The Golden Apple (8)
The premonition Philly saw. Someone's death.
Philly's nerves were on edge, having never experienced such a premonition before.
Above all, the possibility that Frondier might die was her top priority.
However, this premonition was different from all the others in many ways.
Not only was it remarkably clear, unlike the usual vague premonitions that could only be described as "feelings,"
'It hasn't shown itself again since then.'
It was probably a premonition that foretold a distant future.
Her premonitions had never lasted this long. If it was a threat to her, it would show her a few seconds ahead, or at most a few days ahead.
Perhaps this premonition wasn't a matter of days.
As proof, ominous premonitions always triggered her senses until they were resolved, but not this time.
Her mind was at peace, as if seeing that scene was a mistake.
'Ugh. The memory is fading. Stupid head.'
It was a rare sight to see Philly blaming her own head, but unfortunately, she was alone in the room.
"I guess there's no helping it,"
Philly muttered.
She didn't know if this was the right way to go about it.
It might even make the problem worse.
But it was the only way she could think of right now,
And if it worked, it would be an opportunity to solve many problems besides her premonition.
If it worked, that is.
"... Someone outside~"
Philly called out in a sweet, almost languid voice.
"Yes, Your Highness,"
The attendant, who was waiting outside the door, replied with a tense voice.
"Can you get my daughters?"
"Who are you referring to?"
"All of them."
"...Y-yes, Your Highness."
The attendant barely managed to swallow the "Huh?" that was about to come out of their mouth, but the sound that came out was no different.
Philly spoke again.
"Elysia, Sale, Aten. Tell them all to come to my room."
* * *
A small commotion broke out in the Imperial Palace.
Or rather, it was a big commotion somewhere.
Everyone knew that Empress Philly loved her daughters dearly, but the three sisters weren't actually that close. In fact, they were rather distant.
Elysia, who was jealous of Aten. Aten, who was threatened by Elysia over Constel, and Sale, who stayed out of it all and just watched.
It seemed as if Elysia had fallen from grace and shattered into pieces, but Frondier had forced her back into the fold.
"...Mom's at it again."
The woman with long, white hair casually brushed it back and folded her arms.
It was Elysia.
"What is she thinking now?"
Elysia was currently organizing and commanding the members of the Shadow Unit.
It was only natural that she would be the boss of the Shadow Unit.
After Frondier brought Elysia back to the Imperial Palace, she decided to take over the Shadow Unit.
The Shadow Unit, whose key figures had been killed off in the aftermath of the Devil's contract incident, had been stumbling ever since.
As a result, they were now in a situation where they were constantly on edge, afraid of incurring Philly's wrath, which had reached its peak.
It didn't matter that the Shadow Unit did things that were hard to show to the public. That's what they were there for.
The problem was that they had lost Philly's trust.
Elysia was like a parachute that had suddenly landed on top of the Shadow Unit in such a situation.
And as soon as she landed, she was given full command of the organization.
Of course, there was resistance from within the Shadow Unit, but their opponent was the First Princess, Elysia. Even if they had complaints, they wouldn't dare voice them out loud.
Besides, they had already lost Philly's trust. It was obvious what would happen to them if they touched her daughter, Elysia.
That's how Elysia quickly rose to the top of the Shadow Unit.
Shamelessly, as if she didn't know she was a parachute.
"What are your orders, Your Highness?"
Ednet, who was in charge of communication between the Shadow Unit and the Imperial Palace, asked her.
By all rights, Ednet should have hated Elysia for being a parachute, but he was actually one of the people who welcomed her with open arms. He had been stuck between Philly and the Shadow Unit, bearing the brunt of their anger, but ever since Elysia took over, he had only been receiving reasonable orders.
Elysia let out a light snort and said,
"What do you mean, what are my orders? It's an order from Her Majesty, the Empress. Of course, I'm going."
"It could be dangerous, Your Highness."
"Aten and I aren't children anymore. We're not going to suddenly start fighting or anything."
In fact, Elysia thought this might be a good opportunity to reconcile with Aten.
Of course, it was up to her to apologize. Aten was kind, so she would accept her apology, but that didn't mean the resentment in Aten's heart would disappear.
An apology was just the beginning. It would take much more time to truly reconcile.
But then Ednet bowed his head a little lower and spoke in a cautious voice.
"...I'm not worried about Her Highness, Aten."
Elysia blinked at his words. She looked away and let out a low breath.
"...Right, of course."
And at the same time, Aten.
Aten received Philly's order a little earlier than Elysia. She didn't have to go through the Shadow Unit.
Aten was in the middle of getting ready in front of the mirror.
"Mom did? Are you sure you heard right?"
"Yes. She called all three of your names."
She called all three sisters' names and ordered them to come to her room.
There could be no other interpretation. It wasn't like she called for one or two of the sisters, or just anyone of them.
Philly wanted to gather herself and her three daughters in one room.
"How did Mom sound?"
"...She sounded as gentle as ever, but as you know, we can't tell the difference."
The maid said apologetically. Philly really didn't let her emotions show unless she was greatly agitated.
"Why can't you tell?"
"My apologies."
Of course, that didn't apply to Aten.
Aten looked back at the mirror.
'...Right. I can't put this off forever.'
Aten steeled her resolve. Seeing her like that, the maid said worriedly,
"Are you sure you're alright? It's been a while since you last saw Her Highness, Elysia."
"...Huh? Why would I be worried about seeing Sister Elysia?"
Aten reacted as if it was an unexpected name.
The maid said in surprise,
"...So you weren't worried about meeting Lady Elysia?"
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