“Empress Zelda is holding an incarnation. It was originally held by the Magic Tower Lord.”
“Is that true?!”
Roxana already knew that the incarnation that existed in the Magic Tower Lord’s body disappeared 250 years ago. And that the Magic Tower Lord’s biological time stopped after that.
But that incarnation entered Empress Zelda!
“Ha, I thought there was a big reason why Bellos called Empress Zelda his companion, and it was because of the incarnation...”
Roxana remembered Linel mentioning the ‘incarnation’.
‘He knows that the Empress has an incarnation in her body.’
“The Magic Tower Lord wants to bring the incarnation back by making her his companion.”
Roxana naturally thought of Linel at the witch’s words.
If it were as Bellos said, then she might have a chance, too.
“Is that possible?”
“Well, only the Lord of the Tower knows the probability. And the reason Empress Zelda became an incarnation was because of the red potion Logan made. It was originally intended to be given to the Lord of the Tower.”
“Logan... Bellos’s butler?”
The witch nodded.
Roxana tried to recall Logan’s face that greeted her every time she visited the Tower, but since she hadn’t paid much attention, her memories of Logan weren’t very clear.
“What did the red potion do?”
“Some accident happened, and the potion spilled on the Empress’s face, causing her face to burn, and after that, she began to sense the presence of the incarnation.”
“A burn on her face? It was clean when I checked it with the crystal ball earlier.”
“She's currently taking a magic potion that temporarily removes the burn scars.”
Roxana sighed softly.
For some reason, her mood suddenly improved.
It also meant that if she didn’t take the magic potion, the burn scars on her face would be revealed.
However, Roxana’s expression hardened again at the witch’s continued story.
“The 300-year-old wyvern egg that the Magic Tower Lord had.”
“...Why?”
“It was awakened by Empress Zelda a while ago.”
“Really? Oh, how, how did it happen?!”
Roxana grabbed the witch’s shoulder with an excited face.
“The energy of fire must have started to manifest. The wyvern egg must have awakened with that energy. Your Highness, you also have a 300-year-old wyvern egg, don’t you?”
“...That’s right.”
No matter what she did, the wyvern egg wouldn’t hatch, and it wouldn’t break even if she applied physical force.
Roxana pursed her lips and frowned before opening her mouth.
“If the wyvern egg I have were to see Empress Zelda...”
“If that wyvern egg were to awaken and wake up, it would make her its master.”
Just imagining it made her stomach turn.
“Absolutely not!”
Why should that woman have everything she needs?
Roxana clenched her teeth.
Everything seemed unfair.
“Isn’t there a way to awaken the wyvern egg in me?”
Roxana’s eyes flashed fiercely.
The witch smirked and replied.
“You, too, Princess, can have the aura of fire like Empress Zelda. It’s artificial, but you can obtain the aura of fire.”
The witch lowered her voice as much as possible.
“...What? How?”
“Use the red reagent.”
“Are you telling me to pour that red reagent on my face right now and make a burn scar?”
Roxana’s voice rose nervously.
“Princess, time has passed, and the red reagent Logan developed must have also developed.”
“There’s a chance that they haven’t researched it since then.”
When Roxana spoke skeptically, the witch giggled and shook her head.
“No. Logan has been trying to find a way to bring back the incarnation that left the Magic Tower Lord’s body to the Magic Tower Lord, and he has been making red reagents in various ways.”
“Then...”
“We failed to bring back the incarnation, but we may be able to create the energy of fire separately.”
Roxana started to think.
If only it could happen like the witch said.
If the wyvern hatchling imprinted on her and served her as its master, neither her father nor Hetor would be able to treat her carelessly.
“Wait a minute. But how did the wyvern egg that Bellos had come to see Empress Zelda? I heard that Bellos entrusted that wyvern egg to one of his disciples a long time ago?”
“Yes, that disciple’s daughter became a concubine of the Lapion Empire. Empress Zelda and that concubine had a special relationship, and they would visit each other, and the wyvern egg saw the Empress and woke up.”
Roxana’s eyes hardened as she listened to the witch’s words attentively.
That old woman who had only been on Aklatto Island knew about the internal affairs of the Lapion Imperial Family?
“Kaline, how do you know such things?”
Roxana asked the witch with a suspicious look.
The witch proudly answered, as if she had expected her to ask that question.
“That concubine’s maid is my granddaughter.”
“Really? How?”
“The Lord of the Tower was looking for someone trustworthy, so he sent my granddaughter to be the maid of the disciple who had entrusted her with a wyvern egg when she was young. After that disciple died, her daughter became a concubine, and my granddaughter entered the palace with her.”
“So that’s what happened. But... why are you telling me this?”
“The Lord of the Tower doesn’t seem to have any affection for the Duchy of Aklatto.”
An unexpected voice came out of the witch’s mouth.
“Just companion, companion. It seems that he thinks that whatever happens to the duchy, all he needs to do is get that Empress Zelda, who has the incarnation. These days, I even suspect that he has no respect for Aklatto Island, where the Magic Tower is located.”
Roxana felt a pang in her heart.
As a Princess of the duchy, she has no affection for Aklatto Island, so there’s no way that Bellos would.
Furthermore, Bellos currently possesses the Incarnation Sword. There was no reason for someone who could take over this world with the Incarnation Sword to have any attachment to this small island nation.
“The Magic Tower is not part of our duchy, so it’s even more so. But it’s still disappointing. It’s probably because Bellos has no affection for this place that he refused to be engaged to me. If Bellos had been engaged to me, Hetor of Tanya Island wouldn’t have looked down on us so easily.”
Roxana blamed Bellos for the fact that the Duchy of Aklatto had fallen to Hetor.
Then, as if she had been waiting for it, the witch poured out all the complaints she had been holding onto the Magic Tower Lord.
“That’s right. But don’t be too heartbroken. You should use that barbarian King to attack the continent, and endure until our noble Principality of Aklatto gains power.”
The witch knew Roxana’s sacrifice well.
That’s why she made Roxana a drug that prevented her from getting pregnant, and showed her the person she wanted to see through her crystal ball twice.
However, it was a bit surprising that she took a risk and used teleportation to see Emperor Linel.
In any case, the witch’s distrust of the Magic Tower Lord was helpful to Roxana.
“If I had known that the Magic Tower Lord did not value our Principality, I would not have given my granddaughter to him.”
The witch, who had lived her entire life in the Principality of Aklato, was a person with great pride and affection for this island.
“And from what I’ve heard from Misha lately, the Magic Tower Lord seems to be quite fond of Empress Zelda. If this continues, he might even give the Empress the Incarnation Sword.”
That was what the witch was most worried about, and so was Roxana.
Roxana nodded repeatedly in agreement with the witch’s words, then carefully opened her mouth.
“Logan... will he make me a red potion?”
If she had the power of fire, she would be no different from Empress Zelda.
“It won’t be easy.”
Roxana showed her disappointment at the witch’s words.
“Logan is guarding the magic tower alone right now, right?”
“Yes, I think so. Would you like to meet him?”
“It’s too late today. Let’s go and see him tomorrow.”
Roxana said, looking at the clock in the witch’s house.
If she delayed too much, Hetor might become suspicious.
Roxana, who was leaving with Nancy, looked back at the witch.
“Karline, is there a weakness for Logan?”
“Is that true?!”
Roxana already knew that the incarnation that existed in the Magic Tower Lord’s body disappeared 250 years ago. And that the Magic Tower Lord’s biological time stopped after that.
But that incarnation entered Empress Zelda!
“Ha, I thought there was a big reason why Bellos called Empress Zelda his companion, and it was because of the incarnation...”
Roxana remembered Linel mentioning the ‘incarnation’.
‘He knows that the Empress has an incarnation in her body.’
“The Magic Tower Lord wants to bring the incarnation back by making her his companion.”
Roxana naturally thought of Linel at the witch’s words.
If it were as Bellos said, then she might have a chance, too.
“Is that possible?”
“Well, only the Lord of the Tower knows the probability. And the reason Empress Zelda became an incarnation was because of the red potion Logan made. It was originally intended to be given to the Lord of the Tower.”
“Logan... Bellos’s butler?”
The witch nodded.
Roxana tried to recall Logan’s face that greeted her every time she visited the Tower, but since she hadn’t paid much attention, her memories of Logan weren’t very clear.
“What did the red potion do?”
“Some accident happened, and the potion spilled on the Empress’s face, causing her face to burn, and after that, she began to sense the presence of the incarnation.”
“A burn on her face? It was clean when I checked it with the crystal ball earlier.”
“She's currently taking a magic potion that temporarily removes the burn scars.”
Roxana sighed softly.
For some reason, her mood suddenly improved.
It also meant that if she didn’t take the magic potion, the burn scars on her face would be revealed.
However, Roxana’s expression hardened again at the witch’s continued story.
“The 300-year-old wyvern egg that the Magic Tower Lord had.”
“...Why?”
“It was awakened by Empress Zelda a while ago.”
“Really? Oh, how, how did it happen?!”
Roxana grabbed the witch’s shoulder with an excited face.
“The energy of fire must have started to manifest. The wyvern egg must have awakened with that energy. Your Highness, you also have a 300-year-old wyvern egg, don’t you?”
“...That’s right.”
No matter what she did, the wyvern egg wouldn’t hatch, and it wouldn’t break even if she applied physical force.
Roxana pursed her lips and frowned before opening her mouth.
“If the wyvern egg I have were to see Empress Zelda...”
“If that wyvern egg were to awaken and wake up, it would make her its master.”
Just imagining it made her stomach turn.
“Absolutely not!”
Why should that woman have everything she needs?
Roxana clenched her teeth.
Everything seemed unfair.
“Isn’t there a way to awaken the wyvern egg in me?”
Roxana’s eyes flashed fiercely.
The witch smirked and replied.
“You, too, Princess, can have the aura of fire like Empress Zelda. It’s artificial, but you can obtain the aura of fire.”
The witch lowered her voice as much as possible.
“...What? How?”
“Use the red reagent.”
“Are you telling me to pour that red reagent on my face right now and make a burn scar?”
Roxana’s voice rose nervously.
“Princess, time has passed, and the red reagent Logan developed must have also developed.”
“There’s a chance that they haven’t researched it since then.”
When Roxana spoke skeptically, the witch giggled and shook her head.
“No. Logan has been trying to find a way to bring back the incarnation that left the Magic Tower Lord’s body to the Magic Tower Lord, and he has been making red reagents in various ways.”
“Then...”
“We failed to bring back the incarnation, but we may be able to create the energy of fire separately.”
Roxana started to think.
If only it could happen like the witch said.
If the wyvern hatchling imprinted on her and served her as its master, neither her father nor Hetor would be able to treat her carelessly.
“Wait a minute. But how did the wyvern egg that Bellos had come to see Empress Zelda? I heard that Bellos entrusted that wyvern egg to one of his disciples a long time ago?”
“Yes, that disciple’s daughter became a concubine of the Lapion Empire. Empress Zelda and that concubine had a special relationship, and they would visit each other, and the wyvern egg saw the Empress and woke up.”
Roxana’s eyes hardened as she listened to the witch’s words attentively.
That old woman who had only been on Aklatto Island knew about the internal affairs of the Lapion Imperial Family?
“Kaline, how do you know such things?”
Roxana asked the witch with a suspicious look.
The witch proudly answered, as if she had expected her to ask that question.
“That concubine’s maid is my granddaughter.”
“Really? How?”
“The Lord of the Tower was looking for someone trustworthy, so he sent my granddaughter to be the maid of the disciple who had entrusted her with a wyvern egg when she was young. After that disciple died, her daughter became a concubine, and my granddaughter entered the palace with her.”
“So that’s what happened. But... why are you telling me this?”
“The Lord of the Tower doesn’t seem to have any affection for the Duchy of Aklatto.”
An unexpected voice came out of the witch’s mouth.
“Just companion, companion. It seems that he thinks that whatever happens to the duchy, all he needs to do is get that Empress Zelda, who has the incarnation. These days, I even suspect that he has no respect for Aklatto Island, where the Magic Tower is located.”
Roxana felt a pang in her heart.
As a Princess of the duchy, she has no affection for Aklatto Island, so there’s no way that Bellos would.
Furthermore, Bellos currently possesses the Incarnation Sword. There was no reason for someone who could take over this world with the Incarnation Sword to have any attachment to this small island nation.
“The Magic Tower is not part of our duchy, so it’s even more so. But it’s still disappointing. It’s probably because Bellos has no affection for this place that he refused to be engaged to me. If Bellos had been engaged to me, Hetor of Tanya Island wouldn’t have looked down on us so easily.”
Roxana blamed Bellos for the fact that the Duchy of Aklatto had fallen to Hetor.
Then, as if she had been waiting for it, the witch poured out all the complaints she had been holding onto the Magic Tower Lord.
“That’s right. But don’t be too heartbroken. You should use that barbarian King to attack the continent, and endure until our noble Principality of Aklatto gains power.”
The witch knew Roxana’s sacrifice well.
That’s why she made Roxana a drug that prevented her from getting pregnant, and showed her the person she wanted to see through her crystal ball twice.
However, it was a bit surprising that she took a risk and used teleportation to see Emperor Linel.
In any case, the witch’s distrust of the Magic Tower Lord was helpful to Roxana.
“If I had known that the Magic Tower Lord did not value our Principality, I would not have given my granddaughter to him.”
The witch, who had lived her entire life in the Principality of Aklato, was a person with great pride and affection for this island.
“And from what I’ve heard from Misha lately, the Magic Tower Lord seems to be quite fond of Empress Zelda. If this continues, he might even give the Empress the Incarnation Sword.”
That was what the witch was most worried about, and so was Roxana.
Roxana nodded repeatedly in agreement with the witch’s words, then carefully opened her mouth.
“Logan... will he make me a red potion?”
If she had the power of fire, she would be no different from Empress Zelda.
“It won’t be easy.”
Roxana showed her disappointment at the witch’s words.
“Logan is guarding the magic tower alone right now, right?”
“Yes, I think so. Would you like to meet him?”
“It’s too late today. Let’s go and see him tomorrow.”
Roxana said, looking at the clock in the witch’s house.
If she delayed too much, Hetor might become suspicious.
Roxana, who was leaving with Nancy, looked back at the witch.
“Karline, is there a weakness for Logan?”
“He has a daughter named Bonis. She is currently Empress Zelda’s maid.”
The witch told Roxana the news that her granddaughter, Misha, had told her.
“That’s right..."
Roxana smiled faintly.
I closed her eyes in the bathtub and dozed off.
I opened my eyes again when I thought I heard a conversation outside the bathroom.
It seemed like it was only Linel’s voice?
Who was he talking to?
I quickly made soap bubbles and rubbed them on my body while pouring water on myself.
Then, I carefully heard the bathroom door open.
It had to be Linel.
I should have looked back because I was sitting in the bathtub with my back to the bathroom door, but I didn’t.
‘Tch, you refused earlier? Have you changed your mind?’
He suggested we take a bath together, and now he’s jumping in on his own two feet.
Should I pour water on him?
Or should I run to him while I'm soaking wet and hug him, soaking all his clothes?
All I could think about was getting him soaked one way or another.
Well, he probably didn’t come into the bathroom to have a cup of tea anyway, so it didn’t matter, but I still wanted to show off a little.
“It’s late! Don’t even think about getting in the bathtub, I’m going out now. Could you hand me a towel? Then I’ll let you see my back.”
He didn’t say anything despite my bold suggestion.
I could imagine what kind of expression he was making as he looked at me right now.
Then how about this?
I got up from the bathtub, spread my arms, and said to him,
“Now, I’ll give you the honor of wiping me off. My husband doesn’t do Linel, so Your Majesty, the Emperor will wipe me off.”
My dizzying back and provocation were unavoidable, right?
You must have been surprised. You must have been surprised. I burst out laughing at my bold behavior.
I quite liked the nonsense that came out of nowhere, and I was pleased to think of his embarrassed expression.
At this point, I thought his laughter would be louder than mine, but it was strange.
Linel still didn’t respond.
Aha, is he taking off his clothes to get into the bathtub?
“You’re not going to wipe me with the clothes I’m wearing like in the cave during the day, are you? I’d rather not wear pants. Your Majesty? What are you doing?”
Why are you still silent? It would be normal to hear a laugh.
I couldn’t hold back my curiosity and boldly turned around.
Before I could even turn around, the door slammed shut.
“...What? Is he upset?”
What could he be upset about?
But apart from that, something felt strange.
I couldn’t understand why I felt this uneasy after washing up so refreshingly.
I quickly dried myself and left the bathroom.
“You seem to have gone out again?”
Linel was not in the room.
“Why are you turning the lights so dim?”
I was a little puzzled, but I soon realized his intentions and chuckled.
“We haven’t even had dinner yet, so you’re being cheeky.”
By the way, where did he go out again, leaving the room with such a strange atmosphere?
I glanced at the door and walked to the bed.
“Hmm? There’s only one?”
Sharon had clearly said I had two dresses, but there were none on the bed.
“I guess I forgot.”
This was the first time.
Plus, the extra towel was on the floor. Even Sharon, who is always precise, makes mistakes sometimes, I thought, picking up the towel and placing it on the bed before changing into the dress.
After I finished changing, the door opened.
“Zelda?”
He called my name as if confirming my presence, even though he knew that it was me in this room.
“You’ve got the wrong room. I’m not Zelda.”
I said, pulling the towel I had placed on the bed over my head.
“If you’re not my wife, who are you?”
Linel walked over and joined in my joke.
“I’m a woman named Dazel. What’s your name?”
“I’m Nelly,”
He said, hugging me from behind.
I laughed and turned to him, thinking that the name “Nelly” didn’t suit him at all.
“Your name sounds feminine, but your voice is so deep.”
“...Hmm?”
Linel tilted his head, staring at me.
His expression as he looked at me was subtle.
We asked each other at the same time.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Why did you change?”
Linel asked, looking over my dress.
The witch told Roxana the news that her granddaughter, Misha, had told her.
“That’s right..."
Roxana smiled faintly.
***
I closed her eyes in the bathtub and dozed off.
I opened my eyes again when I thought I heard a conversation outside the bathroom.
It seemed like it was only Linel’s voice?
Who was he talking to?
I quickly made soap bubbles and rubbed them on my body while pouring water on myself.
Then, I carefully heard the bathroom door open.
It had to be Linel.
I should have looked back because I was sitting in the bathtub with my back to the bathroom door, but I didn’t.
‘Tch, you refused earlier? Have you changed your mind?’
He suggested we take a bath together, and now he’s jumping in on his own two feet.
Should I pour water on him?
Or should I run to him while I'm soaking wet and hug him, soaking all his clothes?
All I could think about was getting him soaked one way or another.
Well, he probably didn’t come into the bathroom to have a cup of tea anyway, so it didn’t matter, but I still wanted to show off a little.
“It’s late! Don’t even think about getting in the bathtub, I’m going out now. Could you hand me a towel? Then I’ll let you see my back.”
He didn’t say anything despite my bold suggestion.
I could imagine what kind of expression he was making as he looked at me right now.
Then how about this?
I got up from the bathtub, spread my arms, and said to him,
“Now, I’ll give you the honor of wiping me off. My husband doesn’t do Linel, so Your Majesty, the Emperor will wipe me off.”
My dizzying back and provocation were unavoidable, right?
You must have been surprised. You must have been surprised. I burst out laughing at my bold behavior.
I quite liked the nonsense that came out of nowhere, and I was pleased to think of his embarrassed expression.
At this point, I thought his laughter would be louder than mine, but it was strange.
Linel still didn’t respond.
Aha, is he taking off his clothes to get into the bathtub?
“You’re not going to wipe me with the clothes I’m wearing like in the cave during the day, are you? I’d rather not wear pants. Your Majesty? What are you doing?”
Why are you still silent? It would be normal to hear a laugh.
I couldn’t hold back my curiosity and boldly turned around.
Before I could even turn around, the door slammed shut.
“...What? Is he upset?”
What could he be upset about?
But apart from that, something felt strange.
I couldn’t understand why I felt this uneasy after washing up so refreshingly.
I quickly dried myself and left the bathroom.
“You seem to have gone out again?”
Linel was not in the room.
“Why are you turning the lights so dim?”
I was a little puzzled, but I soon realized his intentions and chuckled.
“We haven’t even had dinner yet, so you’re being cheeky.”
By the way, where did he go out again, leaving the room with such a strange atmosphere?
I glanced at the door and walked to the bed.
“Hmm? There’s only one?”
Sharon had clearly said I had two dresses, but there were none on the bed.
“I guess I forgot.”
This was the first time.
Plus, the extra towel was on the floor. Even Sharon, who is always precise, makes mistakes sometimes, I thought, picking up the towel and placing it on the bed before changing into the dress.
After I finished changing, the door opened.
“Zelda?”
He called my name as if confirming my presence, even though he knew that it was me in this room.
“You’ve got the wrong room. I’m not Zelda.”
I said, pulling the towel I had placed on the bed over my head.
“If you’re not my wife, who are you?”
Linel walked over and joined in my joke.
“I’m a woman named Dazel. What’s your name?”
“I’m Nelly,”
He said, hugging me from behind.
I laughed and turned to him, thinking that the name “Nelly” didn’t suit him at all.
“Your name sounds feminine, but your voice is so deep.”
“...Hmm?”
Linel tilted his head, staring at me.
His expression as he looked at me was subtle.
We asked each other at the same time.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Why did you change?”
Linel asked, looking over my dress.
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