Chapter 91
The small territory of Worcestershire lay at the foot of the rugged mountain range that separated the northern Maindulante from the rest of the Empire.
Almost no travelers ever visited here, and there was only one inn. A countryside village with nothing to see—naturally, there were no connecting lands worth stopping over for.
Nila, the sole worker at the inn, was carefully carrying water up to the second floor. An uncommonly noble guest had been lying sick in bed for several days.
Upon arriving at the room where the guest was staying, Nila knocked on the door with an awkward feeling. A voice with a distinctive accent came from within.
“Come in.”
Creak. As she opened the old wooden door, the scent of wildflowers filled the room. Nila approached the guest lying in bed at the far end.
“Miss, I brought the water you asked for. Are you feeling any better?”
The room was dark and dreary, with even the wooden shutters tightly closed. But after a moment, the small-framed lady who sat up in bed shone brightly even in the dim light of the cheap candle.
Even the silk dress the priest’s younger sister proudly wore every Sunday couldn’t compare to the white nightgown this young lady wore while bedridden.
Nila placed the water jug on the bedside table and stole a glance at the guest’s face.
Was it just her imagination?
The guest’s eyes, flickering in the candlelight, weren’t the transparent kind seen in ordinary people. They sparkled like gemstones.
Yes, just like the gemstone on the large ring that shimmered on the priest’s hand—refracting like… eyes?
Nila, forgetting her resolve not to offend such a noble-seeming guest, found herself staring blankly into those glittering irises. The guest met Nila’s gaze and smiled gently.
Her red lips parted.
“What’s your biggest secret?”
“…Excuse me?”
Out of nowhere? Nila, captivated by the guest’s beautiful smile, inadvertently responded without thinking. But the guest kindly asked again.
“I’d like you to tell me your biggest secret. I’m someone who’ll be leaving soon anyway, so it’s fine, isn’t it?”
A secret… Nila looked into those luminous eyes and felt herself being persuaded. Yes, this guest would be gone soon—what harm would there be in sharing?
With a paralyzing sensation washing over her, Nila confessed her deepest secret.
“I… actually stole something from a guest before. And I framed Darel for it.”
Though the village believed Nila to be a gypsy child abandoned by traveling parents, in truth, she was the illegitimate daughter of the innkeeper.
Yet the innkeeper, as if bestowing charity, had taken her in and used her like a slave. In stark contrast, Darel—his child by his legal wife—was treated like a princess.
It happened about two years ago. When a wealthy-looking guest stayed at the inn, Nila feigned illness. With Darel serving the guest, Nila found a chance to steal the guest’s pearl brooch.
When suspicion arose, the innkeeper couple flew into a rage and accused Nila. But how could a bedridden child have done such a thing?
Moreover, Nila had hidden the brooch in Darel’s room, so it didn’t turn up in any search.
In the end, it was concluded that Darel had carelessly lost the guest’s belongings, and the innkeeper couple had to pay a hefty sum. If the truth ever came out, Nila wouldn’t just be beaten—she’d be thrown out.
Nila had sworn never to speak of it. It was a secret she intended to take to the grave. But with this guest… strangely, confessing felt right.
“Thank you for telling me. Forget that you told me anything.”
It seemed she had placed her trust wisely. Rather than blaming her or calling in the innkeepers to say she couldn’t stay in a den of thieves, the guest replied with angelic kindness.
Nila nodded and truly did ‘forget’ what she had just said.
As the girl quietly left the inn room, the blonde guest, Nerys Truydd, rose from bed. Holding her dizzy head, she pulled a hand mirror from her bag.
In the reflection of the small mirror, no bigger than a baby’s fist, her violet eyes radiated light.
The Eyes of Elandria—one of the legendary three heroes.
They were now known to appear only in members of the Imperial Family.
Jeweled Eyes.
—
Clatter, clatter.
The carriage wheels turned with the crunch of stones beneath them.
Nerys admired the cliff view from the window, marveling at how a path had been carved through such terrain.
Even through the black veil on her hat, the sheer cliffs and peculiar rock formations scattered throughout were clearly visible.
Who would’ve imagined that a passage to Maindulante existed on the outskirts of a secluded mountain village like Worcestershire?
Even the villagers themselves seemed unaware of its existence—except for a pig herder, seemingly planted there by Cledwyn from the beginning.
Officially, Cledwyn rarely left Maindulante. But it appeared he had several secret routes aside from this one. Though she hadn’t been explicitly told, it was easy to surmise.
‘A curious man.’
He wasn’t even a magician, yet he accomplished impossible feats. No wonder Abelus turned red with jealousy. Compared to someone born with everything, Cledwyn stood out as truly exceptional.
Even though Abelus was born the crown prince, in truth, it was his sister Camille who practically ran state affairs. The Emperor and Empress didn’t care what their children did—as long as they didn’t break the rules they had set.
‘The idea that Jeweled Eyes are the mark of a natural-born ruler is laughable.’
In her previous life, before her Jeweled Eyes had awakened, Nerys had believed—like the other citizens of Bistor—that Jeweled Eyes were exclusive to the Imperial Family.
But right before the summer break of her eighteenth year—just like a few days ago—she had suddenly fallen ill with a high fever.
And as absurd as it seemed, when she recovered, she possessed the Jeweled Eyes.
She hadn’t fully understood what had happened, but either way, exams still had to be taken. And so, the rumor that Nerys Truydd had awakened the Jeweled Eyes spread rapidly throughout the entire school.
And through a series of coincidental events, Nerys—around the time she was adopted into the House of Elandria—came to understand to some degree the power her Jeweled Eyes possessed.
Mind control.
When Nerys spoke while looking into someone’s eyes, her words carried an almost absolute power of persuasion.
Of course, no matter how strong that power was, it couldn’t compel someone to do something that endangered their life—commands like “stab yourself in the throat” didn’t work.
And in situations where the other person was completely unyielding, the scope of her ability shrank.
But what did such limitations matter? Using her Jeweled Eyes, Nerys accomplished countless feats. At first, it was the House of Elandria that benefited; later, it was the Imperial Family.
It was strange. None of the other members of the Imperial Family who also possessed Jeweled Eyes had such abilities. Since the power only manifested after her Jeweled Eyes awakened, it was undoubtedly tied to them.
As far as Nerys knew, no one else had powers like hers. No public record, especially among the meticulously preserved histories of the Imperial Family, mentioned anyone else with such ability.
In her previous life, Nellusion explained the phenomenon like this:
“From the very beginning, Jeweled Eyes were just an inherent trait possessed by certain people. They weren’t proof of the sanctity of the Imperial Family or a trait unique to them. Yes, Nerys. I also believe your power stems from the Jeweled Eyes. It could be a genetic trait that resurfaces only once in a long, long time.”
But why hadn’t such a trait ever manifested in anyone else until now?
To that question, Nellusion of that time passionately presented a theory:
“No one else? Nerys, I believe that among the three ancient heroes, it was the ‘Honest Elandria’ who bore the violet Jeweled Eyes. Why else would he be called ‘honest’? Not strong Elandria, nor stalwart Elandria! It was because everyone believed every word he said. All because of the power of the Jeweled Eyes!”
In portraits of the ancient hero Bisto, the direct ancestor of the Imperial line, the Jeweled Eyes were always portrayed with great emphasis.
However, the other two heroes who were often depicted flanking Bisto and supporting his rise to emperor—Elandria and Palos—were never once shown with Jeweled Eyes.
That was only natural. Some even believed Jeweled Eyes to be a divine gift symbolizing imperial authority. Had there been any evidence that another among the three heroes possessed them, it would have certainly stirred controversy.
So no one believed that Jeweled Eyes could manifest outside of the Imperial bloodline. There were rare cases of the Imperial Family’s collateral branches manifesting them, but those eyes were always navy blue.
The navy Jeweled Eyes of the Imperial bloodline.
Even in this regard, Nellusion had constructed a hypothesis:
“Up to now, we’ve always considered navy eyes and Jeweled Eyes as separate. That’s because both were traits unique to the Imperial Family. There just haven’t been enough examples. We’ve believed one must possess deeply pure Imperial blood—and therefore navy eyes—for Jeweled Eyes to awaken. But what if the truth is that without special-colored eyes, Jeweled Eyes simply never awaken in the first place?”
“Special-colored eyes?”
“People often say that navy, violet, and gray eyes are rare and precious. Until now, we’ve assumed it’s out of reverence for the three ancient heroes. But what if it wasn’t just admiration for legendary figures?”
That wasn’t a conclusion one could reach after a day or two of reflection.
“Nerys, think about it. Of the three ancient heroes, only His Imperial Majesty, the founding emperor, is known to have been especially exceptional. But does that mean the others lacked abilities? Your power, depending on how it’s used, could become an incredible weapon. So why didn’t anyone know about Elandria’s Jeweled Eyes?”
No one alive could answer that question now. Saying Elandria buried himself in obscurity for the glory of the Empire sounded like a fantasy—no one would believe it.
“So think carefully, Nerys. No matter how loyal our house is, the Imperial Family will never tolerate our monopoly on power. The ducal house of Palos died out… but what if one of their descendants had also been born with Jeweled Eyes?”
Perhaps others among the three heroes, not just Bisto, also had Jeweled Eyes.
And perhaps they were able to become so great because they had all used the powers that came with the Jeweled Eyes.
But whatever happened, the records of it were gone. Only the subconscious belief in the special nature of those three eye colors remained.
The truth—that only descendants with the exact same eye colors as those ancestors (navy, violet, and pale gray) could awaken those same powers—had been forgotten.
Then what special power came with Bisto’s Jeweled Eyes? Nerys had once asked this with great fear, worried the Imperial Family might come to kill her at any moment.
“Imperial blood tends to be particularly robust and strong. We’ve always thought it was a sacred trait inherited from the ancient heroes. But those who aren’t born with navy eyes—those members of the royal family—get sick just like anyone else.”
And it was true. Just look at Lady Mariah, a noblewoman of royal blood. She’d been sickly since childhood due to an illness, her health never quite recovering.
Lady Mariah’s eyes weren’t navy.
‘But.’
There was a clear contradiction in Nellusion’s theory.
‘Then what about Cledwyn Maindulante?’
Cledwyn’s eyes were pale gray. And compared to ancient portraits, they bore a striking resemblance to those of Palos. Likely, among his ancestors, there had once been a union with the ducal house of Palos before it vanished.
If Nellusion’s theory was correct, then Cledwyn should also possess Jeweled Eyes and a unique power that accompanied them.
But he showed no signs of manifesting Jeweled Eyes at all. Magical traits usually emerged by adulthood—yet nothing.
