Chapter 91: 92

“Don’t be too surprised.”

Garou smiled mischievously as if he was having fun.

“It is made of silver. It’s a must-have item for a lady who has come of age, isn’t it?”

I glared at him and sneakily peered inside the box.

As Garou had said, it certainly wasn’t as surprising.

The silver ring in the box was thin and crude enough to float on water.

It was not even an accessory. It was probably intended to be dropped into a glass to check if it was poisoned.

“Princess, may I ask what you received?”

The servant who was making the gift list came up next to me.

‘I’m in trouble.’

Garou’s gift was practically useless, but the question was whether the people gathered here would accept it that way, aside from Alan, who was glaring in the seat next to me.

‘I can’t make things bothersome.’

I pretended to open the box, and secretly took out the silver ring and put it on my index finger. How the hell did he figure out the measurement? It fit my finger perfectly.

“…An empty box.”

“Pardon?”

I turned the box upside down in front of the servant who asked the question and shook it off.

The servant was confused, then went down the altar and shouted.

“The, the Crown Prince has given her an empty box!”

The audience was buzzing.

Everyone’s expression showed that they felt the crown prince’s jokes had crossed the line.

Even though he suddenly became an immature villain, Garou laughed out loud as if it was rather pleasant.

Alan growled first before I could even speak to him.

“Be polite.”

Garou calmly shrugged.

“This is my courtesy.”

I gave him a hint with a loud cough.

“If your business is over, can you please go back?”

It would be a headache if he resentfully said ‘How dare you ignore my gift!’ But fortunately, Garou turned around without any regrets and went down the altar.

It was a relief that he moved as expected.

There was no way he would be mad at the cocky crown prince for playing a little bit.

“Ah right, Lilietta.”

Garou, who was halfway down the altar, suddenly looked back at me.

“I’ll give you a meteor shower later. That’s the real gift I’ve prepared for you.”

Leaving those words behind, Garou went back and sat down on his seat that had a good view of the altar. 

‘A meteor shower?’

‘That night sky is the illusion of the World Tree’s barrier… Does that mean that the crown prince can change it at will?’

‘Is the emperor cheering for her son to get married? Although it’s no use doing that…’

After a series of fuss, the cool-headed servants delivered the gifts in an orderly manner.

The line showed no sign of diminishing.

I glanced anxiously at the dark forest that could be seen through the greenhouse’s skylight.

‘Benny will be waiting for me.’

Benny was not invited to the debutante. It was only natural that I didn’t invite him.

Instead, he was waiting outside the Crystal Palace for me to come.

Unfortunately, the gift delivery ceremony ended only after a long time.

A full-fledged awakening ceremony began without a break.

A wizard dispatched from the imperial family came up to the altar with a small bonsai flower pot.

She was an elegant woman with a long neck like a deer.

She put the white flower pot at my feet and bowed her head.

“From now on, I’ll release the seal from the Princess.”

I was on high alert.

When this ceremony was over, it would be revealed that I am an evil spirit, and the people in the duke’s castle would become even more confused.

And I’ll take advantage of the chaos to take Benny’s hand and step out of the barrier.

The day we had been waiting for for 4 years was just around the corner.

In front of me, who was secretly repeating my plans mentally, the wizard sang in a clear voice.

「We are the daughters of the Plant God Flora…」

Light slowly rose from the bonsai.

The little tree shining white looked like a miniature of the World Tree.

After a moment of wonder, a branch grew upwards and stretched a smooth stem out towards my chest.

I sighed and swallowed.

Then Alan grabbed my hand and whispered.

“It’s all right.”

I didn’t realize it, but his words made me feel relieved.

The instant I relaxed, a glowing tree pierced my heart.

“Ack?!”

I was startled and almost got up from my seat.

The wizard hurriedly stretched out her hand toward me.

“It’s just sucking the sealing magic imprinted on your heart. There will be no pain.”

I swept my chest in surprise.

Indeed, the chest was only a little cold and not painful.

The wizard mumbled a spell.

Perhaps it was quite hard work as sweat formed on her forehead.

After a while, the stem slipped out of my chest.

The light disappeared, and the shining tree returned to a normal bonsai. The soil covered with roots was still shining white.

“The seal has been lifted. I wish the Princess the best of luck in her future.”

The wizard nodded and stood up.

My mouth was kept wide open the whole time the wizard went down the altar.

‘Is this the end?’

I was worried about the possibility of my left arm becoming black and causing a disturbance, but when she lifted the seal, I didn’t feel anything.

I blankly clenched and opened my left hand, and Alan looked into my face with concern.

“Is something uncomfortable, Lily?”

“Ah, no. I don’t think anything has changed.”

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“That is normal. For now, they’ve just removed the magic that blocked your power.”

Alan shifted his gaze to the entrance of the large greenhouse.

“In order to properly awaken the power that has been blocked for 14 years, we need an external stimulus.”

I didn’t know what he meant, so I touched the silver ring that Garou gave me.

Just then, the door of the greenhouse opened and Nike, who I did not know he had left, came in with several servants.

Nike was holding a tray without a handle, and on top of it was a splendid glass like a holy grail.

The audience, who had been whispering among themselves, became quiet.

Nike came up to the altar without hesitation.

The moment he stopped, which was three steps before me, a terrible stench stung my nostrils.

‘What is this smell?’

Alan only raised his eyebrows slightly, but Pedro covered his nose as if he was about to vomit.

Well, since beasts were sensitive to smells, their heads would hurt more.

With a scarf tied around his mouth, Nike knelt before me and raised the tray above his head.

The colorful glass contained a dark liquid.

This was the cause of the stench that made the lungs rot just by inhaling it.

“It is a potion for awakening.”

Even the person who explained that was choking. Nike’s eyes were trembling.

Alan sighed and rebuked him.

“I’m sure I have told you to make it as gentle as possible.”

“That… it won’t awaken unless it’s this much.”

Nike kept his head down, enduring.

Gently grabbing Alan’s sleeve, I asked,

“Dad, do I have to drink this to completely unlock the seal?”

It was supposed to be some kind of magic potion, but Alan shook his head immediately.

“No, the seal has already been lifted. This is just a normal decoction. It just tastes and smells incredibly disgusting.”

“Then…”

“…God’s power always springs up when your body is in danger. If the seal is unlocked, you can reveal your power with a light wound. But to hurt your body…”

When I heard that far, I understood the whole situation.

‘Even if I eat something that doesn’t taste good, I’ll still get hurt.’

Alan didn’t want to hurt me, so he took a different approach.

“If it’s too disgusting, I’ll ask them to boil it again.”

“…No, it’s fine.”

As I nodded, one of the servants who followed Nike set up a simple table.

Nike put the tray on the table. My face was clearly reflected in the black potion.

I sullenly grabbed the glass with both hands.

‘It’s better to get hit first.’

It was disgusting, but this was nothing for me who grew up eating trash in an ant cave.

As if he was proud of me, a smile spread across Alan’s face.

“Good job, Lily.”

I couldn’t believe he was so proud of me just taking bitter medicine.

What I went through in Duke’s Castle was a series of surprises until the end.

“I will pray while the Princess awakens her powers!”

Nike put his hands together and shouted loudly as he got out of the way at the edge of the altar.

Nearby guests who were covering their noses with their sleeves reluctantly closed their eyes and put their hands together.

Alan didn’t forget to send me a worried look before closing his eyes.

The Crystal Palace became as quiet as a mouse.

‘Let’s hurry up and finish this.’

I closed my eyes and lifted the glass, but my mother’s necklace ran down and fell into the black liquid.

‘Oh!’

I hurriedly retrieved it, but it was already too late.

The black jewel in the center of the necklace was wet with herbal medicine.

‘I hope it doesn’t smell bad.’

It would be better for me to lose my sense of smell than to live with this awful smell for the rest of my life.

I put the glass down for a moment and rubbed the surface of the imitation jewel with the back of my hand. And suddenly, it hardened.

‘…Huh?’

Something was strange.

A strange haze revolved inside the black, round imitation jewel.

Like a crystal ball that signaled an uncertain future.

‘What’s wrong with this?’

It was the first time I had seen such a sight.

‘Surely this is just a cheap necklace left by my mother who left home, right?’

I could have ignored it and drank the decoction, but an ominous foreboding from deep within me put the brakes on me.

Suddenly, the silver ring that Garou gave me caught my eyes.

I gently rubbed the ring off my fingers and dropped it into the potion.

After a while, the thin silver ring floated above the liquid.

I doubted my eyes.

The silver rim of the ring turned black as if it had rusted.

This meant one thing.

“You also have to think about the threat of assassination. Like poisoning by alcohol, or something like that.”

Someone was trying to poison me.

When I was convinced of that fact, the hand holding the glass trembled.

I reflexively tried to call Alan, but I quickly shut my mouth.

What was really scary now wasn’t the poisonous potion.

‘Is it possible?’

‘He put poison in the potion I’ll be drinking, not someone else? Also, during my debutante?’

I gazed around, all the guests’ eyes were still closed.

None of them had access to the potion for me to drink. If there was, it would have been sorted out by Alan.

‘If it’s the person who is most likely to kill me right now…’

Goosebumps welled up my spine.

I turned my head to the man sitting next to me.

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