Chapter 14

The car door shook slightly, but the frozen layer outside didn't move at all.

"Bang!!"

A stronger internal impact then blew the entire door off.

Then a blonde girl stumbled out from the opened door, her exposed skin already tinged with faint blue and purple—affected by the cold.

The girl fell to the ground, shivering all over, rubbing her arms frantically to generate warmth, trying to quickly raise her body temperature back from dangerous levels.

Fortunately, it was much warmer outside than inside the cabin; otherwise, she would likely have already collapsed from hypothermia.

After the girl, another figure slowly emerged from the cabin.

Half of her body had turned into solid white ice, yet she was completely unaffected by the cold, moving freely as if nothing were wrong.

"Sakazaki…"

"H…Himemiya Young Lady…"

Sakazaki Ai, lying on the ground, trembled as she raised a hand to stop her mistress from approaching—she felt the air grow colder the closer her mistress came.

"You… you need to… control… it…"

Kaguya Sigong's face no longer held its usual icy expression; instead, it showed a touch of warmth, yet her body temperature was alarmingly low.

Even the temperature of her exposed skin was low enough to freeze any living thing on contact instantly.

All of this was due to the special reward from the diary.

Seeing Sakazaki in this state, Kaguya Sigong dared not approach, instead struggling to control the freezing power she had just gained.

She could clearly feel the power was under her control, but achieving true mastery would take time.

Slowly, Kaguya Sigong's half-frozen body gradually returned to normal, and the temperature around her became noticeably warmer.

During this time, Sakazaki Ai also gradually recovered from near-frostbite; her body temperature had normalized, though the chill still lingered.

"Achoo!"

As her body warmed, a sneeze followed.

Sakazaki Ai glanced at the still-frozen RV—apparently, it wouldn't be usable for now.

"Good thing we parked somewhere remote, with no surveillance around; otherwise, Himemiya Young Lady's situation would've been exposed."

"Exposed? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad."

Kaguya Sigong's expression was no longer as icy as before; with no one else present, perhaps only before Sakazaki could she relax this much.

Sakazaki Ai paused slightly, understanding the implication in Himemiya Young Lady's words.

"Does Himemiya Young Lady wish for the Master to know about your condition?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"It's not that it's not allowed—it's just too early."

Sakazaki Ai knew Himemiya Young Lady had gained power capable of overturning everything, but the timing was still too early.

"Himemiya Young Lady, are you choosing to renounce your inheritance rights—or to seize them?"

"I…"

Kaguya Sigong could not speak for a moment.

Sakazaki Ai continued.

"Himemiya Young Lady, you hold inheritance rights. In the past, your chance of inheriting the Kaguya family was extremely low, because everything was controlled by your brothers."

"But now, Himemiya Young Lady has gained power sufficient to overturn everything—your becoming the Kaguya heir is inevitable."

"Do you wish to be the Kaguya heir?"

"Are you ready?"

Sakazaki Ai's rapid-fire questions left Kaguya Sigong silent.

Kaguya Sigong had never once considered the issue of inheritance, for she knew she was merely a princess destined for marriage—inheritance had never been something for her to contemplate.

But now the situation had reversed.

A princess destined for marriage had unexpectedly gained terrifying power—now the princess was no longer a princess, but an empress.

The moment she became an empress, she was destined to inherit everything of the Kaguya family, even if her personal abilities were inferior to her brothers'.

Now, if Kaguya Sigong revealed her newly acquired power, she would inevitably gain the right of inheritance.

She needed no other qualities—only the capital of being an empress was enough to crush all others.

But the question was: was she truly ready?

"... No, let's put it on hold for now."

Kaguya Sigong did not immediately answer—this question was too great a leap for her.

"Only I, possessing this power, could have such confidence—but I still cannot control it fully. It's too early to speak of this now."

She knew exactly where her confidence came from, so she was not yet fully prepared to expose herself.

"Himemiya Young Lady, it's still too early to think about this. When you've truly made your decision, you can consider exposure then."

"Besides, today is your first day gaining this power. No matter how strong it is, when you need to display it, you cannot be half-hearted like today."

Sakazaki Ai's advice was sound.

The power was newly acquired—half-hearted power could not instill awe.

Only with power capable of instilling awe, and an unshakable heart, could one decide whether to inherit the Kaguya family's legacy.

"Himemiya Young Lady, the key right now is that person."

"That person is the key to your gaining power—and it is that person who gave you the right to choose."

Kaguya Sigong suddenly snapped to attention—only now did she realize: that person and the diary were the true keys to everything.

"Yes, that person is the key."

Kaguya Sigong took a deep breath—now she understood just how vital that person was.

"Hayasaka, do you think it's wise for us to approach that person directly?"

"No."

Hayasaka Ai immediately shook her head in denial.

"Please, Young Lady Kaguya, think carefully: why would that person reveal their name? Reveal their location? If Young Lady Kaguya can gain power from the diary, what about the one who writes it?"

"!"

Kaguya Sigong was slightly startled; she had forgotten to consider this question until now. Only after gaining power did she realize that the other party's actions had been strange from the very beginning.

Indeed, there was no need for him to reveal his identity.

If writing in a diary could grant power, that person could have simply hidden themselves, with no need to expose themselves at all.

"So, what exactly is his purpose?"

PS: New book, seeking data.