The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 190
Christmas Day, inside the hall of Jerion Academy.
Until just moments ago, the hall had been tense with the nobles’ predatory gazes, like hyenas circling, as they engaged in a battle of nerves following Isabel’s appearance.
But now, the hall was quieter than ever.
The reason was simple.
Two figures had appeared and completely seized control of the gathering.
The Third Imperial Princess, Iris Hysirion.
The First Imperial Prince, Luke Rizen Hysirion.
Two people who resembled each other yet were described with entirely contradictory words.
The nobles were in an uproar because of these two imperial successors, who divided the empire’s power between them.
The only time the two were ever seen together in the same place was during official imperial meetings—and even those had been absent for years since Iris began attending the academy.
Yet now, after so long, the two imperial successors stood face to face.
Sweat beaded on the backs of the empire’s nobles.
They scrambled to greet the two as if their feet were on fire.
Nobles from outside the empire were no different.
No matter which of the two ascended to the throne, it wouldn’t be surprising.
In this situation, the order in which they paid their respects could influence the fate of entire nations.
They were at a loss for how to navigate this predicament.
And as for Isabel—
“Pushed to the sidelines, I see.”
Seated in the chair provided for her, Isabel looked down at the nobles struggling to find their footing in this situation.
Soon after, her gaze landed on me, sitting quietly beside her.
“This is your doing.”
I feigned ignorance.
Isabel let out a long sigh.
“I can understand Her Highness Iris, but how in the world did you get the First Prince to come?”
“His Highness and I are very close.”
“The only men you’re close to are Card and Grantoni.”
Don’t say that—Bando counts too.
But since her words weren’t entirely false, I couldn’t deny them.
“His Highness the First Prince also found this year’s Magical Palace Tournament quite concerning.”
I glanced toward the First Prince, who was conversing with the nobles.
“This visit is just an excuse. The real purpose lies elsewhere.”
That man had spent his entire life steeped in politics.
He wasn’t the type to move on a mere request—his actions always had deeper motives.
Just then, the First Prince glanced in our direction.
Meeting my eyes, he gave a faint smirk.
I could guess what that look meant.
You’re about to play the Nia card, aren’t you?
My gaze shifted to Iris.
This incident would deal a heavy blow to her.
My enemy wasn’t Iris—it was Cheonhye Gong.
But to bring down Cheonhye Gong, I had no choice but to destabilize the Third Princess faction.
And the fallout would be entirely borne by Iris.
Then, my eyes met Iris’s.
She curled the corner of her lips and nodded slightly, as if to say it was fine.
Watching that, my eyes widened slowly.
Had she already heard something?
Iris had her own ears everywhere.
Perhaps she had pieced together what would happen today from the flow of events.
After all, it was Iris herself who had asked me to prevent Nia’s death.
In that sense, this situation might have been something she had already foreseen.
“I have an announcement for everyone gathered here today.”
At that moment, the First Prince began to speak.
Simultaneously, footsteps echoed from the corridor.
The nobles stared at him in bewilderment.
But the First Prince paid them no mind.
“The recent incident involving Nia Cynthia at the Magical Palace.”
The First Prince finally revealed the card he would use to shake the Third Princess faction.
“I declare here and now—it was not an accident, but an assassination.”
The assassination of a noble.
Every noble present understood the gravity of the First Prince’s words.
Expressions of shock spread across the faces of the Third Princess faction.
While the First Prince’s faction had been pressing the Third Princess faction about Nia’s incident, those discussions had always been held behind closed doors.
It was not something to be declared so boldly in front of so many people.
But the fact that he had made such a statement now meant one thing—
He had evidence to back his claim.
“No, let me correct myself. This was an assassination attempt by those who seek to disrupt the imperial family.”
Thud—
At that moment, the hall’s doors swung open.
The nobles’ gazes snapped toward the entrance.
Then, their eyes slowly widened.
Standing there was a face everyone recognized.
The successor to the next head of the Yellow Magic Tower.
A member of the Imperial Magic Knights.
Nia Cynthia.
He appeared, accompanied by several others.
“Professor Nia… You’re alive.”
Isabel beside me let out a sigh of relief.
Though they weren’t particularly close, Isabel was never one to welcome someone’s death.
So Nia’s survival was an immense relief.
“Nia Cynthia.”
“Yes, Your Highness the First Prince.”
At the First Prince’s call, Nia stepped forward and stood beside him.
My gaze naturally drifted to the woman next to Nia.
A woman with chestnut hair, her face concealed beneath a veil.
I recognized her instantly.
Nikita.
“As His Highness stated, I was the target of an assassination attempt in the Magical Palace.
And until today, I deliberately hid myself to uncover those who sought my death.”
Nia’s eyes swept over the panicked Third Princess faction before finally settling on Iris.
“Your Highness, Third Princess Iris Hysirion—what are your thoughts on this?”
A flurry of hushed murmurs spread among the Third Princess faction.
But Iris remained silent, unmoving.
Only a minority of the Third Princess faction truly followed Iris.
The majority were loyal to Cheonhye Gong.
Iris merely stood under Cheonhye Gong’s protection.
In truth, the Third Princess faction could hardly be called her own.
Because of this, the crisis facing the Third Princess faction was only ambiguously tied to Iris herself.
Perhaps that was why Iris’s expression remained eerily calm despite the situation.
“Nia Cynthia, a knight of the empire and the future Count of Cynthia, has faced the threat of assassination.”
Iris’s distinctive voice rang clearly in everyone’s ears.
“If there are those who instigated this assassination, they must naturally face the consequences.”
Her next words were resolute.
She was the final villainess.
If anyone dared to tarnish her standing, she would cut them down without hesitation.
The Third Princess faction knew this well.
Above all, Cheonhye Gong would never let those who bungled the assassination go unpunished.
The faces of the Third Princess faction paled.
No matter how much they clung to Iris and Cheonhye Gong, this was the empire.
Even if they were to disappear, the two would remain untouched.
All they could do now was accept the reality before them.
“In the name of the First Imperial Prince, Luke Rizen Hysirion, I vow to investigate this matter thoroughly.”
“Third Princess Iris Hysirion also pledges her full cooperation.”
An incident to be investigated with the direct involvement of the First Prince and Third Princess.
Even if no assassin existed, one would be fabricated to bear the punishment.
The First Prince glanced at Iris briefly before turning away sharply.
“I shall take my leave of this gathering. We must act quickly before evidence is erased.”
Nia and Nikita followed the First Prince out.
Through the fluttering veil, Nikita’s eyes met mine for a brief moment.
Her disguised face, so unlike her usual self, flashed a faint smile before she departed.
For a second, I thought Nia glared at me with fiery eyes—but I hoped it was just my imagination.
Iris silently watched the First Prince’s retreating figure.
Though bound by blood, they were two people who could never stand by each other.
The party descended into chaos in an instant.
The First Prince’s bombshell declaration had thrown everything into disarray.
This incident would spiral far beyond expectations.
The First Prince’s true goal was to use this opportunity to bring down Cheonhye Gong.
‘He’ll use Nia’s assassination as a catalyst to expose Cheonhye Gong’s ties to the Evil Sect.’
The key now was how Cheonhye Gong would respond.
Thanks to this, the Christmas party was ruined.
I leaned toward Isabel and whispered.
“Isabel, you can rest easy now.”
In this situation, Christmas was the least of anyone’s concerns.
“…Today’s been even more chaotic than I expected.”
Isabel exhaled and leaned back in her chair.
“By the way, you’ve removed the bandages from your curtain.”
“You noticed.”
Isabel smiled faintly.
Then, she asked quietly.
“Those gloves—they’re hiding scars, aren’t they?”
My body bore many scars.
Isabel had known this for a long time.
As she said, I was currently wearing gloves.
Naturally, my sleeves were long as well.
“It’s still winter, so the sleeves cover them. As for my eyes, I have special lenses I prepared earlier.”
As long as the remnants of the Ancient Dragon didn’t act up, they remained concealed.
Isabel let out a short, pitying sigh.
“Still, not wearing the curtain’s bandages is progress.”
“I’ll gradually reduce them.”
When I grinned, Isabel sighed as if she couldn’t win.
Knock knock—
Then, a tapping sound came from behind us.
Turning my head, I saw a familiar face pressed against the window.
A girl with deep blue hair, her cheek squished flat against the glass.
“Sharin.”
I called her name and opened the window.
Sharin immediately draped herself over the windowsill.
“Haaah… Hubby, Bel, hi.”
She waved lazily.
Judging by her face, she must have just woken up and stumbled her way here.
“What’s up?”
“Just keeping an eye on Hubby in case he’s cheating with Bel.”
Suddenly, I had become a cheating husband with Isabel.
It was absurd to me, but Sharin stared at Isabel with serious eyes.
“Bel, what did you do with Hubby while I wasn’t here?”
Her tone was probing.
And it hit the mark perfectly.
Isabel’s shoulders flinched ever so slightly.
Sharin’s brows slowly furrowed.
Then, her eyes narrowed slightly.
“What did you do?”
“……”
Isabel stayed silent.
Sharin wriggled her way up the window with a grunt.
Unable to watch, I wrapped an arm around her waist and helped her inside.
Immediately, she clung to me.
Then, she buried her face against my chest and repeated:
“What did you do? What did you dooo? What did you dooooo?”
“W-We didn’t do anything!”
Isabel hurriedly defended, but Sharin puffed up her cheeks.
“Then I want to do it too.”
She looked up at me.
“Hubby, do it with me.”
“W-What?!”
Isabel shouted in panic.
“Absolutely not!”
“Why can Bel do it but not me?”
“Because it’s just not allowed!”
At her fierce refusal, Sharin’s eyes sharpened further.
“Both of you, calm down—”
“Why does Bel get everything?”
A sharp edge crept into Sharin’s voice.
Her emotions had flared.
“I was the one who got engaged to Hubby first. Bel’s the one acting out of line.”
“Sharin, wait.”
I tried to stop her, gripping her arm.
Isabel, too, froze at Sharin’s words.
Deep down, she was conscious of the fact that she had fallen for someone her friend liked.
Sharin had unknowingly struck that nerve.
“Bel, why do you act like you don’t care when you’re just greedy? You can’t even be honest with yourself. I hate that about you.”
Just as I was trying to defuse the situation—
Sharin said the one thing she shouldn’t have.
Isabel stiffened and turned to look at her.
But Sharin glared back with genuine anger.
“Sharin.”
“…Me too.”
As I tried to reprimand Sharin, Isabel spoke.
“I hate how reckless you are, Rin.”
Isabel clenched her fists, her body trembling.
“You do whatever you want without ever considering how others feel. You take whatever you desire without hesitation.”
Fights often start over the smallest things.
This was the spark that ignited the emotions simmering between them.
“……”
“……”
Sharin and Isabel glared at each other.
This was a crack forming between two people who had been closer than anyone else.