Chapter 602: A Vessel of the Dead God

Ever since they sealed the fragment of the God inside the evil chest, Nina had stopped receiving dreams from Nythar. Because of that, she had started to believe that it was the last fragment she needed to destroy.

Even so, Primrose still asked her to remain in the palace. That way, if the God of Dreams ever appeared in Nina’s dreams again, they could learn about it right away.

To be honest, Nina hoped that would never happen.

She had heard Nythar’s voice more than enough already, and she had no wish to hear it again.

Unfortunately, that hope did not last long.

The moment the palace gates opened and the group from the Vellmoria Empire entered, Nina suddenly heard that familiar voice inside her head.

“He is one of the fragments of the dead God.”

Nina, who had been walking toward her chamber, immediately stopped in the hallway. She turned her head toward the window, only to see the Emperor of Vellmoria stepping down from the carriage.

“Zerath,” Nythar said. “That is the God’s name.”

Nina widened her eyes. All this time, the Emperor had been using the name of the dead God.

“Then what is his real name?” Nina asked quickly. “What is the Emperor’s real name?”

There was a short silence before Nythar answered. “He has no name.”

His voice sounded heavier than usual. “He was only created as an incarnation of Zerith. Now, he has become the last fragment of him.”

“He is no more than a vessel made to carry what remains of that dead God.”

“Do not let him come into contact with the other fragment of Zerath.”

“That’s why you need to run, my child. You have to protect that last fragment, no matter what it takes.”

Nina clicked her tongue because Leofric was not at the palace. He had left to deal with some tribe outside the kingdom, which meant one of the strongest people who could help them was currently nowhere near the palace.

Leofric and Edmund had already surrounded the evil chest with layers of talismans and protective magic, but Nina had no idea whether any of that would actually be enough.

After all, who could guarantee that those defenses would be able to stop the Emperor from finding it?

Their last hope was Lorelle.

Nina could only pray that her magic was strong enough to become the final wall between the Emperor and the fragment.

“You should have warned us about this earlier,” Nina said, but Nythar no longer responded to her words.

She rolled her eyes because it was such a typical God move to suddenly disappear right after dropping something this serious on her.

Even so, Nina still did exactly what Nythar had told her to do.

She hurried toward the room where they kept the evil chest and immediately stopped one of the soldiers along the way.

“Call Lady Lorelle,” Nina said quickly. “And send a message to Leofric through the phoenix.”

The soldier nodded and rushed off at once.

Nina did not slow down even a little bit because if Nythar was right, then they did not have much time.

===

On the other side of the palace, Edmund and Primrose made their way toward the reception room after Edmund had changed his clothes.

Neither of them said anything, but the way they stayed close to each other was more than enough to show that they would protect one another no matter what it cost.

“Greetings, Your Majesties,” the Emperor greeted them with a smile as the door to the room opened.

Edmund stepped into the room first, with Primrose following right behind him. His gaze was sharp, but he still tried his best to remain calm.

Meanwhile, Primrose made sure not to meet the Emperor’s eyes directly because she swore that if she did, the hatred and anger in her heart might show on her face before she could stop it.

“I didn’t expect you to come all the way to our home, Your Majesty,” Edmund said at last.

The Emperor gave a small chuckle. “Even I didn’t expect to come here so suddenly,” he replied. “But we’ve been exchanging reports for the past two months, and I thought it might be better if we spoke face-to-face.”

Even though he had greeted them politely, the Emperor had not bothered to stand up from his seat, not even once.

That small action alone was enough to show that the Emperor had no real intention of respecting either Edmund or Primrose as the hosts.

When they reached the table in the middle of the room, Edmund pulled out Primrose’s chair first before taking the seat beside her.

He even made sure they were sitting close enough for their hands to find each other under the table.

“Your Majesty,” the Emperor said as he looked straight at Primrose. “I see that you’re doing well here.”

The corner of Primrose’s lips twitched slightly, but fortunately, she was able to hold herself back from sneering at him right then and there.

“My husband has been treating me very well here,” Primrose replied politely.

She kept her head slightly lowered, careful not to meet the Emperor’s gaze for too long.

But from this close, Primrose could see the resemblance even more clearly.

The Emperor’s face was not exactly the same as the Cardinal’s, but there were enough similarities to make her chest feel tight. The shape of his eyes, the line of his jaw, and even the way he smiled all reminded her of that man.

What unsettled her even more was his voice.

It had the same deep tone and the same calm way of speaking that made old memories rise in her mind before she could stop them.

Primrose slowly tightened her fingers around Edmund’s hand beneath the table. Her husband noticed immediately and gave her hand a gentle squeeze in return.

“Do you have any news about the King of Azmeria, Your Majesty?” Edmund asked directly, smoothly drawing the Emperor’s attention away from his wife.