Chapter 142: Within arm’s reach

This morning, Cecilia didn’t give Lita any extra time to rest. The two of them chose to pack up and set off right away.

In fact, they had barely rested at all until the moment they departed.

Battle! Battle until dawn!

Cecilia understood it in her heart, and Lita did too: everything that happened before they woke up this morning was simply Cecilia venting her bad mood.

But one of them hadn’t even taken off her clothes, and the other hadn’t resisted much either. It was entirely mutual consent.

So energetic, Cecilia—who would’ve thought such a small body could hide such enormous energy?

Lita thought, yawning as she pulled up her collar to hide the mark Cecilia’s sharp teeth had left on her neck, then stepped out of the room to lead her own mare out and prepare for departure.

Sigh, I’m the succubus, aren’t I? By rights, shouldn’t I be the one biting people…

Lita mused, only to realize that even if she didn’t bother, probably no one would notice the mark on her neck anyway.

After all, to everyone in the village, there were far more important things to worry about.

“Why? Why are we lying on the ground?”

“Who are you?! When did you move in?!”

“What happened last night? Where are my clothes? Why did I come out wearing only pajamas?!”

Lita looked utterly lazy as she strolled past the others at a leisurely pace.

“Wait, who are you?” The innkeeper frowned and quickly stepped over to Lita’s side.

After Lita explained herself, the innkeeper finally believed that she was the one who’d let the two of them into the inn.

It seemed that with the Pied Piper’s departure—or death—the unsettling atmosphere that had haunted the village had dissipated, and most of the villagers had regained their senses.

Of course, there was also the possibility that Lilia had done something, but Lita had no chance to investigate further.

Once everything was packed, Lita drove the coach back on the road.

The beautiful pheasant was also taken along for a ride—Lita had more questions for her, and bringing her along would be more convenient.

“About last night? I just remember that after dinner I started feeling groggy, then went to soak in the hot spring, and after that, I don’t remember a thing.”

Claire sat at the front of the coach, speaking earnestly as she tried hard to recall if there were any details she’d missed.

No matter how much Claire thought about it, she couldn’t recall what had really happened before. She just remembered a strange sensation.

“It was like catching inspiration, like my mind suddenly opened up and I could write any song, everything felt so clear! But thinking about it, I can’t really tell what I was perceiving.”

Lita took note of all this, and patted her little backpack. Before leaving the village, she’d spent a few silver coins to buy some mushrooms—if the problem lay with them, at least she had some evidence.

That night, they stopped in the next city, and after traveling a day and a half with Cecilia and Lita, Claire said her goodbyes.

“I’m going to try my luck in this city, see if I can compose even better songs. Thank you for your generosity, Miss Sephalia. I’ll never forget you both! I’ll be sure to write your story into my songs, spreading it far and wide!”

Claire waved, hugged her lute, and disappeared into the crowd.

Lita first found an inn to settle Cecilia, then led their travel-worn coach to the Stable inside the city and exchanged it for a young, strong horse. At last, she bought the best sword in the city’s weapon shop.

The next few days passed without incident. Lita followed the same route Cecilia had taken to Soros City, and after a few days, she could clearly feel the road for Pearl’s gallop becoming wider and smoother.

“Around noon today, we should reach the Royal Capital.” Cecilia’s voice came from inside the carriage.

“Lady Cecilia, what should we do once we’re inside the Royal Capital?”

“There’s nothing much I need to do, just staying alive is enough. When the time comes, I’ll arrange a place for you to live near my quarters. You’ll need to study etiquette and swordsmanship, and try to pass the Holy Knight examination as soon as possible.”

Cecilia answered, then added, “Also, you’ll need to present yourself as my attendant. And if possible, don’t reveal you possess a Crest before they come looking for you. As for your succubus identity, I trust you’ll keep it hidden without me needing to say so, right?”

“Understood, I’ll keep it in mind.”

After experiencing that incident with Lilia and her Holy Knight, and remembering how Holy Knights Brownie and Fran had treated her before, Lita already understood that the Crest on her body shouldn’t be shown to others.

“But… why hide the Crest? If I pass the Holy Knight exam, won’t I be officially granted a Crest anyway?”

“Hiding it is pointless now—other Holy Knights have already seen your Crest. The only reason for secrecy is to keep things from escalating further,” Cecilia corrected Lita’s assumption. “As for the rest, it’s a little complicated.”

Though Cecilia said so, she still took the trouble to explain.

“The Crest is power granted by Royal Blood. The stronger the original power, the stronger the Crest makes you. The difference really is that dramatic.”

Lita understood deeply—her own physique was already good, but after channeling the Crest’s power, she’d even defeated Dorothy. Such an increase was truly terrifying.

“In theory, as long as you possess Royal Blood, you could do this. That’s why the Holy Knight examination exists: to prevent this power from being abused. The exam tests not only strength, but also a person’s character and more. After all, not just anyone can wield this power, so you must be thoroughly examined.”

“But over time, more and more wastrels have gotten into the privileged position of Holy Knight, and the role has become… delicate.”

“Though the lower ranks vary in quality, the very best Holy Knights are still granted Golden Blood, receive a Crest, and become loyal guardians of the royal family.” Even if Cecilia hadn’t said so, Lita could have guessed as much.

“Only the elite among Holy Knights are granted Golden Blood. These carefully chosen knights, while nominally obedient to the royal family, are in truth loyal to my father alone. It’s my father who personally grants them Golden Blood.”

“This power comes from innate bloodlines. Although Golden Blood is precious, in theory, every royal can create countless Crest Knights. That’s why, despite having the power of Golden Blood, we princesses are almost never allowed to grant it to others.”

So only the King has the right to bestow Golden Blood—the princesses are not permitted.

It makes sense. After all, they’re the King’s own kin, and sealing their bloodline’s power would be extremely difficult. Depriving the country of all heirs for the sake of the throne would be a fool’s dream, so some restraints are necessary.

Otherwise, if someone abused this power to create an army of Crest Knights, it would be disastrous for those in power.

Cecilia seemed to know what Lita was thinking. “A hundred years ago, a prince used this power to gather a force of elites among elites, starting years of turmoil. Ever since, the granting of Golden Blood has become extremely strict.”

“And what happened to that prince? Was he executed?” Lita asked.

“No, he succeeded. That prince was my great-grandfather,” Cecilia replied. “So, it could be a big deal or not—but fortunately, as the Cursed Princess, no one stands with me, so no one will make a fuss about this… probably.”

Cecilia spoke lightly of the nickname everyone used to mock her, making Lita suddenly realize that what awaited her in the Royal Capital might not be the wonderful life she’d imagined, but rather, countless cold glares alongside Cecilia.

The Royal Capital was not Soros City; people there wouldn’t respect Cecilia so easily. Remembering that night with Lilia was proof enough—Cecilia hadn’t had an easy life.

But that was all in the past. Now that she was here, she wouldn’t let anyone bully Cecilia again!

Still, shouldn’t she at least say something to comfort Cecilia?

Before Lita could say anything, Cecilia had already changed the subject, continuing to discuss matters related to Golden Blood.

“But, we’re not entirely without the right to bestow Golden Blood.”

“Personal Knight?”

“That’s right. The Golden Blood of a Personal Knight is given by us princesses. In return, the Personal Knight bears the duty to protect her mistress.” At this point, Cecilia gave an example: “If I were to die, the Golden Blood inside you would vanish as well. Do you understand?”

Lita pondered. “So, to keep my power, I must protect your safety at all costs.”

“Exactly. The same applies to other Holy Knights. If they wish to keep their power, they must never betray the royal family.”

Lita thought of another frightening possibility, though she didn’t say it aloud.

In other words, if someone wanted to erase the Crest inside them, the simplest way would be to kill Cecilia.

Of course, killing herself would be even simpler.

Yes, if it were a more ambitious princess, the consequences could be dire—even fatal—for both sides.

So that’s what Cecilia meant by “no one will make a fuss”—the stakes were actually that high?

Cecilia could sense Lita’s worry from her silence. Having spent so much time together, Cecilia could easily pick up on such obvious feelings.

“Never mind, these aren’t things you need to worry about. Your only duty is to protect me. I’ll do my best to solve all the other troubles for you.”

“No, that’s not it.” Lita shook her head. “I’m your knight, Lady Cecilia. It should be me who solves your troubles.”

She meant it from the bottom of her heart.

She knew her choices were often terrible and that she might cause Cecilia much trouble in the future.

Being a succubus was already a huge problem.

That’s why—she had to deal with those troubles herself!

Cecilia was slightly taken aback, then smiled knowingly.

“All right then, I’ll be looking forward to it. But…”

“But what?” Lita asked.

“But let’s talk after we enter the city.”

As she spoke, Cecilia stretched her arm out the window and pointed at the towering city walls in the distance.

“Our destination has arrived.”