Chapter 99

——The petite girl with black hair stood motionless, her eyes vacant, as delicate as a doll.

“Shaya?” Xiarette certainly recognized Shaya’s appearance. She looked at the “Shaya” in front of her, then at Sheffy up on the platform, her thoughts a complete mess. “Sheffy, aren’t you right there? But Shaya… huh? Could you both exist at the same time?”

Sheffy crossed her arms in front of her chest and let out a confident chuckle as she explained.

“That’s a phantom I conjured with magic. Well… I say phantom, but it can actually be touched. However, it has no life, no soul—just a doll. I can share its sight and hearing. When Livra comes over later, if Shaya isn’t here, wouldn’t that seem weird?”

“That’s true…”

To firmly establish in Livra’s mind that Sheffy Harl and Shaya were two different individuals, having them present at the same time was crucial proof!

It seemed Sheffy’s magic had imbued the “Shaya doll” with some basic commands. It could slowly shake its head, turn around, and even look around.

Moreover, as Sheffy silently chanted some words in her mind from atop the platform, the “Shaya doll” actually repeated them aloud.

“Xia’s a dummy~ A big dummy~ I’m up here, you can’t reach me, heehee…”

“?!”

The expressionless “Shaya” uttered these absurd words, leaving Xiarette completely speechless. As the so-called “big dummy”, she couldn’t even tell whether it was Sheffy or the doll speaking!

Of course, this was Sheffy up on the platform playing a prank~

Xiarette, amazed, reached out a finger and poked the collagen-rich cheek of the “Shaya doll”. The tactile feedback was astonishingly realistic—identical to a real person. Other than the absence of facial expressions, there was no flaw to be found.

Then Xiarette moved her finger downward and poked the doll’s chest…

Hmm, yep, it was definitely a 1:1 replica.

Just as flat as the original.

Suddenly, Sheffy’s whole body shuddered. She hurriedly leaned over from the platform and shouted down loudly!

And her face seemed oddly flushed and bashful.

“Hey…! Xiarette, what are you doing? Don’t do weird things to the doll!”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s a part of my magic…! Even if it’s a doll, it’s connected to my sensations. Not just hearing and sight… when you touch her, it’s like you’re touching me, so… ahem, you get it, right?”

“Seriously… that’s amazing.”

A new world…

Xiarette felt like she had just discovered the gateway to a brand-new world!

“Sheffy, you said no touching?”

“Well, too bad. Who told you not to listen to your big sister usually? Then your big sister definitely isn’t going to listen to you now~”

Hug~~

Sheffy suddenly felt a wave of warmth and softness envelop her body.

Looking down, she realized that Xiarette had embraced the Shaya doll.

And she hugged it hard—like she was holding a hug pillow!

Before Sheffy could speak up to stop her, a flash of golden light burst from the Holy Sword, and Sylatrella popped out of the blade. She lunged forward and hugged the Shaya doll’s thigh, looking every bit like a child affectionately clinging to her mother.

“Uuuu, usually Lady Sheffy won’t let me hug her! This once-in-a-lifetime chance… this is amazing! Absolutely amazing!”

“Hey! Sylatrella, get back! Didn’t you hear? The doll is linked to Sheffy’s senses!”

“No kidding! If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t bother hugging it! And you’re one to talk—Hero, aren’t you hugging even more shamelessly?! I’m going straight for a lick!”

“What?!”

On the platform, Sheffy dropped to her knees, overwhelmed by the ominous sensations flooding her body.

Don’t push your luck…!

Without hesitation, she spread her wings, broke through the Flame Cage, and returned to the ground, delivering a punishing karate chop to both Xiarette and Sylatrella.

“Ah…!”

“Ow…!”

“Serves you right! You two… can’t you do something useful for once? Even if you’re not doing anything important, could you not be such perverts all the time?!”

Seriously.

If she didn’t keep watch, the Shaya doll would be doomed!

Protecting the doll was the same as protecting herself!

………………………………..

Livra’s outing this time came with grand fanfare.

The Royal Guard lined up on either side, clearing the path as they escorted the royal entourage from the palace toward the hero’s domain on the outskirts of the Royal Capital.

The commoners had no idea what was going on.

They instinctively stepped to the sides of the road to make way. Most assumed it was a royal parade. They bowed and avoided eye contact, while a few bolder children even stood and waved at the passing carriages with admiration—only to be hastily pulled back by their flustered parents.

There were indeed many royals in the convoy.

The king’s carriage led at the front, while the one in the very center carried none other than Livra.

Actually, Livra usually traveled quite discreetly.

Forget the knight guard—she wouldn’t even bring a single escort.

——After all, she normally snuck out in secret.

She traveled on foot, so there was no need for protection. In fact, having escorts around meant she’d just get caught and dragged back to the palace, and that would be a disaster.

The maid responsible for attending to Livra, Anna, was sitting in the same carriage as her. Throughout the journey, all Anna saw was the princess looking extremely nervous and full of anxiety.

It was rare to see Her Highness like this, but whenever she was in such a state, it definitely meant the situation was extremely critical.

“Your Highness… please try to relax. The gods will bless you—everything will go smoothly. Look, all your brothers and sisters are here to see you off, and His Majesty the King is even personally leading the way in the front carriage. So there’s nothing to worry about!”

“See me off…? Ugh… what I see is that they’re really ‘seeing me off’—as in sending me off to the underworld.”

“What a jinx you are!”

“Uu!”

Even Anna is scolding me!

Livra’s fingers were interlocked tightly in front of her, her nervousness written all over her face.

She wasn’t trying to jinx anything—she was just being realistic…

But saying that to Anna wouldn’t get through.

After all, just this morning, her royal brothers and sisters had gathered in the castle’s great hall, and the suggestions they gave—each one was more unreliable than the last.

“Livra, little royal sister, you should say this to the Demon Clan Princess: if she cooperates, we’re willing to pay the Demon Domain some compensation. Let her name the amount—money’s just money, we can always save up more later!”

“Eh, the Demon Domain doesn’t need money. I think this issue is still about territory. Ultimately, isn’t the Demon Domain just coveting our lands? Why not just give her a verbal promise first? The priority is getting through this crisis. We can worry about everything else later.”

“That’s all weak talk! If you ask me, since it’s a negotiation, you’ve got to be tough! Livra, you have to show the dignity of royalty! Intimidate that demon witch! Right now, she’s in our hands, and she’s being detained—she doesn’t have the leverage to negotiate with us! What matters is presence!”

Honestly, Livra thought, You all just want me dead!

Curling into a ball, Livra clutched her head in despair. The dark circles under her eyes from a sleepless night made her look heartbreakingly pitiful.

“Your Highness… are you…”

“Phew… I’m okay now!”

“Huh?”

Livra’s suffering never lasted long—only a few seconds at most.

Just like how night swiftly transitions into dawn, one moment she was quietly whining, and in the next, as Anna tried to offer comforting words, Livra suddenly looked up with a forced but still-bright smile, returning to that carefree little ray of sunshine she always was.

“Don’t panic, Anna! Trust me—I’ll be fine~ Puhaha, seriously, it’s not that big of a deal! Worst case scenario is… the kingdom collapses, and we all end up homeless… ugh, okay, that does sound pretty serious, but… but it’s fine! I won’t let that happen!”

“Your Highness… mm, I believe in you. As long as it’s something you want to do, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.”

“Exactly!”

Yes, Anna hadn’t forgotten the kind of person the princess she served truly was.

It was never anyone else’s place to comfort her—she was always the one giving others courage.

Even if a meteor came crashing down from the sky, Her Highness might panic in the first moment, but in the next, she would still look back with resilience, determined to carry the burden herself. She had never once compromised with anything.

That was how strong she was.

With Her Highness personally handling this, everyone could rest assured.

The royal carriages came to a stop at the edge of the estate on the outskirts. The area was already deserted.

A Royal Knight approached respectfully to report. Livra steadied her heart, patted her cheeks, and hopped down from the carriage.

The other members of the royal family had already disembarked and were waiting for her.

Their expressions varied—some showed admiration, others pitied her, unable to bear it.

Of course, there were also likely those secretly gloating. It’s just that such expressions wouldn’t be worn openly on their faces.

King Celt Aurus and the Queen stepped forward, holding their scepters.

The Queen’s eyes brimmed with tears she could no longer hold back. She leaned forward and embraced her daughter, her voice choking with emotion.

“Livra… my poor child, why do misfortunes always fall upon you…”

“Mother… I’m not a magnet for misfortune.”

It was like when a mother insisted you wear more clothes because she thought you were cold—you couldn’t say you weren’t cold.

If your mother believed you were unlucky, then you couldn’t argue that you weren’t.

Livra gently patted her mother’s back and softly comforted her.

“It’s alright, Mother. It’s not like I’m going off to die a martyr—I’m just going to try what I can. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll just run away!”

“You child… that’s the Princess of Calamity you’re dealing with. Do you think you can just run away? How did things come to this…”

“It’s… it’s really okay, come on, let’s stay positive!”

Even as she said that, Livra herself didn’t sound all that confident.

King Celt Aurus slowly stepped forward, placing his hand on the Queen’s shoulder and shaking his head slightly, signaling for her to step back.

The King then faced his daughter. Though his expression held guilt, it carried even more encouragement and pride for Livra.

“My child, this is as far as we can accompany you.”

“Mm… I know. Father, if you all go any farther with this many people, won’t it look like we’re preparing for war? Then I won’t be able to communicate with the Demon Clan Princess at all.”

“Indeed… none of us can help you with this. This time, you’re on your own. If you succeed, you’ll be a hero of the Kingdom of Aurus. But if you fail…”

King Celt Aurus paused mid-sentence, then stepped forward once more. Lowering his voice, he spoke a final instruction to Livra before her departure.

“As the ruler of this kingdom, I command you—under no circumstances are you to retreat. You must uphold the dignity befitting a princess of the realm. You must achieve results, save the nation, and avert the flames of war, even if it means giving your life.”

At this point, Celt’s gaze hesitated for a moment.

A gaze that had been sharp and resolute for a lifetime…

Today, it unexpectedly softened with a hint of tenderness.

Though his voice grew quieter, to Livra, it was deafeningly clear.

“But as your father… I will tell you this: if the situation truly gets out of hand, what you must do is seize the chance to escape with everything you’ve got. Aside from your own life, don’t worry about anything else. Do you understand?”

Livra’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

All her life… this was the first time she had ever heard her father speak of anything beyond the nation’s interests.

Her royal siblings in the distance couldn’t hear what was being said over here. Of course, the murmured discussions they were having couldn’t be heard clearly from this side either.

But whether they could hear or not—it didn’t matter anymore.

In a forest filled with birdsong, there’s no need to hear each bird declare which tree it wishes to perch in.

All you need to know is that you, as a bird, have a tree to land on, a home to return to.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep