Waiting For Your Reincarnation Chapter 150

His words clouded his vision like a heavy fog. Zephyto gritted his teeth and stared at Ragnar as if he would kill him.

 

Ragnar smiled with the satisfaction of a full predator, then stared intently into the distance.

 

Zephyto turned around with a questioning glance. At the end of his gaze was Iris, standing in the hall.

 

“The ladies of House Elter may not have the money, but they sure do have the beauty.”

 

The mere thought of her belonging to Ragnar made his blood run cold. He wanted to slam his fist over his mouth, but Zephyto held back. Any further arousal here would be tantamount to giving away his own flesh.

 

He ignored Ragnar’s words and moved closer to Iris. Iris’s attention had been on Zephyto the whole time, and as soon as he took a step, she looked at him.

 

The thought occurred to her as she looked into his eyes, which were as arresting as the clear night sky.

 

He wonders what Ragnar is afraid of, snapping his fingers behind his back and playing tricks on him. He’d rather, as Elita said… It would be better to surprise everyone with something unexpected.

 

Iris blinked slowly and looked up at Zephyto. He used his body to block Ragnar’s filthy gaze. 

 

Then he took Iris’s wrist in a gentle grip.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

She looked down at her captor’s wrist. She could snap it off anytime she wanted, but Iris nodded as she stood beside Zephyto.

 

“Yes, back to your room.”

 

With that, she took the lead and headed for the entrance to the hall. Without another word, Zephyto followed Iris out the door.

 

Once they were out of the celebration, the world seemed to quiet down, until Iris continued to walk toward her bedroom without another word.

 

As he watched her firm backside, his decision to accept Elita’s proposal slowly solidified.

 

* * *

 

Late at night, Zephyto awoke. It was too early to start the day. He lay back in bed and tried to go back to sleep, but the drowsiness that had escaped him would not return.

 

He woke up this way, strangely enough, on days when he and Ragnar had a nervous breakdown. He sat up and opened the window slightly. The only sound was the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze.

 

“Ah.”

 

Zephyto let out a small groan as he sat on the window sill and listened. He pulled on his nightgown and slipped out of the bedroom.

 

His steps led him to the room where Iris was sleeping. Once out in the hall, they went to their respective rooms and spent some time alone.

 

Iris looked as if she wanted to talk about what had happened earlier, but Zephyto ignored her gaze. He hadn’t had time to listen to her story yet, and so time passed and they fell asleep in their respective rooms.

 

Perhaps untangling a knot that was tangled in the first place is harder than cutting the thread and tying a new knot.

 

As he opened the doorknob and stepped inside, he heard her even breathing; she seemed to be fast asleep.

 

Zephyto stepped carefully so as not to wake Iris. Moonlight filtered through the window and fell on her face. It shone so brightly that one could be fooled into thinking she was glowing.

 

Zephyto reached out and stroked her bangs gently.

 

“Mmm…”

 

Feeling the stroke, she frowned slightly and rolled over. For a moment, he felt a dizzying tension, as if the veins in his body were tightening.

 

He held his breath and checked Iris’s condition. She let out a small groan, but showed no sign of waking up yet.

 

He let out the breath he’d been holding and sank back into the canopy bed, staring for a long, long time at Iris’s back as she lay beside him.

 

He wished he could turn her back to look at him right now. Being with Iris always made him feel like he was facing a difficult test. At the same time, he felt alive as he solved them.

 

“The government would be perfect. Don’t you think so?”

 

Ragnar’s words came back to haunt him when he could forget them. How could Zephyto stand by and watch Iris fall into Ragnar’s hands under these circumstances? He let out a slow breath.

 

He remembered the conversation he’d had with Elita in her office the day he’d returned from Telene.

 

“You become Emperor, you make the decision, and I’ll see to the rest. You do realize that my house is better than any number of noble factions, don’t you?”

 

“You do realize that’s a clear attempt at treason, don’t you?”

 

“If you succeed in treason, that’s history, isn’t it?”

 

“You might as well say you’re going to be emperor. You have a good family.”

 

“I and Elpias know where we belong. We are the Emperor’s backup, and that’s exactly where we belong.”

 

“Ragnar hasn’t done you much wrong, has he?”

 

“Not to the Emperor, no. Sometimes a true knight chooses the right master. I just thought this was the time, so let me know when you decide.”

 

Ever since they were children, Elita had been telling him that he was the Emperor. At first, he thought she was joking, but her plans became more specific as he grew older. She truly wanted him to be Emperor.

 

Zephyto consistently ignored her comments. He had no interest in the position. When he first came to the imperial castle, he was even tempted to kill Ragnar. But that was only once.

 

He’d been more inclined to abdicate her position and move far away from the imperial court than to become further entangled in its tiresome ways.

 

But then the stone of Iris fell on his heart, and he realized that if Iris hadn’t married him, he wouldn’t be thinking about this in the first place.

 

Staring boredly at the ceiling of his bedroom, he suddenly spoke up.

 

“You really want to go up there?”

 

Saying the words quietly, Zephyto turned his head and watched Iris’s chest rise and fall regularly.

 

If he accepted Elita’s proposal, he would have to completely abandon the peaceful future he had dreamed of, but that future would include Iris.

 

And for the first time in his life, he didn’t mind being emperor.

 

If Zephyto could overtake Ragnar and become Emperor…

 

He wonders if she’ll be completely on his side then, not Ragnar’s or Elter’s.

 

She might stand by his side in some more solid form anyway, for as much as Iris might want to deny it, she was his wife, his princess, and he had no intention of letting her go if he was determined to change the future.

 

He rose to his feet as silently as a cat, a certain determination in his clear eyes.

 

Zephyto slowly made his way out of the bedroom. Outside the window, the gray dawn was breaking, and Iris was still fast asleep.

 

* * *

 

Time passed quickly, and the day of departure approached. The Emperor had not reversed his decision, and the Imperial Knights had to prepare for the raid on the Telene capital.

 

Since everything had to be done in secret, only a handful of soldiers set out, with Zephyto leading the way. Among them was Elita.

 

As he watched the pre-dawn procession on horseback, Zephyto’s eyes slowly closed and opened. Elita looked up at him and said something unspoken. Zephyto nodded once, as if he understood what she was saying, and set about organizing what he had to do.

 

After this time, everything would be in order.

 

Lost in thought, he gently squeezed the reins as he poised himself to mount his horse.

 

“Wait a minute…!”

 

Just then, a voice called out to him from somewhere. Zephyto stopped in his tracks and turned around.

 

Somehow he’d gotten the news, and there stood Iris, breathing heavily. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead from the exertion.

 

Iris was breathing hard, but she didn’t stop walking toward him. Zephyto gripped her arm tightly, as if she might collapse at any moment. Iris, fingering his armor, tugged at his left hand.

 

“I won’t bother you anymore, just take this.”

 

Her warm, soft touch came and went like a dream. In her warmth’s place was a white ring. He stared at the ring finger of his left hand. The white gemstone had a peculiar glow to it, and the ring was vaguely familiar.

 

Suddenly, Zephyto remembered the jewelry store in Telene. It was the ring that Iris had looked at carefully and said would look good on her.

 

He raised an eyebrow and stared at it, wondering what it was. Seeing his unspoken question, Iris took a breath and parted her lips slightly.