Chapter 190: Become the Queen
In the secluded, shadowed corner of the staircase, their breaths gradually steadied, tangled emotions calming. Yu Mo felt a dizzying lack of oxygen.
It was partly from his lover’s passion, partly from his own exhaustion.
He was so tired. He closed his eyes, and the tension in his brow relaxed a little.
Peruth wrapped his arms around Yu Mo’s waist, holding the sleeping man in his embrace.
The cold, dark hair brushed his shoulder like the morning frost and snowflakes, a soft, chilling touch as it rested on him.
The suspicious side of Peruth’s personality whispered a faint doubt in his heart, yet his heart pumped with fervent satisfaction.
Eloren cared about him.
He smiled, leaned down, and gently, almost nostalgically, traced his fingers along that cold, pale cheek.
It had been too long since he’d touched him.
His Eloren was truly sick, yet he hadn’t cared, remaining occupied with various tasks, hardly even eating.
Eloren had only rested briefly on Peruth’s shoulder before getting up again, ready to return to his demanding duties.
But Peruth held him back.
The cardinal cast a sleep spell on him directly.
Wrapping the sleeping man in his cloak and holding him close, Peruth carried him back to his previous place.
Holding him with one arm, he used his other hand to carefully sense the function of the incomplete magic array.
“Lord Peruth,” said Amos, who also looked exhausted as he approached, glancing at his teacher who rested against the cardinal’s chest.
In the next moment, Peruth covered the man’s peaceful face with the cloak.
Smiling, he told Amos, “Your teacher is tired; let him rest a while. I will take on his duties for the time being.”
Amos did not argue, though he felt uneasy. He stood beside Peruth to assist, explaining his teacher’s recent obligations and some arrangements that even he didn’t fully understand.
Among those who sought the lord’s guidance, many didn’t recognize this man who looked as beautiful as a figure from a sacred temple fresco.
But as the lord slept in his arms and his student stood by his side, the people, after a moment’s hesitation, obeyed his commands.
Most strikingly, his words seemed to echo in their minds, compelling them to follow, as if under a spell.
Noticing Amos’s expression, Peruth smiled and said, “It’s just a small spell to help them work more obediently and avoid wasting time on minor communication issues.”
Even those who recognized Peruth’s identity kept it quiet at his request.
…
Larta continued to operate smoothly.
An entire day and night passed before Yu Mo finally woke up.
He found himself in a warm embrace, his ear pressed against a steady, rhythmic heartbeat. The soft, white fabric had a faint rose scent.
The translucent cloak swayed in front of him, revealing glimpses of bright, golden light outside, like curtains fluttering in the wind.
A familiar voice was speaking.
“This magic array can now run. I think this is the effect your lord needed. When he wakes up… ah, he’s awake.”
Yu Mo reached out and placed a hand on Peruth’s shoulder, sitting up from within his broad cloak.
He was still sitting on Peruth’s bent knee, surrounded by people who had been waiting for decisions, now all staring at them wide-eyed.
Without much expression, Yu Mo asked, “Is there anything else?”
The people in front of him seemed stunned, offering no response, but Peruth, holding him, answered, “No issues. Just check if the magic array works, then you can rest a bit more.”
Moments later, the two of them sat in a nearby room, eating hot soup, bread, and large cuts of meat.
After resting, Yu Mo felt much better, eating half of his meal before preparing to set down his food and wipe his mouth, when a neatly cut piece of meat appeared before him.
Peruth held out a fork, smiling at him. The two exchanged a look, and Yu Mo opened his mouth to eat the piece he offered.
“How did I do?”
“You did well.” Yu Mo wasn’t surprised that Peruth could handle his affairs.
“You see, I really can help you,” Peruth said, cutting another small piece of meat and offering it to him. “But you insist on pushing me aside, wearing yourself out like this.”
Yu Mo opened his mouth to speak, but the juicy piece of meat was already in his mouth.
“So, Eloren, what exactly are you worried about and resisting?”
“Or rather, what do you want me to do?”
Yu Mo blocked another bite of food. “You don’t want to hear my answer?”
“Of course not,” Peruth said with a smile, “I just enjoy watching you eat.” He seemed to want to feed him more, filling his mouth and watching him not want to eat, yet accepting it because of his indulgence.
Peruth reluctantly put down his fork, then asked again, “What is it that you want me to do?”
It seemed that if Yu Mo just said it, Peruth would agree without hesitation, as easily as picking a flower in the garden for him.
Yu Mo stared at him for a moment. “I need to think about it more.”
This was the first time Peruth had seen him hesitate inwardly.
“Alright.” He smiled, not pressing further, and instead shifted the conversation to the magic array he had been working on.
“The magic array you’ve modified—its purpose is to imprison the corrupting forces within the earth, right? Quite an interesting idea.”
However, even with this, it still wouldn’t be enough to control the massive amount of corrupting energy. Even with Charli’s special healing magic, it couldn’t prevent the death plague—it was only delaying the inevitable. The outbreak would come sooner or later.
Yu Mo understood the unspoken words and responded, “It’s an attempt. There shouldn’t only be one solution to a problem.”
…
Amos, relieved, noticed that his teacher and Cardinal Peruth had reconciled. Once the cardinal arrived, his teacher’s condition had improved significantly.
Most importantly, Cardinal Peruth could handle the important matters, allowing his teacher to rest.
The teacher, who had always been distrustful and insisted on making every decision himself, could now entrust those responsibilities to the cardinal without worry.
Unfortunately, the plague in the north had not improved with the cardinal’s arrival.
A month later, the plague spread to the western part of the Glory Empire.
Though the disease had not yet reached the capital, many nobles within the city were already growing anxious.
“If only His Holiness the Pope were still here—if only the Pope were still here, the plague would never have spread to our Glory Empire!”
During the reign of the previous Pope, the plague had only ravaged distant borders, but shortly after the Pope’s death, the disease had appeared within the Empire itself.
It came like a vicious backlash, fierce and relentless.
“An Empire blessed by the Light—has the Sun God’s protection been lifted?”
These pessimistic and fearful words spread through the capital, and the ailing Emperor, shaken by the news, fell ill once again. Messages were sent one after another to Borotosh, urging Princess Charli to return.
At this time, another message arrived from the northern lands.
In the north, Princess Charli had awakened the “Protection” magic. She had stopped the spread of the plague in Noban City and even managed to heal some of the patients in the less severe areas.
The news spread through the Glory Empire at an astonishing speed, and everyone was stirred with excitement.
No one could stop the raging tide of the plague, not even the bishops and cardinals of the Holy Temple could save the people in the infected areas, but Princess Charli had done it!
Under the threat of the plague, the people, filled with fear and anxiety, were lifted by this news and began to cheer. Even in the capital, a new voice began to spread:
—Princess Charli is blessed by the Light. If she becomes the new ruler of the Glory Empire, everything will get better.
This call, growing louder as Princess Charli’s fame spread in the northern lands, slowly made its way into the noble circles of the capital.
“I’ve heard His Majesty has sent another message to the north, urging Princess Charli to return to the capital.”
“His Majesty’s health has deteriorated so much. Only Princess Charli can cure him.”
“I hope Princess Charli returns soon. If she really possesses such miraculous protection magic, as long as she is in the capital, we will all be safe.”
Every day, Second Prince Alden heard these conversations, his ears filled with talk of Princess Charli, Princess Charli.
In the past three years, this princess had overshadowed him, yet she was just a princess.
Second Prince Alden had never seen her as an obstacle. He believed that the only threat to him was his crippled third brother, Prince Derek.
But now, things had changed. A princess, unknowingly, had gathered so many supporters. And Alden had seen with his own eyes how much his father favored Charli.
His ailing father, muddled in his mind, might one day, in a moment of confusion, actually pass the throne to her.
He had to act first—before Charli returned to charm his father and before this ridiculous choice of successor was openly proposed.
As long as his father was dead, the throne would pass to him according to tradition.
*
Yu Mo received a letter from the capital amidst his busy schedule.
It was from the secret network he had placed within the noble circles. They brought news of the Second Prince’s plot to assassinate the emperor.
Yu Mo folded the letter, just as he had expected.
Soon after, the news arrived that Emperor Horsley XVI, who had been ill for many years, had passed away suddenly, and the Second Prince, Alden, eagerly declared his succession to the throne.
However, after Alden ascended, Cardinal Croft refused to crown him.
Every emperor of the Glory Empire was crowned by the Pope.
But with no Pope in place, the Holy Temple did not recognize Alden’s claim to the throne, and his position immediately became awkward.
The Second Prince, Alden, was not a particularly smart man. After being rejected by Cardinal Croft again when he went to the Holy Temple, Alden returned to the palace in a fury and announced that he would no longer be crowned by the Holy Temple.
After some revelry, drunk, he even declared that he would strip Cardinal Croft of his position.
At the same time, he called for Cardinal Peruth from the Northern Temple to return to the capital and become the new Pope.
With the plague spreading across the Glory Empire, and the need for the Holy Temple’s protection greater than ever, Alden’s actions sparked protests from both the noble circles and the common people.
It didn’t take long before the self-proclaimed new king was dragged out of the palace and “accidentally” attacked, leading to his death.
It all seemed like a joke.
With only one prince remaining, the third prince, Derek, who had been seen as cursed due to his lamed leg and was never favored by the emperor, now stood as the last heir.
However, Prince Derek refused the throne and proposed that Princess Charli take the crown instead.
“There is no one more suited than her. She is Cardinal Croft’s student, and we need to repair our relationship with the Holy Temple. Plus, she now has considerable influence in the north…”
Prince Derek spoke the unspoken truth that everyone already knew, but his mind was focused on the agreement he had made with Marquis Cecil.
What no one knew was that the current situation had been orchestrated by that very marquis.
In the capital, Princess Charli was unaware of most of what had happened. Since the incident in Aram, she had been traveling with her brother, moving from Larta to Noban City and other places.
Every day, she used her healing magic, witnessing countless regrets and suffering in the wake of the plague. After awakening her Protection magic, she had devoted all her energy to saving lives.
Her brother had always supported her, helping her extend the power of her Protection magic to all the infected areas.
Often, she felt like a fragile thread, desperately holding up countless lives.
It wasn’t clear when it happened, but one day, everyone began to look at her with eyes full of hope and eager expectation.
This heavy pressure made Charli feel as though she might snap at any moment, yet she had no choice but to grit her teeth and keep going.
During a brief moment of rest, she learned that the emperor had wanted her to return to the capital, and that the emperor had passed away, with the second prince, Alden, ascending to the throne.
But Charli didn’t have time to process any of this news.
Everything was happening so fast.
“Charli, it’s time for you to return to the capital and inherit the throne,” her brother suddenly declared.
Charli didn’t even think, she blurted out, “No! I can’t leave here!”
If I leave, these people will die, she thought.
Charli knew that ever since that night a few years ago, when Baron Cecil was killed as a sacrificial offering, her brother was no longer the same as before.
He was always right, and she had never once questioned his decisions.
But this time, she couldn’t accept it.
“They… all of them trust me so much. I can’t abandon them…”
She understood why her brother had pushed her to this shining position.
“Am I doing all of this just to become queen? Now that I’ve achieved my goal, can I return to the safety of the capital and become a queen with an empty title?”
For the first time, the obedient younger sister questioned and resisted him.
Yu Mo smiled in response, his expression softening for a moment: “Charli, you will make a great queen.”
But his smile quickly vanished, turning cold and distant: “I want you to return to the capital and become queen because, in reality, you can’t save everyone.”
“Everything here is a false hope.”
“You’ve already reached your limit.”
“What you need to do next is to continue being the hope for more people, not burn yourself out here and become nothing but ash.”
Charli stood there, listening to his harsh and direct words, her expression frozen.
Yu Mo saw the expression on his sister’s face and thought of his own younger brothers, each one having been scolded and reprimanded. They were either grinning with arrogance or indifferent to everything.
He softened his tone, stepping forward to ruffle Charli’s messy hair gently: “Go become the queen. You can do much more than staying here. Do you understand?”
Charli clenched her fists, biting her lips as if trying to hold back her words. But in the end, she couldn’t hold it in any longer, and the words spilled out along with the tears that filled her eyes:
“If I no longer have to save this place, then who will continue? Will it be you again, brother, taking on all my burdens? Just like you did when you took the throne for me?”
It was then that Yu Mo realized what his sister was thinking, and once again, he felt the difference between his younger brothers and his sister.
His indifferent younger brothers hadn’t cared a bit about his well-being, leaving him to deal with everything without hesitation.
But his obedient sister felt guilty whenever he took on responsibilities for her.
Yu Mo thought bitterly: Why didn’t my eldest brother adopt a sister?
“Charli…” Yu Mo began to speak, but before he could continue, Charli sobbed and threw herself into his arms.
Suddenly, a hand reached over Yu Mo’s shoulder and placed firmly on Charli’s head, gently pushing her away.
“You’re mistaken, Little Charli.” Peruth stood behind Yu Mo, his expression gentle. “The things you can’t do, I will handle.”
Charli: “…”
Peruth continued, “Yu Mo and I will take care of everything. You don’t need to worry about that. Just go back to the capital and inherit the throne. Then cooperate with us, alright?”
Charli: “…”
Peruth glanced at Yu Mo’s expression before saying softly, “Poor child, wipe away those tears. You’re not a little girl anymore. Don’t cry like this.”
