“Ah. So Sein Marcus was the one who installed the barrier?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, all right. I’ll keep an eye on him.”
The Emperor nodded after seeming to think for a moment. Only then did Hailon approach with ahem, a small cough, and speak.
“Don’t worry. Even an Archmage wouldn’t have designed a layered barrier using ninth-tier magic, so an eighth-tier mage should be able to analyze it. Well, my initial guess is that, since he’s an Archmage and this was his first time installing a barrier, he made it stronger than necessary, but—”
The Emperor waved his hand.
“Let’s talk about it on the way. Shall we go, my lady?”
“Yes.”
Hailon quickly stepped aside.
“Ah, I’ll go on horseback. I’ll use a spell to lower people’s awareness of me, so there’s no need to worry about security.”
Becky and the escort knights, who had been watching the situation carefully, quietly withdrew to a separate carriage prepared by the Ingrave family.
Rachel accepted the Emperor’s escort and boarded the carriage with its crest concealed. The Emperor got in after her, and the door shut with a click.
“We’re departing.”
“Mm.”
The person who gave the order was Count Bovalt, the commander of the Imperial Guard. Rachel leaned back against the sofa without a word. Soon, the carriage began to move.
The hood fell back.
At last, the Emperor’s face was fully revealed, and he smiled brightly.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes. I’ve been well.”
“I see. You probably weren’t too happy that I suddenly came to see you. Still, I hope you’ll understand. I didn’t know I had such little patience, either, but honestly, it’s been quite difficult for me.”
The Emperor smiled bitterly. Seen up close, a faint shadow hung over his face.
“……”
It had already been three weeks since she left the palace.
She had wondered if some distance might make things a little better, but apparently not. The Emperor was still so interested in her that he seemed to be having trouble controlling himself.
As Rachel gazed at him, her lips parted on impulse.
“If I were to reject you, would you be very angry?”
“……”
The Emperor’s smile faded. His violet eyes gazed at her, slowly and gradually sinking into a deep stillness.
“Yes. I think I’d be very angry.”
“……”
“Hmm, I think it’s finally time for me to ask you seriously.”
Meeting her gaze,
the Emperor asked the question he had once thought he might ask someday.
“Do you happen to dislike me, my lady?”
“……”
Rachel slowly blinked.
……Did she dislike him?
She wasn’t sure. But one thing was clear: she didn’t want to become any more entangled with him.
The Emperor had never harmed her in this life.
But she didn’t know how things might turn out, and there was something about seeing him that stirred up memories she didn’t want to recall.
Besides, if she became Empress, even the type of supernatural ability that had manifested during her appointment ceremony would become known. Rachel lowered her head.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
“……”
“I’m truly sor—”
“Enough.”
His voice, cold and distant, cut her off. When she looked up, the Emperor had covered his face with one hand.
“……I understand, so you can stop now.”
“……”
After gazing at the Emperor for a moment,
she turned her eyes toward the window. Under the bright sunlight, the carriage was drawing closer to the Easton residence.
A brief silence passed.
“Why?”
His slightly hoarse voice once again caught Rachel’s attention.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done anything to make you hate me. In the first place, you came all the way to that dangerous place to save me. So why are you rejecting me?”
“……”
Could he really see it that way?
She had spoken on impulse, so she hadn’t prepared a proper answer. Just then, the Emperor lowered his hand. His face was almost contorted, and sadness, pain, and a sense of injustice showed on it.
“Is it because of Lady Aisha? You said you didn’t want to make a bad impression on the future Empress. Is it because of the Labelyn family—”
“That’s not it, Your Majesty.”
“Then why? Why won’t you give me even the slightest bit of your heart? Why are you so cold to me…!”
The Emperor, Terrius Rogdan di Olsher, was a man who had everything.
Twenty years old.
He was young, handsome, and healthy, and he had also manifested the Imperial Family’s supernatural ability.
There was a reason the previous Emperor had only one child and no siblings. As long as his heart wasn’t pierced, <Self-Healing> would allow him to live a healthy life without a single wound for as long as he wished.
So this would be the Emperor’s first failure. In her previous life, the fake heir incident would have been his first failure.
‘……Perhaps this will have longer-lasting effects, since it’s an emotional matter rather than a political one.’
Rachel lowered her gaze and spoke.
“I don’t dislike you, Your Majesty. And you haven’t done anything wrong to me.”
“Then why—”
“Because when I see you, I’m reminded of someone I deeply resented.”
“……!”
Of course, the Emperor’s judgment in her previous life had been justified. She had been the fake heir’s wife, the young mistress of the Valencia family who had been married for five years.
Of course, it had come to light that the fake heir had taken contraceptive tea before the incident.
That had led to the sealing ritual, which revealed his true bloodline.
She understood that, as long as there was even the slightest possibility, the Emperor had no choice but to act as he did. Nathan Valencia must have felt the same way, and so had the Emperor.
But—
“I thought I’d gotten over it. I guess I haven’t yet.”
She raised her eyes. The Emperor was staring at her blankly, as if stunned. Rachel turned her gaze away again.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I should have told you sooner. But I was afraid you would be angry, so I stayed silent, and things ended up like this. If you wish to punish me, I will accept it.”
“……”
The Easton residence was now very close. The main gate, which had been firmly locked, opened. The carriage entered and stopped in front of the entrance.
Soon, the commander of the Imperial Guard approached the carriage and knocked on the door.
“Your Majesty. We’ve arrived at the Easton residence.”
Rachel quietly watched the Emperor. His expression was one of despair.
“……When you see me, you’re reminded of someone you resent.”
“Yes.”
“So……”
The Emperor fell silent again. Then, before the commander could knock on the door once more, he opened the window himself. The commander flinched when he saw the Emperor.
“Tell Deputy Commander Hailon to begin inspecting the barrier immediately.”
“……Understood.”
The commander withdrew.
After gazing out the window for a while, the Emperor spoke.
“Go ahead. This is your residence, so it’s best for you to see the inspection yourself.”
“……”
Rachel bowed her head silently and left the carriage. Since the Emperor had turned his face completely away, she couldn’t tell exactly what his expression looked like.
But judging by the commander’s reaction, it certainly hadn’t been good.
……For some reason, she felt uneasy deep inside. She had never expected to feel this way toward the Emperor.
‘But this was the best choice.’
She didn’t dislike the Emperor. But she didn’t want to become any more entangled with him, either.
If she had to choose, she would prefer to have the same kind of relationship she had with Nathan Valencia. Just an ordinary relationship between the Emperor and the acting marquis.
Though she didn’t know if that was still possible now.
Rachel walked over to where the mage was waiting. Hailon, the deputy commander of the Imperial Mage Corps, was standing exactly at the center of the residence grounds where Sein Marcus had stood.
“How is it?”
“It really is a seventh-tier magic circle. I’ll have to bring the entire barrier out so I can inspect it. Ah, but where is His Majesty…?”
“He’s in the carriage. He told me to go ahead.”
“Ah, I see. Then I’ll begin.”
He slowly began gathering his magical power. As if responding to him, the barrier that had seeped into the ground gradually rose into the air. Hailon examined it, then furrowed his brow.
“What in the world is this? What kind of magic…?”
“……”
Rachel waited quietly. Judging by the eighth-tier mage’s troubled expression, there was definitely something wrong with the barrier Sein Marcus had installed.
The mage carefully examined the barrier with a grave expression, then withdrew his magical power. The magic circle immediately vanished, sinking back into the ground.
“How is it?”
“……!”
Rachel turned around in surprise. She had thought he would remain in the carriage.
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