Where eyes should normally be, there were only dark, sunken hollows. Looking closely, it seemed a bluish moss had even begun to grow there.
I am not one to be easily startled, but this sight sent a genuine shiver down my spine.
"From a distance, one could truly mistake it for a human."
Even Samuel muttered, unable to hide his unease.
[She said she suffered a lot because of her appearance. But she's not really a bad one!]
Morico spoke as if defending the Rusalka. However, to me, the Rusalka was already branded as a wicked Monster that had struck Morico from behind and fled.
"Are you the Rusalka?"
No answer was heard. Instead, as if reacting to my question, the Rusalka slid closer towards me.
Its movement, parting the water, was eerily quiet and still. That made it feel even more sinister. As if it wasn't a living creature?
"It's approaching."
"Wouldn't it be better to deal with it?"
Xenon and Samuel spoke to me in quick succession. Morico then looked up at me in alarm.
[Ah, no! I'll try to talk to her properly!]
To my eyes, it was a suspicious Monster through and through, but it seemed Morico pitied even such a creature.
In a way, it was truly fitting for the Captain's sole successor. I finally swallowed a sigh and nodded.
"Alright. Give it a try."
[Thank you, Captain!]
Morico's voice became noticeably brighter. As our conversation continued, the Rusalka had stopped again and was staring fixedly at us.
Would it be an overactive imagination to say it felt similar to a wild animal sizing up its prey?
[It's me, remember? We talked every night.]
Morico moved a little closer to the water. The Rusalka slid closer as if responding to the movement.
Now it was truly close. Morico seemed relieved, perhaps thinking the other had expressed a willingness to converse.
[You know, that thing I gave you last time. Do you have it?]
The Rusalka's head rose a little further above the water. Its flat, snub nose and tightly pursed, livid blue lips were revealed.
The sight of the Rusalka slowly turning its face, water streaming down, was chilling.
[That, give it back. And that human you attacked...]
Morico's words didn't continue. Because the Rusalka suddenly surged up from the water's surface.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Pallides swung his sword, but it merely cut weakly through empty air. From beyond Xenon's protective barrier, a large, dark shadow lunged.
"Damn it!"
The shadow easily pierced the barrier. And Samuel's sword also failed to cut it.
In an instant, feeling the surroundings grow dark, I felt dizzy. Like sinking into a swamp, the ground beneath my feet began to give way.
This was a power that neither magic nor divine power could stop.
"Lady Anelli!"
This was Authority. The goddess's Authority.
* * *
'What in the world...'
Opening my eyes, I saw a bed.
After staring at the ceiling for a long while while lying down, I slowly sat up.
Just a moment ago, I was clearly...
I tried to grope my way back through the memories, but for some reason, my mind was hazy as if filled with smoke.
"You coughed, Your Majesty the Empress."
"I shall prepare water for washing."
'Your Majesty the Empress?'
The maids' respectful voices reached me. Someone meticulously drew back the curtains that had been covering the window. Warm sunlight streamed into the bedroom.
"His Majesty left for state affairs as soon as the sun rose."
"He said he would definitely have lunch with Your Majesty the Empress and hurried his steps."
"It is almost noon, Your Majesty the Empress."
The maids led me with gentle whispers. Like a doll, I was washed, changed, and adorned. Someone presented me with a jewel box wrapped in red silk.
"His Majesty sent this. He said he wishes for you to wear it during today's luncheon."
"Oh my, His Majesty's gifts are truly the best!"
As I looked curiously at the maids laughing cheerfully, I saw the jewel box before me. Inside the wide-open box lay a dazzling diamond necklace.
At that moment, an intense headache struck. No one around noticed me frowning and gritting my teeth.
"They say it was made by redesigning a piece from the late Empress's belongings. It took a full six months!"
The maid who explained in an excited voice urged me to try it on. When I nodded, the maids squealed and fastened the jewel around my neck.
"My, today, Your Majesty the Empress is the perfect protagonist in anyone's eyes!"
Protagonist.
Hearing that word, the strange fog that had been swirling in my heavy mind began to clear slightly.
...Ah, protagonist.
"Today is Your Majesty the Empress's birthday! The finest banquet will be held this evening!"
Saying many were waiting in the dining hall, the maids were even more excited than I.
One maid held up a hand mirror for me. In the mirror sat myself, wearing a shining crown and adorned splendidly.
"Oh my, His Majesty is coming!"
"He must be coming to escort you to the dining hall!"
"Goodness, His Majesty's love is truly grand and wonderful!"
The maids covered their flushed cheeks with their hands. I quietly watched the maids rejoicing as if it were their own affair, then shook my head.
"It's fine."
"Oh, but..."
"Tell him not to come."
At my firm words, the maids sighed. But she quickly relayed my intention to the Emperor's attendant.
After the Emperor's attendant left, I stared blankly into the mirror. This time, I gazed fixedly at the diamond necklace around my neck.
I stroked the necklace with my fingertips. The sparkling jewel was unrealistically beautiful.
Such a necklace would suit a protagonist. Not a villainess.
"It's already time!"
It felt like I hadn't rested at all.
"You must go to the banquet hall!"
"Banquet hall?"
Didn't I just wake up? I hadn't even gone to lunch yet?
The maids who heard my muttering burst into cheerful laughter. Why, you even had dessert and went for a walk with His Majesty!
At someone's reply, a sudden feeling of fullness washed over me. For some reason, the soles of my feet tingled as if I had walked a long way.
It was a truly astonishing sensation.
"It's already evening! You must depart now to arrive on time."
At the maid's words, I looked towards the window. Outside, a sunset glow was visible. To block the gradually cooling air, a maid was closing the window.
I slowly rose. The maids said to wait for the Emperor's escort, but I left the room on my own.
My mind was now completely clear, and I began meticulously observing everything unfolding around me.
Those I encountered while walking the long palace corridors all bowed deeply to me.
Their greetings were filled with reverence.
Leaving them all behind, I reached the grand central hall of the imperial palace, where the doorman announced my arrival.
The protagonist of this banquet, the mistress of the imperial palace, the most noble woman in the empire, and the Emperor's consort.
The massive, heavy doors slowly opened, and the light from the splendid chandeliers, the merry music, and the noisy chatter all poured over me at once.
Directly ahead, on a tiered staircase, chairs were placed for the Emperor and Empress, and around them, lavishly adorned nobles awaited me.
The Emperor, who had been sitting on his chair, rose upon seeing me.
His beaming face overflowed with love and happiness.
"My Empress."
He spread his arms wide to welcome me. The nobles who had filled the banquet hall to celebrate my birthday elegantly bent their knees.
I walked slowly down the long central path they had created for me.
As if unable to wait for my slow pace, the Emperor strode down the steps and stood before me.
"My most noble consort in this place. I congratulate you on your birthday."
He extended his hand to me as if requesting an escort. His golden hair, shining as if sprinkled with gold dust, flowed smoothly with his movement.
His magnificent blue eyes gazed directly at me, capturing my radiant image wholly.
I smiled sweetly and reached my hand towards him.
My hand passed by the hand he was extending towards me and touched his chest.
To the most splendid first button among those he had fastened all the way to his neck.
"That bastard never buttoned his clothes all the way to his neck in his life."
*Crunch.*
As I tightened my grip on the button, the sound of threads tearing was heard.
"...Empress, what are you saying?"
Looking at his bewildered face, I smiled even more brightly.
"He used to whine like a brat, saying it was stifling."
As I tore at it fiercely, the button finally came off.
The beautifully flowing melody stopped, and all gazes in the banquet hall fixed on me.
With so many people in the hall, a heavy silence enveloped us, so profound that not even a breath could be heard.
"Empress. Do you not recognize me, whom you love?"
Confusion and doubt filled the blue eyes. Seeing that, laughter escaped me.
Naturally, it wasn't laughter of joy.
It was simply absurd.
"What do you intend by stealing a dead woman's dream?"
A faint vibration was felt from the floor. The ground that had felt solid gradually softened, and I felt my legs sinking down.
But I was not surprised. This was merely the clumsily constructed illusion collapsing.
Since I had found the pendant hidden under its ordinary disguise, I had no interest in whether this ridiculous stage crumbled or not.
"If you wanted to put me to sleep, you should have brought a more plausible and interesting dream."
As my sneer deepened, the expression on the Emperor's face vanished.
"Ah, though there was something I really wanted to do."
Towards the Emperor's face, now turned bland and dry, I spat. It was clumsy, but I managed it quite well.
"Thanks to you, I fulfilled a wish."
As I clenched the stolen button tightly in my fist, it melted away as if being absorbed into my palm. Just like when I had received a key from Dearis long ago.
Confirming that the blue eyes were gone, leaving only a face with dark, sunken hollows, I turned my body. Outside the open banquet hall, it was only blindingly bright, impossible to discern what lay beyond.
But my steps towards the outside were unhesitating.
A terrible scream echoed from behind. Without looking back, I walked straight out.
It was time to leave this unpleasant dream as quickly as possible.