The Princess Imprint A Traitor - Chapter 30: The One Awakened from the Dream within a Dream (6)

“Alright then, we’ll be off now.”

It seemed neither of them was prepared for more conversation, and Eve was about to turn and leave when—

“W-wait, sister.”

Eve stopped in her tracks. Rosie hesitated for a long moment, her eyes darting around nervously.

“T-that thing…”

“That thing?”

“The cookies. They were delicious.”

“Oh, um, I’m glad.”

For all the waiting, the remark turned out to be unexpectedly simple.

“I’ll make sure to have more baked for you.”

“T-thank you.”

Rosie fumbled with her words, even biting her tongue a little before she finally got them out. Her voice was so soft that Eve almost didn’t catch it.

“If you need anything else, like, maybe troll packs or something, just let me know.”

“Actually…”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Expecting a request, Eve was caught off guard by Rosie’s next question.

“Do any of your maids know how to make good macarons?”

“…?”

“I do, you see.”

“…”

Eve decided to hear her out.

“One of my maids is from a family that’s produced many royal chefs. Father assigned her to me.”

“Oh, um, I see. And?”

“Her crème brûlée macarons are particularly delicious. You’ve probably never had the chance to try something like them…”

“…”

At this point, Eve’s eyes narrowed slightly.

‘Is she… trying to rub it in that I don’t have such things? Is she picking a fight again?’

Just as Eve was about to interpret Rosie’s words as a challenge, Rosie hurriedly blurted out the real reason she had brought it up.

“When we return to the palace, would you like to have tea at my residence?”

“What?”

Eve blinked in confusion.

“Our first tea time didn’t go well… and I thought maybe we could talk a bit. Not now, but when we’re back at the palace. I think it would be nice…”

“…”

“Actually, should I come to your residence instead? That would be more proper, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

It took Eve hearing the same thing two or three times to finally grasp Rosie’s true intent.

‘A tea invitation?’

It wasn’t anything particularly unusual in the royal palace. However, what struck her as unusual was Rosie’s awkward behavior—her avoidance of eye contact and her fidgeting hands.

In the past, Eve might have assumed that Rosie was hiding ill intentions, avoiding eye contact to mask her scheming. But now, something about Rosie seemed… shy.

“You don’t want to…?”

“Oh, no! Of course, you can come.”

Eve quickly replied.

“…”

Rosie raised her head, her eyes even wider than when she had first spotted Eve. With her red eyes and startled expression, for a brief moment, Eve thought Rosie resembled a rabbit. She caught herself and shook her head.

‘I must be really tired. I must be on the verge of collapse, imagining something like that!’

Eve mentally justified her strange thought, deciding that staying any longer might cloud her judgment. Feeling a sudden sense of urgency to leave before her mind wandered any further, Eve decided to make her exit.

“It’s cold, so be sure to use a warming stone. Well then, I’ll be going now.”

“Alright.”

At last, Eve and Mikael were able to leave the lake behind.

“Are you okay with this?”

“Yeah, I think it’ll be fine.”

Eve responded absentmindedly to Mikael’s habitual concern. Even though she had lived through this once before, she couldn’t be certain of the future. However, she had a feeling that there was no need to be as wary of Rosie as she had been in the past.

***

Meanwhile, at the southwestern part of Yggdrasil during the same hour:

A cold wind whistled through the purple fir forest. In the eerie stillness, a small group moved stealthily. There were five of them—two royals and three homunculi, all with hoods pulled low over their faces.

“S-sister, where are we going at this hour? Couldn’t we wait until morning?” Derek yawned repeatedly, having been dragged out of bed. Naturally, he didn’t get a pleasant response from Brigitte, who was leading the group.

“Lazy fool.”

“…”

Derek couldn’t understand why they had to be as busy as villains prowling through the night. However, he wisely kept his complaints to himself. Brigitte’s mood had been foul lately, especially because of Eve, and the last thing Derek wanted was to become her next target for venting.

“We’re… we’re here, Your Highnesses,” stammered the homunculus acting as their guide, his voice trembling. Their clandestine destination was an eroded cliff, where the ground had caved in, creating a shallow escarpment. Brigitte removed her cumbersome robe and handed it to Eliza. With a wave of her hand, a magic orb of light floated above her.

“Derek, only you will accompany me from here.”

“Just me? Yes, yes, of course.”

Brigitte and Derek cautiously approached the cliff’s edge, careful not to slip on the purple moss and shrubs beneath their feet. When they were close enough to peer down the side, Derek’s eyes went wide.

“Wh-what is that…?!”

Through the underbrush and leaves, the tip of a structure that resembled an obelisk poked out from the earth. Derek immediately recognized it.

“It’s the… the last sealing stone! It’s been here all along! Did you find this, sister?”

“Yes,” Brigitte replied, a smug grin spreading across her face. Gone was the irritation she’d shown earlier, now replaced by a confidence that radiated from her. She added casually, “I found it some time ago.”

“W-what? Then why have you kept it hidden until now? You should announce it immediately! That way, you can clear your name and dispel those ridiculous rumors of incompetence—”

“Idiot. That’s exactly why you’ll never amount to anything.”

“…”

It seemed that no matter what he said, Derek would only receive insults in return. At that moment, he longed to see the face of his kind older sister, Stephania. Brigitte, her eyes as cold as the abyss, gazed down at the sealing stone and continued speaking.

“You don’t play your hand carelessly. I’ve been biding my time, waiting for the right moment.”

“And when is that?”

“When the net I’ve cast catches a bounty of fish.”

Brigitte’s lips curled in a way that made it clear she was confident in her scheme’s inevitable success. Derek was relieved to see her in a good mood for once and took the opportunity to ask something that had been nagging him.

“But how did you find the sealing stone?”

“…”

Brigitte’s eyebrow twitched at the question—clearly, it irritated her.

“I saw it in a dream.”

“Gasp!” Derek recoiled. It was a dangerous statement.

“A dream? But aren’t dreams tied to the dragon’s dream here…?!”

“It wasn’t a nightmare, was it?” Brigitte replied dismissively. It was nothing more than a flimsy justification.

“Even so, it’s unsettling! The idea of being guided by the dragon’s dream… And to have had such a dream in the first place… it’s a bit…”

“Are you suggesting that I’m no different from the mad ones driven by dreams?”

“N-no, not at all! I’m just worried that maybe you’re falling into the dragon’s trap…”

“I am the epitome of rationality, Derek.”

Brigitte brushed aside his concerns, paying them no heed. It was pointless for someone like Derek to try and reason with her.

“This is the difference between you and me. Even the dragon is nothing more than a chess piece for me to manipulate. Do you think I’d let some dragon scare me into missing such an opportunity?”

‘Or maybe the dragon is the one using you!’ Derek screamed internally. More than ever, he wanted to distance himself from this whole endeavor. If anyone was digging themselves into trouble with the help of a dragon, it was Brigitte. And wasn’t that exactly what a villain would do?

Meanwhile, Brigitte crouched down and placed her hand on the ground. A faint reaction came from the sealing stone as her magic flowed into it.

“The mechanism is still functional, though it stopped briefly due to the collapse. It seems the core energy is still active. Normally, reactivating such a thing would require five times the magic needed to maintain it. We’ll need a tremendous amount of mana.”

“Where are we supposed to find that kind of mana? There aren’t any mana stones around here. Should we return to the capital?”

“No need. Mana doesn’t have to come from stones.”

Brigitte’s voice took on a chilling tone, and a cold smile crept across her face. Despite being on the same side, Derek shuddered at the sight.

“We also happen to need a sacrifice to power the transmutation circle.”

“S-sacrifice?”

Sacrifices and materials were common elements in alchemy, but the word “sacrifice” coming from Brigitte’s lips felt ominous.

“Have you ever heard of the term ‘growth through sacrifice’?”

“N-no…”

“Of course, you wouldn’t know.” Brigitte didn’t bother hiding her disdain as she began explaining.

“Let’s say you’re making bread. You need two cups of flour, two cups of sugar, one cup of milk, five eggs, and a spoonful of yeast. The value of the final loaf of bread is much greater than the sum of its individual ingredients. Plus, the bread can later be used to make a cake, significantly reducing the time needed for the next process.”

“I-I see.”

“Alchemy works in the same way. The final product is always worth far more than the combined value of the raw materials. The more refined the process, the exponentially greater the value becomes.”

“Y-yes! I remember learning that in class. In alchemy, distilled water has a base value of one, but after alchemical refinement, the end products like healing potions are worth 150, stamina potions are 300… That’s what you mean, right?”

Derek eagerly showed off his knowledge, but of course, no praise came. Brigitte coldly moved on to her next point.

“The accumulated value shines most when something is used as a sacrifice rather than as a material. A material retains some of its use and thus doesn’t fully release its potential. A sacrifice, on the other hand, gives up everything in exchange for fully unleashing its value.”

“But…”

“By now, you should have figured this out. It’s like talking to that idiot Eve.” Brigitte’s sharp gaze glimmered icily as she made her final point.

“What do you think is the most complex and refined creation in all of alchemy?”

“Wait… you don’t mean…”

“Yes, precisely—homunculi.”

Humans, once creations blessed by the gods, could not be used as materials or sacrifices in alchemy. However, homunculi, being products of alchemy itself, held sacrificial value. An astronomical value at that. Brigitte finally revealed the dark thoughts she had harbored for so long.

“Everyone thinks I lag behind Eve in alchemy. Fine. Perhaps her comprehension and application are superior. But alchemy is won by those who know more of the truth. Comprehension and application are all based on knowledge, after all.”

“…”