How could they not express their objection to such absurdity?

Navier just declared that the prince will be adopted in the former Lord's name in order to clear his sentence for execution. Their fear was overcome by such absurdity.

"What is the meaning of this Your Divine Majesty—"

"—is absurd!"

"—and cannot be done—"

"—this is disgracing the honor of the former Lord!—"

She cleaved her scythe to the floor, leaving a trail of huge cracks on the marble floor and abruptly halting the heated crowd. This time, it was real.

"Silence. Rigel, continue." Navier gestured her seneschal.

"As the current Lord, I thereby announce this in honor of the former Lord's decree to formally adopt Prince Oslorn Kaisellin el Azrael Zephyr once he comes of age." Rigel read, rolling down another parchment detailing the former Lord's seal and clear statement of adoption. With such a powerful declaration, it meant his charges were renounced once he came of age.

"What? Disgrace? Lust, I am honoring my father's last decree. I'm still carrying out the punishment appropriate as he has still yet come of age and is still therefore under Solitaire's tutelage. There's no greater grace than this."

"Don't think I don't know the real reason why you want him sealed, and I won't sacrifice my blood just to pamper those fears you hold. Know that he is my son and no one else's, no matter how many fathers he has on paper."

"To the children of the Almighty Aeon, memories make up one's identity. Lose your memories and you'll lose yourself in the process. That is what the Requiems are for; to make sure they are recorded."

She held a silver key in front of the masses and declared;

"I have seized his Requiem on top of severing his mana channel and rendering his flight mobility useless. What more punishment do you need? Or do you intend to defy the weight and honor of the Prophet's bestowed title?"

Not a soul could answer in shock. A few picked up the scattered feathers and inspected them, not suspecting it of its lifelike form.

"You dare me to ask twice?" Her voice sent a chilling sense on everyone in the room. Kaisellin was hunched in a small corner and trembling in what she perceived as fear. As a result, The Head of House Greed stepped in.

"We have no objections, Your Majesty. We are honored by your grace. However, if he considers of starting a rebellion, then we will not stand idly by and watch a threat run amok in Abyss, even by your grace."

"Hail to Abyss, Praise Her Divine Majesty the Mother of Death!"

"Hail to Abyss!"

They took their leave in elegant bows and emptied the audience hall. Navier caressed her scythe, which turned incorporeal and settled on her nape, turning into a lofty tattoo.

Rigel bowed and cancelled his illusion magic, sensing the two needed a talk without his presence. Navier didn't spare another second and turned to Kaisellin.

"I'll be vulgar here. What kind of joke are you pulling? You go taunting me like the bold little critter you are, and now you go shivering in fear as if you actually fear me." She placed her hands on her hips.

"You can drop the act now. Your voice and expression quivered in fear so much I thought they were genuine. It seems you've learned quite some useful skills in the human world." He paused for a moment and caught his breath.

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"I don't understand, why was I being executed?" She was left speechless for a moment. How could he ask that? It was he who proposed the deal to suit her plans.

"…Who are you?"

"That's what I wish to ask, who are you guys? Why were you fighting over what to do with my life? I don't recall doing something that makes you all want me dead." She noticed how his manner of speech had visibly changed.

The boy whose hair shone like dreamy silver stardust regarded her with a complicated expression.

Disgusting. That disgusting hair. That disgustingly hideous face.

He was clearly wary and defensive, hugging his knees with trembling hands. He looked no more than a lost child.

Her red eyes shone dangerously as she lunged her hand at his throat, pinning him to the carpeted marble floor.

"Answer me, nightling."

"…T-they named me—Ast...Aster."

"Who did? Who dared to?" He started to choke, violently scratching her hands that still held his neck tightly. She slowly loosened her grip to let him speak, and he started to pant in an attempt to catch his breath.

"I don't... I don't remember. My memory…they seemed suppressed. What happened to Eli?"

"Who's Eli? I've been hearing that name ever since you mistook that maid to be that person."

"…" he went silent and unfocused for a while, as if trying to remember something.

"I don't know…he's poison. A solemn regret."

"To who?!"

"Kaisellin. Do you know who Kaisellin is? No, is he me? Yes? But I was clearly told that my name shall be Aster? No, I'm not Aster. Thou are confusing me." He kept mumbling incomprehensible words and switching semantics like a madman.

Maybe he had truly become a madman.

"Haah…" She snickered, which slowly turned into fits of eerie laughter. She no longer found this one bit amusing.

She knew it was but a petty little trick of a child. She, who was supposed to be the one in control of the board game of politics, was fooled by her only son into a deal she no longer had the upper hand in. Worse, it was in a contract where she swore on her true name in front of the noble crown of Abyss.

At first, it didn't matter to her how long it'd take him to regain his full strength; a hundred years is but a bliss passing to them.

Only Kaisellin knew how to remove the obsidian seal, thus the reason why she chose to listen to his demands, however absurd they may be. If he's not in the right state of mind, how could he be of any use?

Her eyes glinted.

'You mean to tell me this boy boldly struck a deal knowing he might have a mental episode in the middle?'

Amidst her turbulent thoughts, the Requiem that Kaisellin entrusted her vibrated slightly.

She held it and started inspecting the ornament, frowning.

Kaisellin is a bright child—and daring, if needed be.

Finally, she held out her hand holding the ornate key in thin air, in a will to see the most recent records in Kaisellin's Requiem. A few faint ripples that seemingly distorted the space around them appeared as if a keyhole materialized to fit the key. As she expected, a thin book appeared with the same ornate gear and hourglass patterns, with an eye shaped ornament at the center.

The eye peered open and revealed a black sclera, with the absence of an iris. Along with it signaled a faint clicking sound, and the book turned on its own to its most recent entry, like a diary. The date suggested that it was written today, most likely after he woke up. Some of the ink smeared in the pages, as if it was written in a hurry. She was even more surprised by the fact that he could still write despite his senses being greatly hampered by the lack of mana control, and his current greatest barrier, his mind.

Navier peered a glance at Kaisellin who still seemed lost in a trance. If he was telling the truth, then there was no way his psyche would collapse in just a day or two. With his current state, he had long been treading within the thin boundaries of his sanity for quite a while now. She no longer hesitated and read the contents of the entry, which seemed oddly directed to her.

I greet the Great Ruler of Abyss.

If this entry has reached you, then it seems that my suspicions had been correct—my psyche had broken into fragments. Some of my memories might have already created a consciousness that's been dominating my body. Please pardon me if I end up showing you unruly sides of mine.

As for the deal, please rest assured that I'll keep my word, even with this uncanny handicap. The bargain is still effective, and you can use me as you please, but now's not the time. I trust that you will keep your word of favor until I can find a way to fix my psyche as well as my severed horns and wings. It's a given that in order to make full use of this power you've granted; I must regain my title as an Adonis.

Do not be disheartened by being deceived. We have agreed upon mutual benefit. In the end, have we not gotten what we wanted?

Hail to Abyss,

Kaisellin

"…mutual benefit? Little Nightling, you're robbing me for protection while giving me if's and maybe's. Though, it seems part of my negligence to have underestimated you." She raised her eyebrows. She held his chin gently and raised his head whispering to his ears;

"Stay put from now on. While I have exiled you, that is not really the case."

"As of today, I officially appoint you as a hidden Wraith directly under my orders."

"Only do what I tell you to. Breathe for me, live for me, and slaughter for me. Understood? After all, you said so yourself; you are not my son, but a mere memory fragment of his."

He nodded carefully as she released the grip. Kaisellin subconsciously held his neck where purplish marks started being visible from being strangled a while ago.

She tossed the Requiem key to his direction, which lost its luster after plopping on the floor.

"I will assign you an aid who will accompany you to Erebus, so make sure to behave or I'll cut off your fingers."

"Wait! Please don't leave!"

Coming to his senses, he stumbled weakly in a feeble attempt to go after the woman who called herself his mother.

"Please, I'm scared! I can't see anything!"

He was desperately shouting, but her figure had long disappeared into the vast expanse of the mysterious palace.

"Ugh!"

He tripped on his own feet and clutched his neck, still bearing the mark of a branded prisoner and the choke marks his mother left behind. It seemingly tightened and seared his flesh, sending sharp pains all over his body.

His body arched downwards as he clawed himself in pain. No tears would come out.

He could hear occasional footsteps around him; some passed by consistently, others slowed down for a while but quickly returned to their normal pace.

He was the first prince, blind and vulnerable, yet no servant tried to help him up the carpeted floor as if he was to be treated like he didn't exist.

His confusion and blurred memories did not fail his realization that no one here was on his side.

They told him he had sinned, and no one loves a vile sinner.