The Grand Duke’s Fox Princess

Episode 74: Bait-and-Switch (VIII)

An ominous black aura stemmed from the emperor and empress.

They looked back at their little daughter, but their eyes were unfocused.

Both seemed to have lost their reason and senses.

Seeing this, Eristella was perplexed.

This never happened in her previous life. No, it’s something she didn’t know.

She was certain because she recalled the memories of her past life.

The aura seen from the emperor and empress was black magic. Which was unacceptable.

“How did this happen? Why black magic…”

The energy of the two tried to leak out of the building.

‘No. If the magic goes outside, there is no way to dispel it. I have to stop it somehow.’

While blocking the malicious energy, Eristella shouted,

“Please come to your senses! I’m Lala! Mom and Dad’s daughter!”

Her face was already covered with tears.

No matter how insane the situation was, she couldn’t attack her mom and dad.

She had no choice but to block them.

Restraining the emperor and empress was a must, as was preventing the magical energy from bursting out of the building.

It was a job that consumed a lot of magic power, so it was only natural that it would be too much for Eristella, who was still young.

Eventually, she began to be pushed back, little by little.

‘No. As soon as black magic escapes, it’s over…!’

Gritting her teeth, she desperately gathered all her strength to defend against both attacks at the same time.

But now, in the eyes of the imperial couple, she appeared to be an obstacle. The emperor and empress’ attacks became more and more intense.

“Why don’t you recognize me? It’s Mom and Dad’s Lala. Recognize me, please.”

Eristella struggled to block the strikes and called the two anxiously.

“Mom… Dad…”

In the end, at the moment when Eristella’s tears flowed down her cheeks…

The emperor and empress slowly stopped moving, and as if they slowly regained consciousness, they looked straight at Eristella.

“Lala…”

At first, they seemed surprised to see their daughter in front of them. And they belatedly took in the situation that had taken place so far.

Even Eristella felt the confusion between the emperor and the empress.

“How did this happen… Hopefully we…”

“I couldn’t believe I was just trying to harm Eristella…”

The emperor and empress were shocked when they realized they had tried to attack their own daughter.

“No! I’m not hurt at all!”

Eristella exclaimed hastily, trying to show her uninjured arms and face.

But what mattered to them was the fact that they had almost hurt their daughter.

“Nothing happened. No one will know what happened here.”

Eristella blocked it, so luckily it didn’t spread to the outside.

There was no problem. She wanted to erase what occurred into something that never happened.

“…….”

The empress simply hugged her daughter tightly. Her small body, trembling with fear and anxiety, gradually calmed down.

“Are you surprised? This will never happen again.”

The empress and emperor made a promise while comforting their young daughter.

The incident in which the emperor and empress lost their reason passed by safely.

However, Eristella’s mind was complicated.

Around this time in her previous life, there was an accident in the Imperial Palace. At that time, there was a commotion as part of the Imperial Palace collapsed.

However, the cause was never found, and restoration work continued for several years.

‘Is that actually what dad and mom did?’

It was clear in the circumstances.

What the hell was going on? No matter how many memories of the past came back, the appearance of black magic was an enormous shock.

It would shake the empire’s foundations and endanger the entire empire.

But how could dad and mom lose their reasoning because of black magic?

‘The fact that the magical power unique to black magic flows from the body… It’s already accumulated in the body.’

That was a serious problem.

Apart from the accident scheduled for the emperor and empress, if this problem was not resolved, they might face a worse and more unpredictable situation in the future.

She needed to find a way, but how should she do it? It was a time when she was deeply concerned about finding a solution that did not easily come to mind.

“Lala. Why are you in your room all day today?”

Eristella raised her head at the sound of her brother’s voice. He must have come because it was strange when his younger sister, who rarely stayed still, suddenly became quiet.

“Do you want to go with your brother? Father and mother decided to go on the inspection as scheduled. So, before they go, we should wish them a good trip…”

After she said that they were going on an inspection, nothing else entered her ears.

“What…? Where are they going?”

“Since both of them are going to inspect, I have to fill the vacancy. I also just heard about it.”

“…No.”

Eristella’s heart fell to the floor at once at the unbelievable news.

‘If they go this time, they’ll never come back.’ 

At the very least, she couldn’t watch them die helplessly like in her previous life.

“Lala. Where are you going all of a sudden?!”

She ran so frantically that she couldn’t even hear her brother calling.

All she thought was that she had to see her dad and mom right away.

“Mom!”

The emperor was unable to meet as he was busy handling as many things as possible before going on the inspection. So only the empress was there, waiting as if she knew her daughter would come.

“Our Lala is finally here.”

The empress’s smile was kind, but her gaze on her daughter was affectionate and sad.

“You decided not to go. Why are you leaving all of a sudden?”

“…….”

“Don’t go…”

The child was stubborn and made a fuss. She was determined to not give up until she got the answer she wanted.

“Eristella.”

Her mother called her by name for the first time in a while. She used to call her by her first name when she was scolded or punished.

The woman bearing an air of grace calmly spoke, looking straight into the eyes of the child who was sure to become even greater than herself in the future.

“I’m sorry. For failing to keep my promise. But I have to go on this inspection.”

“…Will you come back?”

Eventually, Eristella brought out the question she had been holding back.

An ominous thought that had not left her head since that night.

Was… their accident truly a real accident?

Perhaps… They were prepared to leave. For good.

The fear that if the two of them decided to go on an inspection… no matter how hard she tried to deny it, there was no choice but to accept it.

Eristella said nothing more and let her tears flow.

She thought she knew what the two of them had decided, and she was so scared that she involuntarily trembled and couldn’t calm down.

“Do you happen to know something?”

The empress, who was asked an unexpected question by her young daughter, was taken aback.

As if the truth had been uncovered, one that she never wanted to face.

However, the empress quickly smoothed out her expression. Then she stroked the soft hair on the little head she had always loved.

“Lala. You were special from the moment you were born.”

“…….”

“When Lala grows up, she will shine more than she does now. I wanted to watch and support you.”

“Watch me! Please support me from the side! Will you? Yes?”

Eristella begged earnestly and grabbed hold of her mother’s sleeve.

Her small hand was held by her mother. But she probably wasn’t mistaken that it felt like it was done purposefully.

“The emperor and empress have a duty to protect the empire. But the time for mom and dad to do that is over.”

“…….”

“…I can’t harm the empire.”

The empress muttered to herself.

Knowing her voice was locked in her anguish, Eristella could only shake her head in denial.

“So I have to go.”

The two devised a way to step down from the throne for the sake of the empire and to protect the people they loved.

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything. Just don’t go. I wish you won’t go…”

However, Eristella still couldn’t accept the empress’s words.

Never. She would not admit it. Headstrong and stubborn, she rebelled to the end, but eventually, pleas grew softer and quieter…

“Don’t go. Just don’t go…”

Eristella only persistently repeated the same words.

She knew all too well what would happen next, because the memories of her previous life had fully returned.

And now it was clear. Their deaths were not accidental.

Which was why it had to be stopped even more. She wanted to spend more time with her mother and father.

The problem was that there was no way to convince the two of them now. There was nothing she could do but whine.

Ame: *blows into a wad of tissues*

AP: If I can’t see it, it didn’t happen.