The golden scales floated in the air, swaying up and down on both sides, as if examining the mysterious figure approaching them.
Aurelian looked at the golden scales before her and slowly began to think.
In ancient legend, there once was a goddess with an overwhelming sense of justice. She descended to the mortal world, judging right and wrong among humans with her scales.
But the endless conflicts of the world eventually tainted her. The constant wars made the gods lose all hope in humankind, and only the Goddess of Justice still wished to believe in them.
However, strife never ceased, and humans showed no sign of reflection, continuing their meaningless self-destruction. In the end, even the Goddess of Justice abandoned hope and vanished with her scales.
Yet, in the myths, there was never a mention that the Goddess of Justice's scales would one day rest in Endymion.
Now, it seemed… Endymion was under the protection of the legendary goddess herself.
Aurelian's mind suddenly cleared.
'So, the Mage Council must have been worshipping the Goddess of Justice all along.'
Aurelian carefully studied the golden scales for a while.
But aside from some lingering traces of magic, she couldn't sense any other kind of aura from them.
Aurelian shook her head. Perhaps this divine relic didn't find her worthy of its attention.
Artifacts crafted by the gods could only be taken by those they acknowledged.
She cast one last glance at the scales before turning around and slowly leaving the dark tunnel.
As Aurelian departed, the golden scales gradually settled into balance.
The light shining from them dimmed little by little.
———
Time passed quickly. Standing there had made Aurelian rather sleepy, and she didn't care whether her dress would get dirty.
She sat down upon a floating rock, smoothing out her long skirt, and watched as the distant clouds continuously shifted into fantastic shapes.
Aurelian found herself oddly fascinated by the sight.
Before long, the sky began to darken, and swirling nebulae crept up into the heavens like a curtain being drawn. Only then did Aurelian realize she had already spent an entire day here.
"…Hmm?"
So, she had been away from the royal palace with her teacher for a whole day already?
Before this, she had never even imagined spending a night away from the palace.
Aurelian yawned, lying back on the floating stone, her eyes gazing into the dreamy sky. Within her eyes shimmered faint starlight.
"The feeling of freedom…"
"Not bad at all."
———
[The Clavenna Estate]
Outside the courtyard gates, the royal guards in full armor were still waiting for the princess's return.
They had been standing there for an entire day and night.
As long as the princess hadn't come back, they would not leave, not even for a moment.
Inside, Liya sat at her desk, resting her cheek on one hand, her mind full of confusion and frustration.
'Where on earth had Viktor gone?'
'It was one thing for him to vanish on his own, but why did he have to take the princess too?'
How was she supposed to explain this to the royal family?
She truly couldn't understand what was going through Viktor's head.
Gwen, sitting beside her, patted her shoulder, sighed softly, and tried to comfort her.
"Liya, don't worry too much."
"Viktor pulled something similar last time, and the princess came back perfectly fine."
"He's her teacher, after all. I'm sure he knows what he's doing."
Hearing Gwen's words, Liya glanced at her suspiciously and asked, "Weren't you the one who hated Viktor the most before?"
Her gaze lingered on Gwen, who looked a bit flustered and turned her head away, mumbling softly, "Mm… at least he seems normal now."
'So, you're saying he wasn't normal before, huh.' Liya sighed faintly.
Last night, when Henny learned that Viktor had disappeared with the princess, she'd been extremely worried.
Even when she went to help at the item shop this morning, she'd been completely distracted.
Seeing Henny like that, Liya understood a lot more.
Apparently, there were quite a few women smitten with that bastard Viktor.
"Gwen,"
Liya said, turning back toward her.
Strictly speaking, she had always thought Gwen and Viktor were a terrible match.
After all, the two of them had looked down on each other since childhood.
Gwen hated Viktor's hypocrisy, and Viktor despised Gwen's righteousness.
But now, their relationship seemed to have shifted somehow.
'Still…'
"You're not worried at all, are you?" Liya sighed helplessly.
"Worried? About what?"
Gwen looked puzzled. She didn't understand what Liya meant.
Liya didn't bother to explain, only silently grumbling in her mind, 'Viktor had been away with the princess for an entire day and night, alone together the whole time.'
'Who could possibly know what might have happened between them?'
'Viktor sure had guts, daring to take the princess out of the capital and not return for a full day.'
'If not for Emperor Aubrey's complete trust in him, an arrest warrant would already be at our door.'
And if things went any worse, she herself might've been the first one thrown in jail.
At this point, it seemed the old emperor had practically given his silent consent for the princess and Viktor to spend time together.
A knocking sound interrupted her thoughts as Celia entered the study.
In her hand was a royal dispatch. Standing before Gwen, she began to read it aloud.
"Knight Commander Gwen, Dean Rachel has reported the whereabouts of Viktor and Her Highness."
"The princess has been taken by Viktor to the City of Mages."
As a council member of the Mage Assembly, Rachel naturally knew of their invitation to Viktor.
He'd also received news from Haim that Viktor had already arrived in Endymion with the princess.
However, for some reason lately, no matter how many messages Rachel sent to Haim, he never received any reply, as if the man were too busy with something to respond.
Gwen, sitting beside Liya, smiled lightly.
"See? You can relax now."
But Liya still looked troubled, deep in thought.
Given Viktor's reputation, it was strange that no one was taking this chance to cause trouble for the Clavenna family.
That didn't make sense.
It seemed Viktor really had managed everything perfectly. Even taking the princess away, he'd made sure every action of his was exposed to the royal family's eyes, all to gain their complete trust.
But still, someone was bound to seize on this as a pretext sooner or later. Even Viktor couldn't avoid that.
Clop! Clop! Clop!
Outside the Clavenna estate, the sound of hooves echoed crisply in unison.
When the horses finally halted, snorting softly, a man in ornate clothing stepped down from the carriage at the center of the escort.
Jace Lesser.
When the maid reported the visitor's name, Liya narrowed her eyes.
Of course, there was no way no one would come looking for trouble at a time like this.
She wasn't sure whether Jace Lesser knew Viktor had taken the princess to the City of Mages, but she strongly suspected that he did.
As a fellow merchant, Liya understood Jace well enough.
His information network was vast, he must have come fully prepared.
Liya rose to her feet and went out to meet him.
After all, as the eldest son of the Lesser family, he still deserved to be received personally.
She greeted him with a polite smile and led him into the meeting room.
Liya and Gwen sat together on one side, while Jace Lesser sat alone opposite them.
"Long time no see, Miss Liya."
"You've become even more beautiful."
Liya cut off his flattery mid-sentence, crossing her legs and leaning back on the sofa, speaking bluntly.
"Let's not waste time with pleasantries."
Jace Lesser was a businessman, but so was Liya. She knew exactly why he'd come knocking now.
"If I'm not mistaken, the families trying to buy up our Blue Potions a few days ago were all backed by you, weren't they?"
"I won't bother with formalities. You and I both know where we stand. So, what is it you've come to discuss this time?"
Jace responded only with a faint smile.
"It's still about that miraculous mana potion. I simply want us to both profit, dear Miss Liya."
Liya sneered coldly, her tone sharp as a blade.
"Merchants act for profit. I don't believe you'd go so far into debt just to play the fool and hand us money."
At her words, Jace only laughed heartily. Instead of replying to her, he turned his gaze toward Gwen.
"This must be Mr. Viktor's fiancée, yes?"
Gwen didn't respond, her eyes coldly fixed on him.
Something about Jace's presence made her deeply uncomfortable.
But Jace Lesser didn't stop, he continued speaking with a smile.
"If it were before, I'll admit I did treat you all with some prejudice and arrogance."
"But things are quite different now, Miss Liya."
His grin widened brightly.
"You may soon become royalty."
Liya's expression darkened slightly.
'So this was what Jace had been waiting to say.'
But she'd already prepared for it. Her voice remained calm.
"You mean the princess? Then you must already know."
"My brother, as Her Highness's teacher, merely took her to the City of Mages for study. His Majesty is fully aware of that."
"Besides, Viktor already has a fiancée."
She smiled faintly, a smile that carried a hint of danger.
As if on cue, Gwen's cold, icy gaze swept across Jace Lesser.
"Public opinion won't touch Viktor, Mr. Jace. He won't be swayed by it, and neither will the royal family."
"If you're planning to use the fact that the princess and Viktor spent a night away from the capital as an excuse, then let me ask you..."
Liya's biting words reached Jace's ears, making him frown slightly.
"Did you never have a teacher? Or…" she smirked, her tone venomous, "did your teacher ever admire your butt too?"
Her words were vicious, enough to make anyone burn with shame and anger.
But though Liya's remarks were sharp, Jace merely looked at her calmly, chuckling softly as if to remind her, "Miss Liya, I never mentioned the princess. I only meant to tell you..."
"The First Prince is still unmarried."