern Duke’s Dimensional Shift

“MOM!”

Upon hearing Magna’s thunderous cry, Selina calmly set down the teacup she was holding.

It was starting again today.

While it was said that children didn’t always turn out the way their parents wanted, Magna was truly exceptional.

Her personality was so unique that it was impossible to trace its origin.

Thinking about it, Gration’s personality was similarly mysterious in terms of its origin. Both children seemed to resemble either Selina or Kalcion when they were young, but as they grew, they became more distinct from each other.

Their appearance was a successful combination.

Magna had Selina’s hair color, Kalcion’s eye color, and a more spirited appearance with a talent for her using her muscles inherited from Kalcion. Gration, on the other hand, shared Kalcion’s hair and skeletal structure but had Selina’s eyes, nose, and mouth.

People marveled at how such a combination could work so well. However, their personalities were as unpredictable as what had come together.

Magna had a temperament so intense that it seemed she might become a tyrant if not raised properly, while Gration grew up with a calm demeanor that made people consider himself fortunate to have such an older sister.

Both parents were not as extreme in their personalities as their children, making the result truly bewildering. They thought it might change as they grew up, but even as they approached adulthood, their personalities remained the same.

“Mom! Is it possible that I won’t become the next king after you? What nonsense is that?!”

Selina furrowed her brows at Magna’s thunderous cry.

Rather than the noise, the content of her words bothered her.

It was something that came up during a recent council meeting. Because Magna was a ‘girl,’ there had been a comment suggesting that it would be more appropriate for the succession to include a male, Gration, given that the current first King, Selina, was a ‘woman.’

Without a word, Selina flipped the desk over.

The discriminatory language that she was a woman had pushed her patience to its limit. While she had retaliated against the insult directed at her, she couldn’t bear to see such standards applied even to her daughter.

The agreement between the couple regarding succession was that it was reasonable to pass the duty of succession to the child who wanted it. Considering Kalcion’s past reluctance to the responsibilities of succession, it made sense to entrust it to a child who was willing.

Fortunately, there were no conflicts where either party wanted or rejected the position. Magna had actively declared from a young age that she would become king, so it was agreed upon.

Nevertheless, not only did they rebel against a matter that had already been decided, but the unpleasant news also reached Magna’s ears?

She had been too lenient lately.

In the early days of Selinia Kingdom, she has been stamping people day by day. So, she had wondered if she had been too peaceful time in recent years.

Looks like a storm needs to blow again. Selina thought to herself.

“Nonsense.”

Selina decisively cut in.

“The successor is you.”

“Really?!”

“Yes.”

Upon hearing her firm answer, Magna immediately returned to a comfortable expression.

“If I don’t give it to you, you might start a rebellion or something. Isn’t it better for all of us to just smoothly and peacefully pass through this?”

“Of course! Mom knows me well.”

‘If you were a bit less worrisome, I wouldn’t have learned this much.’

Indeed, life was unpredictable.

No one knew that the day would come when Selina would be so genuinely concerned about the peace of her people.

Gration, who was sipping tea next to her, had a gentle smile that was just healing just by looking at it.

“I’m not interested in the throne, sister. If you become queen, I’ll assist you diligently.”

It was an unprompted sweet remark, and sincerity made it even more beautiful.

Magna, deeply moved, pulled Gration into a tight hug.

“Gration! Oh, my lovely little brother.”

“Sister.”

Gration, now entering adolescence, was slightly taller than his older sister, who was nearing the end of her growth.

Moreover, now their shoulder width and body thickness are becoming quite similar. While he was no longer a small and adorable little brother in everyone’s eyes, Gration naturally nestled into Magna’s arms like a young child.

Magna, embracing his much larger younger brother, looked into his eyes.

“Gration, is there anything you want to do? Sister will listen to everything.”

Magna would give everything but the throne.

“Um… things I want to do…”

Gration rolled his eyes left and right. It wasn’t that he was struggling to think of something. He has thoughts in his mind, but whether it is okay to say them or not is the dilemma.

“I don’t know if it’s possible.”

“What’s that? There’s nothing you can’t do. I’ll make everything possible for you, sister.”

Magna urged him kindly.

“To check out the Dimensional Gate?”

“The Dimensional Gate? The one in the Northern Palace?”

The term ‘Dimensional Gate’ referred to the portal through which Selina could travel to the other world.

“Yes. Until now, you said you’d tell me when I’m older that it’s a door to travel to another world. You’ve only talked about it. I want to see it and cross over myself.”

“Why bother?”

“Just because? Like how Sister wants to become King?”

“Ah, I see.”

It was quite a convincing argument.

Magna turned to look at Selina.

“Gration wants to do it, Mom. No?”

“Um… it should be okay now.”

While Selina and Kalcion occasionally traveled to the other world, they had never taken Magna and Gration with them. They were worried about the potential side effects of traveling between dimensions at such a young age.

Concerns about possible physical and mental side effects lingered in their minds. Nevertheless, since they had already taught them about the existence of the other world, Selina had casually mentioned that it was a secret only for the royal family.

After that, there was no further mention of it.

Magna had simply brushed it off like a fairy tale, so it was surprising that Gration was still interested.

“Still, is it really there? Didn’t you lie to us, saying you were teaching us the other language when we were younger?”

“Well, it’s not a lie, is it? There is a Dimensional Room in the Northern Palace.”

“…Mom, is it real?”

“I have never lied.”

“Wow! It was real? I thought you were hiding some kind of treasure.”

Magna’s imagination, reaching its limit, seemed to conclude that it was just a lie.

To the North of the Beast Mountain, Queen Selina’s private palace stood tall. It was named simply the Northern Palace.

In one part of the Northern Palace, where only the royal family, the royal guard and a very small number of people were allowed, as Gration mentioned, there was indeed a Dimensional Room. If the location of the Dimensional Door was made public, every time they cross over, it could lead to chaos.

So, intentionally, a palace was built close to a cliff, and the surroundings were enclosed by walls.

“…Will it work?”

Gration asked Selina once again, looking for her reaction.

Selina shrugged her shoulders, making eye contact with Kalcion. There was no sign of opposition from Kalcion either. Both children had grown enough to handle the truth, and there was no need to hide it anymore.

“Yes, now that you both have grown up, it’s time to tell you. It’s related to the royal bloodline and the prosperity of the kingdom.”

Gration’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Born as a competent scholar in contrast to Magna, who was born as a competent ruler, Gration had shown interest in researching, finding principles, and coming up with new ideas from a young age. He had achieved significant success in these endeavors.

Scholars confidently predicted that Gration would make a great discovery and further enrich Selinia. With Gration encountering a world beyond imaginable limits, how far he would progress remained to be seen.

There was anticipation in Selina’s eyes as well.

* * *

“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I visited the Northern Palace.”

Recent events had kept her so busy that she couldn’t even find time for a round trip. Selina looked out of the carriage window, observing the Beast Mountain extending into the distance and, finally, the gleaming Northern Palace.

“Back in the day, crossing the Beast Mountain was a tough journey.”

Time has brought about significant changes.

Unlike in the past, where one had to climb peaks and overcome altitude sickness to cross the Beast Mountain, now all that was needed was to follow the road extending from the northern city walls. What used to take ten days on foot or three days on a beast now only took two days.

The road was neatly paved, suitable for both walking and carriage travel.

It was impressive.

Watching Selina, who was feeling the passage of time, Gration suddenly had a question.

“This road has been under construction since I was born, and now it’s finally complete. Why did it take so long?”

“We didn’t have urgent reasons to go there quickly. We built it gradually with the remaining budget.”

“But isn’t that Mother’s hometown?”

Gration assumed it would always be a place she longed for if it was her hometown.

“It’s not necessarily a place I’m so attached to.”

Many aspects of Selina’s life had shifted to this side.

Although there were inconveniences in daily life, being a king was much better than living as an actress. One’s position shapes them. Initially, Selina struggled to adapt to being a queen, but now, she had firmly established herself as an excellent ruler.

Her identity as an actress had become somewhat blurred.

When she thought she could never go back, she suffered from nostalgia and homesickness. However, now that she could go back whenever she wished, she had no desire to return.

“Do we have to go for a long time to the Dimensional Door?”

As the Northern Palace came into view, Gration’s voice became excited.

“Physically, it might be quite far, but temporally, it happens in the blink of an eye?”

“Um… What does that mean?”

“The secret was vaguely explained by our ancestors, but I don’t fully understand it either.”

His face became puzzled as he struggled to comprehend.

Explaining this phenomenon in words was futile. Rather than forcing an explanation for something she herself couldn’t grasp, Selina offered a simple solution.

“See it for yourself.”

Upon arriving at the Northern Palace, they prepared to cross dimensions.

“Are we going right away?”

Despite the closeness, this was still a long-distance journey spanning two days. Gration was surprised that they would move immediately without resting after such a lengthy trip.

“Yes, you can go and rest.”

“Isn’t it hard while we’re on your way?”

“Going there isn’t difficult.”

“Really? Even when going to a different dimension?”

It was indeed challenging to imagine without experiencing it firsthand. Instead of explaining in detail, Selina smiled and handed out clothes.

“Here, change into these.”

Gration examined the clothes Selina handed him and became even more perplexed.

Why did he need to change, and what was this unfamiliar attire?

Countless question marks filled his mind, but it seemed more efficient to follow instructions rather than ask. Heading to his room to change, Gration returned to his parent’s room, where the two were engaged in a lively conversation.

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