Chapter 239

Within an elegant palace stood countless exquisite furnishings. Portraits of the imperial ancestors adorned the walls. A splendidly dressed man stood with his head tilted back, quietly admiring them. Not far away, a young girl remained with her head lowered, silently awaiting his command. The room was so still that one could hear a pin drop. 

"Heath." The emperor finally turned around. "I have a reply here. Deliver it to the Papess."

Heath accepted the letter. Above her, the man's smiling voice rang out. "It's nothing more than a few courteous exchanges. You and Ye Zheng have always gotten along well. A perfect opportunity to pay a visit to an old friend."

"...Ever since Her Holiness the Papess became the Saintess of the Church, we've had very little contact. We can hardly be considered close friends anymore."

"Is that so? The last time you used my name to lure Bai Yi away, I'd assumed Ye Zheng had instructed you to do it."

He was referring to the incident during Ye Zheng's coming-of-age ceremony, when Heath had invoked the emperor's name to stop the conflict between Bai Yi, Wende, and the others.

Heath felt her knees threaten to give way once again. She hurriedly lifted her innocent gaze and shook her head. "Your Majesty also knows how devastating Duke Bai Yi's ability is. There were still guests taking shelter nearby. Had it spiraled out of control, the casualties would've been far worse."

"Please forgive my presumptuous decision, Your Majesty."

Heath bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty?" The emperor caught the change in her form of address, and the smile on his face deepened slightly. "Why don't you call me Father Emperor anymore?"

"Heath wouldn't dare. You are the father of all your people, the empire's eternal sun."

The emperor stared at the princess as she kept her head lowered, as though searching for something hidden beneath her composure.

Only after a long silence did he finally speak. "Very well. Deliver the letter to Ye Zheng. Then have Qin Lu report to me on the progress of the palace repairs. There mustn't be any further delays."

Heath nodded repeatedly, accepted the letter, and quietly withdrew.

The emperor turned back around. His absent-minded gaze settled upon the vividly colored painting before him. The longer he stared, the more unbearably garish it became. With a casual wave of his hand, the frame crashed onto the floor, exposing the blank white wall hidden behind it.

Ye Zheng had accepted exactly as he'd anticipated, yet the irritation gnawing at him refused to subside. Everything felt wrong. Nothing sat right with him.

Perhaps this secondary palace was simply too secluded and lifeless. He still preferred the imperial palace. Although that fool Sykes had destroyed more than half of it, its outer defensive structures remained largely intact. It was safer than this secondary palace, and far more familiar.

Five hundred years earlier, before he'd entered that body, the memories belonging to Vincent Aston had apparently been damaged during his struggle against Margaret. Only scattered fragments had survived.

Although he wasn't truly Vincent Aston, there was no question that he was the genuine Aston XIV who had ruled this nation for five hundred years. If this world truly had a god, then that god could be none other than him.

The creation of the "God of Hope" had merely been an expedient measure born of necessity. To confront Margaret after she'd become the Demonic Dragon, he'd been forced to fabricate a righteous deity and firmly cast her as the absolute enemy of justice.

Once the catastrophe had ended, he'd originally intended to discard the "God of Hope." Unexpectedly, Mercé had appeared halfway through and, upon the very lies he'd constructed, built a power of her own that had eventually grown strong enough to restrain even him!

The man's fist tightened unconsciously.

The mere existence of the "God of Hope" had long been enough to irritate him. Had the Church not remained genuinely useful, he'd never have silently permitted it to survive until this day.

In truth, before the incident in the Western District, he'd never paid Ye Zheng any serious attention.

It was only during the summons that brought Ye Zheng and the other two to the round-table conference chamber that he had truly studied her for the first time. Those calm black eyes had met his gaze, inexplicably stirring fragmented memories buried deep within his heart.

Before he could grasp those forgotten memories, an icy chill had already crept across his entire body. By the time he recovered from his brief daze, the scattered fragments had vanished without a trace, like a kite whose string had been cut.

From that moment onward, Ye Zheng's name had been placed on his list of those who had to die.

First, he would destroy Ye Zheng's reputation and strip away the people's faith in her. Then Pei Xi, bearing the Divine Sword, would step forward and kill her. Finally, he would seize "Pei Xi's" body, bestow upon "Pei Xi" a royal identity, and continue sitting securely upon the imperial throne.

The plan sounded flawless. Yet when confronted with Ye Zheng, Aston XIV found himself considering a backup plan for the first time. If he failed...

Then he would become "Heath."

Whether Heath's behavior was sincere or merely an act to preserve her own life, her greatest value to him lay in serving as a spare vessel.

If her reverence for him truly came from the bottom of her heart, then in recognition of her usefulness and thoughtfulness, he wouldn't mind granting her a few additional rewards. Otherwise... he feared he wouldn't be able to stop himself from killing her.

Outside the secluded palace, Heath walked quietly along the garden path, the envelope held firmly in her hands, a faint tension lingering across her face.

The letter hadn't been sealed, yet she remained impeccably proper, showing not the slightest curiosity about what it contained.

The emperor was testing her loyalty. Yet no matter how distant she and Ye Zheng appeared to be, he'd never trust her completely. Once suspicion took root, she could very well be smothered to death in her bedroom in the middle of the night.

Heath knew she needed to find a way to break the deadlock.

✧✧✧✧✧

Papal Palace, reception room.

Ye Zheng was genuinely surprised by Heath's arrival. When she learned that Heath had come under the emperor's orders to deliver a letter, the look she gave her carried a trace of concern.

"Heath, it was you who saved Wende and the others last time. They've always wanted the chance to thank you in person."

"There's no need. I only happened to help."

Heath waved a hand modestly. Her movements were slightly stiff as she lifted the teacup and took a small sip.

Once the conversation came to an end, silence settled over the room. Ye Zheng watched her quietly and soon realized that Heath genuinely had no intention of confiding in her or asking for help.

A princess could willingly request to become a nun devoted to serving the deity. With Ye Zheng's protection as Papess, Heath could leave the imperial family behind and distance herself from that monstrous old emperor.

But since Heath showed no desire to do so, Ye Zheng allowed the subject to drop.

"How has Teacher Qin Lu been lately? She's overseeing the reconstruction of the imperial palace alongside the other members of the imperial family. She must be terribly busy."

Only then did the faintest smile appear on Heath's face. She nodded. "Yes. Those people don't understand anything, yet they keep giving reckless orders. Teacher Qin Lu still has to clean up the messes they leave behind."

Mentioning a teacher they both knew well and remembered with great affection, the easy familiarity and quiet closeness between them seemed to return, just as it had been before Ye Zheng became the Saintess. Back then, they had sat in the same classroom, and whenever the elderly teacher made one of her unintentionally hilarious slips of the tongue, they would simply exchange knowing glances and struggle to suppress their laughter together.

They talked for a while longer. Heath gradually relaxed, the tension that had weighed on her easing considerably. Knowing Ye Zheng had countless responsibilities awaiting her, she didn't want to keep her any longer and rose to take her leave.

“Heath.”

Ye Zheng's voice suddenly called after her from behind.

“Tell Qin Lu not to rush.”

Heath paused for a brief moment before nodding. She understood exactly what Ye Zheng meant.

The solitary princess departed the Papal Palace. Rather than returning to the secondary palace where the imperial family was temporarily staying, she made her way instead to the imperial palace, which was still undergoing repairs.

After Heath left, Ye Zheng didn't immediately leave the reception room. Instead, she took out the letter Heath had delivered.

It contained nothing but the emperor's empty pleasantries, not a single sentence carrying any real substance.

The true subject of the letter wasn't her at all.

It was Heath.

Ye Zheng turned her gaze toward the window. The towering trees, sturdy and resilient, were unfurling fresh buds beneath a sky as clear as polished glass. Every corner of the world overflowed with vibrant new life. Yet at a time like this, there were far too few people capable of quieting their hearts long enough to appreciate it. Everyone was consumed by their own journeys, forever hurrying toward destinations only they could see.

She had first come to know Heath in the spring, eight years earlier.

At a garden banquet, her elder brother, the Second Prince Raymond, had shoved her to the ground. Blood had spread across the floor in a horrifying stain, soaking even the heavy hem of her skirt. As the surrounding crowd looked on with sympathetic eyes, Ye Zheng had been the first person to step forward and help her back to her feet.

She had wanted to summon a royal healer for her, but the quiet, taciturn princess had refused in a near panic, insisting that a little rest in her own bedchamber would be more than enough.

Ye Zheng understood at once. After escorting Heath back to her room, she quietly took her leave, even thoughtfully informing the others that Heath's injuries had already been bandaged.

Because of that incident, the Second Prince Raymond was confined and sternly disciplined by the furious empress for quite some time. He was also forbidden from going anywhere near his younger sister again. At the time, the empress still clung to the hope that the Second Prince might one day replace Sykes, and she had no desire to see his reputation tarnished.

Fortunately, she and Heath attended the same school, and over time the two gradually became close.

Those pure, beautiful memories were like the spring scenery beyond the window, something to be admired only in passing during rare moments of peace. Neither she nor Heath could ever return to those innocent days.

The wind picked up. Ye Zheng closed the window, then quietly left the empty reception room.

✧✧✧✧✧

“Your Holiness, are you certain you wish to put them in charge of capturing Sela?”

Wende glanced over the list of names and arched a brow.

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

Seated in the deep-red high-backed chair, the Papess rested her chin against one hand as her innocent black eyes regarded Wende.

“Mm. I understand. Please rest assured. This operation will proceed without incident.”

Wende bowed. Now that she understood Ye Zheng's intentions, she couldn't help the corners of her lips curving upward. By the time she straightened again, her expression had already settled back into its usual seriousness.

Under the Papess's directive, the explosion at the Imperial Central Station had already been officially classified as an atrocity carried out by the heretical organization known as the Saints. The Church now possessed entirely legitimate grounds to dispatch its forces and eliminate the gang led by Sela.

Most of the names on the list belonged to Ye Zheng's opponents within the Church. Sela herself was never Ye Zheng's true objective. Using Sela as a means to intimidate those people was the real purpose behind the operation.

Wende had the distinct feeling there were other motives behind it, but she'd never been one to pry.

Naturally, Ye Zheng had no intention of following the emperor's plans to the letter. She told him that Sela would be captured first, and only afterward would the empire be informed of the Demonic Dragon's vessel. That sequence would keep public panic to an absolute minimum.

Presented with that reasoning, the emperor found himself without any convincing grounds to object. He approved her arrangement and quietly awaited the Church's report of Sela's capture.

“Sela, huh…”

Ye Zheng tilted her head. A trace of guilt stirred within her toward Sela, but she couldn't bring herself to discard such a valuable piece from the board.

Speaking of Sela, she found herself wondering how Lu Qi was faring. Annabella and the others had been unable to get in touch with her, and it seemed Sela was still sending people after her.

Ye Zheng wasn't especially concerned. Sela didn't truly hate Lu Qi. What unsettled her was Lu Qi slipping beyond her control, forcing her to confront that familiar sense of insecurity once again. Sela was, after all, a child who struggled to feel safe.

As for Lu Qi... she was, in truth, the one Ye Zheng worried about the least. Having already left Pei Xi's Cloud Soarers, distanced herself from the irrational twists of fate and the turmoil of the Upper District, and cast aside any special identity or mission, Lu Qi could now live a relatively peaceful life in the Western District, no different from an ordinary student.

Pei Xi and his two teammates had recently joined Bai Yi's knight order. Rumor had it that Bai Yi was personally overseeing their training.

Bai Muqing, on the other hand, had not returned to the Royal Knight Order. Instead, her family had confined her to their estate.

Ye Zheng let out a quiet sigh. She didn't know what had happened, but no matter how grand or imposing a castle might be, it could never truly imprison Bai Muqing. Perhaps once she had sorted through the turmoil in her heart, she would finally step beyond the cage she'd built for herself.

She had already established contact with Wen Xin and the others stationed in the Lower District. Publicly, they operated a publishing house. Behind the scenes, however, they had quietly cultivated a considerable network of supporters, all of them serving as her unseen voices, blending into the ordinary crowds while subtly fanning the flames.

It was time for people to begin wondering where Crown Prince Sykes had disappeared to.

✧✧✧✧✧

Ye Zheng put every arrangement into motion with meticulous precision, keeping watch over developments from every direction. Whenever she found a spare moment, she devoted it to training her ability, striving to achieve a deeper harmony between 【Stream】 and 【Mother of All Things】.

Then, without warning, a single piece of news brought the careful flow of her plans to an abrupt halt.

Qin Lu had been imprisoned on charges of conspiring to assassinate the emperor and was awaiting trial.