Iris, as always, meticulously adjusted her attire while holding the Sacred Sword, lost in thought.
‘It’s too big.’
Though it was a dagger-class blade, its size wasn’t small enough to conceal anywhere on her dress.
‘Leaving it in the room is too risky.’
Her father was a loyal vassal to the Emperor; even just seeing the dagger’s form would reveal its nature. She couldn’t leave the Sacred Sword unattended like that.
Just as she was pondering whether to tie it around her thigh with a strap, the sword emitted a faint glow and shrank down to the size of a small jewel, as if understanding her dilemma.
‘Did it always have this ability?’
Iris quickly recalled everything she had read in the novels so far, but no mention of such a power had appeared.
The Sacred Sword still held many secrets beyond her understanding.
‘Maybe it hardly appears except near the story’s conclusion.’
At present, Iris only had vague knowledge from secondary characters she met while working alongside Cedric and the Duchess in the Grand Ducal household.
‘I need more information about the Sacred Sword.’
The Felsis Empire was called a Sacred Empire, and thus revered the Sacred Sword. Yet, very little about it was truly known.
‘Aside from it being a symbol of the Emperor.’
If anything, there were only two well-organized tomes on the subject.
‘They’re forbidden texts, stored in the secret archives of the Imperial Library.’
Ideally, no one should have even known of their existence.
Iris only learned this because Cedric was seen reading those two books early in the original story.
‘However…’
Access to those archives required authentication by the seal of a high noble family head.
And now, with her father—the current patriarch—absent, the seal of the Valentine Marquisate was held by her older brother, a minor noble.
‘Brother won’t willingly lend it to me.’
Even in urgent times when she managed family affairs, this item was never entrusted to her.
‘Still, I have to get it.’
Her sky-blue eyes gleamed with sharp resolve as she took out a brooch necklace and concealed the Sacred Sword inside.
Suddenly, the door was flung open from outside.
“Sis!”
Her younger sister Liliana burst in without greeting, her bright face shining with innocence.
A girl with golden hair resembling their mother’s and the distinctive gray eyes of the Valentine family, sparkling with vitality.
“Why have you been hiding here all this time?”
Liliana grumbled and snatched Iris’s hand without preamble.
“You’ve wasted time looking for me for no reason. There’s something I need you to do.”
Then she tugged hard, expecting Iris to follow her immediately.
“Huh?”
But Iris didn’t move an inch.
“What are you doing, Sis?”
“Explain what it is here.”
Liliana frowned slightly, but soon smiled brightly.
“I’m preparing the tea party this time. I’m tired from being the lady of the house, so could you help me out?”
That “lady of the house” duty.
Hearing that phrase, Iris couldn’t help but feel a trace of bitter sarcasm rising within her.
‘When was it—eleven years old?’
Back then, Liliana had thrown a tantrum to their father, insisting on inheriting their mother’s duties as the lady of the house.
‘But she only took the title, nothing more.’
Chapter 4
Translator's Note:
🎧 Check out the audio versions on my YouTube channel:
https://youtube.com/@novel-tube-w2f?si=UqMphhId_8DH80Ns