The night was crushed by the red sun, and dawn spat out the light of morning.
The buildings within the territory, under the gentle wash of the first light, looked as light and translucent as thin gauze.
Aurelian got up early in the morning and rode in a carriage together with Duke Barlow.
This morning, she was going to inspect the territory with her grandfather.
Aurelian sat inside the carriage, the dull sound of wheels rolling over the stone road from the accompanying carriages ringing in her ears.
But when her gaze unintentionally swept over the empty seat beside her, she couldn't help pursing her lips, feeling a bit disappointed.
Every morning, Teacher Vikor would practice swordsmanship with Teacher Gwen.
They had kept this habit for a long time. Rain or shine, it almost never stopped.
At least, there were still those knights guarding Aurelian's side to ensure the princess's safety.
So, she looked out through the carriage window, her dim eyes cast toward the distance of the territory.
They had returned in too much of a hurry last night, so Aurelian hadn't had time to look over her grandfather's domain.
Everything in front of her, the buildings and the scenery along the roads, was completely different from last night.
The city at dawn was entirely different from the quiet of the previous night, as if layers of veils had been stripped away, revealing its true appearance.
The streets and alleys were crowded with people, the cries of shopkeepers and the chatter of pedestrians rising and falling one after another.
The sound of hooves echoed through the streets, sunlight pierced through the thin mist and scattered over the stone bricks, spreading a patch of warmth.
The lively atmosphere of the mortal world seemed to come back to life after sleeping through the short night, bringing warmth to this cold city.
As the carriage moved along the street, the pedestrians saw the crest of Duke Barlow hanging on it, and all stepped aside, bowing, their eyes filled with deep admiration.
Aurelian couldn't see any trace of resentment in their expressions.
It seemed that her grandfather's governance had gained the recognition and affection of many people.
Looking at the lively city under the sunlight, it felt as if that deathly domain from last night shouldn't exist here at all.
Of course, Aurelian also knew the reason for all of this.
Last night, their convoy and horses had been traveling within the Domain of the Dead.
Everything around them had been swallowed by that ghostly green mist, so naturally what they saw was complete silence.
When they returned to the real world, they were already inside Duke Barlow's mansion.
In other words, that enormous undead city from before was, in essence, the reverse side of the real city, a reflection existing within the Domain of the Dead.
And when that Domain of the Dead was flipped over, it became this extremely lively city.
But even though there had been so many carriages and horses, so many people moving within the Domain of the Dead, it hadn't affected reality at all.
This naturally confirmed what Duke Barlow had said.
The dead should not step into the domain of the living.
If that was the case, then would her grandfather agree to that matter requested by Count Laurien?
Thinking about it, Aurelian wanted to probe a little.
After hesitating again and again, she finally gathered her courage and carefully asked, "Grandfather, can necromancers really bring the dead back to life?"
But Duke Barlow didn't answer her immediately. He quietly held his staff with both hands, his eyes closed, still as a statue, not moving at all.
After quite a while, he slowly opened his mouth to reply, "Yes."
Aurelian was a bit surprised. She hadn't expected her grandfather to answer so straightforwardly.
So she asked again, testing the waters,
"Then… do you know Count Laurien?"
When Duke Barlow heard this name, his eyes slowly opened, his sharp gaze falling onto Aurelian's face.
His gaze was deep, carrying a murky authority, and a cold aura naturally emanated from him, making Aurelian pause slightly.
But she still continued, "The night we arrived in the kingdom, we were received by Count Laurien."
"He…"
"Don't speak for now.", Duke Barlow calmly stopped her, and the atmosphere inside the carriage instantly turned cold.
She was very smart and immediately sensed his mood.
That made sense. If it were really so easy to revive someone, how could there be so many separations between life and death?
And also… her mother…
"…I understand.", Aurelian lowered her brows, nodding weakly.
Duke Barlow took a deep breath and closed his eyes again, seemingly unwilling to say more.
The atmosphere in the carriage slowly warmed again, and the goosebumps on Aurelian's body, brought on by the chill, gradually faded.
At this moment, a low voice slowly sounded, "Laurien has asked me more than once, but my answer has only ever been one."
"I will not revive his daughter."
He opened his eyes again, looking out the carriage window, a trace of melancholy and regret showing in his gaze.
"That is a desecration of the dead, and also a disrespect to the living."
At this time, the carriage had already driven into the fields of the territory.
Many farmers stood with their feet in the earth, swinging hoes in their hands, beads of sweat glistening under the bright light.
With every swing of their tools, sweat fell into the soil along with the movement of their muscles.
One farmer straightened up, took a breath, and waved to a friend in the distance.
The wrinkles on their faces gathered together as they smiled brightly under the sunlight.
Looking at these farmers, the duke slowly spoke, "These farmers, they all know each other, recognize each other, living the same life every day."
Almost all of their daytime was spent farming. Only at night did they have a bit of time for family and friends.
They were almost like mechanical gears, constantly turning, day after day.
There was hardly any novelty in their lives. Only trivial matters might become topics of conversation after meals.
"What do you think would happen if someone among them suddenly died?"
Listening to her grandfather's words, Aurelian fell into thought, a scene gradually forming in her mind.
Perhaps one night, a family member lay in bed and never opened their eyes again, their body no longer warm.
The family sat around the deceased, filled with grief.
Friends gathered together to mourn.
But life would not stop because of one person's death. They would still have to deal with the day's farm work.
If an elder died, then the younger generation would take their place, stepping onto this path of repetition until death.
"But if he came back to life and returned among these people?"
That would become a horror story.
Perhaps his family would feel happy, even overjoyed.
But in society, this person had already been erased.
Everyone had accepted his death, yet this deceased person would push open the coffin lid and crawl out of the grave.
No one would accept a resurrected undead.
"The dead should remain silent.", The duke spoke slowly.
Aurelian listened and nodded, but then she turned, feeling puzzled again.
"But… since you say the dead shouldn't step into the realm of the living, then why did you help Count Laurien keep his daughter's soul in the mansion?"
Aurelian no longer held any hope.
She was simply curious. If things were as Duke Barlow said, then wouldn't the soul of Count Laurien's daughter contradict his explanation?
"Everyone in Count Laurien's household knows of Priscis's existence. Letting her soul remain in the castle does not interfere with the outside world."
"But resurrection is not acceptable."
Duke Barlow's tone was cold as he slowly said, "Aurelian, you must remember."
"Once you open this door, what follows will be more trouble."
And also…
He continued, "If what Laurien wants is his daughter, and not an obedient skeleton..."
"Then he should not come to me."
Aurelian was slightly stunned, as if she hadn't fully reacted.
At this moment, Duke Barlow looked out the window.
The carriage gradually approached the mansion. Through the window, the tall, castle-like residence had already risen beyond the walls.
"We're almost there."
"What would you like for breakfast?"
———
After breakfast, Aurelian sat on a wooden chair in the courtyard.
Looking at the bright clusters of flowers, she thought about how she should learn necromancy.
Vanilla stood respectfully beside her, a faint smile on her face.
Aurelian stretched out a hand toward Vanilla.
Though her eyes were on Vanilla, her gaze wasn't actually focused on her.
In her mind, she was trying hard to recall the necromancy Duke Barlow had used.
She remembered that necromancy required connecting to the Domain of the Dead.
But she had no idea how to enter that domain.
Moreover, the necromancy her grandfather used didn't require forming any magic arrays. Even her talent of learning things at a glance couldn't see through its mystery.
But if she could learn necromancy, it would mean she could become stronger and earn more praise from her teacher and father.
Maybe she wouldn't even need her grandfather. She could revive Count Laurien's daughter herself and repay the favor Teacher Vikor owed.
That's right, the reason Aurelian cared so much about this matter was because it was something Teacher Vikor had agreed to.
If she could help Teacher Vikor, then she definitely wanted to try.
Aurelian was only fifteen. Even if she appeared more mature than her peers, she still had naive thoughts.
How to help Teacher Vikor was her most naive thought.
Yet Aurelian herself didn't realize it.
She thought about the necromancy her grandfather used yesterday, her palm open as if feeling for that sensation.
Staring at Vanilla, the magic within Aurelian began to surge.
Then, aiming at Vanilla, Aurelian suddenly shouted, "Transform for me!"
"Meow?"
The sudden surge of magic and Aurelian's shout startled Vanilla.
However, nothing happened.
Seeing this, Aurelian withdrew her hand and let out a somewhat disappointed sigh.
Sure enough, mastering necromancy was still too far away.
Well, she had only just reached the stage of having seen pigs run, not actually eating pork yet.
Maybe when her grandfather taught her again, she might be able to learn it.
At this moment, she reached out and patted Vanilla's head, comforting her fragile heart after being startled.
Just then, a foreign affairs minister hurried over, as if looking for someone.
He looked around, and the moment he saw Aurelian, he quickly ran over.
"Your Highness, I finally found you!"
"Hm?"
Aurelian looked a bit confused.
'Why so urgent? Did something happen?'
Seeing the princess's confusion, the minister quickly explained, "Your Highness, have you forgotten?"
"King August personally invited you to attend today's auction in the royal city. You already agreed yesterday."
"I've already informed Count Vikor. He should be ready..."
Before he could finish speaking, Aurelian stood up and said directly, "I understand. I'll go prepare now."