“What’s going on here? Aha, you heard the rumors too. Have you come to see Pecilini?”
Roxana glanced at Pecilini’s palace and pouted.
“No. I was just taking a walk.”
“Yes, you must be more upset than anyone else.”
Roxana ignored my comment, thinking to herself.
“Disturbed? It’s a joyous occasion for the imperial family.”
“Huh, so pointless.”
Roxana clicked her tongue and muttered quietly.
“Even if you enjoy His Majesty’s favor now, how long do you think it will last?”
Roxana asked, mocking me.
“Love fades in time, but power is different. Hmm... What should we do if seeds are sown where there is no path and flowers bloom?”
She looked down at a wildflower blooming between us and asked.
“A new flower path will be created.”
I looked down at the wildflowers and answered.
Roxana shook her head in disbelief and laughed.
“No, no. If flowers bloom where there’s no path, you should trample them down.”
“?”
“Because they just get in the way of walking.”
Roxana stepped on the wildflowers without hesitation.
Her words were also aimed at Pecilini.
“Well, let’s see you at Prince Tesla’s trial.”
Roxana trampled the wildflowers again and turned around.
“...Of course.”
At that moment, I realized.
To Roxana, I was just like a wildflower blooming in the middle of the road, blocking her path.
The next afternoon.
Today, the day before Prince Tesla’s trial, was Rosie’s birthday.
Melanie and I were invited to Rosie’s palace for lunch.
“Thank you all for coming. I’m especially happy that Your Majesty the Empress took the time to do this.”
“What are you talking about? Of course, I should have come.”
I smiled affectionately, taking Rosie’s hand.
“If it weren’t for the trial tomorrow, I would have thrown a more extravagant birthday party.”
Melanie said regretfully.
“Of course. I’ll make sure to pay attention to my birthday next year.”
“Your Majesty, Her Highness Rosie’s birthday aside, mine hasn’t passed yet. Please pay attention to my birthday. You haven’t forgotten that I’ll be attending the trial as a witness, have you?”
Melanie said to me with wide eyes and a cute threat.
Prince Tesla would undoubtedly claim that I possessed the Avatar Sword at the trial. With his words, my quarters would be sealed.
Even then, the Avatar Sword would be imprinted on me, so they wouldn’t be able to find it.
Instead, they’d find a sword similar to the Avatar Sword.
The only two people who could testify that the sword had been in my quarters before this incident were Melanie, who had procured the ruby stone used on the sword’s hilt, and Count Ethan, the forge master who had witnessed me personally inlaying the ruby into the sword.
Having already hinted to Melanie, she was already mentally prepared. She hadn't expected me to ask her to throw her a grand birthday party in exchange for her testimony at trial.
"Yes, I'll ask His Majesty to throw you a particularly grand party."
I readily accepted Melanie's request.
While the two were laughing and chatting, someone Rosie would be delighted to see appeared in the dining room.
"Happy birthday, Your Highness, Rosie."
It was Prince Norton.
Prince Norton appeared, his hands full of bound books, seemingly from somewhere.
"Oh, Your Highness Rosie. You invited the Prince to dinner, too? Ugh, how cheeky."
Melanie winked and whispered teasingly.
"Oh, no. I never even told you it was my birthday..."
"Didn't that dark-haired kid tell you?"
By "dark-haired," Melanie meant Moiya.
The other day, when I received the ruby stone from Melanie, I also introduced her to Moiya.
Moiya seemed to like Melanie.
Perhaps wanting to become close to Melanie, he grabbed the ruby stone and placed it next to my face. He looked at me and even acted cute, saying, "Moiya, are your eyes the same color as mine~?"
However, Melanie, unfamiliar with the wyvern cub, screamed, "What the heck is this black thing?!" and fainted, causing Moiya to wipe away tears in hurt feelings.
"Moiya isn't the type of person who would do something so admirable."
Rosie said to Melanie.
"If only our Aoshi could talk like Moiya."
Rosie glanced at Aoshi, who was sprawled by the sunny restaurant window, and spoke.
But Melanie's prediction was correct.
"Moiya told me that today is Orange Head's, no, Your Highness Rosie's, birthday."
Prince Norton greeted Melanie and me first, then hugged Rosie's bundle of old books as if he were giving her a bouquet of flowers.
Rosie looked over the worn, worn books with rapture, sniffing them as if they were flowers.
"This is the most wonderful gift I've ever received in my life!"
Rosie's voice was so sincere that I couldn't believe my ears, and Melanie even dug her ear with her finger.
"I knew you'd like it."
Prince Norton smiled with delight.
Rosie hadn't been this pleased with the latest fashion dress I'd given her. She hadn't been this pleased with the sapphire jewelry set Melanie had given her either.
Rosie's face looked incredibly fresh as she received the old books.
“I wasn’t formally invited, but may I sit?”
Prince Norton asked Rosie. She hesitated, watching me.
“Of course. Please take a seat.”
I quickly offered Prince Norton a seat.
“Of course. Your Highness, it must have been difficult to carry all the firewood yourself, so you should eat before you go.”
Melanie said mockingly.
Rosie glared at Melanie and whispered,
“Firewood! This is a precious ancient book that’s at least two hundred years old.”
“How boring must it be to still be around after two hundred years?”
Melanie snorted sarcastically.
Rosie, embarrassed by her words, apologized to Prince Norton.
“By the way, Your Highness Melanie. Have you seen Hetor since the day we dined at the Empress’s Palace?”
This time Rosie smiled and tested Melanie.
“...No.”
Melanie, who was slicing steak with a wide grin, suddenly lowered her voice upon hearing Hetor's name.
"Hetor... Roxana's faithful dog? Does he have some connection to Your Highness Melanie?"
Prince Norton asked Rosie curiously.
"There was a major incident between them."
Melanie curled her lips inward at Rosie's words and became quiet.
The day of Prince Tesla's first trial dawned.
The weather was remarkably sunny.
Linel, along with the other ministers, had a meeting regarding the trial in the conference room of the Great Hall, so they headed there first.
Two hours later, Sharon and I rode in a carriage to the Great Hall.
"As expected, the nobles are very interested in this trial."
Sharon said, peeking out the carriage window and looking around the carriages of each family lined up in front of the Great Hall.
Although we arrived at the Great Hall on time, the carriages in front of the building were already occupied by earlier arrivals.
My carriage had no choice but to park behind the Great Hall.
“Huh? Your Majesty, look under that willow tree over there. Isn’t that Her Highness Melanie?”
"His Majesty wishes to see you for a moment. I'll take you to the waiting room."
I followed Stiane's lead and entered the waiting room where he was.
"You found me."
Linel stood looking out the window and then turned to me.
His gaze, as if reading my mood, seemed to calm my slightly tense heart.
I'd only seen him in the bedroom a few hours ago, but I felt as if I hadn't seen him in days.
"I thought I should see him before the trial."
He strode toward me and wrapped his arms around my anxiety.
Everything inside me calmed, and the heat that had been building inside me seemed to vanish.
"You're tense. I knew this would happen,"
Linel said, looking into my eyes.
"Do you see it?"
"It might be better to be tense than to be feverish, but it's better to take precautions just in case."
I smiled at his words, raised my head, and closed my eyes.
I knew what expression he was making without even looking.
Linel's lips, which had been softly pressed against mine, were becoming deeper and richer.
As my back touched the wall, his body pressed against mine.
He pressed against me as if he were about to bend the wall, but then, perhaps remembering the child in my womb, he relaxed his lower body and pulled away slightly.
But our lips remained tightly intertwined, never letting go.
Right here, right now, the only way he could pour his love out was through a kiss...
“Your Majesty, the trial is about to begin...!”
Someone’s voice made Linel and me open our eyes simultaneously.
He stared at the door, his mouth wide open in confusion.
“Prince Norton?”
What? Not Stiane or Raphael, but Prince Norton?
Startled, I turned around to see that Prince Norton wasn’t the only one at the door.
“Rosie? How are you...”
I asked with an embarrassed smile. Prince Norton answered, Rosie blushing.
“Oh, I’m sorry. We met Her Highness Rosie in the lobby. Stiane said he was coming to pick you up, so we came to see you before the trial... We came to the waiting room instead.”
“You should have knocked.”
He spat out, as if arguing.
“I’m sorry to say this, but I knocked twice, Your Majesty.”
He was saying that he had knocked twice, but Linel and I were so engrossed in kissing that he hadn’t heard.
“...Is that so? They say this waiting room was a torture chamber a hundred years ago. It’s so soundproofed that I probably didn’t even hear you knocking. I should go now.”
He took my hand and walked out the waiting room door first.
“Was this really a torture chamber?”
I whispered.
“Would lying in the Great Temple be a greater sin?”
He winked, one corner of his mouth raised.
I held both hands and briefly begged God for forgiveness on his behalf.
“It’s been a while.”
As soon as I left the waiting room door, I ran into Princess Resilia walking towards me.
“I see you were released from the Empress’s Palace in preparation for Prince Tesla’s trial?”
Linel asked Princess Resilia, who greeted him, indifferently.
“...Yes, Your Majesty. Have you seen Prince Norton? I asked the chamberlain in front of the judge, and he said he went to the waiting room here...”
Princess Resilia looked much more haggard than before she was dragged to the Empress’s Palace.
“Stay inside.”
I glanced back and gestured to the waiting room door.
Princess Resilia slowly approached the door.
Knock, knock.
Linel knocked for me and opened the door herself.
As he and I looked through the open waiting room door, we froze in place.
The two people in the waiting room, that is... Rosie and Prince Norton’s lips parted at that very moment. My goodness, what on earth is going on?
“...No, no, Norton?!”
Princess Resilia’s scream-like cry echoed throughout the waiting room.
Roxana glanced at Pecilini’s palace and pouted.
“No. I was just taking a walk.”
“Yes, you must be more upset than anyone else.”
Roxana ignored my comment, thinking to herself.
“Disturbed? It’s a joyous occasion for the imperial family.”
“Huh, so pointless.”
Roxana clicked her tongue and muttered quietly.
“Even if you enjoy His Majesty’s favor now, how long do you think it will last?”
Roxana asked, mocking me.
“Love fades in time, but power is different. Hmm... What should we do if seeds are sown where there is no path and flowers bloom?”
She looked down at a wildflower blooming between us and asked.
“A new flower path will be created.”
I looked down at the wildflowers and answered.
Roxana shook her head in disbelief and laughed.
“No, no. If flowers bloom where there’s no path, you should trample them down.”
“?”
“Because they just get in the way of walking.”
Roxana stepped on the wildflowers without hesitation.
Her words were also aimed at Pecilini.
“Well, let’s see you at Prince Tesla’s trial.”
Roxana trampled the wildflowers again and turned around.
“...Of course.”
At that moment, I realized.
To Roxana, I was just like a wildflower blooming in the middle of the road, blocking her path.
***
The next afternoon.
Today, the day before Prince Tesla’s trial, was Rosie’s birthday.
Melanie and I were invited to Rosie’s palace for lunch.
“Thank you all for coming. I’m especially happy that Your Majesty the Empress took the time to do this.”
“What are you talking about? Of course, I should have come.”
I smiled affectionately, taking Rosie’s hand.
“If it weren’t for the trial tomorrow, I would have thrown a more extravagant birthday party.”
Melanie said regretfully.
“Of course. I’ll make sure to pay attention to my birthday next year.”
“Your Majesty, Her Highness Rosie’s birthday aside, mine hasn’t passed yet. Please pay attention to my birthday. You haven’t forgotten that I’ll be attending the trial as a witness, have you?”
Melanie said to me with wide eyes and a cute threat.
Prince Tesla would undoubtedly claim that I possessed the Avatar Sword at the trial. With his words, my quarters would be sealed.
Even then, the Avatar Sword would be imprinted on me, so they wouldn’t be able to find it.
Instead, they’d find a sword similar to the Avatar Sword.
The only two people who could testify that the sword had been in my quarters before this incident were Melanie, who had procured the ruby stone used on the sword’s hilt, and Count Ethan, the forge master who had witnessed me personally inlaying the ruby into the sword.
Having already hinted to Melanie, she was already mentally prepared. She hadn't expected me to ask her to throw her a grand birthday party in exchange for her testimony at trial.
"Yes, I'll ask His Majesty to throw you a particularly grand party."
I readily accepted Melanie's request.
While the two were laughing and chatting, someone Rosie would be delighted to see appeared in the dining room.
"Happy birthday, Your Highness, Rosie."
It was Prince Norton.
Prince Norton appeared, his hands full of bound books, seemingly from somewhere.
"Oh, Your Highness Rosie. You invited the Prince to dinner, too? Ugh, how cheeky."
Melanie winked and whispered teasingly.
"Oh, no. I never even told you it was my birthday..."
"Didn't that dark-haired kid tell you?"
By "dark-haired," Melanie meant Moiya.
The other day, when I received the ruby stone from Melanie, I also introduced her to Moiya.
Moiya seemed to like Melanie.
Perhaps wanting to become close to Melanie, he grabbed the ruby stone and placed it next to my face. He looked at me and even acted cute, saying, "Moiya, are your eyes the same color as mine~?"
However, Melanie, unfamiliar with the wyvern cub, screamed, "What the heck is this black thing?!" and fainted, causing Moiya to wipe away tears in hurt feelings.
"Moiya isn't the type of person who would do something so admirable."
Rosie said to Melanie.
"If only our Aoshi could talk like Moiya."
Rosie glanced at Aoshi, who was sprawled by the sunny restaurant window, and spoke.
But Melanie's prediction was correct.
"Moiya told me that today is Orange Head's, no, Your Highness Rosie's, birthday."
Prince Norton greeted Melanie and me first, then hugged Rosie's bundle of old books as if he were giving her a bouquet of flowers.
Rosie looked over the worn, worn books with rapture, sniffing them as if they were flowers.
"This is the most wonderful gift I've ever received in my life!"
Rosie's voice was so sincere that I couldn't believe my ears, and Melanie even dug her ear with her finger.
"I knew you'd like it."
Prince Norton smiled with delight.
Rosie hadn't been this pleased with the latest fashion dress I'd given her. She hadn't been this pleased with the sapphire jewelry set Melanie had given her either.
Rosie's face looked incredibly fresh as she received the old books.
“I wasn’t formally invited, but may I sit?”
Prince Norton asked Rosie. She hesitated, watching me.
“Of course. Please take a seat.”
I quickly offered Prince Norton a seat.
“Of course. Your Highness, it must have been difficult to carry all the firewood yourself, so you should eat before you go.”
Melanie said mockingly.
Rosie glared at Melanie and whispered,
“Firewood! This is a precious ancient book that’s at least two hundred years old.”
“How boring must it be to still be around after two hundred years?”
Melanie snorted sarcastically.
Rosie, embarrassed by her words, apologized to Prince Norton.
“By the way, Your Highness Melanie. Have you seen Hetor since the day we dined at the Empress’s Palace?”
This time Rosie smiled and tested Melanie.
“...No.”
Melanie, who was slicing steak with a wide grin, suddenly lowered her voice upon hearing Hetor's name.
"Hetor... Roxana's faithful dog? Does he have some connection to Your Highness Melanie?"
Prince Norton asked Rosie curiously.
"There was a major incident between them."
Melanie curled her lips inward at Rosie's words and became quiet.
***
The day of Prince Tesla's first trial dawned.
The weather was remarkably sunny.
Linel, along with the other ministers, had a meeting regarding the trial in the conference room of the Great Hall, so they headed there first.
Two hours later, Sharon and I rode in a carriage to the Great Hall.
"As expected, the nobles are very interested in this trial."
Sharon said, peeking out the carriage window and looking around the carriages of each family lined up in front of the Great Hall.
Although we arrived at the Great Hall on time, the carriages in front of the building were already occupied by earlier arrivals.
My carriage had no choice but to park behind the Great Hall.
“Huh? Your Majesty, look under that willow tree over there. Isn’t that Her Highness Melanie?”
As I was getting off the carriage and heading back to the main gate of the Great Temple, Sharon asked, covering her mouth with her hand.
I followed Sharon’s gaze and turned my head.
“...What is she doing over there with Roxana’s loyal dog?”
Indeed, Melanie and Hetor were standing together under the willow tree, just as Sharon had said.
For some reason, Melanie was swaying, kicking up a breeze with her toes.
“There’s no such thing as a human willow tree.”
Sharon and I walked closer to where the two were standing, trying to muffle our footsteps, and hid behind a carriage that seemed to belong to Catherine.
“You’ve been living on Tanya Island, pirating, haven’t you?”
Melanie asked Hetor in a snarky tone.
“Yes, but what does that have to do with you, Your Highness?”
Hetor’s voice was emotionless, but Melanie’s squabbling continued.
“Saying so confidently in front of the Great Temple? Coveting others’ possessions is a sin. You’ll end up in hell.”
"Is that what you were going to say? That's what you had your servant call me here for?"
Hetor replied curtly again.
"Did Her Highness Melanie summon him?"
Sharon whispered in my ear, her tone bewildered.
"Is that so...?"
That surprised me, too.
"She's going to ask about the accident that day, right?"
Sharon asked, tapping her lips with her finger.
Yes, that unexpected accident where their lips met.
I nodded.
No matter how much I thought about it, apart from that incident, Melanie never once summoned Hetor.
“Here, this,”
Melanie said, suddenly thrusting her hand out in front of Hetor, which she had been holding behind her back.
“This... what is it?”
“Pomegranate. There’s nothing like this on Tanya Island, right?”
Hetor narrowed his eyes at Melanie, staring intently.
“They say it’s a fruit that’s especially good for men.”
Melanie said with a smug expression.
“?”
Hetor suddenly cleared his throat.
At first glance, it sounded like a laugh mixed with the clearing.
“Ha, Melanie. I don’t know why you’re saying that, but please shut up!”
Since when did the pomegranate, which is supposedly good for women, become a fruit that’s especially good for men?
While pomegranates are certainly good for men, I wanted to gag her and drag her here right away.
“...So?”
Hetor asked Melanie, covering his mouth with a clenched fist.
“It’s a precious fruit even for the nobles of the continent. Well, what would a rustic from a place full of barbarians know?”
I was nervous that Hetor would grab Melanie’s sly mouth and twist it.
“What on earth are you trying to say?”
Hetor, reaching the limit of his patience, asked, trailing off.
“Take it.”
“...Huh?”
“Throw it away. I brought it to throw away because there are so many pomegranates in my quarters, but I happened to see a trash can.”
Melanie openly treated Hetor like a trash can.
“It doesn’t look rotten yet, so eat it if you want.”
Melanie haughtily raised her chin, pushed Hetor’s arm away, and brushed past him.
Hetor, who absentmindedly accepted the red pomegranate, simply stared at Melanie’s back.
“He seems really angry. What if he throws a pomegranate at Her Highness Melanie’s head?”
Sharon spoke with concern.
I shared the same thought. So I kept my eyes glued to Hetor's hand, but thankfully, nothing like that happened.
Only after Melanie had completely vanished was I able to smile.
"Why are you smiling?"
"Because of Melanie. 90% of the pomegranates eaten on the continent come from Tanya Island. They're all owned by Hetor, that human."
Nobles would know this, but Melanie didn't hear?
No, even if she did, she probably forgot.
"Ah... You didn't know that and bragged about the pomegranate to him? Ugh, I think my hands and feet are going to disappear because of Her Highness Melanie!"
"Anyway, since Hetor didn't strangle Melanie, we should go now."
"Her Highness Melanie was angry with him earlier, right... right?"
"Well... I guess that's how she spoke, but doesn't it seem a bit ambiguous?"
Meanwhile, Hetor broke the pomegranate Melanie had given him in half and fed it to the horse in Melanie's carriage.
"Look, pomegranates are so common on Tanya Island that they feed them to horses like that."
"Oh my, it really is. He's not hesitant to feed such a precious thing to a horse! Shouldn't we tell Her Highness Melanie?"
I followed Sharon’s gaze and turned my head.
“...What is she doing over there with Roxana’s loyal dog?”
Indeed, Melanie and Hetor were standing together under the willow tree, just as Sharon had said.
For some reason, Melanie was swaying, kicking up a breeze with her toes.
“There’s no such thing as a human willow tree.”
Sharon and I walked closer to where the two were standing, trying to muffle our footsteps, and hid behind a carriage that seemed to belong to Catherine.
“You’ve been living on Tanya Island, pirating, haven’t you?”
Melanie asked Hetor in a snarky tone.
“Yes, but what does that have to do with you, Your Highness?”
Hetor’s voice was emotionless, but Melanie’s squabbling continued.
“Saying so confidently in front of the Great Temple? Coveting others’ possessions is a sin. You’ll end up in hell.”
"Is that what you were going to say? That's what you had your servant call me here for?"
Hetor replied curtly again.
"Did Her Highness Melanie summon him?"
Sharon whispered in my ear, her tone bewildered.
"Is that so...?"
That surprised me, too.
"She's going to ask about the accident that day, right?"
Sharon asked, tapping her lips with her finger.
Yes, that unexpected accident where their lips met.
I nodded.
No matter how much I thought about it, apart from that incident, Melanie never once summoned Hetor.
“Here, this,”
Melanie said, suddenly thrusting her hand out in front of Hetor, which she had been holding behind her back.
“This... what is it?”
“Pomegranate. There’s nothing like this on Tanya Island, right?”
Hetor narrowed his eyes at Melanie, staring intently.
“They say it’s a fruit that’s especially good for men.”
Melanie said with a smug expression.
“?”
Hetor suddenly cleared his throat.
At first glance, it sounded like a laugh mixed with the clearing.
“Ha, Melanie. I don’t know why you’re saying that, but please shut up!”
Since when did the pomegranate, which is supposedly good for women, become a fruit that’s especially good for men?
While pomegranates are certainly good for men, I wanted to gag her and drag her here right away.
“...So?”
Hetor asked Melanie, covering his mouth with a clenched fist.
“It’s a precious fruit even for the nobles of the continent. Well, what would a rustic from a place full of barbarians know?”
I was nervous that Hetor would grab Melanie’s sly mouth and twist it.
“What on earth are you trying to say?”
Hetor, reaching the limit of his patience, asked, trailing off.
“Take it.”
“...Huh?”
“Throw it away. I brought it to throw away because there are so many pomegranates in my quarters, but I happened to see a trash can.”
Melanie openly treated Hetor like a trash can.
“It doesn’t look rotten yet, so eat it if you want.”
Melanie haughtily raised her chin, pushed Hetor’s arm away, and brushed past him.
Hetor, who absentmindedly accepted the red pomegranate, simply stared at Melanie’s back.
“He seems really angry. What if he throws a pomegranate at Her Highness Melanie’s head?”
Sharon spoke with concern.
I shared the same thought. So I kept my eyes glued to Hetor's hand, but thankfully, nothing like that happened.
Only after Melanie had completely vanished was I able to smile.
"Why are you smiling?"
"Because of Melanie. 90% of the pomegranates eaten on the continent come from Tanya Island. They're all owned by Hetor, that human."
Nobles would know this, but Melanie didn't hear?
No, even if she did, she probably forgot.
"Ah... You didn't know that and bragged about the pomegranate to him? Ugh, I think my hands and feet are going to disappear because of Her Highness Melanie!"
"Anyway, since Hetor didn't strangle Melanie, we should go now."
"Her Highness Melanie was angry with him earlier, right... right?"
"Well... I guess that's how she spoke, but doesn't it seem a bit ambiguous?"
Meanwhile, Hetor broke the pomegranate Melanie had given him in half and fed it to the horse in Melanie's carriage.
"Look, pomegranates are so common on Tanya Island that they feed them to horses like that."
"Oh my, it really is. He's not hesitant to feed such a precious thing to a horse! Shouldn't we tell Her Highness Melanie?"
"No problem. She told him she was throwing it away."
I retorted, stealing a glance at Hetor's profile, who was quietly laughing as he fed the pomegranate to his horse.
But why is he laughing like that? It doesn't suit him.
As I walked into the Great Hall and toward the hall where the trial was held, I ran into Stiane.
He seemed to be waiting for me in one corner of the lobby.
I retorted, stealing a glance at Hetor's profile, who was quietly laughing as he fed the pomegranate to his horse.
But why is he laughing like that? It doesn't suit him.
***
As I walked into the Great Hall and toward the hall where the trial was held, I ran into Stiane.
He seemed to be waiting for me in one corner of the lobby.
"His Majesty wishes to see you for a moment. I'll take you to the waiting room."
I followed Stiane's lead and entered the waiting room where he was.
"You found me."
Linel stood looking out the window and then turned to me.
His gaze, as if reading my mood, seemed to calm my slightly tense heart.
I'd only seen him in the bedroom a few hours ago, but I felt as if I hadn't seen him in days.
"I thought I should see him before the trial."
He strode toward me and wrapped his arms around my anxiety.
Everything inside me calmed, and the heat that had been building inside me seemed to vanish.
"You're tense. I knew this would happen,"
Linel said, looking into my eyes.
"Do you see it?"
"It might be better to be tense than to be feverish, but it's better to take precautions just in case."
I smiled at his words, raised my head, and closed my eyes.
I knew what expression he was making without even looking.
Linel's lips, which had been softly pressed against mine, were becoming deeper and richer.
As my back touched the wall, his body pressed against mine.
He pressed against me as if he were about to bend the wall, but then, perhaps remembering the child in my womb, he relaxed his lower body and pulled away slightly.
But our lips remained tightly intertwined, never letting go.
Right here, right now, the only way he could pour his love out was through a kiss...
“Your Majesty, the trial is about to begin...!”
Someone’s voice made Linel and me open our eyes simultaneously.
He stared at the door, his mouth wide open in confusion.
“Prince Norton?”
What? Not Stiane or Raphael, but Prince Norton?
Startled, I turned around to see that Prince Norton wasn’t the only one at the door.
“Rosie? How are you...”
I asked with an embarrassed smile. Prince Norton answered, Rosie blushing.
“Oh, I’m sorry. We met Her Highness Rosie in the lobby. Stiane said he was coming to pick you up, so we came to see you before the trial... We came to the waiting room instead.”
“You should have knocked.”
He spat out, as if arguing.
“I’m sorry to say this, but I knocked twice, Your Majesty.”
He was saying that he had knocked twice, but Linel and I were so engrossed in kissing that he hadn’t heard.
“...Is that so? They say this waiting room was a torture chamber a hundred years ago. It’s so soundproofed that I probably didn’t even hear you knocking. I should go now.”
He took my hand and walked out the waiting room door first.
“Was this really a torture chamber?”
I whispered.
“Would lying in the Great Temple be a greater sin?”
He winked, one corner of his mouth raised.
I held both hands and briefly begged God for forgiveness on his behalf.
“It’s been a while.”
As soon as I left the waiting room door, I ran into Princess Resilia walking towards me.
“I see you were released from the Empress’s Palace in preparation for Prince Tesla’s trial?”
Linel asked Princess Resilia, who greeted him, indifferently.
“...Yes, Your Majesty. Have you seen Prince Norton? I asked the chamberlain in front of the judge, and he said he went to the waiting room here...”
Princess Resilia looked much more haggard than before she was dragged to the Empress’s Palace.
“Stay inside.”
I glanced back and gestured to the waiting room door.
Princess Resilia slowly approached the door.
Knock, knock.
Linel knocked for me and opened the door herself.
As he and I looked through the open waiting room door, we froze in place.
The two people in the waiting room, that is... Rosie and Prince Norton’s lips parted at that very moment. My goodness, what on earth is going on?
“...No, no, Norton?!”
Princess Resilia’s scream-like cry echoed throughout the waiting room.
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