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It was a fire. A fire had broken out in the room where the child slept.
There was no time to panic. Valentin immediately scooped Princess Larisa out of her cradle and shook the maid awake. The maid, screaming at the bright red flames clinging to the curtains, shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Fire! There's a fire in Her Highness's bedroom!"
Though trembling with anxiety, the maid did not forget her duty as an adult and tried to reassure Valentin.
"Young Duke, I'm so glad you're alright. The fire will be extinguished soon, so please do not worry. I will assist Her Highness..."
However, Valentin ignored the hand reached out toward him and hugged Princess Larisa even tighter against his chest. The infant's cries echoed throughout the area due to the sudden chaos, but Valentin refused to hand Princess Larisa over to anyone, absolutely.
In truth, Valentin regarded Princess Larisa as a being who had defied fate.
But that was a delusion. The world was still cruel to Princess Larisa. Had a heartless god not tried to snatch this child away from him the moment he looked away for a second?
"...You should never have been born."
But since she was born, he could never let her be taken.
Whether it was a god or anyone else.
Valentin, who had even rejected the gestures of the Guards, only let go of the child after the Emperor and Empress rushed to the scene.
"Lara! My goodness, my baby!"
Taking Princess Larisa into her arms with eyes brimming with tears, the Empress hugged Valentin tightly around the back after hearing the details of what happened.
"Thank you, Valentin. You saved Lara. You are Lara's hero!"
Perhaps it was because she smelled her biological mother's scent; Princess Larisa soon calmed down. Her clear, light purple eyes turned toward Valentin. Looking at her lips, which were babbling as always, made his nose sting.
Could Princess Larisa's fate, perhaps, be death?
'No, that... I cannot allow that alone.'
Because Princess Larisa was the first fruit Valentin had borne in this hell.
He had to possess power. He had to eliminate every risk factor that threatened Princess Larisa. Inattentive maids, incompetent Guards, the countless swarms of bees that might rush in smelling a sweet scent. And...
'Libertan.'
In an instant, the anger toward the enemy he had completely forgotten sparked once again. There was no law saying a demon who had killed Princess Larisa three times could not kill her a fourth.
That day, Valentin once again lifted the resolve he had laid at his feet. With the single-minded determination that he would protect Princess Larisa, no matter what.
This time, he did not rush.
To keep Libertan in check and protect Princess Larisa, he ultimately needed the Imperial Family as an ally.
The Empress, who held great goodwill toward Valentin for saving Princess Larisa, became his reliable patron.
"Oh, dear. Valentin... have you forgotten the pleasant conversations we've shared? I was well aware that you were different from ordinary children. To think the source of that amazing insight was the power of the oracle... it all makes a bit more sense now."
Standing before the Emperor while holding the Empress's hand, Valentin revealed the death of the Empress he had witnessed, the method by which he had prevented it by informing his father, and other minor pieces of information he had seen.
"According to your claim, a traitor is boldly coming and going within my palace. Can you handle the weight of those words? Who is this traitor you claim to have seen in your dreams?"
"Even if I tell you now, Your Majesty will surely not believe me. If you give me time, I will prove it to you step by step."
"...It certainly doesn't feel like I'm speaking with a child of my own offspring's age. Vasily matured early, but you are even more so, Valentin."
Choosing to visit the Emperor first rather than the holy hall was an excellent choice. The Emperor did not yet fully trust Valentin's power, but he seemed interested in his methods.
"So, what is it that you wish to ask of me? If you say something absurd..."
"A great flood will occur in the Kingdom of Cherensko next summer. Please help me announce this fact to the world, Your Majesty."
The Emperor scanned Valentin with suspicious eyes.
"Is that all?"
"May I ask for more?"
"I will decide after hearing it."
"Then please increase the time I can see Princess Larisa each week. Without the other princes and princesses knowing."
"...It is not impossible. But why do you wish to keep it a secret?"
"Too many people talking makes it noisy and annoying."
By the benevolent grace of the Emperor, Valentin was able to spend one more hour a week with Princess Larisa! It was a healing time that softened his heart itself.
Starting from the following summer, the fame of the prophet Valentin began to spread beyond the Ohala Empire to every corner of the continent.
With the authority of the Imperial Family and the House of Dmitriev, as well as the worship of the masses behind him, the internal power struggles of the Papacy were no problem at all.
At the age of nine, Valentin was granted a golden Phasia. It was the emergence of the youngest prophet in the history of gabrielism.
The Emperor, who celebrated the birth of the prophet by making a huge donation to the holy hall, invited Valentin to an intimate dinner.
"Yes, Valentin. No... I should call you Count Nariyan now. When would be a good date for the engagement?"
"The engagement date... Ah, perhaps you are referring to the Crown Prince's engagement..."
"I mean the Count and Lara."
Startled, Valentin had to beat his chest for a long while to spit out a grape that had gotten stuck in his throat.
"I... cough, how could I possibly dare to be joined with her?"
"Given the Count's personality, Tanya, that child, would struggle. Above all, doesn't the Count cherish Larisa... it's funny to say this, but even more like his own child than I do? Considering the wealth and honor that will fall upon you in several decades, it's more convenient to establish a tie with the Imperial Family in advance."
It was a plan he had never once considered. Beyond bewilderment, Valentin felt fear and shook his head.
"Princess Larisa is not that kind of person to me."
"Not that kind of person? Then what kind of person is she? What, are you going to say something foolish, like she's so much like blood kin that you cannot be joined?"
"..."
"Looking at your expression, I'd take you for seventy, not nine. Forget it, Valentin. Just chew on those dried raspberries and go see Larisa. I feel like my own sense of reality fades when I deal with you for too long, which isn't a very pleasant feeling."
That night, Valentin did not visit Princess Larisa.
The same went for that week, and the week after. Instead of Princess Larisa's room, Valentin headed to Vasily's bedroom. Unable to watch any longer, Vasily clicked his tongue and scolded him.
"You're the guy who spent all day chasing after Larisa. Why are you bothering me when you didn't even spare me a glance before? Have you grown tired of that child?"
Tired? Valentin swallowed a hollow laugh. He wasn't tired of Princess Larisa.
He had become afraid.
Afraid that while keeping her by his side, he might end up using her as a means.
Afraid that he might forget her preciousness.
Princess Larisa was proof that Valentin's hellish life was changing. On the other hand, since Valentin was prepared to see the very bottom of the abyss to settle things with Libertan, he had no choice but to keep his distance to protect Larisa. He had no intention of letting her get entangled with Libertan.
'How stupid. I just stared at her, saying it was good, without even realizing my own situation.'
After that, Valentin did not show himself before Larisa even once.
Time flowed quickly, and the moment came to move more actively.
He had to gather evidence to deduce Libertan's tracks and present it before the Emperor. However, the way to prove that fact...
'There are many.'
Yes, many. Far too many! Were the footprints of death Valentin had experienced not the very proof of treason?
First, he placed monitors in every orphanage in Makhachkala. Since it wasn't yet the time Fedora had been admitted to the Party Orphanage, he had been less cautious, but in less than half a year, the merchant distributing Messiah was caught.
"Messiah... this is quite a high-grade powder. Both the effects and the aftereffects are significant. At first, it's released at a low price, but it's sold at an absurdly high price to the addicted children. If this substance spreads throughout Makhachkala, Ohala itself will be in danger."
"To the point where they selectively sprinkle powder made of expensive ingredients only on orphanage children, and to the level where the directors all keep their mouths shut... Hmm. A larger amount of capital and a network of connections than expected might be involved."
Listening to various opinions, the Emperor formed a special organization called Horgan to grasp the distribution flow of Messiah.
Additionally, he selected individuals to infiltrate among the merchants, and at that moment, a suitable face caught Valentin's eye.
"Uh... me? My name is Chenko. Well, if you just spare my life, I'll work hard as a double agent or whatever. But who is this brat, and why is he bossing me around?"
I wonder who. I wonder if he'd understand if I told him he's the guy you've killed twice.
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