Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

570 THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEW SAINT

[A few hours earlier…]

GLENN, who was carefully wiping Brigitte's hand with a washcloth, was a bit startled when he heard Dahlia's loud gasp.

[What happened...?]

Even Manu, who was reading a holy book on the windowsill, turned to the Black Witch.

Dahlia, who fell asleep on the sofa earlier, woke up and got up abruptly– her lavender eyes glowing as if she had just had a horrible dream. "Your Majesty, this is bad," she said while standing up, her hands clasped together. "The Stars just showed me a premonition: Lord Calyx Dalton is on his way here."

That was indeed a huge problem.

There was only one reason why Calyx Dalton would come all the way here: to steal his son, who hadn't been born yet.

[Those crows…]

He couldn't believe that this time, the crows sent their "masterpiece."

"You have to make a decision now," Manu said to him. Then the Moon Priest stood up and closed the book. As soon as he did, the book in his hand disappeared. "Calyx Dalton's goal is to take the saint. Obviously, he doesn't care about the queen's life as long as he gets what he wants."

He knew that very well.

Glenn gently put Brigitte's hand on the bed before he stood and faced Dahlia. "What can I do to help while Miss Dahlia and Lord Manu help Brigitte deliver our child?"

He knew he would just get in the way.

Hence, he was leaving Brigitte and their son in the care of the Black Witch and the Moon Priest.

"We need a room that can withstand the new saint's divine power," Dahlia said. "While Her Majesty is giving birth to the new saint, I will extract the baby's divine power. I plan to put the divine power in the round fish tank I make, but it won't be enough. A sturdy room is required for additional support, Your Majesty."

A sturdy room that could withstand the possible explosion of divine power.

[Then…]

"I can control the earth element," Glenn said, uncertain. "With my power, I can cover the entire room with rocks imbued with my Mana. I'm not sure if it would be enough, though."

"Have some confidence in your ability, you meek child," Manu said, patting his back a little too hard. "Before I entered a long slumber, I've seen you in your adolescence. If Gavin Quinzel was Nikolai de Moonasterio's sword, then you were the emperor's shield."

That was true.

Gavin Quinzel, the former commander of the White Lion Knights, was the best Sword Master on the entire continent.

Well, Glenn was more known as the 'Mad Dog' on the battlefield.

However, after he resolved his issue with his family (by disowning them), he finally calmed down and focused on his ability to control the earth element. Thanks to that, he learned how to create barriers from rocks and the dirt itself.

That was how he had become the shield of the emperor.

[And now, it's time for me to become my wife and child's shield.]

"I'll do it," Glenn said, more confident this time. "I will turn this room into a sturdy room that can withstand my son's divine power."

Dahlia smiled, but the worry on her face remained. "However, Your Majesty, doing so will exhaust your Mana."

"That's true," he said, then he touched the scabbard attached to his hip. Ever since the palace was first attacked, he never went around anywhere without his sword. Ebony, his sword, amplified his ability to control the earth element, after all. "I need to make the room as sturdy as possible, after all."

The Black Witch looked like she had something more to say, but was too shy to speak her mind.

[She's probably being considerate of me.]

"It's alright, Miss Dahlia," Glenn urged her gently. "If there's anything else that I can help you with, please don't hesitate to tell me."

"Your Majesty, I believe Lord Manu and I would need a lot of time while helping the queen give birth to the new saint," Dahlia said shyly. "I wanted to ask Your Majesty if you could fight Calyx Dalton to buy us some time. But your Mana will get exhausted after Your Majesty turn this room into a sturdier one. I can't ask Your Majesty to put your life in danger after I realized the risks…"

The Black Witch had a point.

Calyx Dalton may be young, but he still had de Moonasterio blood in him.

He understood where Dahlia was coming, and he could see why it was dangerous.

However…

"If it's for my wife and child, then I'll gladly do it," Glenn said, smiling at Dahlia to give the child assurance. "Miss Dahlia, I'll buy you and Lord Manu some time by stalling my fight with Calyx Dalton." He gently put a hand on the Black Witch's shoulder. "I leave my wife and child to you."

***

DAHLIA wanted to cry with Queen Brigitte.

This was the first time she assisted in child delivery, so she was a little clumsy. If Lord Manu wasn't with her, then she would have been lost already.

[No, you can't cry,] Dahlia scolded herself. [You can't let King Glenn down.]

"Just a little more push, Your Majesty," Dahlia said in a panic when she saw the head of the baby coming out. "Just a little more…"

Queen Brigitte let out another agonizing cry.

This time, Dahlia sobbed because she could tell how much in pain the queen was. She couldn't help but empathize with Her Majesty. And this was probably what made her a crybaby.

[But what can I do? I hate seeing other people in pain…]

"Child, the saint's divine power is already sucking out the life force of the queen," Manu said in a hurry. "Can you begin extracting the divine power from the saint now?"

Dahlia wiped the tears from her face with her forearm, then she nodded. "I'll perform the extraction now, my lord."

***

[IT'S DONE.]

Dahlia ignored the blood dripping from her nose.

Her attention was focused on the three round fish tanks that she made after extracting the new saint's divine power. The round fish tank that she created looked like a transparent sphere because of the pure white light that the divine power emitted.

[The new saint is so powerful. If this kind of power falls into the wrong hands…]

Her gloomy thoughts were interrupted when she heard the cry of the baby saint.

When she looked over her shoulder, she saw Lord Manu holding the baby wrapped in a white cloth in his arms. It looked like the Moon Priest used his power to clean both the mother and the baby quickly.

From where she stood, she could see the baby's sand-blond hair.

[Aww… he has the same hair color as His Majesty.]

But the baby couldn't open his eyes yet, so she couldn't guess what his eye color would be.

[If he was born with his divine power, then his eyes would look like they contain the universe in them.]

"My baby…"

It was Queen Brigitte's weak voice, and her hand was reaching out to the saint.

"The saint was born safely, child," Lord Manu said, then he gently placed the baby next to the queen. "Have you thought of a name for the saint?"

"Skylus," Queen Brigitte said, smiling faintly while looking at the baby with all the love in her heart. The queen looked very exhausted, but the warmth in her gaze never wavered. "Our lovely prince…"

'Skylus…'

Dahlia smiled warmly while looking at the queen and the baby saint.

[Your mother and father gave you a lovely name, Prince Skylus.]

***

[Present…]

DAHLIA didn't expect it.

The silver choker that Calyx Dalton put around her neck while he was straddling her on the floor was the very item that the Black Witches had sacrificed their lives for.

Those silver chokers known as the 'Divine Judgement' were used to hunt the Black Witches in the past. Once the choker was put around their neck, only the de Moonasterios could remove it, and no one else.

Why the de Moonasterios?

Simple: the Royal Family created the chokers, after all.

"How?" Dahlia asked weakly. It had only been a minute since Calyx Dalton put the choker on her neck forcefully and yet, she already felt her entire strength leaving her body. She couldn't even summon her Elemental Guardian now. "All the pieces of the Divine Judgement should have been disposed of already…"

The remaining Black Witches a decade ago sacrificed their lives in order to destroy all those stupid silver chokers in the world!

[All for my sake… so why does Calyx Dalton have it?!]

"Callisto de Luca," Calyx Dalton said, smirking like the lunatic that he was. "Our Excellency was the one who created the chokers to hunt down Black Witches like you. What made you think His Excellency can't make another?"

But Callisto de Luca should no longer have the power to do that.

She had heard from Prince Nero in the past that they had found out recently that Callisto de Luca was still alive. But, apparently, he didn't have his own body.

[So how did he manage to create another piece of Divine Judgement…?]

"It doesn't matter how I got my hands on this item," Calyx Dalton said. "So, just shut up and– argh!"

The young lord was suddenly sent flying.

That was when Dahlia noticed that he was there.

[Prince Nero…]

It seemed like the Crown Prince had kicked the young lord sideways, sending the crow flying until he hit the wall.

[His Royal Highness looks taller and healthier than the last time I saw him.]

"Can you stand up?" Prince Nero asked indifferently, then he offered his hand to her. "Here."

Dahlia swallowed her sobs, then she accepted the Crown Prince's hand and let him pull her up gently. She wanted to ask him to remove the choker around her neck. However, she didn't need to do that.

Prince Nero immediately reached out for the choker. "Excuse me for a moment."

And, just like how Calyx Dalton easily put the choker on her neck, Prince Nero removed it effortlessly.

"How?" Dahlia asked weakly. "How did you know that the choker is affecting me negatively?"

[Did the Crown Prince hear me yell earlier?]

"For a holy item, this one sure reek of malice," Prince Nero said, then his sharp gaze darted to Calyx Dalton who stood up while cupping his swollen cheek. "You brought an interesting item with you, Calyx Dalton."

"The fun was just about to begin, but you caught me already," Calyx Dalton said, laughing. "Did you miss me that much, Prince Nero?"

Dahlia seriously got the chills.

However, she was interrupted when the ground shook hard.

Then, out of nowhere, the sky darkened.

The next thing she knew, a snowstorm had already begun!

[It's not an ordinary snowstorm, though.]

And the sky…

She could see it clearly.

Dahlia could see that the three transparent "fish tank" that she used to contain Prince Skylus' divine power had already exploded…

… and they scattered in the sky, hidden by the snow.

[Now it's time to find and collect Prince Skylus' divine power.]

***