Chapter 255-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
"Heath…"
Informants inside the Imperial Palace regularly passed intelligence to the Papal Palace. Ye Zheng knew the Emperor had been frequently summoning Heath lately, assigning her various tasks.
The Emperor's purpose in putting Heath in charge of the execution wasn't really about putting Qin Lu to death—it was to test Heath's loyalty.
Beset on all sides—with Ye Zheng the Pope pressing forward and restless ministers scheming to enthrone a new king—he found, to his own surprise, that Heath had become his most useful confidant.
She was a princess whose fate was bound to the Aston Royal Family—naturally on the Emperor's side. The Empire had observed male-only succession for centuries; the ministers would never choose to back her. Her threat to the Emperor was minimal.
Ye Zheng closed her eyes. Would Heath sacrifice Qin Lu again this time?
If Heath didn't want all her efforts to go to waste, she would find a way to stop Ye Zheng from rescuing Qin Lu—and complete the task the Emperor had given her.
Suddenly, Ye Zheng picked up the invitation again and read it carefully.
[To my esteemed Pope, I am Heath. I sincerely invite you to attend my birthday banquet. The event will be held next Monday at the Imperial Palace. I humbly hope you will grace us with your presence. May the light of the God of Hope be always with you.]
Ye Zheng glanced at the calendar. Next Monday… was that Qin Lu's birthday?
Qin Lu held the rank of Duchess yet lived a remarkably modest life. She was a lone wolf in her dealings and had virtually no ties to the Qin family. She made her presence known through her eccentric hobbies and her knack for offending people—she was, after all, the only person in the entire Empire who dared scold Sykes to his face.
She would often lose herself in research, not even knowing what day of the week it was, let alone her own birthday. She was notorious for skipping her own classes as a professor, much to her students' chagrin.
The only special date Qin Lu could ever remember was the day the late Empress had passed away.
The observant Heath had somehow learned Qin Lu's birthday, and after that, they had developed a tradition of celebrating it together.
…Heath had chosen this date—what was she trying to do?
Ye Zheng's eyes flashed. She quickly called someone in and ordered them to look into Qin Lu's situation.
Soon, word came back. Qin Lu had just been transferred from the upper district prison—supposedly to another facility closer to the execution grounds.
"It's the Imperial Palace."
Ye Zheng said softly.
"Qin Lu has been moved to the Imperial Palace."
Ye Zheng tucked away the invitation, a smile she herself hadn't noticed crossing her eyes.
She understood now what Heath was trying to do.
*
"Your Highness, please review this list."
A handmaid presented it respectfully. Heath didn't take it, only glancing over it briefly. Her voice was gentle. "Times are turbulent. Let's keep everything simple."
Heath sat before the vanity mirror while a maid styled her hair. She stared at the familiar, tediously unchanging face in the mirror, and a sudden wave of disgust rose toward her beautiful golden locks.
Thanks to Ye Zheng's influence, the girls at the Royal Academy had taken to wearing sharp, cropped hairstyles. She didn't know whether other regions had followed the trend.
Heath had never been to any other district. As a princess, she couldn't rashly follow a fad and cut her hair—the Royal Family and the Sei Curia had always stood in opposition. In this climate, she couldn't afford any unnecessary move that might arouse suspicion.
Hair done, Heath rose. The elaborate ruffles of her skirt swayed as she walked through the deep corridors.
She reached a secluded palace and ordered the maids to wait outside. Alone, she passed the towering guards and entered.
Qin Lu was confined in a reasonably tidy underground chamber, idly reading a book by lamplight.
Hearing footsteps, Qin Lu looked up. A flicker of resignation crossed her face.
"You didn't have to come, Heath."
"I'm sorry. No matter what, I had to say it to your face."
Heath lowered her head, her expression bleak.
Qin Lu's gaze darted imperceptibly toward the entrance of the underground room, where a shadow fell faintly on the floor. She was about to say something more when Heath spoke:
"The execution date has been set. If there's anything you need, just ask me… This is the last thing I can do for you."
"Next Monday is my birthday banquet. Call me shameless if you will—but could you wish me happy birthday one last time?"
Heath's voice was low and halting, yet the face turned away from the entrance was a study in cold composure.
"…Happy birthday, Heath."
When Qin Lu said the words, a flicker of a smile crossed Heath's face. Then, expression heavy, she turned and left. The guards at the entrance stepped aside to let her pass.
Left alone in the underground room, Qin Lu looked dazed. Heath's last two sentences had carried a meaning worth mulling over.
Heath's birthday wasn't in this season—though she couldn't remember the exact date either… Next Monday was May 3rd. That date rang a bell too.
Regardless of when the Princess's birthday actually fell, the Imperial Palace had never made a grand affair of it. Yet Heath had specifically mentioned a birthday banquet. Apparently, next week's celebration would be different—Heath was no longer the ignored child she once was.
If it was Heath's birthday banquet, Ye Zheng would be there too, wouldn't she?
Qin Lu lay on the hard bed and suddenly recalled something—she nearly jolted upright.
Was Heath hinting that Ye Zheng would come to rescue her at the birthday banquet?
No—it was more than that. Heath had stressed "one last time, wish me happy birthday."
Why say that? The Sei Curia had delayed the execution until June, which seemed to be a bit after Heath's actual birthday. She could still send her wishes on the real day.
—Unless the Emperor planned to execute her early.
Qin Lu scoffed. No wonder they had secretly smuggled her into the palace. On paper, "Qin Lu" was probably still in some other prison.
To prevent Ye Zheng from rescuing her, he intended to carry out the execution in secret!
Qin Lu pressed her lips together. She wasn't the least bit surprised by that monstrous man's treachery. The only thing that surprised her was Heath.
Having come this far already, why risk throwing it all away to save her?
Qin Lu recalled the moment Heath had come to persuade her. The girl had promised her that everything would be fine—that even a death sentence could be escaped.
Once Qin Lu learned the Emperor's secret, she immediately realized that Heath's method wouldn't work against that monster. She decided to cooperate with Heath.
Not because she was out of options. Not because she couldn't refuse her adorable student. Not because she believed Heath's assurance that "everything will be fine."
What had truly stunned Qin Lu at the time—more than the Emperor's secret—was Heath herself. The girl's expression held the flustered guilt of a child, yet her words guided Qin Lu into danger with impeccable logic and persuasive force.
It was as though Qin Lu was seeing this child clearly for the first time—seeing what lay beneath those gentle, demure blue eyes: fathomless ice.
Perhaps even Heath herself hadn't realized it.
In that moment, Qin Lu had actually felt a sense of release.
Then she would entrust herself to Heath. Heath possessed the ruthless ambition that both she and her sister had lacked—more selfish and unscrupulous than Ye Zheng, yet more skilled than anyone at disguise and adaptation.
Only the Royal Family could produce such a monster. Heath's desire to destroy the monster on the throne was perhaps no less fierce than her own desire for vengeance.
In the underground room, Qin Lu rolled over to face the wall, her gaze frozen.
Her true location and the plan for an early execution—probably only the Emperor and Heath knew.
This was the Emperor's test of Heath's loyalty.
If Ye Zheng came to rescue her, the Emperor wouldn't need evidence to know it was Heath who had leaked the information.
Heath, what exactly are you thinking?
*
A week later, the newly restored Imperial Palace finally welcomed a gathering lively enough to bring its gray, silent halls back to life—an echo of the dazzling splendor from before the great dragon's rampage.
Though for complicated reasons, the number of distinguished guests who actually showed up for the Princess's birthday was rather small.
The attendants looked somewhat listless. The guests wore bland expressions.
But the arrival of one person was enough to make the banquet shine—and in no time, it became the hottest event in the city.
The moment news broke that the Pope had appeared at the Princess's birthday banquet, the aristocrats who had casually tossed aside their invitations began tearing through their homes, clutching the retrieved cards as they raced toward the Imperial Palace.
This was Ye Zheng's first public appearance since the Dragon Bone scandal and her sweeping purge of the upper district.
Even more astonishing and intriguing—she had chosen to appear at an Aston Royal Family event.
Clearly, this was no ordinary banquet. The star of the evening wasn't the birthday princess, but the Empire's two leaders.
Everyone was curious and apprehensive: was this banquet a peace summit, or a provocative escalation?
*
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