The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 190
Despite all my preparations, I was gripped by an anxiety that he might choke me at any moment.
“It seems that as times change, new rules are necessary…”
As the Emperor stroked his chin, a loud commotion erupted from behind.
“Princess, you can’t go in right now—”
The sound I had been waiting for.
As Adron looked up, I did too, and there stood Shaelock, with her usual calm expression.
“What brings you here?”
“…I heard you were recruiting a Guide to give a speech at the festival.”
Shaelock glanced at me. Even just making eye contact with her was enough to calm me. I tried to maintain a composed face, exhaling a sigh of relief inwardly.
But my body trembled.
Adron’s eyes narrowed, and a peculiar smirk twisted his lips.
“…Someone must have informed you.”
Adron’s gaze, while talking to Shaelock, remained fixed on me. His voice had a strange, mocking tone.
“Bloodline never lies.”
Shaelock replied in a steady voice.
“Your Majesty isn’t the only one capable of investigating.”
“…If someone truly informed you, there’s no way the Duke would have sent her here alone.”
“I am here to discuss this situation. Promoting a Guide amidst unresolved conflicts between Espers and commoners will only create new tensions. How can you not see that?”
“It’s rare for the princess to have so much to say.”
Shaelock flinched, but that was all.
She showed no other reaction, though her expression was definitely different from her usual calm demeanor.
“Not even a change in expression. It used to be more fun,”
Adron said, clicking his tongue in disappointment as he stood up.
“I’ll take my princess’s words into consideration and think of a new approach.”
He glanced at me and muttered.
“I’ll give you just one day to change your mind.”
With that, he turned away from me, as if the conversation was over.
“The princess has something to say, so she will stay.”
Following Shaelock’s advice, I quickly distanced myself from Adron.
It was a meeting I never wanted to relive.
Once outside, I was guided to a reception room.
* * *
Shaelock maintained her usual composed demeanor as she faced Adron.
“You said you had something to say.”
“Princess, it’s best not to associate with such bloodlines.”
“You promised not to interfere in my life as long as I fulfilled my duties as an Esper and a princess.”
“This is just advice.”
Adron replied shamelessly.
“You don’t react as you used to.”
Shaelock felt a surge of disbelief at Adron’s disappointed tone. Since childhood, Adron had used her bloodline and royal duties as excuses to mentally and physically abuse her under the guise of education.
To survive, Shaelock chose to become numb. Her seemingly quick yet slow wits stemmed from this.
After officially becoming a princess, the physical abuse lessened, but the psychological torment continued.
Shaelock couldn’t trust anyone in the royal family, not just because the palace was filled with Adron’s loyalists.
‘Who can you trust by your side?’
Adron’s relentless brainwashing had molded Shaelock’s mindset.
She endured her loneliness through reading. She learned by analyzing characters in books, where she didn’t have to guess their intentions.
There was no risk of getting hurt.
But that didn’t mean the loneliness disappeared completely.
Shaelock’s ability to summon was a result of this loneliness.
It was a way for her to connect with beings who could truly be on her side.
She had resigned herself to the thought that she might never form real relationships with people.
But then Karina came along.
Karina, who had no ties to the royal family or noble society, brought a refreshing vitality into her life through guiding. Shaelock couldn’t remember the last time she felt so alive.
And that wasn’t all.
Instead of seeking something in return for her guiding, Karina offered gifts and friendship.
Karina had become an indispensable friend in Shaelock’s life.
Adron, looking at Shaelock, gave a calm warning.
“Focus on preparing for the festival. There’s a lot of talk about the dungeons these days.”
“Yes, everything is progressing without issue,”
Shaelock replied, narrowing her eyes.
“…Are you really going to heed my words?”
Adron wasn’t one to easily yield. He had a strong tendency to push his beliefs to the end.
This festival was his plan, intended to maintain the royal family’s image and the nobility’s interests, leveraging her as an Esper.
Adron prided himself on preserving the royal image and maximizing the benefits for the nobles.
“Even when I agree, you still question me,”
Adron frowned.
‘…There’s definitely something more.’
But Shaelock couldn’t pinpoint what it was. She would need the help of other Espers to find out.
