The next day, Blakeās curse was lifted. He couldnāt believe it. He felt like it was all a dream.
I can stay with Ancia forever. That was the only thought that came to his mind clearly.
But the joy didnāt last long.
Once the curse was lifted, many things began to change. After preparing for the ball, he left the palace and moved to a palace in the center.
People said that Blake looked more handsome now.
He didnāt care. He only wanted to be with Ancia. Just having Ancia by his side was enough for him. He thought heād be able to spend the rest of his life with Ancia when his curse was gone.
But reality wasnāt that simple. Many people attempted to drive a wedge between them.
Now that the curse had been lifted, the Crown Prince should carry out his duties. Blake knew that, but he still hated it.
He wanted to look mature in front of Ancia, however, he couldnāt stand it and ended up complaining, āAll I need is Ancia. I only want to stay here with you. I donāt like other places. I like it here. I donāt want to leaveā¦ā
He didnāt want to leave Amoria Palace and only wanted to be with Ancia at Amoria Palace. He knew that he was being childish, but Ancia didnāt scold him.
āIf we move to the Foren Palace, this place wonāt disappear. Weāll come here often.ā
āAre we going to come often?ā
āYes, letās make this our own secret castle.ā
Our own world.
He thought he was the only one who wanted that.
Ancia shone brightly and everyone liked her.
Ancia was the only one in Blakeās world but there were many people around her. He was happy when she thought of him. She was thinking the same thing as him.
The sentences of the curse had gone away but itās power had not. His pain got worse after the door of darkness opened.
He was nervous. It wasnāt because he was afraid of being cursed again, but he was afraid that Anciaās smile would disappear if the curse came back again.
Unfortunately, his fears came true and the curse that had disappeared resurfaced once more.
The pain engulfed his whole body.
Then, a bright light appeared. And he could see Ancia was about to disappear into the light.
āAncia, no. Donāt goā¦ā
āIām going to lift the curse completely this time.ā
āDonāt go. You canāt go.ā
Ancia couldnāt leave. He felt that heād never see her again if she disappeared like this.
Blake tried to stop her but the pain held him back.
āDonāt worry. Iāll be right back after I lift the curse, so please wait for me.ā
Eventually, Ancia disappeared with the light.
Not long after she left, Blakeās curse lifted. His fever went down, and the dreary cursed sentences engraved in his body also disappeared completely.
The curse had really been lifted.
Blake could feel it. The curse of the goddess had disappeared. This time, it had been lifted for good. It wouldnāt reoccur ever again.
However, he wasnāt happy.
The curse was lifted, but Ancia hadnāt come back. Tenstheon had gone to seal the door of darkness and hadnāt returned yet either.
A few days later, several palace knights came back from their search around the door of darkness.
They said Ancia went into the door of darkness and that Macul flew out and took her, and shortly after that, the door of the darkness closed.
A massive search began for Ancia, but it was of no use. The door of darkness had already closed and it showed no signs of opening any time soon. Furthermore, not a trace of Ancia could be found even after they scoured through the entire valley of chaos.
Three months later, Tenstheon came back.
āIām sorry, Blake. I couldnāt protect Ancia.ā
Tenstheon bowed down to Blake and apologized. His expression was rife with grief at the loss of Ancia and guilt towards his son.
Blake saw that his father had become very thin in just three months. Blake told him, āNo, itās not your fault.ā
It wasnāt Tenstheonās fault. This was all Blakeās fault. He was cursed, and wasnāt able to stop Ancia.
Ancia tried to leave him. Every time she did that, he tried desperately to stop her. He didnāt want to lose her, so he held dearly on to Ancia just because of his greed.
If he had let her go earlier, she wouldnāt have gone away.
Blake blamed himself over and over again.
Even when Ancia was missing, the world continued to move forward. A grand ball was held to celebrate Blakeās liberation from the goddessās curse.
Many people were very curious about whether or not his curse had really gone away. In addition to the aristocrats of the Asteric Empire, foreign envoys also flocked to see the Crown Prince.
And finally, Blake showed up. The crowd buzzed with admiration at his appearance.
Blake was beautiful. His brilliant silver hair and crimson eyes radiated the charisma of the imperial family, and there was no sign of any curse on his fair skin.
Moreover, it was incredible that even though he had been abandoned for so many years, his charisma hadnāt diminished in the least bit. They couldnāt sense any contempt nor desperation from him.
The curse of Goddess has been lifted after a thousand years and there was a strong successor to Tenstheon. The nobles cheered in celebration.
However, Blake was unaffected by this merry atmosphere.
The Crown Princess, who was loved by all, had disappeared. In fact, everyone thought Ancia was dead.
She went into the door of darkness so there was little chance of her being alive. However, as the emperor was still desperately looking for her, people were careful with their words.
Blake sat still in his chair, not speaking to anyone. Tenstheon also could not hide his sorrow.
The Crown Princeās curse had been lifted, and the door of darkness was closed. Yet, the biggest celebration party in the empire was filled with an air of melancholy.
Suddenly, the Duke of Cassilās loyal followers launched their attack in the ballroom.
Tenstheon had been away from the palace for three months because of Ancia, and many soldiers from the palace had been deployed into the valley of chaos. The Duke of Cassil used this opportunity to launch his rebellion.
After turning off the lights in the ballroom, they immediately aimed for the emperor and the crown prince.
But Tenstheon was the most exemplary emperor in the history of the empire and his ability wasnāt to be taken lightly. Even though he was distracted due to grieving over Ancia, he didnāt drink so much that he would be crushed by them.
Tenstheon and the Knights of the Imperial Palace immediately suppressed them.
The ballroom quickly descended into a scene of chaos. Several aristocrats, servants, and foreign envoys were injured and screamed.
Even in the midst of this chaotic situation, Blake was still expressionless as he approached the wounded people.
A white light flowed from Blakeās hand. Their wounds healed the moment Blakeās light reached the injured person.
He did not use any tools, such as mana stones, but with just the power of light he treated all of the people in the ballroom.
āThis is the power of goddess!ā shouted the high priest, who had been treated by Blake.
Just like Philip a thousand years ago, a light flowed directly from Blake.
Everyone in the crowd was surprised. Before, many of them doubted him because they believed he was still a fallen soul.
But from the moment it became known that Blake had the power of a goddess, all their negative thoughts about him disappeared.
Rather, they began to adore him for being chosen by the goddess.
After the curse was lifted, everyone loved Blake and the nobles struggled to impress him. Their sudden change of attitude disgusted Blake.
Blake lost Ancia, and then gained everything. Yet, at the same time, he felt that he had lost everything.
***
āWhereās my sister? Whereās my sister!? My sister protected you. She even healed your curse, but why didnāt you protect her!? I trusted you! I trusted you!!ā
Diana was inconsolable when she heard that Ancia was missing.
āLady Diana, please calm down first.ā
āItās alright, Melissa.ā
Melissa knew how much Blake blamed himself and stepped up to mediate. However, Blake stopped her and silently accepted all of Dianaās anger instead.
Diana headed to the valley of chaos alone, saying she would find Ancia.
However, a young girl couldnāt get into a place where most people had a hard time getting permission to enter.
Diana was blocked by the valleyās guards and forced to return to the capital. After that, she still tried to visit the valley of chaos several times. She even took a break from the academy.
Two years passed like that. No matter how much the Emperor and Crown Prince tried to persuade her, she never stopped looking for her sister.
āIf you donāt go back this semester, youāll be expelled. Return to the academy.ā
Blake tried to persuade Diana again, but she refused.
āNo. Who else is going to look for her if I donāt go?ā
Dianaās gaze was filled with resentment. Blake wasnāt mad at her. In fact, he was honestly relieved.