The assistance of the palace official continued throughout breakfast. That’s no exaggeration.
It was, literally, “attention and service.”
‘Damn it.’
My conscience was gnawing at me. I was receiving excessive attention from someone who couldn’t even see.
Every time I felt it was too much and tried to say something, she—almost as if reading my mind—would retreat silently.
‘Do people in the Imperial Palace have mind reading as a passive skill or what?’
Withdrawing during a court meal was a major breach of etiquette. Sure, I’m from the streets, so I don’t normally follow those rules, but even so, I was there as Victoria’s official representative.
Any discourtesy on my part would reflect directly on her name.
‘Unlike when I was a cadet, I have way too many responsibilities now and this is all just a hassle…’
No helping it.
That’s the weight of being an adult. You have to endure it with dignity. At the very least, I consoled myself knowing she didn’t help me use the dessert fork.
Until breakfast was officially over.
Victoria, from the other side, watched the whole thing in silence. Her face shifted between red and blue like a color palette.
She seemed to be evaluating how far the palace official would go, and seeing that she really did everything, the frustration was clearly boiling inside her.
‘Well, well…’
Even in the tunnel that seems endless, a ray of light eventually comes through.
As expected from a meal governed by imperial customs, breakfast was as long as it was inefficient. Finally, it ended.
As a side note, the Emperor didn’t attend breakfast. They had informed us he had personal matters and would be out of the palace until the afternoon.
‘What must the Emperor be thinking, seeing his closest aide treat me like this?’
Or rather…
‘It’s very likely this was his idea from the start. Is he trying to seduce me with a beauty?’
Hmm… Honestly, I don’t get it.
“The Imperial Palace really is…”
I murmured unintentionally.
“My apologies, Heavenly Sword… I didn’t mean to think out loud…”
Huh?
The return of the Heavenly Sword will bring peace and prosperity to all! Long life, long life, eternal life!
The palace official moved her lips without making a sound and, as always, disappeared into the shadows. I, with the spoon still in the air holding a bit of peach sorbet, froze. It was absurd.
‘Are you telling me someone this foolish was assigned to watch me?’
And on top of that, wasn’t she from the Pungsan family?
‘According to Victoria, she’s the most talented member of her entire family.’
And now she’s trying to cozy up to me with such transparent, ridiculous flattery?
I glanced at Victoria. Her expression looked like she was about to devour the official alive.
“Mister Heavenly Sword, how would you like to dine tonight? Would you like to take a bath first? Or perhaps take me ins-”
“Palace official!”
“….”
It was unbelievable.
***
From personal experience, the emperor wasn’t a petty politician. He’s a true madman, yes, but also an exceptional man.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t emit that kind of aura that rivals the Swordmaster’s.
Creak.
While the servants cleared the dishes, I stood up in silence. Victoria also quickly rose, intending to scold the official.
“One moment, Princess.”
I stopped her.
“I think I need to speak with her alone.”
“B-but that…”
“It’s my business. I’ll be back—let the adults handle this.”
That was a loaded phrase.
For starters, a member of the imperial family summoning someone close to the emperor on their own doesn’t leave a good impression. In future succession disputes, it could backfire on Victoria.
Our dear emperor, so devoted to the purity of Korean products like eel and black raspberries, has more than a dozen children.
Victoria is constantly being challenged by other throne candidates. She can’t afford to let her emotions give them an excuse.
It’s not like I’m interested in usurping the throne. Not at all.
‘Frankly, I don’t care who becomes the next emperor.’
The past ten years prove it. Since I was elevated to Seven Stars, I’ve lived just fine without even knowing the emperor’s face.
But even so.
“The servants who have been bringing the food see and hear everything too. Don’t assume their eyes and ears are closed.”
I leaned in and whispered that to Victoria.
“…”
“Since you’re always surrounded by them, you might see them as part of the decor, but they have their own interests. They’re petty and base, but that’s part of being an adult.”
As someone with a few decades more experience, I couldn’t just stand by while she carried that sandbag.
The right thing to do was to resolve this with the palace official alone. That was the conclusion my experience brought me to.
I know it’s annoying. From Victoria’s perspective, I probably look like some old nag. But sometimes, one is needed.
I looked straight into Victoria’s eyes. Her clear pupils reflected the image of a hardened man.
In her, I saw my younger self.
‘Chief.’
He really was the true example of a good “old nag.”
That guy gave endless lectures every day. At the time, they just felt like unnecessary scolding.
I knew in my head it was for my own good, but it still rubbed me the wrong way. For no real reason. I just… didn’t want to lose to an adult.
And because I didn’t listen, I ended up never settling down anywhere, wandering all over the country.
‘Though, well… it wasn’t all bad.’
But the path was thorny.
I wouldn’t say Victoria and I have a particularly close master-disciple relationship, but I would like her to take an easier path.
Especially because it’s Victoria.
She’s part of the imperial family. A single poor judgment can have far more devastating repercussions than any calamities I faced in the past.
“…Adult.”
Victoria’s fingers trembled slightly.
“…For now, I’ll respect your decision, Lord Heavenly Sword.”
Her eyes, once gleaming like axes, calmed. Having regained her composure, Victoria added with a bit of hesitation.
“But I ask you to promise me just two things.”
“Name them.”
Before answering, Victoria cast a sideways glance at the official. The cyclopean woman waited silently by the door.
‘She has good hearing, so it’s not like being far helps…’
Right then, the official covered her ears with her hands.
Wow… at this point, it’s just scary. I got chills like I’d just eaten raw chicken.
“…I know someone like you, Lord Heavenly Sword, wouldn’t fall for it, but…”
Victoria lowered her voice as much as she could. I leaned in to listen.
“Still, I’m warning you. Don’t fall for that woman’s vulgarities.”
“Vulgarities, you say…?”
“The women of the Pungsan clan…”
Victoria abruptly turned her head to look away, then spoke with difficulty.
“…Learn bedroom arts.”
Ah. Bedroom arts.
That’s why they weren’t mentioned even by mistake in Miracle Blessing M. If they were, the game’s genre would shift from mobile gacha to +18 visual novel.
“No need to worry.”
“I’m saying it precisely because I’m worried.”
She added softly.
“…Beast…”
‘I told you to forget about that.’
“A-Anyway!”
Victoria waved her hand, disrupting the globe over her head, and cleared her throat.
“Be careful. I don’t know much about the palace official Ryoo of Pungsan either. All I know is that she would do anything for the survival of the imperial bloodline.”
“I suppose by ‘imperial bloodline’ you mean the emperor.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
I nodded, and Victoria seemed relieved. Then, avoiding my gaze, she muttered.
“…About those two promises…”
She took a deep breath, steeled herself, and spoke again.
“I don’t want you to treat me like a child. As I said this morning, last week was my birthday. I’m an adult now.”
In this world, one is considered an adult after turning nineteen. That’s a year earlier than on Earth.
Unless their birthday falls right at the start of winter break in December, most students come of age in their third year. Cadets are hero candidates.
Warriors ready to be sent to the front lines as soon as they graduate.
I replied.
“I didn’t mean to treat you like a child. But if it felt that way, I’m sorry. It’s just that there’s an almost ten-year age gap between us.”
“Eight years.”
Victoria corrected.
“Not ten, eight. That’s not that big a difference.”
“Ah, yes…”
Right. It’s the right age.
I smiled faintly and turned around. As expected, the official was already waiting with the door open.
Just before leaving the banquet hall, I turned my head halfway to look at Victoria.
“…Anything else you want to say?”
I smiled at her awkward face.
“Even if it’s late, happy birthday, Princess.”
“Ah.”
“Being an adult doesn’t mean you have to do everything alone. If you ever need help, let me know. If it’s for you, I’ll always be willing.”
The door closed after those awkward words.
***
Victoria was left alone in the banquet hall. The servants had already cleared the dishes, leaving it eerily clean.
With no eyes or ears watching her, her hand unconsciously rested over the fold of her dress, at chest level.
“I feel… suffocated.”
It was a feeling completely opposite to what she experienced in front of her father.
In front of His Majesty, she would shrink in fear. But in front of Kang Geom-Ma… Victoria looked toward the slightly open door. The hallway was long and silent.
And yet… Perhaps because it was the hallway he had just walked through, the torches hanging on the wall seemed to expand.
She couldn’t deny that it was the volume of her emotions.
Ten years ago. Since that day.
For fear that it might go out.
She had kept it like an oil lamp in her chest. It was also the reason why, among all the members of the imperial family, she was the only one who entered Joaquin.
***
I was guided to a place within the palace that looked like a cathedral.
It was the most ostentatious and cutting-edge place I had seen since arriving at the palace.
Overall, the palace was rather sober, but this hall displayed a fragment of the imperial economic might.
Soon, the official stopped. She slowly turned toward me, hands elegantly clasped.
Until now, I had wondered if her name was Garyeon. In any case, it was incredible that she was blind, given how firm her steps and movements were.
‘Is this what happens when you dedicate your life to a single craft?’
Even if that were true, her movements were surprisingly natural. I almost wished she’d remove that bothersome eye patch.
“Forget introductions. Get to the point.”
I said, crossing my arms. The official slowly raised one hand.
With her thumb, she slid her eye patch upward. The light from the stained glass fell on her long eyelashes.
She opened her eyes.
“You…”
“I can see.”
Her pupils shone clearly.
“Not even His Majesty knows. If he finds out, I’ll probably die by his hand. Hearing what must not be heard is the duty of the Pungsan… but seeing was never permitted.”
“I’ve been wanting to ask for a while—why are you doing this with me? Even entrusting your life like this all of a sudden…”
“Playing dumb… You’re good at social tactics. Very well. If that’s what Lord Heavenly Sword wants, gladly.”
The archer’s eyes glowed. I flinched. It wasn’t a reflection—it was a glow. The kind of light only possessed by those who blindly believe in their convictions.
“We of the Pungsan family do not serve the emperor. We serve the imperial bloodline. The survival of the bloodline is more important than the emperor’s life.”
“But the imperial bloodline is the emperor.”
“They’re not the same. Or at least, that’s how I was taught.”
“And what does that have to do with me? Get to the point.”
“By order of Her Highness, I swear to make Princess Victoria the queen.”
It was too direct.
“I’m willing to swear anything.”
I stayed silent. I didn’t fully understand what she was saying.
“From the moment you spared my life, I understood I must not go against you… if I want to protect the imperial bloodline.”
“What are you talking about? When did I save your life?”
Garyeon’s face went pale.
“S-Sorry… You didn’t want it mentioned, but I dared…”
“Ah…”
This is a problem. Should I correct her? Ignore it? Leave?
While I weighed my options, she said,
“There are many factions in the palace that want to assassinate the princess.”
“…What?”
It was to be expected. Victoria was first in the line of succession, so there would be many who wanted to take her down.
The emperor didn’t seem to show favoritism toward Victoria or any interest in protecting her.
She had been named heir only because she inherited the “Blessing of the Owl.” But considering how active the emperor was in his intimate life, it wouldn’t be strange for another with the same blessing to appear.
“The Blessing of the Owl only appears once per generation. It can manifest innately, like in the princess’s case, but if the bearer disappears, it can also arise through acquisition within the same generation.”
Garyeon adjusted the ribbon of her eye patch behind her head as she spoke.
It was a bit of a shock. That information should be ultra-confidential.
“Don’t worry about breakfast. Poisoning food is so common in the palace that the imperial family is half-immune by now. Besides, even if someone steals the title that way, they won’t have political support.”
“Then what is it you want from me?”
“Please… don’t erase the imperial bloodline from history.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Ah, of course, Lord Heavenly Sword has nothing to do with this. I know. I’m just talking to myself.”
Isn’t she moving a bit too fast on her own?
“I’m not joking. If there’s anything you desire, I can support you within my limits. Isn’t that so?”
“…”
“If you wish… even this body… Though I’ve only learned the technique and never had real experience…”
My mind was clouded. It was a meeting full of oddities, and I couldn’t keep up.
‘Has she lived so long blind that she’s turned out this way?’
She seemed trapped in her own fantasies. I almost felt sorry for her. She truly desires the survival of the imperial bloodline.
It was clear. That blind obsession had warped her that way. After getting what I wanted, I was just about to leave.
Creak.
That’s when someone entered the cathedral.
“Ah, there you are, official. I have something urgent to discuss with you…”
It was a man with several commander insignias. Upon seeing me, he let out an exclamation.
“Oh! Lord Heavenly Sword is here too! Wow, what an honor to meet you! When I heard you’d be staying a few days, I hoped I’d get the chance to greet you at least once.”
At a glance, he seemed like a friendly person. His sincere smile felt out of place in the stiff atmosphere of the palace.
In the moment I sensed that discomfort—
— It’s him.
“…?”
Garyeon’s voice echoed in my head.
— He is one of the ringleaders planning to assassinate Her Highness the Princess.
It was a mental transmission.
***
The Blessing of Transmission is officially registered as exclusive to the emperor. That’s what everyone believes. Even the emperor himself.
But in reality, there’s a subtle difference. The restriction of “only to the emperor” actually means “to a single target.”
A secret that only Garyeon of the Pungsan clan discovered by chance.
Despite having perfected her sensory perception to the highest level, Garyeon did not lose her sight. A testament to her ability… and a sign that she was a heretic within her own family.
That’s why, just yesterday.
She quietly changed that one target. It was no longer the emperor.
Now it was—
Kang Geom-Ma, the Heavenly Sword.
‘As long as I am at his service, the imperial bloodline will not vanish at his hands.’
A colossal error.
‘Even if someday he behaves capriciously… I’ll do whatever it takes to adapt.’
The official who drank gallons of expectations no one asked for.
Her name was Garyeon.
____
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