Sein focused on examining the barrier around the seal, even drawing up his magic power to its fullest.
And deep inside the enormous temple that stood tall among the piles of rocks, the dragon sensed the suspicious activity taking place outside and curled its lips into a grin.
【Has the time finally come?】
It had been sealed for a thousand years.
At last, things were beginning to change. The fact that this was another generation with someone who possessed the <Regression> ability was troubling, but perhaps that was exactly why an opportunity to free itself had finally arrived.
【I must kill the <Regression> ability user first. But I don’t know who it is. That woman? Or another member of the Ingrave family?】
Considering that the person who had been hanging around, trying to perform the sealing ritual despite not having even a drop of Valencia blood, had disappeared, it was likely the woman who had come with them back then.
【Grrr—】
But it could not be sure. It would find out eventually by gradually testing the Valencia who came to perform the next sealing ritual.
If the <Future Sight> it had seen a thousand years ago was coming true—
It would soon be freed.
This time, it would act carefully and make sure the mistakes of a thousand years ago were never repeated.
No one knew this, but there was a reason the dragon had survived by placing a curse a thousand years ago.
As a highly intelligent creature once called the King of Curses and Magic, the dragon possessed a supernatural ability that was usually granted only to humans.
It was a form of precognition, a vision of something that was certain to come true.
Just before its defeat at the hands of humans, the dragon had seen itself being sealed and then eventually breaking free.
The time was almost here. Once it was free this time, it would first strike down the <Regression> ability user who could turn its liberation into something that had never happened.
【This time, I’ll burn the entire continent to the ground!】
The dragon smiled with satisfaction and closed its eyes.
The beginning of the disaster was already set in motion.
***
It felt as if every noble in the capital had their eyes on her. The evidence was clear even in the letters she received.
“These letters arrived today, my lady.”
“……”
Invitations were piled up almost like a mountain.
The effects of being linked to the emperor were clearly showing in the number of invitations she received.
“Send a standard reply to all of them, saying that I’m too busy preparing for the title ceremony to attend.”
“Yes, my lady.”
After quickly dealing with the invitations, Rachel immediately prepared to go out.
It was the second day since the emperor had confessed his feelings.
Since then, the emperor had stopped visiting her, as if keeping his promise to wait for her answer.
However, he occasionally sent her gifts.
The necklace made of rare purple sapphire that reminded her of the emperor’s eyes still lay in her jewelry box.
Rachel glanced at the closed jewelry box for a moment before turning away. Today, the dressmaker had contacted her, so she planned to spend some time there.
“We’re ready to depart.”
The guest carriage bearing the imperial flag carried Rachel out of the Imperial Castle. The area in front of the castle was bustling with activity.
It was probably because the King of Borza was arriving today.
Perhaps this was why the emperor had said he would wait. Once he declared the North restored to normal and secured peace with Borza—
The emperor would be free to focus on his own feelings without having to worry about anything else.
“……”
She had no idea how things had ended up this way. It was true that she had saved the emperor’s life, but……
‘It’s not as if I have anything that would make the emperor fall for me.’
The carriage was heavily guarded, with not only her escort knights but also imperial knights accompanying it. Rachel even felt as if the emperor were telling her not to run away.
Of course, that was probably just her imagination.
Yet whenever she saw the imperial crest, she felt almost as suffocated as she did when she saw the Valencia family crest.
Jingle—
As Rachel entered the dress shop, Madam Elaine greeted her with a smile.
“Welcome, Lady. As I told you this morning, your dress and cloak are finished. You can try them on today, and we’ll see if anything needs adjusting.”
“Really? As expected of you, Madam.”
The first fitting had been completed in just three days. They would refine the details after the fitting, but—
The clothes would still be finished in two days.
Rachel entered the reception room on the second floor with a relaxed expression. Then she stopped when she noticed someone was already there.
Unusual pink hair. Bright orange eyes.
“Hello, Lady Rachel. What a coincidence. Did you come here to have some clothes made, too?”
“……Hello, Lady Aisha. Yes. I commissioned an outfit here for my title ceremony.”
Rachel resumed walking naturally and sat down on an empty sofa. Although Aisha said she had come to have clothes made, Rachel remembered that this was not the dress shop Aisha Labelyn usually used.
……Was it really a coincidence?
The reception room on the second floor was divided into four sections. Each section had a changing room, a full-length mirror, and a sofa. A screen stood in the center, partially blocking the view of each section.
Rachel and Aisha were talking from a slight distance, with the screen between them.
“By the way, congratulations on receiving your title, Lady. I heard you’ll soon be becoming independent from the Ingrave family. Is that true?”
“Yes. The next time we meet, you’ll be addressing me as Baroness Easton instead of Lady Ingrave.”
“Your newly granted estate is called Easton? That’s a lovely name.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Just then, Madam Elaine came in. Rachel watched her silently as the madam smiled and laid out the completed dress and cloak.
“Here are your finished clothes. Please try them on, my lady.”
“All right.”
Both the madam and Rachel continued their conversation as if nothing was wrong. However, Rachel had not missed the slight reaction Madam Elaine had shown just moments earlier.
‘This place is out, too.’
Whether Aisha Labelyn had sent someone to investigate something—
Or had arrived early and seemed to be waiting for someone—
If it appeared to be related to Rachel, Madam Elaine should have warned her.
Judging by her reaction just now, the madam knew something but had chosen to remain silent.
“……”
It seemed Rachel would have no reason to visit this dress shop again.
As the shop assistants helped her try on the clothes in the changing room, Aisha Labelyn’s voice came from beyond the screen.
“By the way, there’s something I’ve been curious about. Since we’ve met, would you mind if I asked you something, Lady?”
“Go ahead, Lady Aisha.”
“Did His Majesty really give you jewelry? Something with a purple gemstone, too?”
“……”
A heavy silence settled over the room. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath.
Rachel hesitated for a moment.
The emperor had openly revealed his feelings by sending her a token of his courtship.
In this situation, how useful could Aisha Labelyn be, when she was in love with the emperor herself?
“……Yes, he did. It was a beautiful necklace made of purple sapphire, a rare gemstone in exactly the shade of His Majesty’s eyes.”
“……!”
Clatter—
The screen shook. When Rachel looked up, she saw Aisha Labelyn standing there with her eyes wide open, looking as if sparks were flying from them.
“I never thought I’d meet someone who would say something like that to my face. I suppose you’ve never heard that I have feelings for His Majesty, Lady.”
“……”
Her reaction was more intense than Rachel had expected. Could even Aisha Labelyn, who was praised for being kind and gentle, change so much when it came to love?
But that was exactly why this provocation would be even more effective.
From the looks of it, Aisha Labelyn had no intention of giving up on the emperor.
Rachel then casually gestured to the staff and continued speaking.
“I’ve heard about it. But His Majesty says he likes me, so what can I do?”
“Lady Rachel!”
With a scream that seemed ready to tear the air apart, the entire dress shop began to shake. The objects inside rose into the air on their own.
It was a sign that her magic power was about to run wild. Aisha Labelyn’s hair spread out in every direction. Imperial knights and Rachel’s escort knights rushed inside in a panic.
“What is this? Lady Aisha! Please calm down!”
“My lady, please compose yourself! You mustn’t lose control like this!”
Protected by the knights, Rachel looked at Aisha with a strangely curious expression. In her previous life, even after living to the age of twenty-two, she had never seen Aisha Labelyn this agitated.
Aisha Labelyn had always been gentle and kind.
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