TGS - Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Revenge and Ambition
In the small garden, the atmosphere was tense.
The two looked at each other for a moment. Alyuin suddenly put away her dagger, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "He can't see you. Why? Are you a messenger of the Sky God, or a ghost lingering in the mortal world, unwilling to be reborn?"
Lotus shook her head lightly, putting on a calm and composed appearance, smiling faintly without speaking.
The guard at the side didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with the young princess talking to the air. As if programmed to repeat himself, he anxiously reiterated his previous words: "Princess Alyuin, please come with me quickly. The Queen is waiting for you."
"Tsk, I'm coming," Alyuin replied casually. She paid no more mind to the Lotus others couldn't see and turned to walk towards the Queen's chambers.
Lotus leisurely followed behind them.
The young princess glanced at her from the corner of her eye.
It seems she must be a ghost with nowhere to go. Appearing in the royal palace... does she have some unfinished business?
And this ghost's appearance seems a bit familiar. Judging by her looks and demeanor, she's clearly of noble birth, perhaps even from a temple... I could ask Father to look into it.
Lotus didn't know what thoughts were turning in the young princess's mind. She looked around; the small garden was lush and verdant, but the farther she looked, the more blurred it became, like a faded, pale image.
And aside from the guard who had come to fetch her, the maids and servants passing by were all faceless. They moved silently, their bows all identical.
—This was the young princess's dream, no doubt, but dreams could be pleasant or nightmares.
Recalling how Alyuin's brow remained slightly furrowed even in sleep, the latter seemed more likely. Lotus lowered her eyes, concealing her concern.
The two people and one spirit walked through the garden and entered the chambers of the Queen of Solancia. The Queen was leaning back on an ebony chaise lounge, her eyes closed, her expression faintly irritated. A handmaiden was gently massaging her temples.
"Mother, I'm here." Alyuin gave a proper curtsy before walking to her mother's side with deliberately steady steps. "Is your head aching again?"
The Queen opened her eyes and sighed. "It's time for your dance lesson, Alyuin. You've ditched your governess and run off again."
The young princess said matter-of-factly, "I don't like dancing. I'd rather spend the time practicing my archery."
"You are a princess of Solancia. What kind of image does it project to always be learning to wield swords and spears like the boys?"
"It's precisely because I am a princess that I must learn," Alyuin said, unconcerned.
"Sigh, you..."
The Queen and Alyuin looked somewhat alike. The Queen only had fine lines at the corners of her eyes, which did not detract from her stunning beauty but rather added a touch of charm bestowed by time.
In Lotus's view, the mother and daughter's conversation was close but not intimate, carrying a certain sense of restraint. But perhaps this was how affection was expressed among royal kin.
Before long, the scene before them suddenly changed to a wide training ground. Lotus easily found the little girl who shone like a beacon among the crowd.
Alyuin stood in the center of the field, sparring with a boy half a head taller than her. She easily ducked to avoid a sharp punch aimed at her face, then used a clever technique to throw her opponent to the ground.
Two faceless men walked past the edge of the training ground.
"She's putting on a show again. That one has someone act out this drama of being thrown down by her every day. If she's not tired of it, we're tired of watching."
"Indeed. Does she really think we'd believe her tricks? How could a young warrior of the kingdom possibly lose to a pampered child, especially a girl?"
"I wonder when the Queen will finally have a male heir. It's a pity the King is getting old..."
Alyuin turned a deaf ear to these words.
Then the scene changed again. The King of Solancia, wearing the divine eagle crown, smiled as he watched the young princess practice her martial skills, even stepping into the ring himself to exchange a few moves with her.
Alyuin's eyes sparkled brightly, but her father shook his head and sighed behind her. "Alyuin's talent is quite good, but she is a girl, after all. I can't let her keep fighting like this... What? Let my daughter go to the battlefield with the army? Not even as a joke. I'm not even willing to send her to her aunt's place. As long as I'm alive, Alyuin will never face danger."
The scene changed again.
She practiced archery. Her small body still lacked strength, and she could only draw the lightest bow, yet she firmly planted the arrow in the bullseye.
She played chess. The child opposite her was lost in thought, scratching their head in frustration, while the square piece that would decide the game was already in her hand.
She attended a banquet. A lady-in-waiting adorned the princess with gold ornaments and silk gauze. The girl reflected in the bronze mirror was still young, yet her eyes held a hint of the same majesty as her father's.
The frequency of the scene changes gradually increased, finally freezing on a heart-stopping scene—
Specks of bright red blood stained the marble floor. The King of Solancia's body lay on its back beside the throne, a pair of golden scissors plunged into his chest where his heart was. His golden eyes, the same color as the young princess's, stared blankly at the ceiling, his face frozen in an expression of disbelief.
The ever-elegant Queen had lost all composure, kneeling not far away. One moment she was laughing hysterically, the next she was wailing, looking utterly mad, the hem of her dress soaked in dark red blood.
Alyuin hid behind an ivory-carved screen, watching everything with wide eyes, clamping a hand over her mouth to force herself not to make a sound.
In her clear, tear-filled eyes was reflected the face of a man spattered with a few drops of blood, his expression numb. It was the King of Solancia's younger brother from the same mother, Alyuin's royal uncle.
He stared at his brother's corpse for a long time before pulling out the golden scissors. Then he turned and plunged them into the Queen's throat.
"Back then, my royal brother insisted on marrying the sinful Selina. And now, Selina, with no regard for their bond, has betrayed royal secrets, assassinated my brother, and taken her own life out of guilt! From this day forward, I will take up my brother's heavy burden and guide Solancia toward a more prosperous future—"
"Hereby, I declare the King's will: The former king's daughter, Alyuin, has the blood of a sinner flowing through her veins. Her body and soul are tainted. She is to be sent to the first temple of the Goddess of the Yilu River to serve the deity with a devoted heart, allowing the merciful Lotus to cleanse and purify her, preserving the pure royal bloodline."
"Only then will the princess be permitted to return to Akhet!"
The moment the new king's trusted official finished reading the royal decree, the surrounding scene suddenly froze and then shattered, leaving only Alyuin and Lotus standing in a white void.
The silent young princess slowly raised her head, looking at Lotus with a complex expression.
Long, silvery-white hair that flowed like river waves, cool, frost-blue eyes, and pale lips that appeared indifferent on the statue, and here showed no emotion either—in fact, they were even colder.
Immersed in the dreams of her past just moments ago, she had no memory of arriving at the temple in Kadera City. Therefore, she hadn't realized that the "beautiful ghost" before her had a face similar to the statue of the Goddess of the Yilu River.
The gods of Solancia did not have fixed appearances in people's minds; after all, the statues and murals in various temples could never be depicted identically.
The focus was only on the deity's symbols. As for what the goddess looked like, who knew? As long as the statue was carved beautifully enough, who cared if the goddess's face was based on the original image?
But the temple in Kadera City was different.
According to the royal histories, it was the first temple built after the founding of Solancia, the "place where faith originated."
So...
If the River Goddess truly existed, she would surely look just like the person before her.
Alyuin couldn't describe her current feelings. It was as if she had given up hope after searching for something in vain, only to turn around casually and find it right beside her all along.
The young princess closed her eyes and knelt on one knee before the River Goddess. But the goddess who had silently witnessed her joys and sorrows was not moved.
She was like the eternally flowing Yilu River itself—gentle, beautiful, and sacred, but her waters were not stirred for anyone.
A god.
This is what a god is.
Alyuin lowered her head. "Please forgive my previous disrespect. I know a deity would not descend into my dreams without reason. Whatever you need me to do, I am willing to accomplish with all my life and soul, if only you will listen to my request."
"—Please send my parents' souls back to the Kingdom of the Gods."
Lotus said softly, "...Back to the Kingdom of the Gods?"
She didn't particularly want to be a broken record, but this question was beyond the scope of her knowledge. What did it mean to send souls back to the divine kingdom? Was the River Goddess also in charge of passenger transport?
"Yes. Only by holding a funeral by the Yilu River can the souls of the deceased travel upstream, return to the divine kingdom where all things are born, and be reincarnated to the music of the Death God," Alyuin said, gritting her teeth. "But my uncle will not allow a funeral to be held for my father and mother. He wants to trap their souls beneath the royal palace, never to return."
The Solancians did seem to have this tradition.
Funerals were held on the riverbank, and the soul was guided into the water, leaving only the deceased's body behind for family and friends to remember.
Alyuin raised her slightly moist eyes. "If you can help my parents escape, I will do anything for you."
"..."
A silence of a few seconds felt incredibly long.
Finally, she spoke.
"I am sorry, but I cannot," Lotus said, her voice ethereal. "My power extends only to rivers and lakes. Where they flow upon the lands of Solancia, they carry out my will. But unfortunately, the royal palace is not on the banks of the Yilu River, and I cannot wrest the souls of the former king and queen from the hands of the earth."
Oh, so that's how it is.
The light in the young princess's eyes flickered weakly, then slowly dimmed, on the verge of extinguishing.
She bowed her head deeply.
It's nothing. I expected as much, didn't I? The gods show no pity. In the end, I'm still all alone.
Lotus looked at the small whorl of hair on the crown of Alyuin's head, lost in thought.
This girl before her had talent and ability. Even in the history she knew, she was able to return to the royal city of Akhet on her own and stand as an equal to the prince.
If a little luck were added... could Alyuin, the uncrowned queen, become the true ruler of Solancia?
Lotus seized upon the thought that flashed through her mind.
"The gods cannot interfere too much in the destiny of the mortal world. Even so, O Princess of Solancia, we have always been watching you."
"Tell me, do you wish to return to Akhet?"
Alyuin said, "Of course I want to go back."
"In what manner?" Lotus continued to ask, unhurried.
To be taken back by the merciful new king after having her 'tainted blood cleansed,' or to escape the temple and sneak back in secret. Those were the only two possibilities.
Endure, or escape?
No, neither was right.
Neither of these possibilities would grant her the right to hold a proper funeral for her parents. The former would mean swallowing her pride, the latter living in obscurity. Neither was the path she desired.
But, besides these, there was another, more perilous and hopeless path. It was so impossible that it wouldn't even be considered a possibility—
"I want to return openly and honorably," the young princess said, the vague idea in her mind clearer than it had ever been. "Without that man's permission. I will return to Akhet by my own power, clear my father and mother's names, defeat him, and then..."
"And then take back the throne."
She said, enunciating each word.
Lotus nodded, a faint smile gracing her lips. "Then, as you wish."
The goddess extended a hand to the princess.
Slender and long, dazzlingly white like the marble of a divine statue.
A struggle flashed in Alyuin's eyes. She wasn't afraid to walk such a difficult path; or rather, something in her soul had been urging her to make this choice all along.
But when her father and mother were killed, the gods did not appear.
When her uncle worshipped the gods before his ascension, the gods did not appear.
Even so, even so...
Her breathing quickened involuntarily, her heart raced. Shock, consideration, hesitation, resolve—all her latent ambition and desire for revenge surged to the surface at this moment, making her eyes frighteningly bright.
Driven by instinct, the young princess raised her hand and placed it on Lotus's fingertips, and it was gently taken.
It had looked as cold as a statue, but only upon touching it did she realize that the goddess's palm was also warm and soft.
She grasped Lotus's hand tightly.
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