“……Yes.”
Rachel suddenly realized that they were alone. The chief attendant, Becky, even the Imperial Guards and her own escort knight were all standing far away.
“You look happy. Come to think of it, I don’t think I even know what you like.”
“……”
His words were almost suffocating. She moistened her dry lips with the water the emperor had poured for her and glanced around.
What was going on?
She felt as if she were missing something, but she could not figure out what it was.
At any rate, it was a good thing that the atmosphere had become more pleasant.
Feeling a little disappointed, Rachel put down her utensils and cautiously asked,
“May I know why you wanted to see me? I’m afraid I might upset Your Majesty again next time.”
“Ah.”
He looked thoughtful for a moment.
Then the emperor stood up, approached her, and held out his hand.
“Shall we take a walk?”
“……”
Rachel looked up at him in surprise before accepting his offer. When their hands met, his well-trained hand gently took hers.
“……”
It was not as uncomfortable as she had expected.
A little bewildered, Rachel walked through the gardens with the emperor. Before she knew it, the sunset had faded, and a dark curtain had fallen over the sky.
Yet lanterns still floated among the flowers, lighting up the paths here and there like fireflies.
She unconsciously let her guard down as she walked through the gardens. Then a low voice reached her ears.
“I thought about it for a while. But I realized that unless I told you, you would probably never figure it out.”
“Yes. Please speak, Your Majesty.”
“What would you think about going out with me?”
“……Pardon?”
“I like you.”
The unexpected words that followed brought Rachel’s thoughts to a halt. She stopped walking and stared up at him blankly. The emperor had stopped as well and was looking down at her.
“If the idea of marriage is too much pressure, I’d like to start by dating you.”
“……!”
“What do you think, Lady?”
Only then did Rachel realize what she had been missing. She had been through such a difficult time lately that she had forgotten, but—
Thinking back, the emperor had been acting much like the young noblemen who had once shown interest in her.
“Why do you like me?”
“Hmm?”
The question slipped out impulsively, but she did not take it back. According to the <Record>, the emperor had eventually married Aisha Labelyn.
So why now?
“Your Majesty has Lady Aisha Labelyn.”
Was it because she had saved his life? Or did he think she seemed more capable than Aisha?
As all kinds of thoughts rushed through her mind, she saw the emperor smile faintly.
“What is this? Are you jealous?”
“I’m not jealous—”
“Labelyn isn’t a bad choice.”
Interrupting her, the emperor continued.
“She comes from a ducal family. The duke is quite capable, too. The young lady is a future archmage, has a good personality, and is beautiful. I could tell she liked me, and I didn’t dislike her, either.”
“But why?”
“But you were different, Lady.”
“……!”
The emperor took a step closer and met her eyes at close range.
“You treated me coldly. Even when I was angry because you ignored me, I still liked you. When I saw you smile, I found myself smiling back as if I had never been angry at all.”
His sun-like hair cast a shadow around them. Within that shadow were violet eyes, trembling with an emotion she had never seen in them before.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t dislike you. I liked you. That’s why I want to go out with you.”
The emperor pressed a deep kiss to the back of her hand and whispered softly,
“Give me a chance. You won’t regret it.”
“……”
The beautiful, sculpted face before her gazed at her as if asking for permission. Rachel stared blankly at the emperor before lowering her eyes.
It felt as if reality had suddenly become unreal. In her memories, the emperor had always worn an expression so cold it seemed covered in frost.
—Look. See what happens to someone who dares to insult the imperial family and nearly burn down the capital.
He had punished her. Sometimes, he looked at her with eyes full of anger.
—Be grateful that you were merely confined. Spend the rest of your life atoning to the Empire.
……That was the kind of man he had been.
“……”
The emperor gazed down at her for a while before letting out a long breath.
“Right. You’ve never shown the slightest interest in me, so this must be confusing for you.”
“……”
“I’ll wait. Think about it and give me your answer. I look forward to hearing a favorable one.”
The emperor gently patted her hand before turning away first. Rachel remained standing there, staring at the ground until he had completely left.
……She could not believe what had just happened. She had only changed one or two events, so how could things have turned out like this?
The problem was that the person involved was the emperor. Accepting his feelings was……
‘Unthinkable.’
She might have grown used to him, but her discomfort had not disappeared completely. Rachel was still uneasy around the emperor. The same was true of Nathan Valencia and Aisha Labelyn.
Most nobles felt the same way, which was why she had decided to live peacefully in a residence of her own.
But could she really reject him? The emperor? The absolute ruler who governed nearly half the continent?
“……First of all.”
First, she had to somehow get the emperor back on track. He had said he liked her, but he had also clearly said that he had once thought Aisha Labelyn was a good choice.
If Rachel could somehow push him away and get him to meet Aisha Labelyn instead, perhaps a way forward would reveal itself.
Rachel clenched her trembling hands. When she raised her head, she saw Becky nearby, looking restless.
“My lady.”
“Let’s go back.”
Besides, the ceremony where she would receive her title was coming up soon.
If she fled to her estate, perhaps the emperor would finally give up.
The next morning, after a sleepless night, Rachel found a gift from the emperor waiting for her.
A necklace made of a rare purple sapphire that immediately reminded her of the emperor’s eyes.
It was the sort of jewelry one would send to a lover or to someone one was courting.
The news spread through high society and the court like the wind. It was the first time the emperor had ever been involved in a romance.
***
The capital was buzzing with stories of the emperor’s love life. The rumors had even overshadowed the news of the King of Borza, who was due to arrive soon.
Flash!
A teleportation magic circle appeared on the mountain behind the capital, and at the same time, a figure appeared.
Dark blue hair tied back carelessly. Green eyes.
It was Sein Marcus, Aisha’s teacher and close friend, as well as the Archmage of the Magic Tower.
“Hmm. Is this where the dragon is sealed?”
A massive temple stood tall among piles of rocks.
Sein let out a low whistle. As expected of a barrier created a thousand years ago, when humans possessed the most powerful supernatural abilities in history, it was truly impressive.
The magic placed on this place was extraordinary, too.
Even for an archmage, breaking through and entering seemed impossible at first glance.
But—
“I’m different.”
A black glint passed over his deep green eyes. The supernatural power that spread from his heart began to analyze the magic and supernatural abilities placed on the seal through his eyes.
<Insight>.
From something as small as people’s hidden thoughts to something as vast as their souls—
There was no way an ability that could see through all of that would be stopped by a mere barrier. Of course, it would take quite a while, but he would eventually break through.
“Just you wait. I’m going to break through this thing and make your life miserable.”
Sein still had not forgotten how Nathan Valencia had injured him internally.
And that was not all.
Because of that bastard, he had to inspect every place the man had visited, from the North to the Borza Kingdom. Even now, despite having come to Olsher, he could not visit Aisha in case he accidentally gave someone something they could use against him.
He probably would not be able to show his face until the King of Borza returned home.
“Bastard.”
The fact that the man was the head of the Valencia family was actually good news for Sein.
He had already been interested in the dragon and had been thinking of coming here to take a look.
If anything went wrong with the seal now, that bastard would not get away unscathed, either.
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