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IBP 166
“......Our Coco is so strong......?”
“Yup! So, from now on, you have to do exactly what Coco says. Sister, you trust Coco, right?”
I proudly shook the whirlwind in my palm with all my might.
At that, my sister muttered, unable to hide her bewilderment.
“Of course I trust you. But...... what, what are you going to do, our Coco?”
After thinking deeply, my eyes sparkled. I then looked around the room.
The fairy tale book about a fox's first love that my sister had been reading to me caught my eye.
With glittering eyes, I flipped through the book for a while and finally tore out a piece of paper.
My sister looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Our Coco, why did you tear out the fox's love confession line?”
“There's a reason, Sister. Just trust me.”
With that, I sent it into the whirlwind and grinned.
My sister covered her mouth as she looked at me.
“When did our Coco become such a clever, scheming puppy?”
“Coco was always super smart! And I'm even smarter now that I'm a divine beast!”
After confirming that the note had safely landed inside the whirlwind, I completely vanished the gale-like wind.
I puffed out my chest proudly to get praise from my sister, but then—boing—one of my ears popped out.
“......Hmph.”
I'm still a tiny bit lacking in the ability to hide my ears and tail, but......
“Sister, listen carefully. Here is what Coco is going to do......”
......I definitely have the power to punish the Imperial Concubine!
* * *
Imperial Concubine Hervezette gripped the crystal ball, her eyes wide and frantic.
A violent wind raged through the dark secret chamber.
And then.......
The Imperial Concubine scanned her surroundings with an expectant gaze.
However, once the wind subsided, nothing remained.
“......What is happening?”
No, there was one thing.
A scrap of parchment lying on the floor.
She had firmly believed a divine beast would be summoned, yet all that appeared was a single piece of trashy paper!
With a displeased expression, the Imperial Concubine picked up the note.
She intended to check it briefly before tearing it to shreds. However.......
As she was about to throw the note away, she stared at the crystal ball with a look of shock.
The moment the edge of the note brushed against it, the crystal ball erupted in a frantic, blinding light.
It was a glow similar to a luminous pearl.
‘Does the crystal ball not glow only when the power of a divine beast is sensed!’
If so.......
Her eyes widened as she checked the contents of the parchment.
[I shall appear before you when the time is right]
‘Could this be a token sent by the divine beast?’
If that were the case, it didn't matter that she failed to summon the divine beast. The divine beast had sent its token to her directly.
The Imperial Concubine burst into a manic laugh, her eyes bloodshot.
“Ha, hahahahaha......!”
Clutching the note, she opened the door to the dark room and stepped out. Prince Gaisa looked at her with trembling eyes.
“Mother. His Imperial Majesty the Emperor has visited.......”
He was a weak prince, so indecisive that he couldn't even express his own opinions properly.
She had always found him pathetic, but now, her time spent witnessing this pathetic sight was coming to an end.
Just then, a noise echoed through the hallway.
“Your confinement has ended; why do you remain only in the dark room?”
“F-Father, His Majesty. Mother is currently......”
“The Prince shall be silent.”
As the Emperor's gaze sharpened, Prince Gaisa immediately shrank back. However, the Imperial Concubine smiled, a perfectly drawn curve on her lips.
“Your Majesty, it is quite troubling for you to treat me so.”
“What on earth do you mean by that?”
Just as the Emperor frowned at the Imperial Concubine's attitude, which had become stiffer than before, she confidently held out the note and spoke.
“I have finally received the token of the divine beast.”
“......What?”
“I was curious. Since Your Majesty possesses a bloodline compatible with divine beasts, I wondered if you could discern that the power contained in this note is indeed that of a divine beast.”
Her words were bordering on arrogant, but the Emperor did not mind.
The moment he took the note, he felt a violent wind surging through his fingertips.
The Emperor held his breath.
Though it looked like a worn-out piece of paper, it clearly contained power intentionally created by a divine beast.
“It is a powerful force. Therefore, the only one who could possess such power is......”
“The divine beast. That is a definitive answer, is it not?”
“.......”
“Please convene the noble council once more, Your Majesty.”
Since Imperial Concubine Hervezette herself was to be released from confinement and make a grand return.
She added with a radiant smile,
“Ah, I would specifically request that Duke Ardos and Grand Duke Rivera be summoned.”
Those trashy wretches who had driven her into confinement.
She would reveal her brilliant glory before them.
* * *
A full day had passed since I sent the note containing the divine beast's power through the whirlwind.
I smiled brightly, shaking my wonderful tail-less backside.
“A general noble council was actually convened. Our Coco is amazing!”
The Imperial Concubine was so driven by a desire for ostentation that she would use even her own son as a pawn. If she received a token of the divine beast, she would want to announce it to everyone immediately. And my prediction was exactly right.
‘Wow, Coco is so, so smart! I've become even smarter after becoming a divine beast!’
Filled with confidence, I leaned against my sister's shoulder and beamed.
‘But on that day, the Imperial Concubine is only going to be humiliated!’
Because on the day she presents the divine beast's token, I—the actual ‘divine beast’—plan to make my own appearance!
‘I've already worked out the whole plan with Sister.’
I looked at my sister with a bright smile.
“Everyone will be so, so surprised when they meet divine beast Coco, right?”
“Of course. Everyone will be shocked when it's revealed that our Coco is a divine beast.”
No matter how powerful the Emperor is, he cannot treat a divine beast or a divine beast's imprinter carelessly. This is because a divine beast is in itself a noble symbol of the gods and possesses power strong enough to shake the entire empire.
‘I'm going to tell them I'll punish anyone who bullies my sister!’
My eyes sparkled as I tightly gripped the hem of my sister's clothes.
“Right, right. From now on, we need your acting skills, Sister!”
“Yes, our whole family will move according to Coco's plan.”
“Alright!”
My sister nodded solemnly.
Then, stroking my head, she said,
“Before that, let's practice how to perfectly hide your tail, our Coco.”
“......Hmph.”
Perhaps because I let my guard down while chatting with my sister, my tail had popped out and was wagging vigorously.
I made a sad face, but I nodded my head vigorously to make a grand first appearance as a magnificent divine beast.
And so, I entered intense practice for ‘hiding ears and tail in human form’ and ‘switching freely between puppy and human.’
* * *
Following the Imperial Concubine's request, the Emperor convened a court meeting.
It took less than three days to summon the Lord Chamberlain and gather the nobles from their estates.
The atmosphere inside the meeting hall could be summarized in one word: ‘bewilderment.’
“I wonder what is happening?”
“Why on earth has His Majesty summoned us?”
“The Imperial Concubine is also present. Could it be about the divine beast?”
Amidst the various arguments and speculations, only Grand Duke Rivera, Duke Ardos, and the Emperor and Imperial Concubine seated at the highest positions maintained a silent calm.
Then, the timid Lord Chamberlain, who had been counting the number of attending nobles, cautiously alerted the Emperor.
“Your Majesty. All the nobles have arrived. Please, begin today's meeting.”
Only then did the Emperor silently raise his hand.
He glanced at Imperial Concubine Hervezette, who was looking down at everyone with an arrogant face beside him, and spoke.
“The Imperial Concubine has received a response from the divine beast.”
Only then did the Imperial Concubine's ambiguous expression soften. She looked directly at Duke Ardos and Grand Duke Rivera.
She also spotted Chloe Ardos, who was staring at her with a surprisingly expressionless face.
She scanned their faces one by one.
‘Those who once persecuted and mocked me over the issue of the divine beast.’
After today, they would have to pay the price for daring to mock her.
For the divine beast had chosen her.
“Indeed, I, the Imperial Concubine, wish to speak to those gathered here regarding the divine beast.”
Since it wasn't the first or second time the Imperial Concubine had talked about the divine beast, the nobles wore skeptical expressions.
However, the thought that those gazes would soon change sent a thrill through her.
She intentionally paused before murmuring softly,
“I possess a token sent by the divine beast.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the nobles exchanged glances. The Imperial Concubine was well aware of what those looks meant.
‘They dare to doubt me.’
She smoothed out her twitching lips and spoke.
“Your Majesty, please give your command. Did Your Majesty not verify it personally?”
The Emperor nodded, looking around the room with a dissatisfied expression.
“I am aware that there are those who doubt the Imperial Concubine due to events from several years ago. However, what the Imperial Concubine presented was truly a token containing the power of the divine beast. If you wish, I can show it to you here.”
As soon as those words were spoken, the people gathered in the court meeting began to whisper.
Perhaps because the Emperor, whose bloodline could discern the power of the divine beast, had affirmed it, the gazes of doubt toward the Imperial Concubine instantly turned into surprise and admiration.
At the sight of their attitudes shifting as quickly as flipping a palm, she tilted her head, feeling a surge of superiority from deep within.
“Lord Chamberlain. Bring the precious object.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
And what she brought out was the note containing the power of the divine beast.
[I shall appear before you when the time is right]
“‘I shall appear before me when the time is right,’ so it said.”
She was the chosen one of the divine beast.
On the other hand, what of Ardos and Rivera, who had once treated her like a criminal and persecuted her? They were merely staring at her with passionless expressions, like defeated soldiers.
It was at that very moment, while the Imperial Concubine was touching the divine beast's token with a highly elated face.
Chloe Ardos, who had been silently present beside Duke Ardos, spoke up.
“Yes, Your Majesty. An unworthy daughter of the Ardos family dares to speak regarding the divine beast.”
“Is it a matter more important than the token left by the divine beast, Lady?”
“Yes, it is, Your Highness.”
The question had been asked assuming the answer would be no, but the response was unexpected.
Imperial Concubine Hervezette raised her head arrogantly and declared,
“Then, speak. I shall hear what you have to say.”
She intended to cut her off and humiliate her regardless of what she said.
At that moment, the corners of Chloe's mouth curled up smoothly.
“What I wish to say is......”
Stopping mid-sentence, Chloe shifted her gaze toward the door.
And.......
Strangely, despite that smile which she would normally have ignored, a chill ran down the Imperial Concubine's spine.
It was an instinctive warning.
And in that moment, the doors of the meeting hall swung open.
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