WMEEM Ch 6

Perfect Existence

Except for brief meal breaks and minimal sleep, we rode day and night. Occasionally, we halted to rest the horses, but those reprieves were fleeting.

At first, excitement blinded me to the physical toll. As the days dragged on, however, motion sickness set in alongside a rising fever.

Days of severe sleep deprivation and malnutrition had already eroded my body before the journey even began. Worse still, traveling farther north brought a biting cold.

A full week had passed since our departure. Though Batizo had predicted a week to ten days in the saddle, he clearly intended to stretch it to the full ten days.

Tarega had checked my temperature repeatedly since morning. At midday, she pressed her hand to my forehead once more.

[Tarega] "Your Highness, this is getting dangerous. I must ask them to stop for just one day of rest."

[Celeste] "I can still endure it. Tell them only if my condition worsens further."

Everyone was suffering equally. Tarega and I at least had a carriage, while the others remained exposed on horseback. I refused to become a burden while they pushed relentlessly to stay on schedule.

More than that, I feared their judgment. My position here was one of complete weakness. Incurring the displeasure of even the lowest-ranking soldier worried me. A single voice of discontent directed at me would bring nothing good.

[Tarega] "What if you collapse?"

[Celeste] "I only need to hold out for three more days. Three days is manageable."

Yet my breath burned hot as I spoke, filling me with quiet dread.

Though my appetite was entirely gone, I forced food down my throat to sustain myself. Failing to eat felt like an invitation to collapse, which would burden the retinue.

Despite my battered body, I found genuine joy in the journey. The vast grasslands, the azure sky, the crisp wind brushing my cheeks, and the swirling leaves brought effortless smiles to my face.

Because my spirits remained high, I believed a brief rest upon reaching Kellinev would swiftly restore my health.

After finishing my meal, I swallowed a sip of water just as a shadow loomed overhead. The shadow belonged to Batizo, whom I had glimpsed only from a distance throughout the week.

[Batizo] "You are heartier than you look."

He was rather insensitive. Tarega had been frantic, claiming my face looked gaunt, yet his comment brought no offense, only an instinctive smile.

More than anything, I was glad to see him approach.

[Celeste] "I possess remarkable resilience. This is nothing to me."

Perhaps driven by my heightened spirits, my voice sounded higher than usual. Or perhaps I was desperately concealing my true state from him.

While I could voice complaints before Tarega, I could never show vulnerability to an intimidating figure like Batizo. Regardless, seeing him gladdened my heart, and I smiled brightly to convey that warmth.

Something in his tone sounded noticeably less oppressive than before.

[Batizo] "After three more days of hard riding, we will enter Kellinev comfortably."

His words implied something beyond merely arriving in Kellinev in three days.

[Celeste] "What do you mean by entering comfortably?"

[Batizo] "As I mentioned previously, Terkan will handle the rest."

How, exactly?

[Batizo] "Ah, I neglected to inform you. Terkan is a spacetime mage. Had our numbers been smaller or the distance shorter, we would have traversed directly from Calyx to Kellinev. Yet Terkan has not reached that level of mastery, so we were forced to ride for a time."

A spacetime mage. I recalled Batizo using that exact term during his confrontation with Raff. At the time, I had no idea what a spacetime mage was.

[Celeste] "What is a spacetime mage?"

One corner of his lips curled upward.

[Batizo] "Unaware of what a spacetime mage is... Terkan was correct; you received no proper education."

I had no response. I assumed it referred to a mage who manipulated time and space, yet I knew no details.

Faced with his patronizing gaze, embarrassment flushed through me.

[Batizo] "You certainly have much to learn, Princess."

[Celeste] "I will learn diligently."

He turned and walked away. Once again, I had deluded myself.

Bitterness coated my mouth, prompting me to drink the remaining water. As I berated myself for constantly misinterpreting his gestures, self-loathing settled over me.

Rationally, there was no reason to feel gladdened by seeing him after a week. The same applied to the night before our departure. Attaching foolish notions like "family" to a marriage forged strictly for mutual profit was my mistake.

The flaw lay entirely in me. It was only natural for Batizo to ignore me for a week and view my ignorance with contempt.

Recalling those moments brought a flush of shame to my cheeks. I sat on an exposed tree root protruding from the dirt, trying to cool my feverish skin while banishing the encounter from my mind.

Suddenly, a rich fragrance brushed past my nose. I looked around and found Terkan standing beside me, staring in the same direction I was.

[Terkan] "Are you feeling unwell?"

Tarega must have spoken to him already.

[Celeste] "Just tired. But could you please announce your presence when approaching? You startle me."

[Terkan] "I made plenty of noise, but Your Highness was focused and failed to hear me."

[Celeste] "Then make even louder noises next time. I focus quite often."

[Terkan] "I shall keep that in mind. Furthermore, you handled that well."

Praise dropped from his lips out of nowhere. Staring up at such a tall man from the ground strained my neck sharply.

[Celeste] "Handled what well?"

[Terkan] "Rebuking and cautioning me."

[Celeste] "Ah, that."

[Terkan] "I am relieved to see you adapting, step by step."

[Celeste] "I acted out of necessity. Was that something to praise?"

[Terkan] "Should a subordinate ever address Your Highness regarding a fault or mistake, you must never apologize."

[Celeste] "What a strange concept royalty is. When a person commits a fault, is it not proper conduct to apologize? And when receiving aid, to express gratitude?"

A subtle smile graced his lips. His smile possessed a hypnotic quality that demanded one's gaze. A slightly tilted head, eyes curving softly, and those gem-like ruby irises resting within them.

And what of his lips, bearing the same crimson hue as his eyes? His slowly arching lips seemed to understand the precise art of displaying the most breathtaking smile.

Given his usual impassive demeanor, a single smile like this could easily captivate anyone.

[Terkan] "Royalty is special."

[Celeste] "Special or not, they are still human."

[Terkan] "They stand above ordinary people as special existences. Never forget that, Your Highness."

Special existences.

Indeed, looking at Raff, royalty certainly stood above ordinary people. Yet I had been excluded from that realm.

Because I needed to become such an existence in Kellinev, Terkan instructed me at every turn.

Yet no joy accompanied the realization. It felt as though I was becoming a person like Raff, a creature capable of ruining a life with a single word or gesture.

[Celeste] "I don't wish to become such a person."

[Terkan] "You already are, and you were born as such. It is not a matter of choice."

The wind picked up sharply. His dark hair fluttered like tall grass across the plains, as did mine.

Long strands swept across my face, obscuring my vision. Just as I raised my hand to brush them away, his fingers reached out, lightly touching my skin. His fingertips glided past my cheek.

As my hair cleared, my eyes locked onto his face. The smile on his handsome features had vanished completely.

[Terkan] "If you loathe the royal conduct I have taught you..."

His voice, gentle moments ago, turned chillingly cold.

[Terkan] "Then become a far more special and noble existence. Commit no faults or mistakes, and you will have no reason to apologize."

Without realizing it, I held my breath.

[Terkan] "Ensure you require no assistance from others. When you excel at everything, you need no help. Become the one who extends help instead."

[Celeste] "..."

[Terkan] "You need only achieve perfection."

Perfection.

If I were born into royalty and couldn't escape it, becoming the special, noble existence Terkan described was far better than becoming like Raff.

Yet I lacked confidence.

Could I, someone who possessed only a superficial grasp of the world through books I could barely decipher, become perfect? It felt entirely impossible.

Yet if the impossible became possible and I became the perfect version of myself as Terkan suggested, claiming Calyx would become far easier.

I wanted more than a hollow title granted by a transactional marriage. I wanted to become powerful. Not a princess whom Batizo viewed with contempt, but someone indispensable he could rely upon.

[Celeste] "How can I become perfect?"

[Terkan] "I shall assist you."

[Celeste] "You?"

Could he accomplish that?

[Celeste] "You are saying you will help me become a perfect Empress?"

[Terkan] "However, no complaints shall be permitted, no matter how rigorous it becomes. I am not a lenient teacher."

[Celeste] "I will not complain."

[Terkan] "And you must accomplish everything demanded of you."

[Celeste] "I will. I will accomplish it no matter what."

Though I didn't know whether he deserved my trust, he was the sole person I could rely upon right now.

Therefore, I chose to trust him.

We stared at each other in silence for a long moment.

---

Prior to our departure...

When I boarded the carriage, Tarega handed me a small medicine bottle.

[Tarega] "Your Highness, please take this and get some rest."

[Celeste] "What medicine is this?"

[Tarega] "I received it from Master Terkan just now. It is a fever reducer."

[Celeste] "So you did tell him I was unwell, despite my warning."

[Tarega] "I said no such thing!"

Tarega denied it adamantly. She popped the pill into my mouth and handed me a glass of water.

I swallowed the medicine and glared at her, but she shook her head frantically, swearing her innocence.

[Celeste] "You said Terkan gave you the medicine, right?"

[Tarega] "Yes! He called me over, said it was a fever reducer, and handed it to me."

[Celeste] "I never mentioned my fever to him."

[Tarega] "I didn't utter a single word regarding Your Highness' health!"

He asked if I felt unwell earlier... Did he discern my fever then?

Unlike Batizo, is Terkan particularly perceptive?

It seemed no matter what I tried to hide, he saw right through me.

Was there anything he didn't know?

Even during our conversation earlier, events had spiraled beyond my expectations.

He possessed no grand eloquence, yet as we spoke, I found myself believing him, as though my mind had been captivated and subtly steered by his will.

Yet I harbored no regret. Though I had boldly declared I would deliver Calyx to Batizo, my current reality remained bleak.

Upon reaching Kellinev, I had intended to ask Batizo for a tutor, reasoning that learning would yield results.

Naturally, trusting Terkan, someone I had encountered a few times, felt far more comfortable than relying on a complete stranger. Furthermore, Terkan understood my limitations better than anyone, sparing me embarrassment.

I made the right choice.

You made the right choice, Celeste.

I banished the quiet anxiety creeping into my chest, closed my eyes, and sought sleep.

---

Tarega's voice roused me from my slumber.

[Tarega] "Your Highness!"

She stared out the window and gestured frantically.

[Tarega] "Please come look! Something strange is happening outside!"

Prompted by her words, I poked my head out the carriage window.

Mounted soldiers encircled the carriage, with Terkan positioned at the center.

Night had fallen, and everyone held flickering torches. Thanks to the light, I caught glimpses of Terkan's actions.

He held his palms together, eyes closed. The faint movement of his lips suggested he was incanting something, though no sound reached my ears.

A low, humming vibration resonated through the air. I asked Tarega if she felt it as well.

[Tarega] "It sounds like a low hum, or perhaps the ground is trembling... It is terrifying."

Despite her fear, Tarega kept her eyes glued to the scene.

Rather than fear, a surreal sensation washed over me, much like Terkan's presence itself.

Just then, every torch extinguished simultaneously. Terkan slowly parted his palms, and a blinding light leaked from between his hands.

I doubted my eyes.

Can light emanate from a human palm?

As the distance between his hands widened, the pouring light grew increasingly brilliant.

How could I describe it? It was neither sunlight nor the artificial glow of banquet lamps. The pure, white burst of light didn't merely illuminate objects. It made them vanish.

Upon closer inspection, night had not fallen. Instead, our surroundings had turned pitch-black.

I quickly glanced down. The ground beneath us had turned black as well.

We were in an unknown void. Though human feet rested upon the earth moments ago, we now floated in black space.

The light emanating from Terkan's hands expanded rapidly, sweeping past the carriage wheels until it touched the hooves of the surrounding horses.

Flash!

The light shattered into countless shards. The world turned blindingly white, obscuring all vision as though I had been struck blind.

A moment later...

Murmurs echoed around us, and objects gradually reclaimed their forms.

The soldiers who had been riding alongside us were now intermingled with unfamiliar people who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

My eyes darted rapidly, trying to process the scene. The sky matched the one I saw before sleeping, yet this was no longer the grassland.

This place bore no resemblance to the open plains where no mountains or structures obstructed the horizon.

The carriage rested inside a grand garden, with a majestic, sprawling palace looming nearby.

Instinct delivered the truth immediately.

This was the Imperial Palace of Kellinev.

---

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