The entire empire was in turmoil over the assassination of the Crown Princess. In this ominous atmosphere, the nobles remained silent.
The incident was all the more serious because it happened during the visit of the Queen of Ryeo. The Queen did not make an official statement. She simply waited quietly for the incident to be resolved within the Baluar Palace.
But amidst the chaos, the Targayel mansion seemed to be free from all that. This was because Shan was controlling the atmosphere by disciplining his employees to ensure Elze's absolute stability.
Shan took a leave of absence to nurse Elze. He handled most matters by letter, and only entered the palace when absolutely necessary. However, even when he did enter the palace, he quickly resolved only the most necessary matters and left before the sunset.
Elze was enjoying an unexpected luxury. It was thanks to Shan who was always by her side, taking care of her.
Elze's wounds extended from her forearm to her elbow, taking up about half of her arm. She had to wrap her right arm tightly up to her elbow, so she couldn't use it for a while. Shan helped her with most of her daily activities.
“Ugh...”
She felt like a mummy. As she was looking at her bandaged arm in the mirror, Shan, who was sitting next to her and reading a book, asked her.
“Where does it hurt?”
“No, just...”
“Do you love Erzenes Targayel?”
The Queen's question was completely out of place in this situation. But somehow Elze felt like her question was something she absolutely had to confirm. And Shan answered without a moment's hesitation.
“Yes.”
“What the...!”
A spark flew from the Queen's eyes. Shan did not avoid the Queen's anger. Instead, he accepted it silently and continued to answer in a calm voice.
“As the husband of Erzenes Targayel, I love her with all my heart.”
"Ha!"
The Queen let out a hollow laugh as if she was being too much. However, Shan did not add any further excuses or explanations. In front of the silent Shan, the Queen gritted her teeth and spoke as if she was growling.
“You don’t know your subject! You’re the one who has feelings for her and is engaged to her...!”
She was about to shout something when she suddenly stopped. She saw Elze looking at her with a dumbfounded face behind Shan.
The Queen squeezed her eyes shut. She took a deep breath to calm her emotions. But her anger did not completely disappear.
“Yeah. If that’s you....”
She swallowed her words. Instead, her eyes burned deeply and she spoke slowly.
“Let’s meet again, Shan Cirxus. And...”
She looked at Elze. Her face, which had been so stiff, slowly relaxed. She whispered Elze's name.
“...Erzenes Targayel.”
That was the last. The Queen said that and immediately kicked the door open and left. The knights of Ra-sun and Ryeo followed the Queen, and they left like the tide. The maids waiting outside let out small screams of surprise at the rough exit.
“....”
It felt like a storm had swept through. The room was a mess with spilled teapots and teacups. Tea stains on the carpet, and pieces of broken teacups and tea food were mixed together, and Elze muttered absentmindedly.
“What the heck is going on...”
Then, feeling strange, she checked her right arm. It didn't hurt at all. Elze tried to remove the bandage. The long, deep wound that had cut into her arm was gone.
Elze couldn't believe her smooth arms, so she touched them with her hand. They were definitely healed and tight inside. It was as if they had never been hurt in the first place.
As Elze was rubbing her arm, Shan grabbed Elze's hand.
“Shan?”
Elze called out to him, but Shan didn't say anything and just held on. Judging from his silence, he also seemed to have no idea why the Queen was acting so violently.
But there was a sense of uneasiness in Shan’s hand that was holding tightly. Shan held Elze’s hand tightly and called her name softly.
“...Elze.”
The sound of him calling seemed to be a check to see if Elze was by his side.
As soon as Hyeon returned to the Baluar Palace, she immediately started packing her bags. Following Hywon, the delegation from Ryeo also prepared to return in unison.
The Queen's sudden return caused a great uproar in the Baluar palace. Naturally, Crown Prince Raymond came running to dissuade the Queen.
However, Hyeon expressed her intention to return home so firmly that it felt somewhat rude. Hyeon had a plausible excuse. She said that she had decided to return home for safety reasons due to the incident that occurred during this hunting competition.
Of course, when the hunting competition was over, she had remained silent, but then suddenly burst out and said that she would return home, so it was inevitable that she would make Crown Prince Raymond uncomfortable. However, considering the current situation that Hyeon was in, that was a price she could easily pay.
As soon as the delegation of Ryeo finished preparing to return home, they headed to the teleporter in the basement of the Baluar Palace. Then as if they were being chased by something, they quickly disappeared without a proper farewell ceremony.
The teleport brought Ryeo's delegation to Inesian.
The beautiful sacred city of Inesian, surrounded by a lake, was in full view, but Hyeon had no time to appreciate it. As soon as she got off the teleporter, she ran to the temple where Ilwooz was staying.
The priests were surprised to see Hyeon galloping through the temple without any warning, but Hyeon completely ignored what they were saying. Hyeon only had one thought in her head.
“Ilwooz!!”
Hyeon burst into Ilwooz's room. Ilwooz, who had been deep in meditation, slowly raised his head at Hyeon's noisy appearance.
“Hyeon...? How come so suddenly..."
Hyeon shouted as she ran up the stairs with brisk strides before Ilwooz could even come down.
“He is Shan Cirxus!”
In an instant, Hyeon, who had climbed up to the chair where Ilwooz was sitting, sat down at her feet. Hyeon spoke, gasping for breath.
“And I found him.”
"That...!"
Ilwooz got up from his seat. He urged Hyeon in an impatient voice that did not answer.
“So it was Duke Seraph after all...?”
“No, no.”
Hyeon muttered with his eyes tightly shut.
“It might have been better for me to be the Duke of Seraph.”
“Hyeon! Tell me quickly...”
Hyeon wished that all of this was a dream and told him the truth.
“Her name is Erzeneth Targayel, wife of Shan Cirxus.”
"Ah...!"
As soon as Ilwooz heard Hyeon's words, his legs gave out and he sank to the floor. The blood drained from his face. Ilwooz and Hyeon sat facing each other for a long time in silence. After sitting like that for a while, Ilwooz began to speak in a distressed tone.
“What a twist of fate...”
“...”
Hyeon couldn't say anything to Ilwooz. Hyeon also thought that it was a truly cruel twist of fate.
“What should I do about this?”
At Hyeon's muttering, Ilwooz clenched his fist. He muttered softly.
Since facts don't change, it was people who had to change in the end. Ilwooz slowly got up from his seat.
"Hyeon."
He untied the long string that had bound his eyes.
“After some preparation...I will invite them to Inesian...”
Behind the flowing string, rainbow-like eyes of various colors were revealed. Along with that, white light slowly began to appear from Ilwooz's body. Ilwooz stretched his hand toward the sky. The moment he took a deep breath, the white light expanded into a huge body.
Soon, a huge pillar of light rose up following Ilwooz's hand. The dark space was brightened in an instant. The gorgeous stained glass hidden in the darkness began to shine dazzlingly as it caught the light. Ilwooz opened his mouth.
“Listen, you who serve Ines.”
There was no longer a voice that was always languid and dreamy. The voice that rumbled like thunder was clear and loud. Ilwooz said.
"I declare in the name of Ilwooz, the first servant of Ines."
Ilwooz's eyes flashed with a brilliant color.
"I hereby declare that Shan Cirxus Targayel is the demon who will annihilate the continent!"
With his shout, light spread out in all directions like a meteor shower.
The incident was all the more serious because it happened during the visit of the Queen of Ryeo. The Queen did not make an official statement. She simply waited quietly for the incident to be resolved within the Baluar Palace.
But amidst the chaos, the Targayel mansion seemed to be free from all that. This was because Shan was controlling the atmosphere by disciplining his employees to ensure Elze's absolute stability.
Shan took a leave of absence to nurse Elze. He handled most matters by letter, and only entered the palace when absolutely necessary. However, even when he did enter the palace, he quickly resolved only the most necessary matters and left before the sunset.
Elze was enjoying an unexpected luxury. It was thanks to Shan who was always by her side, taking care of her.
Elze's wounds extended from her forearm to her elbow, taking up about half of her arm. She had to wrap her right arm tightly up to her elbow, so she couldn't use it for a while. Shan helped her with most of her daily activities.
“Ugh...”
She felt like a mummy. As she was looking at her bandaged arm in the mirror, Shan, who was sitting next to her and reading a book, asked her.
“Where does it hurt?”
“No, just...”
Elze just felt something itchy inside the bandage, so she looked in the mirror, and Shan immediately put down the book he was reading, got up, and came over to her.
“Where are you looking? Huh?”
Shan watched Elze closely even when she showed the slightest sign of something strange. Elze thought he was being overprotective, but she felt quite comfortable being cared for, so she just left her alone.
But it seemed like his protectiveness was getting more intense these days. Elze looked up at Shan, who was sitting on the bed and pouted.
“I only hurt one arm?”
Shan answered, raising his eyebrows.
“At that time, the dog’s claws were covered in poison. Didn’t the doctor tell you to be careful for the time being?”
“I took the medicine Ivanna gave me and completely detoxed.”
“That’s one thing, but this is a different matter. Even if you’ve detoxed, your body hasn’t fully recovered.”
While the two were arguing over whether or not to sit up in bed, there was a knock on the door. It was the maid who had brought lunch.
Shan forced Elze to sit on the bed and prepare a meal on the bed tray. The food that was laid out one by one was mostly soft liquid food. Elze grumbled about the side dishes.
“Now it’s time to eat the meat.”
The meat that was served was actually minced meat made into meatballs. Other than that, there was only a little bit of grass in the soup. Shan coaxed Elze as she prepared to eat as usual.
“Only for today. Starting tomorrow, I’ll tell them to prepare something you can chew.”
“...”
What can I say if you say that because you are worried? Elze eventually opened her mouth quietly.
Since she couldn't use her right arm, Shan had to feed her every meal. At her age, she can't believe she was being spoon-fed... Elze was embarrassed, but she couldn't help it.
At first, she tried to eat it alone, so she clumsily ate it with her left hand, and she ended up hitting the bowl of soup and spilling it on the bed.
Shan scooped up a large spoonful of soup, cooled it thoroughly, and served it to her. Some of the soup got on Elze’s lips as she ate it. Then he gently wiped it away with a napkin. Even though she was not a baby, her face felt hot. Elze whined with her ears red.
“Doesn’t this seem a little strange?”
But Shan didn't seem to sympathize at all.
“This? What is it?”
“..."
If you look closely, Shan would do really embarrassing things without any shame. Elze was speechless as she looked at him with a face that said she had no idea. After eating the small pieces of fruit, Elze was able to become free.
“Ugh, is it over now? I want to go for a walk.”
Lately, she's been eating and not moving, so her body feels dull. Shan readily agreed to Elze's strong request.
“Then I guess I can just wash up and go out.”
He brought water into the washbasin and a towel. He insisted on doing it even though she told him to just ask the maids to do it.
He had Elze sit down, wash her face, wash her hands, and then have her soak her feet in the basin. His strong fingers ran between her toes and rubbed her peach pits. He gently rubbed the soles of her feet with the sound of the water splashing, and it tickled her so much that she laughed.
As Elze giggled, Shan slyly followed suit. He kissed Elze's knee with a soft slap. Then, despite Elze's protests that it was too much, he kissed the other knee as well.
After washing up in this way and that, Elze put on a simple indoor dress with Shan's help. The two of them left the room, holding hands.
As he was walking down the hallway and going down the stairs, Marle came running up the stairs in a hurry. He was not a servant but a butler, so he rarely ran around himself. Before Shan could ask what was going on, Marle reported quickly.
“Her Majesty the Queen has arrived.”
It was a sudden visit. Not only was it unannounced, but the reason for the visit was also questionable. There was no reason for the Queen to visit Count Targayel in person.
“First, we invited her to the reception room.”
“Is this an official procession?”
“No. From Her Majesty the Queen to her attendants, everyone has their faces and clothing covered with hoods. The carriage also has no seals, so I think it is an unofficial procession.”
“I don’t know if the royal family has been notified...”
Shan, who had been looking down for a moment and thinking about something, soon spoke calmly.
“Ask the Queen for time to prepare herself for the ceremony. She must have expected to be waited since she arrived without notice.”
“Yes, Count.”
Shan didn't look too pleased with the Queen's visit. Ever since the last ball, Shan had been subtly negative about the Queen.
Elze didn't know why. She didn't bother asking, and Shan wasn't the type to ramble on about such things.
“Are you okay?”
Elze nodded to Shan, who was looking back at her and asking. Elze had a crush on the Queen, so her visit was surprising, but that was all.
But Shan looked very displeased. But the other person was the Queen. And if she had come so secretly, she might have come to talk about something important.
Shan ordered the maids to help Elze dress up, and he changed into formal attire.
Elze was a patient, so she didn't wear a dress that had a corset. Instead, she changed into something more formal than her indoor dress, and she neatly tied up her hair, which had been tied loosely into a ponytail.
“I don’t know what the purpose is, but I think it would be better not to talk too much.”
Elze entered the reception room, listening to Shan's earnest and cautious advice.
In the reception room, the Queen was leisurely enjoying tea time on the sofa. Behind her, her subjects, the knights of Ra-sun and Ryeo, stood stiffly.
"Your Majesty the Queen."
Elze and Shan greeted the Queen politely. The Queen completely ignored Shan, who had come in with her and spoke only to Elze with a bright smile.
“It’s been a while. How are you feeling?”
"Thank you for your concern, I'm feeling much better. Thank you."
"Well, if I had worried, you would have gotten better long ago."
Shan's face remained expressionless as the two conversed in a language he could not understand. The Queen glanced at Shan, then smiled and said.
“Your husband doesn’t seem to be interested in my visit.”
"That's..."
"It's okay. I don't like him that much either, so isn't it a two-way feeling?"
Elze didn't know what to say, so she just mumbled something. After all, what she said was true.
As she had felt when they talked before, the Queen was a very honest and easy-going person. Her speech was straightforward, unlike the nobles of Baluar who spoke in a roundabout way.
It's just that she hasn't gotten used to it yet, but Elze actually felt more comfortable when she was told so openly. Elze smiled awkwardly. The Queen followed suit and smiled like a mischievous child.
"Sit down."
Shan and Elze sat across from her, following the Queen's words. The Queen spoke with a benevolent smile.
"I guess you're surprised by my sudden visit."
"No, it is an honor."
“I have something to give you... and something to ask you, so I came to you.”
The Queen smiled and asked Elze again.
"Which one should I do first?"
And before Elze could even answer, she had already decided on the answer.
“Wouldn’t it be better to start by receiving a gift?”
Elze heard that as if they were saying to settle the debt first. The Queen made a slight gesture. Then the Queen's attendants came carrying three large boxes decorated with mother-of-pearl and set them down.
They were the prizes of the hunting competition and also the treasures of Ryeo that she had not been able to take with her that day due to her busy schedule. The Queen said with a proud face.
"I put a little more in."
Elze thanked her and thought she would take a few and give the rest to Ivanna. The Queen, who was watching Elze like that, let out a short hum and said.
"You are truly amazing."
"Yes?"
"Others would be so touched that they would consider it a family heirloom if given something of their own, but you don't seem to be moved at all."
The Queen's eyes narrowed. She looked at Elze as if searching her.
"It's like dealing with something familiar that you've always used."
"...I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
It was the most exemplary answer one could give in this situation. The Queen smiled when she noticed that Elze was avoiding the answer. Fortunately, she did not ask any further questions. Instead, she asked another question.
"Then, shall I ask what I wanted to ask?"
The Queen leaned back on the sofa. She spoke leisurely from her comfortable position.
"That day, I saw your swordsmanship."
"..."
Elze's heart skipped a beat. She had completely forgotten about it. Then, she swung her sword with all her might to survive the hounds. There was no way that cutting that large beast in half would be possible with ordinary swordsmanship.
There must have been someone else besides the Queen who witnessed it. Elze's mind became complicated. Seeing Elze unable to answer, the Queen quietly sighed.
“Yes, let’s not ask any more questions. Everyone has their own circumstances.”
“...Thank you, Your Majesty.”
It was fortunate that the Queen was kind to Elze. Otherwise, she would have pried her to the point of danger. Elxe felt relieved, but the Queen said.
"There is one more gift left."
What else could she be giving me? Elze cautiously indicated her refusal.
"It is already more than enough, Your Majesty."
But the Queen is absolutely necessary to her, she continued.
"It is the divine power of Ilwooz. It will heal your wounds in an instant."
"Your Majesty!"
Elze screamed in surprise.
“Why do you give me such a precious thing? It is a gift beyond my ability.”
The Queen smiled silently for a moment at Elze's words. Then she explained in a soft voice.
“I’m giving it to you because I have no place to use it, so don’t feel too burdened. There’s no need for you to feel that way at all.”
She said it in a nonchalant tone, but the divine power of Ilwooz was something that could not be bought even with money. It was natural to be wary when favors were excessive. Elze did not think that she would give her divine power without a reason.
And in this ominous atmosphere, Shan, who had been sitting silently until then, opened his mouth for the first time.
“Erzenes. What does Her Majesty want to do to you now?”
“Her Majesty will share the divine power that Ilwoos gave me.”
“Divine power?”
“She says it heals wounds...”
Shan had a very uneasy expression. But Shan knew very well how precious the divine power was. And that it could work miracles to instantly heal wounds.
“I think it would be better to accept it. Your body comes first.”
"But..."
“If it’s divine power, the wound on your arm will be healed in an instant. I don’t want you to continue suffering.”
Elze also felt a lot of discomfort because her injured arm was on her right side. The words that she could be cured in one go were really tempting. Elze hesitated but eventually decided to follow Shan's words.
"Give me your hand."
The Queen grabbed Elze's right hand, and a white light began to appear.
The light that slowly rose from the Queen's body covered Elze in gentle waves. Elze seemed to melt in the warm sensation.
But why? Shan, who was sitting next to Elze, frowned. She knew it was rude, but she couldn't understand why he was acting that way. The Queen smiled meaningfully at Shan.
She was worried that something might have happened to Shan without her knowing. Elze tried to gently hold his hand with her other hand.
But she couldn't move. It was as if she was being held by an invisible hand. The divine power completely enveloped Elze, and then it was the moment when she collapsed, emitting a final, strong light.
Suddenly the Queen jumped up from her seat.
"!!"
She stood up in a panic, staggering, and even pushed the three-tiered tray on the table with her hand. The tray fell over, covering the neatly arranged tea sets. A loud crash echoed throughout the room as it fell down.
"Your Majesty!"
Ra-sun, who was standing behind the Queen, shouted sharply and supported the staggering Queen.
Elze and Shan were startled by the sudden action of the Queen and stood up from their seats. The Queen, who was always arrogant and confident, was trembling. She muttered with her lips quivering.
“This, this can’t be happening...”
She was speechless for a long time, blinking her eyes several times in disbelief, speechless.
"You..."
And she said it as if pouring out her deepest feelings.
"'That person'."
Elze had no idea what she was talking about, but she knew for sure that something was up.
The Queen, with her face turned pale, barely managed to pull herself up with the help of Ra-sun. It wasn’t just the Queen who reacted like that. Including Ra+sun, the knights of Ryeo had faces similar to the Queen’s. They looked at Elze and Shan with eyes that were confronted with an unbelievable truth.
“...”
Shan silently grabbed Elze and pulled her away. He slowly pushed Elze back and then stood in front of the Queen. The Queen let out a hollow laugh at his gesture of protecting Elze.
"Your Majesty...?"
Elze called her cautiously. The Queen stared at Elze. The emotions tangled in her eyes were too big and complicated.
She seemed angry, and at the same time, she seemed empty. At first glance, she seemed sad, so Elze could not guess her feelings. The Queen met Elze’s gaze and slowly turned her head. She looked at the line and asked.
"What year is it now?"
"It is the year 997 of the Ines calendar."
The Queen muttered softly in response to the spiral.
“More than half of this year has already passed. There are less than three years left...”
The Queen quietly bit her lower lip. Then she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. And what flowed out of her mouth was the Continental Common Language.
“Listen.”
At the Queen's words, the knights of Ryeo, including Ra-sun, immediately fell to the ground. The Queen turned to Shan and continued speaking coldly.
“I have done all I can in Baluar, so there is no reason for me to stay any longer. I will return to my homeland.”
The Queen glared at Shan. She was speaking in a common language on purpose as if Shan wanted to hear. Shan was calm in the face of the Queen’s inexplicable enemy.
He didn't show the slightest sign of agitation. He was worried that if he misbehaved here, it might harm Elze.
For some reason, the Queen was even more furious at Shan's appearance. She called Shan in a voice as cold as frost.
“Shan Cirxus.”
“...Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Where are you looking? Huh?”
Shan watched Elze closely even when she showed the slightest sign of something strange. Elze thought he was being overprotective, but she felt quite comfortable being cared for, so she just left her alone.
But it seemed like his protectiveness was getting more intense these days. Elze looked up at Shan, who was sitting on the bed and pouted.
“I only hurt one arm?”
Shan answered, raising his eyebrows.
“At that time, the dog’s claws were covered in poison. Didn’t the doctor tell you to be careful for the time being?”
“I took the medicine Ivanna gave me and completely detoxed.”
“That’s one thing, but this is a different matter. Even if you’ve detoxed, your body hasn’t fully recovered.”
While the two were arguing over whether or not to sit up in bed, there was a knock on the door. It was the maid who had brought lunch.
Shan forced Elze to sit on the bed and prepare a meal on the bed tray. The food that was laid out one by one was mostly soft liquid food. Elze grumbled about the side dishes.
“Now it’s time to eat the meat.”
The meat that was served was actually minced meat made into meatballs. Other than that, there was only a little bit of grass in the soup. Shan coaxed Elze as she prepared to eat as usual.
“Only for today. Starting tomorrow, I’ll tell them to prepare something you can chew.”
“...”
What can I say if you say that because you are worried? Elze eventually opened her mouth quietly.
Since she couldn't use her right arm, Shan had to feed her every meal. At her age, she can't believe she was being spoon-fed... Elze was embarrassed, but she couldn't help it.
At first, she tried to eat it alone, so she clumsily ate it with her left hand, and she ended up hitting the bowl of soup and spilling it on the bed.
Shan scooped up a large spoonful of soup, cooled it thoroughly, and served it to her. Some of the soup got on Elze’s lips as she ate it. Then he gently wiped it away with a napkin. Even though she was not a baby, her face felt hot. Elze whined with her ears red.
“Doesn’t this seem a little strange?”
But Shan didn't seem to sympathize at all.
“This? What is it?”
“..."
If you look closely, Shan would do really embarrassing things without any shame. Elze was speechless as she looked at him with a face that said she had no idea. After eating the small pieces of fruit, Elze was able to become free.
“Ugh, is it over now? I want to go for a walk.”
Lately, she's been eating and not moving, so her body feels dull. Shan readily agreed to Elze's strong request.
“Then I guess I can just wash up and go out.”
He brought water into the washbasin and a towel. He insisted on doing it even though she told him to just ask the maids to do it.
He had Elze sit down, wash her face, wash her hands, and then have her soak her feet in the basin. His strong fingers ran between her toes and rubbed her peach pits. He gently rubbed the soles of her feet with the sound of the water splashing, and it tickled her so much that she laughed.
As Elze giggled, Shan slyly followed suit. He kissed Elze's knee with a soft slap. Then, despite Elze's protests that it was too much, he kissed the other knee as well.
After washing up in this way and that, Elze put on a simple indoor dress with Shan's help. The two of them left the room, holding hands.
As he was walking down the hallway and going down the stairs, Marle came running up the stairs in a hurry. He was not a servant but a butler, so he rarely ran around himself. Before Shan could ask what was going on, Marle reported quickly.
“Her Majesty the Queen has arrived.”
It was a sudden visit. Not only was it unannounced, but the reason for the visit was also questionable. There was no reason for the Queen to visit Count Targayel in person.
“First, we invited her to the reception room.”
“Is this an official procession?”
“No. From Her Majesty the Queen to her attendants, everyone has their faces and clothing covered with hoods. The carriage also has no seals, so I think it is an unofficial procession.”
“I don’t know if the royal family has been notified...”
Shan, who had been looking down for a moment and thinking about something, soon spoke calmly.
“Ask the Queen for time to prepare herself for the ceremony. She must have expected to be waited since she arrived without notice.”
“Yes, Count.”
Shan didn't look too pleased with the Queen's visit. Ever since the last ball, Shan had been subtly negative about the Queen.
Elze didn't know why. She didn't bother asking, and Shan wasn't the type to ramble on about such things.
“Are you okay?”
Elze nodded to Shan, who was looking back at her and asking. Elze had a crush on the Queen, so her visit was surprising, but that was all.
But Shan looked very displeased. But the other person was the Queen. And if she had come so secretly, she might have come to talk about something important.
Shan ordered the maids to help Elze dress up, and he changed into formal attire.
Elze was a patient, so she didn't wear a dress that had a corset. Instead, she changed into something more formal than her indoor dress, and she neatly tied up her hair, which had been tied loosely into a ponytail.
“I don’t know what the purpose is, but I think it would be better not to talk too much.”
Elze entered the reception room, listening to Shan's earnest and cautious advice.
In the reception room, the Queen was leisurely enjoying tea time on the sofa. Behind her, her subjects, the knights of Ra-sun and Ryeo, stood stiffly.
"Your Majesty the Queen."
Elze and Shan greeted the Queen politely. The Queen completely ignored Shan, who had come in with her and spoke only to Elze with a bright smile.
“It’s been a while. How are you feeling?”
"Thank you for your concern, I'm feeling much better. Thank you."
"Well, if I had worried, you would have gotten better long ago."
Shan's face remained expressionless as the two conversed in a language he could not understand. The Queen glanced at Shan, then smiled and said.
“Your husband doesn’t seem to be interested in my visit.”
"That's..."
"It's okay. I don't like him that much either, so isn't it a two-way feeling?"
Elze didn't know what to say, so she just mumbled something. After all, what she said was true.
As she had felt when they talked before, the Queen was a very honest and easy-going person. Her speech was straightforward, unlike the nobles of Baluar who spoke in a roundabout way.
It's just that she hasn't gotten used to it yet, but Elze actually felt more comfortable when she was told so openly. Elze smiled awkwardly. The Queen followed suit and smiled like a mischievous child.
"Sit down."
Shan and Elze sat across from her, following the Queen's words. The Queen spoke with a benevolent smile.
"I guess you're surprised by my sudden visit."
"No, it is an honor."
“I have something to give you... and something to ask you, so I came to you.”
The Queen smiled and asked Elze again.
"Which one should I do first?"
And before Elze could even answer, she had already decided on the answer.
“Wouldn’t it be better to start by receiving a gift?”
Elze heard that as if they were saying to settle the debt first. The Queen made a slight gesture. Then the Queen's attendants came carrying three large boxes decorated with mother-of-pearl and set them down.
They were the prizes of the hunting competition and also the treasures of Ryeo that she had not been able to take with her that day due to her busy schedule. The Queen said with a proud face.
"I put a little more in."
Elze thanked her and thought she would take a few and give the rest to Ivanna. The Queen, who was watching Elze like that, let out a short hum and said.
"You are truly amazing."
"Yes?"
"Others would be so touched that they would consider it a family heirloom if given something of their own, but you don't seem to be moved at all."
The Queen's eyes narrowed. She looked at Elze as if searching her.
"It's like dealing with something familiar that you've always used."
"...I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
It was the most exemplary answer one could give in this situation. The Queen smiled when she noticed that Elze was avoiding the answer. Fortunately, she did not ask any further questions. Instead, she asked another question.
"Then, shall I ask what I wanted to ask?"
The Queen leaned back on the sofa. She spoke leisurely from her comfortable position.
"That day, I saw your swordsmanship."
"..."
Elze's heart skipped a beat. She had completely forgotten about it. Then, she swung her sword with all her might to survive the hounds. There was no way that cutting that large beast in half would be possible with ordinary swordsmanship.
There must have been someone else besides the Queen who witnessed it. Elze's mind became complicated. Seeing Elze unable to answer, the Queen quietly sighed.
“Yes, let’s not ask any more questions. Everyone has their own circumstances.”
“...Thank you, Your Majesty.”
It was fortunate that the Queen was kind to Elze. Otherwise, she would have pried her to the point of danger. Elxe felt relieved, but the Queen said.
"There is one more gift left."
What else could she be giving me? Elze cautiously indicated her refusal.
"It is already more than enough, Your Majesty."
But the Queen is absolutely necessary to her, she continued.
"It is the divine power of Ilwooz. It will heal your wounds in an instant."
"Your Majesty!"
Elze screamed in surprise.
“Why do you give me such a precious thing? It is a gift beyond my ability.”
The Queen smiled silently for a moment at Elze's words. Then she explained in a soft voice.
“I’m giving it to you because I have no place to use it, so don’t feel too burdened. There’s no need for you to feel that way at all.”
She said it in a nonchalant tone, but the divine power of Ilwooz was something that could not be bought even with money. It was natural to be wary when favors were excessive. Elze did not think that she would give her divine power without a reason.
And in this ominous atmosphere, Shan, who had been sitting silently until then, opened his mouth for the first time.
“Erzenes. What does Her Majesty want to do to you now?”
“Her Majesty will share the divine power that Ilwoos gave me.”
“Divine power?”
“She says it heals wounds...”
Shan had a very uneasy expression. But Shan knew very well how precious the divine power was. And that it could work miracles to instantly heal wounds.
“I think it would be better to accept it. Your body comes first.”
"But..."
“If it’s divine power, the wound on your arm will be healed in an instant. I don’t want you to continue suffering.”
Elze also felt a lot of discomfort because her injured arm was on her right side. The words that she could be cured in one go were really tempting. Elze hesitated but eventually decided to follow Shan's words.
"Give me your hand."
The Queen grabbed Elze's right hand, and a white light began to appear.
The light that slowly rose from the Queen's body covered Elze in gentle waves. Elze seemed to melt in the warm sensation.
But why? Shan, who was sitting next to Elze, frowned. She knew it was rude, but she couldn't understand why he was acting that way. The Queen smiled meaningfully at Shan.
She was worried that something might have happened to Shan without her knowing. Elze tried to gently hold his hand with her other hand.
But she couldn't move. It was as if she was being held by an invisible hand. The divine power completely enveloped Elze, and then it was the moment when she collapsed, emitting a final, strong light.
Suddenly the Queen jumped up from her seat.
"!!"
She stood up in a panic, staggering, and even pushed the three-tiered tray on the table with her hand. The tray fell over, covering the neatly arranged tea sets. A loud crash echoed throughout the room as it fell down.
"Your Majesty!"
Ra-sun, who was standing behind the Queen, shouted sharply and supported the staggering Queen.
Elze and Shan were startled by the sudden action of the Queen and stood up from their seats. The Queen, who was always arrogant and confident, was trembling. She muttered with her lips quivering.
“This, this can’t be happening...”
She was speechless for a long time, blinking her eyes several times in disbelief, speechless.
"You..."
And she said it as if pouring out her deepest feelings.
"'That person'."
Elze had no idea what she was talking about, but she knew for sure that something was up.
The Queen, with her face turned pale, barely managed to pull herself up with the help of Ra-sun. It wasn’t just the Queen who reacted like that. Including Ra+sun, the knights of Ryeo had faces similar to the Queen’s. They looked at Elze and Shan with eyes that were confronted with an unbelievable truth.
“...”
Shan silently grabbed Elze and pulled her away. He slowly pushed Elze back and then stood in front of the Queen. The Queen let out a hollow laugh at his gesture of protecting Elze.
"Your Majesty...?"
Elze called her cautiously. The Queen stared at Elze. The emotions tangled in her eyes were too big and complicated.
She seemed angry, and at the same time, she seemed empty. At first glance, she seemed sad, so Elze could not guess her feelings. The Queen met Elze’s gaze and slowly turned her head. She looked at the line and asked.
"What year is it now?"
"It is the year 997 of the Ines calendar."
The Queen muttered softly in response to the spiral.
“More than half of this year has already passed. There are less than three years left...”
The Queen quietly bit her lower lip. Then she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. And what flowed out of her mouth was the Continental Common Language.
“Listen.”
At the Queen's words, the knights of Ryeo, including Ra-sun, immediately fell to the ground. The Queen turned to Shan and continued speaking coldly.
“I have done all I can in Baluar, so there is no reason for me to stay any longer. I will return to my homeland.”
The Queen glared at Shan. She was speaking in a common language on purpose as if Shan wanted to hear. Shan was calm in the face of the Queen’s inexplicable enemy.
He didn't show the slightest sign of agitation. He was worried that if he misbehaved here, it might harm Elze.
For some reason, the Queen was even more furious at Shan's appearance. She called Shan in a voice as cold as frost.
“Shan Cirxus.”
“...Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Do you love Erzenes Targayel?”
The Queen's question was completely out of place in this situation. But somehow Elze felt like her question was something she absolutely had to confirm. And Shan answered without a moment's hesitation.
“Yes.”
“What the...!”
A spark flew from the Queen's eyes. Shan did not avoid the Queen's anger. Instead, he accepted it silently and continued to answer in a calm voice.
“As the husband of Erzenes Targayel, I love her with all my heart.”
"Ha!"
The Queen let out a hollow laugh as if she was being too much. However, Shan did not add any further excuses or explanations. In front of the silent Shan, the Queen gritted her teeth and spoke as if she was growling.
“You don’t know your subject! You’re the one who has feelings for her and is engaged to her...!”
She was about to shout something when she suddenly stopped. She saw Elze looking at her with a dumbfounded face behind Shan.
The Queen squeezed her eyes shut. She took a deep breath to calm her emotions. But her anger did not completely disappear.
“Yeah. If that’s you....”
She swallowed her words. Instead, her eyes burned deeply and she spoke slowly.
“Let’s meet again, Shan Cirxus. And...”
She looked at Elze. Her face, which had been so stiff, slowly relaxed. She whispered Elze's name.
“...Erzenes Targayel.”
That was the last. The Queen said that and immediately kicked the door open and left. The knights of Ra-sun and Ryeo followed the Queen, and they left like the tide. The maids waiting outside let out small screams of surprise at the rough exit.
“....”
It felt like a storm had swept through. The room was a mess with spilled teapots and teacups. Tea stains on the carpet, and pieces of broken teacups and tea food were mixed together, and Elze muttered absentmindedly.
“What the heck is going on...”
Then, feeling strange, she checked her right arm. It didn't hurt at all. Elze tried to remove the bandage. The long, deep wound that had cut into her arm was gone.
Elze couldn't believe her smooth arms, so she touched them with her hand. They were definitely healed and tight inside. It was as if they had never been hurt in the first place.
As Elze was rubbing her arm, Shan grabbed Elze's hand.
“Shan?”
Elze called out to him, but Shan didn't say anything and just held on. Judging from his silence, he also seemed to have no idea why the Queen was acting so violently.
But there was a sense of uneasiness in Shan’s hand that was holding tightly. Shan held Elze’s hand tightly and called her name softly.
“...Elze.”
The sound of him calling seemed to be a check to see if Elze was by his side.
***
As soon as Hyeon returned to the Baluar Palace, she immediately started packing her bags. Following Hywon, the delegation from Ryeo also prepared to return in unison.
The Queen's sudden return caused a great uproar in the Baluar palace. Naturally, Crown Prince Raymond came running to dissuade the Queen.
However, Hyeon expressed her intention to return home so firmly that it felt somewhat rude. Hyeon had a plausible excuse. She said that she had decided to return home for safety reasons due to the incident that occurred during this hunting competition.
Of course, when the hunting competition was over, she had remained silent, but then suddenly burst out and said that she would return home, so it was inevitable that she would make Crown Prince Raymond uncomfortable. However, considering the current situation that Hyeon was in, that was a price she could easily pay.
As soon as the delegation of Ryeo finished preparing to return home, they headed to the teleporter in the basement of the Baluar Palace. Then as if they were being chased by something, they quickly disappeared without a proper farewell ceremony.
The teleport brought Ryeo's delegation to Inesian.
The beautiful sacred city of Inesian, surrounded by a lake, was in full view, but Hyeon had no time to appreciate it. As soon as she got off the teleporter, she ran to the temple where Ilwooz was staying.
The priests were surprised to see Hyeon galloping through the temple without any warning, but Hyeon completely ignored what they were saying. Hyeon only had one thought in her head.
“Ilwooz!!”
Hyeon burst into Ilwooz's room. Ilwooz, who had been deep in meditation, slowly raised his head at Hyeon's noisy appearance.
“Hyeon...? How come so suddenly..."
Hyeon shouted as she ran up the stairs with brisk strides before Ilwooz could even come down.
“He is Shan Cirxus!”
In an instant, Hyeon, who had climbed up to the chair where Ilwooz was sitting, sat down at her feet. Hyeon spoke, gasping for breath.
“And I found him.”
"That...!"
Ilwooz got up from his seat. He urged Hyeon in an impatient voice that did not answer.
“So it was Duke Seraph after all...?”
“No, no.”
Hyeon muttered with his eyes tightly shut.
“It might have been better for me to be the Duke of Seraph.”
“Hyeon! Tell me quickly...”
Hyeon wished that all of this was a dream and told him the truth.
“Her name is Erzeneth Targayel, wife of Shan Cirxus.”
"Ah...!"
As soon as Ilwooz heard Hyeon's words, his legs gave out and he sank to the floor. The blood drained from his face. Ilwooz and Hyeon sat facing each other for a long time in silence. After sitting like that for a while, Ilwooz began to speak in a distressed tone.
“What a twist of fate...”
“...”
Hyeon couldn't say anything to Ilwooz. Hyeon also thought that it was a truly cruel twist of fate.
“What should I do about this?”
At Hyeon's muttering, Ilwooz clenched his fist. He muttered softly.
“Regardless, the fact remains that Shan Cirxus is 'he'... Nor does the fact that Erzenes Targael is 'he'...”
"Hyeon."
He untied the long string that had bound his eyes.
“After some preparation...I will invite them to Inesian...”
Behind the flowing string, rainbow-like eyes of various colors were revealed. Along with that, white light slowly began to appear from Ilwooz's body. Ilwooz stretched his hand toward the sky. The moment he took a deep breath, the white light expanded into a huge body.
Soon, a huge pillar of light rose up following Ilwooz's hand. The dark space was brightened in an instant. The gorgeous stained glass hidden in the darkness began to shine dazzlingly as it caught the light. Ilwooz opened his mouth.
“Listen, you who serve Ines.”
There was no longer a voice that was always languid and dreamy. The voice that rumbled like thunder was clear and loud. Ilwooz said.
"I declare in the name of Ilwooz, the first servant of Ines."
Ilwooz's eyes flashed with a brilliant color.
"I hereby declare that Shan Cirxus Targayel is the demon who will annihilate the continent!"
With his shout, light spread out in all directions like a meteor shower.
Support Novellate!
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