novelraw Chapter 106: The Great Terror
Chapter 106: The Great Terror
"Mr. Fischer, and this is...?"
Elizabeth looked at Fischer, as if simply inquiring about the newcomer's identity. Fischer glanced at Renee — who, predictably, had not stayed home like a good girl — and a dozen plausible explanations flickered through his mind, but not a single one left his mouth.
'If this were before this morning's kiss, I could probably explain away with a straight face.'
So Fischer thought.
With a sigh, he started to shift toward Renee, intending to introduce her to Elizabeth — only to find that Elizabeth had locked his arm in an iron grip, refusing to let him move a single step in Renee's direction.
Renee keenly detected Elizabeth's little maneuver. A dangerous twinkling passed through her eyes. She moved first, walking over to Fischer's side and introducing herself to Elizabeth.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Renee. I hold an honorary professorship at the Kadu Theological Seminary, and I am a friend of Fischer's. He invited me here today to have a look at his school."
She glanced at Elizabeth, and her smile widened.
"I've heard Fischer speak of his distinguished friend at court. I've long wished to pay my respects ever since my time at the Holy Church. Meeting you in person, Your Highness, your elegance truly exceeds all expectation."
Decoded, these two sentences contained the following information:'I'm a fellow academic Fischer met during his years in Kadu. The mention of the Holy Church signals that my own status is equally exalted — no lower than yours, Nari princess — but I am deeply humble, unlike your imperious self.'
'Fischer invited me here today as his female companion for the festivities. For some reason, my escort has been hijacked by you. I'm not angry, I'm not in a rush — but I am gently reminding you: kindly return my date.'
Fischer stole a sidelong glance at Renee. Her usual casual teasing and mischievous grin had vanished entirely, replaced by devout humility and saintly grace. Like this, she truly resembled the purest holy maiden of the Kadu Cathedral.
A vein twitched on Elizabeth's forehead. But she did not release Fischer's arm. She merely smiled.
"Not at all. Kadu's historical and cultural heritage is truly impressive. Naris pales in comparison."
Translation from Princess Elizabeth: 'I'm a barbarian. What are you going to do about it?'
'I'm shamelessly stealing your date, and I have zero shame about it. Take him back if you can.'
After these exchanges, both parties remained excruciatingly "polite" — yet even Jasmine, who had the least sense for atmosphere of anyone present, was beginning to detect that something was very wrong.
Isabel looked between the two women in a fluster, unsure how to intervene. Lady Laofang silently downgraded her estimation of Fischer by another notch, but kept quiet, wearing a "this is none of my business" expression. Jasmine understood nothing of what was happening and simply stared at Fischer, recalling their encounter in front of the natatorium. Only Milika smiled darkly, mentally praying for them to start fighting — ideally with both sides losing, since she felt neither woman was right for Professor Fischer.
There was no way Fischer was going to let this escalate further. He gently took hold of Elizabeth's hand and extracted it from the crook of his arm, then positioned himself between the two women and picked up Renee's thread.
"Your Highness, this is Renee — a scholar I met while travelling in Kadu. Her command of magic is exceptionally high, and she takes a keen interest in Nari customs. I specifically invited her to attend today's events. I simply hadn't anticipated that Your Highness would also be here."
Renee stole a furtive look at Fischer's back. Her heartbeat quickened for a second, but her expression remained as composed and poised as ever.
"Oh, so my timing is the problem, then."
Elizabeth removed her hat. The pressure now fell squarely on Fischer. An invisible, terrifying aura radiated outward, unconsciously scattering every uninvolved bystander. Even Isabel pressed her lips together, clearly ill at ease with this side of her sister.
But Fischer's expression did not even flicker. He met Elizabeth's gaze head-on.
"I would never presume. Your Highness's wishes are and always have been my highest priority. If Your Highness has any doubts on that point, the poetry recital presents a convenient opportunity — allow me to offer a poem as my apology."
"Yes, yes! It's a poetry recital, Sister! Won't you give me a poem, too?"
Elizabeth studied Fischer's face for two or three seconds, then smiled warmly. The pressure vanished without a trace. She reached down and patted Isabel's hand, though her gaze drifted toward Renee.
"Very well then, Mr. Fischer. Let me hear this poem of yours. Lady Laofang is right here, so any careless nonsense won't pass muster."
"Rest assured — Fischer is quite talented. He gave me a poem once, and I still have it to this day."
Of all possible moments, Renee chose precisely this one to fan the flames. Her single offhand remark chilled the air all over again. Worse, she strolled right up to Fischer's side and assumed the easy tone of "family," implying that Fischer had celebrated many a "Gothrin Festival" with her in the past.
Fischer turned to look at Renee, but she ignored him completely, firing salvo after salvo at Elizabeth with her guns blazing.
Fischer's mediation was the only reason Elizabeth had deigned to drop the matter and walk down the diplomatic off-ramp. She genuinely hadn't expected this woman to come charging after her, insisting on a head-to-head confrontation.
'Fine. If that's how it is, then neither of us will back down!'
"By all means, let me hear it. But a word of caution, Mr. Fischer — this is a Gothrin Festival poem offered to the Gothrin legacy. It needs to be a cut above what you might dash off for just anyone. Don't disappoint me."
She lingered deliberately on the words "just anyone" — a pointed dig at Renee, implying she was not in the same league.
The two women's swords were all but visibly crossed at this point. Any other lady might have retreated in deference to Elizabeth's rank. But Renee was the exception to every rule.
She came and went without a trace. Even Fischer had to admit that finding Renee in the first place had been pure chance. Beyond this face-to-face skirmish, Elizabeth had no other leverage against her — unless she ordered the Royal Navy to bomb Fischer's flat into a crater.
Fischer had originally intended to toss off something formulaic, but since Elizabeth had spoken, half-hearted effort was off the table. He paused for a moment, then recited a poem in praise of gold.
"'Up the river I go, seeking light in the dark of night; sun and moon withdraw, and darkness seizes my limbs in its lonely grip; warmth, where are you? Light, where are you? It was you all along — gold, hidden beneath the dust; it was you all along — gold, buried in the earth.'"
In Nari literature, "gold" universally symbolized the royal house — the Gothrin dynasty.
Elizabeth withheld her response. Instead, she turned to Laofang at her side and asked with a smile.
"Lady Laofang, what do you think of this poem?"
Laofang blinked in surprise, then savored Fischer's verse before rendering her judgment.
"This poem doesn't follow any established template — it appears to be Mr. Fischer's improvisation. The diction is unavoidably sparse, but the theme is unmistakably clear. It is, all in all, a respectable work."
Laofang's assessment was scrupulously even-handed, devoid of emotional bias — a masterclass in diplomatic fence-sitting that offended no one. You could say she praised it; you could say she didn't. Either way, the verdict was bulletproof. Laofang clearly knew her way around the golden mean.
Privately, however, she was puzzled: he actually dared call Elizabeth "dust-covered" and "buried" gold? Was the man suicidal?
But given Fischer and Princess Elizabeth's unusual relationship, she thought it wiser not to touch that particular live wire. She judiciously omitted any commentary on the poem's imagery.
Elizabeth listened, then smiled and turned to Fischer with praise.
"I quite like this poem. I shall accept your apology, then. It seems the lady was right — Mr. Fischer does have considerable talent. As a courtesy in return, I should give you a poem as well."
"'I am the cloud — beneath the vast and distant blue sky, I shield you from the sun; you are the traveler — and I wish only that my beloved in the shade would beckon me down with a crooked finger.'"
Elizabeth stood with her hat cradled in her arms, her golden hair carrying the scent of summer. She delivered the beautiful verse to the gentleman before her with a smile, drawing astonished looks from the girls nearby.
Milika puffed out her cheeks. Isabel glanced at Fischer, her own face flushed.
Jasmine was eyeing the cake on a nearby attendant's tray.
Fischer's lips parted. He slowly tucked the poem away in his heart.
"Thank you for the poem, Your Highness."
Behind him, Renee — sensing the momentum shifting against her — immediately stepped up to Fischer's side. She pressed a finger to her red lips with an air of refined deliberation, as though wrestling with a delicate problem.
"My, my. Whatever poem shall I give you? A poem for Fischer deserves careful thought."
Clearly, she intended to present Fischer with a poem of her own.
Fischer looked at the saint-like Renee beside him, momentarily unable to fathom how someone of her mental caliber could compose poetry at all. In his estimation, Renee was highly accomplished in exactly one area — tormenting people — and utterly hopeless in everything else.
"'Rivers flow from the ocean to your doorstep; leaves grow from the ground to the branch; the hound passes from death to birth; the affection between us, ah — flows from you to me.'"
A short poem drifted into his heart along with her gaze — melodious as a song of the soul.
Her beautiful violet eyes were like a vintage wine one could drown in gladly. Fischer hadn't even taken a sip and was already slightly intoxicated. She had drawn close, and her signature fragrance reached him again — that otherworldly perfume seemed almost tangible, hooking his fingers, luring him to take Renee's hand.
'This one can actually write something like that?'
Elizabeth watched the smiling Renee, seething inwardly. She smiled thinly and stepped between Renee and Fischer like a mountain, cleaving them apart.
She turned to Renee first, offering praise.
"I had no idea Lady Renee was also so gifted with verse. The literary tradition of the Kadu Cathedral is truly extraordinary."
Renee made a pious prayer gesture and received Elizabeth's compliment with grace.
"Your Highness flatters me. It is all the Mother Goddess's blessing."
"Well then..."
Elizabeth's expression shifted as though she had just thought of something. She turned to Fischer with a "gentle" look and asked, seemingly offhand.
"Which poem did you prefer, Mr. Fischer — mine, or Lady Renee's?"