With my resolve made, I remembered what I needed most immediately tonight.
“I need clothes that allow me to move stealthily. Can you get them for me?”
“Hmm, what the hell is this? What if you get caught? I barely saved you.”
He asked, displeasedly as he closed the bathroom terrace door.
“I wanted to see you.”
I lowered my head in embarrassment, revealing my true feelings.
Then he slightly turned his lower body to the other side.
“No, I didn’t come here because I wanted to see you there...!”
I waved my hands to explain, but he grabbed my wrist.
“That’s fine.”
“I told you so!”
“I need clothes that allow me to move stealthily. Can you get them for me?”
I quietly asked Rosie.
“I’ll have a servant get them for me while we drink tea. Just tell me anything.”
“I’ll have a servant get them for me while we drink tea. Just tell me anything.”
Rosie said happily as she walked toward her quarters.
“Um... something that won’t catch anyone’s eye. Like something an assassin would wear.”
“...An assassin’s outfit?”
Rosie’s eyes widened, confirming my words.
I nodded, and Melanie glanced around and asked secretly,
“Oh my, is anyone going to die by Your Majesty’s hand today?”
Melanie’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“That’ll be later,”
I replied, looking toward the Empress’s palace.
Rosie’s eyes widened at my answer, and Melanie’s gaze sparkled even more.
“Today, we have other matters.”
“Are you really... planning on going to the Empress’s Palace?”
Rosie whispered softly, snuggling up next to me.
“Yes, I have something to confirm.”
After tea time at Rosie’s quarters, we had dinner together.
I wanted to leave earlier, but I thought,
‘On a day like this, it’s better to eat together than alone.’
‘That’s right, you should eat even if you don’t have an appetite!’
I couldn’t resist Rosie and Melanie’s urging, so I ate a hearty dessert before heading to the main palace.
The garden path leading from the West Palace to the Main Palace was rumored to be particularly beautiful even within the palace grounds.
But even walking down that beautiful path, my heart felt like a wasteland.
If only he had been Nellie, the one I met at the tavern, instead of the Emperor, my feelings wouldn’t have been this bad.
Or maybe I shouldn’t have met him at the tavern.
Somehow, my feelings for him had grown strangely deep compared to the time we had known each other.
I felt so drawn to him.
Even though he was erased from my memory, I wondered if my subconscious still held onto him.
Was it the same for him?
Surely we had our first night together after our wedding?
I tried to remember what my first night with him had been like.
At times like this, my head would tingle, like a sneeze threatening to escape my nose.
Couldn't Linel remember our first night either?
Was his only memory now limited to his first night with Roxana?
The words "first night" swirled in my mouth, and my imagination suddenly exploded.
I gazed at the Empress's Palace in the distance.
Not a single thought resonated with me.
Tonight, even the casual glances between them filled me with jealousy.
I arrived at the main palace and quickly climbed the stairs to the bedroom level.
I gazed briefly at the Emperor's bedroom before trudging to my room.
"Are you coming now?"
Bellos had been waiting for Zelda in her room for an hour.
“How did you get in? Oh, with teleportation?”
“...There are many other methods besides teleportation.”
“Is that so? How is Sharon?”
“Don’t worry. It’ll take a while for her wounds to heal, but she’ll be back to her normal life within a day or two.”
“Thank you. In many ways.”
Zelda said in a weary voice.
“Don’t worry, are you okay?”
Bellos approached her with a worried expression and asked.
She smiled hollowly and answered honestly.
“I don’t know what you’re asking, but overall, I’m not okay.”
“Yes, of course you are. You’ve become the concubine of an Emperor you don’t even remember.”
“?”
'Oh, by the way, the Magic Tower Lord doesn’t know that I met Linel again...:
Should she say anything?
She met a man at a tavern, had a sober night with him, and the next day, she met him again at the palace and started dating him.
But then she found out that he was her ex-husband?
Zelda considered it for a moment and decided to keep quiet. Even if Bellos knew this, it wouldn't change her situation.
Completely unaware of this, Bellos simply felt sorry for her.
"But it was unexpected. I never expected Emperor Linel to demote Your Majesty the Empress to a concubine."
“Me too. I thought I’d probably only end up in prison for a few years at best.”
“So, we were making plans among ourselves to escape with Your Majesty if His Majesty sentenced you to death or imprisonment.”
Bellos glanced at the door and lowered his voice.
“Were you really making such plans?”
“Yes, if you were imprisoned in the palace, wouldn’t Princess Roxana’s forces be at ease? Besides, it’s even more dangerous since we can’t look after you directly in prison.”
“Thank you all, but please don’t risk your life because of me.”
“Commander Macrom, Empress Elan, and I all have our own reasons for protecting Your Majesty. Don’t worry about it.”
“What is your reason, Lord of the Magic Tower?”
Zelda asked, tilting her head.
Commander Macrom was her knight bodyguard when she was the Empress, so he must do it out of a sense of duty.
In the case of Empress Elan, Zelda had once said it was to repay the favor of saving her life twice.
On the other hand, wasn't the Magic Tower Lord simply someone who accompanied her to heal her?
Moreover, his mission had already ended in the Tebello Empire.
Zelda couldn't understand why Bellos remained by her side.
"Are you curious?"
"Yes, I understand why Commander Macrom and Empress Elan are with me, but the Magic Tower Lord doesn't necessarily have to stay by my side."
"I love you."
"...Huh?"
"I... said I love Your Majesty."
Zelda didn't quite understand Bellos's words.
She froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"It's comforting to hear that on a day like today."
"You think I'm joking."
“Um... something that won’t catch anyone’s eye. Like something an assassin would wear.”
“...An assassin’s outfit?”
Rosie’s eyes widened, confirming my words.
I nodded, and Melanie glanced around and asked secretly,
“Oh my, is anyone going to die by Your Majesty’s hand today?”
Melanie’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“That’ll be later,”
I replied, looking toward the Empress’s palace.
Rosie’s eyes widened at my answer, and Melanie’s gaze sparkled even more.
“Today, we have other matters.”
“Are you really... planning on going to the Empress’s Palace?”
Rosie whispered softly, snuggling up next to me.
“Yes, I have something to confirm.”
***
After tea time at Rosie’s quarters, we had dinner together.
I wanted to leave earlier, but I thought,
‘On a day like this, it’s better to eat together than alone.’
‘That’s right, you should eat even if you don’t have an appetite!’
I couldn’t resist Rosie and Melanie’s urging, so I ate a hearty dessert before heading to the main palace.
The garden path leading from the West Palace to the Main Palace was rumored to be particularly beautiful even within the palace grounds.
But even walking down that beautiful path, my heart felt like a wasteland.
If only he had been Nellie, the one I met at the tavern, instead of the Emperor, my feelings wouldn’t have been this bad.
Or maybe I shouldn’t have met him at the tavern.
Somehow, my feelings for him had grown strangely deep compared to the time we had known each other.
I felt so drawn to him.
Even though he was erased from my memory, I wondered if my subconscious still held onto him.
Was it the same for him?
Surely we had our first night together after our wedding?
I tried to remember what my first night with him had been like.
At times like this, my head would tingle, like a sneeze threatening to escape my nose.
Couldn't Linel remember our first night either?
Was his only memory now limited to his first night with Roxana?
The words "first night" swirled in my mouth, and my imagination suddenly exploded.
I gazed at the Empress's Palace in the distance.
Not a single thought resonated with me.
Tonight, even the casual glances between them filled me with jealousy.
I arrived at the main palace and quickly climbed the stairs to the bedroom level.
I gazed briefly at the Emperor's bedroom before trudging to my room.
***
"Are you coming now?"
Bellos had been waiting for Zelda in her room for an hour.
“How did you get in? Oh, with teleportation?”
“...There are many other methods besides teleportation.”
“Is that so? How is Sharon?”
“Don’t worry. It’ll take a while for her wounds to heal, but she’ll be back to her normal life within a day or two.”
“Thank you. In many ways.”
Zelda said in a weary voice.
“Don’t worry, are you okay?”
Bellos approached her with a worried expression and asked.
She smiled hollowly and answered honestly.
“I don’t know what you’re asking, but overall, I’m not okay.”
“Yes, of course you are. You’ve become the concubine of an Emperor you don’t even remember.”
“?”
'Oh, by the way, the Magic Tower Lord doesn’t know that I met Linel again...:
Should she say anything?
She met a man at a tavern, had a sober night with him, and the next day, she met him again at the palace and started dating him.
But then she found out that he was her ex-husband?
Zelda considered it for a moment and decided to keep quiet. Even if Bellos knew this, it wouldn't change her situation.
Completely unaware of this, Bellos simply felt sorry for her.
"But it was unexpected. I never expected Emperor Linel to demote Your Majesty the Empress to a concubine."
“Me too. I thought I’d probably only end up in prison for a few years at best.”
“So, we were making plans among ourselves to escape with Your Majesty if His Majesty sentenced you to death or imprisonment.”
Bellos glanced at the door and lowered his voice.
“Were you really making such plans?”
“Yes, if you were imprisoned in the palace, wouldn’t Princess Roxana’s forces be at ease? Besides, it’s even more dangerous since we can’t look after you directly in prison.”
“Thank you all, but please don’t risk your life because of me.”
“Commander Macrom, Empress Elan, and I all have our own reasons for protecting Your Majesty. Don’t worry about it.”
“What is your reason, Lord of the Magic Tower?”
Zelda asked, tilting her head.
Commander Macrom was her knight bodyguard when she was the Empress, so he must do it out of a sense of duty.
In the case of Empress Elan, Zelda had once said it was to repay the favor of saving her life twice.
On the other hand, wasn't the Magic Tower Lord simply someone who accompanied her to heal her?
Moreover, his mission had already ended in the Tebello Empire.
Zelda couldn't understand why Bellos remained by her side.
"Are you curious?"
"Yes, I understand why Commander Macrom and Empress Elan are with me, but the Magic Tower Lord doesn't necessarily have to stay by my side."
"I love you."
"...Huh?"
"I... said I love Your Majesty."
Zelda didn't quite understand Bellos's words.
She froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"It's comforting to hear that on a day like today."
"You think I'm joking."
Bellos's face flushed.
"You don't believe me."
"You don't believe me."
"!"
Zelda pressed her cheekbones, which had risen from laughter, with both palms to calm her expression.
"Are you serious?"
Bellos nodded at her question.
“What the...?”
Zelda muttered, her voice thick with energy.
“Once you retrieve the Avatar Sword, you will come with me.”
Bellos began to internally organize his confession to her.
The truth was, he intended to take her as his companion to retrieve the Avatar.
At first, he appeared before Zelda for that simple reason, but he didn’t know he would harbor such feelings.
So, leave the Lapion Empire with me and...
“I’m fine. Really.”
Zelda’s soft voice interrupted Bellos’s thoughts.
The words he had intended to confess to her lost their will and vanished in an instant.
“Huh?”
“Even when my face was burned by the red reagent and I suffered from a fever, even when the nobles frowned at my scars, even when I was infected by evil energy, I overcame it all.”
“The burn scars aren’t completely healed, are they?”
“Oh, that’s true...”
Zelda touched the right side of her face with her hand, her expression bitter.
“I told you before that there was a cure on Aklatto Island that could completely erase burn scars. Do you remember?”
“Yes, I remember. It was a herb called ‘Kelvarn,’ right?”
She nodded with a pleading look.
"That’s right. If you leave the Lapion Empire with me, I will definitely create a cure and remove your burn scars.”
“Or what?”
Bellos flinched at Zelda’s surprise question.
“If I stay here, won’t you create a cure?”
“...First, please consider my offer seriously.”
Bellos avoided her gaze and avoided answering.
An awkward silence flowed between them.
“Do you feel pity for me?”
Zelda looked at Bellos with a serious look.
“Do you think I said that out of pity?”
“I wish you had.”
“Why...”
“I thought I would feel too sorry if you were sincere.”
It was a clear rejection.
Though it was an indirect statement, the rejection was clear.
Bellos’s mind went blank.
"But life here must be even more difficult for you. You've become the concubine of someone you don't even care about, and if Emperor Linel happens to take Your Majesty..."
Bellos couldn't bring himself to continue.
Instead, he brought up the suggestion he had made to her earlier.
“If I just get the Incarnation Sword back, I have nothing to fear. So, please leave this place with me.”
“I don’t think that’ll work. Besides the Incarnation Sword, there’s one more thing I need to find.”
“That... what is it?”
Zelda simply smiled at Bellos’s question.
I left the main palace and headed to the Empress’s Palace.
I knew it was impulsive. I knew it wasn’t wise.
But it was better than sitting around all night, daydreaming.
Fortunately, the black clothes that Rosie had gotten me fit well, allowing me to move lightly.
To avoid the eyes of the court ladies and guards, I took the furthest, darkest route through the back garden, safely arriving at the back of the Empress’s Palace.
I looked up at the bedroom terrace.
“I guess they’re not yet asleep?”
I felt a little relieved to see the soft lights on in the bedroom.
I had originally planned to arrive earlier, but the Magic Tower Master was waiting in my room, delaying my arrival.
It took another 30 minutes to get back from the main palace to here, taking the long route back along the back garden.
I took out my pocket watch and checked the time.
10 p.m.
Perhaps it was time for their first night together?
I glanced around the bedroom windows one by one, and a light came on inside the bathroom terrace door.
Was it Linel who had entered the bathroom? Or Roxana?
Either way, it meant one was in the bathroom, the other in the bedroom.
If so, this was a good opportunity to catch up with Linel, even if only briefly.
'What if they're both in the bathroom?'
I felt a pang of anxiety.
I decided to go up to the bathroom terrace to check.
I carefully pulled my mask back up to my eyes and stepped on the statues scattered throughout the Empress's Palace.
My body felt light as I climbed toward the bathroom terrace, but my heart was incredibly heavy.
Once I safely reached the terrace, I heard the sound of water lapping inside.
I cautiously opened the terrace door and stepped inside.
It was possible because the bathroom wasn't directly visible even when the terrace door was open. As soon as I stepped inside, I pressed my back against the wall, providing cover.
"Just check my back."
I tilted my head slightly to the side and peeked at the bathtub.
"Huh?"
The sound of water I'd heard from the bathtub a moment ago had stopped. The bathtub was empty, too.
"Did you leave?"
Zelda pressed her cheekbones, which had risen from laughter, with both palms to calm her expression.
"Are you serious?"
Bellos nodded at her question.
“What the...?”
Zelda muttered, her voice thick with energy.
“Once you retrieve the Avatar Sword, you will come with me.”
Bellos began to internally organize his confession to her.
The truth was, he intended to take her as his companion to retrieve the Avatar.
At first, he appeared before Zelda for that simple reason, but he didn’t know he would harbor such feelings.
So, leave the Lapion Empire with me and...
“I’m fine. Really.”
Zelda’s soft voice interrupted Bellos’s thoughts.
The words he had intended to confess to her lost their will and vanished in an instant.
“Huh?”
“Even when my face was burned by the red reagent and I suffered from a fever, even when the nobles frowned at my scars, even when I was infected by evil energy, I overcame it all.”
“The burn scars aren’t completely healed, are they?”
“Oh, that’s true...”
Zelda touched the right side of her face with her hand, her expression bitter.
“I told you before that there was a cure on Aklatto Island that could completely erase burn scars. Do you remember?”
“Yes, I remember. It was a herb called ‘Kelvarn,’ right?”
She nodded with a pleading look.
"That’s right. If you leave the Lapion Empire with me, I will definitely create a cure and remove your burn scars.”
“Or what?”
Bellos flinched at Zelda’s surprise question.
“If I stay here, won’t you create a cure?”
“...First, please consider my offer seriously.”
Bellos avoided her gaze and avoided answering.
An awkward silence flowed between them.
“Do you feel pity for me?”
Zelda looked at Bellos with a serious look.
“Do you think I said that out of pity?”
“I wish you had.”
“Why...”
“I thought I would feel too sorry if you were sincere.”
It was a clear rejection.
Though it was an indirect statement, the rejection was clear.
Bellos’s mind went blank.
"But life here must be even more difficult for you. You've become the concubine of someone you don't even care about, and if Emperor Linel happens to take Your Majesty..."
Bellos couldn't bring himself to continue.
Instead, he brought up the suggestion he had made to her earlier.
“If I just get the Incarnation Sword back, I have nothing to fear. So, please leave this place with me.”
“I don’t think that’ll work. Besides the Incarnation Sword, there’s one more thing I need to find.”
“That... what is it?”
Zelda simply smiled at Bellos’s question.
***
I left the main palace and headed to the Empress’s Palace.
I knew it was impulsive. I knew it wasn’t wise.
But it was better than sitting around all night, daydreaming.
Fortunately, the black clothes that Rosie had gotten me fit well, allowing me to move lightly.
To avoid the eyes of the court ladies and guards, I took the furthest, darkest route through the back garden, safely arriving at the back of the Empress’s Palace.
I looked up at the bedroom terrace.
“I guess they’re not yet asleep?”
I felt a little relieved to see the soft lights on in the bedroom.
I had originally planned to arrive earlier, but the Magic Tower Master was waiting in my room, delaying my arrival.
It took another 30 minutes to get back from the main palace to here, taking the long route back along the back garden.
I took out my pocket watch and checked the time.
10 p.m.
Perhaps it was time for their first night together?
I glanced around the bedroom windows one by one, and a light came on inside the bathroom terrace door.
Was it Linel who had entered the bathroom? Or Roxana?
Either way, it meant one was in the bathroom, the other in the bedroom.
If so, this was a good opportunity to catch up with Linel, even if only briefly.
'What if they're both in the bathroom?'
I felt a pang of anxiety.
I decided to go up to the bathroom terrace to check.
I carefully pulled my mask back up to my eyes and stepped on the statues scattered throughout the Empress's Palace.
My body felt light as I climbed toward the bathroom terrace, but my heart was incredibly heavy.
Once I safely reached the terrace, I heard the sound of water lapping inside.
I cautiously opened the terrace door and stepped inside.
It was possible because the bathroom wasn't directly visible even when the terrace door was open. As soon as I stepped inside, I pressed my back against the wall, providing cover.
"Just check my back."
I tilted my head slightly to the side and peeked at the bathtub.
"Huh?"
The sound of water I'd heard from the bathtub a moment ago had stopped. The bathtub was empty, too.
"Did you leave?"
I pushed myself away from the wall and leaned a little further into the bathroom. Just then, I heard Linel's voice, "Looking for something," from just across the wall I was facing. I quickly turned my head in the direction of the voice. He was looking down at me, his head barely peeking out.
"Found it!"
I said, unconsciously breathing a sigh of relief.
"Did you come...to see me?" he asked.
Then did I come to see Roxana? I pushed myself away from the wall and stood facing him.
"...Ah."
Linel was soaking wet. Having hurriedly gotten out of the bathtub, he was only wrapped roughly in a towel around his waist. The towel hung precariously around his waist, like the last leaf on a dry branch. I hadn't expected this, but it was worth risking my life.
"Are you taking a bath before going to sleep?"
I asked, sharing a bed with Roxana.
"Isn't the towel a little too loosely wrapped?"
I calmed my wandering eyes and asked plainly.
"An assassin would immediately pull out the towel and use it as a weapon," he said, placing both hands on his waist.
Wow, he must have been planning to subdue the assassin with just a towel.
"If you're an assassin, can you see His Majesty's naked body?"
"What's the point of seeing it when you're going to die anyway?"
Well, that's true. But I wasn't an assassin about to die, so I was uneasy for one reason or another. I wish I were the only one who could see that sight... It was a sight I absolutely didn't want to share with anyone. Why are you so perfectly shaped? Tsk.
"What are you looking at right now?"
Only then did I realize where my gaze had been at Linel's words.
"...It's not that I didn't like that part, it's that I was, tsk tsk."
I didn't like this reality.
“Hmm, what the hell is this? What if you get caught? I barely saved you.”
He asked, displeasedly as he closed the bathroom terrace door.
“I wanted to see you.”
I lowered my head in embarrassment, revealing my true feelings.
Then he slightly turned his lower body to the other side.
“No, I didn’t come here because I wanted to see you there...!”
I waved my hands to explain, but he grabbed my wrist.
“That’s fine.”
“I told you so!”
“That’s not really true!”
“I know,” he said with a smirk.
“And... I have something I wanted to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“You told me three days ago, it’s just the location that’s different, nothing has changed.”
Linel grinned silently, as if to say, “Oh, that’s what you came to ask?”
“What exactly did you mean by that?”
Roxana stared at the bathroom door through which Linel entered.
Her heart raced with tension and anticipation.
“Finally, I did it.”
Roxana raised the corners of her lips, her expression filled with triumph.
She had finally ascended to the throne of the Lapion Empire, as she had desired.
But it wasn't all joy.
Empress Zelda had been dethroned, but instead of being executed, she was demoted to Second Consort.
This was unexpected, and it shouldn't have happened.
Even though the two had lost their memories of each other, she needed to be vigilant.
She was now Empress, and Zelda was a consort.
And not even First Consort, but Second Consort.
Roxana was determined to show Zelda the power of authority, time and again.
Besides, after her first night with Linel, much would change.
With that conviction, she walked to her vanity and stood before her full-length mirror. Even to herself, her reflection was captivating.
She boasted that any man would naturally want to embrace her. Just as Roxana, brimming with confidence, turned back to the bed, a clattering sound came from the bottom drawer of the vanity.
"I must have misheard."
Roxana frowned and turned again.
But at that moment, a rattling sound was heard again.
In the bottom drawer of the dresser was where Roxana had kept the wyvern egg she had kept her entire life.
'Could it be...?'
Roxana bent down, knelt, and carefully opened the bottom drawer.
Even as she opened the drawer, she heard several rattling sounds.
But once she opened the drawer, the wyvern egg had stopped moving.
She thought it was her imagination, but she shook her head.
'It must be. The wyvern egg moved,'
Roxana thought, placing her palm on the wyvern egg and fiddling with it.
'Even though I took the red potion and knew about the fever, there was no reaction until then. Why did it suddenly move?'
If anything had changed...
'Emperor Linel?'
Roxana's gaze turned to the bathroom door.
She closed the drawer again, got up, and slowly walked toward it.
Knock, knock.
She knocked on the bathroom door, but there was no sound from inside.
With a strange thought, Roxana flung the door open.
"Your Majesty...?"
“I know,” he said with a smirk.
“And... I have something I wanted to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“You told me three days ago, it’s just the location that’s different, nothing has changed.”
Linel grinned silently, as if to say, “Oh, that’s what you came to ask?”
“What exactly did you mean by that?”
***
Roxana stared at the bathroom door through which Linel entered.
Her heart raced with tension and anticipation.
“Finally, I did it.”
Roxana raised the corners of her lips, her expression filled with triumph.
She had finally ascended to the throne of the Lapion Empire, as she had desired.
But it wasn't all joy.
Empress Zelda had been dethroned, but instead of being executed, she was demoted to Second Consort.
This was unexpected, and it shouldn't have happened.
Even though the two had lost their memories of each other, she needed to be vigilant.
She was now Empress, and Zelda was a consort.
And not even First Consort, but Second Consort.
Roxana was determined to show Zelda the power of authority, time and again.
Besides, after her first night with Linel, much would change.
With that conviction, she walked to her vanity and stood before her full-length mirror. Even to herself, her reflection was captivating.
She boasted that any man would naturally want to embrace her. Just as Roxana, brimming with confidence, turned back to the bed, a clattering sound came from the bottom drawer of the vanity.
"I must have misheard."
Roxana frowned and turned again.
But at that moment, a rattling sound was heard again.
In the bottom drawer of the dresser was where Roxana had kept the wyvern egg she had kept her entire life.
'Could it be...?'
Roxana bent down, knelt, and carefully opened the bottom drawer.
Even as she opened the drawer, she heard several rattling sounds.
But once she opened the drawer, the wyvern egg had stopped moving.
She thought it was her imagination, but she shook her head.
'It must be. The wyvern egg moved,'
Roxana thought, placing her palm on the wyvern egg and fiddling with it.
'Even though I took the red potion and knew about the fever, there was no reaction until then. Why did it suddenly move?'
If anything had changed...
'Emperor Linel?'
Roxana's gaze turned to the bathroom door.
She closed the drawer again, got up, and slowly walked toward it.
Knock, knock.
She knocked on the bathroom door, but there was no sound from inside.
With a strange thought, Roxana flung the door open.
"Your Majesty...?"
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